Have you seen your mother baby standing in the shadow

Have you seen your mother baby standing in the shadow and have you seen Underworld? My friends in Harrisburg and I have a long history of watching awful horror movies (think The Evil Dead trilogy, except with less irony, lower production values, and no Bruce Campbell). Since my last selection, Monsturd, didnt go over so well with the group over winter break, I knew that I had to pick a winner this time or face expulsion from The Midnight Society or whatever. So, with Allisons new [Video Retailer] Movie Pass in hand, I vacillated between Friday the 13th Part 9: Jason Goes to Hell and Drainiac for about 5 minutes before finally stumbling upon the new, extended DVD release of Underworld. Although the budget was a bit higher than our usual fare, I knew it would be a winner, since I had already seen it while rushing one of MITs 28 fraternities in the fall of my freshman yearwhile I had no intention of ever joining the fraternity, I, like most freshmen, quickly realized that frat rush is a great time after orientation to meet some interesting gentlemen, indulge in decaden t buffet dinners prepared by real chefs, and, of course, score free tickets to movies that people shouldnt really be paying to see. After a quick coming attractions replay of the pivotal scene of Vampires vs. Zombies, featuring some random nonvampire guy pulling a stake out of his own heart, we all sat down with a bag of cheddar cheese cubes and prepared for the feature presentation. Alright, so Kate Beckinsale is a vampire, which you can tell because all vampires always wear black leather (see above). The vampires, who live on quaint country manors and speak with British accents, are at war with the werewolves (aka lycans, which is pronounced the same as lichens, so thats what Ill call them) who live in the sewers and speak with American accents. However, its kind of an even match because the vampires have developed magic bullets that are loaded with silver nitrate (portrayed here as a viscous silver solution; yeah, right), while the lichens have developed similar bullets loaded with, uh concentrated sunshine or something. What does that mean, exactly? Charged solar cells? Distilled positive thinking? Fluorophores? No, they wouldnt be that clever. Anyway, the point is that the bullets are supposed to be instantly fatal and they fire them at each other from semi-automatics, but every shot from both sides misses because this movie is actually The Matrix. Now, let me know if I snow anybody hereit turns out that the vampires and the lichens evolved from the same genetic ancestor and now the lichens want to breed a hybrid vampire/lichen, and thats bad, but actually its good because Kate Beckinsale falls in love with the only guy in the world whose cells can accept both vampire and lichen antibodies, but actually its kind of bad because at the same time Kates evil ex-boyfriend (there are both good vampires and bad vampires) is trying to stage a coup of the vampire empire, which may actually be evil and misguided itself, but all of that is irrelevant because halfway through the movie Kate decides to get serious, slits her wrists, and uses the blood to summon Super Vampire Lord BILL NIGHY who, as Allison pointed out, is better known as aging rock star Billy Mack from Love, Actually and, really, when somebody points something like that out, the film is pretty much already over for me. Bill actually turns out not to be a benevolent leader as Kate had hoped, but rather a ruthless lichenphobic despot who only grows more invincible the more time he spends on Earth, but I didnt really catch all that because every time he came onscreen I would imagine him singing, I feel it in my fingers, I feel it in my toes and then Hugh Grant would suddently appear to me, looking dashing as always, and start beating up the vampires with his umbrella or something, and there would be a kid in an octopus costume too, and half the movie would be subtitled in broken Italian. Despite Bill slicing through lichens with a seven-foot sword, chaining his own pregnant daughter to a sunlit post, and coughing up a hairball at Kate, the only thing I really took away from Underworld was that Christmas is all around me, and now the feeling grows. Thanks a lot, Allison! Happy Xmas to you too! Love a ctually is all around us. And then the best part is: sequel. Featuring more Bill Nighy! Oh yeah! Before I forget, happy birthday to Roger Ebert, Paul McCartney, and Mike Church. Beyond renting terrible movies, what is there to do in suburban Harrisburg, Pennsylvania? Well, not too much, although it is one of the 5 least stressful metropolitan areas, ranking even above the OC. Unlike The OC, however, I dont think people would want to watch a teenage soap opera about Harrisburgers, even if we could get the nations hottest emo bands on the soundtrack. Last night, Shawna and I went to the only Starbucks in a 10 mile radius (formerly the greatest sledding hill in a 10 mile radius, thank Vartan) before realizing that neither of us really likes coffee and a lot of the people who hang out at our Starbucks are stupid and pretentious. Luckily, they had a party game there called Whoonu, by the makers of Cranium. Now, normally I would be opposed to handing out free advertising in my blog, but this game really rocked and I