Black Bart :: essays research papers

Black Bart On August 3 of 1877, a stage was making its way over the low hills between Point Arenas and Duncan’s Mills on the Russian River when a lone figure suddenly appeared in the middle of the road. Wearing a duster and a mask made from a flour sack, the bandit pointed a double- barreled shotgun at the driver and said, " Throw down the box!" "I’ve labored long and hard for bread, For honor and for riches, But on my corns too long you’ve tred You fine-haired sons of bitches." When the posse arrived later, all they found was a waybill with the above verse painstakingly written on its back, each line in a different hand. Almost a year later, on July 25 of 1878, the PO8 struck again. A stage from Quincy to Oroville slowed to make a difficult turn a long the Feather River, the masked man stepped out of the bushes and asked that the box be thrown down. His soils included $379 in coins, a silver watch, and a diamond ring. Once again, when the posse reached the scene, all they found was a poem: "Here I lay me down to sleep To wait the coming morrow, Perhaps success, perhaps defeat, And everlasting sorrow. Let come what will I’ll try it on, My condition can’t be worse; And if there’s money in that box ‘Tis munny in my purse!" Once again the lines were written in varying hands and the work signed "Black Bart, the PO8." In order to make the highways safe once again, Governor William Irwin posted a $300 reward for the capture of the bandit, to which Wells Fargo & Co. added another $300. Another $20 contributed by the postal authorities. The reward went unclaimed for five years, during which Black Bart seemingly robbed at will. Often laying low for several months, Bart would suddenly go on a spree and rob three or four stages in as many weeks, and then vanish without a trace. Black Bart’s talent for covering great distances on foot in impossibly short times was no doubt a great asset in his life as a highwayman. In another, and it turned out to be his last, stage robbery McConnell (the stage driver) turned his head to find the muzzle of a double-barreled shotgun looking at him. You see, Bart knew that this stage was carrying gold coins and gold amalgam with it. What Bart didn’t know is that in the woods following the stage was a young hunter that had gotten off a few miles back to do some hunting.

