The Significance of D-Day :: essays research papers

D-Day Description Before I begin I must tell you of the start of World War II. August 1939, Hitler sends a secret telegram to Joseph Stalin, the Soviet leader. In the secret telegram Hitler writes that the tension between Germany and Poland is unbearable. Stalin replies to Hitler a few days later with his word that he will not interfere with their plans. Britain and France here about this and warns Hitler that if Germany invades Poland that they are prepared to go to war. On September, 1st Germany, using blitzkrieg tactics, invades Poland. The Poles, being very unprepared, suffer the ferocity of the Germany?s attack. Two days later Britain and France declare war against the Axis. This would be the beginning of WWII. In order to tell you about D-Day, I must tell of the events that led up to it. In 1942 the British were being pressured by leaders of the United Sates to commence a massive attack against Germany across the English Channel into occupying France by the spring of 1943. Hesitantly, ?Operation Roundup? was scheduled to commence in 1943 by the British. Soon after, the British realized that the massive cross-channel attack required an extremely more abundant amount of massive forces, ships, landing craft and supplies. This changed the course for British allied forces from France to an attack against the Germans in North Africa. This would be a victory on the allies? part in May 1943. This victory delayed the battle of D-Day by a year and affected it in another way as well. Even though the German Field Marshal Erwin Rommel had lost the battle in North Africa, people still regarded him as a hero. An invasion across the English Channel was well known by the Nazis. Therefore Rommel wa s tasked with ultimate responsibility for defending Northern France, Belgium and Holland against the allies. Rommel, with pride, willingly made improvements to defence and artillery stations such as casements along the coast and attempted to predict the Allies next move. Although the Allies invasion plans were well underway, they were unsure whether a cross-channel invasion would be possible in the spring of 1943. Under Sir Frederick E Morgan?s command a planning team was assembled to study the possibilities in March 1943. By this time the Americans were becoming more impatient. By June 1943, German U-boats had been largely destroyed by Allied anti-submarine sea and air and had withdrawn from the North Atlantic.

leagalize the green :: essays research papers

Seth Ingram   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The wide ranging and imposing site of Dover Castle in Kent, England has been used in various forms as a defensive stronghold for over two thousand years (Microart ). Many years before the Normans ever arrived in 1066 to make the Dover castle we see today, this high land above the English Channel was the location of an Iron Age hill fort, which set the mold for the fortifications still visible today (Microart ). The Dover Castle at Kent has undergone many additions and reconstructions over its years, such as the great grandson of William the Conqueror, Henry II’s expansion in 1170 (Castles of Wales Web Site, www.castlewales.com). It is the best castle ever built, and its use extended into the 1940’s when it played still big roll in WWII. Dover has evolved much over it years, and its strategically positioned to be right in all of the action.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Most all buildings are created to serve a single purpose, a bank, a hotel, a factory, a school, ect. A castle however does not meet this mold, it can be many things a military base, a seat of government, a court and a stronghold for the surrounding region, in certain cases it filled all of these roles at once. However, a castle was generally the private residence of its owner. Castle were a product of the period, they were built in a time period that was not safe, but a castle offered some safety. It is important to note that very few of the many castles ever built assume the forms of castles that we see today. It should also be made to realize that generally castle life was quiet and peaceful. Most castles were owned by the nobility and the lives lived in them were not as portrayed in movies. As the close of the medieval period comes to pass, and stability seems to become a more constant factor, many castles lay more stress on the comforts of life, rather than th e defense of it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Today’s castles first came to England in 1066 with William the Conqueror. Castles were the means by which he was able to conqueror England so successfully. By putting up these castles he was able to suppress any type of uprising that might occur. These first Norman castles were hurriedly put up to secure their foot hold in England, so as you can imagine they are not quite as glamorous as the giant heaping stone structures we see today.

Are You Unique? (for Cloning) :: essays research papers fc

You have been told that you are unique. The belief that there is no one else like you in the whole world has made you feel special and proud. In the near future, this belief may not be true. The world was stunned by the news in the summer of 1995, when a British embryologist named Ian Wilmut, and his research team, successfully cloned Dolly the sheep using the technique of nuclear transfer. Replacing the DNA of one sheep’s egg with the DNA of another sheep’s udder created Dolly. Plants and lower forms of animal life have been successfully cloned for many years, but before Wilmut's announcement, it had been thought by many to be unlikely that such a procedure could be performed on larger mammals and life forms. The world media was immediately filled with heated discussions about the ethical implications of cloning. Some of the most powerful people in the world have felt compelled to act against this threat. President Clinton swiftly imposed a ban on federal funding for human-cloning research. Bills were put in the works in both houses of Congress to outlaw human cloning because it was deemed as a fundamentally evil thing that must be stopped. But what, exactly, is bad about it? From an ethical point of view, it is difficult to see exactly what is wrong with cloning human beings. The people who are afraid of cloning tend to assume that someone would, for example, break into Napoleon's Tomb, steal some DNA and make a bunch of emperors. In reality, infertile people who use donated sperm, eggs, or embryos would probably use cloning. Do the potential harms outweigh the benefits of cloning? From what we know now, they don't. Therefore, we should not rush placing a ban on a potentially useful method of helping infertile, genetically at-risk, homosexual, or single people to become parents. Do human beings have a right to reproduce? No one has the moral right to tell another person that they should not be able to have children, and I don't see why Bill Clinton has that right either. If humans have a right to reproduce, what right does society have to limit the means? Essentially all reproduction done these days is with medical help at delivery, and even before. Truly natural human reproduction would make pregnancy-related death the number one killer of adult women. Some forms of medical help are more invasive than others.