think you should buy it. Actually, I have no idea how to play it since its for 3-6 players. But we made up our own game: each player would, in turn, hold up two cards, and then the other person would have to guess which card they liked better. Sometimes the choice was easy: Saturday morning cartoons vs. saliva. Sometimes, it was incredibly difficult: seaweed vs. kittens. God, I hate kittens. Buzzed by iced lattes, we exhausted the deck of 300 cards in about half an hour. Luckily, we had divided them into equal piles of go od and bad, so we were able to continue playing our game using only the bad pile. So, continuing at this pace, how long did it take us to determine the single worst thing in the world? I leave this as an exercise for the reader. I can, however, tell you what we agreed on as the worst thing in all recorded history: marching band. Maybe my opinion would have changed had I joined the MIT marching band, with its coveted SPAM scholarship (!) and legendary marching band on ice performance. Hey, Ive still got two years. One more thing, now. Still relative fresh from my 120-mile expedition through the New England countryside, I gladly agreed to take a bike ride with Ben though the Pennsylvania suburbs on Wednesday. One difference between New England countryside and Pennsylvania suburbs is that one of them has shade and the other one has cars. However, we still managed to make it to Shanas house (after a 3-mile detour through Wildwood lake) and back before dinnertime, only to discover that she was still caught up in her job at the (totally radical) Midtown Scholar bookstore. Anyway, the visit resulted in Shana giving us a call the next day, which resulted in an expedition into the woods to Bens dads house, which has lots of cool toyslike, say, a sledgehammer: If you give a mouse a cookie, now anyway, we sat at Bens for hours, watching fireflies, fearing garbage-eating bears, discussing French culture, and wondering who would win in a fight between Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris. What do you think? As Bruce Lee was apparently quite spiritual, Shana used Zen koans to support her case, like the one about the monk eating the blissfully sweet strawberry while suspended on a vine between two ravenous tigers, while Allison cited that one episode of Walker: Texas Ranger where the bad guys shoot out the tires of Walkers jeep and then break his radio so in order to save the towns water supply or something, he has to tame a wild stallion, which he does just by looking at it. While Shana may have been a little more compelling from a debate point of view, I have to say that Ive been a fan of Chuck Norris since his brief but brillant appearance in Dodgeball, which I am proud to admit that I paid to see four times. So Bruce or Chuck? Well, thats Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, or half of it, anyway. Stay tuned for the story of the next two days when I get back to sweet, sweet Boston on Monday. And someday, you will hear of this 120-mile bike trip. I just need some time to do it justice. And a happy phi day to all, and to all a good night.

European Crisis in the 1970s and 1980s - 2168 Words

European Crisis in the 1970s and 1980s During the 1950s and 1960s, Europe experienced a period of prosperity. Harold Macmillan gives a sense of just how well these times really were when he says, â€Å"Let us be frank about it: most of our people have never had it so good,† (Judt, 324). As political parties moved more towards a common center, rather than towards extremism, a rebirth of democracy was created, underlined by growth and full employment. The support for social democratic ideas flourished along with the prosperity of the 1950s and the 1960s in Western Europe. This time was characterized by conservative individualism and economic growth through regulated capitalism (Mazower, 327). With the help of the Marshall Plan, a global†¦show more content†¦As non-European companies raised the standard of competition, the prices likewise fell and the market for many European products collapsed. This directly affected the employment rate throughout Europe in many of the industries, as many jobs were no lon ger needed. As this need declined, labor began to demand the retention of jobs, wages, and benefits, making labor more costly (Drouin,12). The unemployment rate in Europe went from 4-5% in the 1950-60s to 10-12% during the 1970-80s (Dr. Shearer - lecture). For example, after World War II the mining workforce in the UK fell from 718,000 to 43,000, with the majority of the jobs lost during 1975-85 (Judt, 459). The steel industry also suffered. As non-European countries entered the market, the European steel industry collapsed. For example, British steelworkers lost 166,000 jobs between 1974-1986 (Judt, 459). As unemployment increased throughout Western Europe, there was a movement towards the service sector. Unemployment rates had a direct effect on politics in Western Europe. As industrial labor decreased while a movement towards the service industry increased, service-sector unions grew in size. During the 1970s and 1980s, political activism became more revolved around â€Å"identi ty† rather than class, allowing new groups to makeShow MoreRelatedGreek Economy and the Eurozone821 Words   |  3 PagesIn 1999, ten European nations joined together to create an economic and monetary union known as the Eurozone. Countries, such as Germany, have thrived with the euro but nations, like Greece, have deteriorated since its adoption of the euro in 2001. The Eurozone was created in 1999 and currently consists of eighteen European nations united under the European Central Bank and all use the euro. The Eurozone has a one point six percent inflation rate and an eleven point six percent unemployment rateRead MoreCold War And Its Effect On The End Of War1139 Words   |  5 Pagesthe USA and the USSR. 