Monday, May 25, 2020

The Government Entity That I Interacted With Was The Lamar

The government entity that I interacted with was the Lamar School District Re-2 School Board in Lamar, Colorado. I attended a meeting on February 13, 2017 at Central Office, 210 West Pearl Street. The meeting started at 6:30 PM. I was not able to take part in the meeting because I am not a member of the board, but I was able to take note on what was being discussed and give a report about it to my student body government at my high school. There were many topics that were discussed at this meeting. The first section of the meeting was reports about the food service and financial standing of the school district. The food service report states that they have distributed 20,000 more breakfast meals than this time last year, yet they have†¦show more content†¦It was approved and the meeting came to an end (February Meeting Minutes, 2017). I did not attend the following meeting in March, and the minutes from the meeting have not been uploaded on Lamar School District Re-2 website. The reason that I chose this body of government is because it directly is involved with my education. Every decision that is made whether it be from budge spending to curriculum changes, it will somehow affect me. I know that I am a senior and many of their choices that will be made the rest of this year will not affect me anymore. However, by going and seeing how the meeting are conducted and how the choices are made, I can better understand why they make the decisions they make. New policies and decisions will not affect me, but I do have a younger brother who still has two more years of high school. I want him to know that the choices made by those few people on the school board, have a profound effect on hundreds of children attending the schools in the district and should pay attention the decisions being made. From some of the discussions they have had since the meeting will really affect him and I feel like going and being an active member would help him understand why the dec isions are being made. This was a good form of government to take part in because it models in a smaller setting what the United States government does. Also, later in life, it is important to understand and be informed on how decisions areShow MoreRelatedProject Mgmt296381 Words   |  1186 PagesMcGraw-Hill/Irwin series, operations and decision sciences) Gray’s name appears first on the earlier editions. Includes index. ISBN-13: 978-0-07-340334-2 (alk. paper) ISBN-10: 0-07-340334-2 (alk. paper) 1. Project management. 2. Time management. 3. Risk management. I. Gray, Clifford F. II. Gray, Clifford F. Project management. III. Title. HD69.P75G72 2011 658.4904—dc22 2009054318 www.mhhe.com About the Authors Erik W. Larson ERIK W. LARSON is professor of project management at the College of Business, Oregon

