Richard M. Nixon Essays - Richard Nixon, United States, Alger Hiss

Richard M. Nixon Richard Nixon was elected president in 1968, but many of his moments of triumph and failure occurred before this time. So many of these early accomplishments, along with his major accomplishments while in office as well, have been shadowed by the Watergate scandal. From this, we are able to see how vital the President of the United States really is. It shows us what is expected of the President, while in and out of office. The President represents his country, and the people do not tolerate it when their president does not represent them in a good way. Richard Nixon is a prefect example of all these things. He also shows how no one is above the law, not even in the highest position of government. Born into a small lemon farm in California, Richard Nixon lived on the edge of poverty. The lemon ranch in which he lived in was not profitable and his father was constantly changing jobs and professions. Richard showed signs of leadership and political interest as early as the age of 7. By then, he was reading newspapers and discussing politics with his father. He also had a skill for music, and later became a accomplished pianist. Richard Nixon was offered a scholarship to Harvard University, but was forced to put it down, for his family needed him at home. He eventually enrolled in Whittier College, were he graduated 3rd in his class. After he graduated from Whittier, he applied for a scholarship to Duke University Law School in North Carolina, and in 1937 he graduated with honors. Now Nixon had to think about his future. He decided to return to California, where he was hired by the respected law firm of Wingert and Bewley. He remained in this profession until he was offered a job with the government in the Office of Price Administration. But, this job did not last long. Within the same year, America had entered the war, and in the following year, Nixon joined the navy. It was during the war when Nixon learned to play Poker. He became so good at it, he rarely lost. Later, much of his campaign money was earned this way. Richard Nixon won his first campaign in 1946, and became a member of the House of Representatives. He of course was representing California, his home state. Nixon was also assigned to the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC). This committee was mostly concerned with Communists in the United States. On August 3, 1948, Whittaker Chambers, a Time Magazine editor who had been a Communist, appeared before HUAC. He gave the committee members the names of Communist agents with whom he said he had worked with before leaving the Communist Party. One of these agents was Alger Hiss, a well-known and respected lawyer who had worked in the State Department and had friends in high places. Hiss had helped prepare the meeting with FDR and Joseph Stalin at Yalton. Alger Hiss said he had never known a man named Whittaker Chambers. He spoke eloquently in his own defense and was applauded by many HUAC members who were present. It would have been much easier for Nixon to let the matter drop, as most HUAC members wanted to do. Nixon was determined to find out who was lying. Then in December, Chambers gave the committee some rolls of microfilm that he had been hiding in a hollowed-out pumpkin. The famous papers were later to be labeled the "pumpkin papers." These papers were actually copies of State Department papers, many of which appeared to have been copied on Hiss's typewriter. This was enough to convince a jury that hiss was a Communist agent who had stolen top secret information from the United States government and that he had lied under oath. His was then sentenced to five years in jail. It was a personal victory for Richard Nixon. In 1950, Nixon was elected for a 6 year term in the Senate. He only served 2 of these years, the remaining spent as Vice President to General Eisenhower. While in office, he continued his anti-communism beliefs. In 1960, Eisenhower's second term was coming to an end. The Republicans chose Richard Nixon to be their presidential

