The Cuban Missile Crisis Essay Example for Free

The Cuban Missile Crisis Essay The Cuban Missile Crisis on October 14, 1962, marked one of the highpoints of the Kennedy administration.   The scandal caused widespread panic and indignation to the American people due to the surrounding environmental factors brought about by the cold war.   It revolved around the building of Russian bases on Cuban soil and the staging of nuclear weapons from these said structures.   One such depiction of this event is the movie Thirteen Days which is a most ample goldmine of organizational communications beautifully recreated on the silver screen. The crisis is viewed from the eyes of one Kenny O’Donnell, a Special Assistant to the President, who begs, barters and steals the information he needs to keep his friend and superior abreast of the volatile situation while not selling out his own ethics in the process.   This film depicts an excellent display of organizational communications in one of the most important and influential social groups during a time of trial and tribulation which brings out the best and worst in people. Organizational communications stems from the fact that large companies need to coordinate efficiently in order to achieve the goals set out.   For example, if a firm with 10,000 employees had to go to the president for each of their issues with work, he or she would never be able to do the tasks set out on the institution of the company.   The president’s plate would always be full and it would keep piling up with the new problems which spring up during operations.   The key to solving this problem is delegation.   The leader gets people he can trust to get the job done and specifies which fields to focus on.   This paper will show examples as based on the movie Thirteen Days and will provide an example in today’s modern setting. Communications can be defined as the meaningful interaction of people exchanging knowledge.   Good communications in business is the flow of information from the lowest employee to the person with the highest position in order to achieve objectives and vice versa.   The head can address the company as a whole but not all the information from each worker goes straight to the top otherwise there would be an information overload. Information gathering techniques can be in the form of feedback or focused group discussions.   The movie showed this as a U2 spy plane flying over Cuba taking reconnaissance photos as part of America’s regular monitoring of the region. In the film, when Russian rockets are discovered in Cuba, the information is sent up the pipeline because it was deemed important enough.   If the intelligence was about how the Russian prime minister drank his tea or whether he lights a cigar the proper way, it would be filed under miscellaneous information which would be pulled up only when the need arose.   The CIA analysts forwarded the pictures and interpretations to their section chiefs who make the decision whether the buck stops with them or not who then forwards it to the Director of the CIA who makes the call if it should be sent up the chain of command.   This signifies efficient leader-member exchanges. To find a solution, both cognitive and affective conflicts often come into play.   Cognitive conflict focuses attention on assumptions that may underlie a particular issue and which are often ignored.1   It was done by Adlai Stevenson, ambassador to the United Nations, when he voiced an option to the president which all of them as advisors were thinking but would not voice out since it would be political suicide.   This type of conflict allows the decision makers to weigh all their options before coming to a decision.   Affective conflict on the other hand deals with input which is detrimental to the solution process.   It lowers effectiveness with the input of distrust and controversy. The joint chiefs of the military acted as such towards the president since he would not give permission to execute the action they deemed to be the â€Å"only† option.   Even when the generals knew that the commander-in-chief would never agree with them, they tried to box him in by aggravating the situation.   For example, they ordered a low level intelligence gathering mission which would attract an armed response from the Russians.   JFK could not hinder them without a valid reason but he did work around them by getting in contact with the pilot who was flying the mission and asking him to not do anything or report instances which would force America to a nuclear war. The contradiction to this crisis was that the US stationed Jupiter missiles in Turkey near the Soviet border.   If this had not been done, they could have prevented the predicament they were in.   There was also a lot of bargaining going on from the president asking his advisors for other options to the ultimate solution which was the compromise reached by both superpowers to end the escalating conflict. In my opinion this movie is a goldmine of organizational communications reference.   It concretely depicts what to do and what not to do when decisions need to be made during â€Å"crunch time†.   It might not characterize every scenario but with a little stretch of the imagination, we can get and expound new ideas which we can utilize in our daily operations. We can learn a lot from this movie and apply it to any organization especially an engineering services firm.   As an example let’s use the solid waste disposal department and that the dump trucks did not come on time.   The men loading the trucks or the foreman even notices this and decides to kick it to upper management since the whole timetable for the project was delayed.   Now the manager has to decide where to get the trucks.   He or she could either, call another company then penalize the contractors with the cost of hiring another firm plus damages and never work with them again or be lenient with the firm and just deduct the penalty from what was supposed to be paid out for the usage of the vehicles. Advisors are called in to weigh options before a decision can be made.   Now if the trucks were delayed within an allowable amount of time, this information can be sent up the ladder depending on the foreman’s judgment.   If it is still within his scope of responsibility, he can give a warning to the trucking company that tardiness would not be tolerated or send it to one of the manager’s advisors or his corresponding supervisor. The chain of command ideally should work this way to achieve goals but other factors come into play.   In some cases the information does not go to the right person or nothing is being done.   We may not have the perfect structure for organizational communications but we can strive and learn from past errors in order to make decisions which the organization can count every time. References: 1 http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Forum/1650/htmlcognitiveconflict.html last checked 08 March 2008

