Topic of the paper will focus on a criminal case that has been Essay - 1

Topic of the paper will focus on a criminal case that has been adjudicated by the United States Supreme Court and has implications on the criminal justice system - Essay Example The court thus proceeded to assign him one by the name of Kirk McAllister who was a veteran defense lawyer. As the case proceeded, however, Scott Peterson later stated that he would be able to afford a private attorney after all and hired the services of Mark Geragos who had handled other high profile cases similar to his (Crier & Thompson, 2005). The judge appointed to the case later on moved the trial from Modesto, California where the crime had been committed to Redwood City in the year 2004 due an increase in hostility towards the defendant (Scott Peterson). The judge felt that due to this hostility, the judge felt that Scott would not be able to receive a fair trial in Modesto as individuals in that region had already perceived him as guilty and it would have been impossible to get a non bias jury in that area (Beratlis et al, 2007). The hostility was due to the type of coverage that the case received from the media. (Bird, 2005) The news had already portrayed Scott Peterson as an inhumane individual who was accountable for the death of an innocent woman and an unborn child. They covered the story as if the defendant was guilty, and the process of the trial was just a preliminary to the inevitable end result of a guilty verdict. In order to ensure that Scott Peterson would be able to get a fair trial, the judged moved the case to another area away from Modesto, where the residents felt bereaved as they had lost one of their own. It should b noted, however, that the coverage of the country was country wide, and thus it cannot be said how much the move changed matters in terms of the defendants portrayal (Beratlis et al, 2007). The main witness of the prosecution also hired her own attorney who played a big role as a sympathizer to the prosecution as she was not bound by the gag order that prohibited the others who were involved

Leopards and Humans Conflict in india Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Leopards and Humans Conflict in india - Essay Example Apart from the encroachment of humans into protected regions, another reason why wild animals cross over to human landscape is food shortage in protected regions. This is due to high competition between carnivores such as leopards and tigers. This usually prompts wild animals such as the leopards to move onto human land in search of food where they normally target human livestock, dogs and chicken. In the republic of India, conflicts between human beings and wildlife are a common occurrence. One common wild animal that humans are ever having conflicts with is the leopard. According to Ramesh [1], leopards are adaptable animals that are capable of living not only in but also around human dominated landscapes. Conflicts between humans and wild animals such as the leopards normally occur when humans cross into protected areas or wild animals crossing over to human territory. Wild animals such as the leopard and other carnivores normally cross to human territory in search for food, whereby they usually target livestock [2]. In most cases when human beings interact with wild animals, a conflict ensues and apart from injuries, this results to loss of lives on both sides. It is because of this that the Indian government is ever on the move to ensure that the rate of human-wildlife conflicts are minimized since if left to prevail could eventually result to extinction of endangered spe cies. The paper will relay information on how human-wildlife conflicts are a major problem in India in addition some of the most appropriate measures that ought to be enacted in order to minimize the conflicts. In a move to determine how adverse the conflict between human beings and wildlife has become, a number of researches were conducted in various protected regions and its environs. One study was in Akole Tahsil, a densely populated region located in Ahmednagar district. In the western regions of Akole

Function of Water in the Human Body

Function of Water in the Human Body Water mainly enters the human body through the food and drink we consume. A small proportion of water is obtained from oxidative metabolism e.g. in respiration. Human beings mainly lose water by excretion in urine and faeces. Water is also lost through evaporation e.g. as sweat (Campbell N. A. et al. 1999, Frederic H.M. 2006) The kidneys are highly specialised organs of the body and play an important role in homeostasis. The kidney maintains homeostasis by regulating water balance, waste removal and blood composition and pressure. The kidneys dispose of waste by-products of metabolism and hence prevent the build up of toxic products in the body and to regulate the chemical components of the bodys fluids by responding to any imbalances of body fluids. These functions are fulfilled by a process of filtration of blood, which mainly includes the movement of solutes between the internal fluid and external environment. The movement of solutes is normally through a transport epithelium, in the case of the kidney it is in the form of a tubular channel; this tubular channel gives the kidney a large surface area. The kidneys weigh less than 1% of the human body, they receive approximately 2 % of blood pumped with each heartbeat. Urine exits the kidney through a duct called the ureter. The ureters of both kidneys drain into a common urinary bladder. Urine leaves the body from the urinary bladder to the urethra which empties near the vagina in females or through the penis in males. (Campbell N. A. et al. 1999, Michael F. et al. 2001) At one end the nephron forms a cup-shaped structure called glomerulus From the glomerulus a tube runs towards the centre of the kidney first forming a twisted region called the proximal convoluted tubule and then a long hair-pin loop in the medulla, it runs back upwards into the cortex where it forms another twisted region called the distal convoluted tubule, this then joins a collecting duct which leads down the medulla and into the renal pelvis The functional unit of the kidney is a nephron. Microscopic sections of the kidney show that the kidney is made up of thousands of nephrons. Fig1b shows the location of a nephron and Fig2 shows the detailed structure of a nephron. Each renal capsule is supplied with blood by the afferent arteriole a branch of the renal artery this splits into many capillaries in the capsule which then rejoin to form the afferent arteriole. The nephrons structure is closely related to its function of regulating solutes Osmoregulation is maintaining constant levels of water in the body. Cells cannot survive a huge deviation from its osmolality. Hence, cells have a continuous movement of water across their plasma membranes. A net gain of water will cause the cell to swell up and burst, while a net loss of water will cause the cell to shrivel up and die. Water is transported by osmosis around the body. Osmoregulation is