The Real Cause of Conflict Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Real Cause of Conflict - Essay Example Over the years several psychologists have developed tests to evidence and describe the different personality types, including Jung, Myers-Briggs and the Big Five Personality Tests, which is now the most extensively acknowledged and used model of personality. The Big Five was developed in the 1970's by two different research studies which though completed differently came to similar conclusions: that a majority of personality traits can be defined under five broad themes, extroversion, emotional stability, orderliness, accommodation and intellect. All other personality traits can be correlated to one of these independent personality traits (Howard & Howard, 2007). However, there is a weakness with this theory, as researchers have not been able to completely agree on what exactly the fundamental aspect of each personality trait is (Howard & Howard, 2007). People frequently seek and admire personalities that are different from their own, and being appreciative to these positive attributes they have may hinder them to realise it could cause stress and be a significant contributor to disagreements. Usually people seek out individuals who fill these personality differences, in which to have personal or working relationships with. A lot of people who have personalities where they are exceptionally well-organized are often drawn to partners who have a preference to handling situations in an easy going and effortless manner. In comparison rational, sensible thinkers prefer affectionate, sensitive partners, and vibrant extroverts may have a preference for strong, quiet people (Landau & Landau, 1997). The same can be apparent in working relationships between co-workers. This is most likely because they perceive their counterparts as being more relaxed at managing situations they themselves would find hard to achieve (Landau & Landau, 1997). As Smallwood (2009) states, differences in individual personalities can work to an advantage in teamwork, as there is an chance for the team members to merge together, not in the case that everyone thinks the same and agrees, but that everyone's individual strengths and abilities can work together to create a stronger, and more effective conclusion or solution to the problem they are working on. HowveHHowever, these personality differences can also cause significant problems when working in a team, as they clash rather than compliment each other (Smallwood, 2009). These problems may occur when one individual feels that their way is the only 'right' way to do something. However, as evidence shows there is always more than one way to reach the same result, and an individual can learn a lot from watching how another person achieves these results. Smallwood (2009) suggests that teams do require different personalities to produce an effective work environment where the different attitudes and abilities produce an effective whole, from its different parts; however, it is easy for an individual to become judgemental of another team member who does a task in a different way from which they would, rather than appreciating the differences. In addition, team members will sometimes judge the behaviour of a co-worker, by assuming they are feeling a certain way because of their outward behaviour. For example, if a co-worker is quiet, the individual may assume that they are angry, as this is how they

Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut Essay Example for Free

Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut Essay Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut combines the themes of loss and determinism to create a story of the power of tragedy. The characters and events experience the inevitability of tragedy and begin to accept the fate granted, affecting their view of their own lives. Billy Pilgrim is a numb and senseless character after his experiences in WWII; witnessing the bombing of Dresden triggered the concept that the he cannot change circumstances which therefore causes him to no longer participate in his life. Everything becomes insignificant, his view of death best showcases this stating carelessly, â€Å"so it goes† over 100 times through the novel, whether talking about the death of microbes in his jacket or the incomparable Martin Luther King Jr.; because to Billy, it is all the same. He accepts tragedies and views life as a helpless place therefore becoming discouraged from proactively seeking change and happiness. Similarly, the Tralfamadorian’s believe all events are out of their control and inevitable. They live without guilt because in their world, everything is meant to be, â€Å"There isn’t anything we can do about them (wars). So we simply don’t look at them. We ignore them.† (Vonnegut 101) The Tralfamadorians live in ignorance, not feeling the need or ability to influence events and view life as predetermined and unalterable. It can be argued that this outlook leaves it’s beholders oppressed and feeling powerless, in the way many readers view Billy, after the Tralfamadorian’s share this philosophy with him. This negative view of life is fueled by their accepting attitude and waves them of the responsibility such as preventing accidents like the end of the world from occurring. The lack of decision making and ignorance becomes deeply rooted in their fatalistic thoughts and damages positive feelings towards life. Billy and the Tralfamadorian’s mirror Vonnegut’s experiences and emotions, acting as an anchor to reality. Due to this Vonnegut serves as an ideal real world example of the effects of acceptance. Slaughterhouse-Five is a work entirely based on how Vonnegut understands life now, accepting the horrors of war and their impacts as his reality along with their side effects such as alcoholism and sadness. Vonnegut chooses to begin his novel with a bird singing, â€Å"Poo-tee-weet?†(Vonnegut 19) and ends Billy’s story  with the bird once again repeating itself. The bird is a meaningless limerick formed in Vonnegut mind to show how life just continues to pointlessly repeat. The entire novel is Vonnegut’s way of accepting and retelling tragedy and through each character and his own prologue it can be inferred Vonnegut views his life as a place which is no longer joyful and significant. Slaughterhouse-Five is a key literary example surrounding the negativity of how accepting events without inquiry allows people to forfeit both guilt and responsibility. In this book it is apparent the acceptance of tragedy effects the views of one’s life to become pointless and unhappy, consequently resulting in lack of motivation and then ignorance; discouraging a culture of growth and happiness.

