Do You Want To Build a Robot

Do You Want To Build a Robot February Below is one of the robots I built for 2.007, MITs extremely popular introductory design and manufacturing class: For reference, heres the first robot I ever built, on the first day of 2.007: Before I took 2.007, I hadnt ever used a mill or lathe.  I wasnt sure what it meant to tap a hole. Heck, Id never used a power drill before.  But four months later, I was comfortable with all of these tools, thanks in large part to the awesome shop guys (particularly Bill and Tasker). I built my first gearbox and learned how to use fast fabrication methods.  And I built a pair of robots that actually did quite well in the competition! Its been a lot of fun.  Heres a rough summary of the past few months: February Its the first day of lab and Im a bit nervous. 2.007 is well known for its chaos and intensity, and its intimidating to be told that by the end of this class youll be building a Robot, capital R, and competing against your peers, many of whom have had years of FIRST robotics experience.  Suddenly youre faced with design decisions, big scary machine tools that youre not entirely comfortable turning on, part choices, and Arduinos, maybe even before you know what gears and bearings and linkages are. So what do you do?  Like any good engineer, break it up into smaller, more manageable pieces.  Our first assignment is to build a Mini Me robot that can drive around from a basic list of materials.  By the end of lab, Ive bandsawed the glorified bent piece of plastic above and stuck 2 motors + an RC receiver on it.  Its not pretty, but it drives. At the end of lab, my (awesome) lab instructor Chip reminds us to always fasten our wheels, because loose wheels have tripped up many a top competitor before.  ~~~foreshadowing alert~~~ March Early as it is, its time to start thinking about the final competition. This years robot competition is ski-themed MITSKI! The instructors have build this cool course consisting of three different hills of different grades, with flags to pull, medals to collect, and trophies to pull. Quickly it becomes apparent that the most efficient way to score points is to do laps on the extremely steep 60 degree top hill (in hindsight, I wish they had made flag pulling worth more points, as it would have led to more interesting robot mechanisms).  Its not a trivial problem to solve.  Because of the steepness of the hill, tipping is a problem.  Because of the slippery surface material, slipping is also a problem. As Richard Hammond from Top Gear tells us in a recorded video, keep your centers of gravity low and your coefficients of friction high. For several days I iterate and iterate on a design (nicknamed Spatula Bot) that tries to climb the steep hill by keeping my center of gravity extremely low.  It works, kind of; its extremely slow up the slope, far too slow to have any hope of running multiple laps during the 120 second competition period. Notice that Im making extensive use of waterjetting sheet metal to make precise, elegant parts; thanks to my friend Emma S. 16 for her help waterjetting!  Amusingly, one of the robots on the final day is named Flagrant Abuse of the Waterjet, a title that would have been accurate for my robots. Major credit goes to Josh B. 16, as he designs the first robot capable of quickly climbing the top hill, using a rail gripper.  His design ends up strongly influencing the rest of the fields hill climbers as well.  Heres a CAD of one of my early successful prototypes utilizing a ski gripper, v2 of what eventually becomes my Ascensionist robot: Around this time it also becomes apparent that controlling robots is a difficult task. The RC controllers and Playstation controllers provided by 2.007 arent terribly reliable or easy to use.  I decide early on to use my iPhone and iPad to control my robots via OSC, a wireless protocol usually used by DJs to connect to sound synthesizers.  This has the advantage of letting me avoid the bottleneck of waiting for available RC controllers later in the semester. Early April With the ski gripper, ascending the top hill is trivial.  But what about getting down? I briefly toy around with the idea of making a robot with large diameter wheels that drives equally well upside down, and build a few prototypes.  But the high speed motors Im using dont have enough torque to drive the large wheels up the top hill, and I decide to revert to a strategy of building roll bars: And this ends up being very similar to my final design; I also lower my entire chassis and use a 3D printed fixture to mount my motors.  Early on I discovered that tumbling down the top hill easily damages the delicate high speed motors Im using.  My 3D printed mounts work well, and soon after lots of people are using them for their robots as well. If theres a wrong way to do 2.007, its to approach it as a cutthroat competition, attempting to hide trade secrets and to claim ownership of ideas. As you can see from the propagation of Joshs rail gripper idea and my 3D printed motor mounts, ideas spread fast in 2.007.  Thats the way its designed: even though youre building your robot as an individual, especially for beginner builders its essential to collaborate and work with other people.  Forget about helping the competition; working together and seeing what designs work (and just as important, which designs dont work) will save loads of time and lead to better robots for everyone. Plus, these are your peers, who youll be working together with in 2.008, 2.009, and other team projects.  Dont burn your bridges by being petty and accusing people of stealing your general ideas.  This aint Apple vs. Samsung. Late April Wait, theres only 7 days until our robots are due??? Ive got my hill climbing robot mostly done, but I also want to build a robot that pulls down the multiplier.  But theres no way Ill be able to design, fabricate, and test an additional robot in 1 week.  Is there? One of the most underutilized resources in 2.007 (in my opinion) is a document called How To Build Your Everything Really Really Fast.  Its written by Charles Guan, who now teaches the electric gokart special section of 2.007 (see, it doesnt have to be a robot), and goes into lots of fast fabrication techniques. Robust robot designs generally require a lot of right angles; with traditional fabrication techniques this can involve lots of milling and drilling precise holes.  But using waterjetting and fastener techniques like t-nuts, you can save a lot of time and throw together fairly complicated robots quickly. Heres what that means for me: Im able to design, fabricate, and assemble my multiplier bot in the span of 24 hours. A task that would have seemed impossible for me at the beginning of the semester, but thanks to Tasker and Steve (the shop guys in charge of the waterjet and lasercutter) Im able to do it.  Heres the gearbox that eventually goes into the robot at the top of this page: Note the extensive use of standoffs and t-nuts.  This makes my multiplier bot extremely modular; Im able to completely disassemble and iterate my chassis and gearbox design in minutes, as opposed to hours.  