accomplished by creating an osmotic gradient; this requires lots of energy and is done by maintaining solute concentrations in the body fluids. The osmolality of the body is fixed at a mean of 2905 mosmos/g. The kidney is able to maintain a constant osmolality as its able to adjust the rate of water excretion over a wide range. The volume of the extra-cellular fluid is mainly determined by the concentration of sodium ions, hence slight adjustments to the renal excretion rate have a major impact on the extracellular fluid volume. Changes in tubular sodium transport is accompanied by parallel movements of water, this results in no net change in body fluid osmolality (Campbell N. A. et al. 1999, Frederic H.M. 2006, Michael F. et al. 2001) The loop of Henle creates a longitudinal osmotic gradient across the medulla; this aids the reabsorption of water and other important solutes. Ascending and descending limb are parallel and adjacent to each other with a layer of tissue fluid in between. Fluid enters from the proximal convoluted tubules flows down the descending limb and then up the ascending limb. This is known as a counter-current flow. Thewalls of the descending limb are permeable to water, while the walls of the ascending limb are impermeable to water. The ascending limb of the Loop of Henle is made up of a thick walled tubule which is impermeable to the outward movement of water but not salt. The red arrows on fig3 show the movement of water amd solutes along the loop of Henle and the collecting duct. Also, the walls of the ascending limb contain pumps to remove sodium chloride from the lumen and add it to the surrounding interstitial fluid. Hence sodium and chloride ions are actively transported out of the ascen ding limb. This is the site of reabsorption in the kidney, here fluid from theenters and the kidney reabsorbs all the useful solutes and water. The permeability of the loop and the collecting duct depends on the osmolality of the blood and is controlled by a negative feedback mechanism by osmoreceptors in the hypothalamus A high concentration of salt builds up in the medullary tissue, this together with urea retention by these tissues, helps build up a high osmotic pressure in the medullary tissue. This creates a gradient of 200 mosm/g across the tubular wall at any point and causes a loss of water from the descending limb. The loss of water concentrates sodium and chloride ions in the descending limb. Salt concentration in the medullary tissue is highest at the apex of the loop, the tissue in the deeper layers of the medulla contain a very concentrated solution of sodium ions, chloride ions and urea. The fluid leaving the ascending limb is hypo-osmolar as compared to the fluid that enters and has a osmolality of approximately 100 mosm/g .Sodium and chloride ions diffuse out in the lower part of the ascending limb. Fluid passes down the collecting duct through the medullary tissue of increasing salt concentration, water can pass out of it by osmosis. The reabsorbed water is carried away by blood capil laries (Campbell N. A. et al. 1999, Frederic H.M. 2006, Michael F. et al. 2001) Control of water regulation Osmoregulation by the kidney involves a negative feedback mechanism. The osmoreceptors are in the hypothalamus and the effectors are the pituitary gland and the walls of the distal convoluted tubules. Osmoreceptors detect alterations of water levels and send impulses to the pituitary gland which then increase or decrease the production of antidiuretic hormone (ADH). In the case of a low osmolality,when the nerve cells are stimulated by osmoreceptors action potentials travel down them, this causes ADH to be released from their endings into the blood capillaries in the posterior pituitary gland from here it is distributed throughout the body. ADH acts on the plasma membranes of the cells of the collecting ducts. ADH is picked up by a receptor on the plasma membrane which then activates an enzyme. This causes vesicles with water permeable channels to fuse with the plasma membrane hence ADH makes the membrane more permeable to water than usual. Hence more water will be reabsorbed by the collecting duct and more concentrated urine will be produced. On the other hand, when the blood water content rises the osmoreceptors are no longer stimulated and hence do not lead to the secretion of ADH. Hence, ADH secretion slows down and the collecting duct cells become less permeable to water, so less water is reabsorbed and more diluted urine is produced  (Campbell N. A. et al. 1999, Frederic H.M. 2006, Michael F. et al. 2001) In conclusion, the regulation of water is essential for the survival of human beings and is carried out by the kidneys and monitored by osmoreceptors in the hypothalamus and controlled by the pituitary gland. Each of these plays an equally important role in the regulation of water and without any one of them the body will not be able to function in a normal manner. [Words: 1328]

Voting :: Politics Political

Voting Voting is when a group of people makes a decision on a subject that concerns them as a whole. In many countries, people vote to choose their leaders and to decide public issues. People also vote to make decisions in such groups as juries, labor unions, corporations, and social clubs. There are many different ways of voting and counting votes. No single voting method is either universally applicable or the best overall. Some major voting methods are majority rules, plurality wins, elimination and runoffs, sequential pairwise comparisons, various weighted or scoring schemes, approval voting, and a host of various other partitioning schemes that choose successively between subsets of potential outcomes. The three ways of counting votes are Plurality, Condorcet, and Borda count. In the Plurality method of voting, the candidate with the most votes wins. It is not necessary to have the majority. Strategic or insincere voting is not uncommon when a group knows the distribution of potential votes in advance. Lets say there are 3 choices to vote on, a, b, and c. If c knows that they have the least amount of votes, they will vote for the one that they definitely do not want to win. Group c does not want a to win so everyone votes for b so a doesn’t win over b. When everyone votes for exactly who they want to win, that is called sincere voting. In order to make sure that the ultimate decision receives a majority vote, it may be necessary to resort to a runoff election, or to some other type of sequential voting. This is a procedure that requires a majority vote at each step. A candidate who wins over every other candidate in a head to head ballot is called a condorcet winner. Many elections ask for a preference schedule of everything. This is to arrive at a final group rank ordering of all the contestants that best express the desires of the electorate. You can also vote insincerely in this method also by changing the order of your preference schedule.. A Borda count assigns points in a descending manner to the way each voter put the choices in order and sums them up to come up with the most popular ranking.