Incidents And Leaders Interaction Within The Movie History Essay

Incidents And Leaders Interaction Within The Movie History Essay This paper analyses the theories and concepts of leadership of key characters in the movie, Invictus. The key characters analysed are President Nelson Mandela and Francois Pienaar, captain of the South African rugby team. Based on a book written by John Carlin, Playing the Enemy: Nelson Mandela and the Game That Changed a Nation, the movie is directed by award-winning director Clint Eastwood. Starring Morgan Freeman as President Nelson Mandela and Matt Damon plays Francois Pienaar, who is the current captain of the Springboks, the South African rugby team, it was released in the United States in mid-December 2009. 2.0 SYNOPSIS OF MOVIE Storyline The story centres around events before and during the 1995 Rugby World Cup, hosted in South Africa shortly after the fall of apartheid with the release of political prisoner Nelson Mandela. Mandela was held in a prison on Robben Island for close to 27 years. As the new elected President, Mandela vowed to unite the South Africa population which is currently divided into two groups: the white people who originated from Europe and came to South African in the seventeeth century known as Afrikaners and the native black population of the country. The movie basically shows President Mandelas attempt to unite both groups in supporting the countrys rugby team, the Springboks (rugby was traditionally a white sport) and steering the team as it made a historic drive towards winning the 1995 Rugby World Cup Championship. Despite all odds and initial resistance, the black natives of South Africa soon began to show interest in the Springboks. As the team wins more and more games, they continue to receive rising support from both the Afrikaners and the black natives. The team achieved unexpected success in the 1995 Rugby World Cup final, defeating the strongest opponent in the tournament, New Zealand, which brought cheer not only to the Afrikaners but also to the black natives all over the country as they celebrated the teams victory. This inevitably began to bridge the divide between the two groups that had been there for centuries due to apartheid. The title Invictus is translated from the Latin as undefeated or unconquered, and is the title of a poem by English poet William Ernest Henley (1849-1903). The ending saw the recitation of verses from the poem: Out of the night that covers me, Black as the pit from pole to pole, I thank whatever gods may be For my unconquerable soul. In the fell clutch of circumstance I have not winced nor cried aloud. Under the bludgeonings of chance my head is bloody, but unbowed. Beyond this place of wrath and tears Looms but the Horror of the shade, And yet the menace of the years Finds and shall find me unafraid. It matters not how strait the gate, How charged with punishments the scroll, I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul. Leaders in the movie There are clearly two distinguished leaders in the movie: President Nelson Mandela despite having to face other pressing issues to build the country in his first term as president, Mandela is committed to his pledge to reunite the people of South Africa. He tries to achieve this through sports, namely rugby in which the country is hosting in the following year. Francois Pienaar, captain of the Springboks (South African Rugby team). Pienaar faces a tough challenge from President Mandela to drive his team to win the 1995 Rugby World Cup Championship, something he never thought possible before. Role of leaders Newly-elected President Nelson Mandela plays a leading role as the person who tries to unite the divided groups of white Afrikaners and the black South African natives with the end of apartheid. He believes that it can be achieved through rugby, which is the number one sport for the white Afrikaners. With his strong belief in the power of the game, Mandela went against the wishes of his own staff and follows his instincts to pursue his target. Mandela calmly leads by example, displaying great leadership skills through his quiet reflective confidence in contemplating decisions, his commitment to achieve whatever he sets out to do and the way he touches other peoples lives and emotions with his personal communication style. Meanwhile, Francois Pienaar admires President Mandelas aspirations to unite the people of South Africa and was inspired by his dedication and perseverance to achieve his goal. Through his leadership and commitment, Pienaar steadily builds his teams confidence and began to win more and more matches, and eventually brought his team to victory against the strongest opponent, New Zealand, in the final match of the 1995 Rugby World Cup. 3.0 LEADERSHIP ASPECTS Incidents within the movie involving the leaders One incident shows a sporting organization where all committee members are black natives, and they agree to pass a motion to change the name, colour and logo of the rugby team to suit a different and blacker South Africa. Currently, the rugby team represents the pride of the Afrikaners and is despised by the black natives as they see it as a symbol of apartheid. However, President Mandela who arrives at the meeting just after the voting process asks the committee members to rethink their decisions in the context of unity for the country and the good of the population. In the end, he manages to gather 13 votes on his side which is enough for him to keep the Springboks. Mandelas style of participative leadership is very admirable. He always encourages those working under him to think differently about surrounding issues.   