Saturday, August 22, 2020

The Benefits of Waking Up Early When Learning a Language

The Benefits of Waking Up Early When Learning a Language Photograph by Nomao Saeki It’s 6am and you think you have the entire day to wake up in light of the fact that you don’t have classes or work today. At that point is 10 am and you are still in bed†¦ 1 pm and you feel like a zombie desiring for food†¦ then is past the point of no return go to the market, you haven’t cleaned up yet and presto. Its 6pm and you have lost the light of the day. Welcome to apathetic Saturdays! It's obvious, it’s reality demonstrated that the mind works better in the mornings and it’s so evident that we don’t set out to squander it†¦ we are so overprotecting it that we rather don’t use it (truly?). When learning a language, you need, you should exploit this reality! Exploit time! This doesn’t imply that you won’t have a languid day, but instead to have a profitable day. In the event that you get up ahead of schedule, you will possess energy for everything and afterward you can take a nap†¦ or more all, you’ll feel that you have achieved something else. View what a gainful day is: 6am you wake up, go for a run†¦. 7 am you get into the shower and have breakfast. 8 am you begin setting up your material†¦ by 10 in the first part of the day you previously went more than two exercises and saw some new things that you didn’t see a day or two ago in class. By 12:00 you have invigorated your insight and now it’s time to eat (you can enjoy a long reprieve and a 30 minutes nap)†¦ You sit back at 3pm and retain some new action words, at four remember new vocabulary†¦. By 6pm you are prepared to watch a film in the language and you will perceive the amount you really discovered that day. The following day, you can simply watch motion pictures or tune in to music, just as attempting to peruse simple books. The Penguin arrangement give you the various alternatives in the various levels. In this way you have a lot of books to peruse. Another helpful thing would be that you additionally tune in to the radio in the language and watch the news. I recall one of my Italian companions who had a lovely Italian inflection, out of nowhere she began talking extremely British to me. It's just plain obvious, she began viewing the TV Series Downton Abbey where all the arrangement occur during the 40s (I should state that I love that show and I even prescribed it to my understudies in the wake of seeing the outcomes on my companion), so she has had refined her hearing and hence getting a handle on her articulation. I for one believe is fantastic how these days individuals have such a great amount of access to various societies. Same transpired of my Belgian companion who was rehearsing Spanish, sort of educated in a squint of an eye by viewing Narcos. The fact of the matter is that you don’t have pardons, however the most significant thing is that in the event that you get up past the point of no return, you will lose t he day and presumably the week, the month, the year. Be shrewd and set your caution early. The previous you get up the more you will achieve. Presently, getting up early implies that you need to hit the hay right on time too, and this is significant on the grounds that your cerebrum needs to rest enough, so you can really utilize it. You don’t need to begin day stumbling without a doubt. Do you recollect how well you used to retain when you were a child? All things considered, back in the days you most likely began classes at 8am or even before right? At that point, individuals began saying it was too soon and now the children go to class at 9am or so†¦ in certain nations. The issue with this is three additional hours and the body begins imparting signs of appetite and there isn’t some other more grounded interruption as this, since eating is a piece of your wellbeing. However, on the off chance that you get up right on time, you will consistently eat on schedule and be truly drained around evening time. That implies that you will truly rest and you will have more space the following day for more jargon, action words, sentence structure rules, and so on. Take a stab at perusing and viewing the news will be something worth being thankful for, on the grounds that the jargon in such things is the thing that we call a ‘secular’ jargon and it’s the every day one you’ll need the most. Additionally is exceptionally elevated requirement. Be that as it may, learn to expect the unexpected. The telecom is promptly in the first part of the day, perhaps this can be your alert. What's more, how would I know this? Since I love learning!

