Psychology assignment-Work for Pay and Work at Home Essay

Brain research task Work for Pay and Work at Home - Essay Example on, taking care of kid, etc†¦): I am the person who has gotten our child into after school childcare, and I start to lead the pack with regards to our child and his school and childcare. Who is liable for monitoring social obligations and commitment (birthday celebrations, commemorations, etc†¦): I monitor all the significant dates, similar to commemorations and birthday celebrations. John experiences difficulty recollecting dates. Do you depend on recruited help for any of the family unit errands referenced (babysitter, servant, etc†¦): If we could bear the cost of it, I’d love to enlist a maid, however since we can’t, we don’t depend on any other person. As I stated, I do the majority of the tasks in the family. What modifications, assuming any, did you make with respect to these undertakings when you became guardians: I have taken on the overseer job, so my remaining task at hand multiplied when I turned into a mother. In addition to the fact that I feel answerable for the tasks, yet additionally when our child was conceived, I turned into the essential guardian for him. What appears to work best about this plan and accomplishes it function admirably: This course of action works simply because I maintain everything in control. I think on the off chance that I didn’t, the family would self-destruct with disorder and couldn’t work appropriately. On a scale from 1 to 10, 1 being disappointed and 10 being fulfilled, how might you rate your degree of fulfillment with these game plans: I would rate this course of action as a 4 since I feel exhausted and pushed. What plans have you and your accomplice made for family fixes (plumbing, painting, etc†¦): I do all the family unit fixes. I can fix pretty much anything and I’m not going to pay a handyman or another person to accomplish the work when I can do it similarly as well as possible. What plans have you and your accomplice made for childcare (oversight, taking care of youngster, etc†¦): Our child is school matured, and afterward goes to a network childcare after school. Jane deals with the entirety of that sort of thing. On the off chance that your youngster is debilitated and incapable to go to childcare or school, who

International business environment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Global business condition - Essay Example As organizations venture into greener fields the world over relying upon the specialization, skill or even business openings accessible to them, nearby societies, neighborhood legislative issues and the economies of host nations can become issues which must be managed. This implies there are new issues which must be tended to by chiefs who would now be able to be approached to make extensive strategies just as district based arrangements which influence the individuals working in London as much as they influence representatives working in different pieces of the globe. This issue is really at the core of the globalization of business and the arrangement requests the creation new world request for business where we move towards a blend of societies that speak to us as people. An all inclusive strategy manual can be utilized as a record which sets up the way of life of the organization even as a secluded air pocket in a spot where the outside culture is very surprising. Be that as it may, this must be done cautiously on the grounds that this could likewise be perilous as going with arrangements which are against nearby societies can make sharpness and even lost the company’s human capital. GE was one such organization which encountered these issues when they arrangement their activities across Eastern Europe and attempted to patch up their business in Ukraine, Hungary and Albania. As announced by Welch (2005) GE confronted a few troubles in political, social and monetary terms which made it hard to send out their American image of intensity to Eastern Europe (Welch, 2005). GE is the parent organization of eleven innovation, administrations and account organizations with in excess of 300,000 workers spread across 160 nations. Despite the fact that the organization is huge, their qualities and activities, enlistment process and even the techniques for compensating representatives stay pretty much the equivalent no matter how you look at it. GE manages PCs, stream motors, power plants, capital administrations, plastics, enlightenment gear,

Why Some Academics Hate Twittter, Part 1 Richmond Writing

Why Some Academics Hate Twittter, Part 1 Richmond Writing Location: Puritan Cleaners Please explain to me why my dry-cleaners has has Twitter Feed and a Facebook page. Now, I can see how a program like Coats for Kids could benefit from the added cheer-leading that a few well-chosen tweets provide. On the other hand, as a reluctant and recent Twitterer, I feared that Puritan is drifting from the stolidity of their New-England namesakes and was falling prey to the Gartner Groups hype cycle for new technologies. Second Life users know this well. We SLers are climbing out of stage 3, the Trough of Disillusionment and staggering up stage 4, The Slope of Enlightenment. Three years ago, Puritan would have a created a storefront in SL. They are clearly riding high on stage 1, The Peak of Inflated Expectations. Yes, and SL was to make all of us zillionaires sellingum, somethingin 2006, just as protologyinthehome.com would in 1999. Such hyperbole is antithetical to the academic mind, with its rather staid manner of vetting every source, considering every point, and taking ones time to say a whole lot, lest one be labeled a dilettante. We profs dont look kindly on dabblers. And Twitter is a technology of dabbling, of telling ones circle what one had for lunch or other minutiae. Consider my last two tweets: Checking Twitter feed for my dry-cleaners. Cat has a hairball. Began reading Coming of Age in Second Life. Outstanding! Had broasted weasels for lunch. Tasty but needed more sauce. Okay, I cannot stand it when someone tells me on Twitter what they had for lunch. So my lunch tweets will get more surreal, as my 140 characters permit. Now if they found a great tapas place in Madrid, Id be all ears (or stomach). Next up: About those 140 characters, Sven Birkerts, and Tweeting barbarians eroding our language and, hence, our Gutenberg World. Ill tweet when its done.

Tambrands Marketing Strategies and New Risky Advertisements Free Essay Example, 1250 words

Most marketing consultants suggest that Tambrands marketing strategy is a step which is heading in a positive direction; however, some marketing consultants restrain that tampons are one of the most challenging products to market globally. This is because the global expansion of tampons is challenged by issues relating to religious and cultural practices. Most cultures prohibit the use of these tampons hence creating a resistance to the global marketing. The great frontier of tampons is the third cluster; however, it could be the seductive noose of the global expansion goal. In the third market cluster, the company s new global campaign demonstrates a significant shift from other feminine protection product advertisements, which frequently show energetic and playful women fitted in white pants, performing such activities as biking or cartwheels, while tactfully asserting messages of comfort. The new campaign features local women talking frankly about what had been a taboo subject in many countries. Recently, an advertisement for third market cluster focusing on Brazil market, demonstrations a close-up of a tampon while the narrator chirps, It s sleek, smooth, and re- ally comfortable to use. Women in Brazil fear losing their virginity while using tampons. We will write a custom essay sample on Tambrands Marketing Strategies and New Risky Advertisements or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/pageorder now This misconception of information is not easily broken by a conventional advertising. The new Tambrands hopes to embolden a campaign advertisement and bring change in the Brazil market mindset. Second cluster market countries such as France, South Africa, and Israel are categorized in this cluster. Half of the women in this cluster of the population already use tampons, and they are well conversant with knowledge in relation to the tampons. However, the issue of virginity remains unresolved with a sizable portion of people believing in the misconception of tampons. Advertisements need to act appropriately through informative adverts to settle down the myths and capitalize on the developing market.

Two Statuettes of Two Worshipers Free Essays

â€Å"Two Statuettes of two worshipers†, from the Square Temple at Eshnunna (modern Tell Asmar), Iraq, ca. 2700 BCE. Ever since the beginning of time man has always had an eye for art. We will write a custom essay sample on Two Statuettes of Two Worshipers or any similar topic only for you Order Now They have always been fascinated by what they see. For the most part art has to this day great meaning. Ranging from a person’s play toy to a sculpture opening people’s eyes to a flash back in time where Gods ruled. The art work I chose â€Å"two Statuettes of two worshipers†, from the Square Temple at Eshnunna (modern Tell Asmar), Iraq, ca. 2700 BCE. Gypsum inlaid with shell and black limestone, male figure approximately 2’6’’ high. This peace symbolizes something quite important it shows man’s transition from the wild to civilized society. These statuettes demonstrate how religion and social standings play a giant role in people’s lives and artwork. Man started off Living spot to spot following food whether in animal meat or plants. Never had they stopped and lived in a central place for a long period of time. The Neothithic Revolution came to be c8000-6000 BCE. Where people stopped there day to day nomadic lifestyle and actually set up a Civilization. This started in Mesopotamia known as the land between two rivers. With a civilization came Upper classes, Domestication of animals, and Specialization of labor. Unfortunately Mesopotamia had no natural defenses so large varieties of people lived there because of the takeovers from wars. Sumerians coming from Mesopotamia (now known as southern Iraq) were the people most known because of their invention of writing. The writing known as cuneiform, using pictorial language to keep track of transactions. Ancient Sumer was made up of a dozen or so independent city states so it was not unified. Along with civilization came religion and social classes. Who were early humans praising? They were praising the Gods. As for social classes it was rulers and priests at the top then laborers came under them. The Sumerians constructed ziggurats. The ziggurats acted as a place of worshiping the Gods. But the downside was that not just anyone was allowed inside. It was only available to the worshipped or the priests. At this period in time female goddesses were still worshipped. This was due to the fact that a female can reproduce and give life. The art I chose reflected an offering and sort of gift for the female goddess Inanna. The two sculptures were said to be given as a gift for divine bringing, these types of statues often came with the name of the donor and the God or specific prayers to the deity of the owner’s behalf. Looking at the â€Å"two Statuettes of two worshipers† before analyzing anything on them a person must first look at the art piece with no emotion, basically say everything you see on the surface. The man on the left has big eyes, his hands together, he seems to have no shirt on, he’s wearing a skirt reaching a little under his knees, he has a long beard, standing on his tip toes, and is made of what looks to be light brown. On the right side there is a woman with big eyes as well, she has much smaller hands then the male, she is wearing a hat, she’s wearing a fairly long dress, she is holding something in her left hand, is standing on a platform with a stick off to the right, is on her tip toes and seems to be light brown like the male. Looking at them both the women seems to have smaller features such as her hands, platform and overall size. The male has more of his body exposed such as more of his lags and torso. As for the sculptures they are both sculptures in the round. This means the artwork can be seen 360 degrees. When civilized society came to be, artwork no longer (as much as before) was only about animals or things in the wild. The philosopher Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel believed that art was a memory of man’s view of nature. Art is a kind of flashback to the original human in nature. When civilization came in people started to sculpt and make art of themselves, just like â€Å"two Statuettes of two worshipers† because people were no longer leaders of nature but leaders of themselves. This lead to self-painting/sculpting or of other people. Now viewing â€Å"two Statuettes of two worshipers† off the book Gardner’s art through the ages: The western perspective (12th edition). It states the statuettes are carved out of soft gypsum and inlaid with shell and black limestone. This was not known as a prized or sculptures of great meaning. These statues aren’t known to be that big. They range from under a foot to about thirty inches. The larger the statues simply meant how wealthy the person being portrayed in the statue really was. They have there arms crossed and are on their tip toes because they have to appear to be in a gesture of prayer because they were used for religious rites. The statuettes are not sculpted to be perfect but more rather body type and size. The exaggerated eyes are known to mean attentiveness necessary for fulfilling religious duty. From my point of view these statuettes demonstrate what males and females do in the society, their roles. I think the males’ larger features mean he is the laborer. He is in charge of going out for food and protecting his family. The smaller arms on the females suggests she is more fragile and is not meant to do hard labor. The males larger size does not necessarily mean superiority but it does mean he can be more powerful and dangerous. As for the big eyes it makes me feel scared of doing things because it seems their eyes are watching every move I make. It works like a police officer in a way because a person wouldn’t do bad things in front of a police officer. A person would feel like the police officer is watching and scare him/her into doing nothing bad, much like these statuettes. Long story short â€Å"Two Statuettes of two worshipers† were an example of man’s transition from the wild nomadic people moving place to place to a civilized society living in one place and being able to establish religion, social classes, and a home ultimately. These statuettes are very important to understanding the lives of early human. It’s amazing how people made and expressed their observations with art. People living in Mesopotamia (ancient near east) c8000-6000 BCE might have not known as much as we do now a days but they are some of the most intelligent people that have existed to this day. How to cite Two Statuettes of Two Worshipers, Essay examples