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The American Automotive Industry had to adjust to the new emissions standards from the Clean Air Act of 1970, and the fuel economy requirements of the Energy Policy and Conservation Act, all while building cars that attracted to American consumers. These new requirements caused many Americans to lose their curb appeal for larger, higher output vehicles. The Japanese and European imports were lighter and more fuelRead MoreWho Should Determine Refugee Policy870 Words   |  4 Pagesand diplomacy. After the mid 1970s, a prominent American immigration policy issue facing the problem of refugees, especially after the end of the Vietnam War, a large number of refugees in Southeast Asia needed resettlement. The United States had a serious problem, While refugees had limits and related provisions in the 1965 immigration law, but cannot meet the needs of the situation. Therefore, after the United States adopted a series of emergency measures, in 1980, Congress passed the RefugeeRead MoreColombia Essay.1417 Words   |  6 Pagesairport, and Cartagena (829,476), a seaport and oil pipeline terminal. The Colombian population has a diverse racial makeup. About 58 percent of the people are mestizo (of mixed European and Native American ancestry), about 20 percent are of unmixed European ancestry, and about 14 percent are mulatto (of mixed black and European ancestry). Blacks account for 4 percent of the population, mixed black and Native Americans for 3 percent, and unmixed Native Amer icans for 1 percent. The main religion in Colombia

The Roman Empire The Most Extensive Political And Social...

The Roman Empire At its height, the Roman Empire was the most extensive political and social structure of western civilization. The remains of this empire can still be seen today. The empire was filled with advanced people and technology for its time. The Roman Empire has rich history, helpful geography and resources, provinces, an advanced government, unique people and a fascinating culture. Ancient Rome can be divided into three main parts. The Roman Monarchy, the Roman Republic, and the Roman Empire. The Romans believed that a man named Romulus founded the city of Rome. The legend is that Romulus and his twin brother Remus were cast away in a basket on the Tiber river. A she-wolf found them and gave the twins her milk. The farmer and his wife, owners of the she-wolf, found the twins and raised them from there. Later in an argument, Romulus killed Remus and then later founded the city of Rome on April 21,753 B.C. Historians still do not know how much of this legend is true or if it is true at all. Either way, Rome is named after Romulus. The Roman Republic moved on to the Roman Empire because of a man named Julius Caesar. Julius Caesar was a cunning politician who centralized government around himself. The people of the Roman Republic feared that Caesar would make himself king and end the republic. Due to this fear, Julius Caesar was stabbed to his death out side of the senate building on the Ides of March on March 15, 44 B.C. The concept of one manShow MoreRelatedEssay about The Vast Roman Empire1052 Words   |  5 PagesThe Roman Empire was the most extensive in social and political order in western civilization. It began when Augustus Caesar became the emperor of Rome. It is important to note that Rome started out very humble and archaic. Despite how primitive it was, Rome managed to become a world dominating power. Some of the advantages that Rome had were its location near the sea which facilitated and enhanced trade, and the proximity of the Greek influence which gave potential to the uprise of the Roman EmpireRead MoreAncient Rome And The Roman Empire1067 Words   |  5 Pagesheight, the Roman Empire was the most extensive political and social structure in western civilization. The remains of this empire can still be seen today. The empire was filled with advanced people and technology for its time. The Roman Empire has ric h history, helpful geography and resources, provinces, an advanced government, and unique people and culture. Ancient Rome can be divided into three main parts. The Roman Monarchy, the Roman Republic, and the Roman Empire. The Romans believed thatRead MoreAncient Rome And The Roman Empire1067 Words   |  5 Pagesheight, the Roman Empire was the most extensive political and social structure in western civilization. The remains of this empire can still be seen today. The empire was filled with advanced people and technology for its time. The Roman Empire has rich history, helpful geography and resources, provinces, an advanced government, and unique people and culture. Ancient Rome can be divided into three main parts. The Roman Monarchy, the Roman Republic, and the Roman Empire. The Romans believed thatRead