Brittle Stars - Ophiuroidea - The Animal Encyclopedia

Brittle Stars - Ophiuroidea - The Animal Encyclopedia Brittle stars (Ophiuroidea) are a group of echinoderms that resemble starfish. There are about 1500 species of brittle stars alive today and most species inhabit marine habitats with depths greater than 1500 feet. There are a few species of shallow water brittle stars. These species live in the sand or mud just below the low tide mark. They often live amongst coral and sponges as well. Brittle stars inhabit all the worlds oceans and live in a variety of climate regions including tropical, temperate and polar waters. Brittle stars are subdivided into two basic groups, the brittle stars (Ophiurida) and the basket stars (Euryalida). Brittle stars have a star shaped body. Like many echinoderms, they exhibit pentaradial symmetry, a 5-sided radial symetry. Brittle stars have five arms that join together at a central body disk. The arms are clearly delineated from the central body disk, and in this way brittle stars can be distinguished from starfish (starfish arms blend with the central body disk such that it is not easy to delineate where the arm ends and the central body disk begins). Brittle stars move using a water vascular system and tube feet. Their arms can move side to side but not up and down (if they are bent up or down they break, hence the name brittle star). Their arms are extremely flexible from side to side and enable them to move through the water and along substrate surfaces. When they move, they do so in a straight line, with one arm serving as the forward directing point and other arms pushing the body along that path. Brittle stars and basket stars both have long flexible arms. These arms are supported by calcium carbonate plates (also known as vertebral ossicles). The ossicles are encased in soft tissue and jointed plates that run the length of the arm. Brittle stars have a nervous system that consists of a nerve ring and that encircles their central body disk. Nerves run down each arm. Brittle stars, like all echinoderms, lack a brain. The have no eyes and their only developed senses are chemosensory (they can detect chemicals in the water) and touch. Brittle stars undergo respiration using bursae, sacks that enable gas exchange as well as excretion. These sacs are located on the bottom of the central body disk. Cilia within the sacs direct water flow so that oxygen can be absorbed from the water and waste flushed from the body. Brittle stars have a mouth that has five jaw-like structures around it. The mouth opening is also used to expel waste. An esophagus and stomach connect to the mouth opening. Brittle stars feed on organic material on the sea floor (they are primarily detritivores or scavengers although some species occasionally feed on small invertebrate prey). Basket stars feed on plankton and bacteria they catch by suspension feeding. Most species of brittle stars have separate sexes. A few species are either hermaphroditic or protandric. In many species, larvae develop inside the body of the parent. When an arm is lost, brittle stars often regenerate the lost limb. If a predator catches a brittle star by its arm, it loses the arm as a means of escape. Brittle stars diverged from other echinoderms about 500 million years ago, during the Early Ordovician. Brittle stars are most closely related to sea urchins and sea cucumbers. Details about the evolutionary relationship of brittle star to other echinoderms are not clear. Brittle stars reach sexual maturity at about 2 years of age and become full grown by 3 or 4 years of age. Their life span is generally about 5 years. Classification: Animals Invertebrates Echinoderms Brittle Stars

Twelver Shiites, or Ithna Ashariyah

Twelver Shiites, or Ithna Ashariyah Twelver Shiites, known in Arabic as IthnÄ  ‘AsharÄ «yah, or ImÄ miyÄ h (from Imam), form the principal branch of Shiite Islam and are sometimes synonymous with Shiitism, even though factions such as the IsmÄ Ã„ «lÄ «yah and ZaydÄ «yah Shiites do not subscribe to Twelver doctrine.   Alternate spellings include  IthnÄ  ‘AsharÄ «yah,  ImÄ miyÄ h,  and ImamiyÄ . Twelvers are the followers of the 12 imams they consider to be the only rightful successors of the Prophet Muhammad, beginning with Ali ibn Abu Talib (600-661 CE), Muhammads cousin and son-in-law, and ending with Muhammad ibn al-Hasan (born 869 CE), the 12th imam whoaccording to Twelver beliefwill emerge and bring peace and justice to the world, becoming the ultimate savior of humankind (Muhammad never appeared publicly and is currently considered in major occultation as the Mahdi). Sunnis recognize Ali as the fourth caliph, but founding commonalities between Sunnis and Shiites end with him. Some Muslims have never recognized the first three as legitimate caliphs, thus forming the nucleus of Islams protesting Shiites. The seeming subversion never sat well with Sunnis, whose habit it became to mercilessly and brutally persecute Alis followers and assassinate subsequent imams, most spectacularly among those the killing in the battle of Hussayn  (or Hussein) Ibn Ali, the third Imam (626-680 CE), on the plains of Karbala. The killing is most famously commemorated in the annual rituals of Ashura. The copious bloodletting gave Twelvers their two most prominent characteristics, like birthmarks on their creed: a cult of victimology, and a cult of martyrdom. The Safavid Dynasty Twelvers never had an empire of their own until the Safavid dynastyone of the most remarkable dynasties ever to have ruled Iranwas established in Iran in the 16th century and the Qajar dynasty in the late 18th century when Twelvers reconciled the divine and the temporal in the leadership of the reigning imam. Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, through his 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran, pushed the fusion of the temporal and the divine furthest, adding a layer of ideological expediency under the banner of Supreme Leader. A strategic revolutionary, in the words of writer Colin Thubron, Khomeini created his own Islamic state above Islamic law. Twelvers Today The majority of Twelverssome 89%reside in Iran today, with other large populations existing but being mightily oppressed in Azerbaijan (60%), Bahrain (70%), and Iraq (62%). Twelvers make up some of the most destitute populations in countries such as Lebanon, Afghanistan, and Pakistan as well. The three major legal schools of Twelver Shia Islam today include the Usuli (the most liberal of the three), the Akhbari (who rely on traditional religious knowledge), and the Shayki  (at one time absolutely apolitical, the Shaykis have since become active in the Basra, Iraq, government as its own political party).