Heres the final design of my 2 robots: May Competition Day My hill climber robot scores enough points to seed me 2nd in the tournament (behind the aforementioned Josh), which means that I have a guaranteed spot on the final day of competition, and get to relax and watch the preliminaries. Then competition day comes, and its totally awesome.  Besides the robots, theres this Engineering Petting Zoo showcasing cool machines from companies and students.  Among the stuff featured: Tony Stewarts NASCAR racecar, a Corvette, and electric gokarts built by the 2.007 alternate section. But the robots are the main attraction of the day, of course.  Im able to cruise through the first few rounds of competition despite my hill climber flipping over, thanks to my multiplier bot. Clockwise from top left: me controlling my hill climber via iPhone, Joshs hill climber + medal grabber bot, Danny (one of the lab instructors) and his Ski Patrol outfit, my multiplier bot in action.  Photo credits to Landon C. 17. But robustness is key, and one of my hill climbers wheels pops off in the final 8 round. I knew I should have listened to Chip and remembered to screw those wheels on.  An unfortunate time to learn that lesson, but I still have a lot of fun watching the final 4 duke it out. The final match, between Josh B. 16 and Clare Z. 16 proves to be especially exciting.  Joshs pair of autonomous robots has performed well all night and is capable of scoring well over 600 points but Clares manually controlled robot is crucially  super robust and reliable.  In a huge upset, Joshs hill climber gets stuck in a rut, meaning his multiplier bot isnt able to push the trophy, and Clare wins with a score of 312. Clare winning the gold trophy, next to Professor Sangbae Kim and Professor Amos Winter.  Photo credit to Landon C. 17. A thrilling end to the night, and a great way to cap off my favorite class at MIT so far.  I cant wait to take 2.008 and 2.009!

Email Message - Definition, Guidelines, and Examples

An email message is a  text, typically brief and informal, that is sent or received over a computer network. While email messages are usually simple text messages, attachments (such as image files and spreadsheets) can be included. An email message can be sent to multiple recipients at the same time. The Tyranny of E-mail The first e-mail was sent less than 40 years ago. In 2007 the worlds billion PCs exchanged 35 trillion e-mails. The average corporate worker now receives upwards of 200 e-mails per day. On average, Americans spend more time reading e-mails than they do with their spouses. (John Freeman, The Tyranny of E-mail: The Four-Thousand-Year Journey to Your Inbox. Simon Schuster, 2009) Focusing Email Messages An email message is generally limited to one idea rather than addressing several issues. If you address more than one topic in a single email message, chances are the recipient will forget to respond to all points discussed. Discussing one topic allows you to write a descriptive subject line, and the receiver can file the single subject message in a separate mailbox if desired. If you must send a lengthy message, divide it into logical sections for easy comprehension. (Carol M. Lehman and Debbie D. Dufrene, Business Communication, 16th ed. South-Western Cengage, 2011) Editing Email Messages Edit all your emails for proper grammar, punctuation and spelling. Nothing discredits you faster than sloppy email. Yes, you have spellcheck, I know, but not everyone hooks it up. Proofread. Nothing says Im not a business professional, faster or more loudly than poor composition or writing skills. (Cherie Kerr, The Bliss Or Diss Connection?: Email Etiquette for the Business Professional. Execuprov Press, 2007) Distributing Email Messages In the workplace, email is a critical communication tool, so it is common for an email message . . . to be distributed far beyond its intended range, sometimes causing embarrassment (or worse) for the sender. In 2001, the head of Cerner Corporation sent an angry email to managers, berating them for not working hard enough. His tirade was posted to the Internet on a financial message board read by many people. Investors feared that company morale was low, and the companys stock value dropped 22 percent, costing stockholders millions of dollars. The New York Times reported that the executive sent his next email message with the preface, Please treat this memo with the upmost confidentiality. . . . It is for internal dissemination only. Do not copy or email to anyone else. (David Blakesley and Jeffrey L. Hoogeveen, The Thomson Handbook . Thomson Learning, 2008) Rules and Authorities In 1999, Constance Hale and Jessie Scanlon published their revised edition of  Wired Style. While other etiquette volumes, both before and since, have approached online writing with an eye toward business writers, Hale and Scanlon had a more laid-back audience in mind. The editors pointedly scoffed at the idea that email should be subject to editing  Ã¢â‚¬â€ either by sender or receiver. Some samples: Think blunt bursts and sentence fragments. . . . Spelling and punctuation are loose and playful. (No one reads email with red pen in hand.)Celebrate subjectivity.Write the way people talk. Dont insist on standard English.Play with grammar and syntax. Appreciate unruliness. The authors propose something of a flower-child approach to email. But seen in perspective, they have as much potential authority over what email style should look like as self-proclaimed eighteenth- and nineteenth-century prescriptivists such as Bishop Robert Lowth had over the structure of English. Declare yourself an authority, and see if anyone follows. (Naomi S. Baron, Always On: Language in an Online and Mobile World. Oxford University Press, 2008) Examples of Email Messages 16th November. Alex Loom kept her promise not to phone me, but two days later I got an email from her saying: ‘When are we going to meet to discuss my research?’ I emailed back: ‘I don’t know. As a matter of interest, how did you get my email address?’ She replied: ‘I figured you probably use the University network and have the same form of address as all the other faculty.’ She was right of course. . . . She added: ‘So when are we going to meet?’ I wrote: ‘I don’t see the point of meeting unless there is something to discuss. Can you send me a chapter?’ She emailed me a copy of her dissertation proposal, all very general and abstract. I emailed back: ‘I need to see something more specific, like a chapter.’ She replied: ‘Nothing I’ve written so far is fit to show you.’ I replied: ‘Well then I’ll wait.’ Since then, silence. (David Lodge, Deaf Sentence. Harvill Secker, 2008)One of my favorite email stories comes from Ashley, a senior-level manager at a financial services company, who still remembers the email she received (along with everyone on her team) from the new employee who had just graduated from college. Despite the fact that he had only been on the job for a few weeks, the newbie felt compelled to offer his work suggestions to the group in a 1,500-word email, which outlined everything from his thoughts on dress code to ideas for improving employee morale. For months, his email was circulated internally and became the butt of jokes around the office, with people wondering how this new guy could have been so clueless. (Elizabeth Freedman, Work 101: Learning the Ropes of the Workplace Without Hanging Yourself. Bantam Dell, 2007) Also Known As: electronic mail message Alternate Spellings: e-mail, E-mail

