Continuous Professional development Essay Example for Free

Continuous Professional development Essay Continuous professional development (CPD) is a framework of learning and development that ensures a professional’s competency, effectiveness, knowledge, skills and practice are continually kept up to date through ‘lifelong learning’ strategies and activities. There is not a fixed CPD standard or structure and a ‘one size fits all’ process would not work for all professions and individuals who work for companies with diverse objectives and working practices. The various approaches may have common themes and goals such as setting objectives for development and charting progress towards them, or asking questions such as where I want to be, and how I plan to get there. Reflection is also a key element of the process. Just as important is the motivation and responsibility of professionals for keeping their own skills and knowledge up to date. An early definition of CPD was developed in 1986 by the Construction Industry Council (UK). However, Friedman et al. (2000) found that it was still the most commonly cited definition of CPD among UK professional bodies in 1999. ‘The systematic maintenance, improvement and broadening of knowledge and skills, and the development of personal qualities necessary for execution of professional and technical duties throughout the individual’s working life’. The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) suggest the following elements of a good and broad CPD structure. be a documented process be self-directed: driven by you, not your employer focus on learning from experience, reflective learning and review help you set development goals and objectives include both formal and informal learning. CIPD further suggest the benefits to CPD practitioners provides an overview of your professional development to date reminds you of your achievements and how far youve progressed directs your career and helps you keep your eye on your goals uncovers gaps in your skills and capabilities Opens up further development needs provides examples and scenarios for a CV or interview demonstrates your professional standing to clients and employers helps you with your career development or a possible career change. CPD can involve any relevant learning activity, whether formal and structured or informal and self-directed. Good CPD practice will include a variety of learning models that help professionals remain competent and up to date. Whatever the model or structure the process should highlight the needs of the job, strengths and weaknesses of learners and their future goals so learning gaps can be addressed. Listed below are examples and a short explanation of types of CPD learning and practice. The training model – often delivered by an expert in a classroom type environment. The award-bearing model – validation achieved via a standard or qualification. The deficit model – weak performance highlighted and measures taken to improve it. The cascade model – one learner cascading their learning down to other colleagues. The standards-based model meeting standards, often highlighted in observations. The coaching/mentoring model – on the job training that includes shadowing. The community of practice model – secondment or interagency training initiatives. The transformative model – flexible approach involving many of the above models. My own development is based very much on the transformative model of CPD that involves a range of both formal and informal learning, this provides me with the up to date knowledge and skills I need to do my job competently. Schunk describes learning as, ‘Learning is an enduring change in behaviour or in the capacity to behave in a given fashion which results from practice or other forms of experience’. Schunk, Learning theories, 5th ed, 2008 Formal learning through training or qualification is often related to something specific, like a skill or competence. Formal training may include on-line and CD-ROM based courses or full or part time study leading to qualifications. Development on the other hand can be more informal and has a broader outlook on learning and may include private study such as reading, observing and reflection. Structured continual learning is important in any profession because new research and practices may require new knowledge and skills. For example the QCF Level 6 Diploma in Career Guidance and Development is one example of formal learning that I have considered and want to undertake. This is for both professional and financial reasons. Professionally it proves a level of academic ability, knowledge and credibility. It is the standard that many career companies now expect from professionals delivering career guidance in schools. Gaining the qualification should also help me remain competitive when applying for a job and hopefully keep me within a reasonable pay scale. Conferences, workshops and seminars also help keep professionals up to date with changes to practice and can be a vehicle for networks to be built up and experiences shared. On the job training such staff training, shadowing, secondment, coaching and mentoring all provide excellent provision for professionals to learn new skills and build up work based knowledge. Professionals may also learn by taking part in working groups or involvement in research projects. Babcock recognises the benefit of CPD and is committed to broadening and developing all employees’ knowledge and skills in the pursuit of excellence. They understand the process helps promote career development and ensure legislation and contractual agreements are met. The company handbook CPD at Babcock Education and Training – Guidance for Staff’, describes the process of CPD as, ‘’any activity which increases the knowledge, skills and understanding of staff, improves job satisfaction and raises company performance’’. The policy strongly advocates that practitioners should be accountable for their own personal growth and not solely rely on the company for training and development. It also requires professionals to maintain competent levels of learning as directed by their own professional bodies. If professionals are to be committed to their own CPD practice then there needs to be a certain level of self-motivation. Career Advisers as with all professionals need to remain competent to practice, regardless of whether they qualified yesterday, last year or twenty-five years ago. (Golding ; Gray, 2006) agree and suggest that the last day of professional training signals the beginning of