Thursday, July 16, 2020

10 Cold War Books about the Culture and Society

10 Cold War Books about the Culture and Society I am a Cold War junkie. I have always loved spy movies, especially James Bond, and have loved learning, watching, reading Cold War books. In 2014, a documentary, Red Army, came out about the Soviet hockey program; I was riveted…and I don’t even watch hockey in Chicago. Back in another lifetime, I was a student of Latin American modern history, namely the history of the 60s, 70s, and 80s, focusing on Cuba and the Southern Cone (Brazil, Argentina, and Chile). My undergraduate thesis was on La Firme, a Chilean Socialist Comic Book Propaganda that was trying to teach Chileans how to become good socialists. There’s an entire issue on agrarian reform. It was clever and funny. In graduate school, I explored Cuban Poster Propaganda, which is astonishingly beautiful. The list below are ten Cold War books that go beyond the traditional narrative. The first five are history books that lean towards the social and cultural. Political and economic trends are important, but I always am interested in what everyone was else was doing and saying. Some are straight-up academic books, while others are wondrous theoretical texts that need to be better known. Some are in the world of popular history. How to Read Donald Duck: A Guide to Imperialist Ideology in Disney Cartoons by Ariel Dorfman Armand Mattelart This is the oldest text in the bunch from 1971. It’s not a history text but rather a book-long essay about how how Carl Barks’s Disney Cartoons perpetuated the values of capitalism and imperialism. I include it because it’s a brilliant book and and an important text to understand the political environment in Chile (and the rest of Latin America) during the Cold war. It’s a heady read but well worth it. It talks about how success is defined as opening up markets to the world economy or how work is devalued throughout the comics. Sometimes the criticism seem a little far-fetched but others are a little too on the nose. With the reboot of DuckTales, this timeless book is timely again. (Note: I love DuckTales and will watch it!) Satchmo Blows Up the World: Jazz Ambassadors Play the Cold War by Penny Von Eschen This might be one of my favorite history books ever. It details how the State Department exported jazz and jazz musicians to win the hearts and minds of the world. Jazz was seen as a uniquely American art form. But it also deals with the racial politics and how jazz wasn’t accepted before this as an acceptable music form. This text has amazing stories of daring-do. For instance, the time when Louis Armstrong decided to show up at the border without a visa because he wanted to see West Berlin…and he got through. As the then-ambassador explained, he couldn’t even do that. I highly recommend this text. Stalin and the Scientists by Simon Igg David Holloway and Stalin and the Bomb: The Soviet Union and Atomic Energy, 1939-1956 by David Holloway This is a two-fer. Both of these Cold War books deal with the Soviet scientists who were charged with building the atomic bomb for the Soviet Union. Tense stories where these scientists had their careers and lives on the line. Also you get to appreciate the importance of coincidence. The Soviets found out how advanced the Americans were in atomic testing based on a journal article found by a family member in the U.S. who sent the article to his scientist relative. Mastering the Art of Soviet Cooking: A Memoir of Food and Longing by Anya Von Bremzen This book is a memoir of food and growing up in the Soviet Union. Each chapter starts with a different decade in Soviet Union through the lens of cooking. It really opened my eyes to the social realities of the Soviet Union, like the communal kitchens. But what really struck me was the moment when the narrator goes to America and goes to her first grocery store. She was terribly disappointed. You’ll have to read to find out why. Capitalism, God, and a Good Cigar: Cuba Enters the Twenty-first Century by Lydia Chavez, Mimi Chakarova This collection of essays is about postâ€"Cold War Cuba, but it shows how the fall of the Soviet Union had huge impacts on Cuban life. Each chapter deals with different aspects of Cuban life in the aftermath of the fall, like hip hop, cigar making, dance, and so much more. I loved the chapter on the history of ballet in Cuba and the power of Alicia Alonso to make ballet an art form for the masses. Fascinating look at Revolution and post-Cold War Cuban culture. This second list of five books are fiction books that provide other perspectives of the Cold War. Granted, several will lean towards Latin America, given my prior study. Some focus on dictatorships in Latin America, which may seem to have little to do with the Cold War. However, it’s a sadly little-known fact how the U.S. collaborated and conspired with dictators to keep their companies from falling into the hands of socialists or communists. Enjoy these fiction Cold War books. The Ministry of Special Cases by Nathan Englander This work takes place under the brutal dictatorship in Argentina. Kaddish Poznan makes money getting hired by Jewish families to deface Jewish tombstones during a period when Jewish heritage was seen as a liability. His teenage son is a typical rebellious teenager but in the wrong time period. He goes missing and his parents figure out how to get him back. It’s a beautifully written novel about a period that isn’t well known. Soviet Daughter: A Graphic Revolution by Julia Alekseyeva This graphic novel is about Julia Alekseyevas great-grandmother Lola in Russia through the Bolshevik revolution, the worst purges of the Soviet Union, and her eventual migration as a refugee to the U.S. Interspersed with the stories of her great-grandmother is Julia’s own story of figuring out her own life and political consciousness in current day America. A delightful take on living in Soviet Russia. The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende I remember reading this in my first year of college during my reading period in my Latin American Civilization class. I was taking a break from studying and was astonished how the history of this book was identical with the history I had been learning. This novel is about the Trueba family, starting in post-colonial Chile up through the 1973 coup. This is a must-read since it is full of magical realism and surprisingly apt historical analysis. Mafalda by Quino Mafalda is one of most beloved comic book characters of Latin America. Written in a strip comic form from 1964 to 1973, this comic is about a six-year-old girl who comments on Argentine society. Looking at middle class mores, notions of world peace, the rise of authoritarianism, she provides biting commentary on that era of Latin America. She’s got her own plaza and murals inside a train stop in Argentina. Two Underdogs and a Cat: Three Reflections on Communism by Slavenka Drakulic This little book is composed of three short stories, each narrated by an animal about life under communist regimes. I have a soft spot in my heart for the first story about a rodent giving a tour of the Museum of Communism in Prague, Czech Republic. (It’s crazy awesome, located above a McDonalds, on the same floor as a casino, and is open on Christmas day). Each story contemplates the meaning of society under communism and after communism. Is justice possible? Check out this post for even more  books about Latin America and the Cold War,  or for more fiction on the Cold War: I hope you enjoy these unconventional Cold War books!