When Referring To Abraham Lincoln During His Presidency,

When referring to Abraham Lincoln during his presidency, he is often remembered as â€Å"The Great Emancipator†. Upon looking into his earlier life, one can develop firm conclusions as to what factors influenced Lincoln. One can also call into question whether his actions toward emancipation were sufficient, or if he deserves credit at all. Various events before Lincoln’s presidency allowed his opinions of the institution of slavery to develop. During his childhood, he was exposed to slavery, while his career as a lawyer allowed him to defend colored individuals. His political career also allowed him to express his views on many of the pieces of legislation meant to deal with slavery. Abraham Lincoln’s attitude towards the institution of†¦show more content†¦There are two occasions where he was involved in the question of whether or not residence in Illinois meant freedom from slavery. In the cases where Lincoln defended an African American, he stuck to the law as opposed to fighting it and used specific evidence. This trait would aid him after his career as a lawyer when he decided to run for the Illinois seat in Congress. Lincoln disagreed with Stephen Douglas on the status of slavery. When debating against Stephen Douglas for the Illinois seat, Lincoln spoke objectively and factually as opposed to his more subjective and racially based opponent. As Abraham Lincoln became more politically involved, he attempted to oppose the expansion of slavery. Lincoln realized that despite having anti-slavery views, he did not know how to combat slavery directly through the political system. Therefore, he turned his focus towards the expansion of slavery rather than the institution itself. In doing so, He appeared as less radical to the south and gained some support from them rather than the fervent opposition an abolitionist would receive. Lincoln supported legislation such as the Fugitive Slave act of 1850, so long as it did not allow free b lacks to be converted back into slaves. He opposed the Kansas-Nebraska Act, however, because not only did it allow the opportunity for slavery to expand past theShow MoreRelated Abraham Lincoln Essay1464 Words   |  6 Pages Abraham Lincoln sprang to the presidency from extremely humble and tragic roots. His father, Thomas, and his mother, Nancy, were both illiterate. When Abraham was young, he had a sister who died as an infant and a brother who died as a boy. When Abraham was nine years old, his mother tragically died, leaving him in the care of only his father, who, within the year of his wife’s death, remarried a widow, Sarah Bush Johnston. Sarah was extremely kind to Lincoln and encouraged his developing love ofRead MoreAbraham Lincoln : The Great Emancipator1590 Words   |  7 PagesSarmiento 6 Abraham Lincoln: The Great Emancipator During Abraham Lincoln’s presidency, the United States was divided into North and South, who were at war with one another. Recognizing the nation needed a determined leader to guide them into prosperity, Lincoln devised his plan for success. Lincoln’s attempts to preserve the North, while uniting them with the South seemed to be failing as the war continued throughout his first term. Once Lincoln got reelected in 1864, he set out to succeed in his missionRead MoreWhy Did John Wilkes Booth Killed President Abraham Lincoln876 Words   |  4 PagesWhen John Wilkes Booth assassinated President Abraham Lincoln, it was a life changing event for the whole country. It took many days for the country to know that Abraham Lincoln had been assassinated. Then, everyone wanted to know why. Why did John Wilkes Booth assassinate Lincoln? Did he do it to be evil or did it for a specific reason? The fact that John Wilkes Booth assassinated Lincoln was unexpected. He was a famous actor that had no criminal background. Nobody had any clue why he chose to doRead MoreEssay on Abraham Lincoln on Slavery2158 Words   |  9 PagesAbraham Lincoln on Slavery Abraham Lincoln was born in 1809, in Hardin County, Kentucky (Abraham Lincoln Slavery and the Civil War, pg. 211, Johnson). Many Americans believe him to be one of the greatest presidents to ever serve in office. One thing that distinguished Lincoln from all the other former presidents was his distinct philosophy on slavery: that it is unfair and unjust to enslave another human being. Lincoln supported his opinion with a simple formula labeled the ‘Fragment onRead MoreAbraham Lincoln: Great Emancipator or Common Politician?1487 Words   |  6 PagesPresident Abraham Lincoln has been revered as one of the greatest presidents in the history of the United States. He is known for his great effect on slavery and served his terms during the civil war in a time of great controversy. The American Civil War (1860-1865) occurred at the exact time of Lincolns presidency (1861-1865). The North and the South were divided and a big issue was slavery, on which Lincoln took an anti-slavery s tance. Lincoln has been called many things because of his views fromRead MoreComparing Jfk and Lincolns Inagural Speeches Essay1402 Words   |  6 PagesAndrew Worthington 11/26/12 Addressing the Nation Throughout the history of the United States of America, there have been many leaders. President Abraham Lincoln and President John F. Kennedy are arguably two of the greatest presidents that this country has had. Whether it was 1865, during the bloodiest war in the history of the US, or 1961, during the most tense international power struggle that we have ever faced, these men were able to do what was needed to get the job done. The one ideal thatRead MoreEssay about Abraham Lincoln as a Dangerous Speaker2476 Words   |  10 Pages   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Many people remember President Abraham Lincoln as being a very gifted orator as well as a dignified leader of our country. Through his many speeches and writings, Abraham Lincoln captivated American minds and gained millions of followers. In Lincolns Perpetuation speech, given before the Young Mens Lyceum of Springfield, Illinois, in 1838, Lincoln himself stated that our country was in great danger. He speaks of people such as Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar and Napoleon and then asksRead MoreThe Legacy Of Abraham Lincoln Essay1458 Words   |  6 PagesAbraham Lincoln is a name most commonly associated with our country’s Civil War and the abolition of slavery. When one thinks of this name, one usually envision’s his tall, slender physique and that iconic tall black hat. His face can usually be seen with a look of concern and depth in his eyes. This man faced not only guiding his country through a state of grave danger, but also terrible traged ies that would destabilize his personal life. Lincoln