The Beard Makes the Man :: Ancient Greece Greek Essays

The Beard Makes the Man For the ancient Athenians, the beard was a common sign of manhood. The coming of a beard signaled a male’s transition from boyhood into manhood. Men who lost their beards did not suffer loss of political rights or loss of privileges, but they were mocked and shamed. The beard, not height or body shape, interestingly, was considered the initial marker of manhood in the plays of Aristophanes. A beard is an easily recognizable and observable, and the lack or presence of a beard is easily changed for the stage by covering the actor’s beard with a mask or giving him a fake beard. The beard was clearly a particularly meaningful secondary characteristic for the Greeks. For the ancient Greeks, the beard was incredibly closely tied to the idea of manhood. In some cases, the word for beard could even be interchanged with the word for man. Men grow hair on their faces, women do not, but a man’s facial hair is easily removed by shaving. For this culture, the removal of the beard was a removal of a crucial element of manhood. Without a beard, a man was woman-like, despite any other characteristics that might distinguish him as a man. To become like a woman, a man merely had to remove his beard, but to become like a man, a woman had to disguise herself in many more ways. The beard, as a cultural way to distinguish men, is based on the biological phenomenon that males begin to grow hair on their faces during puberty. Despite seemingly being an easy way to separate men from women and children, the presence of a beard is not an all or none situation. A pubescent male will not go to bed bare-cheeked and wake up the next morning with a full beard. Puberty is a gradual process occurring over many years, and some men may never grow a completely full beard, even in maturity. As today, some women of ancient Athens must have themselves been quite hairy around the hair line, jaw, and upper lip. The beard is not as clear a man/boy or man/woman differentiation as it may initially seem. The beard is not a completely clear physical or biological trait, but it was clearly a significant characteristic for the ancient Athenians. In Aristophanes’s play Women at the Thesmophoria, the kinsman of Euripides tries to pass for a woman by shaving his beard and singeing his pubic hair.