A good example would be the one concerning his personal security group. Instead of being suspicious about the loyalty and commitment of his white security staff, he directed the security head, a black Soth African native, to work together with their highly experienced counterparts and learn from them. He also treats the white security staff well even though some of them were against him when he was in prison. Days before the final match, Pienaar as captain of the rugby squad claims that the team needs a break. They head to Robben Island with their girlfriends to take their minds off the game. There, Pienaar visited the jail where Mandela was held. Standing inside Mandelas actual jail cell, Pienaar is dismayed to discover how small the cell is and with nothing to sleep on except a thin sheet on the bare ground. Yet the man who was held in this cell for nearly 26 years can easily forgive those who put him in prison, and has great plans to unite the people of the country. Incidents and leaders interaction within the context of the movie President Mandela invites Pienaar to tea for their first meeting. Mandela believes that he can achieve the unity that he planned for through rugby and needed Pienaars assistance to get the support of the Afrikaners. Pienaar was charmed by Mandelas personal style and warmth upon his arrival at the Government House. He also observed that Mandela treated everyone around him with great respect, even the lady who served them tea. During the brief meeting, Mandela skillfully challenges Pienaar to think positively about winning the upcoming Rugby World Cup Championship. He shared his vision on the importance of winning the championship to South Africa to unite the people via a World Cup victory. Pienaar who was impressed with the presidents quiet leadership, personal commitment and motivation to achieve the vision soon began to see the odds of winning the cup as a possibility, thus inspires him to lead this team to train harder that before. Leaders behaviour and characteristics In this movie, Mandela skillfully demonstrates his people-oriented leadership style. For instance, even on his first day in office as the newly-elected President of South Africa, he showed great courtesy to all his staff, blacks and whites, by greeting and smiling at everybody whom he passed by on his way to his suite. This earned him great respect from all staff, especially the white Afrikaners who thought they would be sacked once a black leader assumed office. Mandela also decided to maintain the former white staff and builds an administrative team of both groups. The same also applies to his security staff. In order to lead by example and to achieve the unity he had long planned for, he believes that his team must reflect his vision. 4.0 DESCRIPTION AND DISCUSSION OF LEADERSHIP BEHAVIOUR Leadership behaviour Leadership styles are important to successfully lead teams in organisations. There are various styles of leadership that can be observed and are practised by leaders in todays organisations, but theories mostly centre these two: The first group displays task-oriented behaviours, whereby the leader only manages the daily activities of his subordinates towards accomplishing a task which was predetermined. The second set involves people-oriented behaviour, also known as participative leadership. Leaders in this group normally provide a supportive role by encouraging his subordinates to get involved in decision making on the project that they are working on. This results in a positive work environment which increases productivity of the team as they feel that they are part of the decision making process and thus own the project.   Evidently, both sets of behaviours are important to create a balance in successful leadership. President Mandela excellently displayed both task-oriented and participative leadership styles in his quest to build the nation. He sought the help and participation of Pienaar to transform the image of the Springboks in the eyes of the black natives. Through Pienaars leadership, the team members successfully won the hearts of the black natives and garner their support which steered the team to victory. Change agent capabilities Basically, a change agent is someone who can motivate others around him to produce higher degree of output, to do more and to achieve better things in their lives. Change agents require emotional intelligence to ensure people are totally engaged in a project. People who are highly supportive of the purpose and are highly committed to achieve the objectives of the project will contribute to better productivity and chances of meeting the goals and objectives are maximised. A change agent needs to have high competencies in soft skills, namely excellent people and communication skills, to encourage peoples involvement and minimise resistance. He or she must be able to reach out to the inner values and beliefs of the people involved in the project in order to implement change with the people. Clearly, President Mandela has demonstrated his capabilities in becoming the change agent for South Africas unity and progress. President Mandela demonstrates these managerial traits effectively through leading by example and motivating people through his great respect for others and personal humility. His quietly confident manner and strong commitment in conveying his visions and aspirations also encourage others around him to do amazing things that they never thought they are capable of doing before. Able to support, able to develop new ideas and recognize achievement Despite the hostility shown towards his support for the Springboks, President Mandela stood his ground and diligently and courageously attended the rugby matches. He even made an effort to memorise the names of all the players and greeted them personally by their name before the matches and during practices. In order to promote foreign investment in building South Africas economy with is also laden with issues, Mandela administrative team tries to ensure that President Mandela receives wide press coverage whenever he meets with other world leaders to discuss bilateral relationships. 