Public Safety Management Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4500 words

Public Safety Management - Research Paper Example In eliminating these problems and heightening the performance of the public safety department, a leader needs to move back and forth between the four styles identified by Hersey & Blanchard in their situational leadership model. A leader capacity to offer support for the workers depends on his or her capacity to offer a motivating environment. In this context, employees should receive support and coaching needed to carry out their tasks, this would build morale among the workers. This hands-off approach employed by a situational leader with committed and highly skilled workers can motivate the workers to work at their full capacity. A situational leader offers a supportive work environment to workers of every skill level. Employing this leadership approach can increase workers morale, and create a productive working environment. The basic assumption of situational leadership is that leaders have to adjust their style to the maturity of the follower depending on the readiness and will ingness to carry out the required duties (Mackay, 2007). There exist four styles of leadership that accompany the four combinations of low/high willingness and readiness. The four styles suggest that leaders should put less or greater attention on the task (task orientation) in question and/or the relationship between the follower and the leader (relationship orientation). The leader efficacy in this case would result from employing a behavioral style that is fitting to the environmental demands to increase morale, lessen or diminish hostility and discrimination, and reduce or diminish ill treatment of minority groups. According to the situation leadership framework, the leader’s effectiveness would result from employing a behavioral style that is fitting to the work... The paper tells that the type of budget management approach suitable for this case is the participative or bottom up approach. In the participative approach, employees are normally more readily to accept the budget, morale is also improved, and the budget input is offered by numerous persons. The budget process is normally initiated by the top management using general budget guideline, nonetheless, it is the lower level personnel’ that drive the budget development for their particular units. Connecting the budget to the entire corporate strategy as represented by numerous key business drivers would also be an advantageous budget. In using the linking approach, it is much more complex for leaders to twist the budget as they wish because this clearly weakens the organizational strategy. When all the available funds are allocated into the targeted activities, it becomes clear when someone tries to redirect funds into the development of unnecessary areas. Incorporating business dr ivers into the budget also tends to decrease the duration needed to complete the budget as less time is spent on budgeting minutia and political battles. The personnel issues relating to promotions and race relations would be addressed by barrier-elimination measures to get rid of or change discriminatory practices against the minority groups, and also positive or special measures, which can eliminate the residue for past discrimination especially for the minority group.

Intelligence Reform Essay Example for Free

Intelligence Reform Essay Brief Background The aftermath of the 9/11 tragedy has caused the US Federal Government to re-assess the setback and possible flaws of their homeland security defense. To primarily focus on investigating the tragedy, in November 27th 2002, the US Congress and President Bush commissioned a ten-man panel that comprised the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, which is known as the 9/11 Commission.   The 9/11 Commission expedited the investigation process and came up with a two-pronged framework based on the assessment. This two-pronged framework consists of the framing of action at a global perspective and the formulation of action at the domestic domain. The homeland security aspect has been emphasized and related by the 9/11 Commission with strong urgency for implementation and recommended it to Congress and the President. In addition, the commission also suggested the enactment of immediate measures that deal with the intelligence and enforcement agencies and the military organizations. Moreover, the US government has enacted several inter-agency programs that are highly supported by Congress and President Bush. Thus, the nationalization of homeland strategic programs has formally resulted in the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act (IRTPA) on January 20th 2004. In this regard, this paper will discuss the intelligence components of the IRTPA and measure its performance throughout the intelligence community while comparing it with the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission. On these bases, a conclusive evaluation will discuss the impact of IRTPA to reform the national intelligence community. An Update Briefer This update briefer is used to keep abreast with the situation of the intelligence reform in retrospect of the discussion throughout this paper. The paper will also form relevance to the background of concerns affecting the IRTPA. Basically, according to critics, â€Å"the Bush administration is in its seven years of intelligence fiasco which controls more than 80% of America’s $60 billion intelligence budget—reflective of Secretary of Defense Robert Gates’ streamlining the Pentagon’s trail on national security policy and intelligence as he work hand in hand with Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Michael McConnell—he gradually assert civilian control over the key spy agencies funded by the defense budget and held Pentagon’s effort to create its own intelligence machinery independent of the CIA† . This criticism could somehow be founded on the discretion of the President and put into perspective the 9/11 Commission Recommendation No.13.2 which states that: â€Å"the current position of Director of Central Intelligence (DNI) should be replaced by a National Intelligence Director (NID) with two main areas of responsibility; (1) to oversee national intelligence centers on specific subjects of interest across the U.S. government and (2) to manage the national intelligence program and oversee the agencies that contribute to it† . At hindsight, the intelligence fund may have lead to criticism because the teaming up of Pentagon with the CIA requires substantial budget allocation primarily due to the realignment of budget appropriation to intelligence activities. The Framing of Global Strategy This section of the paper will discuss the 9/11 Commission’s framing of global strategy that defines the action of security measures at international perspective, as follows: Reflection on Generational Challenge The 9/11 Commission has determined and defined the conceptual framework of knowing their enemies by familiarizing the historical origin and doctrines that instilled in their adversaries desires to wage war against America. Basically, familiarizing with the enemy is also familiarizing with the combative measures used in defining or assessing the formidable threat. It was found that terrorism is not only an act of vengeance to kill and destroy but is also based on the doctrines of Islamist secessionism which means that the allied forces and not only America is at risk of terrorist attacks. In this regard, familiarizing with enemy requires the use of all elements of national power: diplomacy, intelligence, covert action, law enforcement, economic policy, foreign aid, public diplomacy, and homeland defense. By reflecting on the situation and knowing the enemies, the challenge lies on the achievable tactical and strategically managed plan of action for short and long term implementation. Attacking terrorists and their organizations The collaborative diplomatic ties with allied governments focuses on a campaign to thwart the terrorist attacks by means of information exchange and expanding the open-source of intelligence information, intensifying military operations and sharing of financial resources to allied government’s counter-terrorism programs.   