lifelong learning. According to Maslow (1943) hierarchy of needs that suggests people are motivated by a range of wants such as basic needs from food and shelter right up to the final stage of self-actualization and fulfillment. Herzberg (1959) showed that to motivate an employee a business needs to create conditions that make them feel fulfilled in the workplace. He suggested motivators such as achievement, recognition, work itself, responsibility and advancement will motivate the worker to want to succeed and do well. Both models recognise that when conditions are right workers want to do a good job and find satisfaction in their work. I would argue that professionals such as career advisers go further by recognising their duty of care to clients and desire to serve them well by providing the best service possible. This is only achieved by having up to date skills and a positive outlook on personal learning and development. CPD clearly benefits professionals, employers, customers and users. For it to be best utilised practitioners may need some form of CPD training. Learning how to learn is a skill in itself, Joyce and Showers (2001) suggest that a positive impact on performance is more likely if training is provided on it. Cunningham (2001) agrees and says ‘’It cannot be ‘caught; people must be trained in the process’’ A full understanding of the CPD process gives the practitioner a methodical and structured approach to their learning that can be flexible and involve a number of learning styles that best suits the learner’s needs. My own CPD practice and planning is assisted through various policies and templates implemented by Babcock. Supervision meetings with line-managers take place every 6-8 weeks where performance against SMART targets (objectives broken down to specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timely goals) are discussed and feedback given. Before annual reviews take place a pre-review template is filled in by the member of staff. This process alone demands employees to take time to reflect on their past performance and draw attention to skill gaps and future training needs. Another template used during the annual review guides both practitioner and line-manager through the process. This tool asks questions that demands a certain level of thought and reflection. Questions are asked around time spent on an activity, why it was done, what was learned and can it be shared with others. The pre-review template and review process agree much with guided reflective theory developed by Johns (1995) where he suggests a series of questions can challenge the motivation and rationale for actions. These questions from a third party can help guide learners through the reflective process. Johns suggested reflective diaries and sharing experience with others can lead to a greater understanding than reflections done alone. Though I do not keep a written diary of reflection I do reflect constantly and can relate to Schon’s ‘reflection in action’ and ‘reflection on’ practice. I also incorporate much of Rolfe (2000) Driscoll’s (2000) thinking by asking what, so what and now what into my practice. Another simple strategy I endorse and find useful is SWOT analysis, a technique accredited to Albert Humphrey in the 1950’s that asks practitioners to scrutinize their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Practitioners can also be unaware of issues in their own practice, this is suggested by the Jo Harari window, developed by Joseph Luft and Harry Ingham in 1955; it proposes that others see things about us to which we may be blind. New objectives and action plans can then be agreed and formalised. Feedback from supervision and annual review meetings help to evaluate work and clarify agreed targets and future development tasks. The meetings also offer a platform to formally raise concerns or requests for training. A training request was made after I became aware of a number of young people in school who seemed to be unmotivated, withdrawn or depressed. I had no knowledge of mental health issues and felt out of my depth to offer solutions and wanted to be able to offer better front-line support. I approached my line-manager and it was suggested I investigate possible training options. I later attended three one day courses on adolescent mental health that were free of charge and run by Child and Adolescent Mental Health (CAMH). The training was around spotting mental health disorders, early intervention and ideas for support in school. Networking is also a valuable source of gathering information and developing support channels. It was through a network that I learned of the free training delivered by CAMHS. Another effective learning tool is observation. Feedback from formal interview observations and those from colleagues, teachers, pupils, parents and others has benefited my overall reflections and development by highlighting levels of performance. Critical thinking allows me to analyse different qualities, talents, views and opinions of others. I often ask myself whether I would have handled a situation differently to a colleague and would my actions have made the situation better or worse? Writing regular case studies has been useful when reflecting on my work. They help me focus on what went well and what hasn’t gone so well. The discipline of writing down events and analysing them requires much deeper thought processes. Attending regular training events and seminars ensures I remain up to date with new practice, law and policy changes. Training has broadened my knowledge around specialist areas such as homelessness and sex education. Some training programmes are also compulsory requirements of Babcock and include child protection training or online courses like equality and diversity. Attendance at staff meetings keep me up to date with events in the careers industry and practice at a local level. Often meetings include training workshops, group discussions and presentations from guest speakers. As a group member of the Career Development Institute I receive regular updates, advice and information on topical subjects through journals and annual conferences. In summary CPD is an investment that gives professionals a methodical structure to directly link learning with practice. It records learning undertaken and helps plot any future training. Confidence and professional credibility can be boosted and it may accelerate career advancement. Through creative thinking and tackling new challenges personal interest and job satisfaction can also be increased.