would come to lose two of his children (theRead MoreEssay about The Life of Abraham Lincoln2496 Words   |  10 PagesThe Life of Abraham Lincoln Although other states such as Indiana lay claim to his birth, most sources agree that Abraham Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, in a backwoods cabin in Hodgeville, Kentucky. In an interview during his campaign for the presidency in 1860 Lincoln described his adolescence as quot;the short and simple annals of the poor.quot; (p 30). His father Thomas was a farmer who married Nancy Hanks, his mother, in 1806. Lincoln had one sister, Sarah, who was born in 1807.TheRead MoreRebuilding the Government: United States History1998 Words   |  8 Pagesï » ¿ Critical Essay One Gettysburg Address by Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln, the sixteenth president, was one of the most decorated commander-in-chiefs in American History, due to his never-ending push to mend our broken nation and move to the beginning. Nevertheless, many African Americans were forced to come to America to be sold into slavery in 1619. While the treatment of slaves was very unfair and, in many cases, inhumane, and was plagued with a lifetime

Diversity at Work Free Essays

A major issue that many companies face today is how to promote diversity in the workplace. While federal laws and company policies give protection to diversity on the workplace, there still stand certain barriers that inhibit its growth. In effect, the purposes of these efforts are defeated. We will write a custom essay sample on Diversity at Work or any similar topic only for you Order Now Therefore, it is important for firms to address how to overcome these barriers. Having been a longstanding issue, many studies have been devoted to defining and managing diversity, identifying obstacles to diversity, and ways in which these hurdles can be won. In all these studies, experts agreed that diversity is not an easy task. Moreover, promoting diversity in the workplace requires proponents to face the issues of fear, lack of cooperation from the workgroup, mistakes in planning, and problems with funding and training schedules, among other dilemmas. Diversity at Work—How to Make it Work? presents and explores these barriers that impede the expansion of diversity in workplaces, as identified by experts. In turn, the paper will also attempt to raise suggestions as to how these barriers can be overcome as well as how diversity can be promoted more effectively. Barriers to Diversity There is never any fool-proof plan. Companies most especially, regardless of size or industry, are fragile to facing challenges when they introduce plans that can adversely affect its operations and employees. However, companies should not be hindered by these challenges, and thus continue with plans that can contribute to the growth of the firm and its workforce. This applies essentially when a company decides to take a step in making theirs a diverse workplace. Diversity, being a sensitive issue that it is, can be filled with difficulties that many companies who subscribe to it end up unsuccessful. While it is impressive for a company to put efforts in promoting diversity in their firm, it is equally important for it to know that there are hurdles to their efforts to promote diversity in their workplaces. It is also necessary for them to identify and address these obstacles to allow for diversity to be effective. In doing so, the time, money, and effort that the company will put in to promoting diversity will not be put to waste. Here are some of the things that experts identified as barriers to making diversity flourish in organizations: Wrong leaders. Diversity is a sensitive initiative, and because it involves the employees it is normal for companies to create committees to lead the program, or appoint the human resources people to do the job. However, the sensitive nature of promoting diversity can make employees defenseless against other employees, even if they are human resources heads. (Simmons, 2003) Fear. According to Thiederman (2003), many companies who decide to face diversity tend to be afraid with the things attached to it. In many cases, diversity committees take considerable time planning the diversity initiatives because of their many fears such as to offend a minor group, or to make a mistake in the policies that they are making. Defective objectives. Companies may become unrealistic with their goals and either create objectives which are not applicable to their workplace, or too ideal that it can never be executed at all. (Thiederman, 2003) Simmons (2003) seconds this by saying that often, companies create diversity objectives that are not in line with the vision and mission of the company, to which everything should be based. Lack of cooperation from employees. The mere promotion of diversity introduces the fact that differences exist in the organization, and in fact further proves the existence of such. Despite the fact that diversity aims to equalize and create inclusiveness with all members of the workforce, there are instances when employees see loopholes and will not want to cooperate. (Thiederman, 2003) By promoting diversity, the dominant party or majority may also feel that they are receiving less opportunities in the company’s effort to promote equality and inclusion. These employees may feel that in the company’s efforts t please the minority, they are being left out and thus it will be difficult for them to cooperate. (Common barriers to diversity, 2000) Stereotypes. It is human nature to stereotype people. Often, people make assumptions of others consciously or not without considering how it can affect others and the environment in which they are in. Stereotyping affects companies in such a way that when employees judge each other, they are already working against diversity. (Common barriers to diversity, 2000) Co-membership Syndrome. It is not surprising that employees will likely group themselves according to their similarities. Thus commonly, white males will most likely group together in the same way that employees in their mid-20s will group together. However, this is one defect in companies that prevent diversity from happening. When employees group themselves, they unconsciously form factions that tend to be exclusive to them based on their similarities. A negative effect of this scenario is the tendency for these factions to create biases within their groups. For instance, when a member of the group has to be evaluated by a co-member fair and true judgment may not be given. (Common barriers to diversity, 2000) Insider Dynamics. In the creation of informal splinter groups in the workplace, it is inevitable for employees to feel either included or excluded in the factions. This highly affects the performance of the employees. When an employee is a member of a group, he considers himself an insider and can get the support of her co-members in any corporate initiative. On the other hand, employees who are different and thus does not enjoy the membership to a group (the outsiders to a group) do not get the backing they need in corporate