5.0 IDENTIFICATION AND EXPLANATION OF INCIDENTS Executive summary of the two incidents selected. President Mandela read the new concerning the upheaval in management of the Springboks team after he assumes the new position. He started to devise how to unite the people of South Africa and saw rugby as the vehicle that might work to bridge the divide. He understands that most Afrikaners are afraid of losing their identity when a black leader becomes president of the country and that the Springboks rugby team is traditionally very important to the white population. He then decides to use the Springboks as a means to unite the population and the upcoming Rugby World Cup Championship as the event that will bring them together. Later when Mandela came to know that a sports committee which comprise all black members voted to change the identity of the rugby team by changing the name, logo and colour of the Springboks to reflect a new and blacker South Africa, he personally hurried to attend the meeting and asked the committee members to rethink their decisions and explain the implicati ons that their decisions might bring onto the unity of the South African population. He managed to get a small following of 13 votes on his side; however, the small majority was enough to keep the Springboks intact. He then forges ahead with his plan to unite the black and white population through rugby. Pienaar also does his part to support President Mandelas commitment to unite the people of South Africa and instill pride in his teammates towards aunited country. In his first attempt to get the message across, Pienaar tries to make his team actually sing the South African national anthem by giving them copies of the anthems lyrics. However, his teammates show clear disinterest and merely scrunch up their copies. Later, they are forced by the President to take occasional breaks from rugby and go out into the poorer areas of South Africa and teach rugby to the natives as a way to inculcate interest of the game to the black natives. At first, only Chester who is the teams sole black player is welcomed by the black children but eventually, after many attempts, the whole team is accepted by the rural population. The team then willingly help introduce the sport to a new generation of children and instil national pride, regardless of race. Involvement of the selected leaders within the incident In the first incident, President Mandela takes it upon himself to make sure that the Springboks are able to maintain their name, logo and colours despite disagreement from the black sports committee members. He stood his ground and clearly conveyed the message across that what he did was for the good of the countrys unity. In the second incident, Pienaar tried to change the attitude of the team players towards embracing their national anthem. Even though he was not successful on his first attempt, the fact that he went on to sing the anthem displayed his willingness to lead by example, hoping that the others will follow suit. Making decision within team, group and individual setting A strategic leader has a team of decision makers to help him reach a consensus when making important decisions. This process of decision-making improves the quality of the decisions, especially when developing crucial planning and policies affecting the country. A strategic leader needs a competent team to support his role. Coupled with his knowledge and skills, a strategic leader can lead a team of high performing individuals to create and develop strategic vision and plans utilising available resources and implementing national policies. Due to the complexity of todays world economy and global issues, a strategic leader of a nation requires the assistance of a forward-looking team of executives to forge ahead with his plans to achieve his vision. Charismatic and transformational roles There are very few leaders who are capable of transformational leadership. However, this is not considered unfortunate as a leaders ultimate job is to keep the organization productive and the people engaged. In certain instances, too much transformation can be chaotic and lead nowhere. In this movie, Mandela was one of the few who can be categorized as a successful transformational leader. He was able to encourage people to believe in themselves so that the organisation can achieve greater heights. For instance, in his first meeting with Pienaar, Mandela explains that a leaders job is to get followers to believe that they are capable of doing more than they think possible. This thinking then leads to the rugby teams victory in winning the World Cup Championship. Leaders with these types of behaviours and attitudes tend to draw followers as people are naturally attracted to those who display strength and inspire belief in others. These charismatic qualities enable effective leadership. 6.0 Critically analyze each of the two and more incidents and consider other options the leaders could have considered and made. Participative leadership, delegation and empowerment Participative leadership style, which is known to be the best type of corporate leadership style in organisations today, allows employees to get involved in decision-making process to a certain extent. This democratic style of employee management creates healthy relationship between management and employees as both sides feel that their involvement is sought in the process of achieving the organizations goals and objectives. This leadership technique also promotes the development of future leaders via their participation in determining a common goal for the organization. As involvement of team members are required in decision making, hidden talents can be unearthed and their leadership qualities polished further. In the first incident, President Mandela asserts his decision to let the Springboks keep their identity but at the same time asks the committee members to reconsider their decision. Although he managed to persuade a small minority (13 votes) to agree with him, the