Feminist Theories on Sexuality

Feminist theorists Camille Paglia and Foucault give opposing views on the topic of women and their sexuality as they addressed topics such as homosexuality and pornography as ways of expressing sexual desires and the role a woman plays in society in reference to her sexuality. Camille Paglia, a graduate of the University of Arts in Philadelphia, America, has strong feminist views in relation to women’s sexual preferences. Paglia is a bi-sexual female, who came from an Italian, Catholic household with an overprotective and strict family. While watching an interview with Paglia, she stated that through her years growing up, as a girl she was expected to follow certain rules and was (like many girls) led to think in a certain manner for situations such as rape, prostitution and sexual desires. Paglia was opposed to this, as was seen in her countless numbers of affairs which she had with women, despite being married to a man. This shows that Camille Paglia is pro-homosexuality. She allowed herself to explore and believed that the dignity and freedom of women could not be gained through the overprotective barriers parents and society puts up. By her supporting lesbianism, it also shows her strong views on her personality and disregard for what society thinks of her. Another point Paglia brought up was that women are never straight forward when it comes to sexual desires. She made reference to this when she discussed the numerous reports on accused rape. Paglia said that many women are provocative, and send wrong â€Å"signals† to guys. They are the cause of the accused â€Å"rape†, yet they are quick to blame the man who simply acts on the woman’s actions. Women report cases of rape for simple hand contact, which is mostly due to the woman’s lead. Women need to express their desires and not feel ashamed of it. Paglia says that women want sex as much as man, whether with a female or male, they should be upfront. Camille also discussed women in pornography. Many women see pornography as a disgrace and disrespectful view towards a woman and her body through these videos, pictures and other forms of porn; however Camille believes that a woman should have the right to portray herself and her sexual desires through any source of media and angle she wants. A woman has full rights to her body and sexual desires and should not be stopped from expressing it. She is against modern feminism because she believes that women have a right to these things, and that women need to stop blaming men and become self reliant, independent and accept that they are differences between men and women that cannot be changed. Women also have pornographic minds, and whilst other feminists will be opposed to women expressing themselves and being involved in prostitution and pornography, she disagrees. Throughout an interview with Camille, she made it very clear that she was pro-pornography, as she mentioned this numerous times to emphasized that women need to be strong on their desires and not be judged on their preferences. (female-female; male-female; male-male). This proves her point that women must be able to accept who they are and have the ability to show it, and not be restricted because of gender barriers and expectations of society. The role of women and their sexual preferences and desires are based on the current situations in society. This point is shown through the theories by Foucault. Through history, culture determined how sexuality was originated. Foucault believed that as time progresses, the idea of lesbianism and bi-sexual relations are growing. These desires are only present because of the new cultures and society that is present now. For example, in the 1800s, women were not allowed to choose their own mates or express their sexuality, and this is still present even now in the 21st century in some areas. The change in this tradition only occurred through time and what was seen as the new norm and custom in the society. The episteme of society determined the sexual desires and preferences in a particular era and the way they think. (Episteme is the way a specific culture approaches the world). Foucault believes that as society transitions, their thoughts and views also change due to the ideology itself shifting. Another point Foucault made was related to sex and women’s role in sex. Sex is seen as a social construct that is constructed through the exercise of power relations. Sexual nature is produced through society. Foucault stated that before, in previous generations, there was never a big focus on sex, whereas now, the desire for sex is increasing and will continue to increase in years to come. The world is culturally constituted and the body is seen materially through the eyes of man. Men use women for sex, and whilst women may think they are equal, men view them as sex objects. Feminists, as mentioned previously, deny having sexual tendencies and sexual preferences, and unlike Camille Paglia, who believes this is false, Foucault agrees with this statement. He relates this statement to his theory that sexual tendencies and desires are based on society’s ideology, rather than natural desires. Like Paglia, Foucault mentioned the role of women through pornography as well. However his views differed from Camille’s as he believes that pornography is an invention by man used to de-humanize women and socially constructs her oppression. He does not believe that women have a desire to produce porn, but instead they are manipulated into thinking that is what they want and they only please men, rather than expressing themselves and pleasing their own self. Foucault’s approach to a woman’s sexuality is based on the views of society and the manipulation in each era, mostly endorsed by man upon women. Camille Paglia believes that men and women have natural qualities and that they should not base their choices on what men demand of them, but on what their desire is whereas Foucault believes a woman’s sexuality is determined on society and the manipulation of men on women in reference to sex and sexual activities and preferences. I agree with Camille Paglia’s theory that women are different from men and must become their own individual, independent and free from reliance on man. A woman must take charge of her body and her sexual desires and not be expected to pretend that they are not naturally inclined towards sex. Camille expresses a pro-pornography mind and I agree that a woman should not be degraded for expressing her desires through pictures, videos or sex itself. Women should be allowed to freely express themselves without being restricted and judged by society and men. Also, as Camille Paglia stated, men should not be blamed for everything, and women should stand up for themselves and show everyone what they want. Camille is also pro-prostitution. A woman has full rights to her body and only a woman can determine what she wants to do with her body. A woman has the right to participate in any sexual act she desires, because it is only her decision. Women are categorized, according to Paglia, as having more emotional and sexual desires than men, but are not able to show it. Paglia’s point of this categorization is to show that women do not express their sexual desires freely because they are not allowed to show it. Whether it is true or not, I agree that a woman should have the freedom of being able to share their â€Å"wants† and â€Å"needs† without having to feel ashamed or self-conscious. Paglia says that the only way for this to happen, is if women begin to stop waiting, and start acting on becoming independent and taking personal responsibility, without blaming other people for your problems or your limitations. Feminist theories on sexuality show the rights of a woman in their ability to express and have sexual desires and preferences, and how they portray these elements. On one hand, Camille Paglia argues that women should take the initiative to become independent and not rely on man, and be free to express their natural sexual desires. On the other hand, Foucault believes that men control women, and a woman’s sexuality is determined on the stage of society and the transitions in the ideology of the culture and society. The both theorists contrast each other in theories in their views on a woman’s sex life. The belief that men construct society is supported by Foucault and opposed by Paglia. Homosexuality is supported by both theorists in different ways. Foucault believes it is due to the transitions in society, where as Paglia believes that it is due to natural inclinations. Their different approaches to women’s sexuality were well analyzed and represent the two different views from feminists. Feminist theories on sexuality vary according to the theorist, and each person has a different view on whether a woman has a right to express her sexuality or whether certain acts are frowned upon when done by a woman because of a woman’s expectations and stereotype.