The conduct of war on terrorism has been installed at all frontiers of defense ranging from domestic and international boundaries. The strategy being employed is to know better the enemies but more on identifying the perpetrators of terrorism. The coercive action in condemning the so-called â€Å"cowardice attack to US soil† has been proven in the fall of Baghdad and the capturing of Iraqi tyrant Saddam Hussein, a close ally of al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden. The war on terrorism is treated with broadened understanding by the 9/11 Commission. Preventing the Continued Growth of Islamist Terrorism According to former US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld , the battle of ideas is between the question of enforcing law to prevent terrorist attacks and the question of just merely killing them the moment they commit the crime. Capturing terrorists, whether they are suspected or proven otherwise, would strategically achieve security defense. In addition, isolating the enemy and putting them into peripheries is another tactical form of beating them.   In contrast to Rumsfeld’s claim, the 9/11 Commission has tackled the importance of the UN’s declaration of human rights and some principles on Articles of War of the Geneva Convention. It briefly explains the humane treatment of the enemy of the state even when they are captured in combat zones—as mostly terrorist prefer to hide in strife-torn areas—or at the actual scene of the crime which are non-combat zones and urban population areas. In a way, the act of capturing an enemy is employed with strategic treatment and debriefing on the circumstance of indoctrination, specifically to familiarize with the Islamic doctrines in a tactical aspect. At a glance, it is a minimal gain to extract information from a captured terrorist because most of them are suicidal and would rather bring with them to their grave the classified information they know or possess. In relation to adopt more sustainable strategies at the global perspective, a 6-point framework is as follows: 1. Turning a national strategy into a coalition strategy refers to fostering a broader alliance in various governmental representation from its domestic or homeland relations to international cooperation; 2. Proliferation of weapons of mass destruction refers to supporting the call of the UN Security Council to all members and all allied states to disarmament of lethal weaponry that may result a genocide of the human race; 3. Strengthen counter proliferation efforts refers to act on counter-measures for countries that condone the exchange of lethal weaponry or weapons of mass destruction; 4. Expand the proliferation security initiative refers to expanding the open-source information in aid of intelligence access and exchange; 5. Support the cooperative threat reduction program refers to the retrieval of potentially useable weaponry or armaments that has been stockpiled during the war—which may be availably used by terrorists; 6. Targeting terrorist money refers to acting on financial embargo or halting the financial flow on the nature of funds that is being used by terrorists in funding their terrorist activities. Protection and preparation for terrorist attacks The continuing assessment and monitoring of potential threats of terrorist attacks to US homeland in particular and international communities of allied governments in general are being put into heightened configuration of security measures. The stabilization of preparedness programs and protective laws on immigration would minimize the burdens of terrorist threats. The crossing of borders is employed with modernized technological facilities and physical security system that would limit the terrorist’s mobilization or in-and out-country deployment. Likewise, travel advisory reduces the vulnerability of citizens to plunge into hotspots or terrorist bailiwicks. Defending the Homeland The 9/11 Commission has formulated recommendations with encompassing urgent actions for the US government to consolidate and mobilize troops and agencies. The key functional agenda is patterned after the global strategy that tackled the US homeland defense system. The following are the recommendations based on â€Å"How to do it? A different Way of Organizing the Government† : Unity of Effort Across the Foreign-Domestic Divide The recommendation called for jointly undertaking action in the sourcing of integrated intelligence through the establishment of a National Counter-Terrorism Center which has a mandate that resembles the Terrorist Threat Integration Center. The NCTC manages the joint operational and intelligence activities. Unity of Effort in the Intelligence Community Streamlining the flow of intelligence by organizing the key positions of authority, in which a National Intelligence Director manages the joint operational and intelligence centers, replacing the CIA’s Director of Central Intelligence. Unity of effort in Sharing Information The President’s mandate is called for unifying the functions of the government through mobilizing all governmental agencies to engage in information gathering and international cooperation with allied governments for information sharing. Unity of Effort in the Congress This calls for the establishment of a fully functional Congressional body that creates strong security policies and strengthens the homeland security. The unity of effort in Congress creates a policy structure that addresses the judicial and legal processes of security measures that manifests the sovereign interest of the people. Organizing America’s Defenses in the United States Institutionalizing the framework of intelligence—aside from the existing intelligence agencies—through a unified and managed specialty agency that is mandated to specifically organize the homeland defense basically results in the creation of the Department of Homeland Security. Transforming the Intelligence Work and Issues on Reforms In January 20th 2004, the US Congress enacted the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 (IRTPA). The primary purpose of IRTPA is to reform the intelligence community and the intelligence and intelligence-related activities of the United States Government . The transformation of intelligence work has found relevance in the enactment of IRTPA, in which the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) has worked closely in the framing of