Marketing Of German Brand Bionade

Marketing Of German Brand Bionade The German brand BIONADE which produces and distributes organically lemonade brewed like beer but without alcohol {BIONADE #1}, tries to enter markets all over the world. {Dagmar Mussey 08/10/2007 #2}. With the threat of going bankrupt with its beer brewery {Dagmar Mussey 08/10/2007 #2}, the head of the company Leipold, tried to spread its product range and invented a brewed soft drink for children. With its superficial marketing strategy with just few money BIONADE managed to get known all over Germany in shortest time by sponsoring events and viral marketing. {Ralph Atkins #3} In 2009 the large German group Dr. Oetker bought with 70% the majority of BIONADE. {Weiguny 2009 #18} After distributing in most European countries since 2008 the companys aim is now, that their organic drink will become a Weltdrink.{Ralph Atkins 12.12.2007 #3} How BIONADE can reach the target and what they should considered, it is indicated in this paper on the example entering the US beverage market. Environmental Analysis BIONADE needs to analyse the market of US. The retailing market in the United States is very competitive and dynamic. Consumers can choose out of a large number of retailers. With the information of the internet consumers can easily compare all products and retailers. So retailing has been led to a hard job and you have to observe the consumers needs, because consumers have the power. {Weitz 2010 #4} Market trends BIONADE aims to go on the American beverage market. The carbonated drink sector is the most established in the soft drink industry with about 40% of the volume. {Jonathan Thomas 2010 #6} But the growth almost stagnates with just 1.2% growth rate and the share will fall more, because more consumer prefer healthier beverages like fruit juices, fruit based drinks or bottled water. In this case, there is a chance for BIONADE to put its organically healthy and nearly sugarless beverage on the US market. In addition it should be mentioned, that the market shares for sport and energy drinks within the carbonated soft drink segment has raised about 7% last year, and it is assumed that this trend will last. {Jonathan Thomas 2010 #6} The study, which was ordered by just-drinks, says that the fruit-based drinks are expected to remain strong. Customers BIONADEs target group are healthy, young consumers and aware of the health. Examining the consumers in US nowadays it can be noticed, that there is a change in lifestyle. For decreasing the problems of fat children, which has become a major issue in the US, the government planned to ban sugared drinks like Coca Cola from school. {Atkins 12.12.2007 #3} Consumers strive away from convenience and fast food to fresh cooked meals and healthy, organic products, which are traded fair. {Lifestyle Food and Drinks Future 2008 #10}Business Insides report Lifestyle Food and Drinks (2008) says in addition, that many habitants of the US do have work-related stress, which they try to compensate with healthy drinks and food to get more energy and fun. Additionally America has an ageing generation. These people do all their best to stay young and healthy. Therefore they consume e.g. many anti-ageing products, which aim this target group. Altogether there is a broad diversity of different reasons, why people want to live healthier, which is shown in the illustration 1. Figure : The complexity and diversity of modern lifestyles {Lifestyle Food and Drinks Future 2008 #10} Competitiors The beverage market is a strong market in the United States. Global players like Pepsi and Coca Cola are settled in America as well as the US brand Dr. Pepper. These three brands are in 2010 the best-selling companies, and most customers bought drinks of these companies. {Sector Soft Drinks Non-Alcoholic 2010 #11} They also try to establish healthier drinks, to follow the trend. Coca Cola put The Spirit of Georiga on the market, which is competitive lemonade to BIONADE. They also try to do a partnership with Honest Teas, which also is settled in the health and wellness segment.{Beverage World 2011 #13} Nestlà ©, who is also a big player one the beverage market, also put some health drinks, like ready-to-drink teas on the market. Viewing the global health drink and food segment it can there were more than 4000 new products came on the market in 2009, which are more than double as much as in five years ago.{Heather Landi #12} There is a keen competition in this field. Analysis and Theories With entering a new market there are many topics which should be considered. The SWOT analysis is a management tool which shows clearly arranged which strength and weaknesses a company has, and which opportunities and threats are given from the environment of a company. The points are aimed on the target, a company has. In this case it targets the entry of BIONADE on the American market. {Simon 2002 #9} Strengths Weaknesses Large Network Only breed lemonade Experience on other markets Large target group Good references in Europe Plans for adopting the product for the US market (new flavours) Unique product (the only brewed lemonade) Just one product site Workers with no knowledge Large Supply-Chain High costs New unknown market Opportunities Threats Changing Consumer