Vlad Dracula - A Makeup Plot :: essays research papers

Character Analysis – Count Vlad Dracula   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The man known as â€Å"Dracula† was Vlad Tepes (the Impaler) - a king in one of the historical parts of Romania. Born in 1431 in Sighasoara, Transylvania, Tepes grew up in a Germanic, and later Turkish atmosphere (as a prisoner from 1444 to 1448), became a tyrannical ruler that was feared throughout the lands, then died in 1476 in a fight defending his country.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Based off of the motion picture â€Å"Bram Stoker’s Dracula†, Count Vlad denounced God after the death of his beloved, Elizabeta. Allegedly, in his rebirth, Vlad (known in legend and in history as Dracula or Dracul) became an unholy demon to avenge Elizabeta’s death for all of eternity.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The form of Dracula that I’m portraying (he had many in the film, including a wolf form, dignified prince, demon, and bat) is seen in the beginning of the picture when he is first introduced in real-time. Jonathan Harker first arrives at the Romanian castle and is greeted by this creepy, cryptic, and subtlety intimidating old man. He is garbed in royal red satin as if he still rules this land and its . . . people. Though visually ancient, his eyes seem much younger than his body and skin present them to be; and his smile – his features crinkle up to this . . . hideous grin.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the world of makeup design, this version of Count Dracula is quite complicated; the film didn’t win an Academy Award for Best Makeup for nothing! Gary Oldman sat in the makeup chair for a long time for this role. In analyzing his visage, we can see that the ancient face of the Count is aged very carefully by the extensive use of latex. The natural wrinkles of Oldman’s face were heightened drastically. The skin tone itself was of a sickly white – not albino, just white enough to be really old and still slightly human. Oldman’s eyebrows were completely covered (with the latex) and were replaced with slight strands of white hair. His cheekbones, bones on the top of his eyes, and chin cleft were nicely accentuated. Due to their dark and sunken nature, his eyes themselves are quite focused on and almost hypnotic – a well-known characteristic of the Count. Though he is very VERY â€Å"up there† in age, his weathered look give s him a sense of his struggling history and inner strength.

Can Politics Be Regarded as a Science Essay

The debate as whether politics can be regarded as a science is ‘complex, voluminous and multi-faceted one’ . The origins of political analysis lie in the philosophical tradition of Plato and Aristotle whose work was fundamentally rooted in the normative. At the very early stages of politics as an academic discipline, the great thinkers of the time were not concerned with empirical evidence; instead basing their ideas on literary analysis. The emphasis on the normative that comes with the traditional study of politics suggests that politics is not a science as it cannot be objective. This was followed by the emergence of the normative model of political analysis and what Peter Lasslett called the ‘the death of political philosophy’. This movement was spearheaded by Machiavelli who was known as the father of the ‘politics model’ of political science. For example, he changes the value-laden question (what is better? ) into a scientific one; what is safer? The shift from the prescriptive to the descriptive and impartial suggests that political thought has shifted away from the traditional philosophical to the scientific model. The empirical model of political thought emphasised the importance of experience as the basis for knowledge and this later developed into positivism which dictates that the social sciences should adhere to the methods of the natural sciences . An extreme version of this was also created called ‘logical positivism’ which stated that only statements which were empirically verifiable and aimed to say something about the meaning of political concepts are legitimate . In fact the empirical model is seen as the foundation of comparative politics that is now the standard form of analysis in the UK and the US. This method seeks to develop generalizations by comparing different states or political systems. This produces slightly more informative results as one is more likely to be able to produce an ideal political situation through comparison rather than just using empirical evidence alone. However, there have been criticisms of the validity of comparative politics most notably from Alasdair MacIntyre. He states that creating law-like cross cultural generalizations between countries with radically different cultures is not as valid as proponents of comparative politics make it out to be . He uses the example of a study by Almond and Verba that states that Italians identify less with the actions of their government than the English or Germans because they of a survey asking what they took pride in . The point that McIntyre then goes on to make is that the notions of pride in Italy and England are vastly different and thus any comparison would have to start by identifying the virtues that are embedded within the institutions. However, he goes on to add that this shortcoming doesn’t completely devalue the work of comparative politics. Karl Marx was the first to describe politics in terms of science and, along with Emile Durkheim and Max Weber, was described one of the main architects of political science . He believed that he could methodically determine trends in history and from these deduct the future outcomes of social conflicts. However, whilst this approach may seem to be simply empirical in its approach to political analysis it has been confirmed that ‘his theories yield testable propositions that allow rigorous evaluation and even falsification’ . His role represents a dramatic shift from the political philosophers of the traditional Greek model as he famously said in his Theses of Feuerbach that ‘philosophers have only interpreted the world; the point is to change it’ . However, whilst Marx may have been the first person to truly combine scientific methodology with political thought, questions can still be raised over its validity. For example, the fact that Marx predicted the fall of capitalism whilst in fact state socialism has been on the retreat. There has also been criticism of Marx’s methods. In The Open Society and Its Enemies, Karl Popper criticised scientific socialism as a pseudoscience due to Marx’s methods of looking at historical trends and using them to create universal laws which couldn’t be tested of disprove. This may suggest that the