initiatives. This damages their confidence and self-esteem. On a larger scale, it denies them the right to influence others, make decisions for themselves, their positions, and their departments, and may give them less access to vital information that can help them play their professional roles. (Common barriers to diversity, 2000) Cues and gestures. With the differences in race, gender, culture, education, age, and other aspects, people may have different cues and gestures that may mean differently to others. While this is normal, it greatly affects diversity efforts and can even create communication chaos. (Common barriers to diversity, 2000) Generalities in diversity training. Because diversity involves the inclusion of all employees regardless of differences, diversity trainings also tend to be diverse in nature and given on a whim without consideration on the different levels of understanding and acceptance that employees have as well as roles that they play. This makes most diversity trainings ineffective and wasteful. (Simmons, 2003) Lack of professional trainers. The demand for diversity trainings is on the rise, and it attracted non-professionals to join the bandwagon of diversity trainers despite lack of training and expertise on the subject. This creates more problem than solution, as non-skilled trainers can give unnecessary or wrong ideas to employees who can end up confused and frustrated. (Bennet, n. d. ) Time and cost. Promoting diversity and using diversity seminars is a mean feat. It can cost thousands of dollars to hire a diversity speaker, additional expenses to set up the training with all the requirements of it, and additional money for formulating policies and implementing them. Apart from this, it will also take time from employees and corporate heads alike, and in business time is also commensurate to money. When a company decides to promote diversity, both top-level executives and employees need to allot and spend time in cooperating. Company officials need to take the time to plan the initiative, create policies, assign executors, and monitor the progress of the plan first-hand to ensure that efforts are not put in vain. Employees will likewise need the time to meet with company officials and executors to discuss the plan for diversity, as well as allot a notch in their schedules to attend trainings and seminars. Thereafter, every member of the company must take time every single day at work to see that diversity is being practiced. Thus, time and cost are also barriers for many companies who are willing to promote diversity in their firms. (Bennet, n. d. ) Overcoming Barriers After identifying the barriers that companies experience in promoting diversity at work, it is essential for solutions to be classified as well. To begin with, Simmons (2003) states that diversity initiatives should be lead by the chief executive officers and top-level executives. This will make the plan appear to be of primary importance, as what it already is. The involvement of the higher ranks will also induce cooperation among employees. Fear is yet another obstacle in achieving corporate diversity and to aid this, Thiederman (2003) says that it will be helpful for the proponents and leaders of the initiative to speak with their people and find out exactly what their thoughts and views are to bring about the actual necessities in the issue and avoid mistakes, especially in the area of policy making. Matching the goals of diversity with the goals, mission, and vision of the company will also set the goals of the initiative straight. (Simmons, 2003) It is important for companies to create realistic objectives that are consistent with the beliefs that their companies subscribe into. Likewise, companies that are just starting with their diversity plans should study and learn from companies who have already succeeded in managing diversity in their firms. (Thiederman, 2003) However, it is inevitable to have employees who are not willing to cooperate with diversity efforts regardless of attempts in the part of the company. According Thiederman (2003), involving everyone is the key to soliciting cooperation. Because diversity plans often put importance to the members of the minority in the workplace, dominant parties can feel left out and refuse to collaborate. Likewise, members of minor parties may feel that diversity highlights their difference all the more, especially when companies overdo the use of political correctness to the point of pretentiousness. Thus, companies should strive to make everyone a part of the effort in diversifying. The proponents should also refrain from adjusting and minimizing the company standards just to accommodate the minority as this will not be agreeable to all employees, dominant or not, and can cause them to think twice about cooperating. Heathfield (2007) agrees, saying that to promote diversity the company must keep itself on the winning court. Simmons (2003) also stressed that any complaint on reverse discrimination should be readily addressed. Trainings and information dissemination may also address most concerns related to diversity such as stereotyping, co-membership, insider dynamics, and cues and gesture differences. Companies who invest on and effectively carry out such trainings encourage and inform their employees that holding and sharing assumptions and judgments about other people, especially their co-employees, can adversely affect them, their relationships, and their workplace. Efficient trainings and seminars on diversity can also eliminate the formation of factions and, ultimately, avoid the existence of insider and outsider dynamics within the organization. Differences in cues and gestures and the multiplicity of their interpretations may also be addressed by proper training and information. When employees understand that their cues and gestures may mean differently with others, they will become more sensitive with their actions and strive to act more appropriately in a manner that is appropriately understandable to others according to what they really mean. However, diversity trainings must be executed efficiently. One problem on diversity training is the use of generalities, often to address the need for diversity information of all employees at one time. This leaves a part of the audience informed, and a part of the audience misinformed or uninformed. Diversity trainings should therefore consider that every employee hold positions that require them to play different roles. Thus, every employee will need to learn how to inject diversity according to the tasks that they do on a daily basis and the responsibilities that they handle. (Simmons, 2003) Interestingly, however, Simmons (2003) suggests that in defining diversity, one should be as broad as possible and attempt to cover the different aspects in which an organization should be diverse. This allows diversity to cover a global scope, as compared to merely promoting race or gender equality. These explain that while diversity training should be as specific as possible according to the skills and roles of each employee, discussing diversity per se should be