Business Strategy And Economics

Abstract This paper is focused on the importance of disruptive innovation as described in the teaching of Professor Clayton Christensen.The first part of the paper introduces a business report of Christensen’s theory on disruptive innovation. The focus is on major assumptions of this theory, as they are applied to the performance of one of the leading European airline companies, Ryanair. Moreover, the second part of the paper outlines a plan that clarifies how the professor’s teaching enhances the potential of individuals to move forward to a sustainable and successful future based on the model of disruptive innovation. Introduction The theory on disruptive innovation has gained adequate importance in the global business environment. Introduced by Professor Clayton Christensen, this theory emphasises that companies should refocus their capacities and resources on technology in order to achieve a sustainable competitive advantage and growth in particular market segments (Christensen et al., 2008). Disruptive innovation is a powerful tool to drive the expansion of companies that are concerned with the attainment of long-term success (Christensen, 1997). The objective of this paper is to provide a business report on the theory of disruptive innovation as applied in the case of Ryanair, as well as to outline a plan of how the professor’s teaching can lead to developing of a sustainable and successful future, as human beings. Business Report In The Innovator’s Dilemma, Clayton Christensen (1997) introduced his distinct concept on disruptive innovation. Disruptive innovations are usually initiated as versions of products and services that already exist in the market, but they are identified as less desirable due to the aspect of lower quality. However, such products and services tend to improve with time and thus gain recognition among major customer population (Christensen et al., 2008). The conceptual framework of disruptive innovation is based on opportunity recognition, which is associated with the generation of useful ideas through implementing a past, present and future approach. The importance of considering past events have been acknowledged as a way to understand the specificity of how certain innovations have occurred (Cortez, 2014). Awareness of current trends in a particular business sector should be maintained in order to demonstrate disruptive innovation. Moreover, presenting possible scenarios is ano ther essential step of this approach that could help companies gain a strong competitive advantage (Christensen, 1997). Disruptive innovations can be perceived as ‘factor changers’ in the sense that they shape the markets into which specific products and services are introduced (Govindarajan et al., 2011). Therefore, disruptive innovations can refer to any product or service that has successfully altered dimensions of behaviour or technology in a particular market. It can be indicated that disruptive innovation usually characterises as low-end innovation and new market innovation (Christensen et al., 2008). Low-end innovation takes place when leaders tend to implement a strategy of over-supplying the needs of their customers with substantial technological capability or services that they may not actually need. As a result, a vacuum is created within such low-end market, which in turn reflects in a situation where customers with low demands are more likely to achieve their goals at lower cost (Jang, 2013). This aspect illustrates the validity of the theory on disruptive innovation consider ing the numerous examples of successful companies that have relied on this strategy, including Apple, Ryanair, and Rolls Royce. The second type of disruptive innovation, new market innovation, is focused on the formation of a new niche of customers by the introduction of new products or services. Individuals can be facilitated to complete certain procedures or processes that have been previously identified as challenging or quite demanding in terms of requiring a wide range of skills and knowledge (Christensen, 1997). However, established organisations usually demonstrate a trend to ignore the growth of new markets because of the prevailing conception that such markets are low margin. Similarly to low-end disruptive innovation, new market innovation indicates the importance of enhancing product offerings and expanding product niches (Habtay, 2012). Emphasis is put on attracting customers away from recognised or established products and services. Substantial disruption takes place as a direct result of this process, as the newly introduced products and services have the power to change the existing market on a permanent basis (Maldonado, 2014). The theory of disruptive innovation is valid because of the focus it maintains on the capacity of companies to refocus on technology advancements to optimise their performance. An example of the theory on disruptive innovation in practice can be found in the business operations of Ryanair. In the 1990s, leading airline European companies in the industry decided that the opportunities arising from the implementation of a low-cost strategy do not present a substantial threat to their market (Paton, 2013). Yet, newcomers in the European airline industry, such as EasyJet, applied the example of Ryanair’s point-to-point strategy. A direct outcome of this initiative was the creation of a low-cost niche market, which led to significant shifts in market behaviour as well as technology utilisation (Maldonado, 2014). It can be suggested that