Blizzard

The blizzard of 1999 struck a majority of the Midwest along with parts of Canada. The biggest areas affected were Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Ontario, Quebec, Wisconsin, and Ohio. There was as much as 2 feet of snow in many areas. The blizzard began on January 2, 1999 through January 4, 1999. Chicago was one of the biggest cities impacted by the storm measuring up to 22 inches of snow and rated the 2nd worst blizzard in Chicago by the National Weather Channel. Record temperatures hit a low of below 20 degrees Fahrenheit and up to 50 degrees in some places. This all resulted in airports and train stations being shut down for hours to days.Northwest airlines were down for numerous hours with people stuck on many flights. Many people had things to say about blizzard conditions. People said they started seeing signs of the blizzard on New Year’s Eve of 1998. Weather temperatures were decreasing and snow was beginning to fall. One witness described the condition like driving throu gh a fog of white snow without being able to see an inch in front of him. A man described being stuck on the flight by northwest airlines as being covered in blankets and other peoples clothing just to keep warm and developed frost bite on his nose and toes.A lady described the condition as the worst she’d seen in her 83 years of life living in Chicago. A mother remembers trying to get her child to a local hospital and developing frost bite and flu like symptoms from the amount of snow accumulation on the ground. Many ask how a blizzard like this form does. The blizzard begins when snow is falling and wind is at least 35mph and it reduces visibility up to ? a mile or less. The wind speed and snow fall are the biggest factor in determining blizzard like conditions. A blizzard like this generally forms when cold polar air comes down and mixes with warm and moist air from lower altitudes.It feeds on the dropping temperatures to occur. The overall impact of a blizzard can cost th e lives of others and millions of dollars. The blizzard of 1999 resulted in 73 deaths. The cost of the blizzard was estimated between 300-400 million dollars. Chicago area was the biggest of the relief fund and over 45 counties qualified for federal aid relief. Northwest airlines paid out 7 million dollars to passengers on the flight to compensate for their hours on the flight from the storm. Overall many people, buildings, and companies were impacted in the blizzard of 1999.

HRM ISSUES IN ISRAEL

HRM ISSUES IN ISRAEL HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENTPRACTICES AND APPROACHES INISRAELThe transition from a Socialist approach to a free market approach and the rise of a new high-tech sector are two remarkable shifts that have occurred in the last two decades in Israel. In the face of these changes, human resource (HR) practitioners are currently expected to assume new roles, adopt different work values, and apply appropriate strategies. HR managers in the low-tech industry still adhere to traditional values and strategies, including a reliance on trade unions and an emphasis on job security and the employees' years of work experience and seniority as key criteria for promotion. In the emerging high-tech sector, HR managers have adopted new values and developed new strategies, including human resource management programs, employee empowerment, higher salaries and better benefits, while placing an emphasis on employees' talents and qualifications.Source: emeraldinsight.com/journals.htm/journals.htm?issn=014377 20volume=22issue=3articleid=848302show=htmlPHPSESSID=qj5kp1babsuadbfaj 47luam41Recent changes in Israeli society and economy and their relation to Organizational PoliticsOver the past three decades, Israel has undergone significant economic, industrial and cultural transformations.A few issues of SHRM's monthly publication HR Maga...These developments have shifted public values considerably and may indirectly affect OP and HR practices. For example, Sagie and Weisberg (2001) maintain that in recent years, Israeli society has gone from being ascetic, collectivistic, closed, and relatively homogeneous, to being more materialistic, individualistic, open, and pluralistic. The impact of this trend on workplace practice is substantial. Instead of considering one's work as an obligation toward one's family or a contribution to society, it is widely perceived today as a means toward individual self-satisfaction and achievement of personal goals (Elizur Sagie, 1999; Harpaz, 1999). Workers n ow place greater emphasis than they did in the past on values such as employee empowerment, participation in decision-making, job enrichment, and career development. In addition, Israeli work culture is...