Apush Notes

1. The Shaping of North America 1. Recorded history began 6,000 years ago. It was 500 years ago that Europeans set foot on the Americas to begin the era of accurately recorded history on the continent. 2. The theory of â€Å"Pangaea† exists suggesting that the continents were once nestled together into one mega-continent. The continents then spread out as drifting islands. 3. Geologic forces of continental plates created the Appalachian and Rocky Mountains. 4. The Great Ice Age thrust down over North America and scoured the present day American Midwest. 2. Peopling the Americas 1.The â€Å"Land Bridge† theory†¦ 1. As the Great Ice Age diminished, so did the glaciers over North America. 2. The theory holds that a â€Å"Land Bridge† emerged linking Asia & North America across what’s today the Bering Sea. People were said to have walked across the â€Å"bridge† before the sea level rose and sealed it off and thus populated the Americas. 2. The Lan d Bridge is suggested as occurring an estimated 35,000 years ago. 3. Many peoples emerged†¦ 1. Those groups that traversed the land bridge spread across North, Central, and South America. 2. Countless tribes emerged with an estimated 2,000 languages.Notably†¦ 1. Incas – Peru, with elaborate network of roads and bridges linking their empire. 2. Mayas – Yucatan Peninsula, with their step pyramids. 3. Aztecs – Mexico, with step pyramids and huge sacrifices of conquered peoples. 3. The Earliest Americans 1. Development of corn or â€Å"maize† around 5,000 B. C. in Mexico was revolutionary in that†¦ 1. Then, people didn’t have to be hunter-gatherers, they could settle down and be farmers. 2. This fact gave rise to towns and then cities. 3. Corn arrived in the present day U. S. around 1,200 B. C. 2. Pueblo Indians 1.The Pueblos were the 1st American corn growers. 2. They lived in adobe houses (dried mud) and pueblos (â€Å"villages† in Spanish). Pueblos are villages of cubicle shaped adobe houses, stacked one on top the other and often beneath cliffs. 3. They had elaborate irrigation systems to draw water away from rivers to grown corn. 3. Mound Builders 1. These people built huge ceremonial and burial mounds and were located in the Ohio Valley. 2. Cahokia, near East St. Louis today, held 40,000 people. 4. Eastern Indians 1. Eastern Indians grew corn, beans, and squash in â€Å"three sister† farming†¦ 1.Corn grew in a stalk providing a trellis for beans, beans grew up the stalk, squash’s broad leaves kept the sun off the ground and thus kept the moisture in the soil. 2. This group likely had the best (most diverse) diet of all North American Indians and is typified by the Cherokee, Creek, Choctaw (South) and Iroquois (North). 5. Iroquois Confederation 1. Hiawatha was the legendary leader of the group. 2. The Iroquois Confederation was a group of 5 tribes in New York state. 3. They were matri lineal as authority and possessions passed down through the female line. 4.Each tribe kept their independence, but met occasionally to discuss matters of common interest, like war/defense. 5. This was not the norm. Usually, Indians were scattered and separated (and thus weak). 6. Native Americans had a very different view of things as compared to Europeans. 1. Native Americans felt no man owned the land, the tribe died. (Europeans liked private property) 2. Indians felt nature was mixed with many spirits. (Europeans were Christian and monotheistic) 3. Indians felt nature was sacred. (Europeans believed nature and land was given to man by God in Genesis to be subdued and put to use). . Indians had little or no concept or interest in money. (Europeans loved money or gold) 4. Indirect Discoverers of the New World1. The 1st Europeans to come to America were the Norse (Vikings from Norway). 1. Around 1,000 A. D. , the Vikings landed, led by Erik the Red and Leif Erikson. 2. They landed i n â€Å"Newfoundland† or â€Å"Vinland† (due to all of the vines). 3. However, these men left America and left no written record and therefore didn’t get the credit. 4. The only record is found in Viking sagas or songs. 2. The Christian Crusaders of Middle Ages fought in Palestine to regain the Holy Land from Muslims.This mixing of East and West created a sweet-tooth where Europeans wanted the spices of the exotic East. 5. Europeans Enter Africa This content copyright  © 2010 by WikiNotes. wikidot. com 1. Marco Polo traveled to China and stirred up a storm of European interest. 2. Mixed with desire for spices, an East to West (Asia to Europe) trade flourished but had to be overland, at least in part. This initiated new exploration down around Africa in hopes of an easier (all water) route.3. Portugal literally started a sailing school to find better ways to get to the â€Å"Spice Islands,† eventually rounding Africa’s southern Cape of Good Hope. . New developments emerged†¦ 1. caravel – a ship with triangular sail that could better tack (zig-zag) ahead into the wind and thus return to Europe from the Africa coast. 2. compass – to determine direction. 3. astrolabe – a sextant gizmo that could tell a ship’s latitude. 5. Slave trade begins 1. Slavery was initially race-independent. A slave was whoever lost in battle. Usually, slaves came from the Slavic regions of Europe, hence the name. 2. The first African slave trade was across the Sahara Desert. 