MoreThe World Of Antiquity, The Roman Empire Essay1678 Words   |  7 PagesIn the world of antiquity, the Roman Empire (A.D. 117) was one of the roots of medieval Europe, where romans were at the top. They ruled this enormous amount of lands, the center being the city of Rome and the leader being the roman emperor. The empire’s extensive political, economic and social structure became vital to the heritage of the Ancient Civilization. The emergence of sustainable agriculture, primitive technology, scholarly writing and reading, and metalworking had developed stability,Read MoreWorld History AP8768 Words   |  36 Pagesin the empires described in this chapter? †¢ All empires controlled large areas and populations. †¢ All empires were brought together by conquest and funded in part by extracting wealth from conquered peoples. †¢ All empires stimulated the exchange of ideas, cultures, and values among the peoples they conquered. †¢ All empires sought to foster an imperial identity that transcended more local identities and loyalties. †¢ All empires ultimately collapsed. 2. In what ways did these empires differ fromRead MoreWhat Was The Political Structure Of The Mayans From 600 Ce?1568 Words   |  7 Pages AP World History 1st Semester Exam Study Guide What was the political structure of the Mayans from 600 CE to 900 CE? The political structure of the Mayans was split up into two city states with a governing body overseeing each of them, never under one ruler. How does Confucian philosophy attempt to create social harmony? His philosophies said that the goal of an emperor is to bring peace to the people, the philosophies also promoted fairness and loyalty among the state. Where was the eventualRead MoreAp World History Units 1-3 Study Guide Essay4374 Words   |  18 Pagesinclude * End of hunting-gathering societies 2. Most scholars believe that, during the Paleolithic Age, social organization was characterized by * A rough social equality 3. The earliest metal worked systemically by humans are * Copper 4. The spread of the Bantu-speaking peoples over southern Africa can be best explained by their * Knowledge of agriculture 5. 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Year-round Schooling Arguement Essay Free Essays

Well If your previous answer was yes, I have you know that you shouldn’t. Imagine a whole year of finally succeeding in your honors classes, receiving all Ass and obtaining lots of new information. So as a reward your mother allows you to stay with your grandparents in Puerco Rice for the entire summer. We will write a custom essay sample on Year-round Schooling Arguement Essay or any similar topic only for you Order Now You practically have the time of your life not even laying hands on a single book. When you arrive back and you attend your first day of school, you are shocked to see that you’ve practically forgotten all of the information of the past year. Now, you must waste your precious class time and time outside of school to regain all of that Information. Year-round schooling should be Implemented across the U. S. In order to improve retention. Reasons that it should be implemented is because programs that help increase retention over the summer are not accessible to everyone and even with good amounts of sleep, students do not perform any better on standardized tests. Some might say that summer schools/tutoring programs to keep students Involved in learning In the summer are available to everyone, but that Is false. In reality, summer programs are accessible to those of higher income and not those of lower income because of this though students of lower income forget what they’ve learned over the course of the year. Summer vacation is causing those students to spend too much time outside of educational environment and because of that, their retention decreases. So, undeniably, year- mound schooling could stop summer break from sullying students’ education. It is said that even with sufficient sleep, only half of students tested with year-round schooling made Adequate Yearly Progress. The real truth is that with smaller breaks in the year students got sufficient sleep which enhanced their memory. In addition to memory, sleep improves focus, stamina, and attention span. With year-round schooling students became more perennial with their work and were less likely inclined to cause a brouhaha class. It is ultimately up to the students’ and staffs’ illnesses whether or not to excel in school with year-round schooling, Just like regular school. It Is of common belief that students’ performance In school Is solely based on their Intelligence and focus. However, society Is endlessly suggesting excuses in attempt to justify the factors counting against students’ success in school. Factors such as how qualified a teacher is, teaching methods, the type of environment, or the amount of discipline in class can count against students’ school excellence. Honestly, the possibilities are endless and the main hindrance to successful student education Is summer vacation. Mitchell Feldman, a writer had Douglas high school In Parkland, Florida, states research that â€Å"According to the university of Missouri and Tennessee State university, student achievement test scores decline over summer vacation and summer loss equals about one month on a grade level equivalent scale. † He states that â€Å"If vacations were shortened, retention would increase. This Just proves only how detrimental summer vacation is, and how beneficial year-round schooling Is. Year-round schooling should be Implemented across the U. S. In order to Improve retention. Also because programs even with good amounts of sleep, students do not perform any better on standardized tests, and because summer break is a main factor in the academic failure of students. This academic failure will continue to worsen if year-round schooling isn’t implemented. The question lies whether we should resume deteriorating the future of our schools, or make a change. So I ask you, does summer vacation seem all that worth it to you now? How to cite Year-round Schooling Arguement Essay, Essays