What is NATO for?

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is some 1949 alliance involving 26 North America and Europe nations. It objectives are to protect the se4curity and freedom of member states though military and political means. NATO is the principal security association within Europe. The alliance helps shield allies have modernized their shared strategic theory, upheld NATO’s amalgamated military organization, and carry on conducting mutual military scheduling, exercises and training. The allies have generated fresh fora and policies for boosting dialogue with previously communist nations of eastern and central Europe. Most importantly, NATO has had a major contribution in the enforcement of UN Security Council deliberations within what was once called Yugoslavia (Kaplan, 2004, 22). NATO has some significant function in controlling and containing militarized disputes within eastern and central Europe. It even strives to evade such conflicts by vigorously encouraging stability in what was once the Soviet community. NATO aided in stabilizing Western Europe, the states of which were formerly usually bitter enemies. Through solving the dilemma regarding security as well as offering some institutional system for building of shared security strategies, the alliance has had a contribution in rendering utilization of forceful modes as regards the relationships of the nations within such a region almost inconceivable (Duffeld, 1995). NATO persists in the enhancement of member country security with regard to external hazards through a number of methods. Firstly, NATO upholds the tactical balance within Europe by counterbalancing the lingering danger emanating from the Russian military strength. Secondly, is assists to tackle emerging fresh dangers, encompassing the intricate dangers that could result from the disputes among and within the nations of eastern and central Europe. Thirdly, it obstructs such dangers from occurring by working towards nurturing stability within what was once the soviet community (Churchill, 2006). Western European countries strive to uphold some counterbalance to former Soviet Union’s residual armed forces power, particularly the nuclear ability of Russia. Another post-cold war function of NATO is shielding of member states from an assortment of freshly emerging dangers. More focus has been directed to potential perils emanating out of Middle East and North Africa, partly due to the proliferation of expertise for developing missiles as well as weapons of mass destruction within such areas. The most prominent among fresh external dangers are however, territorial, ethnic as well as national disputes among and within the eastern and central European nations. These disputes are able to produce many immigrants or as well overflow into neighboring nations’ territories, NATO member states included. In the most extreme of cases, outside nations could sense the compulsion to get involved, thus stoking broadening of enmity, as happened at the start of World War II. Despite the fact that NATO has not been able to terminate such conflicts so far, the alliance assists in tackling the issues emanating from the disputes through a number of modes. Firstly, NATO shield member nations from probable overflow of armed forces hostilities. Although none of NATO member nations has ever received serious threats in such a way, the alliance’s extensive experience in arranging member nation defenses ensures NATO is adequately ready to handle such emergencies (Sandler, Hartley, 1999, 16). NATO as well assists other nations to avoid being inducted into such conflicts. NATO’s existence assures member nations located near such a zone that they will receive assistance in tackling nearby conflicts in the event that such conflicts shoot up and overflow, thus minimizing the motivation to unilaterally get involved. Instead, the presence of NATO assists in ensuring that military participation of western nations in these disputes, if at all it happens, is consensual and collective. The likelihood of some quick, coordinated response from NATO could deter other nations from interfering (http://www. nato. int/docu/speech/2003/s031103a. htm). NATO in 1992 reached a consensus to avail NATO property in the support of peacekeeping actions sanctioned by the United Nations (UN) Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE). At the beginning of 1994, NATO as well endorsed the construction of some mechanism named Combined Joint Task Forces (C JTF) which would allow member coalitions (coalitions of the willing) to utilize shared alliance possessions for particular actions outside the accord zone. Most spectacularly, NATO has acquired vital experience in what was once Yugoslavia. NATO personnel have imposed the Adriatic maritime barricade as well as a no-fly region over Bosnia. NATO as well offered defensive air authority for United Nations ground forces. They utilized the warning of air ambushes to secure seclusion regions for serious arms around the united nations-selected safe Gorazde zone and Sarajevo. Pursuant to the disintegration of socialism, numerous former soviet community nations have embarked on aggressive economic and political reforms. Europe has substantial stakes in such efforts because failure may result to mass migrations, Domestic strife, armed disputes and direct dangers to surrounding NATO member states as well. NATO encourages stability within the previous soviet community through 2 ways. Firstly, the alliance directly nurtures political restructuring success within the area. Starting in 1990, the alliance has initiated a broad spectrum of institutions and programs for consultation regarding security concerns, most conspicuously the Partnership for Peace (PfP) and the North Atlantic Cooperation Council (NACC). NATO may utilize such initiatives to aid the young regimes to restructure their security structures, planning procedures and policies (Greenwood, 1993). Such fresh arrangements may particularly strengthen democratic management of the military as well as reverence for civilian power through inducting eastern and central European heads to western civil-military associations’ models. Secondly, the