Explain How Theories of Development and Frameworks to Support free essay sample

There are different views about the way in which psychological and physical development continue throughout our life span. In addition to individual differences, development psychologists agree that development occurs in an orderly way and in different areas at the same time. However it is clear that this can happen continually or discontinually. Theories of development can influence current practice into childcare as they show us how to understand a child’s developmental processes. It can help us to identify any problems that might arise, whether it is in physical, social, emotional, language or intellectual development. It also displays a reason into the way that children behave, and how not only internal, but external factors can effect development. Knowing that everyone exhibits the same stages, we do not have to concur with the norm, as they can happen at any time. Everyone should be looked at differently as we all learn at our own rate. We will write a custom essay sample on Explain How Theories of Development and Frameworks to Support or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page If you look at some of the theories they explain why everyone is capable of achieving the roles they set themselves. Some also help us to understand the driving forces behind our decisions, and that we are governed by inner factors. Allowing a child to explore its environment, helps to give the child confidence, and encourages self awareness. We can gauge a child’s level of development by providing activities for the child to take part in as well as free play to watch their social and communicative skills. Children should be allowed to learn from mistakes and encouraged to interact with both other children and adults. Providing that a child has a safe environment in which to learn they should be encouraged to push the boundaries when it comes to education. By providing challenging activities for the child to complete, we as adults help the children in the development process. This is also true for adult learners, as we continue to develop skills throughout our lives. With help, children can become more, and with the correct support develop into well rounded individuals. These theories also show that some instincts are conditional, where as others like fear can be influenced. Pavalov Pavlov’s theory of classical conditioning, in which he used dogs, in the experiment to condition their behaviour. This theory is used within the schools to condition children. This is evident with the use of bells ringing for playtime, lunchtime and home time, and during a fire drill, where the bell rings continuously to remind everyone of danger. In the classroom the teachers and teaching support staff use different ways to gain the attention of the children by clapping, clicking fingers, tapping the table or using a musical instrument like a tambourine.

Leading Change by John P. Kotter

Introduction Leading Change is a book written by John Paul Kotter, a Harvard Business School professor and one of the leading scholars in the field of leadership and change, precisely, he talks about how best businesses can implement change. The book consists of 187 pages arranged into 15 chapters, these chapters are placed into three categories: Part I, Part II, and Part III. Each chapter handles a different stage towards implementing change. Leading Change was first published in the United States in1996 by the Harvard Business School Press.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Leading Change by John P. Kotter specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More I chose Leading Change since the book is an international bestseller written by one of the best authors in business management. Having read one of Kotter’s books: The Heart of Change (2002), I was amazed by the depth of knowledge he possesses in how best to manage busine sses towards change. Leading Change was a way of extending my understanding of the same subject. If the book’s title is a hint into the book’s contents, I expect to find useful information in managing and implementing change in an organization. With the ever-increasing need for businesses to effect change in order to remain relevant, I expect the author to give a methodical procedure for implementing change, and, in his trademark style, to provide numerous case studies of how businesses have succeeded by implementing change. Book Summary Kotter begins by informing us of the importance of change in every aspect of life, he mentions globalization as a major force pushing firms towards implementing change (Kotter, p. 10). He takes the long-established differentiation of management against leadership. From this comparison, we learn why Kotter chose Leading Change as his title rather than something like Managing Change for it takes leadership rather than merely management t o steer firms through times of great change. Kotter puts forward 8 steps that are vital to effect change in any firm as outlined below: Establishing a sense of urgency In Chapter 3, Kotter discusses the first stage of effecting change and states that this stage requires a great deal of teamwork, a well-laid out plan, and a readiness to make sacrifices for others. The author posits that a high level of satisfaction and a low level of urgency are the two greatest barriers to effecting change. He further states that a number of firms face satisfaction despite having a highly intelligent and positive-thinking staff. Kotter provides nine strategies of overcoming satisfaction and emphasizes that an effective leader is required to turn these strategies into reality.Advertising Looking for report on business communication? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Creating the Guiding Coalition Chapter 4 begins with an outline of the second sta ge of effecting change. Kotter states that in order to actuate change in any firm, strong guidelines are required. These include the right team of persons, high level of trust, and common vision are vital to the success of this process. Besides, a single leader cannot implement change by himself, it is his duty to pull together a strong team to assist him during the program. Kotter presents four stages needed to create an effective team and states that the most significant features to the success of the team are trust, a shared objective, and sincerity. Develop a vision and strategy Kotter mentions that there are three ways to persuade people into altering their behavior to bring the desired change in an organization, these methods are authoritarian, micromanagement, and vision. Vision clarifies the need for change and is a core element to all great leadership. He mentions the features of a viable vision and provides a method of implementing the vision successfully. Communicate the change vision Kottler stresses the importance of communication on the road towards change. Communication is key to the success of any change strategy adopted for it creates understanding among the team members implementing the change. He writes that important information must be passed over repeatedly in different ways. Most importantly, people’s daily communication requirements have to reflect the fresh way of thinking, he quotes Mahatma Gandhi that leaders must â€Å"be the change they wish to see† (Kotter, pp. 89). Empower employees for broad-based action This appears in chapter 8 and mainly dwells on the concept of staff empowerment. Kotter mentions eliminating obstacles that will impede the change efforts. Top-level management can get rid of these barriers by ensuring that the present framework does not hinder the vision of change. By aligning the present organizational framework with vision, the change process can be more successful. Kotter also mentions the impo rtance of workforce education relating to empowerment: education empowers the employees and increases the likelihood of success of the change program. Generate short-term wins The sixth stage in the implementation of change, which appears in chapter 9, calls on the generation of immediate successes to demonstrate the importance of change to the firm and to cheer on the team implementing change.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Leading Change by John P. Kotter specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Kotter says that these short-term wins increase the chances of completing the change process, however, they are only helpful if they are noticeable to many, the terms are straight, and the success is closely associated with the change process. A success generated to satisfy the requirements creates joy, belief, and drive. So how can this be done? Kotter states that the solution to achieving success is planning instead of dep ending on prayers, he differentiates between â€Å"gimmick wins† and tangible short-term successes (Kotter, pp. 191). Kotter states that even though short-term gimmicks can be helpful for a while, bosses must not harm the firm’s future by effecting short-term victories. In summary, short-term wins should not be given prominence to long-term change visions. Consolidate gains and produce more change In the seventh stage, Kotter outlines five phases to achieving victory in change programs. The first step is to initiate intricate and tough changes in the firm, then seek for more assistance to make sure the program succeeds. Thirdly, the senior managers must carry on providing a strong emphasis on the reason for the change program, next, decentralization of the programs is vital for it allows management to focus on the reason for the change program and increases their chances of success. The final step is to get rid of unnecessary credits or satisfaction. Anchor new approac hes in the culture The final step begins in chapter 10 and mainly deals with the dangers of failing to implement change programs, Kotter offers a formula for implementing change. Failing to adopt change programs can lead to a total failure in a company, and the key to a permanent change in an organization not only relies on changing vision or mission statements or even the instruction manuals, but in changing the company customs. Critical thinking Leading Change continues to be an accepted book on the methods of steering an organization towards change. Kotter offers numerous ideas and instructions for the leader to remember, and he presents these ideas in easy-to-understand stages. While there are no references to these ideas, much of what he presents corresponds to modern studies and theories in leadership and organizational behavior. Kotter also does an impressive job by giving us a distinction between leaders and managers, and the understanding that ICT has permanently changed so ciety by accelerating change, hence the urgent need for managers to learn how to lead their organizations towards change.Advertising Looking for report on business communication? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Clearly, this book is meant for senior managers trying to effect change in large organizations, however, I also found some information that can be applied in smaller firms. Leading Change is a must-read for business executives, especially in the 21st century where every aspect of the corporate world is continually undergoing change. The book has its downside too. It lacks detail, supporting data and research studies to compliment the ideas presented. Kotter talks about large tectonic changes in the marketplace, but does not include supporting evidence. Some of the recommendations that he presents are difficult to understand too, for example, he mentions that allowing a financial loss will help validate the urgency for change, this idea might herald the downfall of a stable business or organization. He also mentions that non-managerial employees have been trained to not be accountable, a statement many will dismiss as fallacy. The book appears to be a compilation of essays on managin g change in organizations rather that a complete book on leading change. Kotter discusses numerous examples of change programs that failed with less mention of practical strategies and positive examples. My concern while reading the book was that due to the lack of details and supporting evidence, it may be used by a mean or unethical manager to defend oppressive demands that may eventually damage an organization. Recommendation I would recommend the book to any manager trying to lead the firm through change as it gives a simplified procedure of going about this process. The author presents the change program in simple packets of ideas with stages, steps and error lists that are easy to remember. The eight stages of change put forward offer timely and valuable information by a man who has a 25-year experience working with corporations to create long-term changes. Conclusion I learnt a couple of ideas that could change my life immensely, especially in the corporate world. I saw the n eed to distinguish between management and leadership, and that management alone cannot run an organization effectively, rather, leadership is the most important trait a manager should possess. I also learnt of the importance of adopting change programs not only in the corporate world, but also in non-business environments. The world around us is undergoing constant change, and unless we adopt ourselves to it, we may find ourselves out of place, similar to a business that fails to implement change programs and finds itself unable to compete effectively with other firms on a number of platforms. Finally, I learnt the importance of sacrifice in the road to achieving a common goal. Works Cited Kotter, John Paul. Leading Change. Boston: Harvard Business School Press, 1996. This report on Leading Change by John P. Kotter was written and submitted by user Carmelo Y. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Let Him Have It. Essays

