The Stranger Essays (295 words) - Emotions, Absurdist Fiction

The Stranger Beatrice Guapo Period 4 May 1, 2000 What is love to Muersault My father once said, If you cannot love, then you cannot live. In the novel The Stranger by Albert Camus, Muersault, the main character would not be able to comprehend this statement, let alone agree. Love seems to have no importance to character Muersault. In the beginning of the novel Muersault mother passes away. Sunday was over, that Maman was buried now, that I was going back to work, really, nothing had changed. This is Muersault's thoughts two days after his mother's death. Usually when a person mother dies there is a long healing process that can last a life time, but in Muersault's case he shows no signs of loss or pain. He gives the impression that he did not love his mother, and feeling this way is okay. Muersault is involved with a young woman named Marie. One day Marie asks Muersault if he loves her, he tells her It didn't mean anything but that I didn't think so. When two people are involved, there is a mutual compassion and concern for each other's feeling. If one were to ask if the other loved them, and they did not, they would find a delicate and considerate manner to tell them how they felt. Muersault answer gives the impression that he had not given his and Marie's relationship any thought before that moment, love wasn't a meaningful enough issue to subject it to any thought. To Muersault the issue love does not deserve contemplation. His mother death and significant other love request were dealt with as though they were an everyday event. How can a person really know how to enjoy the virtues of life if they cannot see the importance of love. English Essays

Where to Place the Possessive Apostrophe in a Surname

Where to Place the Possessive Apostrophe in a Surname Where to Place the Possessive Apostrophe in a Surname Where to Place the Possessive Apostrophe in a Surname By Mark Nichol You see them all the time during rural drives and suburban errands alike, those olde-fashioned wooden shingles mounted on mailboxes or dangling from porches or fastened to walls: â€Å"The Smith’s† and the like- stark reminders that possessives still throw many people for a loop. Rules about possessives can be complicated, but this error is straightforward enough: Take away the apostrophe and the final s, and what do you have? â€Å"The Smith.† That’s obviously not right (unless the resident ostentatiously refers to himself as â€Å"The Smith† or employs hammer, tongs, and anvil to practice her livelihood). Who lives at this house? The Munsters. Whose residence is it, then? â€Å"The Munsters’† - or perhaps â€Å"The Munsters’ house.† (The additional s is pervasive in books and many other media, while its absence is typical in journalism in the old days of mechanical typesetting, that meant one less piece of type to position and other more casual or ephemeral kinds of publications. In the organic medium of wood, the simpler style can easily be forgiven.) And what if the surname already ends with an s? The rule is to append es to the name, so, the plural of Addams is Addamses. The sign should therefore read â€Å"The Addamses,† or â€Å"The Addamses’ house.† This construction is admittedly cumbersome, and there is a way to avoid it without giving a passing copy editor a case of the shingles: Label your abode â€Å"The Addams house† or inform visitors and passersby that â€Å"The Addams family lives here.† This wording is not as folksy, but it still manages a homey touch without adding sibilant syllables or pesky apostrophes. Admittedly, this ubiquitous error is as much the fault of the sign maker as it is that of the person who commissions the sign, but because it’s difficult to make amends by amending an error engraved in wood, you might want to remember, when you approach the artist’s workbench, the rule for the proper position for the possessive apostrophe. (And email the scribe a link to this post.) Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Style category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Apply to, Apply for, and Apply withBody Parts as Tools of MeasurementA Yes-and-No Answer About Hyphenating Phrases