the IRTPA as a law. According to ODNI, â€Å"a great structural change has occurred in the passing of IRTPA† . Stressing on the structural change, the ODNI has reformed its capabilities in managing the flow of human intelligence (HUMINT) as their open-source of information. Reforming the capabilities also enabled the optimization of both human and financial resources in managing the operations. The reform in the ODNI has substantially addressed the key operational issues affecting the intelligence community and is abl e to put into perspective the intelligence work on counter-terrorism, in order to fully manage the homeland defense system. In a Senate inquiry on the progress of intelligence reform in January 23rd 2007, the ODNI was inquired with several issues. First, they were asked about the agency performance in which Sen. John Warner pointed out â€Å"the progress thus far achieved by ODNI is ten percent† . Second, they were questioned on the effectiveness of managing the clandestine operation of the CIA using the HUMINT (human intelligence) in information sharing from open-sources, which apparently still need more refinements from the point of view of organizational management. Furthermore, the performance of the ODNI, as it reported its achievements, has shown defects in its organizational aspect. Due to these defects, the Senate inquiry hinted on an organizational review and suggested the recall of the clandestine operation as further inquired on the assurance of the best intelligence from the Iraq Study Group (ISG), which have achieved tactical and strategic intelligence. The conclusion of the Senate inquiry presumed on the issue of reform, which does not manifest in the ODNI’s organizational capability to benchmark the achievements of goals and the CIA’s clandestine work. A brief review of the literature shows that the ODNI may have been in the stage of adaptability to the structural change embodied in its organizational mandate by virtue of the IRTPA. Another consideration is the underlying performance of the ODNI in streamlining its goals which has affected the benchmarking of short and long term operational plans in the field and which has merely given due management by the CIA in its clandestine operation in using the HUMINT. At this point, the reform in intelligence community work was supposed to be measured by the expected assertiveness of the ODNI—as the 9/11 Commission recommended that the ODNI be designated as the agency that implements joint operational and joint intelligence work and replace some aspect of intelligence work of the CIA. Retrieval of Operation to Manifest Reform In an effort to fully address the key issues to manifest reform in the structural change brought about by IRTPA and legislative pressures, the retrieval of operation in the organizational function of ODNI has been resolved by the US Senate through the approval of the Fiscal Year 2008 Intelligence Act which â€Å"would emanate a more aggressive role to the ODNI in coordinating with the intelligence community† . The Senate Bill has surpassed the ODNI’s will of authority and retrieval of its operation that is being realigned to fully act on its function as a frontline agency in executing its mandate given by IRTPA. The degree and scope of authority of the ODNI is then expected to ventilate the reform in the intelligence community so as to re-examine the burdens and defects of work ranging from ministerial execution to field implementation. Moreover, an added feature that empowers the ODNI is the streamlining of bureaucracy in the formulation and execution of operating plans. Basically, reducing the involved authorities may expedite and resolutely implement the overall function and coverage of intelligence work. Likewise, the ODNI has been given the authority to appropriate budget thereby earmarking the fund for its National Intelligence Program. It would then be up to the ODNI to utilize and mobilize the resources that would be used to reform in the intelligence community. Conclusion The determination and identification of the 9/11 Commission for a global strategy has basically created the framework for the US homeland defense system. On the other hand, the recommendations have strongly moved the US government’s Executive, Legislative, and Judiciary branches which have enacted the IRTPA of 2004. In addition, the ODNI, as the body acting on intelligence mobilization, would require substantial budget allocation. Analyzing the enactment of IRTPA may be likened to a sword and an armor in which the bearer is the ODNI. In this regard, it can then be said that the US government has created an executioner of war on terrorism. Moreover, the degree and scope of authority vested upon the ODNI may be perceived as an ultimate implementer of capturing the world’s update. However, in some degrees, the reform in intelligence community may be burdened by domestic resistance from figures belonging to allied governments that oppose US foreign policy. Generally, the reform that was achieved by the US homeland defense system is the consolidation of its intelligence enforcement agencies and mobilization of its resources and strategies towards global perspective. The re-structuring of intelligence framework may be described as an art of war or a one-step backward, two-step forward move, which pursues the enemy outside its homeland while minimizing casualties. With this perception, the war on terrorism has been brought to the backyard of allied governments. It may be additionally perceived at the militarist point of view that the reform in intelligence community could reduce the expense of war in order to achieve the socio-economic-political gains from the war zones. Bibliography Donald Rumsfeld Interview on Jan. 30, 2004. Bremer-Sonnenberg Commission on Terrorism; in 9/11 Commission Report, Chapter 12, Page 374. (2004) ISBN 0-16- 072304-3. IRTPA of 2004. â€Å"Introductory Page†. 108th Congress of US, Second Session, 20 January 2004. http://www.asksam.com/ebooks/intelReformAct/. (accessed 01 March 2008). Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) 2007. â€Å"Progress on Intelligence Reform to Senate Select Committee on Intelligence†. Transcript: Progress on Intelligence Reform. http://www.dni.gov/testimonies/20070123_transcript.pdf. (accessed 01 March 2008). Richard A. Best Jr. and Alfred Cumming, 2007. â€Å"Director of National Intelligence Statutory Authorities: Status and Proposals,† CRS Report to Congress, http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/intel/RL34231.pdf. (accessed 01 March 2008). Tim Shorrock. â€Å"Revisiting Intelligence Reform†, Foreign Policy in Focus, 6 December 2007. http://www.fpif.org (accessed 01 March 2008). US Senate Inquiry, 2007. â€Å"Statement for the Record by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) to the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence†. http://www.dni.gov/testimonies/20070123_testimony.pdf. (accessed 01 March 2008). 9/11 Commission Report. â€Å"How to do it? A different Way of Organizing the Government†. Chapter 13, Page 399-428. (2004) ISBN 0-16-072304-3. 9/11 Commission Report. â€Å"Unity of Effort in the Intelligence Community†. Recommendation No. 13.2. Chapter 13, Page 407-415. (2004) ISBN 0-16-072304-3. 9/11 Commission Report. â€Å"What To Do? A Global Strategy†. Chapter 12, Page 361- 383. (2004) ISBN 0-16-072304-3.