Future considerations of nurse staffing shortage (is a huge problem Research Paper

Future considerations of nurse staffing shortage (is a huge problem that impacts quality and safety everywhere and is only going tmuch worse with an aging nursing staff and retirements.) - Research Paper Example Shortages in working staff also impacts on the nurses themselves as they become dissatisfied, stressed, and overwhelmed. Recent research shows that High patient to nurse ratio lead to job burnout and frustration and this in turn leads to higher turnover. An inadequate nurse staff force plays a negative role in the patient outcomes. The Agency for healthcare Research and Quality in 2007 conducted a met- analysis which found that shortage of registered nurses together with an increased work load poses potential threat to the quality of health care (Papas, 2008). To ensure and facilitate future improvements in nurse staffing, healthcare organizations must focus on maintenance, recruitment and retention. A case study by the Nogueras, recommended that policies need to be developed to ensure an increase in recruitment and retention of young persons into the nursing profession (Coshow, Davis & Wolosin, 2009). The nursing career and profession should be recognized as a faculty that poses high levels of pertinent technical and scientific knowledge as well as personable aspect. This will be more appealing to a more diverse applicant pool. It is also imperative for the nurse leaders to develop and sustain a working environment where the employees connect with their organization. This should be done with a focus on recruitment as well as retention of the employees. Researchers also suggest that health care organizations should focus on aspects that yield more satisfaction to the older nurses such as benefits and pay. This will aid in achieving job sa tisfaction and retaining the experienced veteran nurses (Zurmehly, 2008). It is the responsibility of the health department and the various health organisations to come up with strategies that will ensure there is sufficient replacement of the aging and retiring number of nurses. First there should be partnerships between

Analysis and Interpretation Statistics Project Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Analysis and Interpretation - Statistics Project Example The independent variable of the study is â€Å"attending religious services† while the dependent variable is â€Å"political views†. The study mainly duels on correlation and regression for data analysis. The correlation coefficient is important in showing whether and how strongly religious service attendance and political views are related. Because the study is linear in nature, Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient is necessary to measure the direction and strength of the linear relationship between religious service attendance and political views. The value of Pearson’s correlation coefficient is influenced by the distribution of the independent (attending religious services) variable in the sample. The descriptive results show that the mean and the standard deviation of the study are 4.19 and 1.404 respectively. The sample size for the study is 703. Taking 95% confidence interval, DF1 and DF2 are 8 and 694 respectively. This shows the difference of means between the groups with a significant level of 0.05. The p-value is the probability of obtaining a test statistic at least extreme as the one that was actually observed (Cronk, 2008). The p-value of the study is 0.01 at 95% confidence interval. The error term of the study is the mean square=1.853 with the harmonic mean sample size of 66.899. The harmonic mean is used in the study because the group sizes are not equal. The harmonic mean result shows that 66 out of 703 of the people interviewed attend religious services several times in a year. The confidence interval of the study is 95%. This shows that there is 95% confidence that the real value is within the calculated interval (mean). The Pearson correlation coefficient is 1. This means that there is a strong positive correlation between religious services and political views. The correlation coefficients across all the age groups also show positive results.  

Essay --

In the short story â€Å"Going to Meet the Man† by James Baldwin, Baldwin pushes the boundaries of racism and cultural repression. Jesse is white deputy sheriff who is sexually frustrated in bed with his wife Grace when he cannot develop an erection. For the first time he is suffering from insomnia and he begins to have flashbacks of the many interactions he has had with the black race. He starts to tell his wife of an earlier incident he had with a group of black protesters who would not stop singing. While the sheriffs are arresting the protesters, Jesse takes the â€Å"ring leader† of the group to a cell and beats him repeatedly with a prod in order to force him to stop the singing. As Jesse heads for the cell door, the boy reminds him of his pass when he once disrespected his auntie, Old Julia. This channels the many flashbacks he has to understand why he sexually repressed with violence and has grown to be racist. Baldwin conveys that violence and pain manifests th emselves in each generation because families teach them through household values and societal expectations. Jesse first lesson was his childhood friend, Otis. Jesse was not always violent towards the black race as he was in the jail cell with that black, battered body. As a child, he looked beyond race and his black friend Otis was just a boy to him: â€Å"He had a black friend, eight, who lived nearby. His name was Otis. They wrestled together in the dirt† (1756). Baldwin shows that Jesse and Otis are simply friends. Jesse plays with Otis because he did not care about his race but he just wanted to be a kid and have fun. Shortly following the friendly interaction with Otis, Jesse started his transition from child to the chauvinistic man he is now. Soon young Jesse realizes that... ...oked to them for courage now† (1754). Jesse’s prior experiences provoke him to believe that through violence towards the colored race was the epitome of being a man. It was because of his father and his friends, which forms the racial tension he has with colored race and the moral value of white supremacy. Overall, racism and social repression is a pending issue that has yet to cease. Racism has become the face of American history because of the belief structure and family morals built on hatred of one another. This leads to societies broken and has become the most common setback of modern society. The use of violence and pain has manifest through generations, teaching whites to be superior and allowing blacks to be use to common oppression. If the world fails to reprimand the issue, generations will grow to believe the unrealistic morals that have shaped America.