such niche of customers have realised the importance of Ryanair’s strategy even though they have not been identified as regular flyers. In addition, the low-cost and no frills strategy soon started to attract a considerable number of business travellers, who demonstrated a rapid switch from high-cost airline compani es to low-cost airlines (Christensen et al., 2008). This has been done with the assumption that low-cost airlines have significantly improved their service as a result of the implementation of disruptive innovation principles (Habtay, 2012). Such aspect demonstrates the validity of the theory considering its successful application to expanding companies’ growth in new markets. Ryanair has succeeded in the creation of a new market of budget travellers, which represents an example of the theory on disruptive innovation. The basic of such success was to offer routes to customers that no other airline did at rather competitive, affordable prices. The main aspect of disruptive innovation is to refocus technology use (Paton, 2013). This has helped the airline to maintain a close contact with its customers through optimisation of the internet use, commitment to quality, and safety maintenance and adequately focused criteria for growth. Ryanair has achieved its objective to reduce its operation cost through maximising its use of technical advances, as it introduced the options of booking of tickets and issuing of boarding cards online (Schmidt and Druehl, 2008). This airline company has provided a relevant example of how its operational teams and processes are brought together to deliver innovation in specific target niches. It has been assumed that the innovation introduced by Ryanair is desired by the target niche market (Habtay, 2012). Therefore, it can be argued that innovation levels should be maintained in balance in order to achieve the company’s initially presented goals for growth and expansion. As illustrated in Professor Clayton’s theory on disruptive innovation, an emergent strategy that organisations should adopt should be based on essential principles. Initially, companies that consider the option of disruptive innovation should incorporate elements of learning into their strategy plan (Paton, 2013). Furthermore, organisations should be focused on finding relevant information that can guarantee that they move in the right direction, similarly to what Ryanair did in the European airline industry through its adherence to the disruptive innovation model (Schmidt and Druehl, 2008). As a result, this type of innovation can produce long-term catalytic change, as illustrated in the example of Ryanair. The way in which a new technology addresses the demands presented in an existing customer segment is an important condition for success. Existing customers have been found powerful to affect an organisation’s resource allocation process (Christensen et al., 2008). The basic idea behind the application of disruptive innovation in practice is to introduce new functions or attributes, as Ryanair introduced a low-cost strategy and flexible fares to its customers (Petrick and Martinelli, 2012). A significant assumption can be provided in relation to new market disruptive innovation in the sense that it is more likely to prosper among customers that companies have not been addressed previously. As implied in The Innovator’s Dilemma, Professor Clayton’s theory of disruptive innovation illustrates both the strengths and weaknesses of using financial ratios to measure business performance in both the short-term and long-term (Christensen, 1997). The strengths associated with using these ratios refer to the capacity of companies to use specific financial information to advance their business operations. Weaknesses of these ratios include improperly maintained focus or irrelevant or inaccurate financial details. The most important ratios with regards to Professor Clayton’s theory are the following profitability ratios: Return on Capital Employed (ROCE); Current Ratio and Acid Test Ratio (Christensen et al., 2008). The ratio of RONA presents a comparison of net income with the specific net assets. The ratio of ROCE provides significant information about the returns that an organisation achieves from the capital it employed. In the case of Ryanair, the company’s ROCE ratio indicated a significant increase from 6.86% in 2011 to more than 10% in 2013 before tax (Paton, 2013). The formula for calculating the current ratio is to divide current assets and current liabilities. Therefore, Ryanair’s current ratio in 2013 is 1.97:1. Acid test ratio is obtained through subtracting current assets and inventory and the result is divided with current liabilities (Habtay, 2012). The acid test ratio in 2013 is 1.97:1. These ratios indicate that the company performs well in its niche target market as a result of the introduction of disruptive innovation. Plan Professor Clayton’s teaching provides fundamental business ideas that can help individuals move forward to a sustainable and successful future, as human beings. His concepts reinforce the potential of professionals in the business world to bring about a substantial change that can alter positively their lives (Christensen et al., 2008). When human beings are confronted with new technological innovations, they tend to explore the numerous opportunities associated with such technology advancements that can help them become more successful in their operations. Sustainability emerges as an essential dimension in Clayton’s teaching on disruptive innovation (Petrick