Summary Of The Looming Tower By Lawrence Wright

Summary of The Looming Tower: The Looming Tower, written by Lawrence Wright, examines the people involved and the events leading up to the attack on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. The text included the personal accounts of Osama bin Laden and other middle-eastern influences such as Dr. Ayman al Zawahiri (the most significant ideological frontrunner of al-Qaeda), Abdullah Azzam, Khallad, and Sayyid Qutb, along with western factors like, Daniel Coleman, Jack Cloonan, Patrick Fitzgerald, and John O’Neill. The choices made by those influencers in the Middle East, and in the west, during the 20th century created the climate in which the terrorist organization al-Qaeda was formed, and the terror of 9/11 was executed. Two specific†¦show more content†¦From this perspective Lewis believes the economic, political, and general aspect of Middle Eastern societies formed based on those factors; meaning the increase of Islamic driven terrorism and radicalization was somewhat inevitable. However, the viewpoint of Wright in The Looming Tower fixated on the personal identity of certain individuals, choices made by the free will of people, and the idea that these specific people and choices were the sole backbone of the movement of radical Islamic terror; had they not existed, the issue may not have been present. Proof Some of the major contributors of Middle Eastern rejection toward westernization came from the decision to include women in the building of their nation state. This greatly affected their relations of production (labor force) and productive forces (technology and innovation), in an attempt to gain the power and force necessary to keep up with western and non-western countries who also accepted this concept of modernization into their structure, or modes of production. While the more progressive areas adopted the emancipation of women into their culture, the more conservative and Islamic ruled regions rejected this idea because it was thought to be against the Quran and was an â€Å"incitement to mortality†. While some leaders of the more secular regions in the middle east realized the emancipation of women would practically double their work force and maintain the economy while the men were fighting in war,Show MoreRelatedA Critical Book Report on Lawrence Wrights the Looming Tower.3012 Words   |  13 PagesA critical book report on Lawrence Wrights The Looming Tower. Introduction The September 11th terrorist hijackings and attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon caught the United States largely by surprise. Once the dust had settled, and the shock and horror of such an unprecedented event had waned, the American public began to ask questions. Names such as Osama bin Laden, countries such as Afghanistan, and organizations such as Al-Qaeda were brought into the publics consciousness forRead MoreFundamentals of Hrm263904 Words   |  1056 PagesDecentralized Work Sites 8 Skill Levels 8 A Legal Concern 8 Employee Involvement 20 How Organizations Involve Employees 20 Employee Involvement Implications for HRM 20 Other HRM Challenges 21 Recession 21 Off Shoring 21 Mergers 22 A Look at Ethics 22 Summary 23 Demonstrating Comprehension: Questions for Review 24 Key Terms 24 HRM Workshop 25 Linking Concepts to Practice: Discussion Questions 25 Developing Diagnostic and Analytical Skills 25 Case 1: Work/Life Balance at Baxter 25 Working with a Team:Read MoreContemporary Issues in Management Accounting211377 Words   |  846 Pagesdigitization Alnoor Bhimani 5. The contingent design of performance measures Robert H. Chenhall 6. Integrated cost management Robin Cooper and Regine Slagmulder 7. Capital bugeting and informational impediments: a management accounting perspective Lawrence A. Gordon, Martin P. Loeb, and Chih-Yang Tseng 8. Accounting and strategy: towards understanding the historical genesis of modern business and military strategy Keith Hoskin, Richard Macve, and John Stone 9. Modernizing government: the calculatingRead MoreProject Managment Case Studies214937 Words   |  860 Pagesan impact on our cost control system and internal control system, as well. In the area of cost control, project cost control techniques have to be formalized and installed. This wo uld require the accounting staff to: (1) break comprehensive cost summaries into work packages, (2) prepare cornmitment reports for technical decision makers, (3) approximate report data Questions and (4) concentrate talent on major problems and opportunities. In project management, cost commitments on a project areRead MoreMarketing Mistakes and Successes175322 Words   |  702 PagesUniversity; Robert H. Votaw, Amber University; Don Fagan, Daniel Webster University; Andrew J. Deile, Mercer University; Samuel Hazen, Tarleton State University; Michael B. McCormick, Jacksonville State University; Neil K. Friedman, Queens College; Lawrence Aronhime, John Hopkins University; Joseph Marrocco, Boston University; Morgan Milner, Eastern Michigan University; Souha Ezzedeen, Pennsylvania State University, Harrisburg; Regina Hughes, University of Texas; Karen Stewart, Stockton College;

A Common Agreement Within The World That Deals With Men...