Living in a Different Country free essay sample

I am not your average American teenager. I am a US citizen, born April 25 in San Antonio, Texas, but I have never lived in the USA. I moved to France when I was an infant. I have always resided in Paris, France. I am bilingual English-French : my Dad is French. I went to a French elementary school and now I attend an international high school. I hated French school – not that I knew any better at the time. I’d have to say that one of my first memorable milestones is when my mom took me out of French School in 3rd Grade and I started attending the International School of Paris. European schools have a reputation for being memorizing machines and they are. The memorizing is not so bad†¦it’s the oral reciting afterwards. When I was in elementary school, I didn’t like speaking up in class. At the international school – I didn’t have to. We will write a custom essay sample on Living in a Different Country or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page I was left in peace, which ultimately gave me the confidence to speak up when I was ready a couple of years later. I not only speak French and know French culture, but I also enjoy going to school with students from 60 other countries around the world. I experience France and â€Å"world cultures† every day. The impact of attending an international school is enormous because I have learned respect and acceptance for all cultures. There is no prejudice that I can detect. The entire community is a genuine melting pot. I was able to observe this calmly and securely during my first years of high school. One of the great advantages of going to an international school where 60 nationalities are represented is that most teachers make efforts to understand and be understood†¦their students and their students’ parents. Now I communicate every day in several languages with students and teachers who come from the US, Europe and from other parts of the world. I realize that communication is not always verbal. I have been able to observe customs and become sensitive to a whole variety of issues. This has made me more resourceful and more flexible. It also gives me a lot of confidence in my ability to listen to people and to relate to them. Just think of it : an international school in Paris ! That’s a wonderful education in itself. A lot of that education has been history; I am deeply interested in history, especially military history. The proximity and remnants of countless conflicts throughout the centuries are everywhere to be seen and touched in Paris and in France. From Roman ruins, to the Napoleon’s Tomb to Omaha Beach in Normandy, I have been surrounded by conquests and battlefields. I have had the privilege of visiting the Normandy beaches and battlefields and I am particularly fascinated by American military history, specifically World War II. Normandy would have to be another milestone – both the region because it reminds me of North Carolina where my Mom is from – and the history – the Norman Conquest – The Normandy Theater in WWII. I’ve spent a lot of time in Normandy where I first started enacting my life in the military; where my first plans to join the military took shape bivouacking in the garden. What I’ve never been able to find in France are many people who share my goal of joining the US Armed Forces. There aren’t any other students at my school who plan to have a career in the US Marines. Therefore, in France as well as when I travel to the US, I have an unusual point of view and, paradoxically, I realize that living in a different country has given me a strong sense of patriotism. I cherish the moments that I spend Stateside. I feel like I’m coming home to a place that I already know well and at the same time that I am curious and eager to discover. I have a special excitement and motivation to learn more and to assume my American heritage. Living abroad has strongly contributed to my plan to study and train in the USA so that I can serve in the United States Armed Forces. I want to commission to become an officer in the US Marine Corps. I believe that my background as an international student has prepared me well for my future studies in the US and for my future career in the US Marines. It has enabled me to learn in an IB school and also to learn and prepare independently on my own. The Marines are the image of America, her history and traditions and I am committed to this career to represent and protect the ideals of the USA. This is a huge valuable lesson that I have learned†¦.living abroad in France.