Behaviour Growing sustainable and health market Growing Beverage Market Banning sugared drinks in schools Market niche Large Beverage Market Many Competitors like Coca Cola (Georgia) Other organic certificates in the US than in Europe Many other healthy drinks Figure : SWOT-analysis for BIONADE on the US-market {Simon 2002 #9} To get an overview of the market, Porter invented the tool Porters 5 Forces. {Porter 1998 #14} Porter has identified five competitive forces at work in every industry and every market. The expression of these forces determines the intensity of competition in an industry and thus its profitability and attractiveness. The objective of corporate strategy should therefore in looking for ways to weaken competitive forces in relation to the company itself. {Porter 1998 #14} Figure : Porters five forces {Porter 1998 #14} Analysing the American health beverage market, which BIONADE wants to enter, there is a variety of forces, which should be considered. Buyers: It can be a threat, because buyers have the force to choose other drinks. Substitutes: There are some substitutes. They are and mainly they will become a threat. There are not only other healthy lemonades but also bottled waters, ready-to-drink teas and fruit juices. Suppliers: Meanwhile there is no big threat by suppliers, because BIONADE exports its own bottles form Germany and uses the concentrate which is produced in its producing site in Germany. Potential Entrants: This would be the biggest threat. Because of the large market and the huge chance because of the trend of changing lifestyle, many competitors will get on the market. There will be keen competition which should be considered by entering the market and solutions must be found for each problem. Some solutions can be in the marketing mix, like pricing politic or with clever product placement. Strategies With its aim generating a larger turn-over, BIONADE entered the US market because there is a niche market. There is no other brewed lemonade in America, but there are customers who would buy healthy drinks. With this unique position, they have a chance to challenge other companies and take market share. {Doole 2004 #20} Because of the large competitors like Coca Cola and Pepsi, BIONADE should distinguish in marketing, product, product placement and aim with a unique marketing-mix at the target group to prevent other companies taking their business idea.{Kotabe 2008 #21} The best strategy for BIONADE was Differentiation. {Doole 2004 #20} Because of the flexibility of a SME, the company can meet customer needs very fast and can distinguish from other beverages. To have not a high level of risk BIONADE made a joint venture with a German noodle company, which piggybacks the product. This indirect exporting method can work, because both products are organic, but they are no competitive products. BIONADE can profit of the reputation of the noodles. As the noodle company does not have the knowledge in the beverage segment it would be a better strategy to get help of an agent, who knows the market. With direct export the companies risk shrinks but the cost raise. {Kotabe 2008 #21} BIONADE established a production site in the US. With this strategy they can save costs for transport, which are mainly the highest costs of the supply chain. {Kotabe 2008 #21} But with this strategy the quality of the beverage can decrease. The employees dont have the knowledge like the staff in Germany. In addition there is also the risk, that BIONADE does not sell as much as calculated and the assembly lines are not working to their full capacity. Recommendation To keep successful BIONADE can go different ways. There is the possibility of entering more markets, or to penetrate new markets or put new BIONADE products on the market. In this chapter is shown, how BIONADE can manage these two different paths of expanding the brands value. Staying competitive with entering new markets or products New Products ExistingAnsoff(1957) invented a method, which makes it for companies possible to generate more profit and growth. His theory is divided in four ways, which are entering new markets or inventing new products. This method can help BIONADE to succeed on the market during the next years. Existing Markets or segments New Figure : Ansoff matrix {H. Ansoff #15} Potential strategies are: Market development: BIONADE can generate growth with entering new markets with existing products, like BIONADE already has done in countries around the domestic market. There are the possibilities which are shown in chapter 4.1. It is recommended that BIONADE searches for a partner in US who supports the company by selling the beverage. A good partner could be McDonalds, because it changed the strategy to healthier food. There already exists a partnership between both in Germany, which can be expanded to North America. {Weiguny 2009 #18} Market penetration: In this field, Ansoff describes in his theory, there are is not much growth expected. {H. Ansoff #15} But BIONADE can use its experience to gain new customers on the existing market or sells more to regular customer. It can be aimed with setting up a marketing campaign like making cocktails with BIONADE. New product development: This strategy has more risks than just market penetration. {Thommen 