and Martinelli, 2012). By finding new markets for new technologies, individuals can help companies move in the right direction through adhering to the model of disruptive innovation (Christensen et al., 2008). Technology is the key to a sustainable and successful future for human beings considering the emphasis on improvement in product performance. There has been always a drive to seek improvement of products and services in any market segment. Clayton’s teaching motivates individuals to restructure their thinking and present distinct inferences regarding the application of disruptive innovation models in practice (Chandra and Yang, 2011). In fact, the model suggested by the professor indicates a proven path to achieving a sustainable and successful future based on the concept of disruptive innovation. The ability of human beings to innovate is leading in the contemporary business world, which is oriented towards long-term success. Clayton’s ideas are focused on presenting a realistic framework according to which sustainable is achievable as well as new innovations address current needs and expectations identified in different markets (Christensen et al., 2008). As Clayton a rgued, market leaders are responsible for embracing such innovations and exploit the numerous advantages of technologies. As a result, this would contribute to the emergence of a high level of sustainability in the dynamic business environment (Maldonado, 2014). The model introduced by Professor Clayton provides managers with an opportunity to offer relevant insights into the most appropriate way of utilising disruptive technologies. The professor presents his arguments in a clear, consistent manner, which helps individuals understand the specificity and applicability of his theory (Christensen, 1997). The emergence of particular value networks is in line with the basic idea to refocus on technology through the distinct model of disruptive innovation (Petrick and Martinelli, 2012). Moreover, Professor Clayton emphasises the necessity to discuss different managerial decisions, which contribute to enhanced sustainability in the business world. Moving to a sustainable and successful future may be challenging for human beings, but they can make a sense of all activities pertaining to disruptive innovation and apply them in practice. This can help individuals realise the potential and practicalities of the ideas shared by Professor Clayton (Habtay, 2012). Emphasis on the learning cycle shows that both individuals and companies can embrace the concept of change, which may contribute to expanding sustainability not only in the organisational context but also in society (Christensen et al., 2008). The professor’s teaching is intended to clarify any misunderstanding related to business performance in the contemporary world. His ideas suggest that sustainability and business success are attainable through the simple realisation of companies’ potential (Christensen, 1997). In addition, the development of new capabilities as related to specific organisational boundaries may be a relevant solution to overcome problems i n a company’s performance. Conclusion This paper discussed Professor Clayton Christensen’s theory on disruptive innovation, which has been recognised as a significant tool in driving the growth of many organisations (Christensen et al., 2008). The paper also provided arguments pertaining to the successful implementation of the theory in practice. Ryanair was referred to as an example of company, which adheres to the model of disruptive innovation (Paton, 2013). It has been concluded that Ryanair’s low-cost strategy has brought substantial success to the company. Moreover, the paper discussed details on how the professor’s teaching is inspiring for human beings in the process of moving forward to a sustainable and successful future. References Chandra, Y. and Yang, S. (2011). ‘Managing Disruptive Innovation’. Journal of General Management, vol. 37(2), pp.23-50. Christensen, C., Johnson, C. W. and Horn, M. B. (2008). Disrupting Class: How Disruptive Innovation Will Change the Way the World Learns. New York: McGraw-Hill. Christensen, C. (1997). The Innovator’s Dilemma: When New Technologies Cause Great Firms to Fail. Boston: Harvard Business Review Press. Cortez, N. (2014). ‘Regulating Disruptive Innovation’. Berkeley Technology Law Journal, vol. 29(1), pp.175-228. Govindarajan, V., Kopalle, P. K. and Danneels, E. (2011). ‘The Effects of Mainstream and Emerging Customer Orientations on Radical and Disruptive Innovations’. Journal of Product Innovation Management, (1), pp.121-132. Habtay, S. R. (2012). ‘A Firm-Level Analysis on the Relative Difference between Technology-Driven and Market-Driven Disruptive Business Model Innovations’. Creativity & Innovation Management, vol. 21(3), pp.290-303. Jang, S. W. (2013). ‘Seven Disruptive Innovations for Future Industries’. SERI Quarterly, vol. 6(3), pp.94-98. Maldonado, E. R. (2014). ‘How to Identify Disruptive New Businesses’. Global Conference on Business & Finance Proceedings, vol. 9(1), pp.510-520. Paton, M. (2013). Ryanair Profits Soar 21% [online]. The Motley Fool. Available at: http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2013/01/28/ryanair-profits-soars.aspx [Accessed: 14 August 2014]. Petrick, I. J. and Martinelli, R. (2012). ‘Driving Disruptive Innovation’. Research Technology Management, vol. 55(6), pp.49-57. Schmidt, G. M. and Druehl, C. T. (2008). ‘When Is a Disruptive Innovation Disruptive?’ Journal of Product Innovation Management, vol. 25(4), pp.347-369.