There is a common agreement within the world that deals with men and women being very different. Along with the many physical characteristics that are distinct, it is also known that men and women think differently as well and may have different reasons for their actions. Mary Harris is a researcher and the author of â€Å"Cholas, Mexican-American Girls, and Gangs†, within her research she has conducted various interviews with females in gangs. From her research she has came to the conclusion that for girls, â€Å"Gang member’s behavior is determined by social structures and group culture by defining the perspective and attitude of the girl gang† (Harris 301). In other words, Harris is explaining that peer groups, such as gangs, to females tend to have a powerful influence on them by having certain rules, values, and disciplinary actions. As these females further become members they tend to create cooperativeness which then leads them into a feeling of doing anyt hing for the gang and its members. â€Å"For these girls, violence is conforming behavior shaped by the normative standards of the subculture† (Harris 301). Throughout Harris’ interviews she was able to identify that youth deviance in females is created through the constant conforming behavior that is upheld by the members. The conforming of norms within the gang such as being more violent is very common. The reasons for youth deviance for females in a gang is because of wanting more territory, be in control, and to gain power andShow MoreRelatedAmerican Society After The World War Era Essay1132 Words   |  5 PagesSociety was changing substantially within America, specifically during the World War eras. One must understand American society prior to WWI to note the significant changes that resulted in post-WWII society. Post-WWII society was dominated by the â€Å"culture of exclusion.† Essentially, the â€Å"culture of exclusion† excluded individuals f rom American society because of their race, class, and gender. This exclusion included people of color, lower class citizens, and women. Race was an ongoing struggle sinceRead MoreIs Nonverbal Communication Important? Essay1056 Words   |  5 Pagesbackground. Communicating across cultures is complicated by differences in the unique norms of nonverbal communication found in different countries. Personal Space Space impacts architecture, music, art and makes up personal space that surrounds the body within a defendable distance. Personal space in the workplace is typically larger than in an intimate setting, and use of inappropriately small personal space with colleagues can lead to discomfort for everyone involved. The size of personal space dependsRead More`` Common Sense `` By Thomas Paine1202 Words   |  5 PagesAmerican Revolution that refers to â€Å"American Independence†. The objective to write â€Å"Common Sense† is that challenged to the British government and motivated American to follow their own destiny. Furthermore, His written work was the first time that asked for independence from Britain. The inspiration of Thomas came from the suggestion of Benjamin Rush who is an outspoken defender of American rights from Great Britain. Common Sense was both reveals independence from England and the creation of a democraticRead MoreExamining Firsthand Accounts Of Early Christians982 Words   |  4 Pagesemanates from verse 14: Chapter 11 deals with an act of worship that Paul appraises as momentous . Indicative of his narrative in previous chapters, Paul often conciliates matters against a greater theological background. Therefore, as we navigate the various enigmatic expressions this passage presupposes, we must preserve this notion. This essay will briefly examine a few of the rituals, traditions, admonitions, and in particular, the formulated beliefs common of the times, particularly CorinthRead MoreUnderstanding Couples Hiv Testing And Counselling Essay1170 Words   |  5 PagesLiterature Review 1. Overview Couples HIV Testing and Counselling HIV Testing and Counselling HIV antibody tests were first issued by the World Health Organization in 1992 (WHO, 1997), since then with frequent update of recommendations, HIV testing and counselling continue to be the gateway to HIV prevention, essential treatments and cares (Fonner et al., 2012, WHO, 2012b). However, globally not more than half (49%-58%) of people living with HIV knew their serostatus (WHO, 2015b). To address thisRead MoreNasty, Brutish, And Short By Thomas Hobbes Essay1198 Words   |  5 Pagesinvariably repeated in just about every political science program throughout the Western world. It is a phrase that motivates a strikingly persuasive argument for the solution of government. For Hobbes, this is the State of Nature, and thus the precursory basis for human politics. However, his pessimistic view of the State of Nature has been refuted by other men of great intellectual influence. Another giant in the world of political theory, John Locke, has quite a different, more optimistic, view of w hatRead MoreThe Fight For Women By Charlotte Butler870 Words   |  4 Pagesof the Contagious Disease Acts in 1866 resulted in Josephine Butler writing a letter to the International Convention of Women in Washington. The purpose of the act was to reduce prostitution and sexually transmitted diseases, specifically occurring within the military forces. Butler’s letter included topics, arguments, and political issues women had to work on even though they were not given the right to vote or engage in politics. Butler starts her letter talking to the ladies of the Ladies NationalRead MoreThe Great Depression1020 Words   |  5 Pagesthe common mans plight (no matter what class I belonged to); rather than Herbert Hoover’s tenet on helping big business, in hopes that in turn they would help out their employees. Also, the high tariffs placed on foreign imports during the Hoover administration would have contradicted with my views of foreign policy, which are, help ourselves by helping others; undoubtedly Herbert Hoover forgot his prime the pump strategy when it came to financial trade with Europe. Roosevelt’s New Deal accompaniedRead MoreEssay about Police Brutality1737 Words   |  7 Pagesadministrative and criminal systems that should deter these abuses by holding officers accountable instead virtually guarantee them impunity (Williams 45). Investigations find that police brutality is persistent in all cities, and the systems set up to deal with these abuses have all had similar failings in each city. It was also established that complainants often face enormous difficulty in seeking administrative punishment or criminal prosecution of officers who have committed human rights violationsRead MoreThe War Over Territory On The Southern Border1567 Words   |  7 Pagescountry that’s currently dealing with a significant amount of issues, is Lebanon. Many of the social factors looked at as a source of happiness, are either missing or being threatened by radical groups within the country. War over territory on the southern border has been a consistent problem within the country for decades, leading to a significant amount of destruction and tension between the Lebanese and their neighbors. Not to mention, many major cities like Beirut have been plagued by the country’s