The Unsinkable Ship that Sank essays

The Unsinkable Ship that Sank essays The Unsinkable Ship That Sank The Titanic was unsinkable... was a thought that ran through many peoples heads as they heard the news that it had been struck with an iceberg. They believed it couldnt sink because the Titanic was so big and strong that nothing in the world could take it down. Whenever people today think of the Titanic, we think of how it sank and how many people lost their lives, which is an example of dramatic irony in itself. We know the devastating end of the Titanic, yet most of the people in this story did not. The R.M.S. Titanic by Hanson W. Baldwin is a story using irony to immensely interest the reader. Dramatic irony occurred vaguely in this account. However, it all depends on how much knowledge you have of the disaster. Already knowing the ship sinks is a dramatic irony that is shown by just reading the title. If you have any further knowledge, you may come upon more dramatic ironies. For example, it is said in the story that the band was playing ragtime during all the drama on the ship. This is a dramatic irony because we know that the ship is going to sink and they should be taking care of themselves before the White Star liner goes down rather than standing there playing ragtime for the people walking by. Another example of dramatic irony in R.M.S. Titanic is the fact that life preservers are tied on; some men smile at the precaution. Most readers know that the life preservers are not a silly precaution but something that might save them from the horrible risks that they will face later on in the night. One paragraph in the account reads But the passengers- most of them- did not know that the Titanic was sinking. The shock of the collision had been so slight that some were not awakened by it; the Titanic was so huge that she must be unsinkable; the night was too calm, too beautiful, to think of death at sea. This clearly describes the ignoranc...

Law for Accounting assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Law for Accounting assignment - Essay Example Formation of Contract is based on firstly, an ‘offer’, which must be followed by an acceptance. Secondly, there must be consideration, intention to create legal relations and sufficient certainty. The main starting point for the conclusion of a contract can be found in Smith v Hughes1, where both a subjective as well as objective test was laid down in order to determine the existence of a contract. The subjective test determines the actual intention of the contracting parties, whereas the objective test ascertains what had been said by the parties, what they did and not and what their actual intention of saying or doing was. As per Professor Atiyah, the issue of offer and acceptance has been determined by courts in two ways, that is ‘reason forwards’ and ‘reason backwards’, the former is where existence of offer and acceptance are determined first and then the conclusion on the dispute is made; the latter is where the courts can reason from the appropriate solution back to the legal concepts of offer and acceptance. An offer has been defined as an expression of willingness by one party known as the offeror, to contract or be bound on stated terms, provided that such terms are accepted by the party to whom the offer is made that is the offeree. The courts have drawn a distinction between an offer and an invitation to treat, as the latter is merely an expression of willingness by one party to enter into negotiations and is not unconditional and there is a lack of intention to create legal relations. The most important and land mark cases which distinguished between an offer and invitation to treat are of Gibson v Manchester City Council2 and Storer v Manchester City Council3. In Gibson, where treasurer had sent a letter to Mr. Gibson, stating that council may be prepared to sell the house, was held to be an invitation to treat, which was further confirmed by the fact that Mr. Gibson was asked to make a formal application to purchase the house. The courts therefore took into account the correspondence between the parties. However, in Storer the courts found that a contract had come into existence as negotiations had moved beyond what had happened in Gibson but an exchange of contracts had not taken place. These cases clearly point out that fact that judges can interpret and differ in the results and so the decision would be said to be based on its own facts. An offer should be differentiated from a mere statement of price that is an enquiry as to the price. (Harvey v. Facey)4 Invitation to treat has been defined as an expression of willingness of a party to enter into negotiations with another with the hope that a contract would be reached at the end of such negotiations. (Fisher v Bell)5. As for advertisements, it has been strictly said to be an invitation to treat (Partridge v Crittenden)6, however, the courts have interpreted advertisements in a manner which allows for certain exceptions to be create d and the main reasons for that has been cited to be intention to be bound and certainty (Carlill v Carbolic Smoke Ball Co.)7. Further, the advertisement of an auction sale is generally only an invitation to treat (Harris v Nickerson)8. The opinions as to when an offer is made have differed. In respect of the advertisement that had been placed by Serena in the Sunday Times Style, the first and foremost question is whether such advertisement was an invitation to