Albert Camus Philosophy in The Plague Essay example -- Albert Camus P

Albert Camus' Philosophy in The Plague To know ourselves diseased is half our cure. - Alexander Pope As the title clearly suggests, the novel The Plague is, indeed, a story of disease. On the surface, the novel The Plague, may be an accounting of facts detailing the outbreak of bubonic plague in the town of Oran. But on a deeper level, it is a novel that reveals awareness and acceptance of the limits of human existence. And it is also a reminder of our absurd freedom and the choices we make in life, especially when facing death. In writing The Plague we are told that Camus "sought to convey [...] the feeling of suffocation from which we all suffered and the atmosphere of threat and exile in which we lived" (Bree, 1964:128). He was, of course, speaking of the horrors of World War II. But "at the same time [he wanted] to extend [his] interpretation to the notion of existence in general" (Bree, 1964:128). Camus' interpretation of existence is revealed in his philosophical essay The Myth of Sisyphus in which he discusses the absurd and its consequences, revolt, freedom and passion. Some interesting connections can be made between the philosophical discussion in The Myth of Sisyphus and the existential themes found in The Plague. In The Myth, Camus outlines his notion of the absurd and its consequences; in The Plague he brings his philosophy to life. This tale of life and death is told by Dr. Rieux, who maintains that his "business is only to say 'this is what happened', when he knows that it actually did happen, [and] that it closely affected the life of a whole populace [...]" (Camus, The Plague, p.7). Of the novel, Germaine Bree says, "considered in its totality [The Plague] transmits a personal experience ... ..., one way or another, and The Plague is a reminder of that absurd fact. The quote at the beginning of this paper, "To know ourselves diseased is half our cure" has its relevance in the ultimate lesson we learn from The Plague. But there is another lesson to be learned and Camus reminds us of it in The Myth of Sisyphus: "the point is to live" (Camus, The Myth of Sisyphus, p.65). While facing the horrors of death, the characters in The Plague do an excellent job of bringing that philosophical point to life. Works Cited Bree, Germaine. (ed.), Camus: Collection of Critical Essays. Prentice-Hall: Englewood, NJ. 1962. Camus, Albert. The Myth of Sisyphus and other essays. New York: Vintage Books, 1991. Camus, Albert, The Plague. Vintage: NY, 1991. Ellison, David R. Understanding Albert Camus. Columbia, SC: University of South Carolina Press, 1990.

Sigmund Freud Essay

Sigmund Freud has investigated the Psychoanalytic Theory (1856-1939). This theory caused great inconvenience when delivered and accepted a systematic war because Freud revealed the importance and impact of human sexual impulses stressing that culture is built over their oppression. The Psychology of Conflict is one of the basic principles in the Psychoanalytic theory which sees the function of the mind as the expression of conflicting powers. Some of these forces are conscious but the key is unconscious. This conflict reflects a contradiction in dual nature of someone as a biological and social creature. During the development and socialisation of the individual it is inevitable to experience frustration anger, frustration and conflict / inconsistency (conflict). The Pleasure principle is another basic principle of psychoanalytic theory is that human psychology governed by the tendency of man craves pleasure and avoids the pain. The primary experience pleasure and pain play an import ant role in structuring of human personality. The Freud was first modern psychologist who gave importance to childhood. The sources of the ribs are always beyond the region of the conscious. They repulsed outside the conscious because they have painful character. Another basic principle of the psychoanalytic theory of personality is precisely this topographical perspective. Namely that every mental element judged on how accessible is the conscious. The conscious is only a small piece of psychic resources we have. Another basic principle is determinism. The events that occur in the human mind are not accidental, occasional or disconnected. The thoughts, feelings, impulses coming into consciousness are a chain of causally connected events, associated with some previous experience in life. Several of the links are unconscious. Another key element that sees the psychoanalytic theory. Personality is the dynamic view that that there are sexual sprints instinct of life (life oriented libidinal impulses – EROS) and aggressive momenta death instinct (destructive, death, aggressive impulses – THANATOS) that irritate and cause the mind to work with, act, to change. Because of their biological base these forces have called instincts or impulses (drives). Finally, another principle of psychoanalytic theory of personality is genetic point of view, namely that the birth of contrasts / conflicts, personality traits of neurotic symptoms and general psychological structure of man can be found at major events of childhood that created desires and imaginations. The roots  of psychological structures are born in fantasies and desires of childhood. The human soul consists of three concepts: the ego is the reservoir of mental energy – we are born with it which includes all biological instincts of hunger , thirst, sexual satisfaction, which give strength and direction to human behaviour. The