generalized and cover as much difference as one company can cover based on the cases within the organization. Lack of professional trainers also poses a problem in many diversity efforts. While the number of companies who are willing to subscribe to diversity is on a steep rise, the number of diversity trainers is also on the fast track up. However, the number of professional trainers—the experts—, which is an entirely different thing, is on a forward drag. While the solution to this problem may not be on the hands of companies, it is important that firms trying to start diversity trainings in their workplaces do not hire just any available trainer around. Professional trainers provide high-quality trainings and give expert consultation that no low-cost, readily available trainer can offer. If financially feasible, companies may also outsource the training to third-party consulting firms if professional trainers are not available. Time is also an essential consideration that hinders diversity programs from becoming effective. As shown, diversity can take a lot of precious time; and as mentioned above time in business equals money. It is therefore important that every minute spent on diversity is used efficiently. Monitoring and consistent evaluation can help companies achieve this and avoid wastage. Costs may also be a hurdle for companies to provide diversity plans for their employees. To get by, companies must assess how much actual money they are willing to spend on their diversity initiative. It is also important to allot the money properly according to the priorities of the plan so that each aspect of the plan is funded accordingly. Similar as the time barrier, monitoring and evaluation should be done to ensure that the money being allotted for the diversity plan is properly spent. Apart from these means in overcoming the barriers identified, it is worthy to consider several other suggestions from experts in managing and promoting diversity at work. According to Bennet (n. d. ), storytelling is one of the experts’ ways to promote variety because by sharing stories of both discrimination and diversity, listeners tend to think and feel. This allows for emotions to be tapped, a powerful way to convince people to support diversity and do away with discrimination. Heathfield (2007), on the other hand, presents an interesting key in unlocking diversity. While it has been mentioned a while ago that a barrier to diversity is the co-membership syndrome where employees tend to bond with others who are like them, Heathfield suggests that similarities be used to promote diversity saying that by highlighting the things where the employees are alike diversity can be promoted. One common ground to begin with is the goal set that employees may have for working in the firm. Most importantly, diversity initiatives must respect and value people, specifically employees, and their contributions. It is important for companies to understand that diversity does not aim to widen the privilege entitlement of minority groups. By doing so, the workplace will be a more interesting and enjoyable place to be in. How to cite Diversity at Work, Papers

A View from the Bridge literature essay example Example For Students

A View from the Bridge literature essay example Compare and contrast the personalities, behaviour and attitudes of the two brothers in A View from the Bridge. To what extent is it fair to say that they exchange roles in the course of the play?  In Arthur Millers play A View from the Bridge, Marco and Rodolfo are the two brothers who are Italian immigrants who moved illegally to the United States to find work. During the time Italy was suffering from enormous poverty, and in the play the two brothers work as longshoremen in order to earn money: however both brothers have different reasons for doing this. Marcos plan is to make enough money to send to his wife and three children back home in Italy, who are starving. Rodolfo on the other hand has come to earn money with no prior responsibilities. He is a free agent who wants to become an American citizen. From the beginning of the play we see that Marco and Rodolfo have very different character traits and characteristics. It could be said that Marco fits the typical Italian stereotype, strong with dark hair and skin, with his main priority being his family. Rodolfo however is not, as he has blonde hair, and this shocks the characters (especially Catherine) first impressions of him when he arrives, as Catherine says wondrously,  How come hes so dark and your so light, Rodolfo? A prominent characteristic of Marco that comes across from the beginning of the play is a honourable, heroic one. He gains most of the characters respect in the play as he is strong and could easily load the whole ship by himself, the reason for his being there also gains respect; as he left his family to give them support and save his eldest son who is sick in the chest. Rodolfo gains the respect of the other characters via completely different means. As a character Rodolfo is young spirited, he is a dreamer who likes to sing and make everyone laugh, and it is his good spirited nature that people (excluding Eddie) respect him for. An example is Mikes summary of him when talking to Eddie,  Well he aint excakly funny, but hes always like makin remarks like, yknow? He comes around, everybodys laughin. So in the play Marco is seen as a hero and Rodolfo is seen as a comedian.  By the end of Act one we see a side to Marco that has not before been seen. In the play is he a relatively quiet/flat character Marco dont say much, who puts Rodolfo right when he is not pleasing Eddie, he is the one in charge,  if he does wrong you must tell him, what does he do wrong Eddie?  Although at the end of Act one Marcos actions lead us to the discovery of a violent side, which Marco uses to defend his honour. Marco becomes aggressive by silently threatening Eddie by lifting the chair, but his rage is driven by his duty to his family, due to Eddie making a fool out of Rodolfo in front of everybody by asking him to box, and then hurting Rodolfo. This shows another difference between the two brothers. Rodolfo is naive about his situation, and does not realise just how much he is upsetting Eddie. Marco however does see Eddies troubles, and is very aware or the situation: by lifting the chair to Eddie, this proves that what Eddie is doing bothers him. This incident also proves that in the play Marcos actions are stronger than his words. He is very strong, and is obviously aware of that, yet doesnt brag about it, or show it in any way until he has to. As a final insult to Eddie by the end of the play Marco spits in Eddies face, which was at the time the ultimate insult, this is another example of Marcos actions being stronger than his words. .u7052c3a3fca8ecc8dd86d0d5b35dd731 , .u7052c3a3fca8ecc8dd86d0d5b35dd731 .postImageUrl , .u7052c3a3fca8ecc8dd86d0d5b35dd731 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u7052c3a3fca8ecc8dd86d0d5b35dd731 , .u7052c3a3fca8ecc8dd86d0d5b35dd731:hover , .u7052c3a3fca8ecc8dd86d0d5b35dd731:visited , .u7052c3a3fca8ecc8dd86d0d5b35dd731:active { border:0!important; } .u7052c3a3fca8ecc8dd86d0d5b35dd731 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u7052c3a3fca8ecc8dd86d0d5b35dd731 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u7052c3a3fca8ecc8dd86d0d5b35dd731:active , .u7052c3a3fca8ecc8dd86d0d5b35dd731:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u7052c3a3fca8ecc8dd86d0d5b35dd731 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u7052c3a3fca8ecc8dd86d0d5b35dd731 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u7052c3a3fca8ecc8dd86d0d5b35dd731 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u7052c3a3fca8ecc8dd86d0d5b35dd731 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u7052c3a3fca8ecc8dd86d0d5b35dd731:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u7052c3a3fca8ecc8dd86d0d5b35dd731 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u7052c3a3fca8ecc8dd86d0d5b35dd731 .u7052c3a3fca8ecc8dd86d0d5b35dd731-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u7052c3a3fca8ecc8dd86d0d5b35dd731:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Morning star EssayFor the duration of the play we see Rodolfo as an unrealistic character, He dreams, he dreams, although on page 44 we see that Rodolfo is in fact a practical, down to earth person, which is a side to Rodolfo which has not before been seen. When Catherine tests Rodolfo about moving to Italy, Rodolfo becomes realistic and seriously points out to Catherine what would be the point, just to prove a small matter to Eddie. Also his advice to Catherine about Eddie,  If I take in my hands a little bird. And she grows and wishes to fly. But I will not let her out of my hands because I love her so much, is that the right thing for me to do?  Shows that he is per ceptive of the situation and is no longer seen as being so naive. I would say that the complete exchange in roles of the two brothers in the play comes after Eddie gets them both convicted by the immigration authorities. Prior to this Rodolfo had been seen as the victim of the play, as no matter what he said or did he was never going to please Eddie: but after being turned in, Marco becomes the main victim of the play. He is the innocent one, as he has done nothing wrong to Eddie, yet he still gets arrested. In addition he gains the viewers sympathy, as he has no other choice but to go back to his hungry wife and sick children in Italy: unlike Rodolfo who will get let off by marrying Catherine. It is at this part of the play where Rodolfo becomes the responsible brother. He is the one who tries to get Marco to see sense and agree with Alfieri in letting him out of jail, Marco tell the man! Yet Marcos honour to his family is at its full as he believes that what Eddie did was unforgivable, and that the breaking of such a trust is something that in his culture that must never be left unpunished. Marco believes All the law is not in a book! Rodolfo however is willing to forgive and forget and it seems does not seem angry at all, also it is Rodolfo trying to bridge the gap between Marco and Eddie, instead of Marco doing the same for Rodolfo. Throughout the play both characters develop and change. We see Marco turn from a fairly flat character into a rather developed character whose actions speak louder than his words. He turns from being the heroic character, to the main victim; and from the dominant brother who lectures Rodolfo, to the one who Rodolfo tries to make see sense. Rodolfo however is unsuccessful as Marcos family honour means so much to him. We see Rodolfo turn from being a naà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ve dreamer, to a serious, practical character, who just wishes to please Eddie and live happily with Catherine.

Bicameral Legislature free essay sample

Our Founding Father’s created a bicameral legislature for three reasons: First, it was what they knew, their ideologies came from Britain. The British Parliament has two houses; the House of Commons and the House of Lords (Shmoop Editorial Team). Second, was the emphasis on checks and balances. An unicameral legislature might consolidate too much power, and they also knew from Britain, that could cause corruption. Dividing the chambers provides a check against tyranny (Shmoop Editorial Team). The third was â€Å"a matter of practical politics† (Shmoop Editorial Team). Small states wanted all the states to have equal representation in Congress, but the larger (and more populous) states wanted congressional representation to be based on population. A bicameral legislature provided small states with equal representation thru the Senate and House of Representatives gave more populous states proportional representation. As a matter of fact, this solution provided each state with equal representation and is called â€Å"the Great Compromise†. We will write a custom essay sample on Bicameral Legislature or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page On July 16th, 1787, the convention adopted the Great Compromise by a heart-stopping margin of one vote† (History n. d. ). It was said that Thomas Jefferson had criticized the concept of a two chamber legislature and questioned the need for it. â€Å"Why†, asked George Washington â€Å"did you pour that coffee into your saucer? † (That was the custom at the time. ) â€Å"To cool it,† replied Jefferson. â€Å"Even so,† said Washington, â€Å"we pour legislation into the senatorial saucer to cool it. † (Nickels n. d. ) The House of Representatives can be sensitive to popular sentiment and aware of current popular passions, because they know their constituents well. They know their constituents well because they run for re-election every two years. Whereas, the Senate only face their electorate every six years and generally do not know their constituents intimately. This shields Senators of the pressure of quick popular sentiments (Dye 2009). Our Founding Fathers expected Senators to be older, wiser and more deliberative then the House of Representatives, and able to take a longer term view of what makes good public policy (Nickels n. d. ). Is this why the Senate has more power than the House of Representatives? I would contend that the two chambers are equal. Not that they have the same powers, but equal in that neither the Senate nor the House can make a law without the other. Under the U. S. Constitution, the two chambers are equal, however; the Constitution gives certain exclusive powers to each chamber. For an example the Senate has powers to confirm Presidential nominees that they do not share with the House, and the House has powers to originate all tax/spending bills that are not shared with the Senate (Nickels n. d. ). Dye and Zeigler’s Elite Theory claims that representative democracy is not really based on the will of the people, but a small elite class that governs the masses. â€Å"Only one branch of the new government, the House of Representatives, was to be elected by popular vote. The other three controlling bodies-the president, the Senate, and the Supreme Court–were removed from direct voter participation† (2009). According to Dye and Zeigler none of the delegates showed any enthusiasm for mass participation in democracy.