Leadership Styles in Professional Nursing Essay

Leadership is a very important aspect within the realm of Nursing. With constantly evolving technology, poor economics leading to major hospital cutbacks, and healthcare reforms, strong nursing leadership has never been more important or necessary. Hood (2010) defines leadership as a process of influencing others to attain mutually agreed upon goals. We will discuss the differences between leadership and management. In addition, we will examine 2 types of leadership styles: Transactional and Transformational and address the effectiveness of both styles in achieving high quality of nursing performance. Leadership vs. Management Many people think of management and leadership as interchangeable. However, there is a stark difference between the two. In defining leadership and management, the one crucial difference is that a person with leadership has the ability to persuade/influence others into following their vision and putting the needs of a group ahead of an individual’s own personal needs (McGuire & Kinnerley, 2006). Leaders have this ability to inspire by employing enthusiasm, hope, optimism, and innovative methods. Leadership does entail having some management characteristics, but lacks the positional power to bring their visions to life. Management is usually an appointed position within a company (Hood, 2010). Performance standards for managers often require emphasis on transactional projects such as budgets, productivity, and quality monitoring (McGuire & Kinnerley, 2006). Management does not equate to having leadership abilities because an organization’s structure often dictates that a manager’s priority should be facilitating and promoting smooth operations within a workplace (Carney, 2009). Managers are troubleshooters and problem solvers, who are more or less interested in maintaining production and profits. Transformational Leadership In 1978, James McGregor Burn (1978) developed the theory of transformational leadership and described it, â€Å"A process that motivates subordinates by appealing to higher ideals and moral values†. A transformational leader is someone that helps shape development of staff through empowerment and stimulating creativity and innovation within the workplace (Sellgren, Ekvell, & Tomson, 2006). Under this style of leadership, relationships to employees and concern for their well-being is just as important as completing the tasks (Hood, 2010). The transformational leader often uses their enthusiasm, close underlying interpersonal relationships, and vision to increase the motivation of their peers/co-workers to stay persistent and diligent through completion of organizational goals and tasks. This type of leadership can be equally effective under the most stressful circumstances by keeping focus on employee satisfaction and promising the employee a better future (Allen, 1998). According to S. Sellgren et al. (2006), studies have shown a correlation between transformational leadership and nursing quality. Transformational leadership has been proven very effective in increasing productivity and staff cohesion. As a result of staff cohesion, consensus amongst staff evolves and develops. Consensus is effective because all persons feel that they have made a contribution in the decision-making process regarding unit practices/policies. And although it takes more time to reach a consensus, the participants have made a commitment to execute the decisions (Hood, 2010). Transactional Leadership Transactional leadership uses strategy that is founded on the principles of incentives and punishments (Hood, 2010). Motivation is thought to be derived from responses to positive and negative reinforcers. If employees or subordinates perform hard work and meet certain criteria or expectations, then they are rewarded with something of value (i.e. increased salary, bonuses, promotions, etc†¦). However, if they fail to meet goals or expectations, then they face some form of punishment (i.e. probation, demotion, termination). This type of leadership system is much more task oriented and focuses very little on employee relationships (Hood, 2010). A transactional leader is much more focused on structure, role expectations and the possibility of reward to staff (Sellgren, Ekvell, & Tomson, 2006). It seems however there are benefits to this type of system. According to B.M. Bass (1985),† The ultimate outcome of such contingent reward behavior is enhanced role clarity, job satisfaction, and improved performance†. This style of leadership appears to be most effective in occupations relating to sales and commissions. Commission based jobs that rely on strong job performances to either establish income or supplement salaried income respond effectively to this style of leadership. However, the disadvantage to this type of leadership is that commitment is variable and negotiable, and any personal incentive/motivation an employee may have to increase job performance diminishes until it’s rewarded (Sellgren, Ekvell, & Tomson, 2006). In addition, because