alliance boosts eastern and central European security though reassuring such nations that they will be assisted in case they receive outside threats. This helps such states to abandon possibly destabilizing activities as well as to follow their aggressive domestic restructuring agendas with more confidence. Starting from 1990, NATO’S North Atlantic Council has constantly issued candid oral statements of awareness as happened during 1991’s soviet coup d'etat attempt. The NACC permits states in the former Soviet Union to state their issues as well as discuss varied issues regularly as they engage their counterparts in NATO as identical partners. The freshly approved PfP provides every member official dialogue with NATO, in the vent that such a member perceives some direct danger to their security, as well as solid military liaisons with NATO member states through contribution to several military operations and activities (http://www. ato. int/docu/speech/2003/s031103a. htm). Since its formative years, NATO has significantly worked towards normalizing relationships among member states. Extremely important among NATO’s intra-alliance roles is reassurance. NATO’s existence assures member states that they should not fear each other. The alliance minimizes the likel ihood of disputes among western European member states in 3 ways including: increasing stability; tying the US to Europe so as to guarantee the upholding of the equilibrium of authority within the area; and inhibiting re-nationalization of such nation’s security strategies. A significant likely cause of conflict between nations is misunderstanding and misperception among nations. Without reliable and detailed data, policy makers could overstate the offensive armed capacities of other nations or misconstrue foreign objectives, usually regarding them as being more antagonistic that they are in the actual sense. They as well are inclined to overlooking the safety issues their own activities could arouse abroad (Kaplan, 2004, 41). Therefore, international relationships are usually characterized by mistrust and suspicion. NATO assists in avoiding the mergence of such damaging dynamics; it instead encourages mutual self-assurance though facilitating elevated intra-alliance honesty. Contribution to NATO’s force strategizing procedure requires member states to share detailed data regarding their armed forces, defense financial statements as well as future strategies. Owing to this institutionalized transparency, member states only hide a few secret from their counterparts, and they possess minimal motivations to do likewise. NATO also nurtures reassurance for member states through undertaking integration of members’ security strategies. To different but normally significant extents, Nations formulate as well as implement their defense strategies jointly as members of NATO as opposed to on exclusively state basis. Such security strategy denationalization neutralizes the usual competition and enmity for military supremacy that could otherwise happen amongst the key European big shots, it also assists to prevent any usage of armed forces posturing to attain political clout in Europe (Churchill, 2006). In case re-nationalization happens, this could result to issues regarding internal inequities within Western Europe as well as arouse fresh competition, conflict and mistrust. NATO encourages security strategy denationalization in a number of ways. NATO’S consultative arms, force scheduling procedures as well as integrated armed systems assist to develop a shared identity amongst member states. Frequent and comprehensive dialogue results to an elevated level of common understanding. Cooperative force scheduling assists reshape member states armed forces posture in order to reflect NATO-wide, as opposed to, national concerns. Also, assignments to NATO’s military associations and civilian officialdoms socialize military personnel and state officials into some shared NATO customs. Additionally contribution to NATO’s combined military system fosters minimized military independence among member states, particularly within central Europe; because it permits members relinquish or at the minimum deemphasize several components vital for an autonomous military capacity. Numerous European nations, For instance, rely heavily upon the alliance’s multinational space early caution force as well as its combined air protection structures. Small as well as big nations have given up their capability to undertake particular missions, like the sweeping of mines and air surveillance, with the intention of husbanding security resources, after having known that counterpart allies could undertake such missions (Duffeld, 1995). International integration develops a measure of shared control through increasing the extent of joint contribution to operational and organization planning. Therefore, the persistent existence of the multinational military system imposes restraints upon the capability of numerous member states to utilize their armed personnel for purely state objectives, at any rate on the short-to-medium period, as well as assures members regarding the shared objective of their armed might. Without NATO, the likelihood of one nation’s forces raising alarm within another nation would be greater (http://www. direct. gov. uk/en/Governmentcitizensandrights/UKgovernment/TheUKandtheworld/DG_073420). NATO member states regard maintenance of the alliance to be mutually advantageous to them, since it carries on the performance of a number of essential security roles, both internal and external, including incorporation of Canada and the United States into European defense matters. NATO has as well adapted impressively to the dynamic European defense environment, positive example being the experience in Bosnia. Whereas the joint defense of NATO territory is the core function of the NATO alliance, the fresh NATO, through widening its key role to incorporate peacekeeping and crisis handling as well as encouraging cooperation and partnership, including some strategic association with Moscow, has emerged to be the backbone of some European joint defense regime (Sandler, Hartley, 1999, 67).