Marxist model of political analysis as a science is not correct. Despite this it is important to note how, whilst Marx’s predictions may not have proved correct, his methods and the concept of politics as a science is unquestionable. Enthusiasm for the idea of political science grew in the 20th century with the creation of the American Political Science Review in 1906 and also the emergence of the behaviouralism movement in the 1950s and 1960s. This was the period coined as ‘the behavioural revolution’ by Robert Garner who claimed that ‘number crunching†¦in relation to electoral behaviour was the gold standard’ whilst normative analysis was rendered ‘at best, unnecessary and at worst, meaningless’ . This can be viewed as the most compelling case for politics being regarded as a science as it is the first time that objective and quantifiable data could be tested against hypotheses. The form of political analysis that was emerging in this period was heavily based on behaviouralism which worked on the principle that social theories should be constructed on the basis of observable behaviour which provides quantifiable evidence for research. This lead to increased interest and activity in the field of quantitative research methods such as voting behaviour, the records of legislators and the behaviour of lobbyists. It was also at this time that David Easton claimed that politics could adopt the methodology of the natural sciences . Here we can see how the initial links that Marx drew between politics and scientific research methods have been refined with the use of quantifiable rather than just empirical evidence. There have been objections to the usefulness of behaviouralism in the study of politics though. One argument has been that it has significantly limited the scope of analysis by preventing it from going beyond what is directly quantifiable or observable. The idea behind this is that whilst the methodical basis behind behaviouralism may be scientifically sound that doesn’t mean that it is the way to analyse politics. This raises the question as to whether politics should be regarded as a science rather than could it. The very nature of politics is that it is inherently human and to discard all that is not empirically verifiable in its study is to neglect the very essence of politics. This argument could be viewed as irrelevant to the question however because it actually looking at whether politics should be regarded as a science and not if it could. This being said Andrew Heywood presents a valid criticism of the methodology of behaviouralism and the use of quantifiable data. The scientific basis of behaviouralism is that it is objective but in order for this to be so it has to be ‘value-free’. He claims that facts and values are ‘so closely intertwined that it is often impossible to prise them apart’ and that theories are always based on assumptions human nature . This argument presents a major threat to the legitimacy of behaviouralism and suggests that the methodological basis behind it is not sound enough to equate to the conclusion of politics as a science. Whilst the methodology of political science may be all well and good, this doesn’t necessarily lead us to the conclusion that politics should be regarded as a science. There have been many arguments to suggest that despite the existence of quantifiable and empirical evidence, it is actually damaging to study politics in a scientific manner. For one, the very nature of political science is that it is descriptive rather prescriptive. This idea seems to be counter intuitive to the very study of politics as a discipline. Whilst, the added scientific element to political analysis gives us the added advantage of scrutiny and academic rigour it will never produce any political ideas without the normative aspect of political philosophy. This presents to us how damaging political science can be if studied in isolation since the very nature of the political analysis is one that should be aimed at progression, change and determining how to achieve our political ideals. In fact in recent years, the validity of political science has started to be questioned by political scientists themselves. As an undergraduate Charles Lindblom apparently fled the ‘mushiness’ of political science to pursue a graduate study of economics and David Easton proclaimed that he had ‘political science [as a] coherent body of knowledge’ had no basis . This suggests that whilst political science doesn’t translate as smoothly in practice. The Perestroika Movement began in October 2000 with an anonymous email to the American Political Science Review calling for a ‘dismantling of the Orwellian system that we have in the APSA. The movement was largely a reaction to the so called ‘mathematicization’ of political science and a desire to achieve methodological pluralism. Specifically, it ‘aimed at challenging the dominance of positivist research, particularly research that assumes that political behaviour can be predicted according to theories of rationality ’. Whilst this movement could be seen as a criticism of political science it could just as easily be seen as highly constructive. It recognises the merits of politics being studied as a science yet wants it to e more inclusive and less restricted in terms of methodology. However, this presents a problem for the positivist wing of political scientists that stick to the assertion that political science should obey the methods of the natural sciences. From this we can come to the conclusion that criticisms of political science is not proof of how politics shouldn’t be regarded as a science but is instead just an example of two methodological factions within the discipline. We can see how the historical development of political science presents a good case for the idea that politics can be regarded as a science. Some claim that politics is a science because it ‘offers knowledge based on systematic enquiry’ . However, this claim bases itself on a loose definition of science and one that many political analysts wouldn’t be completely satisfied with. The arguments for politics being regarded as a science lie more in the stringent scientific methodology that can seemingly be applied to political analysis. Whilst there have been many criticisms of methodology of political science I think that the major qualms that academics have is with the danger of studying political science in isolation. The obsession with empirical data that developed during the ‘behavioural revolution’ could easily be labelled as counter-intuitive seeing as it completely disregards the normative. Despite this I think that politics can still be regarded as a science, yet it is just important that this is combined with elements of the old philosophical tradition.