3. Later, it was along the West African coast.Slave traders purposely busted up tribes and families in order to squelch any possible uprising. 4. Slaves wound up on sugar plantations the Portuguese had set up on the tropical islands off of Africa’s coast. 5. Spain watched Portugal’s success with exploration and slaving with envy and wanted a piece of the pie. 6. Columbus Comes upon a New World 1. Columbus convinced Isabella and Ferdina nd to fund his expedition. 2. His goal was to reach the East (East Indies) by sailing west, thus bypassing the around-Africa route that Portugal monopolized. 3.He misjudged the size of the Earth though, thinking it 1/3 the size of what it was. 4. So, after 30 days or so at sea, when he struck land, he assumed he’d made it to the East Indies and therefore mistook the people as â€Å"Indians. † 5. This spawned the following system†¦ 1. Europe would provide the market, capital, technology. 2. Africa would provide the labor. 3. The New World would provide the raw materials of gold, soil, and lumber.7. When Worlds Collide 1. Of huge importance was the biological flip-flop of Old and New Worlds. Simply put, it was a trade of life such as plants, foods, animals, germs. . From the New World (America) to the Old 1. corn, potatoes, tobacco, beans, peppers, manioc, pumpkin, squash, tomato, wild rice, etc. 2. also, syphilis 3. From Old World to the New 1. cows, pigs, horses, wheat, sugar cane, apples, cabbage, citrus, carrots, Kentucky bluegrass, etc. 2. devastating diseases – smallpox, yellow fever, malaria as Indians had no immunities. 1. The Indians had no immunities in their systems built up over generations. 2. An estimated 90% of all pre-Columbus Indians died, mostly due to disease. 8. The Spanish Conquistadores 1.Treaty of Tordesillas, 1494 – Portugal and Spain feuded over who got what land. The Pope drew this line as he was respected by both. 1. The line ran North-South, and chopped off the Brazilian coast of South America 2. Portugal got everything east of the line (Brazil and land around/under Africa) 3. Spain got everything west of the line (which turned out to be much more, though they didn’t know it at the time) 2. Conquistadores is Spanish â€Å"conquerors†. 1. Vasco Balboa – â€Å"discovered† the Pacific Ocean across the isthmus of Panama.2. Ferdinand Magellan – circumnavigated the globe (h e was the first to do so). . Ponce de Leon – touches and names Florida looking for legendary â€Å"Fountain of Youth†. 4. Hernando Cortes – enters Florida, travels up into present day Southeastern U. S. , dies and is â€Å"buried† in Mississippi River, 5. Francisco Pizarro – conquers Incan Empire of Peru and begins shipping tons of gold/silver back to Spain. This huge influx of precious metals made European prices skyrocket (inflation). 6. Francisco Coronado – ventured into current Southwest U. S. looking for legendary Cibola, city of gold. He found the Pueblo Indians. 3. Encomienda system established 1.Indians were â€Å"commended† or given to Spanish landlords 2. The idealistic theory of the encomienda was that Indians would work on the farm and be converted to Christianity. But it was basically just slavery on a sugar plantation guised as missionary work. 9. The Conquest of Mexico 1. Hernando Cortez conquered the Aztecs at Tenochti tlan. 2. Cortez went from Cuba to present day Vera Cruz, then marched over mountains to the Aztec capital. 3. Montezuma, the Aztec king, thought Cortez might be the god Quetzalcoatl who was due to re-appear that very year. Montezuma welcomed Cortez into Tenochtitlan. . The Spanish lust for gold led Montezuma to attack on the noche triste, sad night. Cortez and men fought their way out, but it was smallpox that eventually beat the Indians. 5. The Spanish then destroyed Tenochtitlan, building the Spanish capital (Mexico City) exactly on top of the Aztec city. 6. A new race of people emerged, mestizos, a mix of Spanish and Indian blood. 10. The Spread of Spanish America 1. Spanish society quickly spread through Peru and Mexico 2. A threat came from neighbors†¦ 1. English – John Cabot (an Italian who sailed for England) touched the coast of the current U.S. 2. Italy – Giovanni de Verrazano also touched on the North American seaboard. 3. France – Jacques Cartier went into mouth of St. Lawrence River (Canada). 3. To oppose this, Spain set up forts (presidios) all over the California coast. Also cities, like St. Augustine in Florid # 4. Don Juan de Onate followed Coronado’s old path into present day New Mexico. He conquered the Indians ruthlessly, maiming them by cutting off one foot of survivors just so they’d remember. 5. Despite mission efforts, the Pueblo Indians revolted in Pope’s Rebellion. 6.Robert de LaSalle sailed down the Mississippi River for France claiming the whole region for their King Louis and naming the area â€Å"Louisiana† after his king. This started a slew of place-names for that area, from LaSalle, Illinois to â€Å"Louisville† and then on down to New Orleans (the American counter of Joan of Arc’s famous victory at Orleans). 7. â€Å"Black Legend† – The Black Legend was the notion that Spaniards only brought bad things (murder, disease, slavery); though true, they also brought good things such as law systems, architecture, Christianity, language, and civilization, so that the Black Legend is partly, but not entirely, accurate.