Let Him Have It. Essays Let Him Have It. Essay Let Him Have It. Essay In this essay, Im going to tell you about a film called Let Him Have It. Its about two young boys who get involved in the killing of a police officer. Derek Bentley, 19, and Christopher Craig, 16, never thought they would get to a point where one of them had to kill someone when breaking and entering into a warehouse. The director, Peter Medak made the film because he wanted the audience to feel sympathy for Derek Bentley, who was executed for a crime he didnt commit. Whereas Craig, the young gangster who brutally murdered police officer, PC Miles, got only 10 years in prison because of being underage. The director showed us about Dereks early life by making the young boy look defenceless and innocent during the blitz. First came the flashbacks when London was under attack, where Derek was buried under a pile of debris. The mood was frantic, everyone was trying to help him and it was all chaotic. This childhood is completely different to Craigs one. Craig was a big troublemaker; he had a very rough childhood compared to Dereks. The director showed these two scenes about both Derek and Christopher because, he wanted the audience to know what kind of backgrounds these boys came from. He wanted us to judge Derek and Christophers past up to what they have become now. Derek came from a loving family who cared and stood by him. Examples where love and support is shown in Dereks family is when he had nice long chats with his sister, Iris, in his bedroom, when she encouraged him to give up smoking, this shows that she really cares for her brother and wants him to be happy and healthy. Another example is when his father tries to get a job for his son. What made Dereks parents happy was when his sister took him out for the first time into town. The director also shows the whole family having a Sunday evening together chilling out and relaxing in the living room. Whereas Craigs family is not shown in the film to represent they dont spend time with each other, except for his brother Niven who got into trouble mostly all the time, he served 12 years in prison for armed robbery at Waltham Abbey. Dereks lack of confidence is shown wherever he is. For example, when he and his sister were out in town, they entered a record shop, and the woman behind the counter started flirting with him. He didnt know what to say and stuttered because he was so nervous. Other times too, like in the courtroom his head was down because he was too nervous to look at people, even his own family. This behaviour is totally different looking at how Craig acts. Whenever hes with his friends, he feels as if hes the leader of the gang and takes control of everything. His confidence got him into trouble sometimes, always taking risks, like in the early days at school, when he used to swap guns with classmates. He was always trying to show them off, and one reason for this, is because his classmates used to take the mickey out of him for having dyslexia. Hes the cocky and cheeky type, this shows that Craig has to act like this to make others aware that he is not scared easily and can stand up for himself. In the courtroom, Derek shaked and nearly had a fit when he spoke but Craig had his chin up and spoke clearly, with cocky confidence and arrogance to the judge. Derek admires and looks up to Craig because he finds everything great in Craigs lifestyle. Examples are friends, money, women, cars Craig makes it look easy about having a girlfriend, loads of friends, having a lot of money and possessing a nice car. Derek wants Craigs life because he thinks its exciting and fun. The night when they decided to rob the warehouse was actually the night of the shooting. They both climbed over the gate, first Craig then Derek. At that precise moment, a little girl sees them and the police are alerted. When the police arrive, Dereks behaviour changes. He thinks about what his family will make of him - My dad is going to kill me he starts to panic and wants to own up but Craig holds him back. Craig is acting jumpy as well but tries to stay calm. He tries to play it tough, and making it like hes not scared and in control. He says things that he thinks are daring to the police officer, like-Come and get me if you want! During the trial, Derek is shown to be vulnerable and naà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ve. When he answers questions he looks down and shakes a lot. During that time the camera does a close up of him looking nervous, because when the judge asked him a question, he was nervous about his answer. Derek tells his story with hesitation, however Craig just tells it without even thinking. When the judge told him about the amount of guns he carried from the age of 11 to 16 and then went on to ask if he carried them with him altogether, Craig seemed to find that amusing and answered mockingly Of course not Sir, I carried a few at a time The director shows people in authority in a bad light in the film- to make us think that theyve done wrong, and punished an innocent person. For example, the people who put Derek in approved school, they seem like they cant be bothered with Derek, they dont think hes smart, and want nothing to do with him. Also, he shows that the army medical officer, doesnt want an unhealthy person like Derek to fight with a weakness, in this case- Dereks fits. The policeman on the roof was much the same, he could clearly see that Derek did nothing, possessed no gun, and killed no one, but he assumed that his fatal words - Let him have it Chris directly meant - Shoot him. However, any person who thinks logically will know that Dereks innocent words actually meant- Let him have the gun, Chris. The judge, jury and lawyer also mistake those clear unoffending words for something they think are guilty, which makes Dereks chances of not being executed very low. In the last part of the film, the build-up to the hanging is very emotional and stressful for everyone. The director tries to break our hearts, showing us the state of the family, people who support Derek; he does a close-up of the clock to indicate how much time Derek has before his brutal death. The music is very slow and gentle, so it can match the speed of the pre-execution. At around 9am, hes in his cell, saying his final prayers with a Priest. The actual hanging itself, happened so suddenly, you didnt have time to think about what was going on. Derek was shaking as the police officer gave him his drink to calm him down, then being taken away to his death place. When he was being executed, the speed changed very quickly as did the music, it went along with the speed- very fast. The way the director shows Derek, roughly handled by the men and how abrupt the procedure was, with a bag on his head and feet and hands tied up, makes us feel very sorry for him and angry with everyone w ho put him through that. And thats exactly what the director intended us to feel when he made this film.

Museum of contemporary art and Niemeyer Oscar Research Paper

Museum of contemporary art and Niemeyer Oscar - Research Paper Example The paper "Museum of contemporary art and Niemeyer Oscar" discovers Niemeyer Oscar's works. Museum of contemporary art still remains a unique piece of art. It is shaped like a concord and located on a sloppy field with view of mount sugarloaf visible from the structure. It was designed and inspired by a Brazilian designer whose name was Niemeyer Oscar. It was completed in 1996; it has a height of sixteen and a diameter of 50 meters. The design is inspired by scientific facts and evident; it explains alien facts with the mentioning of UFO by the designer. The concept was picked from the limited space provided; Oscar Niemeyer describes his choice to driven by his desire to view the sea while at the building and accommodating his works in a limited space. The building consists of three levels. It contains an underground facility with a section of water body. There is a ramp constructed on 98- meters of space which leads the public to the facility it also serves as liaison to the remaini ng floors linking the public area to the rest of the exhibition room. The ground floor consist of a bar and restaurant which has the capacity to hold more than fifty persons per seating the window spacing gives the opportunity for those in the facility to view over the bay with the key geographical features being viewed from the auditorium. The basement acts a water reservoir and a power plant. The first floor, it contains a reception area where individuals inquire and seek guidance. It also contains a lobby are and offices.

Questions and Answers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Questions and Answers - Essay Example Adults choose the books they think are good and appropriate for children. However, it is dangerous when adults consider the implications of ideas about children’s literature by their ideologies, which underlie children. Sometimes, they may think that children have limited understanding and short attention span. As a result, they think children’s ability to respond to literature, with any degree of understanding, is seriously limited (Nodelman & Reimer, 2003). Consequently, they are partly unilateral. In addition, many adults are far more interested in determining what children should not read than what and how they should. Adults have the responsibility of assisting children to understand what they read in an appropriate way. We should explain to them with suitable words, rather than just forbid them to read certain material. This is because children have the right to choose various books, texts, images and select what interests them. Although adults possess a repertoire of knowledge about literature that might as well be useful in choosing appropriate books for children, we should pay significant attention to how assumptions work to avoid being arbitrary. As Nodelman & Reimer (2003) state, adults should be wary of their own censoriousness. Furthermore, adults’ selection should be based on each child individually. During the last half of the twentieth century, scholars defined postmodernism as changes in philosophy, literature, art, architecture and music (Pantaleo & Sipe, 2008, p. 1). Additionally, Coles and Hall (cited in Pantaleo & Sipe, 2008), depict postmodernism as changes made in different aspects - in history, society and culture. Waugh (1984) illustrates that metafiction pushes us away as it says â€Å"dont forget what you are reading is an artefact but not real† (cited in Sipe, 2011, p.247). Postmodernism and metafiction include narrative fragmentation,