Essay about The Issues of Abortion and Gay Marriage

The Issues of Abortion and Gay Marriage The issues of abortion and gay marriage rights were issues that were fought over constantly by Liberals and Conservatives in the last elections. Both parties had different ways of looking at these problems, hence they both had different ideas as to how we could solve these problems. The Conservatives tended to take a more traditional stance, whereas the Liberals were set on pursuing the problem with new age solutions. The issue of gay marriage is a rather new controversy that has only become disputed in the last decade. In a changing world gay marriage is now a huge issue that must be dealt with. The gay community believes that the 14th amendment permits gay marriage, but the law heeds to†¦show more content†¦The reason for this, is Bush, a conservative, believes that gay marriage has never been part of America’s laws and traditions, therefore it should not be allowed now. The idea behind this is to stay with the laws that have worked so well for our country for over 200 years. And deviating from these traditions and laws could possibly lead to the eventual downfall of our government. Bush states in the final debate versus Kerry, â€Å"†¦we shouldn’t change, or have to change, our basic views on the sanctity of marriage†¦it is important that we protect the marriage as an institution, between a man and a woman.† Because to Bush, and other conservatives , deviating from our governments’ already conventional laws, could possibly bring about unwanted results. So on the issue of gay marriages, Bush believes it is best to stick to what we know works for our country. Bush’s Republican party dealt with the issue of abortion with the standpoint that abortion is equivalent to murdering someone, and should be made illegal. Bush also believes that it is wrong to use taxpayer’s money to support abortion clinics. The president believes in the conservative traditional values in the sense that he does not believe that we should deviate from traditional values. He states, â€Å"The promise of our Declaration of Independence are not just for the strong, the independent, or the healthy. They areShow MoreRelatedPresidential Candidates On Controversy Issues957 Words   |  4 Pages Presidential Candidates on Controversy Issues. This paper will focus on some issues addressed by 2016 presidential candidates from Republic and Democratic Party. These presidential candidates are Hillary Clinton, Ben Carson, Bernie Sanders and Donald Trumps. Some of the issues that will be addressed are gun laws, abortion, immigration, same sex marriages and taxes. Clinton, opposes gun control laws because it terrorizes people. â€Å"We cannot let a minority of people, and that’s what it is, it is aRead MoreEssay On Salience1181 Words   |  5 PagesNews sources were able to increase salience on specific cases because they were highly controversial like Brown, Roe, and same-sex marriage cases. However, the media only covers cases that â€Å"rearranged the prior distribution of political influence and benefits† (Flemming, Bohte and Wood 1947 pg. 1247). These characteristics can bring the Supreme Court’s voice to the forefront of the media. Periods of stasis can be interpreted by the Supreme Court due to the magnitude of specific cases. I argue thatRead MoreCulture Wars: The Struggle to Define America by James Davison Hunter1287 Words   |  6 PagesAbortion, school prayer, gay rights, gun politics and many more are all a part of the list of controversies that divide our country. A culture war is a conflict between groups with different ideals, beliefs, and issues. James Davison Hunter’s book, Culture Wars: The Struggle to Define America, shows that these issues â€Å"are not isolated from one another but are part of a fabric of conflict which constitutes nothing short of a struggle over the meaning of America. Unlike the religious and cultural conflictRead MoreEssay on Same Sex Marriage and the Church1508 Words   |  7 PagesOne of the first questions that was asked during his interview was gay marriage and his views on this topic. When he first became a priest one of the things he began to study was marriage and its purposes. The purpose of marriage through the eyes of church and Hernan is procreation, education of children, and allowing people to get rid of their sex urge. The Church has always considered the homosexual act as evil. A same sex marriage allows two people to come together in a sinful condition. His responsibilityRead MoreEssay about Gay Marriage Should be Legal Despite Be ing Immoral910 Words   |  4 Pagescompletely against gay marriage and they have stated that they will fight to have the Supreme Court ruling overturned. There are a number of reasons opponents to gay marriage argue that the Supreme Court has made a huge mistake . First, certain religious interpretations maintain that gay marriage is sinful. Fortunately, our country is not a theocracy and public policy should not be based on any religions values. If a persons religious convictions cause them to believe that gay marriage is wrong, thatRead MoreWhy The Democratic Party Is An Important Part Of America s Society974 Words   |  4 Pagesthe people’s demands. As a political party, Democrats and Republicans have many views on different topics in America. Although the Democrats and Republicans may have different stances on modern issues in America, many of these politicians seem to have the same attitude toward changing policies on these issues/government. I believe that the demo cratic party is more appropriate party to represent the United States because of their philosophy. The traditional values of America needs to be altered andRead MoreThe Presidential Election : Abortion And Same Sex Marriage860 Words   |  4 Pagescandidates that disagree on topics such as abortion, and same sex marriage, whilst agreeing on higher taxation for the wealthy. The practice of abortion, and specifically the women s’ legal choice, is currently a controversial topic. The two sides to this argument are â€Å"pr- life†, and â€Å"pro-choice†. In 2012 Bernie Sanders said â€Å"we are not returning to the days of back-room abortions, when countless women died or were maimed. The decision about abortion must remain a decision for the woman, her familyRead MoreEssay on Same Sex Marriages in the United States1531 Words   |  7 PagesSame Sex Marriages in the United States How do most couples show the world that they are in a loving, devoted, committed relationship? How does one express that they want to spend the rest of their life with one particular person? This is normally done through a marriage, celebrated by a wedding, certified by a marriage license. Homosexuals are human; therefore they are capable of loving another person just as any heterosexual human. Yet, homosexuals are unable to obtain a marriage licenseRead MoreAttitudes And Beliefs Revisited. The American Counseling1107 Words   |  5 Pagesstrongest reaction in my are: a gay or lesbian couple wanting to work on conflicts in their relationship, a gay or lesbian couple wanting to adopt a child, and a woman who has decided to get an abortion but wants to process her feelings around it. These are the same questions as before, however, my attitude and understanding around these issues has changed. A Gay or Lesbian Couple Wanting to Work on Conflicts in their Relationship My personal value is that I believe marriage is a sacred union ordainedRead MoreCornerstone Of Conservativism1587 Words   |  7 PagesOne of the supplementary ideologies, contrary to popular belief, known as conservatism, is the cornerstone for the ideas previously declared by Ronald Reagan. â€Å"Political ideology provides a framework for thinking about politics, about policy issues, and about the role of government in society (Harrison 22).† The people of the United States of America have adopted numerous different political ideologies, some of them being: socialism, liberalism, conservatism, and libertarianism. According to