Sam Walton One of Uss All Time Great Leaders Essay Example

Sam Walton One of Uss All Time Great Leaders Paper Sam Walton, One of US’s All Time Great Leaders Sam Walton was born on March 29, 1918 to Thomas and Nancy Walton on a farm in Oklahoma. In 1923, after realizing the farm would no longer be able to support the family, Thomas Walton decided to go back to his previous profession of appraising farm loans and relocated the family to Missouri. Due to the nature of Thomas Walton’s profession the family was continuously moving. The constant moving allowed Sam Wlaton, the eldest son to become a survivor and gain a great passion for learning and adapting that ultimately facilitated the path towards becoming one of the richest and most successful leaders in the United States. Throughout his life, Sam Walton exhibited qualities that could be categorized under the trait approach theory. The trait approach theory states that leaders are individuals who are always out front and leading the way in the society and are gifted people who can do extraordinary things by possessing the following traits: intelligence, self-confidence, determination, integrity and sociability (Northouse, p. 19, 25). It is quiet apparent to see through Sam Walton’s accomplishment that he possessed all of these traits. Since Sam Walton was a young boy, he had what it took to get a head, get things done and make money. During the depression at an early age of seven Sam Walton helped to provide for his family by milking the cows and delivering magazines. We will write a custom essay sample on Sam Walton One of Uss All Time Great Leaders specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Sam Walton One of Uss All Time Great Leaders specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Sam Walton One of Uss All Time Great Leaders specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer At the age of 13, Sam Walton had become the youngest boy in the state of Missouri to become an Eagle Scout. Although, Sam Walton was not seen as one of the smartest kids in his class, his dedication and hard work eventually placed him in the ranks of the honor students. Sam Walton went to Hickman High School in Columbia, where he played basketball and lead the football team to the state title in 1935 as the starting quarterback. Sam Walton showed leadership potential early on by serving as Vice-President of his junior class and the President of his senior class. Unlike the other kids, besides school, Sam Walton had other responsibilities. He continued to work in order to help support his family. By the the time he graduated high school, he was voted the ‘most versatile boy’ in his class. Sam Walton got his BA in Economics from the University of Missouri, all the while working by waiting tables, serving as a life guard and delivering newspapers. After graduating in 1940, Sam Walton entered his first retail job at JC Penny’s in Des Moines, Iowa as a management trainee making $75 a month. In 1942, Sam Walton joined the Army for World War II, where he became the captain of the U. S. Army Intelligence Corps. While waiting to be inducted into the military, Sam Walton met his future wife to be, Helen Robson in 1945. Robson’s father was a successful banker and rancher who helped Sam Walton in starting his first retail business. Mr. Robson lent Walton $20,000. With the help of his father-in-law, Sam Walton was able to open his first Butler Brothers franchise as a variety store that became one of the highest sales and profit stores in the six-state region. According to Northouse, when he states in his book, Leadership Theory and Practice, â€Å"although it is good to be bright, the research indicates that a leader’s intellectual ability should not differ too much from that of the subordinates† (Northouse, P. 20). Sam Walton had the ability to relate, work and learn from his employees, as well as his competitors (Huey, P. 22, 23). Walton learned from just about every person he came in contact with. He said, â€Å"Great ideas come from everywhere if you just listen and look for them. You never know who’s going to have a great idea† (Huey, P. 211). To show his sociability, according to Lee Scott the former CEO of Wal-Mart, Walton would show up in the drivers’ break room at 4 AM with donuts and just sit there and talk to them for hours. Walton was amazed at how many ideas they always had in fine tuning the system. He would drill them by asking, â€Å"What they saw? How people were acting in the stores? Had they been to a certain store lately? And were things getting better? † (Huey, P. 212) According to Katz, effective leadership depends on three basic personal skills: technical, human and conceptual. Katz argues that these three skills are very different than the traits of leaders. He state that skills are what leaders can do and traits are qualities that made the leader who they are (Northouse, P. 40). Sam Walton was one who possessed all of the three skills, some better than others. Walton’s conceptual skills gave him the ability to bring new ideas and introduced services never provided by other retailers. His brilliant idea of providing a variety of goods for low prices under one roof has been the best idea anyone had ever thought of. The idea of making his stores centrally located, so customers were able to