number is sufficient and he looks upon it as a small win, not a total defeat. This displays his participative leadership style whereby instead of using his power and influence to change the committees decision, he asked them to rethink their decision and get them to vote again. For the second incident involving Pienaar, as captain of the team he tried to persuade the other members to sing along the national anthem. However, when the team crushed the paper given to them, he did not reprimand them but went on to sing the anthem. He tried to lead by example, hoping that the team would follow suit once they see him doing so. In encouraging the team to work harder towards achieving their goal of winning the World Cup Championship, Pienaar was seen motivating his team members so that they can all work towards one purpose and perform their best in every match. Pienaar also uses participative leadership to inculcate team spirit and camaraderie. Power and influence Power refers to the capacity a person has to influence the decision of another person so that the person acts according to his wishes. The more power a person has, the higher his influence on the whole system is. Meanwhile, influence causes a change in the attitude or behaviour of others and is more of a process which guides the peoples activities towards appropriate directions in meeting management objectives that have been set. As the President of the country, Mandela has both power and influence. However, he skillfully uses his power and influence to generate respect and support from the people. Pienaar also steadily works his way up to gain trust and respect from his fellow teammates. By commanding their trust and respect, he was capable of transforming the perception of the rugby team and instill pride and higher commitment from them. Managerial traits and skills President Mandela and Pienaar both demonstrate high level of management skills and leadership traits which help them gain support from a population which are initially plagued by centuries of racial divide. Mandela inspirational leadership motivates Pienaar to perform better than he ever thought he could. Through Mandelas quiet self-confidence and charisma, Pienaar was overwhelmed and personally look upon him as a great leader. Based on this motivation, Pienaar encouraged his rugby team to work harder and strive for victory. Leading change Mandelas first meeting with Francois Pienaar displays some important leadership lessons. When Piennar was asked by Mandela on his leadership philosophy, he answers that he believes in leading by example. Mandela concurs with him that leading by example is crucial. In response to another question on how Pienaar inspires people, he affirms that people are inspired through the heart and by what they see. Strategic leadership Strategic leadership refers to leaders who successfully influence large groups of people in organisations to act as required based on established organisational structure, allocated resources and communicated objectives and vision. They are generally functional in a highly complex environment which is influenced by external factors beyond their control. Strategic leaders have to digest information quickly and make correct decisions based on whatever is available to them at the point in time. As such, consequences of their decision affect more people in the organisation and tend to commit more resources. Sometimes, the decisions and initiatives can only implicate long-term plans and may take years to prepare and execute. Ethical issues In this movie, President Mandela transforms the perception of the black natives on rugby which has always been a white sport. Traditionally, the black natives despise the Springboks which they perceive as representing apartheid. By changing the values through this game, Mandela fruitfully changed the tradition of the population as all of them showed great unison in supporting the rugby team as they made their way to victory. Another example of good value that is displayed in this movie is when President Mandela took over the office of President. Although the white Afrikaner staff thought that they will be asked to leave their jobs when a black leader becomes president of the country, they are surprised when President Mandela asked them to continue working as usual and keep them as part of his administrative team. Although Mandela was subjected to a lot of grievances during the apartheid era, he shows strength of character when he does not display vindictiveness towards the white population. Yet he is able to forgive them and concentrate on uniting the racial divide. 7.0 CONCLUSION In summary, the movie Invictus is full of great examples of leadership skills and values. President Mandela exhibited excellent leadership and management skills in bringing unity to the country through sports and Pienaar successfully executed his part to garner the nations support to an overwhelming victory. Clearly, participative leadership and empowerment through consensus and general consultation brings better results compared to exertion of power and influence to move a population. The excellent examples depicted throughout the movie indicate the strength of characters of both President Nelson Mandela and Francois Pienaar. Their strengths shone through when presented by challenges upon challenges as they work their way to realising a united South African population. Charismatic leaders with strong commitment and high confidence can transform the impossible into a possibility and create huge success for the organisation. President Mandela displays his charisma as he successfully attracts followers, who initially disagree with his principles, into participating in activities towards achieving his vision. He effectively nurtures their emotions and encourages their hearts to work towards building the unity and accept differences among them as strengths and think positively for a better South Africa.