Methods of Domestication Used in Near East and Mesoamerica

Local culture in Near East and Mesoamerica each domesticated their own unique sets of plants and animals, and they did so by pathways quite different from each other’s. Agriculture domestication of plants and animals developed around 10,000 BC. It also had undergone significant developments since the time of the earliest cultivation. The transition of hunter gatherer to agriculture societies indicates an antecedent period of intensification and increasing in agriculture communities. In the past centuries, agriculture has developed throughout the world and has been characterized by enhanced productivity, the replacement of human labor by synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, and selective breeding and mechanization. The fertile crescent in Near East part were sites of earliest planned snowing and harvesting of plants. During the agricultural period by Near East part wheat, barley was famous for domesticated plants and sheep, goats, cattle and pigs were important domestic ated animals, on the other side in Mesoamerica maize, beans, squash was famous as their domesticated plants and dogs were famous for domesticated animals. The parallel emergence of food production in these two different nations highlights the importance of civilization. During the agricultural period most humans survived in that time as a either foragers or hunter-gatherers meaning they gather wild plants and hunting animals in their natural environments. During this time period of foragers andShow MoreRelatedFrom Hunter Gatherers to Agricultural Societies2160 Words   |  9 Pagesplace called by many the Fertile Crescent, in the modern-day Middle East. The birthplace of human civilization, â€Å"†¦farming was believed to have appeared first on the dry plains of Mesopotamia where the early civilization of the Sumerians arose.† Wild grains emerged in areas that had not seen these items before, where â€Å"†¦wheat was domesticated, along with barley, c. 10 K yea rs BP in southwest Asia† , resulted in the initial domestication of a crop for combination with wild plants and vegetables and gatheredRead MoreGuns, Germs, and Steel Essay2859 Words   |  12 Pagesmore suitable than others for the origins of food production, the ease of its spread also differed greatly around the world. Eurasia’s west-east axis allowed Fertile Crescent crops to establish agriculture and arise independently in eastern Asia, whereas Africa and the Americas’ north-south axis halted the spread of domestic plants and animals. Regions located east and west of each other at the same latitudes contained the same day length, seasonal variations, diseases, temperature, climate, and habitatsRead MoreThe Birth of Civilization18947 Words   |  76 Pagesxxxii EARLY HUMANS AND THEIR CULTURE page 1 WHY IS â€Å"culture† considered a defining trait of human beings? EARLY CIVILIZATIONS IN THE MIDDLE EAST TO ABOUT 1000 B.C.E. page 5 HOW DID control over water resources influence early Middle Eastern civilizations? ANCIENT NEAR EASTERN EMPIRES page 14 HOW DID conquest and trade shape early empires in the Near East? EARLY INDIAN CIVILIZATION page 16 WHAT INFLUENCES did the first Indus valley civilization have on later Indian religious and social practicesRead MoreEssay Guns, Germs, and Steel Summer Reading4196 Words   |  17 Pagescotton 1. Linens and fibers used for clothing B. flax 2. Means of transportation C. hemp 3. Source of leather D. camel 4. Plow land E. horse 5. Livestock in means of transportation F. donkey G. cow H. water buffalo I. Goat 27. How does animal domestication affect plant (corn) production? (At least 2) First, having domesticated animals gives the farmers fertilizer,  the waste from the animals can be used to fertilize the crops.   SecondRead MoreAgricultural Science and Resource Management in the Tropics and Subtropics17383 Words   |  70 Pagesfruits are extremely bitter, but the seeds are can be removed and roasted as an edible commodity (Soliman et al. 1985). The seeds are rich in oils, which can be extracted for cooking purposes, and the seeds can also be ground into a powder and used as a soup thickener or flavouring agent (Badifu and Ogunsua 1991). 1.2. Origin In West Africa, the name Egusi is applied to members of the gourd family having seeds of high oil content. The Egusi melons described here (Nigerian 6 ibara) are

A Narrative Inquiry on the Life History of Betty Siegel Free Essays

string(294) " talents of the member institutions to address areas of common concern in moving public education in Cobb Country from its current level of excellence to the exemplary level which will be needed to prepare students to become responsible leaders, capable workers, and well-rounded human beings\." Known for her outstanding achievement in educational policy, Dr. Betty Lentz Siegel was the longest serving female president at Kennesaw State University. In 1981, she assumed the position at Kennesaw State University, which then was a four-year college institution with 4,000 students and 15 baccalaureate degree programs. We will write a custom essay sample on A Narrative Inquiry on the Life History of Betty Siegel or any similar topic only for you Order Now Under her tutelage, Kennesaw State University achieved its university status with more than 18,000 student enrollees and 55 undergraduate and graduate degree programs (online Golden Key International Honour Society International). It was her vision and leadership that brought the educational institution to its current university status focusing on teamwork through the creation of strong administrative teams and group interaction. With her guidance, the institution implemented several initiatives and high profile activities that created opportunities and recognition of the institution in the local and state communities. In the book Searching for Academic Excellence: Twenty Colleges and Universities on the Move and their Leaders, Dr. Siegel was in a limelight in her accomplishment for Kennesaw State University (online Golden Key International Honour Society International). In her 25 years of service in the institution, Kennesaw State University received numerous recognition and awards for its outstanding achievements (online Golden Key International Honour Society International). Its awards are as follows: †¢ 1987, chosen as one of the top three college colleges and universities in its nationwide competition focusing on â€Å"The President and the Public† by the Council of Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) †¢ 1989 – 1991, Kennesaw State