Chemical Mind Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Chemical Mind - Movie Review Example The axon, which is protected by a myelin sheath, transmits electrical impulses from the soma to other neurons, muscles, and glands. The nervous system depends on neurotransmitters that trigger signal transmission that leads to emotions and motions. Notably, endorphins and norepinephrine control emotions and alertness respectively. Gamma-aminobutyric acid such as serotonin regulates moods, hunger, and sleep. Acetylcholine and dopamine have both exciting and inhibitory properties. The former triggers muscle action and memory while the latter is important in learning, movement, and pleasurable emotions. Excess dopamine has a link to addictive and impulsive behavior, as well as, schizophrenia. Hormones are chemical transmitters in the endocrine system, and exert action on the brain, as well as, other organs. Notably, hormones regulate moods, arousal, circadian rhythm, metabolism, growth, immune system, and sexual reproduction. Unlike the neurotransmitter, the transmission of messages thr ough hormones is slower. The transmission involves secretion of hormones by glands that enter the bloodstream and eventually reach the brain. It is noteworthy that the hormonal effect is long lasting. The most important gland in the brain is the pituitary that release growth hormone and oxytocin, which play a role in social bonding. In summary, the communication between the brain and peripheral organs involves nervous and endocrine systems.Franz Joseph Gall, a German physician, perceived that a link existed between personality and skull morphology.

Leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words - 2

Leadership - Essay Example charismatic leader must have particular interpersonal skills and h must have the potential of communicating the goals which are required to be accomplished by the workforce. The corporate leaders are aware of the importance of customer satisfaction and they try to propose strategies which enhance the overall values derived by the customers. The leaders are motivated and confident and they constantly come up with strategies for engaging the employees. Leadership has nothing to do with the seniority or age of the employees and it is free from the dominance of the titles within an organization. Leadership is a trait which is not associated to the personal attributes of the individuals (Kur & Bunning, 2002). In this report a discussion will be presented about the role of the leaders in aligning the employees of the organization. For explaining this fact the role of the corporate leadership in reforming certain organization will be discussed. Different forms of leadership will pose a discussion about the corporate leadership of the organization. Relevant models and theories will be used for analyzing the role of corporate leadership towards the success of the organizations. For the analysis of the role of the corporate leadership on decision making of some of the companies will be discussed. These companies will be selected from the list of FTSE-100 companies listed on the London Stock Exchange. The companies which will be subject to discussion will include British American Tobacco, Glaxo Smith Kline and Tesco. The analysis of the role of their corporate leadership on the organizational success will be elaborately discussed. Using the details presented and analyzing the examples discusse d certain advices will be presented to the leaders of the SME’s located in Thailand. The learning outcomes of the report will be discussed so that the role of leadership and its contribution to the success of the modern day organization can be discussed. Leadership is considered as a