The Santa Rosa Philharmonic Youth Symphony

The Santa Rosa Philharmonic Youth Symphony Elizabeth Tirado HSM/270 5/14/2011 Arin Norris The Santa Rosa Philharmonic Youth Symphony Overview of the Program The Santa Rosa Symphony was founded in 1927 with 35 musicians playing at the local Elks Club. In October of 1994, the Santa Rosa Philharmonic Youth Symphony (SRPYS) was formed. The Santa Rosa Philharmonic Youth Symphony has been providing musical training and performance opportunities for young musicians, ranging from ages as young as nine to 23. For over 50 years. The education programs of the Santa Rosa Philharmonic Symphony are made possible by the many committed people to ensuring music is available to the young people of Sonoma County. The mission of the Santa Rosa Philharmonic Youth Symphony is to inspire the residents with finest musical performances and educational program while maintaining organizational strength, fiscal responsibility and community service. The Santa Rosa Philharmonic Youth Symphony Outreach Program includes; free concerts for the youth of the community, bringing music to elementary schools that do not have a music program, and performing for the elderly who might not have the ability to leave their homes to attend concerts. Music can have a huge impact on a child’s future and can help to improve their self-esteem and leadership skills. The Santa Rosa Philharmonic Youth Symphony educates and helps young musicians improve on their skills which enable them to achieve their highest potential and appreciation for classical music. The auditions for the Santa Rosa Philharmonic Youth Symphony are held every year in June. Many young musicians participate, but few are accepted into the Santa Rosa Philharmonic Youth Symphony. Those students that are accepted face a challenging and difficult repertoire. Excellence in leadership is rewarded with scholarships. The young musician that is accepted will obtain lessons on professionalism, education, and integrity The Santa Rosa Philharmonic Youth Symphony that will continue even after the student’s completion of the music program. The Santa Rosa Philharmonic Youth Symphony along with local and regional music and arts organizations show in a planned effort the importance of music and arts in all levels of education and government. Finding Your Target Population The target population of the Santa Rosa Philharmonic Youth Symphony is the young musician who live in the Santa Rosa county; especially those who have musical experience. The Santa Rosa Philharmonic Youth Symphony is a non-profit, performing arts, community based organization. The Santa Rosa Philharmonic Youth Symphony relies on donor support to fund and maintain its musical, educational, and community programs. The National Endowment for the Arts, the California Arts Council, the Sonoma County Advertising Fund, and the City of Santa Rosa are among the donors of the Santa Rosa Philharmonic Youth Symphony. Local businesses can show their support by contributing flyers and posting concert performances. Needs and Assessments The central focus of the Santa Rosa Philharmonic Youth Symphony is to inspire young musicians to appreciate the musical arts, develop self-esteem and leadership qualities, enrich the quality of life for the Santa Rosa community, and form bonds with fellow students and staff members that may last a lifetime. The youth of the community has the opportunity to be supported by not only the faculty, but the facility, which allows the youth to achieve their dreams. Both qualitative and quantitative methods show where the program needs improving, what the program is doing to make the improvements, and input on what the stakeholders expectation are for the program. The Santa Rosa Philharmonic Youth Symphony Whether the organization is for profit or non-profit, large or small funding is always a problem. To overcome the dilemma of funding, the Santa Rosa Philharmonic Youth Symphony relies on donor support to continue the mission statement. The grant the Santa Rosa Philharmonic Youth Symphony receives from organizations provides the community and schools with free concerts. Local and regional business donors can enrich their business by investing in the cultural environment of the community. The support from staff, families of students and volunteers who help to make the program successful are ever present to assist in any fashion that will benefit the Santa Rosa Philharmonic Youth Symphony. There will always be needs that have to be met, the problem is the cost. Due to budget cuts nationwide, the students in the Santa Rosa and Sonoma County area who attend elementary and middle school have lost their music department, which leaves the student without the opportunity to appreciate, learn, and gather knowledge of music. Students must wait until they reach high school or college to participate in any music program; unless the student has been tutored privately, which is costly, the student will most likely lose interest in music. If the school has not any music program or offer after school activities for the student, that student will find other ways to occupy their time. Many students will succumb to negative influences such as gangs and drugs if there is a lack of positive activities for the student to participate in. The concern of community leaders and members was the lack of music programs would set students behind other students who attend schools that have an active music program. Since The Santa Rosa Philharmonic Youth Symphony any families cannot afford private music lessons for their children, a project was developed which educates students and supports music education, appreciation, and motivate students to fulfill their potential. Not all young musicians that audition are accepted. For those musicians that are not chosen for enrollment are still able to participate in other aspects of the program. Their involvement will keep the musician interested and open up new opportunities to learn different types of music while still practicing their own music skills. Planning and Developing If you were to ask any staff member of an organization how they feel about program planning, there would be many unhappy faces. Program planning is by far the hardest task of developing an effective program that will please the stakeholders. This process is known as being time-consuming, labor intensive and undesirable assignment with many hours of staff time involved. Some organization hire outside evaluators, while some organizations have in house evaluators. Program planning answers the questions of who’s, what’s, when’s why, where’s, and how’s of a program. The writing of a program plan must be clear and concise, define the mission, goals, and objectives of the program that will satisfy the stakeholders. Once the program plan is submitted, a