also caught public attention as the US News and World Report acknowledges Kennesaw State’s exemplary programs in minority recruitment and retention, leadership programs for faculty, staff, administrators and students, and international initiatives. US News and World Report distinguishes Kennesaw State as the country’s â€Å"up and comers† and â€Å"rising stars† in the South’s regional institutions. †¢ 2003, KSU received recognition to become one of twelve founding institution included in the program entitled Foundation of Excellence in the First College Year of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities. In addition, this recognition also gave KSU the needed funding to pursue the projects of the RTM Institute for Leadership, Ethics Characters, which Dr. Siegel is the Endowed Chair. †¢ 2006, US News and World Report ranked KSU as number one among the 25 educational institution known for their learning community programs. In addition, the magazine highlights the school’s first year freshman experience program. Academic Background Behind the outstanding accomplishment of KSU is Dr. Siegel’s utmost leadership, dedication, and commitment to education. Dr. Siegel’s academic areas of expertise include child psychology and administration. Her outstanding academic achievement also marks her commitment for continuous learning. She received her Ph. D from Florida State University, A Masters in Education from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, a B. A. n English and History from Wake Forest University and an Associate of Arts from Cumberland College. She also has received her two-year post-doctoral study in Clinical Child Psychology at Indiana University. She holds honorary doctorates from Cumberland College in Kentucky, Miami University in Ohio, Eastern Kentucky University, Lynchburg College, Morehead State University, and Southern Connecticut State University. Professional accomplishments Dr. Siegel had been an accomplished educational administrator even before coming to Kennesaw State. She started as a faculty member for several universities such as Indiana University and Lenoir-Rhyne College. And in 1967, she taught at the University of Florida. In 1971, she became the first woman Dean of Academic Affairs for Continuing Education at the University of Florida. She moved to Western Carolina University in the School of Education and Psychology in 1976 and was also the first woman to hold the position of academic dean for the University. In 1981, she came to Kennesaw State where she has started several programs and later became the first female president. Dr. Siegel was also co-founded and co-directed a non-profit organization chartered in North Carolina since 1982. She worked with an esteemed colleague Dr. William Purkey in establishing International Alliance for Invitational Education. The organization currently has more than 12,000 members of different professionals from over twelve countries, who seek to apply the concepts of invitational education to their personal and professional lives (online International Alliance of Invitational Education). In 1999, the Center for Invitational Leadership was created to advance the model of invitational education by offering opportunities for professional to participate in leadership development programs. Its mission is to â€Å"to enhance lifelong learning, to promote positive change in organizations, to cultivate the personal and professional growth and satisfaction of educators and allied professionals, and to enrich the lives of human beings, personally and professionally. † (online Radford University’s Center for Invitation Leadership). Moreover, with the high-regards to the accomplishments of Dr. Siegel, she has delivered keynote addresses at hundreds of national, regional, and state conferences throughout United States, Puerto Rico and ten other foreign countries and has lectured for over 120 colleges and universities around the world. She is an internationally- and nationally-known lecturer and motivational speaker on leadership, educational issues, and the concerns of women. She has also served as a consultant to a wide range of businesses such as educational institutions, businesses, non-profit organizations, health-care services, government and socio-civic groups (online Golden Key International Honour Society International). Public Service Dr. Siegel has also worked in community improvement programs of the government. In 1997, Governor Zell Miller appointed Dr. Siegel to represent the State of Georgia on the Southern Growth Policies Board’s 1998 Commission on the Future of the South. Prior to that, she also represented Governor Miller at the Presidents’ Summit of America’s Future held at Philadelphia in 1997. Currently, she has been appointed as to serve as member of Governor Perdue’s Commission for a New Georgia. Her work in the commission was largely publicized as she was the driving force behind the establishment of the Cobb Education Consortium. The Cobb Education Consortium was created to form a collaborative organization among the public educational institution â€Å"to combine the resources, energies, and talents of the member institutions to address areas of common concern in moving public education in Cobb Country from its current level of excellence to the exemplary level which will be needed to prepare students to become responsible leaders, capable workers, and well-rounded human beings. You read "A Narrative Inquiry on the Life History of Betty Siegel" in category "Life" † (online Cobb Education Consortium) In addition, she also served as a chair of subcommittee on post-secondary options for the Georgia P-16 initiative. The initiative aims to a comprehensive and collaborative statewide effort aimed at raising expectations and ensuring student success from pre-school through post-secondary education. The initiative is different than other educational reform efforts because it impacts the entire educational spectrum—not just the parts. (online University System of Georgia) Lastly, she initiated the Northwest Crescent Alliance between the three private colleges and three public institutions. The alliance was formed to develop programs of collaboration in economic development, enhancement of the arts, the preservation of Southern/Appalachian culture and history, and the development and promotion of community leadership. (online Northwest Crescent Leadership Alliance) Publications Dr. Siegel has recently co-published with Dr. Purkey entitled Becoming an Invitational Leader. The book offers a fresh and innovative model based on a single theoretical framework. It deviates from the traditional control and dominance model of leadership to one that focuses on connectedness, cooperation and communication. This model has been adopted in the International Alliance for Invitational Education and had been applied in numerous fields including administration, business, nursing, dentistry, counseling, and other professions. Purpose of the Study Successful and well-established teacher on leadership, Dr. Siegel’s life history has been a model for many aspiring leaders. She not only teaches about leadership, but she has embodied what she has taught. Her success has led to many researchers to examine what leadership truly is. Indeed, many have published life-stories and lessons on management’s leadership, but many have looked into it in lens following the theoretical framework of industrial management. The purpose of the study is to examine the perceptions of people surrounding the leadership during the tenure of Dr. Siegel at Kennesaw State University. We will looked at what people think within and outside Kennesaw State University’s phenomenal growth in relation to Dr. Siegel’s leadership. By examining the perceptions of Dr. Siegel in her tenure at Kennesaw State University, trends may emerge regarding leadership attitudes and/or leadership style. In undertaking this study using narrative inquiry, we hope to answer the following questions: 1. What are events and influences that formed Dr. Siegel’s mental model and invitational leadership theory? 