The Difference Between a Commonwealth and a State

The Difference Between a Commonwealth and a State Have you ever wondered why some states have the word commonwealth in their name? Some people believe there is a distinction between states and states that are also commonwealths but this is a misconception. When used in reference to one of the fifty states there is no difference between a commonwealth and a state. There are four states which are officially known as commonwealths: Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Virginia, and Massachusetts. The word appears in their full state name and in documents like the state constitution. Some places, like Puerto Rico, are also referred to as a Commonwealth, where the term means a location that is voluntarily united with the U.S. Why Are Some States Commonwealths? To Locke, Hobbes, and other 17th-century writers, the term commonwealth meant an organized political community, what we today call a state. Officially Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Virginia, and Massachusetts are all commonwealths. This means that their full state names are actually The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and so on. When Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Virginia, and Massachusetts became part of the United States, they merely took the old form of state in their title. Each of these states was also a former British Colony. After the Revolutionary War, having Commonwealth in the state name was a sign that the former colony was now ruled by a collection of its citizens. Vermont and Delaware both use the term commonwealth and state interchangeably in their constitutions. The Commonwealth of Virginia will also sometimes use the term State in an official capacity. This is why there is both a Virginia State University and a Virginia Commonwealth University. Much of the confusion surrounding the term commonwealth probably comes from the fact that a commonwealth has a different meaning when its not applied to a state. Today, Commonwealth also means a political unit having local autonomy but voluntarily united with the United States. While the US has many territories there are only two commonwealths;  Puerto Rico and the Northern Mariana Islands, a group of 22 islands in the Western Pacific ocean. Americans who travel between the continental U.S. and its commonwealths do not need a passport. However, if you have a layover that stops in any other nation, you will be asked for a passport even if you do not leave the airport. Differences Between Puerto Rico and the States While residents of Puerto Rico are  American citizens they have no voting representatives in Congress or the Senate. They are also not allowed to vote in the Presidential elections. While Puerto Ricans do not have to pay income tax they do pay many other taxes. Which means that, like the residents of Washington D.C., many Puerto Ricans feel they suffer from taxation without representation because while they do send representatives to both Houses, their reps cannot vote. Puerto Rico is also not eligible for federal budget money allocated to the States. There is much debate around whether  Puerto Rico should become a state or not.

The importance of Coaching within Raising Employee Perfomance Research Paper

The importance of Coaching within Raising Employee Perfomance - Research Paper Example When there individuals within an organization that need to enhance their skills for better operations, coaching thus is done on them to improve their delivery potential as well as make those individuals more productive to the organization (Charness, 2014,pg.87). Coaching therefore will target areas such as skills that need to be developed or strengthened; the lapses that exist in work; behavior and performance output of individuals. When these weak areas are recognized within an organization, the employees are taken through coaching by the managers or supervisors depending on the organizations policy (Charness, 2014, pg.35). A case study that reveals the benefits of coaching can be drawn from the UK rail industry where up to 13 coaches were tasked with the responsibility of increasing the skills of customer service for about 350 people in their organization (customer hosts). As a tool to improve employees output, coaching has had other numerous benefits to UK rail industry including: nurturing and improving an individual’s talent; setting expectations about the employee and making the organization managers accountable; engaging leaders in organization activities; professional satisfaction; boost of employee morale; and overall improvement of the organizational goals. This report therefore aims to discuss coaching explaining its purposes; benefits; and challenges. Additionally, the report will give a brief conclusion on the topic of study. Coaching can be defined as process that enables an individual to learn and develop skills from a direction and advice provided by a seasoned expert or professional (Crane, & Patrick, 2014, pg.89). Additionally, coaching can be understood as a process that involves directing, training as well as instructing an individual or a group of persons to develop certain skills necessary to achieve some goal. Directions can be given through motivational talks while trainings offered through seminars and

Is global climate change man-made Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Is global climate change man-made - Essay Example This leads to the growing debate of today, is global warming man-made? Or is it just a cycle that the Earth goes through? Greenhouse gases affect the Earth’s climate by increasing the greenhouse effect, which is a natural phenomenon whereby water vapor, CO2, and other gases in the atmosphere allow sunlight to pass through, but then absorb much of the heat from the earth that otherwise would have escaped to outer space. Without the natural greenhouse effect, the mean temperature would be about minus 18Â °C, and the Earth would be uninhabitable Emitting greenhouse gases in large amounts increases the concentration of these gases in the atmosphere, which then increases the greenhouse effect so that more heat is trapped by the atmosphere. This can increase the temperature of the atmosphere and change the climate on Earth. Probably the most harmful contaminant that people are responsible for releasing into the atmosphere is carbon dioxide. The energy sector has been cited as being responsible for three fourths of the carbon dioxide emissions, one fifth of the methane emissions and a good portion of the nitrous oxide released into the earth’s atmosphere. Most of this comes from the burning of fossil fuels, although deforestation, land clearing, and other agricultural practices have all led to rises in pollution levels. Without some sort of agreement between countries, this could become the factor that tips the scales toward mankind as being the biggest cause of climate change. Many of the statements that are for climate change being a natural event are true. Global climate change is natural, but it is due to men selfishness, and the fact that we are so inconsiderate, that it is taking place at such an alarmingly rapid