Thursday, May 21, 2020

The Crimes of Scorecard Killer Randy Kraft

Randolph Kraft, also known as the Scorecard Killer, the Southern California Strangler, and the Freeway Killer, is a  serial rapist, torturer, and killer who was convicted for the mutilation and deaths of at least 16 young males from 1972 through 1983 throughout  California, Oregon, and  Michigan. A cryptic list found at the time of his arrest linking him to 40 additional unsolved murders became known as Krafts Scorecard. Early Life Born on March 19, 1945, in Long Beach, California, Randolph Kraft was the youngest child and only son of four children born to Opal and Harold Kraft. As the baby of the family and the only boy, Kraft was showered with attention from his mother and sisters. However, Krafts father was distant, preferring to spend most of his non-working time with his mother and sister. Krafts childhood was mostly unremarkable. He was, however, prone to accidents. At the age of 1, he fell from a couch and broke his collarbone. A year later, he was knocked unconscious after falling down a flight of stairs but a trip to the hospital determined that there was no permanent damage. Krafts family moved to Midway City in Orange County, California when he was 3. His parents purchased a former Womens Army Corps dormitory located in a commercial zone within 10 miles of the  Pacific Ocean and converted the structure into a three-bedroom home. Although the house was modest, both parents worked to pay the bills. Early Education At the age of 5, Kraft was enrolled in the Midway City Elementary school. Although a working mother, Opal was was a member of the PTA, baked cookies for Cub Scout meetings, and was active at church, making certain that her children received Bible lessons. Kraft excelled at school where he was recognized as an above-average student. In junior high school, he was placed in the advanced curriculum program and continued to maintain excellent grades. It was during these years that his interest in conservative politics grew and he proudly declared himself a diehard Republican. By the time Kraft entered high school, he was the only child still living at home. His sisters had married and moved into homes of their own. Since both his parents worked and were not often around, Kraft was fairly independent. He had his own room, his own car, and money he earned working part-time jobs. Kraft seemed like a typical fun-loving kid. While he was academically gifted, Kraft got along well with his peers. He played the saxophone in the school band, enjoyed tennis, and was a founder and participant in a student club focused on conservative politics. Kraft graduated high school at the age of 18, ranking 10th in his class of 390 students. College Years and Homosexual Awakening During his final year of high school and unbeknownst to his family, Kraft began cruising gay bars. After graduating, Kraft enrolled at Claremont Mens College on a full scholarship where he majored in economics. His interest in conservative politics continued, and he often attended  pro-Vietnam war  demonstrations. Kraft joined the Reserve Officers Training Corps, and in 1964, was a staunch supporter of Republican presidential candidate Barry Goldwater. During his sophomore year of college, Kraft became involved in his first openly homosexual relationship. He also changed his political affiliation from conservative to left-wing liberal. (He would later explain his years as a conservative as merely an effort to be like his parents.) Although Krafts homosexuality was not a secret at Claremont, his family was still unaware of his orientation. In an effort to clue his parents in, Kraft often brought homosexual friends home to meet his family. Remarkably, they failed to make the connection and remained unaware of Krafts sexual preferences. While still in school, Kraft took a part-time job as a bartender at The Mug, a popular gay bar located in Garden Grove. During this time, Krafts sexual appetites flourished. He began cruising for male prostitutes at known pickup spots around Huntington Beach. In 1963, he was arrested after propositioning an undercover police officer but the charges were dropped because Kraft had