2. What are the factors attracted and the perceptions students and alumni with Dr. Siegel’s leadership? 3. What is the value and contribution of Dr. Siegel to the understanding of leadership? Review of Related Literature In the book Telling Women’s Lives: Narrative Inquiries in the history of Women’s Education, Weiler and Middleton (1999) explored the broader questions of gender and power through education. They have in discussing the stories of women as teachers come across on topics of education bureaucracies, material condition of women teachers, and the ways concepts of gender and sexuality have shaped experiences of men and women in the educational state. Indeed, women had not been fairly represented in the leadership of educational institution. Dr. Siegel has been an exception and as our purpose is to understand the success of Dr. Siegel’s, we looked at it in a different lens of leadership framework. We undertake this study using narrative inquiry to understand further the leadership model of Dr. Siegel. General Presupposition on Narrative Inquiry Stories have always been a way to pass on tradition and history of a nation. People love to tell and listen to stories. It is way we communicate and more importantly a way we understand people and events. Hardy (1986) has described narrative as a basic mode of thought, and Brunner (1986) described it as a way of organizing knowledge. Cultures are created and traditions are transferred from generation to generation through narratives. It is through narratives that individuals and society expresses their world views and provide models of identity and agency to their members (Brunner 1996). Narrative inquiry differs from more traditional uses of narrative education, that is, from didactic and strategic uses of narrative. Conle et al. (2000) argues that narrative inquiry retains these qualities in two areas: (1) for research, and (2) for professional development. Narrative in Research Polkinghorne (1988) defined narrative as the process that humans use to make sense of their experiences. It is through the application of language and personal reflection that people are able to continually construct and reconstruct significant events in their life and gain a deeper insight of their experiences. Atkinson (1998) argues that people arrange their experiences in a manner that make sense of the events and places the seemingly chaotic world in a coherent order. Thus, narratives are the process by which people make meaning of their own experiences. Denzin (1989) describes narratives as simply stories. Polkinghorne (1988) suggests that these stories convey the organizational scheme used to make meaning out of experiences. Very similar to any story, narratives are thematically organized around a central plot. It in the theme, organization, and the play of language of story that meaning and knowledge is drawn out. That is, we learn and gain insights in the temporal relational nature of the author’s reconstruction of events (Polkinghorne 1995). Narratives convey an understanding of environmental and interpersonal context, temporal sequence, and affective domain of the story. Polkinghorne (1995) offered the simple example of the sentence: â€Å"The king died; the price cried. † Taken in isolation, each adequately describes an event. Understood as a narrative story, with a temporal relationship and context, these two sentences describe a son’s response to the loss of his father. They convey emotion and evoke empathy. Conle (2000) describes the two purposes of narratives: (1) to convey meaning to others from unrelated events into a thematic story (Polkinghorne 1995), and (2) to convey norms and values to newcomers on a cultural or community level (Mattingly 1991). Narratives, therefore, are both the process of constructing and reconstructing events into organized schemes and the resulting that conveys the scheme (Polkinghorne 1988). Further, Polkinghorne (1988) explains that narratives can be used to either describe or explain an event. Descriptive narrative inquiry reports and interprets existing narratives. Descriptive narrative research describes what underlies the values and assumptions of people within a community by examining several narratives for similarities and themes. Explanatory narratives seek to explain why something happened or to explain an event. It, thus, looks narrative accounts for connections between events and actions that led to a particular occurrence. To put it more succinctly, it looks for casual connection between antecedents and events. Narrative research uses linguistic data in attempt to understand empirical reality from the perspective of the teller. It uses the resulting story to understand the organizational scheme the teller used to make sense of his or her world. In narrative research, then, it is not only the content of the story that helps in understanding the experience, but the way the story is constructed that reveals more about the experience. It therefore looks at the study of ways humans experience the world (Connelly and Clandinin 1990). Thus, narrative research begins with the narrator’s story, but moves the research toward interpretation. Denzin (1989) suggests that interpretation allows researchers to look for and connects patterns of meaning and experience in the respondent’s narratives. Bloom (1998) furthers this discussion by asserting that by connecting patterns and meaning and experiences of respondents, the researcher are able to draw from a wide array of theories to set forth his/her interpretation. Furthermore, Atkinson (1998) advises researchers to examine the respondent’s narratives for ordering of events. Context is revealed by understanding the emotions and values conveyed in the narrative. However, Feldman et al. (1990) cautions researchers on the need to scrutinize the respondent’s use of metaphors, irony, and other rhetorical devices as it may result to misinterpretation. It is therefore, important to understand and gain insight into the mental state of the respondent in order to fully interpret the story. More importantly, the end result should be a synthesis of several stories into one thematic narrative. Interest in the use of narrative research has strong precedents in other fields such as in Psychology, Anthropology, and Educational Research. They use narrative as a medium of data representation and as a guide in the development of methodologies, if they did not want to lose the temporal quality