Richard III by William Shakespeare - 1483 Words

Richard woos two women in the play, both in unique ways, however succeeds in the end. He uses many manipulative patterns and persuasive techniques that help him succeed in his wooing of both women. As the both of the wooing is done by Richard himself there are many similarities, nevertheless many differences as the first wooing is to the woman in person and second wooing is wooing the daughter through her mother. The main difference between the two scenes are that Richard intended to be king in Act 1 Scene 2 and already is king in Act 4 Scene 4. This may be seen as a disadvantage in the wooing of Anne as he has no power, therefore cannot offer it and as an advantage in the wooing of Elizabeth as he can offer power as Elizabeth has lost her power when her husband died. So even though at first she is determined not to give in, the thought of gaining power changes her mind. Anne, however, is needlessly of power and only gets persuaded due to Richard’s flattery techniques. As both women are in anger with him, they are prepared to kill him. However, Richard having power can be a disadvantage for Elizabeth because if she kills him it will be a treason which is much worse than Anne killing him when he is not king as it will only be classified as a murder. Richard woos Anne to become king and woos Elizabeth so that their marriage will forge a nifty alliance between the two divisions. Even though he woos both women for two differentShow MoreRelatedRichard IIi, By William Shakespeare1168 Words   |  5 PagesChildren bring out the underlying disposition and wicked intentions we all possess. Richard III, by William Shakespeare, is a tragic play about the Duke of Gloucester who desires to be the king of England. He does this through the manipulation and murder of many characters, including Queen Elizabeth’s children, Prince Edward and the Duke of York. These children emphasize some of the â€Å"adult† themes in the play and reveals the devastating nat ure of these themes. Their characteristics and deaths allRead MoreRichard IIi By William Shakespeare1725 Words   |  7 Pagespoints to be discovered among the lines the author writes. Richard III is a play written by the great playwright, poet, and storyteller, William Shakespeare. He was a man who wrote many popular stories known today as some of the greatest works of literary art ever read. He lived throughout the late 16th century into the early 17th century, a time where he produced many plays that were appreciated by the masses and even some royalty. Richard III, one of his popular works, is rife with political criticismsRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s Richard IIi1414 Words   |  6 Pagespleasures of these days† (Shakespeare I.i.26-31). William Shakespeare’s Richard III depicts Richard, Duke of Gloucester’s, rise to power through means of manipulation, dishonesty, and violence. His actions lead to the eventual deaths of himself and those he seized pow er from. Based on historian Thomas More’s account of Richard III, it is apparent that Shakespeare was greatly influenced by More’s writings. Thomas More places a great deal of emphasis on King Richard III being â€Å"[...] hard-favoredRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s Richard IIi855 Words   |  4 Pagesof all, now fearing one / For she commanding all, obey’d by none† (4.4. 783). Queen Margret, in William Shakespeare’s, Richard III, appears as a shadow of her former glory as England’s deposed Lancastrian ruler among current Yorkist rule. Widowed, deposed, and banished, she is a women deprived of power. Nevertheless, Margret plays a larger role than her shortcomings advertise. In Richard III, Shakespeare reinstates the Lancastrian monarch’s power by giving her a strong character and an adept controlRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s Macbeth And Richard IIi906 Words   |  4 PagesWilliam Shakespeare employs a variety of techniques in his plays to show good characters from bad characters; one such technique as the application of deformity or an abnormality manifests itself physically and psychologically with the dramas. The incorporation of a defect, whether it be physically or psychology, reveals flawed characteristics within the said character. Most of these flawed characteristics, though revealed in different situations, share similar problems and consequences. For exampleRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s King Richard IIi1188 Words   |  5 Pagesresonate over time and are affirmed between texts as shown in William Shakespeare’s play ‘King Richard III’ (1591) and Al Pacino’s docudrama ‘Looking For Richard’ (1996). King Richard III examines the irrational behaviours and moral ramifications of a power lust Richard to explore ideas of the relentless pursuit of power, betrayal and deceit, reflective of the theocentric context of the Elizabethan society. Centuries later, Looking Fo r Richard explores Pacino’s journey to reshape a Shakespearean textRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s Richard IIi1216 Words   |  5 PagesWomen play a compelling part in the play Richard III. On one hand, they can be viewed of as vulnerable and weak as they base their lives on the power and deeds of the men. However, their curses appear to have a prophetic ability. In a way women are the possessions of the men who be wed with them, nevertheless the women advance themselves with absolute emotive potency. The women produce much of the spiritual strength behind the political activities of the