funding source must be found, the needs and problems organized, and an evaluation plan is implemented to ensure that the program is doing what they set out to do and continue to meet the needs of the target population. Once the budget is established, most programs will address the issue of staff recruitment and the hiring and training of new staff members. It is in the best interest of the program to hire individuals that have experience and knowledge of what the program wants to accomplish. The Santa Rosa Philharmonic Youth Symphony When staff member have the knowledge of the program’s mission and are enthusiastic, the program will prosper. The target population is identified through surveys and input from the community and school officials. Student participation can be useful in evaluating the program, since the program already has community support. As with some businesses, they are only as good as their reputation. Word-of-mouth can be a valuable tool. Recruiting students who have not been exposed to classical music can be easily done through the program outreach efforts. These outreach efforts include complimentary tickets given to school music teachers and their students, bringing free concerts to the elderly and homebound members of the community, and performing concerts for the disadvantage youth of the community. The program is also partners with elementary schools in bringing music to the music experience to schools that have lost their music program. Staff members and students are also evaluated by progress reports and attendance records filled out by their instructors. The evaluation report of the program is available on a bi-annual basis and is reviewed by staff members, community leaders, and members of the Board of Directors. This evaluation is done to reassure that the program is continuing to meet their mission, goals, and objectives. Alternative Funding For any organization, funding will always be a problem. As mention previously, the Santa Rosa Philharmonic Youth Symphony concerts are made possible by grants, private and individual donors. Members of the community, families of students, local and regional The Santa Rosa Philharmonic Youth Symphony businesses and the general public are some of the donors that make the Santa Rosa Philharmonic Youth Symphony successful. Funding has become difficult, due to the budget cuts, the closing of many contributing business, and the closing of music program in the elementary and high schools in the area. The Santa Rosa Philharmonic Youth Symphony can apply for government and corporate grants, but it is important to consider alternate funding. Annual tuition only pays for a portion of what it takes to operate the youth symphonies. The annual event fund raiser, sales of candy at the concerts, and holding benefit concerts for the community might carry the symphony into the future, but applying for grants for non-traditional sources may be the most productive way to fund the Santa Rosa Philharmonic Youth Symphony. One obstacle that the youth symphony faces is students that cannot afford their own instruments. Approaching other musical organizations and manufactures of musical instruments for support in supplying needy students with instruments is an investment that can benefit both the program and the donors. Process and Developing The Santa Rosa Philharmonic Youth Symphony has been involved with classical music since 1994. Today, the students that attend the Santa Rosa Philharmonic Youth Symphony face the same challenges as their predecessors. Facing these challenges allows the student to grow and learn to conquer whatever obstacles they may face in their present and in their future. Some of the staff members have taking additional training to assist the students that are new to the Santa Rosa Philharmonic Youth Symphony program. On some occasions the program may require a bigger facility for their larger orchestras. Communication is important when developing a The Santa Rosa Philharmonic Youth Symphony program that will meet the needs of the students and the community. The biggest obstacles that the Santa Rosa Philharmonic Youth Symphony faces today is finding a committed funding source that will allow the Santa Rosa Philharmonic Youth Symphony to continue to provide for their existing and future programs. As with any organization, without proper funding the program will collapse under the financial strain. Summary The Santa Rosa Philharmonic Youth Symphony is dedicated to providing young musicians with orchestral training and performance opportunities of the highest caliber. The goal of the Santa Rosa Philharmonic Youth Symphony is for young musicians to develop an awareness and appreciation of classical music, while providing the community with enriching educational and cultural experiences. Most music programs, especially in poorer sections, have been cut because of lack of funding. The Santa Rosa Philharmonic Youth Symphony brings music to those who do not have access to music programs by giving free concerts and giving complimentary tickets to schools that have lost their music department. Music is an important aspect in a person’s life. Most people can tell you where they were when they hear a specific song. Music can transform a person’s mood. The Santa Rosa Philharmonic Youth Symphony program would benefit greatly if they utilize and keep an open mind to new ideas and teaching techniques. The Santa Rosa Philharmonic Youth Symphony References â€Å"Neilson Scholar for 1974†, Journal of School Health, 01/1975. www. santarosasymphony. com

Book Theif by Markus Zusak Essay

Most good novels allow the reader to walk a mile in someone else’s shoes. Through language, characterisation and relationships the author is able to illustrate significant social issues. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak is a tremendously powerful book which captures key significant social issues of the power of words in Nazi Germany; Hitler’s manipulation of words and how people can find comfort in literature, as well as a means of escape. In the ‘Book Thief’, Zusak constantly emphasises the remarkable power and impact words have in relation to the corrupt world of World War Two. Through the use of descriptive language he is able to broaden the readers understanding of Hitler’s abuse of power by manipulating words and propaganda on the German people. Emotions of empathy are evoked when Liesel realizes that Hitler is the reason for her misery; adding to the loss of her childhood innocence. She comes to realize that Hitler is responsible for the war, her brother’s death, mothers suffering and why Max is sent to a concentration camp. â€Å"The words were thrown at the steps and Liesel could feel the slush of anger, stirring hotly in her stomach. ‘ I hate the fuhrer,’ she said. I hate him. † Zusak uses a metaphor, linked