Team Building and Leadership Self Assessment Paper

Team Building and Leadership Self Assessment Paper First of all I would like to thank Prof. Bob Marx for his valuable efforts, kindness and time over the 3 days of marvelous journey together. Objective of this paper Through this paper I am trying to describe my job related problem and implement either Four Frame Approach or Situational Leadership Theory to improve it. In the end I will draw conclusions from there. Description of Situation The industry in todays world is growing quickly, and with this increase comes the necessity for more people to manage and lead the growing companies, but this growing need give rise to some prospective questions: Is anyone capable of becoming a leader or a manager? Is there any difference among the two? Can people be taught to have leadership or managerial qualities? Just like many other questions in business; these questions have no one definite answer. I work in a Multi National Company. The company is considered one of the world leaders in automotive products. I work in the Research and Development center of the company and occupy the post of R D laboratory engineer in the Electronic Laboratory. Our laboratory deals in the Validation and Development of automotive products. We are a team of 4 members (Refer Figure 1) who work on different projects. Both personally and professionally we share a healthy relationship and try to maintain a good and positive work environment. The strong point of our team is that we share the burden of work amongst us and help each other when the situation demands. We acknowledge the concept of teamwork and its importance to the success of our team. However, all of us together are still striving towards perfection. The principal problem is the low motivation of our team, may be its primarily because there is no positive communication with our manager. There is neither any feedback nor any assessment of task. He notices good performance but wait until half yearly performance review to express his appreciation. In an effort to achieve good results or meet deadline, he has forgotten about the finer behaviors that make the team better. Its lucid that for a manager its extremely important to be result oriented but at the same time its very important to keep the environment positive. A team means group of people, contributing their knowledge and skills, working together to achieve a common goal. But when a team doesnt perform efficiently its not merely the fault of manager of the team as a whole. We should never forget that there are always two parts to a coin. Now I would like to describe the behavior of my other team members including myself. I am the part of this laboratory from last 3 years. In this past three years I have worked on numerous projects. I am very dedicated and focused towards my work. I hardly ever need any direction from my manager but sometimes a little guidance is required. But every now and then I lose the motivation towards my work due to no feedback and no encouragement. The second lab engineer is a hard working and self directed person. He is working for the company for last 6 years. Since he follows the same monotonous routine for past 6 years, he gets bored with every task assigned. He also shows lack of interest in the work; however he works well with the team. The third lab engineer is a new team member. She is a contractor and has joined our team few months back. Her ambition is to get hired in the organization. She is enthusiastic and eager to learn new things, and always do her tasks well but at the same time relatively less skilled and inexperienced. I also find her sensitive and self critical. She takes things to heart and gets disappointed when things go wrong and then start criticizing the situation. The lack of communication with manager and no individual growth of the group are becoming the important factors for our team ineffectiveness. A new approach to problem solving My seminar on Team Building and Leadership taught me two different approaches of solving the problems. Four Frames Approach and Situational Leadership Theory are tools if used appropriately can help solve most of the professional and personal problems. Before this class I didnt even know if such type of tools existed. I am choosing Situational Leadership Theory for managing my job-related problem. I am trying to understand strengths and weaknesses of my each team members leadership style. Situational Leadership (SLII) suggests that leaders can work in any situation by adapting their behavior accordingly i.e. they should exhibit different behavior as per the situation and it should match the developmental level of the team performing a specific task. Different situations called for different kinds or styles of leadership. SLII defines 4 leadership behaviors: S1 (high-directive but low-supportive), S2 (high-directive and high-supportive), S3 (low-directive but high supportive) and S4 (low-directive and low-supportive) and equally 4 development levels of the follower: D1 (low-competence but high-commitment), D2 (moderate-competence but low-commitment), D3 (moderate-competence but no commitment) and D4 (high-competence and high-commitment). In the next table (Refer Figure 2) I have matched the leadership behavior levels and development levels of my team members: Plan of Action After studying acutely for few days the strengths and weaknesses of my team mates, I decided to apply the Situational Leadership Theory into Action. It was tricky to decide from where to start but I went with my intuition and asked my manager for a meeting. In the meeting I started by explaining him about the Situational Leadership Theory. I drew a chart by explaining the 4 leadership styles and 4 development levels. During the course of meeting, I outlined him at which developmental level we four are and asked him what he felt about it. I emphasized about the importance of giving feedback and providing encouragement, reassurance, support and admiration to acknowledge competence. I acknowledged him for his zeal to achieve the results but at the same time pointed out its drawbacks on the team members. In the end it was discussed that how we can help each other towards achieving same goals. We decided to have a team meeting. In the meeting we discussed about the situation and the SLII theory in detail. I provided them with my feedback on the situation. We shared each others point of view and suggested the ways to make our goal more interesting. We decided that everyone should make an action plan on how to achieve that goal together. My team manager than have one on one meeting with three of us. During our meeting, he valued my coming forward and briefing him on the situation. He appreciated my dedication to work and affirmed me that from now on he will give us the feedbacks regularly. We even talked about my lack of confidence in some tasks and how I can improve it. He recognized that he also needs to improve in some areas. I dont know what he discussed with my team members but I can feel an improved environment than before. Conclusions Its still too early to tell that if the SLII theory had solved the difficulty of our team. But its has definitely helped. And thats a really good start. I can see the improvement in our work and even in myself. I think its better to say that SLII is not just a theory but a model which when applied correctly can yield enhancing results. Self Assessment Paper Managing, understanding, motivation focused on others or yourself are lot more efficient when you understand yourself, and the people you seek to motivate. Understanding personality is also the key to unlock inexpressible human qualities, e.g. leadership, empathy and motivation, whether your purpose is self-development or helping others. With 7 main goals we started our 3 days of beautiful journey on Team Building and Leadership seminar. The principal goals were to learn about myself and my strengths, my growing edge and about each other so we can work together as a high performance team. These goals were well accomplished as the seminar helped me to know more about my elusive qualities and others emotions. It made me realize that I should spend more time in building my strength rather than remedying my weaknesses. In this assignment paper I am going to assess myself on the four main topics of seminar: Emotional Intelligence: Emotional intelligence is the ability, capacity or the skill that influence ones ability to succeed in coping with environmental demands and pressures. It includes the ability to motivate oneself and persist even when one is frustrated, to control ones impulses and delay gratification, to regulate the mood and keep distress from overwhelming the thinking ability, to empathize with others and to hope. Its structure is divided into Personal Competence (Self Awareness and Self Management) and Social Competence (Social Awareness and Relationship Management). With the help of EI Self Assessment questionnaire (Pg 17-20 of the booklet) I interpreted that I have the capacity to correctly manage my emotions and feelings but I lacked in self motivation. I am good in sharing the problems of anyone but I am afraid of taking the risks. The seminar helped me to know my strengths and limits. It helped me realise my capabilities and self confidence. It prepared me to be flexible in handling changes and to react efficiently in pressure situations. The self believe and confidence of Jennifer Connelly in the movie A Beautiful Mind taught me that one should not be afraid of taking risks and initiatives. When one person hesitates because he feels inferior, the other is busy making mistakes and becoming superior. (Henry C. LINK) Team Building Skills: I was once told that teamwork depends on the performance of every single member on the team. I had trouble understanding it until I was shown how the office computer performs when just one key is out of order. That one key destroys the effectiveness of the computer. Now I know that even though I am only one person, I am needed or essential for the success and fulfilment of the team. Everyone work, think and act in unique ways. A principal reason why teams struggle is due to different styles and approaches to work. It is very difficult to work efficiently in a team without knowing what your style of work. Once you know your style, it is equally important to recognize the strengths and weaknesses of other members. At my work, we are team of 4 members. We trust each other and we work together to achieve a common objective. I learned, from the game which we played last day, that to accomplish a goal we always have to work in accordance with a plan. After the group discussion and feedback, I realized that I was contributing actively in the team and offering the solutions. Everyone was equally focused to win. In the end I was happy to share the responsibility for my teams loss and to get the positive feedback about my role. Situational Leadership: It states that the effectiveness of a leader depends upon how much his leadership style is suited to the characteristics of his group and the nature of the group task. Its a contingency theory that concentrates on team readiness; the more ready the team the less the need for leader support and supervision. The case studies and the questionnaire which we responded in the seminar affirmed me that I have D3 developmental level and I have S3 leadership skills. I knew that I am capable of performing any task but at the same time I am doubtful of my own abilities. The seminar made me realize that I should not be afraid of doing things my way and taking things at my own pace because life is not about giving all or nothing; give what you can. It made me to push myself farther than I thought I could go. I learned a lot about myself and having a blast. I used situational leadership theory to improve my work related problem. I can feel the improvement at my work and the changes in myself. The Four Frames: Just getting the people in the team is not good enough. They have to be told what the goal is. A team consists of different individuals. The objective is to make them all work together like a fist, like a team. This is the job of manager to recognize the major constituencies and to manage conflict as productively as possible. A manager needs a wide range of ways of seeing frames. Frames are the set of assumptions that one carry in head; helps negotiate a particular territory. Reframing is an ability to understand and use multiple perspectives. There are four different frames for Leadership: Structural Frame (how to organize); Human Resource Frame (how to tailor organizations to satisfy human needs); Political Frame (how to cope with power and conflict) and Symbolic Frame (how to shape a culture that gives purpose meaning to work). I still remember Timothy said in seminar that any frame if applied efficiently can solve any problem. But on the contrary, I think that all four frames support each other. The biggest example is RFK High School Case. The situation of the school demands the application of each and every frame to improve problems. Even David King at the end of the day structured everything into four frames. With the help of questionnaire on Leadership Orientations (Pg 22 of the booklet), I recognized that I belong to Human Resource Frame (HR). I am a good listener and my strongest point is interpersonal skills. I am concerned about people and share their feelings. I care and support others and try to keep everyone involved. Conclusions Personally I feel that all the goals of the seminar were entirely accomplished. I learned a lot about myself, my elusive strengths and my weaknesses. I got to know my classmates well and now I am optimistic that we can all work together efficiently in our future projects. I had a lot of fun and it was a fantastic experience. I enjoyed a lot while playing different games and challenged myself to win them. I really appreciated the portrait of David King played by my class mates and that of Chauncey played by Bob. This seminar taught me a lot and it has definitely exceeded my expectation. It was an unforgettable and lifetime experience for me. The seminar changed my vision toward many things. My warm regards and thanks to Professor Bob.