Leaders Are Born Not Made

ESSAY TITLE: LEADERS ARE BORN NOT MADE AUTHOR: AYODELE OLATOYE SUMMARY: The essay refutes the viewpoint that leaders are born not made, and seeks to establish through valid arguments, illustrations and documented evidence that leaders are actually made and not born WORD COUNT: 1920 LEADERS ARE BORN NOT MADE Folklore has lulled us into believing that some people are born leaders while others are not.Regardless of tribe, ethnicity or race, most people can trace their origins back to a monarchical or feudal system where the offspring of the reigning family found themselves thrust into leadership positions regardless of their inclinations to rule or not. To further impress this upon our collective psyches, the legends of such royal ancestors are interwoven with thrilling notions of romantic adventure and grandeur, and we unwittingly find ourselves mentally acquiescing to the untruth that some people are born to lead while others are destined to merely follow.History has however proven ot herwise; leaders are made not born. The fall of monarchical systems of government occurred slowly but surely over centuries, as it became apparent to all that leadership is to be earned, and is not a birthright. Nobility was no longer a question of bloodline but of courage, strength of character and the ability to motivate your peers to follow you in achieving a common goal. Some critics would argue that the most prominent features of leaders such as courage, charisma and strength are personality traits which are inherited and cannot be taught (Colleen 2012).Research has however shown that the human personality is extremely malleable, and under the right tutelage and exposure to carefully calibrated exercises, leadership attributes can be developed by anyone who is willing to invest the required amount of time and energy to achieve these results (Parks 2005). It has also been argued that another key requirement for leadership is pleasant good looks which are an inherited feature (Co lleen 2012).This is however an unsubstantiated assumption and perhaps is only relevant in the realm of politics where the ability to assume an office is often indicative of a strong political machinery backing you, and not your ability to lead and motivate. True leadership is not an office but a lifestyle. Mahatma Ghandi may not have qualified as a prospect for GQ’s cover page but he is undisputedly one of the most influential leaders in modern history. Perhaps it would be instructive to clarify who a leader is before proceeding further. ‘A leader is a person who influences a group of people towards the achievement of a certain goal’ (Merriam-Webster n. . ). Leaders exist in almost every facet and sphere of life we may choose to examine; the family unit, schools, religious organisations, business institutions and states. The manner in which they influence people varies from individual to individual. One of the areas which has witnessed the most review and analysi s is the business environment, where the efficacy of a leader could determine whether an organisation thrives or goes under, and with it the fates of staff, shareholders and other stakeholders whose livelihoods are inexorably linked to the business.We will therefore restrict our review to the attributes of a successful business leader and an analysis of whether such traits are inherited or cultivated. One key trait which most of the literature written on great business leaders agree on as a required characteristic is excellent communication skills. A leader must be able to clearly communicate his vision in compelling terms that will motivate his team to follow him into the thick of the fray, be it the floor of the New York Stock exchange or into the last quarter of the year where the sales figures will determine whether the organisation sinks or swims.Is the ability to communicate convincingly an inborn trait? History would lead us to believe otherwise. According to folklore, Demost henes was the most famed of Greek orators whose first attempt at public speaking earned him the derision of his peers for his efforts (Horne 2007). Through dedication and the proper tutelage, he overcame a speech handicap and eventually became a voice that all of Greece respected. In the modern world, the abundance of voice coaches and public speaking training material points to the fact that excellent communication skills can be learnt.In addition, as organisations continue to grow in size and staffing, an increasing amount of the intra-organisational communication is written and no longer verbal. CEOs communicate their vision and the company’s direction to the entire staff via written emails. Though some critics may maintain that good communication skills are inherited, it is unlikely that even the strongest proponents of this view will believe that the ability to type concise emails is an inborn talent. Another important leadership trait is passion; passion is infectious n d galvanises those around you into pouring their energy into the goals you have set. It is obviously apparent that some people are naturally more passionate than others and this is inarguably an inborn personality trait. As a leader however, you are not required to be passionate about every single thing; you however must be passionate about your job, your organisation and the objectives you have set. In the book ‘Who Am I; The Quest for Entrepreneurial Identity’, Charles Y. Murnieks states ‘†¦ ntrepreneurial passion is significantly related to the setting of proximal goals’ (Murnieks 2008). This suggests that any leader who is fiercely committed to a goal inadvertently becomes passionate about it. Goal setting and focus is a trait which can definitely be taught and are the precursors to the passion that a great leader needs. On the other hand, being a passionate person in a general sense is no guarantee of great leadership. On the contrary, passion tha t is not built on predetermined goals may lead to emotional decisions which could destroy an organisation.A third important leadership trait is courage. In the course of running an organisation, a leader must have the courage to take decisions which could either make or break that organisation. Whether it is choosing the sectors to invest businesses capital in or selling off an ailing subsidiary, his courage will constantly be put to test. He must also have the courage to face his staff with candour and give unpleasant feedback to an employee who may not be pulling his weight.A study by Daniel Goleman surprisingly revealed that fearlessness, amongst others, is often an inherited trait (Goleman 1986). It appears that some children are born with a higher threshold of fear and risk aversion than others. An insensitivity to fear however does not necessarily make a courageous leader. In the article ‘The Meaning of Courage’, Richard Zinbarg states ‘In my view, however, we cannot be courageous or strong in situations in which we have no fear or anxiety whatsoever’ (Zinbarg 2010). Courage is the quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty, danger, pain, etc. despite anxiety or fear’ (Rachman 1978). This thus means that the quality of courage which one needs to have to be an effective leader is not ingrained at birth, but rather is developed over time by the habit of constantly facing ones fears. Many leadership training organisations teach this trait with rock climbing or mountain climbing exercises, which will gradually help the students face down their fears and take challenges head on.The military also recruit young men and women into their ranks and through trainings, exercises and exposure to real armed conflict situations, gradually shape them into courageous combat ready soldiers. This is perhaps one of the reasons why the American people had until recently only voted ex-military political candidates into office; they naturally believed that these men would have cultivated the traits of strength and fearlessness during their time in