ego begins to evolve after birth and occurs around the 6th month. The role of the ego is to mediate between that of reality, and the superego. That’s why we say that the ego operates on the reality principle and is conscious. The super- ego is the structure of personality that represents the moral principles of society as conveyed in person from their parents – is what we call conscience- and the source of obligations. Apart from the super – conscious ego has another piece of the ego-ideal. The Id and the super- ego are constantly in a fight. When ego cannot find a solution to reconcile the desires of the Id and the super-ego, anxiety is created. Stress is a warning message that ego does not succeed in his role. A group of neo- Freudian psychoanalysts were called ‘analysts of the Ego’ (Karen Horney, Anna Freud, Erik Erikson, etc. ) who gave greater importance to me and less to that . As it’s known, Freud argued that the ego is a mere intermediary that seeks to satisfy the needs and impulses of that without disrupting or to conflict with the superego. But according to analysts of the Ego , the one no longer seen as the superpower of mental structure and I treated like a force that has the ability to control the environment and to choose the time and manner in which satisfy the impulses of the id. The ego is considered capable to create and achieve satisfactory targets chos en by the individual. So between the instinctual drives, external conditions and Act inserted the thought that controls both the internal energy as and reactions of the individual to the external environment. A second new direction influenced psychoanalytic thinking emphasizes the importance of social relationships to explain the formation of personality. So instead of seeing human nature as the result of conflicts around the momenta of him, seeing it more as the result of the child’s relationship with other important people in his life . This direction is reflected in the modern psychoanalytic method called Theory of the relationship with the object or object relations (Object Relations Theory – Melanie Klein, Heinz Kohut). This theory emphasizes the relative adhesion (attachment) of the baby, especially the mother, and the importance of the quality of these early  attachments for the development of the ego of the child, feelings about oneself and developing interpersonal relationships in later life. So theorists of the relationship with the object they see the relationship with parents as an important determinant of the direction taken by the personality of the individual. Apart from these two directions of psychoanalytic thought seeing two of their colleagues nearby Freud, who came into conflict with him, to create their own schools. Jung disagreed with Freud about the nature of the subconscious. Jung believed that the unconscious is not just a reservoir of forbidden impulses and repressed memories, but also the source of our drive for pleasure and creativity. Jung also believed that within us there is a struggle of opposing forces. Every man has a passive – a feminine nature and dynamics â⠂¬â€œ masculine nature. Each one of us also has elements of introversion and extroversion. Also, there is a struggle between the face we present to others (persona) and private self-image (anima / animus). According to Jung, the work of every man is to be able to unite these opposing forces. The Adler disagreed with Freud because he believed that the main force mobilization in human life is not the satisfaction of sexual momenta, but the effort for supremacy. By this meant the interior searching for perfection. Adler said that all children are born with a deep sense of inferiority because of their small size, natural weaknesses and lack of knowledge and power in the world of adults. First used the term inferiority complex. Adler believed that the way parents relate to their children has a significant effect on the child’s ability to overcome these feelings of inferiority and succeed in later life. So Adler saw personality as deeply influenced by the quality of raw social relations. Also important psychoanalytic thought is that Karen Horney saw this adult personality as shaped by childhood experiences, but, unlike Freud, she gave this emphasis on social relationships – especially with parents – instead of solving contradictions of Him . The Horney tal ked about feelings † basic anxiety  » (basic anxiety) and  «basic hostility  » (basic hostility). When parents behave indifferently, derogatory and instability, the child feels insecure and helpless experiencing basic anxiety. These feelings, according to Horney are accompanied by a deeper feeling of resentment towards parents- basic hostility. Because this hostility cannot be expressed directly, because the child needs and fears his parents, repelled and leads to  feelings of worthlessness and anxiety. This tension between basic hostility and basic anxiety leads the child, and later neurotic adult, adopt one of the following 3 stops social interactions; An action towards other, an action against others and an action away from others. When moving towards the other, the person succumbs to others and is always anxious to please them in order to gain approval and love. The person moving against the other is trying to find confidence through domination. The goal of the person who moves away from others is to protect himself, to find safety in the distance, the removal. So he never wants to create close relationships. All these protective mechanisms create many interpersonal problems.