Policy making in South Africa Essay

Introduction. Government exists in order to organise a society or nation into a manageable unit. It seeks to formulate laws for the purpose of instituting a fair, equitable and just society in which individual citizens expect to live safely being organised both to contribute to and to benefit from sound governing policy. Broadly speaking policy consists of three overhead functions which are: policy making, policy implementation and policy analysis and evaluation. The task of this assignment is to concentrate only on policy-making with particular reference to the elimination of the high crime rate in South Africa. The policy-making process has three main steps, namely policy initiation; policy formulation and policy approval. Policy making, is one of the six administrative enabling functions which should be done in an orderly manner. Firstly, the nature and place of policy for the elimination of the high crime rate in South Africa is explained and discussed by using definitions to explain the various terminologies in order to understand to concept of policy-making. Secondly, the first step of policy making process, namely, policy initiation for the elimination of the high crime rate in South Africa, is discussed. Policy initiation has three steps, namely becoming aware of the problem, describing the problem and the collection of information regarding the elimination of the high crime rate. Thirdly, the second step of the policy making process namely, policy formulation with reference to the elimination of the high crime rate in South Africa needs to be examined. Policy formulation has six steps, namely, liaison with interested parties, the processing of information, the setting of objectives, determining the priorities, considering the alternatives, the survey of financial resources. Fourthly, the final step of policy making is discussed, namely policy approval for the elimination of the high crime rate in South Africa. A scientific approach is used in this assignment. Each step contains facts followed by an explanation of the facts, the application of the theory by using the elimination of high crime in South Africa as an example and lastly deductions are made at the end of each section. Sources that were used were taken from various books and via the internet. In order to understand the policy-making process the nature and place of policy for the elimination of the high crime rate in South Africa is to be discussed. 1.The nature and place of policy for the elimination of the high crime rate in South Africa. Policy-making is one of the six administrative enabling functions. In order to understand public policy-making it is necessary to define and explain the following concepts: administrative enabling function: public policy and policy making. 1.1.The meaning of administrative as an enabling function. Meiring (2001:48) explains that the â€Å"enabling functions can be divided into six main groups, for example, policy-making: the creation of structures and posts; financial provision; personnel provision; determining work procedures and determining control measures and standards. Meiring (2001:47) further states that â€Å"no activity can be carried out, no goal pursued or objective achieved without the continuous provision of indispensable and specific means†, for example resources. In order for service delivery to take effect, policies need to be instituted. Policies are the objectives of government and therefore it is necessary for the resources to have a continuous uninterrupted flow. Resources are the commodities used in the production of goods and services. In this case the  government supplies a service to the community and therefore needs the resources to fulfil this obligation. Resources referred to would be human and capital resources. Capital resources are, for example, buildings, vehicles and finance. The uses of auxiliary functions, for example, the usage of computers, are supportive in role and a necessity in order for the South African Police Service to be efficient and effective in the elimination of the high crime rate in South Africa. 1.2. The meaning of public policy. The nature of policy is a multidimensional and there are various definitions of what public policy is. According to Fox, Schwella and Wissink (1991:27-28) the following basic fundamentals of public policy can be identified and are summarised below:Policy is developed by government role players, â€Å"although non-government role players may influence the policy formulation and development† and public policy is a â€Å"purposive or goal-orientated action rather than random or chance behaviour† (Fox, Schwella and Wissink: 1991:27). Hanekom (1987:7) further elaborates and describes policy-making as â€Å"the activity preceding the publication of a goal† and it is therefore a â€Å"formally articulated goal that the legislator intends pursuing with society.† Botes et al (1992:191) further describes public policy making as being the â€Å"systematic actions† which should be taken to achieve the goals of the relevant institution. Fox, Schwella and Wissink (1991:27-28) further state that public policy generally consists of a series of decisions taken jointly by politicians and/or officials rather than individual decisions. Public policy is a â€Å"future-orientated†, changing document which is aimed at the general welfare of the public (Fox, Schwella and Wissink: 1991:29). Thus, public policy is a systematic goal-orientated action that is developed by governmental bodies and officials in consultation with the public, which emerges in response to public demand. Public policy is a future-orientated document which not only shows the statement of intent by government but interprets the values of society. Therefore the policy for the elimination of the high crime rate in South Africa would be to enhance a safer and more  secure environment for its citizens. 1.3. The meaning of policy making. Cloete (1998:139) explains that for the â€Å"purpose of public administration the term policy-making should be used to refer to the functions performed to obtain policies. Functions are the smallest activity that a person can do in order to obtain the goals set out. So therefore, policy-making consists of the performance of a group of generic administrative process† which â€Å"must be undertaken in an orderly manner† (Cloete: 1998:139). Therefore the functions to eliminate South Africa of the high crime rate, for example, would be for a police constable to patrol the neighbourhood (visible policing). Chapter two is concerned with the first step of policy making, being policy initiation for the elimination of the high crime rate in South Africa. 2.Policy initiation for the elimination of the high crime rate in South Africa. Wikipedia (http://www.wikipedia.org) defines the word initiation as being derived from Latin and implies a beginning. â€Å"The related term, initiate means to begin or start a particular action, event, circumstance, or happening†. Therefore â€Å"initiation† in this context means the activation of the public making process. It is therefore necessary to do a methodical investigation when a problem arises so that an effective and efficient rational policy could be implemented. Such investigation requires three steps within policy initiation which consists of the following: becoming aware of the problem; describing the problem and collecting information for solving and or preventing the problem. The first step in policy initiation would be discussed, namely, becoming aware of the problem of the high crime rate in South Africa. 2.1.Becoming aware of the problem of the high crime rate in South Africa. The recognition of a problem is reliant on the accessibility of information on the needs that move the citizen to gain the attention of the government, who in turn would decide to act or not to act. Meiring (2001:53) further explains that â€Å"by referring to â€Å"something† as a problem, the presumption is made that a value-judgement on a specific condition in a specific place and time, is seen by a person or group(s) of persons, as being unsatisfactory†. If the government is unaware of the problems affecting society various stakeholders or interest groups would take the initiative and make government aware of the problem. Usually within a democratic environment the politicians and officials attempt to find solutions to the problem affecting society. Meiring (2001:53) further explains that when government wants to implement change that the characteristic of the policy making is â€Å"dynamic† and that the â€Å"awareness of the problem refers to a threefold activity.† The threefold activity as explained by Meiring (2001:53) has the following implications in the policy initiation stage. Firstly it creates an awareness and refers to a â€Å"new field of action and the need to undertake a search for development possibilities to promote the â€Å"good life†Ã¢â‚¬  Meiring (2001:53). The second implication refers to the awareness of an â€Å"existing problem in the community and the need to undertake a search for a possible solution to solve the problem† Meiring (2001:53). The third implication refers to the â€Å"awareness of a potential problem and the need to undertake a search for a quantifiable solution to prevent the problem† Meiring (2001:53). The Institute for Security Studies (ISS) held a seminar in Pretoria on the 9th March 2007 following events in the past few months that have raised questions about a growing wave of public dissatisfaction with crime and government’s response to it. Examples that were mentioned were and â€Å"include statements in the media and parliament by the president and cabinet ministers, the aborted FNB media and letter-writing campaign, and increased media reports of vigilantism† (http://www.iss.co.za). The ISS seminar reviewed the â€Å"links between crime and perception, based on the latest  available quantitative data† (http://www.iss.co.za). The topic under discussion was: â€Å"Crime Trends and Public Perceptions: What the Latest Statistics Show† (http://www.iss.co.za). In brief and relating to the topic of this assignment one of the summations were that â€Å"crime and unemployment remained the only two out of the twenty-three critical areas in which government has constantly achieved less than a â€Å"pass mark† (http://www.iss.co.za). Further more the South African Police Service has various existing policies in place for the elimination of the high crime rate in South Africa, for example, the South African Police Service Act (No.68 of 1995); National crime prevention strategy and the implementation of the development of community policing policy (http://www.iss.co.za). Therefore it is apparent that the government is aware of the problem of the high crime rate and is attempting to deal with it. It is of utmost importance that the policy makers do not treat the symptoms, but the actual cause of the problem. Crime has multiple causes as it falls within the socio-economic environment. The social environment is â€Å"multifaceted and consists of a number of interrelated factors† (Van Der Waldt et al: 2002:168). Recent studies suggest that there is a link between poor economic condition (the high unemployment rate) and crime (Fox, Van Wyk and Fourie: 1998:179). The deduction is made that the policy-making process would always involve interactions between the citizens and the state institutions, for example political office bearers and officials, who have to perform the policy-making functions. It is due to the actions of the stakeholders, whether political and or civic, that the government becomes aware of the problem. The high crime rate is a socio-economic problem which has a complex and unified factors. The factors, for example are the high unemployment rate and poverty. Further more the deduction could be made that there are existing policies in place for the elimination of the high crime rate in South Africa but that the implementation of the policies are severely lacking. The second step in policy initiation would be discussed, namely, describing the problem for the elimination of the high crime rate in South Africa. 2.2.Describing the problem for the elimination of the high crime rate in South Africa. In order to describe the problem correctly, the information needs to be obtained in an orderly manner and it must documented in a written format. Information is needed, as per Meiring (2001:54), â€Å"regarding the results that are desired, obstacles that are experienced and the limitations of the situation and thus of a solution†. Meiring (2001:55) further states that the â€Å"diagnosis and description of a problem is a cyclical process which requires continuous analysis and evaluation if the policy makers wish to take realistic decisions to meet the demands of a changing environment†. In order to seek a solution to the problem it is necessary to describe the nature and scope of the problem. As Meiring (2001:55) further states that by describing the problem it leads to an â€Å"observable presentation or description which could be seen as the image of the real situation†. Meiring (2001:55) further states that it is the effectiveness of how the â€Å"written description or presentation corresponds to the real problem that would depend on the abilities of the participants in the process as well as the quality of information that is available†. The method in obtaining and processing information is therefore linked to the â€Å"human factor and is influenced by the values and perceptions of those participating in these activities.