the military. Integrity is another important attribute of a good leader.The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines integrity as the ‘firm adherence to a code of especially moral or artistic values (Merriam-Webster n. d. ). Are some people born with integrity whilst others are born with a propensity for deceit and inconsistency? Research shows that children growing up are prone to adopt the moral code and values which their models exhibit from birth to about the age of 7, when they begin to observe and appraise the results of actions on subjects as well as the attendant repercussions.They then begin to form their own value system which continues to be shaped throughout their lives (Thomas 1993). Integrity is a learned attribute and leaders can therefore not be born with it; it is an acquired trait. A review of the biographies of great leaders often refer to defining moments in their lives where experiences occurred that shaped and defined their moral codes for the rest of their lives. One of the greatest examples of this is the story of President Abraham Lincoln, fondly known as ‘Honest Abe’ by the people of America.He exposed himself at a very early age to character moulding literature that extolled the virtues of integrity and individual struggle, thereby internalising the accounts of other great men and consciously adopting their moral codes (Carwardine 2003). The mere fact that peer pressure, lack of a proper family structure and environmental/ community factors have been identified as three of the main contributing factors to teen crime (Muhammad 2008) establish that integrity or the lack of it is a learned behaviour and not an inherited trait.This is one of the reasons why juvenile corrective authorities always seek foster parents for adolescents whom they perceive to be in danger of being corrupted by their soci ety. The human race has made exceptional leaps in the past century on numerous frontiers; medicine, law, science, technology, and most of the other endeavours we have focused our mental energy and resources on. In the business world, the number of registered companies (either with physical or virtual offices) is rising quickly and with it the portfolio and profile of its owners and managers.The leaders of these advancements and breakthroughs did not let questions of their genetic predisposition to leadership deter them from achieving the feats they have accomplished. Proposing that leadership is a birthright and therefore the exclusive right of a privileged few would be encouraging scores of people to abdicate their natural duty of being the best version of themselves they possibly can, encouraging them to ignore the plethora of opportunities to lead and make a difference, encouraging them to give up at the first sign of difficulty.The last and arguably the most important trait of a great leader is faith; faith in his ability to lead his team and actually make a difference. It is only by understanding that great leaders are made and not born that we can have the faith to put ourselves through the gruelling process it takes to shape our minds and bodies, and thereby become the exceptional leaders that we all can be.Bibliography Carwardine, Richard. Lincoln. London, 2003. Colleen, Sharen. â€Å"Leaders are Born not Made. † Thinking is Hard Work, 2012. Goleman, Daniel. â€Å"New York Times. † New York Times, 2 December 1986. Horne, C. F. Heritage History. History Curriculum Homeschool, 2007. Merriam-Webster. â€Å"Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. † http://www. merriam-webster. com/dictionary/integrity. Muhammad, Ali. Youth Crime; Causes and Remedies. 2008. Murnieks, Charles Y. Whom Am I; The Quest for Entrepreneural Identity. 2008. Parks, Sharon Daloz. â€Å"Leadership Can Be Taught: A Bold Approach for a Complex World. † 2005: 5-6. Rachman, Stanley. Fear and Courage. 1978. Thomas, Laurence. Morality and Psychological Development. Basil Blackwell Ltd, 1993. Zinbarg, Richard. The Meaning of Courage. 2010. Leaders Are Born Not Made ESSAY TITLE: LEADERS ARE BORN NOT MADE AUTHOR: AYODELE OLATOYE SUMMARY: The essay refutes the viewpoint that leaders are born not made, and seeks to establish through valid arguments, illustrations and documented evidence that leaders are actually made and not born WORD COUNT: 1920 LEADERS ARE BORN NOT MADE Folklore has lulled us into believing that some people are born leaders while others are not.Regardless of tribe, ethnicity or race, most people can trace their origins back to a monarchical or feudal system where the offspring of the reigning family found themselves thrust into leadership positions regardless of their inclinations to rule or not. To further impress this upon our collective psyches, the legends of such royal ancestors are interwoven with thrilling notions of romantic adventure and grandeur, and we unwittingly find ourselves mentally acquiescing to the untruth that some people are born to lead while others are destined to merely follow.History has however proven ot herwise; leaders are made not born. The fall of monarchical systems of government occurred slowly but surely over centuries, as it became apparent to all that leadership is to be earned, and is not a birthright. Nobility was no longer a question of bloodline but of courage, strength of character and the ability to motivate your peers to follow you in achieving a common goal. Some critics would argue that the most prominent features of leaders such as courage, charisma and strength are personality traits which are inherited and cannot be taught (Colleen 2012).Research has however shown that the human personality is extremely malleable, and under the right tutelage and exposure to carefully calibrated exercises, leadership attributes can be developed by anyone who is willing to invest the required amount of time and energy to achieve these results (Parks 2005). It has also been argued that another key requirement for leadership is pleasant good looks which are an inherited feature (Co lleen 2012).This is however an unsubstantiated assumption and perhaps is only relevant in the realm of politics where the ability to assume an office is often indicative of a strong political machinery backing you, and not your ability to lead and motivate. True leadership is not an office but a lifestyle. Mahatma Ghandi may not have qualified as a prospect for GQ’s cover page but he is undisputedly one of the most influential leaders in modern history. Perhaps it would be instructive to clarify who a leader is before proceeding further. ‘A leader is a person who influences a group of people towards the achievement of a certain goal’ (Merriam-Webster n. . ). Leaders exist in almost every facet and sphere of life we may choose to examine; the family unit, schools, religious organisations, business institutions and states. The manner in which they influence people varies from individual to individual. One of the areas which has witnessed the most review and analysi s is the business environment, where the efficacy of a leader could determine whether an organisation thrives or goes under, and with it the fates of staff, shareholders and other stakeholders whose livelihoods are inexorably linked to the business.We will therefore restrict our review to the attributes of a successful business leader and an analysis of whether such traits are inherited or cultivated. One key trait which most of the literature written on great business leaders agree on as a required characteristic is excellent communication skills. A leader must be able to clearly communicate his vision in compelling terms that will motivate his team to follow him into the thick of the fray, be it the floor of the New York Stock exchange or into the last quarter of the year where the sales figures will determine whether the organisation sinks or swims.Is the ability to communicate convincingly an inborn trait? History would lead us to believe otherwise. According to folklore, Demost henes was the most