Nurse-patient ratio

Nurse-patient ratio laws are state mandates requiring hospitals to keep to a maximum sealing limit of the ratio of nurses to patients. At the moment, states that have yet to apply any nurse-patient ratio limits typically charge each of their nurses the care of at least 6 nurses and even as high as 8 to 10 (Churchouse, 2002). Barnes-Jewish hospital for example has a ratio of 1 nurse to 10 patients (St. Louis, 2004). California's Assembly Bill 394 is one of the forerunning legislations that mandated the regulation of nurse-patient ratios across hospitals. This bill had been largely contested by hospital lobbyists who are now bartering with state officials on the most flexible regulations that could be imposed. While nursing associations and nursing labor unions all over the country are proposing the ideal 1:2 ratio, hospital management firmly claim this to be impossible. In some other states such as Illinois, staging progression procedures have been introduced as a viable means to improve nurse-patient ratios over a period of 5-10 years (Bartolomeo, 2001). Since after the Second World War, the problem of increasing nurse-patient ratios have begun to accrue. By the mid-80s the pressing need for more nurses became even more drastic when the academe saw a decline in the local demand for the profession. This eventually led hospitals to searching for nurses abroad which continued to persist to the present day. However, outsourcing the nurse supply was also coupled by hospital management cutbacks on staffing which still resulted to poor nurse-patient ratios. Hospitals also allegedly implemented management regulations preventing nursing staff from discussing and objecting to nurse-patient hospital policies. However by the late 90s, nursing unions have begun to seek help from media institutions, local communities, and contract negotiators to help them bargain less congested working conditions with hospital management. This led the nursing unions to asking help from their respective state governments. Finally in January of 2002, California’s AB 394 mandated the issue of staffing ratios in hospitals throughout the state, but this victory of the nursing unions was short-lived as hospital management immediately bargained with legislators for staffing ratios that were most advantageous for them. While nursing organizations persisted with a 1:2 to a 1:4 ratio, hospital lobbyists led by the California Healthcare Association, a consortium of 500 hospitals insisted that the acceptable nurse-patient ratio could be no less than 1:6. Currently, one of the country’s largest Health Management Organizations, Kaiser Permanente broke away from the bulk of institutions opposed to lower nurse-patient ratios and advocated a 1:4 ratio that it currently implements in its facilities. Kaiser discussed further ways of lowering the ratio with nursing unions and agreed to have the approved recommendations of such discussions implemented on all Kaiser owned establishments (Bartolomeo, 2001). Current working conditions lead nurses into compromising situations wherein their work suffers because of the immense number of tasks that they have to do all at once. While some hospitals implement â€Å"fair† policies that allow nurses enough room to breathe in their work, a lot more hospitals and health care organizations are run by profit oriented groups whose main concern includes minimizing costs. What’s worse is that since health care in various parts of the country has been transformed into a corporate affair between gigantic businesses who buy health care plans from HMOs who sell them, competition has become a matter of who can provide the better corporate deal over who can provide better hospital service. Since the patients don’t have much choice with respect to which health care deals their employer will take, this rules out quality by competition from ushering hospitals to make nurse-patient ratio improvements on their own. Thus, a state mandated regulation is the only way to force these hospitals to provide an appropriate working environment for their nurses. There are several controversial aspects to the legislation of nurse-patient ratio regulation. One popular controversy is the actual capability of today’s supply of nurses to fill in the vacancies that would be created by such legislation. The Illinois Hospital Association contends that current nursing programs of the state are not viable to handle the demand for the number of nurses required to maintain the ratios mandated by laws like California’s AB394. Another criticism is insensitivity of a rigid nurse-patient ratio to patient’s individual medical differences. Critics also point out differences between hospitals, resources and even nursing units which could be blurred out in the implementation of a state mandate indiscriminately throughout all hospitals. I believe that hospital policies at the moment are more profit-oriented than health oriented. It is this slippery slope that leads to understaffing and overly high nurse-patient ratios. However, I also think that an inflexible legislation on nurse-patient ratios would do little to solve the problem. Nurses from different units are very different and there needs to be more extensive needs analysis studies conducted before a proper legislative action could be taken. Therefore while I am in favor of state legislation in order to curb inherent profit-oriented biases of hospital management, I am not in favor of haphazardly implementing one at the moment without considering factors forwarded by institutions like the Illinois Hospital Association. Like I said, I believe that while the California legislation is a victory for the labor rights of nurses in the state, it does not ensure an increase in nursing quality. I would consider the act positive with respect to labor rights but neutral with respect to patient care. Extensive scrutiny should be placed on the issues that arose after the legislation such as the differences among hospitals, resources, and nursing units. References: Churchouse, C. (2002). Senate Community Affairs References Committee Inquiry Into Nursing. Retrieved: July 19, 2007 from: http://72.14.235.104/search?q=cache:uQtMh4POYlUJ:www.aph.gov.au/senate/committee/clac_ctte/completed_inquiries/2002-04/nursing/submissions/sub04.doc+current+nurse-patient+ratio;hl=tl;ct=clnk;cd=3;gl=ph Bartolomeo, C. (2001). â€Å"Mandated staffing ratios: Health care professionals see the benefits and pitfalls.† Journal of the American Federation of Teachers. Vol. 30 Issue 2. P.114-118. Barnes-Jewish Hospital seeks to lower nurse-patient ratio. Retrieved July 19, 2007 from St. Louis Business Journal Website: http://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/stories/2004/11/29/daily50.html ;