† Meiring (2001:55)†The situation is further complicated by the perceivable/observable reality which changes with time and which in turn results not only in a change of needs or in problems, but also values†. Meiring (2001:55) For example a couple of years ago, domestic violence was perceived to be a private matter. Currently, due to various action groups, domestic violence is no longer a private issue but has become a national issue. In order to eliminate the high level of crime in South Africa the description  of the problem must be specific. So therefore, for example, the elimination of the high crime rate within the central business district of Johannesburg could be described as follows. The geographic scope would be large, covering the areas that fall within the central business district. More categories could be created, â€Å"for example the inner city and former black townships† (http://www.csvr.org.za). As per the Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation (CSVR), the nature of the crimes could range from â€Å"housebreaking, street crime, property crime and violent crime† (http://www.csvr.org.za). Further more the nature of the crimes are different and vary depending on the area in question. Therefore it can be deduced that there are various occurrences which should be taken into account when describing the problem. The factual information; the values and perceptions of the participants or the values and perceptions between the officials and politicians. To complicate matters further, there may be different views held by the state and the citizens. For example, the citizens believe that the crime rate is on the increase and the state believes the opposite to be true. The policy-making process is a complex matter and the description of the problem must be accurately recorded. The third step in policy initiation would be discussed, namely, the collection of information for the elimination of the high crime rate in South Africa. 2.3.The collection of information for the elimination of the high crime rate in South Africa. The collection of information is interwoven with the previously mentioned steps, namely, becoming aware of the problem and describing the problem. The policy-makers who take policy decisions must be served with adequate information systems. In order to deal with the problem, Meiring (2001:55) states it is of utmost importance that such problems are defined in â€Å"quantifiable terms.† The term quantifiable means that the collecting of information must be dealt with in  a scientific manner. Cloete (1998:139) declares that â€Å"it is the functions involved in obtaining information which should be performed systematically to deliver information with which the matter to be decided upon can be quantified and qualified†. Once an issue (problem) is recognised, various decisions need to be taken. While making decisions cognisance must be taken of both factual information and value judgements pertaining to the issue. Meiring (2001:56) explains that â€Å"factual information relates to the observable, measurable information that can be collected†. Meiring (2001:56) further explains that â€Å"values on the other hand relate to the inherent human feelings for what is, for example, valuable, wanted or ursu ed†. A middle ground must be found between factual information and the values of the people. It must also be kept in mind that there may not be a significant amount of information available and therefore the cost effectiveness of such an exercise must be scrutinised. Collecting information is also time-consuming. It goes without saying that during this stage there is interaction and communication with all the relevant role playersInformation could be gained through research and data gathering. Some of the information could be obtained from structured interviews with Station Commissioners at randomly selected police stations. The community and businesses may be approached with the same structural questionnaire. Various statistics may be gathered from other organizations, for example, CSVR to confirm whether the crime rate has decreased or increased or what the opinions are of the community. This information gathering would involve an analysis of the information which is time consuming and which may disclose differences in notions perceived as per example the notion of â€Å"crime† which is socially constructed. The deduction is made that on collection of information, not only is quantifiable data collected but perceptions and values as well. It is at the analysis of information that differences between factual data and values are shown. Chapter three is concerned with the policy formulation for the elimination of the high crime rate in South Africa. 3.Policy formulation for the elimination of the high crime rate in South Africa. Policy formulation is the second step within policy making. Policy formulation consists of six steps which are: liaison with interested parties; processing information; setting of objectives; determining priorities; considering alternatives and the survey of financial resources. Anderson, (1984:93) defines policy formulation to â€Å"the crafting of proposed alternatives or options for handling a problem†. Meiring’s (2001:56) definition is more pertinent at defining formulation, which is, â€Å"the clear, precise and accurate wording of processed information so as to achieve a specific aim†. The information gained must be â€Å"classified, described and processed into the required proposals† (Meiring: 2001:56). Policy formulation must be a written description of the problem in order to make a choice on the â€Å"available alternatives to solve or prevent the problem (Meiring: 2001:56). The various actions which comprise policy formulation are often described as agenda setting. An agenda is usually a list of items to be dealt with within a meeting and are usually prioritised according to importance. Cloete and Wissink (2000:98) elucidate that it is â€Å"necessary to set a policy agenda because of the deluge of policy-related issues and problems that any government faces, normally with insufficient resources to address these problems effectively.† And therefore policy agenda setting is of the utmost importance to determine which policy problems should receive priority. It is imperative to mention that decision making is an important part of policy formulation as policy makers have to decide the best policy amongst the alternatives. Not only do policy-makers decide on facts they must also make decisions on values and still remain impartial. Policy formulation would give proposed alternatives to the problem of the elimination of the high crime rate in South Africa and consists of various steps which are listed below. The first step in policy formulation would be discussed, namely, liaison with interested parties for the elimination of the high crime rate in South Africa. 3.1.Liaison with interested parties for the elimination of the high crime rate in South Africa. It is of utmost importance to liaise with key interested and relevant parties in order to â€Å"determine the public perceptions of a specific matter and to find the correct solutions† to these problems (Meiring: 2001:56). Interest groups are beneficial to policy makers because â€Å"they are committed to their cause† and are â€Å"willing to supply information and advice† (Craythorne: 1993:69). Various interested parties are identified by Kuye et al (2002:77) as non-governmental organisations, civilian-based organisations, research institutes, public officials, political parties, media, departmental and interdepartmental committees. The above list is not exhaustive. Meiring further states that the â€Å"factual information and non-quantifiable values can also be tested in such a liaison† (Meiring: 2001:57). The real needs of the citizens must be suitably identified and an acceptable solution agreed upon to eliminate the high crime level in South Africa. Craythorne (1993:69) cautions that interested groups are so zealous about their cause that they will supply information that is beneficial. It is of utmost importance for a compromise and a solution to take place so that the end result of the policy would be to promote the general welfare of all citizens. In June 2006, Business Against Crime signed a memorandum of understanding to establish the Industry Alignment Forum Aggravated Robberies Initiative. Nine parties indicated in principle support for the initiative, which are: Business Against Crime; Cash in Transit Forum; Casinos Association of South Africa; Consumer Goods Council of South Africa; Security Industry Alliance; South African Banking Risk Information Centre; South African Council of Shopping Centres; South African Property Owners Association and the South African Reserve Bank. (http://www.bac.org.za.). Business Against Crime acknowledges that the cooperation of government and its agencies are  critical to the success of this initiative and that they were pleased by the SAPS interest and support (http://www.bac.org.za.). The deduction that can be made is that democracy can be strengthened if everyone works in a coordinated manner to address the challenge of the high crime rate through effective liaisioning. The second step in policy formulation must be discussed, namely, the processing of information for the elimination of the high crime rate in South Africa. 3.2.The processing of information for the elimination of the high crime rate in South Africa. The data is collected from various surveys and once compiled into various reports, the data becomes information. The information is compiled in various reports, agendas and memoranda forwarded to various commissions of enquiry; departmental and interdepartmental committees, selected committees and various caucuses and councils. One of the most important guidelines in drafting a policy is that it must be done in a rational manner. Hanekom et al (2001:27) explains that â€Å"rationality in decision-making, as in policy-making, pertains to the making of reasoned, careful selections from alternatives in order to achieve predetermined ends.† Hanekom et al (2001:27) quote common barriers to rationality, which are mentioned as follows. â€Å"The personal value preference of both politicians and administrators may influence their objectivity in deciding on policy matters† (Hanekom et al: 2001:27) and therefore the decisions become subjective. The â€Å"expenditure already approved for a specific project is not easily reversed† and is known as â€Å"sunken costs† (Hanekom et al: 2001:27) The third barrier to rationality is known as the â€Å"conflicting consequences† whereby â€Å"the anticipated consequence of a policy are often in conflict with the unanticipated consequences of that policy† (Hanekom et al: 2001:27). Lastly, since â€Å"policy-making is aimed at the future and the future is unknown, a certain amount of speculation is involved† and this is known as  the â€Å"expectations of the future† (Hanekom et al: 2001:27). The other guideline in drafting a policy is that a policy must be defendable which relates to accountability. The policy-makers should be accountable to all role players in that they should be able to explain and defend the proposed policy. Meiring, (2001:57) further suggests that policy should conform to the â€Å"will and wishes of the majority of the citizens†. For example, all the data gathered from the survey done in the Johannesburg city centre has been compiled into various reports agendas and memorandum. In order for further clarity and recommendations to take place a series of public hearings are organised and held. These public hearings are held to in â€Å"order to justify policy attention and it forms the focus for further clarification, formulation and restructuring before the importance of acting on it by the policy system is conveyed to the policy-makers†. (Cloete and Wissink: 2000:98)The deduction could be made that the process of information must be defendable and rational and that this process is cyclical in nature and in order for policy to succeed all relevant parties must be consulted. The third step in policy formulation would be discussed, namely, the setting of objectives for the elimination of the high crime rate in South Africa. 3.3.The setting of objectives for the elimination of the high crime rate in South Africa. In this step it becomes possible for policy-makers to identify objectives of the intended policy. The objectives would indicate what the intensions are; how to go about achieving the objectives and by what means the objective would be achieved. In other words, what resources and capital would be needed to achieve the intended policy?Cloete and Wissink (2000:117) explain that â€Å"objectives set forth specific aims†. In other words objectives are â€Å"measurable in quantifiable terms† (Cloete and Wissink: 2000:117). The nature of objectives is normative as it states â€Å"what ought to be achieved by a particular policy and contains elements of forecasting† (Cloete and Wissink: 2000:117). Cloete and Wissink (2000:117-118) elucidate that  objective setting is linked with forecasting â€Å"by a natural progression, and is concerned with a desired future†. It must be noted that policy is a â€Å"dynamic phenomenon† and â€Å"objectives, by themselves, are static† (Kuye et al: 2002:74). This statement implies that â€Å"policy containing broad guidelines of governmental action† must change according to the needs of the citizens, â€Å"whilst objectives remain static in terms of time†. (Kuye et al: 2002:74)Meiring (2001:58) states â€Å"that when an objective has been set and made known in the public sector it is normally said that the policy has been made. It is imperative that clear objectives are set out â€Å"in order that all persons involved will know exactly the target at which activities are aimed† (Meiring: 2001:58). Therefore to reiterate, clear unambiguous objectives need to be set. The objectives within policy-making would indicate what the intensions are; how to go about achieving the objectives and by what means the objective would be achieved in order that all persons involved know what activities are aimed at. For example, the specific objective to eliminate the high crime rate within the city of Johannesburg alone would be to increase the number of visible policing from four to six policemen per city block over a period of one year who would sign a roster at every business within their â€Å"beat†. The Police Service would work in co-ordination with Business Against Crime and the public by having regular meetings to inform and educate. Cameras could be installed at various strategic places within the central business district. Increased street lighting needs to be installed in residential areas. A Zero crime tolerance campaign could be launched that would emphasise the arrest of petty criminals. It could be deduced from this section that the setting and prioritising (which will be discussed within the next step) of objectives is a process called policy making. Clear objectives need to be set and that objective setting is a statement of a desired future. The fourth step in policy formulation would then be discussed, namely, the establishment of priorities for the elimination of the high crime rate in South Africa. 