Far Beyond Everyday Superstitions Essay -- Obseessive Compulsive Disor

Far Beyond Everyday Superstitions Each day my grandfather has an impulse to touch his shoulder, then his nose, and after these actions are accomplished he touches his ear. He does these actions each and every time he says hello to a human being. It is as if he is a coach on the third-base line signaling a runner to steal home. He doesn’t know why he does these actions; he just does. He has on obvious reason and trys not to do them, but each time they come back. My grandfather feels ashamed of his actions and does not want anyone to know of them. He has other impulses as well. He turns off light switches with his thumb, only his thumb. My grandfather was diagnosed with the Obsessive-Compulsive disorder twenty years ago. The Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a strange and frightening sickness of ritual. This disease is far more common than most people would ever imagine. About one in fifty Americans have this disorder, as many as five million (11/28, http://www.zoloft.com/index.asp?pageid=14&o=060110000000GO). It is most common between the ages of 18 through 54 to be diagnosed. Typically one third of adult cases however, begin at adolescence. It is cruel because the victims of this disease know of their strange behavior and try to make it stop, but cannot. It is as though their brain is stuck on a particular thought or urge and can not let it go. Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder is different from the everyday superstitions that most people seem to have. For instance, many people believe in lucky numbers, knocking on wood, or keeping umbrellas closed in the house. These habits are different from the disorder for these Kreftmeyer 2 patients cannot put these actions out of their minds (Rapoport, 2). This disorder should be... ...cans need to become more aware of how its effects to ones life, due to the surprisingly high number of people that have symptoms of it. Psychiatrists are still experimenting with different combinations of medications and therapies for which will eventually help the victims even more. It is a disorder that many need to be informed about. Works Cited Coon, Dennis. Introduction to Psychology. Pacific Grove: Brooks/Cole Publishing Company, 1998. Dumont, Raeann. The Sky Is Falling. New York: W.W. Norton & Company Inc., 1996. Pharmacotherapy. National Institute of Mental Health. 30 November 2001. Rapoport, Judith. The Boy Who Couldn’t Stop Washing. New York: E.P. Dutton Inc. 1989. Treatment for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. Obsessive- Compulsive Foundation. 28 November 2001. Understanding Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. Zoloft. 28 November 2001.

Cell phones Essay

Every time a person answers his/hers cell phone, their safety and the safety of others around them are being greatly jeopardized. Cell Phones today pose a major risk to the human body and civilian population. When cell phones heat up they emit radiation that known to increase the chances of someone getting cancer. Besides cancer, other medical complications; such as, arthritis and damaged sleep have increased thought the use of cellular devices. Not only do cell phones cause medical problems, but they also pose a huge security threat with personal information being easily stolen. Overall, the safety of humans is being compromised by the use of the seemingly harmless device, cell phones. Many doctors and scientists are claiming that cell phones are causing medical complications. For instance, the National Cancer Institute states, â€Å"Cell phones emit radiofrequency energy, a from of non-ionizing electromagnetic radiation, which can be absorbed by tissues closest to where the phones is held† (â€Å"Cell Phones and Cancer Risk†). What this is basically saying, is that the radiation being put out from the cell phones are damaging vital tissues, which is known to increase the risk of cancer. This links back to the main idea of the overall safety of humans, showing that cell phones do cause a serious risk factor to the human body. Another common concern with cell phones is the theory that texting can cause arthritis; â€Å"Repetitive motion can cause pain and inflammation of the basal joint. It can even lead to thumb arthritis† (Eustice). The article confirms that the constant motion of the thumbs can indeed cause arthritis. The safety of the consumer is being compromised when a popular means of communication; such as texting, can lead to a major medical complication. Recent studies show that headaches are increasing tremendously due to cell phones: â€Å"Radiation from mobile phones damages sleep and cause headaches, according to a study by telephone makers† (carter). In this study, researchers found an increasing amount of headaches were occurring with people who use cell phones regularly; opposed to people who rarely use them or don’t use them at all. An increase in headaches is very dangerous to the safety of the human body and can be a gateway to many other complications down the road. After an extensive amount of research, doctors and scientists have found that cell phones do cause medical issues to the human body. Cell phones security is a fairly new issue brought up by a numerous amount of concerned citizens, with the fear that their safety is being jeopardized. As technology increases, more and more people are resorting to devices, such as cell phones, to get