with imagery, dialogue and short sentences while at the same time reflecting emotive language to make me realise the importance of the power of words. Words are a powerful persuasive weapon of Hitler’s, and both Liesel, and I come to realise that, ‘without words the Fuhrer was nothing. ’ In this way Zusak has used Hitler’s manipulation of words to not only highlight the power of words in the ‘Book Thief’, but in our real world. Throughout Liesel’s journey Zusak clearly illustrates her growing understanding of Hitler’s manipulation of the power of words. And that he also proves that the power of words can be appreciated, while acting as a means of escape from the living reality, of war. Literature becomes Liesel’s sanity and without it she’d be far lost in the Nazi Germany Regime. So out of pure vengeance and anger, she rebels against Hitler by stealing books, while furthermore satisfying her hunger for reading. â€Å"She could smell the pages. She could almost taste the words as they stacked up around her. † This thus points out Liesel’s relationship and deep connection she shares with literature, by using a metaphor. Everyone needs to escape reality for a little while, to find beauty in the darkest hours, to keep their sanity, to survive. For Hans it is his accordion, Death’s is the colours, and for Max it is telling his story via art and literature. Yet of course Liesel too needs an escape, and she is able to find this from words and literature. By finding an escape route, Liesel’s knowledge of the power of words endures to build, and expand as she is able to appreciate literature. Liesel’s journey of escaping the horror delivers not only beauty and a hope to survive but allows her to find comfort through literature. I find this rather ironic, that she is able to bring comfort to her-self and others from literature, when before words only served her misery. â€Å"She couldn’t tell exactly where the words came from. What mattered was that they reached her. They arrived and kneeled next to the bed. † Zusak brings to attention; the idea of that literature is capable of accomplishing and bringing comfort to Liesel by using personification and imagery. But then again, within reading Liesel is not just able to comfort herself but can soothe others by understanding the true capacity words have, in relation that they can cause both pain and happiness. †¦But at least they were distracted now, by the girl with the book. † Through language and the overall use of irony, Zusak reinforces Liesel’s strong connection with literature, while engaging myself, the reader into the deeper meanings of the written text; that in means can provide comfort and an escape. By the author allowing the reader to, ‘walk a mile in someone else’s shoes’ social issues are evidently propounded. Markus Zusak has successfully demonstrated the significant social issues of, Hitler’s manipulation and abuse of power through words, and the appreciation of literature by providing escape and comfort in the Book Thief.

Attitudes Toward Seeking Mental Health Essay

Abstract According to the World Health Organisation an estimated 200 million people globally are affected by serious mental health problems, however, research evidence indicates that only around one-third of those experiencing mental health difficulties actually seek treatment. A number of psycho-social and demographic factors have been found to explain variation in attitudes towards, and intentions to, seek psychological help. This study sought to examine the association between attitudes towards seeking mental health services and intentions to engage in psychological counselling. The sample for the current study consisted of 331 active and retired members of the national police force of the Republic of Ireland. It was predicted that psychological openness, help-seeking propensity, and indifference to stigma would all positively predict intentions to participate in psychological counselling, after controlling for age, gender and personality factors. The results showed that Finish Abstract Introduction According to the World Health Organisation an estimated 200 million people globally are affected by serious mental health problems (Mollica, 2000). Available data, however, suggests that only around one-third of those experiencing mental health difficulties actually make treatment contact (Kessler et al., 2009). This is of concern not only because of the deleterious impact on individual’s lives, but also because of the associated economic and societal costs of untreated mental health problems (Kessler et al., 2009). A number of psycho-social and demographic factors have been found to explain variation in attitudes towards, and intentions to, seek psychological help (e.g., Bartels, 2003; Segal, Coolidge, Mincic, & O’Riley, 2005; Vogel, Wester, Wei, & Boysen, 2005). How favourable and effective one believes psychological counselling to be, one’s own belief in their capacity to engage in counselling, and perceptions of subsequent social rejection  following counse lling attendance, have been identified as particularly influential (e.g., Hyland, McLaughlin, Boduszek, & Prentice, 2012; Vogel & Wester, 2003). Research also suggests that females may be significantly more likely than males to hold favourable attitudes towards utilising mental health services (e.g., Chandra & Minkovitz 2006; Raunic & Xenos, 2008), although some studies have shown that males and females do not differ in their attitudes or intentions towards the utilisation of mental health services (e.g., Kelly & Achter, 1995; Vogel & Wester, 2003). Additionally, personality factors have been suggested to impact upon individuals’ help-seeking attitudes and intentions. Jagdeo, Cox, Stein, and Sareen (2009) found that antisocial personality disorder was associated with greater negative attitudes towards help-seeking using data from the US National Comorbidity Survey (NCS) (n = 5877) and the Ontario Health Survey (OHS) (n = 6902). Given the disparity between mental health service needs and service utilization a more comprehensive understanding of the factors involved in counselling-seeking behaviour is required. The Inventory of Attitudes toward Seeking Mental Health Services (IASMHS; Mackenzie, Knox, Gekoski, & Macaulay, 2004) is a 24-item scale designed to assess the attitudinal factors that influence the seeking of mental health services. This scale was developed based upon Fisher and Turner’s (1970) Attitudes toward Seeking Professional Psychological Help Scale. The scale was developed with a clear theoretical foundation, and its increasing use in research (James & Buttle, 2008; Loya, Reddy, & Hinshaw, 2010; Mackenzie, Gekoski, & Knox, 2006; Mojaverian, Hashimoto, & Kim, 2012; Floersch et al., 2009). The IASMHS initially included 41-items, however the results an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) using maximum likelihood estimation among a sample of 208 adult volunteers (Mackenzie et al., 2004) reduced the number of items in the scale to 24. Results indicated that the 24-item scale could be explained in terms of three correlated factors, which accounted for 43% of variance: (a) Psychological Openness (the degree to which an individual is open to acknowledging the presence of a psychological problem and to seek professional care for such a problem), (b) Help-Seeking Propensity (one’s willingness and perceived ability to seek help for psychological problems), and (c) Indifference to Stigma (how concerned an individual would feel were significant others to discover that they were receiving psychological care).  