The definition of leadership and mentoring

The definition of leadership and mentoring Leadership and mentoring can be two different terms that are either related or unrelated. You can be a protà ©gà © and not be a leader at that time. You can be a mentor and be in an administrative position. You can be a leader and never mentor but that would be a shame. A quality of both a mentor and a leader is advising or training the next generation of librarians or retraining veteran librarians. Mentoring is a growth experience on both sides. What does leadership and mentoring mean? According to The American Heritage Dictionary, leadership is defined as the position or office of a leader or the capacity to lead. Mentoring means a wise and trusted counselor and teacher. Remember that librarians mentor a patron how to use online catalog or electronic database. We may not have the title of a teacher, but our profession is teaching. I believe leadership goes with mentoring. A mentor helps you to become a better leader at any stage in leadership. Leaders become mentors; and you can be mentored and be mentoring another person at the exact same time. You may not even be aware that you are mentoring. Until it was pointed out to me, I did not realize that I was mentoring another staff member. When she left her position, she told me how grateful she was that I encouraged her to get a Library Technical Assistant certificate and go on the finish her Bachelors Degree. She is now applying to graduate schools in Library Science. Does the dictionarys definition leave out some elements when defining leadership? Leadership means being able to lead, wanting to lead and teaching others to lead. A leader needs to have some key characteristics to be able to be an effective leader: the ability to write agendas, run meetings, set goals and objectives, create business plans and motivate followers and other leaders. Other qualities/skills that a leader needs are being able to manage people and processes: to be able to lend a hand when needed, knowing when an extra hand is needed, knowing when to push people harder, knowing when to slow people down. Are you lacking some of these? Do you really know that you do or do not have these qualities? How do you get these characteristics or skills to become a mentor or a better leader? Where do you find opportunities to be leader and to be a mentor? The primary opportunity that everyone thinks of first for mentoring and leadership skills is the workplace. However, there are many other settings, such as an adult civic organization, a youth/child civic organization, society/religious organization, and professional organizations, where leadership and mentoring opportunities exist. Where do you find these? Use the Internet, phonebook, town hall, a librarys bulletin board, a grocerys bulletin board, college newsletters and bulletin boards or just ask people in your community what organizations exist. Mentoring and leadership can happen in your daily personal life, work life and in your community. You can also be a leader and follower in the same situation. There are many organizations out there in the international community. The one that I know well is the United States Jaycees (part of the Junior Chamber International). My experience is with the Greater Hartford (Connecticut) Jaycees. We are the largest chapter in the United States as of February 2004. In my first years of being a Jaycee, I realized that I was a leader. I had the drive or ambition to lead. I learned through the Jaycees to be more organized, to plan events (timelines are good things), to develop relationship among members, and how to better relate to the office staff. I learned some amazing skills: how to publish a newsletter, to run computer software, to hammer a nail into a set for a Haunted House, to help build a house for Habitat for Humanity. I learned you need laughter in your daily life and time management skills. I learned about international food and cultures and how to write a chairmans planning guide (basically a business plan that the Jaycees use to run an event/project). In the Jaycees, there are State, National, and International Conferences. This has been a great opportunity for me to pick up or refine leadership skills, even learning Roberts Rules of Order, as well as to travel a bit. Remember, learning to be a leader or part of mentorship program can be done in a fun atmosphere. I have learned wonderful leadership skills while having fun and helping out the community. The Greater Hartford Jaycee website is http://www.greaterhartfordjaycees.org/ and the United States Jaycees website is http://www.usjaycees.org/. Opportunities for Leadership Skills Academic and Professional Committees Charitable Organizations (i.e. March of Dimes, American Diabetes Assoc.) Junior Chamber of Commerce Kiwanis Club Library Boards Lions Club (your Jaycees years of services carry over) Political Committees Rotary Club Sorority or Fraternal Organizations Opportunities for Mentoring Get involved with a professional organization that is in your specialty of library science, or in an area of library science that you want to work in the future. Some work-related organizations include American Library Association, Special Library Association, Association for College and Research