this leadership style is so structured, it leaves little room for creative expansion or employee job satisfaction (McGuire & Kinnerley, 2006). Leadership Styles and Nursing Within healthcare settings, skill and knowledge are vital ingredients needed by a nurse in a leadership position. Because of the many medical advancements and changes that take place in healthcare, it necessitates that nursing leadership become more results oriented, creative, and innovative within their respected units (Gellis, 2001). Within nursing, transactional leadership would have few benefits if applied. It does benefit healthcare organizations in combating staffing issues relating to nursing shortages. Incentive pay to pick up extra shifts has always been instrumental for organizations in need of nursing coverage. However, the overall methods of rewards and punishment would do very little to inspire nurses to increase their quality of nursing care. Patient outcomes would be greatly compromised if care was solely based on reward. Compromising patient care based on lack of reward and/ punishment would be highly unethical and in complete violation of the ANA’s standards of care. Research has always supported that transformational leadership is more effective than transactional leadership because it increases a supportive climate where individual differences are recognized, two-way communication is promoted, and effective listening skills are valued (Bass, 1985). This leadership style also increases conformity, adaptation, diligence, and commitment from employees/followers. The need for transformational leadership in nursing is great because it encourages nurses to become improved problem-solvers, visionaries, communicators, researchers, and educators. Transformation leadership is often a process that is learned and cultivated through experience, empowerment, and self-exploration (Hood, 2010). However, when nurses are placed into leadership positions reluctantly or prematurely, the lack of education for the role and uncertainties about what leadership in nursing means takes place and leads to ineffective leadership abilities (Carney, 2009). Nurses receive informal on-the-job training for leadership positions by learning self-management skills, social capabilities, and job proficiency skills (Hood, 2010). It must be noted that shared leadership is probably the most effective way for providing staff the effective skills/ tools needed for problem solving (Kerfoot & Wantz, 2003). However, not all nurses have the self-belief or confidence to apply these acquired skills to leadership positions. One way of encouraging more nurses to assume leadership positions is by formalizing leadership training sessions which would help nurses learn and/ reinforce skills relating to communication, motivation, conflict resolution, organizational analysis, and building effective teams (Kerfoot & Wantz, 2003) . By investing in formalized leadership training, it helps to empower nurses while also promoting future growth of inspirational leadership which could lead to improvements in patient care/outcomes and organizational advancements for futu re generations. Conclusion There are two different styles of leadership: Transformational and Transactional. Transformational leadership influences followers to place their personal needs aside for the benefit of a leader’s vision/goals through empowerment, inspiration, and motivation. Transactional leadership is founded on the incentives of reward or punishment and offers little incentive to become a visionary. Transformational leadership appears to be more effective in nursing because it promotes adaptation, communication skills, visionary pursuit, and occupational growth to a rapidly changing industry. Efforts should be made to formalize leadership training for continued improvement in delivery of nursing care and patient outcomes, and organizational advancements. References Allen, G. (1998). Leading. Retrieved from http://ollie.dcccd.edu/mgmt1374/book contents/4directing/leading/lead.htm Bass, B. M. (1985). Leadership and performance beyond expectation.. New York, NY: The Free Press. Burns, J. M. (1978). Leadership. New York, NY: Harper & Row. Carney, M. (2009). Leadership in nursing: current and future perspectives and challenges. Journal of Nursing Management, 17(4), 411-417. Gellis, Z. D. (2001). Social wok perceptions of transformational and transactional leadership in healthcare. Social Work Research, 25(1), 17-25. Hood, L. J. (2010). Conceptual Bases of Professional Nursing (7th ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. Kerfoot, K., & Wantz, S. L. (January-February 2003). Compliance Leadership: The 17th Century Model That Doesn’t Work. Nursing Economics, 21(1), 42-44. McGuire, E., & Kinnerley, S. M. (July-August 2006). Nurse Managers as Transformational and Transactional Leaders. Nursing Economics, 24(4), 179-185. Sellgren, S., Ekvell, G., & Tomson, G. (2006). Leadership styles in nursing management: preferred and perceived. Journal of Nursing Management, 14(11), 348-355.