them thought the day: â€Å"The more people rely on cell phones and tablets, the more attractive these devices become as targets to thieves and other nefarious types† (Gahran). With all of these devices being used constantly, crooks can easily retrieve the personal information any personal information any person puts out there through the devices they are using. This has become a huge safety issue due to the fact that private information is being stolen from people who expect their information on their cell phones to be safe and secure. A man was shown an application on his cell phone that could link up to other people’s cell phones: â€Å"’It made all the contacts start jumping over to this phone,’ said Gooden† (Kridler). Gooden explained that the application he was shown let him easily access his wife’s phone contacts. His friend that introduced this application to Gooden then went to explain that hackers usually take the contact information and dial premium-rate numbers. The safety of the people who are in others contact information is being compromised when they have result in paying a fee for â€Å"calling† these premium-rate numbers because of someone else stealing their numbers. Boktah, an expert security hacker, states â€Å"Most people have no idea how vulnerable they are when they use their cellphones† (Murphy). Bokath’s job is to hack into cell phones to find and express all of the flaws in the devices, thus demonstrating how easy it is for a hacker to do the same. With all the scamming going on, consumers need to be aware of what they do on their cell phones to protect themselves, as well as the safety of others. Safety from personal information being stolen by hackers happens to be key concern to numerous amounts of people; this way people will not be liable for paying fees or having their identity stolen. Cell phones safety is a key concern, which the vast majority of users brood over. Cellular devices have been known to cause cancer; as well as, an increasing amount of medical problems. Some of these problems are arthritis and damaged sleep. Medical complications are not the only concern; a breach in security is another top concern for people. In essence, safety is top priority for humans, and cell phones are compromising that safety.

Adapting Technology to Global Warming Professor Ramos Blog

Adapting Technology to Global Warming Most common misconception regarding global warming and climate change is the standardized between these two ideas. Global warming refers to the long-term increasing trend in the average global temperature. Climate change on the other hand is the effect of various phenomena such as global warming to the global climate. It is better visualized as the â€Å"side effects† of warming like heavier typhoons and storms, melting of glaciers, and more and frequent droughts. It can be said that global warming is a result of human-caused climate change. Red bars show global average (land and sea) temperatures above the long-term average, and blue bars indicate temperatures below the long-term average. The black line shows the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere. Global warming is just a preliminary concern to a bigger problem. With various climate-change phenomenon recently occurring, mitigating solutions should be implemented, another way to proceed is also by adapting the technology to utilize these various changes. Most famous propaganda that tackles solutions to global warming is the Green New Deal (GND). GND is a proposal that contains a list of ideas and eco-supporting platforms that plans to reform the status of US government in terms so sustainability. According to Vinjamuri, this agenda became a widespread concern for most 2020 contenders for election. Their varying stand regarding this proposal is being evaluated by the community. GND has just recently being revived by Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortex of Bronx. Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez addresses the Green New Deal in a crowd at the annual Womens March on 19 January 2019. The proposal described in GND has categorized certain issues and plausible actions toward them. This project was estimated to cost around $1 trillion. As discussed in the GND proposal, suggested innovations can be correlated to renewable energy, smart grid, energy efficiency, transportation, low-tech solutions, cows and climate change, guaranteed jobs, labor laws, public ownership, providing higher education, trade unions, trade deals, indigenous people, health care, housing, security, clean air and water, and healthy food and nature (Sierra Club). One of the main goals of this project is to have a 100 percent clean, renewable, and no-emission energy sources for power supply in the United States in a span of 10 years. This ideology is being questioned if this would be even possible. A lot of investments were already focused on energy industries spending hundreds of billions. The one that GND lacks is the scale comparison with this trading. Along with this topic is the building of energy efficient constructions and smart which purpose is to have affordable electricity consumption. Making these kind of buildings ang innovating them to be green will surely cost a fortune. In 2009, it was estimated that retrofitting a building would cost $4.5 billion while for a public project it would cost $3 billion. With surplus in development plans, one aspect that will also be affected