Thursday, May 14, 2020

Shah Jahan - Mughal Emperor of India

From the often chaotic and fratricidal court of Indias Mughal Empire sprang perhaps the worlds most beautiful and serene monument to love - the Taj Mahal.  Its designer was the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan himself, a complex man whose life ended in tragic circumstances. Early Life The child who would become Shah Jahan was born on March 4, 1592, in Lahore, now in Pakistan. His parents were Prince Jahangir and his wife Manmati, a Rajput princess who was called Bilquis Makani in the Mughal court. The baby was Jahangirs third son. He was named Ala Azad Abul Muzaffar Shahab ud-Din Muhammad Khurram, or Khurram for short. As a child, Khurram was a particular favorite of his grandfather, Emperor Akbar the Great, who personally oversaw the little princes education. Khurram studied warfare, the Koran, poetry, music, and other subjects suitable for a Mughal prince. In 1605, the 13-year-old prince refused to leave his grandfathers side as Akbar lay dying, despite the potential threat from his fathers rivals for the throne. Jahangir succeeded to the throne, after crushing an uprising led by one of his other sons, Khurrams half-brother. The incident brought Jahangir and Khurram closer; in 1607, the emperor awarded his third son the fiefdom of Hissar-Feroza, which court observers took to mean that 15-year-old Khurram was now the heir apparent. Also in 1607, Prince Khurram was engaged to marry Arjumand Banu Begum, the 14-year-old daughter of a Persian nobleman. Their wedding did not take place until five years later, and Khurram would marry two other women in the meantime, but Arjumand was his true love. She later became known as Mumtaz Mahal - The Chosen One of the Palace. Khurram dutifully sired a son by each of his other wives, and then neglected them almost entirely. He and Mumtaz Mahal had 14 children, seven of whom survived to adulthood. When descendants of the Lodi Empire rose up on the Deccan Plateau in 1617, Emperor Jahangir sent Prince Khurram to deal with the problem. The prince soon put down the rebellion, so his father granted him the name Shah Jahan, meaning Glory of the World. Their close relationship broke down, however, over court intrigues by Jahangirs Afghan wife, Nur Jahan, who wanted Shah Jahans youngest brother to be Jahangirs heir.   In 1622, with relations at their zenith, Shah Jahan went to war against his father. Jahangirs army defeated Shah Jahans after a four-year fight; the prince surrendered unconditionally. When Jahangir died just one year later, in 1627, Shah Jahan became the Emperor of Mughal India. Emperor Shah Jahan As soon as he took the throne, Shah Jahan ordered his stepmother Nur Jahan imprisoned and his half-brothers executed, in order to secure his seat. Shah Jahan faced challenges and uprisings all around the edges of his empire, as well. He proved equal to the challenges from Sikhs and Rajputs in the north and west, and from the Portuguese in Bengal. However, the death of his beloved Mumtaz Mahal in 1631 nearly shattered the emperor. Mumtaz died at the age of thirty-eight after giving birth to her 14th child, a girl named Gauhara Begum. At the time of her death, Mumtaz was in the Deccan with Shah Jahan on a military campaign, despite her condition. The distraught emperor reportedly went into seclusion for an entire year  and was only coaxed out of mourning by his and Mumtazs eldest daughter, Jahanara Begum. Legend says that when he emerged, the forty-year-old emperors hair had turned white. He was determined to build his empress the most magnificent tomb the world had ever known. It took the next twenty years of his reign, but Shah Jahan planned, designed, and oversaw the construction of the Taj Mahal, the worlds most famous and beautiful mausoleum. Made of white marble inlaid with Jasper and agates, the Taj is decorated with Koranic verses in lovely calligraphy. The building occupied 20,000 workers over the course of two decades, including craftsmen from far-off Baghdad and Bukhara, and cost 32 million rupees. In the meantime, Shah Jahan began to rely increasingly on his son Aurangzeb, who proved an effective military leader and an Islamic fundamentalist from a young age. In 1636, Shah Jahan appointed him viceroy of the troublesome Deccan; Aurangzeb was just 18. Two years later, Shah Jahan and his sons took the city of Kandahar, now in Afghanistan, from the Safavid Empire. This sparked on-going strife with the Persians, who recaptured the city in 1649. Shah Jahan fell ill in 1658  and appointed his and Mumtaz Mahals eldest son Dara Shikoh as his regent. Daras three younger brothers immediately rose up against him and marched on the capital at Agra.  Aurangzeb defeated Dara and his other brothers  and took the throne. Shah Jahan then recovered from his illness, but Aurangzeb declared him unfit to rule and had him locked up in the Agra Fort for the rest of his life. Shah Jahan spent his last eight years gazing out the window at the Taj Mahal, attended by his daughter Jahanara Begum. On January 22, 1666, Shah Jahan died at the age of 74. He was interred in the Taj Mahal, beside his beloved Mumtaz Mahal.

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

Essay on Citigroup Corporate Social Responsibility...