no previous arrest record. Change in Lifestyle In 1967, Kraft adopted more of a hippie look. He let his hair grow long and started sporting a mustache. He also became a registered  Democrat and worked on the Robert Kennedy campaign. It was at about this time that Kraft also began suffering from recurring headaches and stomach pain. His family doctor prescribed tranquilizers and pain medicine—which he often mixed with beer. Between his bartending job, his own drinking and drugging, his sexual experimentation, and heavy political campaigning efforts, Krafts interest in academia declined. In his final college year, rather than studying, he spent his time getting high, gambling, and hustling. As a result, he didnt graduate on time. It took him eight additional months to earn a Bachelor of Arts in economics, which he received in February 1968. U.S. Air Force and Coming Out In June 1968, after scoring high marks on the Air Force aptitude tests, Kraft enlisted in the U.S. Air Force. He threw himself into his work and quickly advanced to the rank of Airman First Class. It was at this time that Kraft finally decided to come out to his family. His ultra-conservative father flew into a rage. While she did not approve of her sons lifestyle,  Krafts mother continued to show love and support for him. His family eventually came to terms with the news, however, the relationship between Kraft and his parents was never the same. On July 26, 1969, Kraft received a general discharge from the Air Force on medical grounds. He later claimed the discharge came after he told his superiors that he was gay. Kraft briefly moved back home and took a job as a forklift operator and also worked part-time as a bartender—but not for long. Relationships with Jeff Graves and Jeff Seelig In 1971, after deciding to become a teacher, Kraft enrolled at Long Beach State University. While there, he met fellow student Jeff Graves. Kraft moved in with Graves and they stayed together until the end of 1975. It was Graves who introduced Kraft to bondage, drug-enhanced sex, and threesomes. The open relationship between Kraft and Graves grew more volatile as time went on. They frequently argued. Kraft had grown less interested in cruising for one-night stands and was looking to settle down into a monogamous relationship. Graves wanted just the opposite. Kraft met Jeff Seelig at a party in 1976, about a year after he and Graves split up. At 19, Seeling, who worked as an apprentice baker, was 10 years younger than Kraft. Kraft took on the mantle of a mentor in the relationship. He introduced Seelig to the gay bar scene and taught him about cruising a nearby U.S. Marine base for partners to engage in threesomes. Kraft and Seelig advanced in their careers. Eventually, the couple decided to purchase a small home in Long Beach but after Kraft landed a computer job with Lear Siegler Industries, he began spending a lot of time away from home on business trips to Oregon and Michigan. Tensions between the pair grew. The age gap, as well as the disparity in their educational backgrounds, and general personalities differences began to take their toll. The couple split up in 1982. The Tip of the Iceberg: Krafts First Murder Charge On May 14, 1983, two California highway patrol officers spotted a car weaving down the road. The driver was Kraft. The officers signaled for him to pull over but he continued driving for a short distance before coming to a stop. When Kraft finally pulled over, he quickly emerged from the car and walked toward the patrolmen. He smelled of alcohol and his fly was open. After failing a standard field sobriety test, the patrolmen went to take a look at Krafts car, where they found a young man, his pants pulled down and barefoot, slumped over in the passenger seat. The victims genitals were exposed, his neck showed signs of strangulation marks, and his wrists were bound. After a brief examination, it was determined the young man was dead. The victim was identified as a Marine stationed at the El Toro Marine Airbase, 25-year-old Terry Gambrel. Gambrels friends later reported that the young Marine had been hitchhiking to a party on the night he was murdered. His autopsy revealed hed