2009 #16} It is useful to stay successful. BIONADE can remain successful on the existing market with introducing new flavours like Cranberry for the US market, new design of bottles or maybe thermo jugs of BIONADE to keep the beverage cool in summer. Diversification: The strategy of entering new markets with new products has the highest risk rate. {Thommen 2009 #16} BIONADES has a variety of possibilities from putting a sports drink on the US market or inventing sweets or ice cream for kids. But another strategy to stay competitive is to keep an eye on the global market trends and spread the beverage in more foreign markets. Entering new markets BIONADE is on shelves in almost in the whole northern part of the hemisphere, like in almost whole Western Europe, North America, and Russia, as it is shown on the map below. Figure : BIONADES current and potential market entries {Daniel Dalert #17} As the SWOT analysis shows in chapter 2.1 BIONADE has many opportunities and chances, not only in the US market. The trend to a healthier life exists in almost all Western countries. To expand the market, it is recommended to enter step-by-step all Western European countries, like the missing countries Portugal and the East European countries, with new special flavours adopted for the countries. Because of the short trade routes it could be made by exporting the bottles. If North America runs well, there is the opportunity to go to Australia, which is also a Western country with loads of sportive, healthy living people on the beaches. It could be the strategy to sell the beverage first on the coast in cafes and bars. With the same strategy like in Germany and with just low marketing campaign they could sponsor surfing contests. Also Brasilia is a good target market with healthy living, open-minded people. With their favourite trend fruit Acai berry there is even a flavour for this ma rket. Because of its hot climate there is the possibility to sell it as a healthy refreshing drink for day and night, even for cocktails. It is recommended not to concentrate to just a view countries, because the beverage market has keen competition. Entering more markets and to have in all countries a little market share is the key to BIONADEs success. Conclusion For BIONADE, there is still high potential to raise the growth like in the last few years, especially with entering new markets. {Weiguny 2009 #18} But BIONADE gets harsh critics, especially in Germany, because they had a change of their strategy. {Matthias Benirschke 05.02.2011 #19} It is said BIONADE is not that bio like they say and it is not any more a drink for a better world, and they stopped sponsoring some events. In Germany there is at the moment the threat of losing regular customers because of just trying to gain the highest profit. The target group is very sensible and should be taken very into account. {Matthias Benirschke 05.02.2011 #19} Appendices

War and Grief in Faulkner’s Shall Not Perish and The Unvanquished :: Faulkner’s The Unvanquished Essays

War and Grief in Faulkner’s Shall Not Perish and The Unvanquished It is inevitable when dealing regularly with a subject as brutal as war, that death will occur. Death brings grief for the victim’s loved ones, which William Faulkner depicts accurately and fairly in many of his works, including the short story â€Å"Shall Not Perish† and The Unvanquished. While the works differ because of the time (The Unvanquished deals with the Civil War while â€Å"Shall Not Perish† takes place during World War II) and the loved ones grieving (The Unvanquished shows the grief of a lover and â€Å"Shall Not Perish† shows the grief of families), the pain they all feel is the same. When we first meet Cousin Drusilla, her fiancà ©e Gavin has already died at battle. Some Southern ladies may have handled their grief passively, retreating to their beds to sleep their pain away. However, Drusilla takes a different approach. She becomes a part of the war, actively saving her horse when the Yankees burn her family home and eventually joining her uncle’s cavalry. Drusilla refuses to passively grieve; she becomes a part of the war for which her lover felt so strongly that he was willing to die. In doing so, however, she becomes detached from the Southern life the men are trying to preserve. She thinks Gavin’s death has opened her eyes to a new world and that the old world in which they lived was pointless. â€Å"Living used to be dull, you see. Stupid. You lived in the same house your father was born in and your father’s sons and daughters had the sons and daughters of the same negro slaves to nurse and coddle, and then you grew up and you fell in love with your acceptable young man and in time you would marry him, in your mother’s wedding gown perhaps and with the same silver for presents she had received†¦Stupid, you see† (100-101). However, Drusilla—even though she may not be willing to admit it, even to herself—had always wanted that kind of life. She easily fell in love with Gavin, and once he was gone, she decided to give up her dreams of that kind of life—she wasn’t going to wait for the war to end so she could start the cycle of finding â€Å"an acceptable young man† again. Drusilla was going to take Gavin’s spot in the war, out of love and grief and loyalty.