Thought and Hi Rachel

Rachel: Good evening Tom. It's nice to meet you. Please call me Rachel. Tom: Hi Rachel†¦ It is good to meet you too. Rachel: To start off why don't you tell me a little bit about why you think you are here today and what has been going on for you in your life. Tom: I think I am here because my friend thinks I am a drunk. Maybe I am, but I have a good reason. Rachel: What is your reason? Tom: Because my wife left me. We were married for 25 years, and she cheated. Rachel: I am very sorry to hear that Tom. I can understand how that would be hard to deal with. Tom: it is horrible!When I am up, I am thinking of her, thinking of her with someone else, and then drinking to make it go away. I am alone! Rachel: So would you say your drinking has increased since this relationship ended? Tom: ummm†¦. I guess it has†¦ probably more than a little. I mean the guys and I always had a few on sunday for football, you know. But sometimes I drink and I don't know why? Rachel: Would you s ay your alcohol use has affected your job at all, or other family or social commitments? Tom: Well I know I am sick and tired of being hungover in the morning and operating the crane.My family was my wife†¦. we ran from family and our love was all we had. It made us strong†¦ but not strong enough apparently. Rachel: Well we definately need to find you some better ways to cope with this. How would you describe your mood and how you have been feeling since this has happened? Tom: My mood has been getting worse. It's like the worst has happened but I have this nagging feeling that something unbelievably horrible will follow it. My body also has these pains and aches and I have no idea where they came from†¦Rachel: Well it is definately normal to feel this way after such a stressful occurence in your life. Although it is hard to remain postive, it is important. Do you have any other support in your life besides your wife? Anyone that you could talk to? Tom: Well Jim. He i s the one who said I needed to see a counsellor. He said I looked dissheveled. I trust him but I feeling like I am letting him down. Rachel: Well that is good that you took Jim's advice to come in and talk to someone. It can be very difficult to deal with something like this on your own.It is good to have social support in your life and someone who can be honest with you. Do you see yourself getting into a new relationship in the future? Tom: I can see that maybe I can move on but I am hurting. I have been too drunk to grieve! Rachel: Why do you think your wife cheated on you? Do you blame this on yourself? Tom: I never could give her brains and a body. I didn't have brains and my body is getting too old. She took off to the carribean with this lawyer. I wasn't good enough. Rachel: Im sure there are plenty of great things about yourself. This is not something you should blame on yourself.I think once you put yourself out there you will see that many people will find you attractive i nside and out. Challenging your negative thoughts in ways such as this is the first step to feeling better. You will prove your own negative thoughts wrong and will begin to build a new more positive self-concept. I know right now it may be too early to start dating but you should focus on other things you are good at or that you once enjoyed. Rachel: I wanted to ask you a little about your family history. Is there anyone in your family that has suffered from depression or alcohol abuse? Tom: My father drank alot.He was an angry drunk. His mother was sad alot of the time. She killed herself when my dad was 11 Rachel: Im sorry to hear about that Tom. I want to make sure you know that it is normal to feel the way you do right now. I would however suggest talking to your family doctor about taking an antidepressant to help you get back on your feet. It is not something you have to take forever but it can really help to get your life back in perspective. Unfortunately we are out of time for today but I would really like to continue talking to you about this another time. Tom: ok, thank you Rachel

In August 1945, a uranium-type atomic bomb was dropped by...