and contextual detail of what they were studying (Fenstermacher 1994). They view narratives as a metaphor for human conduct (Sarbin 1986). Narrative, thus, did not stay confined to data representation, but became an entire mode of inquiry where data analysis and final documents did not have to relinquish their narrative quality. Dewey’s work on time, experience, and sociality had been central for narrative inquiry, which consists of experiential stories that combine the social and the personal (Dewey 1904). It is these experiential stories without abandoning the particular, the contextual, and the complex events that the inquiry attempts to give voice to tacitly held personal knowledge of the respondents (Polanyi 1966; Schwab 1970). This personal knowledge has practical function or serves as an instrument in order for the researcher to evaluate and explain previously determined outcomes on the subject’s deliberations, intuitive decisions, daily action and moral wisdom. Narrative inquiry, therefore works best in getting such ‘practical knowledge’. In fact, MacIntyre (1981) promotes narratives for the study of practices, of lives and of traditions. The methodology allows the researcher to recover the moral qualities of all aspects of the subject’s contemporary lives, qualities that he sees as practically and theoretically lost. Micheal Connelly’s concept of personal, practical knowledge (Connelly and Diennes 1982) combined Polanyi’s sense of the personal with Schwab’s notion of the practical and MacIntyre’s moral intent. Connelly later saw the construction of narrative accounts of experiences as the perfect medium for the study of personal practical knowledge (Connelly and Clandinin 1982). Benefits Narrative Inquiry Conle (1997) notes that the most important contribution that narrative inquiry is a language that implicitly forces the issues of open-ended meanings and of the ‘constitutedness’ of identities, both ethnic and narrator’s identities. Narratives are about temporal events and tell us where and when something happens, in which contexts, who said what to whom, with which feelings and in what mood, and under which moral constraints. Such contextualization on the surface seems to convey facts, but it also potentially subjuntivizes these ‘facts’. If generalization do not accompany the specifics, narrative contextualization limits the factual to the ‘once only’ and to the reliability of observation made by a specific observer at one particular time. If the temporal quality of narrative inquiry is heeded, the tentativeness of conclusions and the open-endedness of stories will prevail. These are much-needed qualities in pluralist societies. It is the open-endedness that allows readers the ability to further interpret and understand the contextual framework of such actions (Conle 2000). Nonetheless, Berstein (1992) cautions that it is equally crucial for a narrative inquiry not to contribute to the rampant relativism, especially more moral relativism and should not deviate against reason. Such relativism can reduce the instrumental rationality of the research and can hinder the ability to draw insights especially in intercultural settings. How to cite A Narrative Inquiry on the Life History of Betty Siegel, Essays

Debate Homebirth vs Hospital free essay sample

Fundamentals of speech Debate/Homebirth Most American obstetric practice in hospitals is not based on science, but on myth. How obstetrics perform procedures may in fact be high- tech, but it is in truth not real science what you don’t know about modern medicine can have temporary or permanent effects on you, as well as on your unborn child. The choice you make in childbirth for your baby; home vs. hospital, midwife vs. doctor, and natural vs. edicated birth, will actually have an impact on your child for life. It can be good or ill. The choice is yours. Should you have your baby at home? Today in the United States, in the twenty first century, advances in science and technology made many positive changes in our quality of life, and specifically on medicine. Yet more and more women from all walks of life are choosing to give birth in their own homes – the old fashioned way. Why? The fact is, is spite of all the good that has come from scientific discoveries and experiments, medical science ahs not been able to improve upon the human body and the way it was designed to work, when our bodies are not functioning the way they were created to function, then yes, we are more fortunate than our ancestors in the modern medical intervention can help sometimes. So why are families deciding to go along with a home-birth? Though each couple may have individual reasons, the majority of them plan a home-birth because they believe that most of the time a pregnancy and childbirth are normal functions of a healthy body, not a potential life and death crisis that requires the supervision of a surgeon. â€Å"Doctors have a lot of education of pathology, drugs, surgery, and intervention of all sorts. Their education colors their prospective, and affects the way they see and treat pregnancy and birth. And while a sick woman or women with complications need that perspective and should use doctors, healthy women experiencing normal pregnancies need a whole different perspective, a different set of skills, and a lot of knowledge which is not taught in medical schools â€Å"(Dietsch, 2001) Midwives are trained professionals. A midwife, a good midwife is like her name: With Woman. Only midwifes will stay with the woman in labor, even for hours and hours, skillfully finding natural ways to ease her pain and help her through it all the way until after the birth. A doctor will never do this, he is not expected to, this is not his job. In the hospital, obstetricians do not routinely sit at the bedside of their laboring patients but they rely on machinery and others for information. Then they appear at the last minute into the delivery rooms. Most physicians do not build a relationship of supportive rapport with each patient or offer much encouragement to give birth naturally. Labor and delivery rooms nurses, by and large, enjoy giving support to woman during childbirth. Hospital life, however, involves a great deal of paperwork, personnel changes by the clock and wild fluctuations in how many women each nurse must be responsible for, nurses have no authority to stop an impatient doctor from trying to â€Å"speed up† a slow-but-steady, and normal labor. While statistics indicate that unplanned or unattended homebirths have worse outcomes than hospitals births, planned homebirths with a trained attendant have good outcomes. Midwifery is basically a system of wellness care given by professional midwives to women and infants during the childbearing year, and in many countries midwives are the primary caregivers in maternity systems with better neonatal mortality rates than ours, midwives are trained to watch for deviations from health throughout the pregnancy and labor and refer their clients to a physician if necessary. The number of direct- entry midwives has increased in the last twenty years due to more demand for their service. Most non-nurse midwives have completes a course of tudy and then furthered their education by apprenticing with a more experienced midwife. Normal household