Leadership Qualities Essay

Charisma and personality are two important traits of successful leaders. Many brilliant men and women have risen to positions of power based on technical skill and knowledge base; yet, these same people typically do not fully succeed in leadership positions unless charisma and strong personality traits shine. Without charisma and likable personalities, leaders cannot survive, inspire for long durations, and become superior leaders. The job of a successful leader is to â€Å". . . ommunicate where the business is going, why, and what the benefits will be if we accomplish what we set up to achieve (Bossidy 2007). † The best leaders communicate through charisma and strong, likable personalities. Without the ability to communicate effectively and inspire, leaders are left with good visions; no followers to get the job done; and no successes on which to build successful business. While successful leadership is certainly possible without charisma, â€Å". . . sing reasoning instead takes a lot more of what global companies don’t have anymore: time (Welch 2006). † Leadership without charisma is like traveling in a â€Å"slower, more challenging lane (Welch 2006). † In today’s business world, leaders are not afforded the luxury of time to lead companies to successes. Competition is so fierce in many industries that companies cannot afford to not have charismatic leaders that can affect immediate change. A leader must realize that having skills to execute a task is not the only requirement for successful leadership. A leader’s calling starts with evoking values; using these values to forge a vision; then finally inspiring collaborative action throughout the organization (Shenkman 2005). Charisma allows leaders to follow this path in a timely fashion and to superior successes. In all, without charisma and personality, leadership is possible, but very difficult over time. In today’s business environment, charisma is an essential quality for superior leadership in order keep up with market demands and maintain business successes.