Citigroup Corporate Social Responsibility Evaluation Corporate social responsibility has become a hot term in the past few years as corporations have become larger and even more powerful. Watch-dog organizations have been formed to monitor the actions of corporations and report â€Å"rogue† companies who do not mean their standards for being socially responsible. Recently, many companies have started to issue corporate social responsibility reports along with their annual reports. Citigroup, a financial services firm is one of these companies. Citigroup is one of the largest companies in the world. Citigroup provides a wider range of financial services from insurance to financial advisory service. According to Forbes, Citigroup is the†¦show more content†¦Major initiatives in 2006 included the following: †¢ Commitment to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 10% of our 2005 baseline by 2011 †¢ Establishment of a Global Energy Council to implement measures to meet our GHG reduction and green power procurement goals †¢ Purchase of 52,283 MWh of green power for our operations †¢ Commitment to target LEED Silver certification for construction of new office facilities †¢ Evaluation of our largest facilities to understand how to attain LEED status for our existing buildings †¢ Purchase of 200% more FSC certified paper (for a total of 557 metric tons) †¢ Purchase of 8,186 metric tons of 30% post-consumer recycled copy paper (netting 2,455.8 metric tons of recycled fiber), as well as 682.5 metric tons of recycled fiber for use in corporate marketing materials. The last initiative comes on the heels of the recent rise in foreclosures on homes in the US due to subprime loans. The program provided counseling services to families facing closures in the eight to ten markets affected most by foreclosures. Citigroup has also adopted a corporate responsibility mantra known as â€Å"Our Shared Responsibilities†. We have a responsibility to our clients We have a responsibility to ourselves We have a responsibility to our franchise -Our Shared Responsibilities Internal CSR Citigroup’s approach to social responsibility is two-fold. The company takes

Tuesday, May 5, 2020

Merits and Demerits of Dictatorship free essay sample

Stability of government the government will stay the same. In times of political warfare and inner party turmoil and war this may become a relief to finally have a stable government, 2. The dictator may be a Benevolent Dictator meaning that the dictator actually acts out in the best interests of the people. Advantages of Dictatorship Government Dictatorship can be defined as a form of government in which the power is centralized. It either lies with a single person or a small group of people. The general population has no say in the functioning of the government. The people do not have any choice with regards to by whom or how their country will be run. In a dictatorship form of government, the people are expected to do, whatever is decided for them by the dictator. China, Zimbabwe, Egypt and Cuba, among many others, follow dictatorship form of government. Now that we know what is dictatorship, let us try to understand what are the advantages of dictatorship. We will write a custom essay sample on Merits and Demerits of Dictatorship or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Stable Government As in a dictatorship, the decision making lies with only one person and others do not have any say in the working of the government, it offers a kind of stability to the country. Problems such as frequent elections, as in the case of democracy, or a disruption of peace due to political factions, do not arise in a dictatorship. Less Room for Corruption Another of the dictatorship advantages is that a dictator is very stringent with regards to the rules, regulations, penalties, punishments and rewards. This makes the people working under him less liable to corruption. Most Efficient During Emergencies When a country faces any kind of emergency situation such as a war or a health epidemic, a dictatorship government can prove to be the most efficient one. The reason being that all the decisions are taken by one person, so there is no ambiguity with regards to the plan of action as well as individual responsibilities that are fixed to cope with the emergency situation. So, one of the main advantages of dictatorship over democracy is that it is better equipped to face emergencies. Lesser Crime Rate Most of the dictatorship governments are police states. So, in a way there is low crime rate under such regimes. Another reason for a better law and order situation in these states is that various laws are passed immediately, without any discussion or waiting for the public opinion on them. This leads to better control over crimes too. Things Happen Quickly In a dictatorship form of government, all things, whether related to governance or businesses or anything else, happen much quicker than in other types of government. The reason for this is the same i. e. decision making lies with a single person. These are some of the advantages of dictatorship. Although, for these advantages to translate into real life, a dictator needs to be self less, benevolent, well experienced and intelligent. As a dictator has unlimited power, if he does not possess these qualities, the disadvantages of dictatorship, such as oppression of people, no freedom of choice for the people, accumulation of wealth in a few hands, loss of civil rights, flawed decision making, etc. an lead the country toward a wrong path. Looking at the stakes associated with a dictatorship form of government, many countries under such a regime are considering becoming democracies, which is a form of government for the people, of the people and by the people. Today, looking at the progress democracies such as America and India are making, democracy is considered the best form of governance.