How FundsForWriters.com Taught Me to be a Successful Writer

How FundsForWriters.com Taught Me to be a Successful Writer Once upon a time, there was a writer. Shed had over a hundred feature articles published in various magazines, before she heard about FundsForWriters.com. Hey, Im a writer! I bet I could tell other writers a thing or two, and earn fifty cool ones, she thought. So she dashed off a submission to the editor, Hope Clark. It was rejected. She tried again. And again. She had to pitch four times before her fifth submission was finally accepted. Even then, the piece seemed so less-than-satisfactorily edited, it spawned not one but two irate editorials, back-to-back, on the importance of perfecting a pitch before submitting making her the only writer to have inspired such an occurrence. Hopes words stung her. She couldve quit then. She couldve packed it all in, declared this market unfit for her work, proclaimed its editor crazy and never looked back. Sour grapes? Likely. But she didnt. That writer was me. Last year, a writer had five articles published with FundsForWriters.com. Meaning nearly once every couple of months, you read her name in the newsletter. She came this close to landing a 3-in-3: three acceptances in three days. She became one of only two people to ever have two feature articles published in the newsletter in the same month, a record. That writer was also me. This is my story. Heres how I went from 0 to 5 FFW credits in less than 12 months: 1. I learned to edit. I am naturally verbose. If a thing can be said in four words, I use ten. So when asked to include voice, flavour, anecdotes and practical tips, all in under 600 words, I cursed and shook my head. Impossible! But then I did it. Five times. I grit my teeth, hardened my heart against my trademark lyrical prose and took a machete to the verbiage. As the word count dropped, my bank balance climbed. 2. I studied the market. It helped to subscribe to the newsletter for several weeks, to discern a pattern to the features presented. The guidelines themselves said it best, they couldnt have laid it out any clearer. I took note. 3. I didnt encumber myself. Ive written on diverse topics from parenting to mobile-optimized websites. I drew upon my interest and experience from other fields to apply to writing. Nobody told me it couldnt be done, so I didnt let it stop me. I was bold. I took risks. Sure, theres a chance of failure, but at least I wont regret not trying. 4. I didnt spread myself too thin, either. Im online social media shy. All I have is a blog to showcase my

The Battle of Bataan - World War II

The Battle of Bataan - World War II Battle of Bataan - Conflict Dates: The Battle of Bataan was fought January 7 to April 9, 1942, during World War II (1939-1945). Forces Commanders Allies General Douglas MacArthurLieutenant General Jonathan WainwrightMajor General Edward King79,500 men Japanese Lieutenant General Masaharu Homma75,000 men Battle of Bataan - Background: Following the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, Japanese aircraft began conducting an aerial assault on American forces in the Philippines. In addition, troops moved against Allied positions on Hong Kong and Wake Island. In the Philippines, General Douglas MacArthur, commanding United States Army Forces in the Far East (USAFFE), began making preparations to defend the archipelago from the inevitable Japanese invasion. This included calling up numerous Filipino reserve divisions. Though MacArthur initially sought to defend the entire island of Luzon, prewar War Plan Orange 3 (WPO-3) called for USAFFE to withdraw to the highly defensible ground of the Bataan Peninsula, west of Manila, where it would hold out until relieved by the US Navy. Due to the losses sustained at Pearl Harbor, this was unlikely to occur. Battle of Bataan - The Japanese Land: On December 12, Japanese forces began landing at Legaspi in southern Luzon. This was followed by a larger effort in the north at Lingayen Gulf on December 22. Coming ashore, elements of Lieutenant General Masaharu Hommas 14th Army began driving south against Major General Jonathan Wainwrights Northern Luzon Force. Two days after the landings at Lingayen commenced, MacArthur invoked WPO-3 and began shifting supplies to Bataan while Major General George M. Parker prepared the peninsulas defenses. Steadily pushed back, Wainwright retreated through a succession of defensive lines over the next week. To the south, Major General Albert Jones Southern Luzon Force fared little better. Concerned about Wainwrights ability to keep the road to Bataan open, MacArthur directed Jones to move around Manila, which had been declared an open city, on December 30. Crossing the Pampanga River on January 1, the SLF moved towards Bataan while Wainwright desperately held a line between Borac and Guagua. On January 4, Wainwright began retreating towards Bataan and three days later USAFFE forces were within the peninsulas defenses. Battle of Bataan - The Allies Prepare: Stretching from north to south, the Bataan Peninsula is mountainous down its spine with Mount Natib in the north and the Mariveles Mountains in the south. Covered in jungle terrain, the peninsulas lowlands stretch to cliffs overlooking the South China Sea in west and beaches in the east along Manila Bay. Due to the topography, the peninsulas only natural harbor is Mariveles at its southern tip. As USAFFE forces assumed their defensive position, roads on the peninsula were limited a perimeter route that ran along the east coast from Abucay to Mariveles and then north up the west coast to Mauban and an east-west route between Pilar and Bagac. Defense of Bataan was divided between two new formations, Wainwrights I Corps in the west and Parkers II Corps in the east. These held a line stretching from Mauban east to Abucay. Due to the open nature of the ground around Abucay, fortifications were stronger in Parkers sector. Both corps commanders anchored their lines on Mount Natib, though th e mountains rugged terrain prevented them from being in direct contact forcing the gap to be covered by patrols. Battle of Bataan - The Japanese Attack: Though the USAFFE was supported by a large amount of artillery, its position was weakened due to a tenuous supply situation. The speed of the Japanese advance had prevented the large scale stockpiling of supplies and the number of troops and civilians on the peninsula exceeded prewar estimates. As