famed of Greek orators whose first attempt at public speaking earned him the derision of his peers for his efforts (Horne 2007). Through dedication and the proper tutelage, he overcame a speech handicap and eventually became a voice that all of Greece respected. In the modern world, the abundance of voice coaches and public speaking training material points to the fact that excellent communication skills can be learnt.In addition, as organisations continue to grow in size and staffing, an increasing amount of the intra-organisational communication is written and no longer verbal. CEOs communicate their vision and the company’s direction to the entire staff via written emails. Though some critics may maintain that good communication skills are inherited, it is unlikely that even the strongest proponents of this view will believe that the ability to type concise emails is an inborn talent. Another important leadership trait is passion; passion is infectious n d galvanises those around you into pouring their energy into the goals you have set. It is obviously apparent that some people are naturally more passionate than others and this is inarguably an inborn personality trait. As a leader however, you are not required to be passionate about every single thing; you however must be passionate about your job, your organisation and the objectives you have set. In the book ‘Who Am I; The Quest for Entrepreneurial Identity’, Charles Y. Murnieks states ‘†¦ ntrepreneurial passion is significantly related to the setting of proximal goals’ (Murnieks 2008). This suggests that any leader who is fiercely committed to a goal inadvertently becomes passionate about it. Goal setting and focus is a trait which can definitely be taught and are the precursors to the passion that a great leader needs. On the other hand, being a passionate person in a general sense is no guarantee of great leadership. On the contrary, passion tha t is not built on predetermined goals may lead to emotional decisions which could destroy an organisation.A third important leadership trait is courage. In the course of running an organisation, a leader must have the courage to take decisions which could either make or break that organisation. Whether it is choosing the sectors to invest businesses capital in or selling off an ailing subsidiary, his courage will constantly be put to test. He must also have the courage to face his staff with candour and give unpleasant feedback to an employee who may not be pulling his weight.A study by Daniel Goleman surprisingly revealed that fearlessness, amongst others, is often an inherited trait (Goleman 1986). It appears that some children are born with a higher threshold of fear and risk aversion than others. An insensitivity to fear however does not necessarily make a courageous leader. In the article ‘The Meaning of Courage’, Richard Zinbarg states ‘In my view, however, we cannot be courageous or strong in situations in which we have no fear or anxiety whatsoever’ (Zinbarg 2010). Courage is the quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty, danger, pain, etc. despite anxiety or fear’ (Rachman 1978). This thus means that the quality of courage which one needs to have to be an effective leader is not ingrained at birth, but rather is developed over time by the habit of constantly facing ones fears. Many leadership training organisations teach this trait with rock climbing or mountain climbing exercises, which will gradually help the students face down their fears and take challenges head on.The military also recruit young men and women into their ranks and through trainings, exercises and exposure to real armed conflict situations, gradually shape them into courageous combat ready soldiers. This is perhaps one of the reasons why the American people had until recently only voted ex-military political candidates into office; they naturally believed that these men would have cultivated the traits of strength and fearlessness during their time in the military. Integrity is another important attribute of a good leader.The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines integrity as the ‘firm adherence to a code of especially moral or artistic values (Merriam-Webster n. d. ). Are some people born with integrity whilst others are born with a propensity for deceit and inconsistency? Research shows that children growing up are prone to adopt the moral code and values which their models exhibit from birth to about the age of 7, when they begin to observe and appraise the results of actions on subjects as well as the attendant repercussions.They then begin to form their own value system which continues to be shaped throughout their lives (Thomas 1993). Integrity is a learned attribute and leaders can therefore not be born with it; it is an acquired trait. A review of the biographies of great leaders often refer to defining moments in their lives where experiences occurred that shaped and defined their moral codes for the rest of their lives. One of the greatest examples of this is the story of President Abraham Lincoln, fondly known as ‘Honest Abe’ by the people of America.He exposed himself at a very early age to character moulding literature that extolled the virtues of integrity and individual struggle, thereby internalising the accounts of other great men and consciously adopting their moral codes (Carwardine 2003). The mere fact that peer pressure, lack of a proper family structure and environmental/ community factors have been identified as three of the main contributing factors to teen crime (Muhammad 2008) establish that integrity or the lack of it is a learned behaviour and not an inherited trait.This is one of the reasons why juvenile corrective authorities always seek foster parents for adolescents whom they perceive to be in danger of being corrupted by their soci ety. The human race has made exceptional leaps in the past century on numerous frontiers; medicine, law, science, technology, and most of the other endeavours we have focused our mental energy and resources on. In the business world, the number of registered companies (either with physical or virtual offices) is rising quickly and with it the portfolio and profile of its owners and managers.The leaders of these advancements and breakthroughs did not let questions of their genetic predisposition to leadership deter them from achieving the feats they have accomplished. Proposing that leadership is a birthright and therefore the exclusive right of a privileged few would be encouraging scores of people to abdicate their natural duty of being the best version of themselves they possibly can, encouraging them to ignore the plethora of opportunities to lead and make a difference, encouraging them to give up at the first sign of difficulty.The last and arguably the most important trait of a great leader is faith; faith in his ability to lead his team and actually make a difference. It is only by understanding that great leaders are made and not born that we can have the faith to put ourselves through the gruelling process it takes to shape our minds and bodies, and thereby become the exceptional leaders that we all can be.Bibliography Carwardine, Richard. Lincoln. London, 2003. Colleen, Sharen. â€Å"Leaders are Born not Made. † Thinking is Hard Work, 2012. Goleman, Daniel. â€Å"New York Times. † New York Times, 2 December 1986. Horne, C. F. Heritage History. History Curriculum Homeschool, 2007. Merriam-Webster. â€Å"Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. † http://www. merriam-webster. com/dictionary/integrity. Muhammad, Ali. Youth Crime; Causes and Remedies. 2008. Murnieks, Charles Y. Whom Am I; The Quest for Entrepreneural Identity. 2008. Parks, Sharon Daloz. â€Å"Leadership Can Be Taught: A Bold Approach for a Complex World. † 2005: 5-6. Rachman, Stanley. Fear and Courage. 1978. Thomas, Laurence. Morality and Psychological Development. Basil Blackwell Ltd, 1993. Zinbarg, Richard. The Meaning of Courage. 2010.