UNIT 5 DISCUSSION BOARD Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

UNIT 5 DISCUSSION BOARD - Essay Example Other government funded interests such as education, military and infrastructure will suffer greatly as well. According to the Commerce Department, the yearly payment on this debt, the deficit, reached $725.8 billion. This represents a 17.5 percent increase from 2004 (Armstrong, 2006). These figures are well past most peoples’ comprehension. If, for example, a person were to spend a million dollars a day since the birth of Christ, they would have to continue the spending spree for 700 more years to have spent one trillion dollars. Multiply that amount by eight. That still does not equal the current national debt. Started in 1791, the national debt was, by those days’ standards, an incredible $75 million. Due to President Andrew Jackson’s prudent approach to government spending, the national debt was lowered to, again adjusted to today’s standards, a much lower level – $37 thousand (Suter, 2004). The Reagan/Bush administrations of the 1980’s ran the debt up by historic proportions. When President Clinton took office in 1993, the debt stood at $2.4 tr illion. The massive increase of debt was not used for infrastructure, education, public programs or even to finance a war. As a result of Reagan’s ‘trickle down’ economic theory, the money wound up in the pockets of the rich. In the early 1990’s, Congress adopted a ‘pay-as-you-go’ policy and federal spending cuts which resulted in budget surpluses for four consecutive years. Clinton announced that the nation could pay off the debt by the year 2013 if it stayed on the present course (Schoen, 2006). That optimistic predication has long since been forgotten. Since 2000, the debt has tripled. The ‘pay-as-you-go’ policy expired in 2002 allowing Congress to cut taxes, a politically advantageous move while also increasing spending (Schoen, 2006). The current President Bush administration cut the taxes of the rich while increasing military

D7 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

D7 - Assignment Example Likewise, the war that ensued in 1941 caused â€Å"white men went off to fight in a segregated military, and women and people of color filled the jobs in the defense industry previously reserved for white males† (American Experience: People & Events par. 3). Concurrently, a group of Mexican Americans who became enthusiastic in jazz began to don zoot suits, originally defined as â€Å"an African American youth fashion, closely connected to jazz culture, the zoot suit was co-opted by a generation of Mexican American kids, who made it their own† (American Experience: Zoot Suit Culture par. 1). When military servicemen drove by the thousands in Los Angeles, seen as a leisure spot as a playground for drinking, womanizing and engaging in fight, civilians detested the behavior and stirred tensions between servicemen and Mexican Americans. The constant tension between these groups over Mexican American girls provided the impetus for the Zoot Suit Riots that took place for more than one week in June of 1943 (American Experience: People & Events par. 8; Star xxiv; American Express:The Press and the Riot). The United Farmworkers Union (UFW) was primarily envisioned as an organization to reclaim â€Å"dignity for people who were marginalized by society† (Tejada-Flores, CEZAR CHAVEZ). Eventually, the UFW was reported to have evolved as a political force spurred from growing awareness of the need for Mexican Americans to participate in deciding on economic issues, electoral activity and cultural enhancement. This organization was presided by Cesar Chavez who was also instrumental in winning the battle for the farmers’ rights. However, setbacks from these victories cased the UFW to strike, to wit: â€Å"the UFW responded with strikes that led to the jailing of thousands. Many strikers were injured by violent attacks on the picket lines, and two were killed in dreveby shootings and attacks.. But the â€Å"inter-union† battle had left the public confused and made

Oceanography Chapter 12 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Oceanography Chapter 12 - Essay Example his topic was the relation of the change in sea level to that of the coastline and the fact that it is believed that the coastlines that are present today have not yet achieved an equilibrium with the current sea levels and thus a change in the aforementioned coastlines are still expected when this equilibrium is attained. This could result in driving the coast inland when this happens should the sea levels continue to rise due to global warming (Garrison 356). Another interesting factor are the features that are formed on the coast as a result of the erosive forces that take place such as Sea Cliffs, Sea Waves and Blowholes that occur as a result of the shore being submitted to constant wave battering (Garrison 356). The process of how beaches are formed is another interesting topic in this book in relation to the transportation process of sediment onto the shore by waves (Garrison 364). The various factors that influence the transportation of the sediments have also proved to be an interesting factor with processes such as the longshore drift proving essential in the transportation of these sediment further inward thus improving the size overall size of the coast as a result (Garrison 364). The involvement of the waves as well as the currents show how different parts of nature work together to form the various features that are found on the beach. The change in the character of the shores from erosive to depositional shows the ability of nature to adapt to changing facilities in order to avoid any permanent damage. This is seen as after a while, beaches characteristics change from erosive to depositional in order to prevent any more erosion from taking place (Garrison 360). The material that beaches are made of and the relation to the various processes that form them show how not every beach is similar in nature and will depend on the location and material that is available in that region. A good example is the beaches of Hawaii that contain rare black sand