Internal consistency coefficients for the IASMHS subscales were reported to be good with Cronbach’s alphas of .82 (psychological openness), .76 (help-seeking propensity), and .79 (indifference to stigma). Factor correlations were moderate with r values ranging from .37 to .47. In the same paper, using an independent sample of 293 undergraduate university students and employing confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) techniques, Mackenzie and colleagues (2004) reported that they replicated the three-factor solution indicated by the EFA. Model fit was acceptable and factor correlations ranged from r = .26 to .43. The current study aims to assess the degree to which intentions to participate in psychological counselling can be predicted by attitudes towards seeking mental health services. Specifically, it was predicted that psychological openness, help-seeking propensity, and indifference to stigma would all positively predict intentions to participate in psychological counselling, after controlling for age, gender and personality factors. Method Participants The sample for the current study consisted of 331 (Males: n = 202; Females: n = 129) active and retired members of the national police force of the Republic of Ireland. Of the officers recruited, 302 (91%) were currently serving members of the Irish police force, while 29 (9%) were retired. Participants ranged in age from 20 to 77 years, with an average age of 28.41 years (SD = 8.63). Just under half the sample of officers were stationed in rural areas (45%, n = 149), 41% were stationed in suburban areas (n = 136), and 14% were stationed in urban areas (n = 46). The majority of officers who participated in this study were recent entrants into the police service with 63% of respondents indicating that they had been serving for two years or less (n = 209). Approximately half were married (48%, n = 159), while the remaining participants either resided with parents (27%, n = 89), lived with other family members (3%, n = 10), or lived alone (22%, n = 73). Procedure The majority of study participants were recruited during a training seminar (n = 259), while the remaining officers were recruited via formal written requests (n = 72). Appropriate authorization was granted from the relevant  officials to carry out the study. In total, 532 members were approached to complete the research questionnaire, and 365 volunteered their participation (68%). However due to overwhelming missing data in 34 returned surveys only 331 responses were retained for the final analysis (62%). Participants were required to complete an anonymous self-report, paper-and-pencil questionnaire booklet which included an instruction sheet and a consent form attached to the front of the booklet. Participants were assured about confidentiality and informed that their participation was voluntary. Completed questionnaires were returned by the participants to their superior officer in sealed envelopes, and were subsequently returned to the principal investigator. Measures The Inventory of Attitudes toward Seeking Mental Health Services (IASMHS: Mackenzie et al., 2004) is a 24-item scale designed to measure an individual’s attitudes towards seeking mental health services. The IASMHS was developed in order to measure three factors labeled (a) Psychological openness, (b) Help-seeking propensity, and (c) Indifference to stigma. Psychological openness reflects the degree to which an individual is open to acknowledging the presence of a psychological problem and to seek professional care for such a problem. Help-seeking propensity reflects one’s willingness and perceived ability to seek help for psychological problems. Indifference to stigma refers to how concerned an individual would feel if significant others were to discover that they were receiving psychological care. Each factor is proposed to be measured via 8 items and each item is measured using a five point Likert-scale ranging from 0 (â€Å"disagree†) to 4 (â€Å"agree† ). Intentions to Participate in Psychological Counselling: Intentions were measured as part of a larger questionnaire designed to measure the various constructs of the Theory of Planned Behavior (Ajzen, 1991). This questionnaire was constructed according to the guidelines set forth by Ajzen (1991, 2002). The questionnaire was based upon a fictitious scenario which included the four elements of time, context, action, and target, as proposed by Ajzen and Fishbein (1977). The scenario describes an event that took place six weeks previously in which an individual witnesses a severe road  traffic accident. In the intervening six weeks this individual begins to experience significant personality changes. The individual is reported to now experience prolonged periods of extreme sadness, lack of energy, distressing thoughts related to the traumatic event, reduced interest in normally pleasurable activities, severe panic attacks while outside, and refusal to leave the house even for work. A friend of this individual attends a G.P. about the matter and the G.P. recommends that the described person should attend a professional psychologist for counselling within the next week. An appointment is thus made for next week. Participants in this study are asked to place themselves in the position of this fictitious person and to complete the questions that follow (see Appendix A for the full vignette). Behavioural intentions were measured via three items (Cronbach’s alpha = .77). 1. How likely is it that you would intend to go along to see a professional psychologist for counseling within the next week if you were in Terry’s position? 2. You will try to participate in counseling with a professional psychologist within the next week. 3. You have decided to participate in counseling with a professional psychologist within the next week. Each item was measured along a seven point Likert scale ranging from 1 (extremely unlikely) to 7 (extremely likely) and the scores on the three questions were summed. Higher scores on this scale indicate stronger intentions to engage in counselling.