Bosnian Refugee Life in America Essay Example for Free

Bosnian Refugee Life in America Essay Thousands of refugees from Bosnia-Herzegovina have fled to the United States to seek protection from the ethnoreligious conflicts of the region. To best assist these families, service providers must understand their wartime and migration experiences and their culture. The purpose of this article is to review the literature relevant to working with Bosnian Muslim refugees as well as to understand the uruque issues facing this population. The authors interest in Bosnian Muslim refugees is a personal one. Between 1992 and 2001, nearly 3,500 Bosnian refugees escaping ethnic cleansing and war migrated to Bowling Green, a small city of 50,000 in rural southcentral Kentucky. The Bowling Green International Center has been a part of the local community since 1979 and actively works with the United States Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI). For more than 25 years, the center has assisted thousands of refugees of many nationalities in their migration to the United States and the local community. According to the centers director, Marty Deputy, Bosnians make up the largest percentage of refugees that have relocated to Bowling Green (personal communication, February 3, 2005). Deputy also indicated that while Bosnian refugees have adapted well to the local community, they still face many challenges because of their experiences in Bosnia in addition to their integration into a new culture. One of the issues that continue to haunt many Bosnian refugees is post-traumatic stress—a result of war and genocide. Post-traumatic stress is particularly an issue for the adult women, who experienced the trauma of rape and sexual assault as well as witnessing the murder of their children and spouses. According to Deputy (personal communication, February 3, 2005), social workers should approach Bosnian families and children with cultural competence. If visiting a Bosnian home, for example, removing ones shoes when entering is a display of respect and sensitivity. A willingness to drink a strong cup of Bosnian coffee is also appreciated. Social workers also must be sensitive about body language and speech tone. It is also important not to assume that all Bosnians are alike. As with all cultures, there is tremendous variation in the Bosnian culture, along with individual differences in personality and environmental experiences. Bosnian Muslim Experiences in the War The 1991 census for Bosnia-Herzegovina shows that Muslims made up 43. 7% of the total population of 4. 3 million people. Serbs accounted for 31. 3% and Croats 17. 3% (Bringa, 1995). Serbs identified the Muslims majority population base in Bosnia-Herzegovina as its strategic strength (Cigar, 1995). In 1992, therefore, the Serbs declared war and began a campaign of ethnic cleansing to eradicate non-Serbs. The term ethnic cleansing stands for the policy of ridding an area of an undesirable national group to create a homogenous region; it represents a type of genocide that is designed to spread terror (Friedman, 1996; Weine Laub, 1995). Serbias initial rationale for its policy was promulgated by the belief that the newly formed state of Bosnia-Herzegovina would create national minorities of the Serb population and eventually destroy the Serb populace as a discrete and unique nation (Friedman, 1996). The prospect of acquiring material goods from the Muslims—land, livestock, houses, cars, and cash—apparently was an additional powerful incentive for many Serbs (Cigar, 1995; Sells, 1998). The indigenous Bosnian Serb population was drawn into a terror campaign of killing and mayhem so the non-Serbian populations would never return. This persecution ultimately led to more than one million Balkan refugees migrating to the United States and other countries. The types of experiences they endured in their homeland before emigrating dramatically influenced their initial adaptation to these new environments. Resettlement and Adaptation Issues As difficult as the war-related experiences were, migration to resettlement countries signaled a transition to new types of struggles for Bosnian refugees. Unlike immigrants who leave their homes for a variety of reasons, refugees leave in order to survive, and they face a new realm of stressors as they attempt to rebuild their lives in exile (Keyes, 2000; Worthington, 2001). Such stressors include difficult transit experiences; culture shock; adjustment problems related to language and occupational change; and disruption in their sense of self, family, and community (Lipson, 1993; Worthington, 2001). Additionally, refugees leaving Bosnia-Herzegovina often have suffered multiple losses, such as severance from family and friends who have been left behind or killed, displacement from their homes and communities, social isolation, and the premature death of their children. Such an accumulation of loss can leave a sense of unresolved grief that can significantly impact mental health and future functioning capacity (Akhtar, 1992; Fullilove, 1996; Sundquist Johansson, 1996; Worthington, 2001). When refugees cross national boundaries seeking asylum, they typically find themselves in an alien social environment with norms that challenge their traditional patterns of family interaction (Mayadas Segal, 2000). Most Bosnian