play. Paying attention to the men solely weRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s Richard IIi1979 Words   |  8 Pageshis men. To go into more detail, Richmond addresses his â€Å"countrymen† (Shakespeare, 5.4.216) to provide a means of hope and strength for the upcoming battle against Richard III. There are two main themes or ideas that should be noted about this passage. The first, that Ri chmond uses his speech to create a divine shroud that serves to illuminate the concept of divine work that is (in his case, but not so much in the case of Richard II) at play. This concept of the divine right of kings had been an understoodRead MoreEssay about Morality in Richard III by William Shakespeare463 Words   |  2 PagesMorality in Richard III by William Shakespeare In Richard III, Shakespeare invites us on moral holiday. The early part of the play draws its readers to identify with Richard and thereby to participate in a fantasy of total control of self and domination of others. We begin to be pulled into the fantasy in the plays opening speech, where Richard presents himself as an enterprising, self made villain and offers an elaborate justificationRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s King Richard IIi1258 Words   |  6 PagesRichard: What have you done to me! Shakespeare: My historical tragedy â€Å"King Richard III† is just my dramatic presentation of your exploits in your bloody pursuit of the throne. Pacino: My postmodernist docudrama â€Å"Looking for Richard† is my modern interpretation of Richard III. My attempt to establish connections that enhance our understandings and interpretations of our respective contexts, ideas and values, primarily involving the representation of the human condition through the character of Richard

Thomas Paine And Common Sense - 1579 Words

Thomas Paine and Common Sense In colonial America, Britain’s colonies were subjected to many Parliamentary acts that were considered to be, by many of the colonists, oppressive. The Declaratory Act, the Coercive Acts, and numerous other tax-based acts were just a few of the many examples of the controlling behavior displayed by the British Parliament toward their North American colonies. This seemingly oppressive behavior by the British Parliament had not gone unnoticed by those outside of the Colonies, as British citizens had even begun to sympathize for the colonists (Johnson). In all this time, the colonists still viewed themselves as British citizens. Eventually, however, Parliament’s presence and actions in the Colonies had become so great, that the thought of independence began to form in the minds of many colonists. For quite some time, the Colonies were unable to make a decision on whether or not to secede from Great Britain. It took the words from a man n amed Thomas Paine, through his writing of Common Sense, to finally urge the Colonies onwards to unify and fight for independence. Initially, the Colonies were fighting simply to have their rights as British citizens recognized. This line of thinking changed over time, which was influenced by Thomas Paine’s Common Sense. Through this pamphlet, Paine was one of the first to put forth the notion of American Independence, putting into written word what others had only thought of. However, when CommonShow MoreRelatedCommon Sense by Thomas Paine859 Words   |  3 Pagesâ€Å"Common Sense† Common Sense is a pamphlet made in 1775-76 by Thomas Paine. This pamphlet inspired the thirteen colonies to declare war and fight for independence against Great Britain. It was straight forward and told Great Britain exactly the advantages of being independent from them. On January 10, 1776 during the American Revolution, the pamphlet was published and became a huge topic in the community. It was the biggest talk of the colonies. In proportion to the population, the book was the biggestRead MoreCommon Sense by Thomas Paine1396 Words   |  6 PagesCommon Sense was written by Thomas Paine and published in 1776. Paine wrote it as a plea for the American people to break away from Britain and to declare independence from the king. He was asking his audience to take a step back and see that just because something is tradition, does not mean it is necessarily right. Paine wanted to show his readers that government and society is not the same thing, which is how most people viewed it. Society was something that people should want to have, whileRead MoreCommon Sense By Thomas Paine957 Words   |  4 Pagespolitical pamphlet known as Common Sense was written by Thomas Paine in 1776. This pamphlet contributed in promoting the independence of America. In the pamphlet Thomas Paine challenged the American colonists to separate from England and create a democratic and independent society. Along with challenging the American colonists, he hinted at his own opinions about a democratic government that America should plan towards if they seek to separate from England. Thomas Paine also bluntly proposed thatRead MoreCommon Sense By Thomas Paine1574 Words   |  7 PagesCommon Sense was written by an Englishman, Thomas Paine, who came to the American Colonies in 1774. He had strong opinions about the British Monarchy – and monarchy in general – including the fact that by nothing more than an accident of birth one man had rule over so many other humans. He v iewed this elevation to monarch unnatural as all men are created equal. Additionally, Paine notes that â€Å"there is something exceedingly ridiculous in the composition of Monarchy; it first excludes a man fromRead MoreCommon Sense By Thomas