been killed by ligature strangulation, and also indicated that his blood contained excessively high levels of alcohol and tranquilizers. The Scorecard and Other Key Evidence During the search of Krafts vehicle, patrolman found 47 Polaroid photos of young men, all nude, and all appearing to be unconscious—or possibly dead. The photographs were likely viewed by Kraft as trophies he could use to revisit the murders. Perhaps even more alarming was evidence found inside a briefcase taken from the trunk of Krafts car that contained a list of 61 cryptic messages. Investigators came to believe the messages—later dubbed Krafts infamous scorecard—formed a list of Krafts murder victims. Further evidence gathered at Krafts apartment—including clothing owned by victims, fibers from a rug matching fibers found at murder scenes, and Krafts fingerprints were later linked to various unsolved murders. Police also found pictures next to Krafts bed matching three cold-case murder victims. Krafts Modus Operandi All of Krafts known victims were  Caucasian males with similar physical characteristics. Some were gay, some were straight. All were tortured and murdered but the severity of torture varied by degree from victim to victim. Most were drugged and bound; several were mutilated, emasculated, sodomized, and photographed postmortem. The severity of the violence his victims endured seemed to correspond with how Kraft and his lover were getting along at the time of the incident. When Kraft and his lover were on the outs, the victims would often pay the price. Investigators learned that Kraft often traveled to Oregon and Michigan while employed at an aerospace firm from June 1980 through January 1983. Unsolved murders in both areas coincided with the dates that Kraft was there. This, along with decoding some of Krafts cryptic scorecard messages, added to the growing list of Krafts victims. Possible Accomplice Some of the investigators working the case believed Kraft must have had an accomplice. As damning as the evidence was, they couldnt ignore the fact that many of the victims had been pushed out of a car traveling at about 50 miles an hour—a feat that would be next to impossible to do achieve alone. Jeff Graves became the  main person of interest. He and Kraft had lived together during the time that 16 of the known murders took place. Graves backed up Krafts statement to police about his whereabouts on March 30, 1975, the night that 19-year-old Keith Daven Crotwell disappeared. Crotwell and his friend Kent May had gone on a drive with Kraft that evening. Kraft supplied both the teens with drugs and alcohol. Kent passed out in the back seat. Kraft pushed Kent out of the car. Crotwell was never seen alive again. Witnesses who saw May being thrown from the car helped police track Kraft down. When questioned, Kraft maintained that  he and Crotwell went for a drive and that the car had gotten stuck in the mud. He said he called Graves to come help but Graves was 45 minutes away so he decided to walk and  find help. When he returned to the car, Crotwell was gone. Graves corroborated  Krafts story. After Krafts arrest for murder, Graves, then in the advanced stages of AIDS, was questioned again. He told investigators, Im really not going to pay for it, you know. Graves succumbed to his illness before revealing anything incriminating. The Trial Kraft was initially arrested and charged with the murder of Terry Gambrel but as forensic evidence linking Kraft to other murders piled up, additional charges were filed. By the time Kraft went to trial, he was charged with 16 murders, nine counts of sexual mutilation, and three counts of sodomy. Kraft went to trial on September 26, 1988, in what turned out to be one of the longest and most costly trials in the history of Orange County. After 11 days, a jury found him guilty and he was given the death sentence. During the penalty phase of the trial, the state called Krafts first known victim, Joseph Francher to  testify  about the abuse hed suffered at Krafts hands when he was just 13, and how it had impacted his life. Kraft is currently  on death row in San Quentin. In 2000, the California Supreme Court upheld his death sentence.