easily access the stores and having later store hours, especially during Christmass, gave the Walton stores an edge over his competitors. Sam Walton’s conceptual skills gave him the ability to create a vision and strategically place the proper steps and people needed to make that vision into reality. Sam Walton experimented with discount merchandising, where he bought directly from the wholesalers by cutting out the middle men in order to bring the lower cost to his customers, therefore, giving him the ability to sell a great number of goods resulting in high sale volume and more profits. One of the keys to Sam Walton’s success as a leader was his human skills. Katz defines human skills as having the ability to assist group members in working cooperatively as a group to achieve the common goals of the organization (Northouse, P. 41). While in college, he wanted to become the student body president. In order to win and make sure everyone knew him on campus, Walton would speak to anyone and everyone who was walking down the sidewalk. He would always look ahead and spoke to the individuals walking toward him and would start speaking to them, even if he didn’t know them. If he knew them, he would always address them by their name, thus making sure everyone recognized him and considered him their friend (Huey, P. 15). To keep management motivated and performing at their best, Walton offered his managers limited partnership and allowed them to invest in the store they were managing. This kept the managers personally vested in the business and motivated them in keeping the profits to a maximum in order to insure the success of the store. Walton also, made sure each customer was greeted at the door and set up his stores conveying the hometown identity. Each store honored a local graduating senior with a college scholarship and held bake sales to raise money for local charities. Although, Sam Walton possessed many great qualities as a leader, his technical skills fell short in some areas. According to him, he â€Å"never learned hand writing all that well. † (Huey, P. 16) Nobody could read his hand writing. He wasn’t very proficient in keeping accurate details, like sales slips and cash register transactions. Walton was known to be so disorganized that his manager at his first job in Penney’s stated, â€Å"Walton, I’d fire you if you weren’t such a good salesman. Maybe you’re just not cut out for retail† (Huey, P. 17, 18). Walton would schedule appointments and forget he ever made the appointments. He would constantly miss meetings because he simply would forget to make a note of the appointments. In analyzing Sam Walton’s leadership style, the style approach is very different than the trait and skills approaches due to the fact that the style approach focuses on what leaders do rather than who they are (Northouse, P. 86). The â€Å"style approach suggests that leaders engage in two primary types of behaviors: task behaviors and relationship behaviors, [and] how leaders combine these two types of behaviors to influence others is the central focus of the style approach† (Northouse, P. 86). One of the things that made Walton a task oriented leader was his meticulousness on having the store shelves stacked properly. He was adamant on having the stores clean, and well lit. He would personally visit every store to make sure the stores were setup in the best way. Along with being task oriented, Walton focused greatly on his relationship behavior with his subordinates. He would say, â€Å"Visiting the stores and listening to our folks was one of the most valuable uses of my time as an executive. But really, our best ideas do come from the folks in the stores. Period. † (Huey, P. 230) Walton firmly believed in crediting when credit was due. He was known for giving recognition for the success of Wal-Mart to the associates and made sure information about the company’s goals and objectives were shared throughout the organization. It was obvious that Sam Walton loved to be in the retail business. But what he said he most enjoyed about retailing was seeing people achieve more than he. He used to say: Listen to your people and respond to their needs. Recruit employees who have the capacity to replace you. Allow people to think and try new things. And create an environment that allows your staff to comfortably disagree with you. By allowing this type of atmosphere, as a great leader, one would enable people to provide the best route in meeting the organizational goals and objectives, as well as making you a great leader. Sam Walton’s leadership was most popular amongst his followers (associates, employees). The basic concept he followed and believed in was that â€Å"individuals don’t win, teams do. Sam Walton was presented the Medal of Freedom Award just a few weeks before his death by George W. Bush, â€Å"Then nations highest reward to be awarded to a civilian† (Wal-Mart Page). The presidential citation read: An American original, Sam Walton embodies the entrepreneurial spirit and epitomizes the American dream. Concern for his employees, a c ommitment to his community and a desire to make a difference have been the hallmarks of his career. By sponsoring scholarships for Latin America, he has also worked to bring peoples closer together and to share with others the American ideals he