Free Essays on Gender Inequality

In recent 14th Census 2001, the states with lowest decadal growth recorded are Kerala (9.42 per cent), Tamil Nadu (11.19 per cent), Andhra Pradesh (13.86 per cent), and Goa (14.89 per cent). Both Kerala and Tamil Nadu show a better rate of literacy than Andhra Pradesh. In Goa, the majority of population consists of Christians and so women enjoy a higher degree of liberty than those of other states. But the case of Andhra Pradesh is unique. It is less industrialized and has less literary rate than Tamil Nadu. Yet it has shown the sharpest decline in population growth rate among all the states (10.34 per cent). The average annual exponential growth rate has declined to 1.93 per cent in 1991-2001 from 2.14 per cent in 1981-1991. The total population of Andhra Pradesh as at 00:00 hrs of 1st March, 2001 stood at 75,727,541 as per Provincial Census of India, 2001. A radical change has taken place in the family life of the women of rural Andhra Pradesh because of the scheme of DWCRA, which empowered them. Andhra Pradesh occupies the fifth place in population as against the fourth in the previous Census of India. During 1981-1991, this state witnessed an increase of 24.20 per cent in population, which came down to 13.86 per cent during 1991-2001 while the country’s decadal growth rate is 21.34 per cent. This achievement of Andhra Pradesh is spectacular. The State of Andhra Pradesh has every right to claim the credits of the statistics of Census of India, 2001 for its performance regarding the population control in India as it is in the forefront of empowering women in the state by means of DWCRA. Presently, 4,20,000 DWCRA groups are working only in Andhra Pradesh, which is more than 40 percent of the total DWCRA groups in India. The main highlights of the DWCRA are: the women members of DWCRA form a group of 10 to 15 women at the village level for delivery of services like credit and skill training, cash and infrastructure supp... Free Essays on Gender Inequality Free Essays on Gender Inequality In recent 14th Census 2001, the states with lowest decadal growth recorded are Kerala (9.42 per cent), Tamil Nadu (11.19 per cent), Andhra Pradesh (13.86 per cent), and Goa (14.89 per cent). Both Kerala and Tamil Nadu show a better rate of literacy than Andhra Pradesh. In Goa, the majority of population consists of Christians and so women enjoy a higher degree of liberty than those of other states. But the case of Andhra Pradesh is unique. It is less industrialized and has less literary rate than Tamil Nadu. Yet it has shown the sharpest decline in population growth rate among all the states (10.34 per cent). The average annual exponential growth rate has declined to 1.93 per cent in 1991-2001 from 2.14 per cent in 1981-1991. The total population of Andhra Pradesh as at 00:00 hrs of 1st March, 2001 stood at 75,727,541 as per Provincial Census of India, 2001. A radical change has taken place in the family life of the women of rural Andhra Pradesh because of the scheme of DWCRA, which empowered them. Andhra Pradesh occupies the fifth place in population as against the fourth in the previous Census of India. During 1981-1991, this state witnessed an increase of 24.20 per cent in population, which came down to 13.86 per cent during 1991-2001 while the country’s decadal growth rate is 21.34 per cent. This achievement of Andhra Pradesh is spectacular. The State of Andhra Pradesh has every right to claim the credits of the statistics of Census of India, 2001 for its performance regarding the population control in India as it is in the forefront of empowering women in the state by means of DWCRA. Presently, 4,20,000 DWCRA groups are working only in Andhra Pradesh, which is more than 40 percent of the total DWCRA groups in India. The main highlights of the DWCRA are: the women members of DWCRA form a group of 10 to 15 women at the village level for delivery of services like credit and skill training, cash and infrastructure supp... Free Essays on Gender Inequality Mohandas Gandhi was born on October 2, 1869 at Porbandar on the north-west coast of India. He was the third son and the last of four children of well-to-do Hindu parents. The Gandhis belonged to the Modh Bania subdivision of the Vaisya caste, representing the trader class in the traditional Hindu caste system and were originally grocers. Gandhi’s grandfather, father and uncle were dewan, or prime minister, to ruler of Porbandar; and his father was later prime minister of two other similar tiny states. None of these states was subject to direct British rule, and consequently old Indian customs and traditions were much more in evidence there than in most parts of British India. Gandhi grew up in a traditional Hindu family. He inherited his father’s stubbornness, incorruptibility and practical sense and his mother’s life of religion, devotion and abstinence. Growing up Gandhi often listened to the religious discussions of his father and his friends who practiced the Muslim and Parsi religions. Young Gandhi’s exposure to these teachings does not mean that he had developed a deep faith in religion or in ahimsa (nonviolence) at an early age. Gandhi says, â€Å"But one thing took deep root in me- the conviction that morality is the basis of things, and that truth is the substance of all morality.† He learned then the guiding principle: â€Å"Return good for evil.† And he began to make everything he did an experiment with truth. Gandhi started school in Porbandar, where he probably attended the local Dhoolishala, or Dust school, where the school teacher taught the children how to write letters of the Gujarati alphabet in the dust on the floor. He had no difficulty in composing, along with other children, Gujarati rhymed couplets ridiculing the lame teacher, but encountered some problem in mastering the multiplication table. â€Å"My intellect must have been sluggish, and my memory raw,† says the adult Mohandas about his schoolday...