refugees have a hierarchical familial power structure and clear role definitions; in the homeland, authority was typically gender-based, with males maintaining instrumental roles and females fulfilling nurturing responsibilities. A traditional Bosnian womans commitment to her family includes observing strict codes of privacy and public silence on any issue that might bring shame on the family, such as family discord. For many women, this privacy mandate deters them from divulging details about marital strife or child maltreatment by spouses to outsiders such as work colleagues, community members, and mental health professionals. Consequently, Bosnian female refugees continue to be caught between traditional role models prevalent throughout the former Yugoslavias patriarchal society in the 20th Century and the expectations of their new culture. The Bosnian familys patriarchal patterns of behavior tend to be challenged on arrival in the United States, particularly around work-related issues. Women are more likely than men to find jobs in the low-wage labor market, and in becoming the breadwinners exposed to the outside world, they risk upsetting a family equilibrium based on male authority (Mayadas Segal, 2000). For Bosnian men, key ethnic and social boundary markers of their lives had evaporated; because of their grief over this, many seemed paralyzed in their attempt to move forward in their new life. Bosnian refugee children also face immense acculturation pressures (Mayadas Segal, 2000). They often are torn between the beliefs, customs, and values learned in their native culture and the often unrealistic expectations of the new one. The pressure to assimilate the cultural norms of their new country can be intense and extremely stressful. Their parents often lack the material resources and support systems to adequately assist them in navigating the complex terrain of foreign school systems, pervasive racism, and intolerance (Mayadas Segal, 2000). Consequently, many feel as if they are alone in a foreign, sometimes unforgiving new cultural milieu. To further complicate the situation, family roles often reverse as children typically become more fluent in English faster and adapt more quickly to the customs of the new country (Potocky, 1996). Because children are thrust into the role of serving as the interpreters and negotiators of cultural norms for their parents, respect for the authority of elders is often undermined (Carlin, 1990; Drachman; 1992). Even though most teenagers in the United States feel a certain amount of intergenerational tension, the adolescents of refugees often experience the pull of two vastly different worlds: those of their American peers and their parents (Mayadas Segal, 2000). They also feel subjected to the xenophobia of their American peers, who often ridicule others who they label as different. Immigration to the United States has provided Bosnian Muslim refugee families with many challenges as they struggle to adapt to their new lives. At first glance, their experiences may be similar to that of other immigrants, raising the familiar questions about how to perpetuate the faith of their forebears among their offspring or how to best preserve cherished cultural practices (Yazbeck- Haddad Esposito, 2000). But there are some real differences. With the attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon in Washington, DC, the potential for a xenophobic reception of Muslim immigrants and refugees by Americans has intensified. For example, disputes over the building of mosques represent a key source of friction for most Westerners (Pipes Duran, 1993). While Bosnian Muslim families may encounter the same issues earlier generations of immigrants faced, they also are burdened with the question of whether their children will be accepted in the United States, and whether Islam can ever be recognized as a positive force that contributes to a pluralistic, multicultural nation (Yazbeck-Haddad Esposito, 2000). Culturally Competent Practice with Bosnian Muslims When working with Bosnian Muslim refugees, service providers need to learn as much as possible about their culture, particularly given the pivotal role that ethnoreligious identity has played in their war-related experiences (Witmer Culver, 2001). Bosnian men and women tend to adhere to traditional gender roles; connected with this issue is the intense stigma attached to the sexual violation of women. This stigma frequently led women to refrain from disclosing war rapes to their families (Witmer Culver, 2001). Bosnian Muslims typically act in ways that preserve the positive image of the familys identity, especially males, who see openly revealing vulnerability or suffering as a sign of great personal weakness (Weine et al. , 1997). Family is the most important social structure across the urban and rural regions of Bosnia (Mojica-Castillo, 2001). Up until the 1970s, adult children commonly lived with their parents and multiple generations lived in the same house. But today, twoparent families predominate in this region with extended family members often living nearby. A cluster of shoes can typically be found outside a Bosnian home (Mojica-Castillo, 2001). This is because it is customary to remove street shoes and leave them at the door. Bosnians maintain a strong social tradition of neighborliness. The drinking