The Chechen Wars Essay -- Islam in the North Caucasus 2014

From Western audiences, Chechnya—whether as an autonomous oblast, a sovereign state, or a war zone—has never received much consideration. Just one of dozens of ethnic groups within Russia who have declared since the end of the Soviet Union their right to self-rule and self-determination, the Chechens’ struggle for independence was drowned out in the cacophony of calls for independence during the 1990s. However, in a world so greatly affected by the events of September 11, 2001 and given the role of Chechen separatist groups in bombings of Russian apartment buildings in 1999 (which killed more than 300) and the hostage-taking of a Russian theater in 2002 (which resulted in the deaths of 130 Russians and 30 rebels), the rhetoric of Islamic fundamentalism and the terminology of terrorism has brought the Chechen people to the forefront of international concern (Trenin & Malashenko, 2004, p. 45). Yet the roots of the conflict in Chechnya, which have spurned two wa rs with the Russian Federation over the past two decades, are defined neither by terrorist activities or the Islamists who have recently come to typify the most virulent of the separatist rebels; rather, the origin is in the centuries long forging of a group that has faced common persecution from the Russian Empire, the Soviet Union, and the Russian Federation. Ethnicity compounded with a new emphasis on fundamentalist religious ideology has greatly complicated a struggle that has benefited the economic and political interests of groups as disparate as elected officials, crime bosses, business leaders, and international governments (Politkovskaya, 2003). War has wrought the economic and social collapse of Chechnya and simultaneously embarrassed a Russia giant whose parti... ...thcaucasus.pdf Jaimoukha, A. (2005) The Chechens: A Handbook. New York: Routledge. Meier, A. (2005). Chechnya: To the Heart of a Conflict. New York: W. E. Norton & Company. Nikolaev. Y. V., Ed. (2013). The Chechen Tragedy: Who is to Blame? Cormack, New York: Nova Science Publishers, Inc. (March 19, 2013) Oliker, O. (2001). Russia’s Chechen Wars: 1994-2000. Washington: RAND. Politkovskaya, A. (2003). A Small Corner of Hell: Dispatches from Chechnya. University of Chicago Press Tishkov, V. (2004). Chechnya: Life in a War Torn society. Berkeley, California: The University of California Press. Trenin, D. V. & Malashenko, A. V. (2004). Russia’s Restless Frontier: The Chechnya Factor in Post-Soviet Russia. Washington: Carnegie Endowment for Peace. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/j.1538-165X.2005.tb01379.x/abstract

The Relationship of Drug-Trafficking and Terrorism in the United States Of America :: Essays Papers

The Relationship of Drug-Trafficking and Terrorism in the United States Of America It’s so Important for Americans to know that the traffic of drugs finances the work of terror, sustaining terrorists, that terrorists use drug profits to fund their cells to commit acts of murder. If you quit drugs you join the fight against terror in America. - President George W. Bush Upon recently watching a movie titled â€Å"Blow,† I found myself asking how something like such could be related to the embassy bombing events and others, like the bombing of the World Trade Centers, and I quickly discovered that there are thousands of ways in which this is possible. In fact it is relevant enough that the past two Presidents (Clinton/Bush Jr.) have drawn up plans to stop it and it appears that America has an opportunity to tackle two rather large problems in one fight, killing two birds with one stone per say. The only question left too answer would be what sacrifices will the citizens of America be forced to make? Where will the line be drawn in the security and privacy of citizens. How much are you willing to give up to lower your chances of being the recipient of a terrorist attack? (Drug Enforcement Agency hosts symposium on topic) â€Å"The links between terrorism and narcotrafficking are real and growing, according to current and former U.S. officials who participated in a special symposium December 4 at the headquarters of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Hosted by the DEA Museum & Visitors Center, ‘Target America: Traffickers, Terrorists and Your Kids’ brought together government officials with the private-sector experts in an effort to educate the American public about what DEA Administrator Asa Hutchingson called the ‘extraordinary link between drugs and terrorism.’ The symposium was part of an effort by the Association of Former federal Narcotics Agents (AFFNA) to develop a museum exhibit and educational program that will explore this theme. In remarks opening the symposium, Hutchinson said there is ‘a strong case to be made that drug trafficking proceeds are being funneled to terrorists organizations,’ such as the Taliban, the FARC group in Colombia and Islamic Jihad. ‘It is clear the bin Laden’s terrorism has been protected by a regime funded by opium trafficking,’ he added. U.S. Representative Mark Souder (Republican, Indiana) told symposium participants that the interrelationship between drugs and terrorism is not new.