germs do not affect the mother of the baby. Childbed fever killed thousands of women in the 19th century; this was about the same time when physicians, who cared for the ill and dying, began to attend birth clinics. As hospitals became the place to go for births and deaths, infections plagued childbearing women and other h ospital patients. Maternal deaths and infection rates dropped dramatically when doctors began washing their hands between the performing of autopsies and attending a birth. Strict and expensive infection control procedures have still not eliminated hospital-caused infections from common and dangerous germs. Each family becomes accustomed to its own household germs and develops a resistance to them. Since fewer strangers are likely to be present at a homebirth than a hospital birth, the chances of acquiring foreign germs are less likely in a homebirth situation. Every effort is made to provide a clean environment at homebirths. Midwives and homebirth doctors wear sterile gloves and use sterilized instruments for cutting the umbilical cord. Hospitals nurseries are like a cradle of germs, and hospital births endanger mothers and babies primarily because of impersonal procedures and overuse of technology and drugs. Normal labor is a healthy stress for the baby, clearing the lungs of fluids and preparing it to take its first breaths. The emotional bonding that takes place in the moments after birth between mother and child and between the baby and the entire family promotes everyone’s well being, and encourages breastfeeding, and speeds the recovery of the new mother as well. This is all encouraged by a midwife. The midwives role is not to deliver the baby. Their role is to be a lifeguard, and to employ a watchful expectancy. In addition they need to make sure that every woman has a comfortable environment. Then, interfere is a problem, they need to intervene and do something. â€Å"Man was created in a certain way, and attempts to interfere must lead to complications. The human body is infinitely intricate; disrupting its natural functions inevitably causes problems. Technology can complicate a normal birth. † (Schneerson, p. 58) In a sincere effort to catch complications arly and produce healthier babies, medical science has changed the atmosphere surrounding birth, from one of a circle of a loving support around the laboring women, to one of a space age technology in a laboratory setting. Though technology can save lives in a crisis, the routine use of technology can interfere with the normal birth process. It is common in hospitals to use intravenous fluids and electronic fetal mo nitors to insure that the mother stays well hydrated and that each contraction and beat of the baby’s heart is recorded. However, many women who are allowed to move around during labor complained less of back pain, and many childbirth authorities feel the motion of walking and changing positions can enhance the effectiveness of the contractions. Some hospitals still require women to birth lying flat on their backs wit legs held up high in stirrups. Since the position defies gravity and makes pushing less effective, then metal forceps are then needed to pull the baby out of the vagina. Research shows that forceps are rarely used when women are allowed to assume a position of comfort during the bearing down stage. Obstetricians frequently rupture the bag of waters surrounding the baby in order to speed up the birthing process. This procedure automatically places a time limit on the labor, as the likelihood of a uterine infection increases with each passing hour in the hospital after the water is broken. Once the protective cushion of water surrounding the baby’s head is eliminated, the belt monitoring the baby’s heartbeat may be exchanged for a scalp electrode – a tiny probe to continue monitoring the heart rate and to collect information about the baby’s blood. Routine use of electronic fetal monitors, compared to the old-fashion method of listening to the baby’s heartbeat after contractions with a fetal scope, may actually cause more problems than it prevents. â€Å"Today at least 25% of all birthing mothers are delivered surgically. This compares to an average c-section rate of about 10% on other countries with better mortality rates. † (Carl Jones, 1987). These numbers indicate that we are not getting better outcomes with more c-sections. The U. S. has the highest obstetrician intervention rates as well as a serious problem with malpractice suits. Several decades ago, in an effort to lessen the pain of childbirth, physicians routinely gave the laboring mother painkillers and anesthetic drugs, over the years the use of most of these medications has subsided, after studies have revealed that the drugs given to the mother had adverse effects on the baby, including asphyxia, hypoxia, and even brain and central nervous system damage. Drugs are still available to laboring women in the hospital, though no drug given in childbirth has been proven to be safe for the baby. Women, who have taken drugs in labor, have decreased maternal feeling towards their babies and an increase n the duration and severity of postpartum depression. Interrupting the natural process of birth wit technological wizardry can cause more harm than good. An obstetrician is trained to use a knife, and the interventions and technology he uses the more money he gets form the patient (sounds a bit harsh, but true). With this philosophy in mind he sets the ball in motion for some random or even unnecessary interventions at births. Interventions give power, control and credit to the doctors for the birth itself and not to the mother who went through that long and hard labor. Many obstetricians have been known to say behind the scenes that they only feel they have â€Å"delivered† the baby when they perform a c-section. It is a powerful feeling to â€Å"deliver† babies rather than leaving the delivering to the mothers themselves. Closing Statement/Conclusion In conclusions, qualified homebirths attendants are available. While discussions over the pros and cons of homebirths and who should attend them continues in medical circles and around supper table. Thousands of healthy babies are being born in their own homes every year. Homebirths is not for every woman. It takes a high degree of commitment to health and learning a high level of responsibility to go against the majority who believe hospital births are better. As you consider where to give birth, read books, and talk to women who have given birth in the hospital delivery rooms, and in birthing centers, and in their homes, discuss your concerns with your physicians and your midwife. Interview several alternative birth ractitioners; assess the level of skill, integrity, knowledge and philosophy of each to discover if they are compatible with your expectations. Whereas obstetricians deliver the great majority of babies in hospitals, some are operating alternative birthing centers Family practitioners who attend births can still be found, but their ranks are decreasing because of the soaring expense of malpractice insurance. â€Å"We’ve come to the understanding that homebi rths risks are not as huge as one might first imagine, and hospital births as not as safe and sterile as one might first assume.