Libraries and State Library Association. My experience again: I am on the CT Library Associations Committee Reference and Adult Services. These associations are places where you can find both leadership positions and someone to mentor you. CT Library Association has a wonderful mentoring program that I went through a couple years ago. American Association of Health Science Libraries The American Association of Health Science Libraries (AAHSL), in conjunction with the National Library of Medicine (NLM), has started a leadership program for its members. The program includes travel money to spend two weeks with a mentor, attend continuing education classes and more. AAHSL is in its second year of the program. The program is set up so that the emerging leaders learn the following: Introduce emerging academic health sciences library leaders to leadership theory and practical tools for implementing change at organizational and professional levels. Develop meaningful professional relationships between fellows and mentors that give fellows access to career guidance and support. Expose fellows to another academic health sciences library under the guidance of their mentors. Examine career development and provide models of directors to potential future academic health sciences library directors. Create a cohort of learners who will draw upon each other for support throughout their careers. Offer recognition to emerging leaders. The NLM/AAHSL Leadership Fellows Program comprises six components over a one-year time frame: a one-day opening Orientation Session, an ongoing Mentoring relationship, a half-day Leadership Institute, a two-week Library Site Visit, three short, self-paced Web-based Courses on selected leadership topics, and a two- to three-day Capstone Event. For more information about the NLM/AAHSL program, schedule and application go to http://www.arl. org/olms/fellows/. American Association of Law Libraries (AALL) The Mentoring and Retention committee plans and implements programs designed to provide a network through which the newer members of AALL, and members contemplating job changes or desiring career guidance, can establish personal contact with experienced law librarians who can serve as resources for information and advise on the profession and the Association. In addition, this committee plans, promotes, and presents the Annual Conference of Newer Law Librarians (CONELL). For a roster and other information about AALL go to http://www.aallnet.org/committee/menret_com.asp. Connecticut Library Association The Connecticut Library Association has a mentoring and protà ©gà © program. The CLA website for mentoring program is http://cla.uconn.edu/new/mentor1r.doc. The website explains why the mentoring program was started. It also defines the difference between protà ©gà © and a mentor. A protà ©gà © should expect: 1. a role model. 2. to learn how the library field functions. 3. to make contacts with other individuals in the profession. 4. help in defining career objectives. 5. specialized information and help. 6. the chance to learn from the mentors experience. 7. a way to gather information about other areas of librarianship. 8. more confidence and problem-solving skills. The mentor can expect: 1. new opportunities for challenge. 2. career enrichment. 3. enhanced self-esteem and reputation. 4. opportunities to share knowledge and expertise. 5. a revitalized interest in work. 6. professional satisfaction. The CLA website also list information about CLA committees, scholarships and calendar of programs. You can join a committee, such as Childrens, Reference and Adult Services, Support Staff, and College and University. A member can also assist with the annual conference. This is a wonderful way to ease into leadership roles. Check out your local and state library associations. CLA website is http://cla. uconn.edu. American Library Association On the ALA website, you can find the Spectrum Initiative section for a mentoring and networks. This is the formal training program. The website is http://www.ala.org/ala/diversity/spectrum/spectruminitiative. htm and then click on Mentoring and Networks under Diversity. Currently, the mentoring portion of the website is not available. Special Libraries Association If you are a member of SLA, there is a mentoring program for you. There are many state chapters that have mentoring programs. You can explore SLA website at http://www.sla.org. Association of College and Research Libraries The University of Georgia gives articles, websites, library organizations and associations, forum recommendations, and mentoring programs at specific libraries. I found out that Special Libraries Association has a mentoring program for librarians in the areas of physic, mathematics and astronomy. Take a look at http://www.libs.uga.edu/mentor/resources.html. Academic Libraries Academic Libraries has a bibliography of mentoring articles and websites at http://www.nsula. edu/watson_library/acrl/bonnetteAcademicBib.htm. There are many leadership and mentoring opportunities in our communities. Look within your library setting/organization. Explore your options in library associations, civic organizations, charitable organizations and community library boards. Use what is available to you to gain the necessary skills.