In August 1945, a uranium-type atomic bomb was dropped by the United States on Hiroshima, Japan, during the final stages of World War II. The following months after the bomb was dropped, many people were killed by burns, radiation sickness, and other injuries. These effects lasted about 4-6 months. Around 90,000 to 166,000 people died either instantaneous or the lasting effects. On August 15th, just days after the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan announced their surrender to the Allies. Hiroshima and Nagasaki remain the only two cities atomic bombed during wartime. On August 6th, 1945, on a clear, sunny day, there was a single American B-29 bomber, the Enola Gay, piloted by 29 year-old air-force colonel named Paul W. Tibbets,†¦show more content†¦A fission type atomic bomb, the kind dropped on Hiroshima, released as much energy as around 20,000 tons of TNT. In fission weapons, a mass of fissile material, enriched uranium, is assembled into a supercritical mass. All fission reactions necessarily generate fission products, the radioactive remains of the atomic nuclei split by the fission reactions. Many fission products are either highly radioactive, but short-lived, or moderately radioactive, but long-lived, and a serious form of radioactive contamination if not fully contained. Fission products are the principal radioactive component of nuclear fallout. So in summary, a big flash, big boom, lots of energy is released, and you die either instantly or slowly from radiation sickness or burns. The bomb also was not chiefly American created. Americans alone did not decide to build the bomb. It was not just a decision of American-policymakers to punish the Japanese, no. It was something much bigger; it was years of work and science experimentation. The science that enabled the bomb was conducted internationally with Hungarian, British, and German scientists and mathematicians. Even after the world’s leading scientists, mathematicians, physic ists and chemists had gathered in a top-secret Manhattan Project, other scientists combined their talents into the project as well, from their home countries. Otto Hahn, one of the contributingShow MoreRelatedThe Invention Of The Atomic Bomb1262 Words   |  6 PagesJ. Robert Oppenheimer (1904 - 1967) A Nuclear Physicist, was responsible for the invention of the Atomic Bomb. Robert Oppenheimer was born on April 22, 1904 into a wealthy jewish family in New York. In the 1930’s Oppenheimer became drawn into left-wing politics. 8:15 on the morning of August 6, 1945 during the end of World War II the United States dropped atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The bomb was equivalent to twenty thousand tons of TNT. The two bombings resultedRead MoreTaking a Look at Dropping the H-Bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki921 Words   |  4 Pagesbackground Before the bombing of Hiroshima, the United States of America had already mad plans to invade Japan with several operations in the process. While the war in Europe ended on May 8,1945 when Nazi-Germany signed the Instrument of surrender, the Pacific war continued. For many months, the U.S. had dropped as many as 63 million leaflets, intending to warn civilians of an air raid. USA called for surrender from the Japanese armed forces on July 26, 1945 with threats of prompt and utter destructionRead MoreNuclear Weapons And The World War II1145 Words   |  5 Pagesweapons for combat. Countries such as the United States, USSR, and Britain also sought to create effective nuclear weapons. Subsequently, the major application of nuclear weapons emerged when the US dropped two atomic bombs at Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan. 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This was only the beginning though, tens of thousands of innocent people died due to the aftermath of radiation exposure for anotherRead MoreThe Bombing Of Hiroshima And Nagasaki1474 Words   |  6 PagesNuclear Paper: The Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki World War Two is arguably the most famous war in world history. It is remembered as a very tragic and influential historical event across the globe. Many countries joined the war at different times, but the general start date has been narrowed to the period of time between 1931 and 1939. The war was primarily between two main powers; the Axis nations, consisting of Nazi Germany, Italy, and Japan, and the Allied nations, led by Britain and CommonwealthRead MoreThe Atomic Bomb Was Built During Ww21066 Words   |  5 PagesThe atomic bomb was built during ww2 and was a major factor in winning the war against the japanese. Germany began to develop the atomic bomb and roosevelt caught wind of this and he put a group of scientist together to develop the atomic bomb before the germans developed it. Einstein found proof that the germans were going to use uranium to build the atomic bomb â€Å"I understand that Germany has actually stopped the sale of uranium from the Czechoslova kian mines, which she has taken over†(Einstein)Read More The Manhattan Project Essay1507 Words   |  7 PagesThe Manhattan Project The Manhattan Project was the code name of the America’s attempt to construct an atomic bomb during World War II. It was named after the Manhattan Engineer District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, because a lot of it’s earlier research was done in New York City. An atomic bomb is a weapon that uses the energy from a nuclear reaction called Fission for its destruction. The idea that mass could be changed into energy was predicted by Albert Einstein in the earlier partRead MoreThe Bombing Of Hiroshima And The United States1111 Words   |  5 Pagesthe Pacific had reached its pinnacle point in 1945 with the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. The world was terrified of both dominant nations at war against each other, the United States and the Japanese were at battle. In the 1943 a new era was just being discovered, Albert Einstein had revealed an unordinary way of destroying things. Something so dominate that cities would be demolished into pieces of ruins. Einstein communicated with the United States President Truman of this new brilliant ideaRead MoreHiroshima, By John Hersey1021 Words   |  5 PagesOn August 6, 1945, the tragedy struck Hiroshima, Japan. At exactly 8:15 a.m. an atomic bomb had been dropped and ruined the lives of millions. In a book called, â€Å"Hiroshima†, written by John Hersey. Mr. Hersey was born on June 17, 1914 in Ti entsin, China. He was a prize-winning journalist and writer. Keep in mind one of the earliest practitioners of the New Journalism, in which storytelling methods of fiction are immuned to realist reportage. He won three awards, The Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, Anisfield-WolfRead More The Manhattan Project Essay941 Words   |  4 PagesThe Atomic Bomb The research for the first Atomic bomb took place in the United States, by a group of nuclear engineers; the name of this research was called, â€Å"The Manhattan Project†. On July 16, 1945, the detonation of the first atomic bomb was tested near Los Alamos, New Mexico. As the atomic bomb was detonated, it sent shock-waves across the globe, which demonstrated that nuclear power would forever change the meaning of war. To create a nuclear bomb, nuclear fission must occur. The process