Paine1036 Words   |  5 PagesCommon Sense is a pamphlet written by Thomas Paine that inspired people in the Thirteen Colonies to declare and fight for independence from Great Britain. It was actually first published anonymously. Thomas Paine’s basic theme throughout Common Sense is that government is a â€Å"necessary evil†. His argument begins with more general reflections about government and religion, then progresses onto the specifics. There is a quote from the first page of Common Sense that lays out Paine s general conceptionRead MoreCommon Sense By Thomas Paine1244 Words   |  5 PagesIndependance, Why They Should Thomas Paine, an English political philosopher and writer made his way to the colonies when his good friend, Benjamin Franklin convinced him to do so. He worked as an editor for the Pennsylvania Magazine. Although, published anonymously in 1776, Paine was the man behind Common Sense, a political pamphlet that was distributed between all the colonies and challenged the British government by suggesting American Independency. Paine wrote the Common Sense because in his mind heRead MoreCommon Sense By Thomas Paine992 Words   |  4 PagesAmerica what it is today. Common Sense by Thomas Paine was inspiring to many American colonists as it was persuasive in showing how the colonists should have their own independence. Paine appealed the average citizen’s rationale, hence the title Common Sense. Paine’s pamphlet illustrates the importance of independence, and argues that colonial life under British rule was detrimental to America’s potential to become prosperous. In a fairly lengthy, but readable style, Paine discusses the differencesRead MoreCommon Sense By Thomas Paine1438 Words   |  6 PagesKayla Boucher Doctor Hockin AMH 2010 22 January 2015 Common Sense The book Common Sense by Thomas Paine was an American pamphlet written during the American Revolution, which was around the time when America was trying to gain independence from Britain. Paine discusses government, religion, and colonial issues. In the first chapter Paine differentiates between the society and the government. He described the society as being positive and constructive and he described the government beingRead MoreCommon Sense By Thomas Paine770 Words   |  4 PagesThomas Paine first published Common Sense anonymously in 1776 and immediately became popular. I choose to read Common Sense by Thomas Paine, in order to know America and hopefully to understand the philosophy behind the founding of the country and how its government system was set up to function. In my opinion, one of the main reasons Thomas Paine’s pamphlet became favoured was because Paine used a lot of common sense opinions that most people could understand. In his pamphlet Common Sense, ThomasRead MoreCommon Sense By Thomas Paine934 Words   |  4 PagesCommon sense is a pamphlet created by Thomas Paine for the American colonies to get their independence from the British government and for the people to be able to choose the rulers or officials to govern over them. In Thomas Paine pamphlet he had four sections which where origin and design of government in which he states that elections where the right thing for any government because it represents the people, of monarchy and succession that lineage of kings should not be the head of government

The Department Of Homeland Security Essay - 1380 Words

General George Patton was quoted as saying, â€Å"Take calculated risk. That is quite different from being rash.† Great success can be obtained by calculating risks. Lives can be saved, infrastructure protected, and evil avoided, but how does one calculate risk? The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has developed a risk management system to help address risks, primarily terrorism risks. It is important to realize that this is a system. Comprising this system of risk management are some key steps, such as the risk assessment and decision making. The overall risk management process employed by DHS is still in a stage of evolution and provides many areas of debate. The Department of Homeland Security’s Risk Management Fundamentals (2011) document provides extensive information on their process and components of risk management from the perspective of homeland security. The process, as identified on page 14 of the document, is very similar to many other processes in go vernment and administration, but does provide a good foundation for how homeland security employs risk management. â€Å"Defining and framing the context of decisions and related goals and objectives† This first portion of the process is a standard, lackluster formality. When a task is to be completed, the parameters must be set. While some of the parameters are extremely basic, such as who will be involved, others provide significant importance, such as what the scope will be. One of the more important parametersShow MoreRelatedThe Department Of Homeland Security : The Department Of Homeland Security755 Words   |  4 PagesThe Department of Homeland Security (DHS) currently has a limited ability to persistently monitor, detect, and track, non-emitting vessels that operate in Customs Waters, which spans from the shore line out to 12 nautical miles. The volume of non-emitting vessels without metadata is due in part by the lack of regulatory policy mandating vessels broadcast their identification and location which would assist with Maritime Domain Awareness. This limited ability situate s DHS in need to mature the MaritimeRead MoreThe Department Of Homeland Security1263 Words   |  6 PagesOne of the biggest security agencies in which we have today is the Department of Homeland Security. They were created in 2001-2003 to stop any threats or terrorist attacks towards the United States. They employ many people from different fields since they need overall intelligence on things. The department has roughly over 100 agencies branching from them. Homeland security was created not that long ago. It is located in Washington DC in the Nebraska Avenue Complex and that’s where it started.Read MoreThe Department Of Homeland Security Essay786 Words   |  4 Pagesdeter and prevent attacks on our homeland and as well as deter and threats from potentially occurring. Following 9/11, the Department of Defense has been entrusted with the role in the management of risks facing the United Sates. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has stated that it will apply risk management principles to homeland security operations and has stated â€Å"Ultimately, homeland security is about effectively managing risks to the Nation’s security† (DHS 2010, pg. 2). This is muchRead MoreThe Department Of Homeland Security Essay1314 Words   |  6 PagesIntroduction The People of United States of America want nothing more than making sure that this country is safe and protected. When homeland security is mentioned, majority of the people think of terrorist threats. The Department of Homeland security does more than preventing terrorist attacks. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is responsible for ensuring the safety and security of the United States from both man-made and natural disasters. Created in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacksRead MoreThe Department Of Homeland Security1338 Words   |  6 Pagesthe country within its borders. Until that time the United States’ homeland security was under the jurisdiction of the Department of Justice (Masse, O’Neil, Rollins, 2007). After the attack the Executive branch of the government created a new organization that would be responsible for deciding where the biggest threats to the country were. This was the birth of the Department of Homeland Security. The Departme nt of Homeland Security is responsible for assessing all risk to the Nation within its bordersRead MoreThe Department Of Homeland Security1176 Words   |  5 PagesCitizens criticize policies in national security as infringing on civil liberties, and an ongoing debate ensues over the sacrifice of civil liberties in the name of national security. The DHS continues to evolve in analyzing future threats and identifying means for the organization to meet them. The DHS’s overall mission is to, â€Å"†¦ensure a homeland that is safe, secure, and resilient against terrorism and other hazards.† (U.S. Department of Homeland Security 2015, np). The overall mission of theRead MoreThe Department Of Homeland Security1336 Words   |  6 PagesThe Homeland Security enterprise is tasked with protecting our country from all threats to include threats that have not yet revealed themselves. There’s a few methods used to identify these threats, but I’m going to cover just one of those methods in particularly. To better explain the role of risk management, first I’ll break down the steps of risk management and explain each one individually. After I have fully addressed the basics of risk management, I’ll go more in depth on why the DepartmentRead MoreThe Department Of Homeland Security1602 Words   |  7 PagesThe Department of Homeland Security The Department of Homeland Security is an agency made up of 22 different federal agencies which were combined in an effort to streamline the United States effectiveness in defending our nation. The core mission of the Department of Homeland Security include prevent terrorism and enhancing security, secure and manage our borders, enforce and administer our immigration laws, safeguard and secure cyberspace, ensure resilience to disasters (Department of Homeland SecurityRead MoreThe Department Of Homeland Security991 Words   |  4 PagesIntroduction Considering the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)has only initiated actions in 2003, it has performed necessary security procedures and accomplished significant purposes and breakthroughs. As DHS progresses to grow, more activity predominates for them to address weaknesses in its current operational strategy. Implementation efforts are in place to strengthen the efficiency and to integrate its management areas (acquisitions, financial management, human capital, and information technology)Read MoreDepartment of Homeland Security1073 Words   |  4 PagesDepartment of Homeland Security (DHS) is third largest Executive Department of the Federal Government charged with protecting the security of American homeland. Its primary mission is to prevent terrorist attacks within the United States, reducing vulnerability to terrorism and minimizing the damage from potential attacks and natural disasters. The DHS was created by President G.W. Bush in the aftermath of terrorist attacks on Am erica in 2001. It is relatively new agency that continues to evolve

Easter Rising 1916 Free Essays