A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner

A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner Free Online Research Papers William Faulkner’s short story â€Å"A Rose for Emily† provides clues that the reader can choose to acknowledge or ignore, but nowhere in the story does Faulkner clearly explain why Emily Grierson murdered Homer Barron. Faulkner has discussed the story, and did reveal that it was about how inhumanity toward people can lead to murder. This suggests that the inhumanity that Emily suffered, both at the hands of her father and at those of society, which is rarely kind to women that never marry, may have led to psychological scars that eventually prompted her to murder Homer. Faulkner’s insight into the story is a generalized one, that does not explicitly provide a motive for the murder, only a sense of the pain that might have affected Emily profoundly enough to make her agreeable to the idea of murder. This paper will explore the reasons and motives that led Emily to murder Homer, illustrating the factors that played a part in her actions. One of the most compelling reasons that Emily murdered Homer is that she was from a time when men took care of women. This â€Å"care† included control, and sometimes even dictatorship, as in the case of her father, who sent all of Emily’s suitors packing. Women were taught to be dependent upon men, and Emily was dependent upon her father, but dependence breeds hostility because it becomes a type of bondage. Her father was particularly controlling, and none of his control belied any cognizance of Emily’s needs or what might make her happy. Thus, Emily was in a Catch-22 situation where she needed man but could not have them. Even the man she dated when she lived on her own left her. By murdering Homer, she turned the tables on that particular form of bondage and found a way to â€Å"keep† a man. Homer stayed with her- albeit dead; until she died. Another reason for the murder is that Emily was insane. When her father died, she refused to admit that he was dead for several days. Upon Homer’s death, she kept his body in the bed with his clothes nearby just as he had taken them off and probably slept next to him every night until her death. Menakhem Perry (64) states, â€Å"†¦here is, primarily, a woman who committed a pathological murder†¦perhaps even†¦necrophilia.† He also points out that Emily refused to recognize the death of Colonel Sartoris, contending that Emily’s â€Å"contact with reality [was] deficient† and that for her, â€Å"the borderline between reality and fantasy [was] blurred† (Perry 64). It is even possible that Emily was not consciously aware that Homer was dead, as she may have continued to see him as living; this could explain why she slept with him every night even though the flesh has long been gone from his bones, and he could not have looked like a l iving man. Another explanation for the murder is revenge, either against her father or against Homer. Out of the two men in her life, Emily’s father was the one that mistreated her the most. She felt that she needed her father, though, so she could not murder him. Murdering Homer was a way of stopping Homer from becoming to her what her father was and of taking revenge indirectly on her father. On the other hand, it is clear that Homer would have left her had he not been murdered, so Emily may have murdered him in anger that he too was deserting her. Robert Crosman (208) points out that Emily is actually in control in the story. When she goes to the pharmacist to get the arsenic, for example, the druggist tries to find out what she wants it for, but she does not answer yet, he gives it to her anyway (Crosman 208). Likewise, when the aldermen write and call to collect her taxes, she refuses to acknowledge that she owes them and at the end they are never paid. From this perspective, Emily’s reason for killing Homer might have been merely to control a situation that had he lived would have been under his control. Helen Nebeker (8) compares Emily to the â€Å"indomitable but dying Old South in all its decadence, pride, [and] refusal to admit the changing order.† She symbolizes the South’s ability to stand firm while the winds of change circulate all around her, and although she evokes pity, she remains standing in triumph until the very end, when her own death hands a victory to the New South waiting in the wings (Nebeker 9). Nebeker (11) states that â€Å"Emily’s South, though dead and buried and forgiven, has left its horror imprinted forever on the structure and in the persons of the present.† As a symbol of the Old South, Emily’s murder of Homer represents the South’s resistance to change, even though that resistance means clinging to something that is already old, dead, and stinking. From this perspective, Emily’s motivation for murdering Homer is to keep the status quo alive. Cleanth Brooks (13) argues that â€Å"there is an element of the heroic† about Emily’s murder of Homer, as well, even though the crime is also â€Å"monstrous.† Brooks notes that Emily never â€Å"strive[s] to keep up with the Joneses† but remains the one that everyone else keeps up with (Brooks 13). Certainly, as she maintains control, it is also clear that Emily does not grovel to anyone. She does what she pleases and refuses to do what she does not want to do, in a splendid reversal of the bondage she grew up in under her father. Finally, Emily believes that love can and will end if not frozen in time by death, a gruesome but understandable idea considering that she had never yet experienced a love that did not end. However, a love that is frozen in death is not the love that most women want; they want companionship, tenderness, and a listening ear- not the mere presence of a body that can afford none of these things. Why precisely did Emily kill Homer? Faulkner leaves it to the reader to decide, but elements of all of these reasons and motivations would likely have played a part in her actions had Emily been a real woman instead of a character. Real people are complex, and there is often not a sole clear-cut reason for their actions but rather a dynamic push and pull among many reasons that causes each of them to have an influence on the final decision. In the last analysis, whatever reasons Emily had for killing Homer, no one can argue that she did it quite deliberately and with planning, so she made a choice that could never be reversed and then lived with that choice for the rest of her life. Brooks, Cleanth. William Faulkner: First Encounters. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1985. Web. 20 Feb, 2010 Crosman, Robert. â€Å"How Readers Make Meaning.† College Literature, 9.3, The Newest Criticisms (Fall 1982), 207-215. JSTOR. Web. 26 Feb, 2010 Nebeker, Helen. â€Å"Emily’s Rose of Love: Thematic Implications of Point of View in Faulkner’s ‘A Rose for Emily.’† The Bulletin of the Rocky Mountain Modern Language Association, 24.1, (Mar 1970), 3-13. JSTOR. Web. 26 Feb, 2010. Perry, Menakhem. â€Å"Literary Dynamics: How the Order of a Text Creates its Meanings [With an Analysis of Faulkner’s â€Å"A Rose for Emily†]. Poetics Today, 1.1/2, Special Issue: Literature, Interpretation, Communication, (Autumn 1979), 35-361. JSTOR. 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