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

The General Act of the Berlin Conference on West Africa

â€Å"The brown current ran swiftly out of the heart of darkness, bearing us down towards the sea with twice the speed of our upward progress; and Kurtz’s life was running swiftly, too, ebbing, ebbing out of his heart into the sea of inexorable time. . . . Joseph Conrad- Heart of Darkness Introduction The aim of this paper is to analyze the General Act of the Berlin Conference on West Africa (1884-1885) and the partition of Africa among the main European powers, considering its importance for the construction of Europe. The Conference of Berlin was the culmination of a process that began with the presence of European traders in the costal areas of West Africa. The relations between Europe and Africa developed during the age of slave†¦show more content†¦By the beginning of 1880s, only a small part of Africa was under European rule, especially some coastal areas, where European traders had had great influence since the 16th century. At the end of the 19th century, the changes on the European political relations and the tension between the great European powers influenced their policy towards Africa. The Conference of Berlin changed the relation between European powers and Africa, and had also important consequences for both continents. The reasons for the Euro pean powers to proceed with the partition of Africa, and change from an informal dominium to a formal colonial policy, has been a topic of extensive research and debates among scholars. Furthermore, the creation of colonial empires has been interpreted in different ways according to different authors and theoretical traditions: on one hand, it has been seen as new era of national expansion, in which political and economic aspects were no longer separable, and the role of the state had increased; and on the other, as a new phase of capitalist development . Most of the partition of Africa, (also called scramble) took place on a short period of time, between the Berlin West Africa Conference of 1884-5 and a series of agreements in 1890 . For the 19th century mentality, the colonial project seemed natural and even inevitable. There are many explanations for this fact.Show MoreRelatedIn The Late Nineteenth Century, Fourteen Countries Attended1672 Words   |  7 Pagescountries attended a conference in Berlin to settle disputes over colonized land in the Congo Basin of Africa. Attendees spent months sitting around a table, which at the center laid an inaccurate map of the African continent. Here, they determined each country s claim and divided the continent based on resources, location, and convenience for the European Powers without a single African leader present. The product of this conference, The General Act of the 1885 Conference of Berlin, created the parametersRead MoreScramble For Afric Summary Essay1537 Words   |  7 PagesScramble for Africa Yinka Shonibare MBE Christina: When you picture Africa, what do you see? Some may answer that they see the wide open plains of the Savannah and the immense diversity of animals that inhabit it. Others may envision the huge thriving cities in South Africa where tourists often visit to enjoy the beaches or take a stroll through a national park. 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Prior to the world war two, there were tensions between the USSR and the USA over the refusal of the Americans to recognize the government of the BolshevikRead MoreHow Did Imperialism Effect The Areas Of Africa, China, And India?1615 Words   |  7 PagesEffects of Imperialism How did imperialism effect the areas of Africa, China, and India? Imperialism is the act of a strong nation overtaking a smaller, weaker nation. There are many reasons why imperialism occurs, including motives from an economic standpoint, as well as just a way to show and achieve power. There were both positive and negative effects to imperialism, with the loss of many original citizens, but gaining different ways of life through cultural diffusion. For instance, many EuropeanRead MoreImpact Of The Imperial Rule On West African Politics Essay1550 Words   |  7 PagesSenegal History Despite its small size, Senegal is an important player in West African politics. It has had a long history, from its days as a collection of tribal kingdoms, to its existence under French rule and eventual decolonization, to its place today as a model of peaceful democracy (â€Å"it is one of the few African states that has managed to avoid military or political coups since its independence in 1960† (Anderson, 2013)). Senegal has retained much of its traditional African values as wellRead MoreScramble Africa And The Aftermath Essay2328 Words   |  10 PagesScrambling Africa and the Aftermath. One common phenomenon between many nations of the world is the colony. The United States, Canada, South Korea, Niger, India, Kenya, Australia, and the Republic of South Africa and more shared the pros and cons of colonial systems. They are all former colonies to the extent that India, Nigeria, South Africa, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand are members of the Commonwealth, they are former colonies of the United Kingdom and they all continue to concede the nominalRead MoreCatal Hyuk2725 Words   |  11 PagesNile River Congo River Niger River Egyptian Kingdom Nubian Kingdom Kushian Kingdom Mediterranean Red Sea Anatolia Phoenicia Lake Chad Equator â€Å"Punt† Mesopotamia Memphis Sub-Saharan Africa Meroe Cairo West Africa East Africa CHAPTER FOUR: Early Societies in South Asia IDENTITIES: Aryans Ecological Degradation Republic Varna Jati Social Mobility Ritual Sacrifices Upanishads Samsara Mokasha Harappans VedasRead MoreThe Country Of Belgium : An Ambitious King Of The Conquest Of Africa1767 Words   |  8 Pages10 percent of Africa was under European rule, but by 1900 more than 90 percent was controlled by a European country. Belgium was about as strong as the three less dominant Western powers of Portugal, Italy, and Germany, but was able to manipulate people, prices, and circumstances to level itself with those major powers above it such as Britain and France, who worked together to draw out their own maps of the â€Å"dark continent† to prevent conflict in the midst of the conquest of Africa. Europeans had