3.4.Determining the priorities for the elimination of the high crime rate in South Africa. No government is in a position to continuously satisfy all the needs of its citizens as there is a limited amount of resources to accomplish all the needs. The most important scarce resource is finance. There is a difference between actual needs and the expected needs. Meiring (2001:58) further states that â€Å"needs are not equal and often difficult to compare or weigh up against each other†. The objectives, as stated before must be clearly defined. Meiring (2001:58) further elaborates that the â€Å"network of objectives should also be ranked in a priority list, whereby it becomes clear which objectives are more important than others. When policy makers rank and prioritise their objectives two questions are asked, â€Å"what should be done and what can be done, to solve or eliminate a problem (Meiring: 2001:58)?Cloete and Wissink (2000:122) state that the more â€Å"complex and comprehensive a policy is in terms of societal needs or demands, the greater the danger of multiple and sometimes conflicting goals and objectives can become†. Therefore Cloete and Wissink (2000:122) suggest different tasks that need to be fulfilled. One suggestion would be â€Å"establish a system of relative values and trade-off’s among the objectives† (Cloete and Wissink: 2000:122). In other words to â€Å"trade-off† one objective for another. The other task would be to â€Å"prioritise the objectives and then to optimise in sequence† (Cloete and Wissink: 2000:122). In practice this means that the selected objectives are not necessarily the best available objectives, but that the policy would satisfy t he larger section of society (Cloete and Wissink: 2000:122). For example to determine the priorities for the elimination of crime the final prioritised list would appear as follows:What should be done VSWhat can be doneEight policemen within one city block.Four policemen within a city block. Installation of cameras on every city block.Installation of cameras in problem areas only. Zero crime tolerance campaign.Only enough manpower to deal with serious crimeIt is extremely difficult to prioritise the objectives as the needs list is endless but the resource list is extremely scarce. The policy-maker needs to determine the actual needs from the expected needs which is very difficult to weigh up against. The fifth step in policy formulation would be discussed, namely, the consideration of alternatives for the elimination of the high crime rate in South Africa. 3.5.The consideration of alternatives for the elimination of the high crime rate in South Africa. Once the real issue is recognised, the next step would be to recognise alternative solutions. Craythorne (1993:63) cautions that it is at this step that a â€Å"particular danger arises, of becoming entangled in a search after an infinite number of solutions in order to find the optimum or best solution†. Craythorne (1993:63) further states that â€Å"firm leadership is required during this phase of policy-making to ensure that only those solutions are identified which are practical, feasible and likely to solve the problem in the most satisfying way and within the means available†. In order to consider which alternative would be the best a list should be drawn up including â€Å"the determining of all available consequences and a comparative evaluation of each consequence†(Meiring: 2001:59). The word consequence has a two fold meaning, effect and side effect. The effect of the policy refers to the policy output. Policy output as per, Fox, Schwella and Wissink (1991:32) â€Å"involves the production of policies in the form of formal legislation, administrative rules and regulations, judicial interpretation† and so forth. The side effect of a policy refers to the impact that that particular policy would have on the environment or on other policies. There are certain criteria that a policy-maker could use that would assist in the choice between alternatives. Considering the page limits on this assignment the most important criteria only are mentioned. The first criteria would be effectiveness which is â€Å"often measured in terms of units of products or services.† (Van Niekerk, Jonker and Van Der Waldt: 2001: 96) The second choice would be efficiency which addresses the costs of services. Adequacy would be the next criteria and usually â€Å"refers to the extent to which any given level of effectiveness satisfies the needs, values or opportunities that give rise to a problem.† (Van Niekerk: Jonker: Van Der Waldt: 2001: 96) It is important that the solutions are identified which are practical, feasible and likely to solve the problem in the most satisfying way and within the means available as resources such as finance and human capital are scarce. The alternatives to the solution should be listed and cognisance should be taken that the policy would have an effect on the legislation, administrative rules and any other effect. The side effects refer to the impacts on other policies and the environment. The criteria that would help a policy-maker are effectiveness, efficiency, and adequacy. Effectiveness refers to â€Å"doing the right things right†; efficiency refers to maximum output with minimum input and adequacy refers the extent that the policy satisfies the needs, values and opportunities of the citizens. Criticism, has been levied as to whether the Community Policing Forums (CPF) are still effective in enhancing public safety and if it still includes the assistance of community in combating crime. In a paper entitled South Africa’s changing community policing policy by the Institute for Security Studies the inception of the CPF in 1996 with the promulgation of the National Crime Prevention Strategy with the â€Å"intention to establish broad partnership with the community to improve police services and reduce crime† (http://www.iss.co.za.) is discusses. The CPF’ were created by legislation and were given the right to exercise public functions in terms of that legislation. Since then various other legislation and interim regulations had the effect of either â€Å"directly avoiding or downgrading the issue of state support for the CPF’s and even specifically outlawing some current practises of the CPF that facilitate support for their activities†.  (http://www.iss.co.za.). The result is two fold. Firstly, policy-makers who were formulating the subsequent legislation never thought what the effect and side effect would have on the CPF. Therefore, to date the CPF is a policy that exists on paper alone which is inadequate, inefficient, and ineffective and fails to respond to the needs of all the citizens. Thus it can be deduced that policy has a direct effect and an indirect effect, the effect of other legislation on CPF negated the positive impact of CPF. Policy needs to be reviewed regularly to ensure relevance and effectiveness. The sixth step in policy formulation would be discussed, namely, the the survey of financial resources for the elimination of the high crime rate in South Africa. 3.6.The survey of financial resources for the eliminate the high crime rate in South Africa. â€Å"Budgeting is more than a set of procedures for controlling the volume of funds flowing to agencies and programs; it is also a means and a source of opportunities for shaping the direction and intensity of public policies and the scope of governmental activities† (Anderson:1984:179). Anderson (1984:182) further states that the budget is also a statement of policy and in reality conflicts over money are conflicts over policy. Public revenue needs to be raised to fund public services and new ways need to be found to increase the traditional sources of income. The four main sources of traditional income as per Van Der Waldt et al. (2002:9) are: income taxation, eg personal income tax; wealth taxation for example capital gains tax; consumption taxation for example value added tax and user charges, for example, consumer tariffs. Budget gives focus to specific issues of policy thus a particular ministry which received above inflation budget increases should render a better service year on year. For example the Minister of Finance granted the Ministry of Safety and Security a 43% increase between budget year 2003/04  and budget year 2006/07. One can deduce that finance supports policy. (The converse is all so true) Emphasis can be shifted from one program to another by shifting financial backing. Policy approval is the third and final step within the policy-making process for the elimination of the high crime rate in South Africa. 4.Policy approval for the eliminate of the high crime rate in South AfricaPolicy approval is the final step in the policy-making process. Once policy makers have formulated a policy the policy is forwarded for consideration and authorisation of a policy. Meiring (2001:59) states that â€Å"policy is found in many forms, as well as various formats because policy making takes place on various levels and various participants play a co-operative role†. Public policy can be examined on four levels which are political, executive, departmental and operational policy. The policy on the elimination of the high crime rate in South Africa would result in a specific policy and will have â€Å"political, executive, departmental and operational aspects†, which must be first determined â€Å".(Meiring: Personal Notes:9) Each aspect â€Å"must be formulated and approved, before a policy can be implemented† â€Å".(Meiring: Personal Notes:9) There would be an higher premium of value placed on the elimination of the high crime rate as it is a political policy. According to Meiring (Personal Notes:10) there is a specific procedure which is usually followed for the approval of policy. 4.1. The procedure for consideration and approval of the elimination of the high crime rate in South Africa Bill. The specific procedure by Meiring (Personal Notes:10) is now recorded for the elimination of the high crime rate in South Africa. A public bill is introduced by the Minister of Safety and Security and is dealt with as follows:†¢Introduction and first reading where notice is given of the intention to submit a Bill on a specific subject on a specific day. On that day the measure is tabled and the short title is read, being The Elimination of the High Crime Rate†¢The second reading commences with the introduction of the policy formulated by the proposed Bill by the Minister of Safety and Security. The subjected is debated and alternative amendments are forwarded until the House accepts the policy. †¢The third phase is the Committee Stage. The Chairman of Committees, the deputy speaker, acts as chairman for the meeting where each section of the Bill is read and debated separately. In the committee stage, the contents of the Bill are thus discussed to ascertain whether the measure will succeed in carrying into effect the policy debated in the second reading. †¢Report stage. After the committee stage the speaker takes over as Chairman and the Chairman of Committees reports on the resolution of the Committee. †¢The third reading that follows seldom initiates further discussion and is executed to review the Bill in its entirety. †¢After approved by the House the Bill is referred to the President for signature. †¢After signature by the State President the Bill is published in the Government Gazette, after which date the Bill is an enforceable Act of Parliament. ConclusionGovernment exists to satisfy the needs of the community. In order to meet the needs and demands of the community, government has to develop policies to meet those needs and demands. Therefore the citizens expect service delivery which is linked to policy and policy implementation. Policy indicates what government intentions are. The policy-making process is a time consuming and complicated because of the structure of government. The policy-making is time and space bound and it takes place within a changing  environment. It is imperative that the citizens are consulted during the policy-making process so that policy is adequate, effective and efficient in addressing the needs of the citizen. Books Anderson, J.E. (1984). 3rd Edition. Public Policymaking: An Introduction. Houghton Mifflin Company. Boston. Botes, P.S.; Brynard, P.A.; Fourie, D.J.; Roux, N.L. (1992). Public Administration and Management: A Guide to Central, Regional and Municipal Administration and Management. Kagiso Publishers. Pretoria. Cloete, F.: Wissink,H.: (2000). Improving Public Policy. Van Schaik Publishers. Pretoria. Cloete, J.J.N.: (1998). 9th Revised Edition. South African Public Administration and Management. JL Van Schaik Publishers. Hatfield, Pretoria. Craythorne, D.L.: (1993): 3rd Edition: Municipal Administration: A Handbook. Juta & Co. Ltd. Kenwyn. Fox, W.: Schwella, H.; Wissink, H. (1991). Public Management. Juta & Company LTD. Kenwyn. Fox, W.: Van Wyk, B.; Fourie, M. (1998). Police Management in South Africa. Juta & Company LTD. Kenwyn. Hanekom, S.X.: (1987). Public Policy: Framework and Instrument for Action. Sigma Press. Pretoria. Hanekom, S.X.: Rowland, R.W.: Bain, E.G. (2001). Revised Edition. Key Aspects of Public Administration. Oxford University Press. Southern Africa, Cape Town. Kuye, J.O. et al. (2002). Critical Perspectives on Public Administration: Issues for Consideration. Heinemann Publishers (PTY)Ltd. SandownMeiring, M.H.: (2001): 2nd Revised Edition: Fundamental Public Administration: A Perspective on Development. School for Public Administration and Management. University of Port Elizabeth. Van Der Waldt, G. et al. (2002): Managing for Results in Governement. Heinemann Publishers PTY (Ltd). Sandown. Other media sourcesMeiring, M.H.: Personal Notes: Unit 2 Policy Making in the Public Sector: Part 1: The Steps in Policy Making. http://www.bac.org.za. (Accessed 12/5/2007)http://www.csvr.org.za. (Accessed 6/5/2007)http://www.iss.co.za. (Accessed 6/5/2007)http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Initiation (Accessed 26/4/2007)