of strong coffee or the sharing of food, accompanied by the essential element of lively conversation, is an important aspect of social life. Traditional music and folk dances are an important part of cultural celebrations. A basic principle of generalist social work is that practitioners need to be able to intervene on behalf of various systems, including individuals, families, orgaruzations, and communities. Additionally, the generalist social worker operates within an ecological framework that attempts to improve coping patterns for a better match between the client systems needs and the characteristics of his or her environment. An empowerment approach to generalist practice assumes that clients can draw from existing competencies and reservoirs of strength. Empowerment indicates the intent and the processes of assisting client systems to discover and expand the tools and resources around them (Furuto, 2004). Swift and Levin (1987) referred to empowerment as an evolution from dependence to independence and interdependence. Gutierrez (1990) described empowerment as the process of increasing personal, interpersonal, or political power so that individuals can take action to improve their life situations (p. 140). The strengths perspective enhances the concept of empowerment with its focus on promoting healing. Healing implies both wholeness and the inborn ability of the mind and body to resist and regenerate when faced with disruption, disorder, or disease (Furuto, 2004). Ethnic and religious identity may lead to discrimination when the refugee is seeking a job that requires intervention on a more personal level. Long-term difficulty in finding a job that provides the family with adequate income may cause low self-esteem and family tension culminating in violence (Furuto Murase, 1992). Various system levels often must be addressed simultaneously (Mayadas Segal, 2000). Western thinking on designing comprehensive mental health services is mostly based on the individual as the primary system targeted for intervention; hence, existing services tend to be designed for a North American population (Mooren Kleber, 1999). Furthermore, treatment of mental health disorders typically follows a medical model using talk therapy and drugs. Western theories also emphasize intrapersonal processes in isolation from the cultural context. The prevailing view that the responses to trauma are individual centered is in keeping with this tradition. Service providers must use the refugees own, indigenous cultural definitions of health and illness when making mental health assessments (Boothby, 1996; Wing Sue, Ivey, Pedersen, 1996). For example, a Bosnian client who had the Western diag nosis of major depression and post-traumatic stress disorder refused medication saying that there was nothing wrong with him that medications could fix, and insisted that the clinician understand that his current condition was a result of the wrongs that had been done to him, and not because of anything that was wrong with him (Weine Laub, 1995, p. 255). To address the issue of respecting the clients definition of the issue, Yuen (1999) promoted a more holistic biopsychosocial model of intervention when working with Bosnian children and their families; hence, the importance of using an ethnically sensitive ecological framework becomes a second principle of culturally competent practice. A third principle is to respect the indigenous strengths and resources within Bosnians that empower them to cope with their own experiences. Chow Yuen (2000) noted the necessity for an empowerment and capacity building model where refugees become partners in the design and elivery of services within their community. Efforts to design and deliver human service programs should include using indigenous Bosnian religious and cultural organizations, as well as self-help groups (Chow Yuen, 2000). Conclusion After Bosnians flee their homeland, they need protection in the asylum country. This necessitates supportive policies and macrolevel intervention competence. The main policy that guides refugee resettlement in the United States is Public Law 96-212, the Refugee Act of 1980 (Mayadas Segal, 2000). Based on the goal of helping refugees achieve economic self-sufficiency as quickly as possible, the act defines self-sufficiency as not receiving welfare benefits (Potocky, 1996). As such, this policy may be ineffective in helping refugees to settle in an optimal manner. To become truly self-sufficient, service providers need to redefine success in more progressive ways, such as helping refugees to effectively deal with resettlement issues relating to acculturation, psychological trauma, and intergenerational conflict—all of which can impede long-term economic self-sufficiency. This new goal requires adequate fiscal resources to develop programs and engage in active community outreach (Mayadas Segal, 2000). Social services must aspire to restore the psychological health and dignity of these families and children, who have seen the worst side of human nature. Helping them establish a positive self-image is critical to their success. While the genocide of family members and violent acts can never be forgotten, surrounding Bosnian Muslim refugees with a network of positive, supportive services can help them establish a solid foothold in the United States.