The Baader-Meinhof Gang

The Baader-Meinhof or the Red Army Faction (RAF) was a prominent militant outfit of the ‘German Autumn. ’ A terror era that lasted for nearly three decades was marked by the rise and fall of several terrorist organizations. One of the most dreaded of these was the Baader-Meinhof Gang. Originally formed as a revolutionary organization that would put an end to German fascist era, the gang went off-track with its goals and resorted to unlawful activities.At their peak, they had perpetrated numerous acts of terror including bank robbery, kidnapping and murder. They had become so infamous that the German Government labeled them as a terrorist organization. The origin of the Baader-Meinhof can be traced back to the late 1960s and early 1970s when West Germany reeled under a series of terrorist bombings by radical leftists in Augsburg, Hamburg, Karlsruhe, Munich and at American installations in Frankfurt and Heidelburg, and bank robberies and Molotov cocktail attacks on public offices (Christenson 20).Two groups claimed responsibility for the attacks and one of these groups was the June 2nd Movement, which along with the other group was later known as the Baader-Meinhof gang (Christenson 20). A couple of the people involved in these activities were Andreas Baader, the man responsible for the formation of the gang, and his girlfriend Gundrun Ensslin. A prominent journalist who worked for the Konkret – Ulrike Meinhof – had interviewed the two people and justified their deeds, and later joined the gang after helping Baader escape from a jail (Christenson 20).Essaywriters 2 The formal establishment of the RAF or Baader-Meinhof gang was done on 5 June 1970, but the gang’s terrorist acts caught serious attention only since 1974 (Fulbrook 229). The gang, comprising mostly of people who were middle class and well-educated, was formed with the frustration that had crept in to their minds after witnessing their families die in the 1940s (Fulbro ok 229). This was one of the primary reasons given by the gang, which felt that the government’s true, oppressive face has to be brought before the public.As a result, they started attacks on property and also engaged in bank robberies to fund their activities (Fulbrook 229). However, the real threat had begun when they had started to commit murders of popular people like the banker Jurgen Ponto; General State Prosecutor Buback, who they accused of causing the deaths of terrorists – Holger Meins, Siegfried Hauser and Ulrike Meinhof; and employers’ leader Hanns Martin Schleyer (a high-ranked official in SS) (Fulbrook 229). The most prominent of their involvements was in the Munich Olympics Massacre of 1972 (Reeve 37).The Organization The Baader-Meinhof Gang was formed out of the New Left and Extra Parliamentary Opposition student movements that had huge support from the German students in the 1950s and the 1960s, especially against the U. S. war in Vietnam (Tucke r 95). With the passage of time, further student demonstrations took place and on June 2, a university student called Benno Ohnesorg was shot dead by the police, adding fuel to the fire burning in the students’ hearts (Tucker 96). Andreas Baader encouraged student Essaywriters 3activists to overthrow the German Government as it was a part of the corrupt International system and was dominated by the United States (Tucker 96). The real terrorist group was formed after a left-wing lawyer named Horst Mahler suggested the creation of a German urban Guerilla Movement, like the Tupamaros in Uruguay, and engagement in greater violence than arson (Tucker 96). Mahler, along with Baader and Ensslin were the leaders of this small terrorist group. When Baader was arrested after the group was formed in 1970, Ensslin asked Meinhof for help and the journalist helped him escape (Tucker 96).Terror Activities The terrorist gang started its first few attacks on symbols that represented the capit alist system and in 1968, after Baader led left-wing student group Kommune I was released for arson activity, Andreas Baader, Gudrun Ensslin and two other colleagues placed bombs in two department stores in Frankfurt am Main (Tucker 96). Andreas and his girlfriend, Ensslin, were arrested for the act, but were later released in 1969 (Tucker 96). In the period 1970-1977, the gang targeted a number of government top-ranked officials for assassination.They were successful in this goal when they assassinated prominent individuals like Jurgen Ponto, Prosecutor Buback and Hanns-Martin Schelyer (Fulbrook 229). Schleyer’s body was dumped inside the boot of a car after a hijack attempt by the gang was stopped by Federal Border Police in Mogadishu (Fulbrook 229). The hijack had been planned to force the government to release the gang’s top leaders Baader, Raspin and Ensslin. When Holger Meins, one of the people arrested in 1972, died Essaywriters 4of a hunger strike, the group