The Silver Linings Playbook Chapter 1

An Infinite Amount of Days Until My Inevitable Reunion with Nikki I don't have to look up to know Mom is making another surprise visit. Her toenails are always pink during the summer months, and I recognize the flower design imprinted on her leather sandals; it's what Mom purchased the last time she signed me out of the bad place and took me to the mall. Once again, Mother has found me in my bathrobe, exercising unattended in the courtyard, and I smile because I know she will yell at Dr. Timbers, asking him why I need to be locked up if I'm only going to be left alone all day. â€Å"Just how many push-ups are you going to do, Pat?† Mom says when I start a second set of one hundred without speaking to her. â€Å"Nikki – likes – a – man – with – a – developed – upper – body,† I say, spitting out one word per push-up, tasting the salty sweat lines that are running into my mouth. The August haze is thick, perfect for burning fat. Mom just watches for a minute or so, and then she shocks me. Her voice sort of quivers as she says, â€Å"Do you want to come home with me today?† I stop doing push-ups, turn my face up toward Mother's, squint through the white noontime sun – and I can immediately tell she is serious, because she looks worried, as if she is making a mistake, and that's how Mom looks when she means something she has said and isn't just talking like she always does for hours on end whenever she's not upset or afraid. â€Å"As long as you promise not to go looking for Nikki again,† she adds, â€Å"you can finally come home and live with me and your father until we find you a job and get you set up in an apartment.† I resume my push-up routine, keeping my eyes riveted to the shiny black ant scaling a blade of grass directly below my nose, but my peripheral vision catches the sweat beads leaping from my face to the ground below. â€Å"Pat, just say you'll come home with me, and I'll cook for you and you can visit with your old friends and start to get on with your life finally. Please. I need you to want this. If only for me, Pat. Please.† Double-time push-ups, my pecs ripping, growing – pain, heat, sweat, change. I don't want to stay in the bad place, where no one believes in silver linings or love or happy endings, and where everyone tells me Nikki will not like my new body, nor will she even want to see me when apart time is over. But I am also afraid the people from my old life will not be as enthusiastic as I am now trying to be. Even still, I need to get away from the depressing doctors and the ugly nurses – with their endless pills in paper cups – if I am ever going to get my thoughts straight, and since Mom will be much easier to trick than medical professionals, I jump up, find my feet, and say, â€Å"I'll come live with you just until apart time is over.† While Mom is signing legal papers, I take one last shower in my room and then fill my duffel bag with clothes and my framed picture of Nikki. I say goodbye to my roommate, Jackie, who just stares at me from his bed like he always does, drool running down off his chin like clear honey. Poor Jackie, with his random tufts of hair, oddly shaped head, and flabby body. What woman would ever love him? He blinks at me. I take this for goodbye and good luck, so I blink back with both eyes – meaning double good luck to you, Jackie, which I figure he understands, since he grunts and bangs his shoulder against his ear like he does whenever he gets what you are trying to tell him. My other friends are in music relaxation class, which I do not attend, because smooth jazz makes me angry sometimes. Thinking maybe I should say goodbye to the men who had my back while I was locked up, I look into the music-room window and see my boys sitting Indian style on purple yoga mats, their elbows resting on their knees, their palms pressed together in front of their faces, and their eyes closed. Luckily, the glass of the window blocks the smooth jazz from entering my ears. My friends look really relaxed – at peace – so I decide not to interrupt their session. I hate goodbyes. In his white coat, Dr. Timbers is waiting for me when I meet my mother in the lobby, where three palm trees lurk among the couches and lounge chairs, as if the bad place were in Orlando and not Baltimore. â€Å"Enjoy your life,† he says to me – wearing that sober look of his – and shakes my hand. â€Å"Just as soon as apart time ends,† I say, and his face falls as if I said I was going to kill his wife, Natalie, and their three blond-haired daughters – Kristen, Jenny, and Becky – because that's just how much he does not believe in silver linings, making it his business to preach apathy and negativity and pessimism unceasingly. But I make sure he understands that he has failed to infect me with his depressing life philosophies – and that I will be looking forward to the end of apart time. I say, â€Å"Picture me rollin'† to Dr. Timbers, which is exactly what Danny – my only black friend in the bad place – told me he was going to say to Dr. Timbers when Danny got out. I sort of feel bad about stealing Danny's exit line, but it works; I know because Dr. Timbers squints as if I had punched him in the gut. As my mother drives me out of Maryland and through Delaware, past all those fast-food places and strip malls, she explains that Dr. Timbers did not want to let me out of the bad place, but with the help of a few lawyers and her girlfriend's therapist – the man who will be my new therapist – she waged a legal battle and managed to convince some judge that she could care for me at home, so I thank her. On the Delaware Memorial Bridge, she looks over at me and asks if I want to get better, saying, â€Å"You do want to get better, Pat. Right?† I nod. I say, â€Å"I do.† And then we are back in New Jersey, flying up 295. As we drive down Haddon Avenue into the heart of Collingswood – my hometown – I see that the main drag looks different. So many new boutique stores, new expensive-looking restaurants, and well-dressed strangers walking the sidewalks that I wonder if this is really my hometown at all. I start to feel anxious, breathing heavily like I sometimes do. Mom asks me what's wrong, and when I tell her, she again promises that my new therapist, Dr. Patel, will have me feeling normal in no time. When we arrive home, I immediately go down into the basement, and it's like Christmas. I find the weight bench my mother had promised me so many times, along with the rack of weights, the stationary bike, dumbbells, and the Stomach Master 6000, which I had seen on late-night television and coveted for however long I was in the bad place. â€Å"Thank you, thank you, thank you!† I tell Mom, and give her a huge hug, picking her up off the ground and spinning her around once. When I put her down, she smiles and says, â€Å"Welcome home, Pat.† Eagerly I go to work, alternating between sets of bench presses, curls, machine sit-ups on the Stomach Master 6000, leg lifts, squats, hours on the bike, hydration sessions (I try to drink four gallons of water every day, doing endless shots of H2O from a shot glass for intensive hydration), and then there is my writing, which is mostly daily memoirs like this one, so that Nikki will be able to read about my life and know exactly what I've been up to since apart time began. (My memory started to slip in the bad place because of the drugs, so I began writing down everything that happens to me, keeping track of what I will need to tell Nikki when apart time concludes, to catch her up on my life. But the doctors in the bad place confiscated everything I wrote before I came home, so I had to start over.) When I finally come out of the basement, I notice that all the pictures of Nikki and me have been removed from the walls and the mantel over the fireplace. I ask my mother where these pictures went. She tells me our house was burglarized a few weeks before I came home and the pictures were stolen. I ask why a burglar would want pictures of Nikki and me, and my mother says she puts all of her pictures in very expensive frames. â€Å"Why didn't the burglar steal the rest of the family pictures?† I ask. Mom says the burglar stole all the expensive frames, but she had the negatives for the family portraits and had them replaced. â€Å"Why didn't you replace the pictures of Nikki and me?† I ask. Mom says she did not have the negatives for the pictures of Nikki and me, especially because Nikki's parents had paid for the wedding pictures and had only given my mother copies of the photos she liked. Nikki had given Mom the other non-wedding pictures of us, and well, we aren't in touch with Nikki or her family right now because it's apart time. I tell my mother that if that burglar comes back, I'll break his kneecaps and beat him within an inch of his life, and she says, â€Å"I believe you would.† My father and I do not talk even once during the first week I am home, which is not all that surprising, as he is always working – he's the district manager for all the Big Foods in South Jersey. When Dad's not at work, he's in his study, reading historical fiction with the door shut, mostly novels about the Civil War. Mom says he needs time to get used to my living at home again, which I am happy to give him, especially since I am sort of afraid to talk with Dad anyway. I remember him yelling at me the only time he ever visited me in the bad place, and he said some pretty awful things about Nikki and silver linings in general. I see Dad in the hallways of our house, of course, but he doesn't look at me when we pass. Nikki likes to read, and since she always wanted me to read literary books, I start, mainly so I will be able to participate in the dinner conversations I had remained silent through in the past – those conversations with Nikki's literary friends, all English teachers who think I'm an illiterate buffoon, which is actually a name Nikki's friend calls me whenever I tease him about being such a tiny man. â€Å"At least I'm not an illiterate buffoon,† Phillip says to me, and Nikki laughs so hard. My mom has a library card, and she checks out books for me now that I am home and allowed to read whatever I want without clearing the material with Dr. Timbers, who, incidentally, is a fascist when it comes to book banning. I start with The Great Gatsby, which I finish in just three nights. The best part is the introductory essay, which states that the novel is mostly about time and how you can never buy it back, which is exactly how I feel regarding my body and exercise – but then again, I also feel as if I have an infinite amount of days until my inevitable reunion with Nikki. When I read the actual story – how Gatsby loves Daisy so much but can't ever be with her no matter how hard he tries – I feel like ripping the book in half and calling up Fitzgerald and telling him his book is all wrong, even though I know Fitzgerald is probably deceased. Especially when Gatsby is shot dead in his swimming pool the first time he goes for a swim all summer, Daisy doesn't even go to his funeral, Nick and Jordan part ways, and Daisy ends up sticking with racist Tom, whose need for sex basically murders an innocent woman, you can tell Fitzgerald never took the time to look up at clouds during sunset, because there's no silver lining at the end of that book, let me tell you. I do see why Nikki likes the novel, as it's written so well. But her liking it makes me worry now that Nikki doesn't really believe in silver linings, because she says The Great Gatsby is the greatest novel ever written by an American, and yet it ends so sadly. One thing's for sure, Nikki is going to be very proud of me when I tell her I finally read her favorite book. Here's another surprise: I'm going to read all the novels on her American literature class syllabus, just to make her proud, to let her know that I am really interested in what she loves and I am making a real effort to salvage our marriage, especially since I will now be able to converse with her swanky literary friends, saying things like, â€Å"I'm thirty. I'm five years too old to lie to myself and call it honor,† which Nick says toward the end of Fitzgerald's famous novel, but the line works for me too, because I am also thirty, so when I say it, I will sound really smart. We will probably be chatting over dinner, and the reference will make Nikki smile and laugh because she will be so surprised that I have actually read The Great Gatsby. That's part of my plan, anyway, to deliver that line real suave, when she least expects me to â€Å"drop knowledge† – to use another one of my black friend Danny's lines. God, I can't wait.