Use of a Thrust Stage in Ruby Moon Free Essays

The texts studied in class, Matt Cameron’s Ruby Moon prove to have great potential for being performed on a thrust stage. When presented with a space such as this, it allows the director to be exposed to a vast array of ideas, conventions and concepts that would not be effective on a proscenium arch stage. Through this space, the director is able to break through all traditional styles of classic shoe box theatre; creating a unique experience for the audience as opposed to just a spectacle. We will write a custom essay sample on Use of a Thrust Stage in Ruby Moon or any similar topic only for you Order Now It cracks open wide the expressions, notions and insecurities of the text and the characters, exposing a physical sense of vulnerability and weakness. By placing audiences on three sides of the space evolves the concept of many people peering into the lives of both Ray and Sylvie (Ruby Moon). It enforces the concept of the audience being given the opportunity to experience this fractured fairy tale or very real circumstance within a theatrical scenario. Furthermore, this space enables the audience to be engulfed in the style and absurdist, gothic, fast-paced and heart wrenching Ruby Moon. Many may be turned away from the idea of political theatre/ Brechtian but when placed on a thrust stage, the texts still obtain the same concepts and dramatic meaning, however elements of drama such as tension, space, contrast, mood and audience/spectator relationship are magnified; focusing more on the conventions of the play as opposed to just the messages. Theatrical elements such as costume, set and lighting also have the opportunity to be re-worked and re-invented to cater for the space. Ruby Moon delivers a series of quirky characters that Ray and Sylvie visit along the street of Flaming Tree Grove. Incorporating the style of transformational acting. Read also:Â  Moon By Chaim Potok How to cite Use of a Thrust Stage in Ruby Moon, Essay examples