so well represents. A devoted family man, business leader, and statesman for democracy, Sam Walton demonstrates the virtues of faith, hope, and hard work. America honors this captain of commerce, as successful in life as in business(Wal-Mart Page). One of the things Walton focused on was having engaged followers, a concept that has become very popular in recent years. Although, we are currently looking to discover different ways of keeping followers engages, Walton’s way was through profit sharing, by making his managers part owners in his stores, as well as by keeping every person in the organization informed of all its activities and seeking feedback. Sam Walton believed that a happy employee meant happy customers and more sales. And by giving employees part of the company and making the employees success dependent on the company’s success, everyone would be a winner. Although Sam Walton was known as one of the most successful retailers and leaders, he had many critics. Walton was criticized for making Wal-Mart a virtual monopoly in the retailing industry. Where by his organization forced many local small businesses to close down. Some critics say that the expansion of the Wal-Mart stores brought down employee wages and working standards in the retail industry. By diverting most of the small business owner’s customers to Wal-Mart, it impoverished small independent retailers and destroyed historical downtowns in small communities. In the 1980’s, the Wal-Mart sales had exceeded over a billion dollars with over three hundred stores across North America. By 1991, Wal-Mart was the largest retailer in the US with over 1700 stores. Walton remained president and CEO until 1988 and chairman until his death. Walton died in 1992 as the second richest man, behind Bill Gates. He passed his company down to his three sons, daughter and wife. Wal-Mart stores now operate in Mexico, Canada, Argentina, Brazil, South Korea, China and Puerto Rico. Sam Walton had done real well as leader because he had the intelligence, self-confidence, determination, integrity and the sociability traits needed to be a successful leader. His human and conceptual leadership style made him an amazing leader. His ability to be able to lead by task as well as nurture group relationships put Walton as one of the greatest leaders of all time. Walton’s commitment to maintaining positive followership just added to his unique ability to possess all the qualities needed to be a successful leader. After analyzing Sam Walton’s leadership methods, I’m able to walk away with the following advice from the man himself, Sam Walton: â€Å"Commit to your goals, share your rewards, energize your colleagues, and communicate all you know, value your associates, celebrate your success, listen to everyone, deliver more than you promise, work smarter than others and blaze your own path† (Littlerock Website). Bibliography Wal-Mart Visitors Center Wal-Mart Community Involvement http://littlerock. about. com/cs/homeliving/a/aasamwalton. htm http://walmartstores. com/AboutUs/9502. aspx http://www. davidgorman. org/articles/the-sam-walton-way. html http://www. leader-values. com/Content/detail. asp? ContentDetailID=1065 Huey, John and Sam Walton. Sam Walton: Made in America. Mass Market Paperback. New York: Bantam1993.

jfks profiles in courage essays

jfk's profiles in courage essays In John F. Kennedy's book Profiles in Courage, he defines political courage as one's need to maintain his own respect for himself and because of his conscience, his personal standards of ethics that is stronger than the pressures of public disapproval and his course was the best one, that it out weighed his fear of public reprisal. In my personal opinion of political courage, I believe it is doing what one feels is right besides what opinions or desires other might have. I believe my definition of political courage is similar to Kennedy's in that political courage comes from within, not from the wants of others. Kennedy feels when one is faced with an important decision; one must look beyond public disapproval and look inside to make the correct decision. In Kennedy's book he says some (Senators) demonstrated courage through their unyielding devotion to absolute principal. One person who did this was Edmund Ross. Edmund Ross was the deciding vote in the impeachment trial of President Johnson. Facing pressures from his own political party and the state he represented to impeach Johnson, Ross voted against the impeachment. Ross felt that if the president were impeached, it would show that our country does not have faith in the leader it elected and would make our country weaker. Kennedy stated in his book that i t is on national issues, on matters of conscience that challenge party and regional loyalties that the test of courage is presented. I believe the actions of Edmund Ross are perfect examples of what Kennedy meant by courage. In Profiles in Courage, Kennedy stated that, living in a true democracy, we put our faith that the people will not simply elect men who will represent their views ably and faithfully, but also elect men who will exercise their conscientious judgment, faith that the people will not condemn those whose principles lead them to unpopular course, but will reward courage respect and honor to what is recognizabl ...