Homma prepared to attack, MacArthur repeatedly lobbied leaders in Washington, DC for reinforcements and aid. On January 9, Lieutenant General Akira Nara opened the assault on Bataan when his troops advanced on Parkers lines. Turning back the enemy, II Corps endured heavy attacks for the next five days. By the 15th, Parker, who had committed his reserves, requested assistance from MacArthur. Anticipating this, MacArthur had already put the 31st Division (Philippine Army) and Philippine Division in motion towards II Corps sector. The following day, Parker attempted to counterattack with the 51st Division (PA). Though initially successful, the division later broke allowing the Japanese to threaten II Corps line. On January 17, Parker desperately attempted to restore his position. Mounting a series of attacks over the next five days, he managed to retake much of the lost ground. This success proved brief as intense Japanese air attacks and artillery forced II Corps back. By the 22nd, Parkers left was under threat as enemy forces moved through the rough terrain of Mount Natib. That night, he received orders to retreat south. To the west, Wainwrights corps fared somewhat better against troops led by Major General Naoki Kimura. Holding off the Japanese at first, the situation changed on January 19 when Japanese forces infiltrated behind his lines cutting off supplies to the 1st Regular Division (PA). When efforts to dislodge this force failed, the division was withdrawn and lost most of its artillery in the proces s. Battle of Bataan - Bagac-Orion Line: With the collapse of the Abucay-Mauban Line, USAFFE established a new position running from Bagac to Orion on January 26. A shorter line, it was dwarfed by the heights of Mount Samat which provided the Allies with an observation post overseeing the entire front. Though in a strong position, MacArthurs forces suffered from a lack of capable officers and reserve forces were minimal. As fighting had raged to the north, Kimura dispatched amphibious forces to land on the southwest coast of the peninsula. Coming ashore at Quinauan and Longoskayan Points on the night of January 23, the Japanese were contained but not defeated. Seeking to exploit this, Lieutenant General Susumu Morioka, who had superseded Kimura, dispatched reinforcements to Quinauan on the night of the 26th. Becoming lost, they instead established a foothold on Canas Point. Obtaining additional troops on January 27, Wainwright eliminated the Longoskayan and Quinauan threats. Tenaciously defending Canas Point, the Japanese w ere not expelled until February 13. As the Battle of the Points raged, Morioka and Nara continued assaults on the main USAFFE line. While attacks on Parkers corps were turned back in heavy fighting between January 27 and 31, Japanese forces succeeded in breaching Wainwrights line via the Toul River. Quickly closing this gap, he isolated the attackers into three pockets which were reduced by February 15. As Wainwright was dealing with this threat, a reluctant Homma accepted that he lacked the forces to break MacArthurs defenses. As a result, he ordered his men to fall back to a defensive line on February 8 to await reinforcements. Though a victory that boosted morale, USAFFE continued to suffer from a critical shortage of key supplies. With the situation temporarily stabilized efforts continued to relieve the forces on Bataan and the fortress island of Corregidor to the south. These were largely unsuccessful as only three ships were able to run the Japanese blockade while submarines and aircraft lacked the carrying capa city to bring the needed quantities. Battle of Bataan - Reorganization: In February, the leadership in Washington began to believe that USAFFE was doomed. Unwilling to lose a commander of MacArthurs skill and prominence, President Franklin D. Roosevelt ordered him to evacuate to Australia. Reluctantly leaving on March 12, MacArthur traveled to Mindanao by PT boat before flying to Australia on a B-17 Flying Fortress. With his departure, USAFFE was reorganized into the United States Forces in the Philippines (USFIP) with Wainwright in overall command. Leadership on Bataan passed to Major General Edward P. King. Though March saw efforts to better train USFIP forces, disease and malnutrition badly depleted the ranks. By April 1, Wainwrights men were living on quarter rations. Battle of Bataan - Fall: To the north, Homma took February and March to refit and reinforce his army. As it regained strength, it began to intensify artillery bombardments of the USFIP lines. On April 3, Japanese artillery unleashed the most intense shelling of the campaign. Later in the day, Homma ordered a massive assault on the 41st Division (PA)s position. Part of II Corps, the 41st was effectively broken by the artillery bombardment and offered little resistance to the Japanese advance. Overestimating Kings strength, Homma moved forward cautiously. Over the next two days, Parker fought desperately to save his crumbling left as King attempted to counterattack north. As II Corps was overwhelmed, I Corps began falling back on the night of April 8. Later that day, seeing that further resistance would be hopeless, King reached out to the Japanese for terms. Meeting with Major General Kameichiro Nagano the next day, he surrendered the forces on Bataan. Battle of Bataan - Aftermath: Though pleased that Bataan had finally fallen, Homma was angry that the surrender did not include the USFIP forces on Corregidor and elsewhere in the Philippines. Massing his troops, he landed on Corregidor on May 5 and captured the island in two days of fighting. With the fall of Corregidor, Wainwright surrendered all remaining forces in the Philippines. In the fighting on Bataan, American and Filipino forces sustained around 10,000 killed and 20,000 wounded while the Japanese sustained approximately 7,000 killed and 12,000 wounded. In addition to the casualties, USFIP lost 12,000 American and 63,000 Filipino soldiers as prisoners. Though suffering from combat wounds, disease, and malnutrition, these prisoners were marched north to prisoner of war camps in what became known as the Bataan Death March. Lacking food and water, prisoners were beaten or bayoneted if they fell behind or were unable to walk. Thousands of USFIP prisoners died before reaching the camps. Following the war, Ho mma was convicted of war crimes relating to the march and was executed on April 3, 1946. Selected Sources: Corregidor Historical Society: BataanHistoryNet: Battle of Bataan - Brigadier General Clyde A. Selleck Commands the Layac LineUS Army: Bataan Death March