Saturday, April 25, 2020

When Organizational Behavior Needs Changes Summaries of Articles

Tuckman’s Model and the Opportunities It Offers: Small Group Development Considering Tuckman’s model of stages of group development, Bonebright considers the model in relation to the development of smaller groups within an organization. It is essential that Bonebright not only provides an account of the model suggested by Tuckman, but also does so from the historical perspective.Advertising We will write a custom article sample on When Organizational Behavior Needs Changes: Summaries of Articles specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More According to the results of the research, the model suggested by Tuckman has stood the test of time, providing â€Å"practical perspective and commonsense approach† (Bonebright, 2010, 118). As Bonebright mentions, the given model can be considered timeless, since it introduces an approach that is likely to work in most small groups of employees: â€Å"unlikely that a model with similar impact will come out of the new literature† (Bonebright 119). Despite the fact that Bonebright does not establish any revolutionary discoveries in the article, she still offers an honest and detailed account of the theory that seemed to have worn out its welcome several years before. Jiatao’s Factional Groups and the Rearrangement of Organizational Behavior Unlike the previously mentioned paper, in which no major groundbreaking ideas are offered, the article by Jiatao and Hambrick suggests a new phenomenon for consideration, namely, the one of factual groups. According to the authors of the research, factual groups are groups of people who constitute two or more social entities. Hence, the authors offer a new means to considering the conflicts within a group of employees, and, therefore, new methods to solve these conflicts. Analyzing the relationship between the factual faultiline size, two different types of conflicts emerging in a factional group, i.e., emotional co nflicts and task conflicts, and the following behavioral disintegration, the authors of the research make it evident that â€Å"in factional groups, large demographic fault-lines between factions will bring about task conflict and emotional conflict, and in turn behavioral disintegration† (Jiatao Hambrick, 2005, 800). The given paper is essential in learning the nature of conflicts within groups of employees and searching for the means to solve these conflicts. Discussing the Reasons for a Workplace Deviant Behavior: Kantur’s Theoretical Premises There is no secret that, though workplace behavior can and must be regulated according to the rules of the company, the actual behavior of the employees can sometimes leave much to be desired. Kantur considers the instances of workplace deviant behavior, detecting the key factors that contribute to the instances of the corporate behavioral rules and lead to deviant behavior among the employees. The researcher specifies nine q uestions, the answers to which help identify the source of the problem within the team of employees.Advertising Looking for article on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More According to Kantur, there are two key issues that lead to poor performance of a group of employees, which are emotional conflicts and behavioral disintegration. As Kantur’s research results show, most difficulties arise in the least homogenous teams, especially if the variables are either gender or ethnics (Kantur 809). The given paper shows in a very graphic way the specifics of relationships among employees, as well as the levels of adjustment among the latter. Virtuousness and Happiness as the Cornerstones of Successful Performance Of all assets of a typical employee, organizational virtuousness and content are seemingly less important than the ability to provide quality services on time. However, when considering the given issue a little bit closer, one will have to admit that the employees’ state of mind has quite an impact on the quality of services which they deliver. Hence, dealing with such issues as organizational virtuousness and happiness and their impact on employees’ performance and the citizenship behaviors, Rego, Ribeiro Cunha contribute considerably to defining the relationships between the organizational virtuousness and the affective well-0being of the employees. Speaking of the key research results, one will have to mention the five-factor model which Rego, Ribeiro Cunha have introduced. According to the authors of the research, there are several elements that make together the bulk for employees’ job satisfaction and the feeling of comfort, namely, optimism, trust, compassion, integrity, and forgiveness, which together make organizational virtuousness. As the researchers explain, with the help of the given elements, the atmosphere in a team can be improved significantl y. Meanwhile, in the team with none of the above-mentioned present, the productivity will soon be reduced to zero. The given paper helps to understand that efficient leadership system is supposed to take into account not only the needs and wants of the entire team, but also the ambitions of every single member in particular, making sure that each of the employees is perfectly content with his position and his job. Once there is a single discrepancy and an uncomfortable element in the working process, the productivity can be hindered. With the help of the results of the given research, one can build an efficient strategy for improving the current performance of the employees. Offering a detailed account of the factors that impact the quality of employees’ work, Rego, Ribeiro Cunha help shape the idea of an appropriate organizational behavior standard.Advertising We will write a custom article sample on When Organizational Behavior Needs Changes: Summaries of Articles spe cifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Reference List Bonebright, D. (2010) A. 40 years of storming: a historical review of Tuckman’s model of small group development. Human Resource Development International, 13(1), 111-120. Jiatao, L. Hambrick, D. C. (2005). Factional groups: A new vantage on demographic faultlines, conflict, and disintegration in work teams. Academy of Management Journal, 48(5), 794-813. Kantur, D. (2010). Emotional motives and attitudinal reflections of workplace deviant behavior. The Business Review, 14(2), 70-77. Rego, A., Ribeiro, N., Cunha, M. P. (2009). Perceptions of organizational virtuousness and happiness as predictors of organizational citizenship behaviors. Journal of Business Ethics, 93, 215-235. This article on When Organizational Behavior Needs Changes: Summaries of Articles was written and submitted by user Cynthia M. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.