Police Personality Essay

The issue regarding the phrase â€Å"police personality† has acquired great debate. Arguably this has been primarily over the problem of definition and development. What is a police personality? How does it form? Is it a pre-existing condition, thus predisposing certain individuals to police work, or whether it is just a product of occupational socialization (on the job experiences). Perhaps the issue is not as simply dichotomous as that; conceivably it is an amalgam of both predispositions and experiences that shapes this intangible personality. Does this personality make them any different from the general population which they vowed to â€Å"serve and protect†? How do these attitudes and affect not only himself and the department he belongs to but also the police-community relation in general? These are some questions relating to the issue of police personality that will be answered along the way. To start with, how do we define â€Å"police personality†? There are a few who made several models or theories about this idea. According to G.A. Kelly (1955), personality is our abstraction of the activity of a person and our ensuing simplification of this abstraction to all matters of his relationship to other persons, known and unknown, as well as to anything else that may seem particularly valuable. His theory is based on the vantage point of personality as a personal construct model. G. Alport (1937), another theorist describes this as a three-pronged task for a certain individual: (1) self-objectification, (2) extension of self, (3) unifying philosophies of life. According to him, it can be further understood as a mixture of major and minor â€Å"traits† by which a single life is known and that a personality â€Å"trait† is a biological, psychological and social mixture that disposes a person toward specific kinds of action under specific circumstances. (Monte, 1999). With respect to the development of the police personality, Allport can be said to be adhering to the predisposition model-that a certain type of person becomes a police officer as opposed to the notion that job experiences shape the personality construct. A third psychologist, H. Kohut (1977) describes that normal development was a process of interaction between the growing infant and his mirroring and idealizing self-objects. This assumption tends to support the view that police personality is a mixture of the predisposition model and the experience model. But regardless of the process by which this certain personality has developed from, what are these traits that make up a police personality?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The characteristics usually associated with police personalities in present times are machismo, bravery, authoritarianism, cynicism and aggression. Additional characteristics have been associated with police personalities as well: suspicious, solidaristic, conservative, alienated and thoroughly bigoted (Balch, Skolnick 1977). In movies like â€Å"Lethal Weapon† which stars Mel Gibson, we see an image of a cop that is not only brave and proficient—but a super cop, who can handle almost anything that goes in his way. The movie â€Å"Training Day† by acclaimed actor Denzel Washington also depicts a vicious, sadistic cop. Gone are the days when people picture cops as men in uniform, walking around the neighborhood helping children to get their pet cat down from a tree (a Boy Scout persona). Modern pop culture and the media have greatly helped the public’s perception of today’s policemen.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Little is known about how these men undergo series of screenings in order to be accepted though. Before being hired, aspiring policemen go through several personality tests that determine whether they are capable enough to handle the job. Only men who display particular personality profiles (e.g. bravery, honesty, punctuality) are accepted to the force. But these screening, even with the help of psychologists, does not give us a clear picture of what police personality is all about. In contrast, it tells us what the police persona is NOT. There certain traits that make entry-level policemen unfit for the job. Examples are tardiness, excessive absences, alcoholism, and lack of assertiveness among many others.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   From the successful ones however we can gather some commonalities in their traits that may help us define police personality. People who enter the force turn out to be psychologically healthy and competent young men who display common personality features. They are generally assertive and restless, with a high degree of physical energy. One trait that stands out from this however, is cynicism. Some professionals view cynicism as counterproductive and in due course, harmful not only to the individual but to the department as well. It said to that for the most part, it is a precursor to corruption, brutality, and misconduct for men in uniform. However, some also believe that, in recent years, findings show that cynicism is to be considered a police survival tool (Caplan, 2003).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The police personality based on Skolnick’s (1977) idea of the â€Å"working personality† is composed of three main elements: danger, authority, and efficiency. The dangerous nature of being a police officer not only draws officers closer together but also makes them alienated from the general population. The sense of authority by police officers, experienced by interacting with the public, further makes them feel isolated. So is the notion of efficiency in which the use deception as a means of getting the job done. Some experts believe though, that the idea of alienation is not intrinsic to police officers, it rather lies in the community’s perceptions of the policemen. It is important that the community and the force work hand in hand in trying to rid the locale of criminality. In countries that are just developing, criminal cases are usually very high. Thus, the police force must be able to transform their image as a widely feared and despised organization to a friendly and service-driven institution that works in close partnership with the community. This is especially hard when the image of a certain department for example is a corrupt and brutal one. People tend to generalize that idea, and view the force being corrupt and all as a whole.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Examining the psychological and sociological paradigms on police personality we get a clearer view of what makes the police men different from the rest of the population. The psychological paradigm posits that people with certain personalities are drawn to join the force (predisposition model). On the other hand, the sociological model suggests that these traits are developed along the way (based from the day to day experiences of police officers). Police personality, as a distinct entity, does exist. It exists as a result of the convergence of a specific baseline set of desirable personalities and work-related socialization. It is also a utility of, and is strongly characterized by, a police culture, shaped by the needs of officers to uphold personal safety and augment their professional potentials. (Twersky-Glasner, 2005). References    Allport, G. (1937). Personality: A Psychological Interpretation. New York: Henry Holt. Balch, R., (1977). The police personality: Fact or fiction. In D.B. Kennedy (Ed.). The   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Dysfunctional Alliance: Emotion and reason in justice administration.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   (pp. 10-25). Cincinnati, OH. Anderson Publishing Company. Caplan, Joel. (2003). Police Cynicism: Police Survival Tool?. The Police Journal Vol. 76.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Rutgers University. Skolnick, J., (1966). Justice without trial. New York: John Wiley and Sons, Inc. Twersky-Glasner, A. (2005). Police Personality: What Is It and Why Are They Like     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   That? Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology, 2005, Volume 20, Number 1.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   New York.