is the job recruitment. This entails a different wage for a family having a certain number of household. For example, a family with one adult will be paid $11.41 while having two adults will have $18.44. And if one adult is working, the wage would be $26.39. With the guaranteed job secured, health care is one of the priorities. The green new deal is an â€Å"imaginative project†. Even though its cause so good and also for the betterment of the future, it will definitely consume a lot of wealth. It was estimated by Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortex, that taxes in the United Sates should go as high as 70 percent to be able to sustain the budget for this proposal. IN the current situation, the top tax rate was 37 percent which was the result of Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017. Tax amounting to almost double of the current state would be a stone-in-the-pocket for the citizens. This concept is highly undoable and considering that the issues discussed in GND are not the only ones tackled by the government. Proper allotment of budget should be observed to have equal observance on problems. However, to have an improvement regarding our actions towards sustainability and climate change, ones community should impose heavy rules and dedicate a huge amount of money in order to achieve it. A way to obtain these proposed agenda is to utilize the naturally occurring catalyst to global warming, the sun. Most projects or technology today are focusing on acquiring renewable energy and converting them to our daily need in terms of powering our homes and easing up the activities in work. Some people are not yet aware of the existence of global warming and its effects. It is and will greatly affect or disturb the balance of the ecosystems. Due to the detrimental effects of this phenomena, solutions should be devised. According to Shahzad, alternate energy sources such as solar, wind, hydro, geothermal, and biomass should be pursued. Finding and using renewable sources of energy is an alternate solution to the ever-increasing global warming effects. Investing in energy efficiency and renewable energy creates smart business sense in United States because it makes new jobs in a wide range of industries, foster innovation and gives competitive edge in global market. Clean technology is a successful one having a global revenue of $900 billion in 2007 and venture capital investment of $8.5 billion in 2008. Nanosolar and Solyndra which manufactures thin-film solar cells are among the top American Companies which business have attracted a huge money (Union of Concerned Scientists). Chinese business has recently expanding their manufacturing of wind turbines and solar cells due to policies that require use of energy efficient technology and renewable energy. They are expecting to generate 155 percent of its electricity from renewable resources by 2020. According to Hanley, renewable energy is being highly utilized for electricity providing the trend in the figure below. By adopting strong policies to promote this kind of clean technology, one can deliver economic dividends in the form of energy savings, new jobs, growing industries, and further opportunities for innovation. Another opportunity is with utilizing solar energy into farming. Solar energy can cut the expenses for farm’s electricity and heating. Solar heat collectors can be used for drying of crops and warming up homes, livestock buildings, and greenhouses. Solar water heaters provide hot water cleaning pens and dairy operations. Photovoltaics can power farm operations, especially pumping of water from groundwater and lightings. An example of growth in the application of solar photovoltaics in Asia and Africa is shown below (Hanley). Global Warming has always existed and still continuous to implement dangerous threats to the society. We should be able to incorporate our existing technology to be able to adopt to these changes in the environment. Utilizing our renewable resources will sure lessen the detrimental effects but that alone will completely eradicate the problem. We should always play smart in tackling these kinds of situations. If we would not be able to provide fast and concrete solution, we must try to use in our advantage the effects of the global warming such as use of the sun. Works Cited Hanley, Steve. Solar Leads The Way As Renewables Grow Faster Than Expected | CleanTechnica. 2017, https://cleantechnica.com/2017/10/05/solar-leads-way-renewables-grow-faster-expected/. Sierra Club. What Is a Green New Deal? 2019, https://www.sierraclub.org/trade/what-green-new-deal. The Future of US Climate Politics | Chatham House. https://www.chathamhouse.org/expert/comment/future-us-climate-politics?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIye3R99jb4gIVVwQqCh3b9wayEAAYASAAEgI-RfD_BwE. Accessed 9 June 2019. Shahzad, Umair. Global Warming: Causes, Effects and Solutions.2015, https://www. researchgate .net/publication/316691239_Global_Warming_Causes_Effects_and_Solutions Union of Concerned Scientists. Clean Technology.2010, https://www.ucsusa.org/sites/default /files/legacy/assets/documents/global_warming/ucs-fact-Clean-Tech-w-endnotes-2-10b.pdf Vanjamuri, L. The Future of US Climate Politics | Chatham House. https://www.chathamhouse.org/expert/comment/future-us-climate-politics?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIye3R99jb4gIVVwQqCh3b9wayEAAYASAAEgI-RfD_BwE. Accessed 9 June 2019.