There can be no doubt that the response of the British government to the Rising contributed measurably to the further alienation of Irish public opinion. On 26th April 1916, it had introduced martial law and next day appointed Major-General Sir John Maxwell as Commander-in-Chief of troops, Ireland. He had full authority to restore order, put down the rebellion, and punished its participants. We will write a custom essay sample on Easter Rising 1916 or any similar topic only for you Order Now Maxwell never doubted that its leaders should be court-martialled and those most prominent executed. General Maxwell was also determined that, in order to crush militant nationalism, those who had surrendered with them, and their suspected supporters, should be arrested and their arms seized in a nationwide sweep by soldiers, supported by police. General Maxwell quickly signalled his intention â€Å"to arrest all dangerous Sinn Feiners†(1), including â€Å"those who have taken an active part in the movement although not in the present rebellion†(2), reflecting the popular belief that Sinn Fein, a separatist organisation that was neither militant nor republican, was behind the Rising. In total, the security forces arrested 3,430 men and 79 women and of these 1,841 were sent to England and interned there. Meanwhile, those thought to have organised the insurrection had been held back in Ireland for trial 190 men and 1 woman named Countess Markievicz. In 90 cases the court’s verdict was ‘Death by being shot’. All signatories of the proclamation were executed. The executions started on May 3rd in Kilmainham Jail with the execution of Patrick Pearse was the first to be singled out for execution, he was not allowed to see his mother or brother before his execution, Thomas MacDonagh and Thomas Clarke . The second day is the executions of William Pearse brother of Patrick Pearse, Edward Daly, Michael O’Hanrahan, and Joseph Plunkett whom married Grace Gifford in the prison chapel hours before his execution. On the following day John McBride was executed alone refused to be blindfolded before his execution. Then on May 8th Eamonn Ceannt,  Michael Mallin,  Sean Heuston  and  Conn Colbert were executed. On the last day of execution May 12th Sean MacDiarmada and James Connolly who is tied to a chair due to his broken ankle were executed. Sir Roger Casement was tried in London for high treason and hanged at Pentonville Prison on 3 August. In addition to the 15 executed, 97 others of those tried by court-martial were sentenced to death. Alarmed by the shift taking place in public opinion in Ireland and by the outrage expressed in the House of Commons by members of the Irish Parliament Party, most notably Lawrence Ginnel and John Dillion, Prime Minister Asquith travelled to Dublin on 12 May the day where James Connolly and Sean MacDiarmada were executed, in spite of a telegram from Asquith to General Maxwell saying that there were to be no further executions except under special and exceptional circumstances. Maxwell, presumably, considered that MacDiarmada and Connolly had played such leading roles that they could not be reprieved. There were no further executions, the sentences of the other 97 being commuted to terms of imprisonment. The predictable effect of these measures was to increase public sympathy, both for the rebels and their goals. During May, the police authorities noted even amongst moderate nationalists a growing ‘wave of resentment,’ prompted by the feeling that ‘unnecessary severity had been deployed’. Symptoms of the change in attitudes included the following: the increasing frequency of memorial masses for the executed rebels; the growing sales of photographs of them; the setting up of aid funds for their families; the appearance of songs and ballads celebrating their actions; the ubiquity of republican flags and badges; the sight of young men marching military style at Gaelic football matches, and the shouting of rebel slogans anywhere people gathered anonymously together, such as at railway stations. Moreover, there were ominous signs that militant nationalists were reorganising, reflected in a rise in arms thefts and hardening of attitudes towards the police. The release of many who had been interned after the Rising – far from earning public gratitude – fuelled resentment, as it was seen as providing evidence that the arrests had been made ‘without just cause’. Already in mid-June 1916, Maxwell predicted that in a General Election the moderate nationalist Irish Parliamentary Party would probably be replaced. He was right; in December 1918, it was swept aside by Sinn Fein. Some survivors of the Rising went on to become leaders of the independent Irish state and those who died were venerated by many as martyrs. Their graves in the former military prison of Arbour Hill in Dublin became a national monument and the text of the Proclamation was taught in schools. ‘I and my fellow signatories believe we have struck the first successful blow for Irish freedom. The next blow, which we have no doubt Ireland will strike, will win through. In this belief, we die happy. ‘ How to cite Easter Rising 1916, Essay examples

Maverick Lodging Case free essay sample

Professor Wu FROM: Minghao Tang, AE5 DATE: March 30, 2014 SUBJECT: MAVERICK LODGING CASE Year 1999 Analysis In 1999, the Maverick Lodging company implements balanced scorecard to establish a measurement system and control the hotel level management. The balanced scorecard has several attributes, such as tracking financial performance, tracking nonfinancial measures and communicating franchisees and owners objectives of growth. For financial performance, according to Exhibit 7, the Maverick Courtyard has 3. 77% growth rate, Maverick Fairfield Inn has 2.22% growth rate and Maverick Residence Inn has 3. 5% growth rate. For flow-through flexible budget, both Maverick Courtyard and Maverick Residence Inn have good score while only Maverick Fairfield has unexpected score. As a result, the financial performance is generally good for the company. However, nonfinancial figures indicate the company’s customer service quality is declining. According to guest-satisfaction score in Exhibit 7, all three hotels’ scores are lower than market average scores. The company has higher comprehensive audit performance than last year’s and employee turnover is decreasing. Although the company has some unexpected performances, it develops well in year 1999. Analysis of Maverick’s value-added proposition Maverick lodging companys objectives are increasing operating profit and market shares by enhancing customer satisfaction. By implementing the balanced scorecard, the company is trying to increase financial yield, control profit and flexible budget, improve internal business control, stimulate performance of hotel management, facilitate communication between principals and agencies and start learning and growing processes. However, the balanced scorecard has several problems and makes it hard for the company to reach its goals. The first problem is that the balanced scorecard is hard for hotel level managers to understand. Although Baum tried to make it easier to understand, the scorecard still has many elements and some of the financial figures and complicated measurements are hard for entry-level managers to understand. For example, the colors and points system is complex because it is difficult to connect colors and points to the bonus points and the 40% multiply factor may cause managers confusions. Since it is hard to understand, the scorecard would have problems on acceptance and the implementation process would be difficult. As a result, the scorecard would not reach the maximum effectiveness and efficiency. The second problem is that the scorecard contains uncontrollable factors for managers. For example, managers performance will be measured by comparing the budgets and actual expenses. However, hotel level managers have no right to determine the budget and this measurement is unfair. As a result, many managers would be reluctant to accept the scorecard. The third problem is that the scorecard is only implemented at the hotel-general-management level. As stated in the case, the hotel-general-management is the last level of the company management and they have no right to discuss the components of the scorecard. In addition, the implementation process lacks communication between different levels of managements. As a result, the scorecard represents the top managements thoughts and may not be suitable for the bottom level management. Also, the lack of communication may cause hindrance for accepting and implementing the scorecards. Flow-through Flexible Budget The company applies the flexible budget in order to achieve target budget and generate high profit. The top management of the Maverick Lodging set the original budget at first. After one fiscal year of operating, the management gets the actual data of revenue and expense. The management would then make reforecast target, which is the flexible budget, to measure the performance of each hotel. For the variable costs and the variable revenues, the company uses drivers and actual quantity to determine the value of flexible budget. However, the fixed elements and the uncontrollable expenses stay the same as original budget. After the calculations, the company can acquire controllable profits and house profits for both actual and flexible budgets. Based on the results, top management calculates the percentages of actual controllable profit divided by reforecast controllable profit. According to Exhibit 3, the company firstly determines whether the performance is low, base or high by viewing house profit percentage. House profit percentage that is lower than 90% indicates low performance, 90%-105% indicates basic performance and higher than 105% indicates high performance. After determine level of performance, the company uses the flexible budget controllable profit percentages to determine the color rankings of managers. Changes for Balanced Scorecards According to the analysis above, the scorecard does not align with the company’s overall objectives. As a result, the company can make some changes to modify the scorecards. Firstly, the company should simplify the scorecards procedure to help managers understand and increase acceptance. For example, the company should delete the color and points system, and add some straightforward methods to determine the managers’ performances. Secondly, the company should eliminate the uncontrollable factors in scorecards. For example, budget comparison should be deleted because bottom level managers have no right to determine the original budgets. Another way to solve this problem is to let bottom level managers plan for their own budgets so that they have the power to determine the original budget. In addition, since the customer survey is complicated and time-consuming for customer to fill in, many customers would not complete the survey. As a result, the company should consider simplifying the guest-satisfaction survey in scorecards to attract more attendance for the survey. The third alternative the company can take to change the scorecards is to let all level managers discuss the properties of the scorecards and implement the scorecards measurements in all level managers. Since the bottom level managers cannot determine the components of the scorecards, the acceptance and implementation process would be difficult. The scorecards process would be fairer if all level managements apply the same measurements.