ki lled Judge Gunter Von Drenkkman in response (Christenson 21). When police arrested many supporters of leftist terrorist organizations in connection with this incident, the June 2nd group kidnapped West Berlin mayoral candidate Peter Lorenz and demanded the release of five convicted people, and in March, another group bombed the Paris office of West German publisher Axel Springer demanding the release and pardon of Baarden-Meinhof group’s members (Christenson 21).In another incident in April 1975, six guerillas killed three people and took 12 hostages in the West German Embassy in Stockholm demanding the release of the gang and when the government refused, they killed two diplomats and set the embassy on fire (Christenson 21). Main People in the Group Andreas Baader The most prominent name in the Baader-Meinhof gang is Andreas Baader and the group was named after him. Baader was attracted to the leftist-student movement and he was one of the people responsible for the bombing of a Frankfurt department store in 1968. He was a criminal even before his involvement in the Baader-Meinhof gang.He was arrested for the department store bombing, but was released. He was arrested a second time in 1970, when Ulrike Meinhof helped him escape through the library outside his prison. After the escape, he had spent some time in Jordan in a militant training camp. After he returned to Germany, he was involved in many bank robberies and bombing activities from 1970-1972. In June 1972, Baader and other members Jan-Carl Raspe, Essaywriters 5 Holger Meins and Gudrun Ensslin were arrested and they were tried till 1977. Baader had committed suicide in October 1977 inside the prison cell. Ulrike MeinhofUlrike Meinhof was not a part of the group from the beginning. She was a sympathizing journalist who helped Baader escape from jail. Along with Baader and other prominent people, she became a part of the Baader-Meinhof gang. On May 9, 1976, Ulrike Meinhof was found hanging from t he ceiling of her prison cell in Stuttgart-Stammheim. Gudrun Ensslin Although the group was partly named after Ulrike, the gang’s main female leader was Ensslin, who was also the girlfriend of Baader. She had participated in many student protests in the 1960s. Ensslin had assisted Baader in many terror activities.She was also found dead with Baader and Raspe in the prison cell in 1977. Horst Mahler Horst Mahler was also one of the founding members of the Baader-Meinhof gang. He was formerly a left-wing militant. He was later kicked out of the gang. Jan-Carl Raspe Jan-Carl Raspe was one of the early members of the gang. He was arrested along with Baader and the rest. He was also found dead in the prison with others in 1977. Essaywriters 6 The Diffusion of the Group Although the government believed that the Baader-Meinhof gang stopped functioning after the death of its main leaders, the group continued to function till 1998.The media company Reuters had received a message in 19 98 that formally announced that the gang had been dissolved. It was the end of the ‘German Autumn. ’ Essaywriters 7 Works Cited Christenson, Ron. â€Å"Political Trials in History: From Antiquity to the Present† (1991): 20-23 Fulbrook, Mary. â€Å"History of Germany, 1918-2000: The Divided Nation† (2002): p. 229 Reeve, Simon. â€Å"One Day in September† (2000): 37 Tucker, Jonathan. B. â€Å"Toxic Terror: Assessing Terrorist Use of Chemical and Biological Weapons† (2000): 95-96

Narrative Methods Used in Part 1 of The Rime of the Ancient Mariner Essay

Part one of The Rime of the Ancient Mariner opens with a third person omniscient narrator: ‘It is an ancient Marinere, And he stoppeth one of three. ’ This person represents Coleridge as he knows everything that is happening in the poem, and he is setting the scene for the rest of the lyrical ballad. Other people may take the view that the omniscient narrator represents God, as he is seen by religious people as the only person who can possibly be omniscient. This instantly injects elements of religion into the poem. The next stanza is narrated by the wedding guest, who speaks for the reader and voices the questions that the reader may have. He is confused as to why this odd-looking man has ‘stoppest’ him, which shows that the wedding guest doesn’t know who the man is. This leaves the wedding guest just as clueless as the reader themselves at that moment. The mariner speaks for the first time in the third stanza, beginning his tale with ‘there was a ship. ’ The mariner is responsible for telling the embedded narrative, which is an element of the Gothic. The mariner then takes over the story, telling his tale within the tale. The ballad is structured in Quatrains for all of Part 1, but this changes to symbolise a change in the narrative. Stanzas six and eleven end in the same line: ‘The bright-eyed Marinere. ’ The seventh Stanza is reversed at the end of the poem to show when he is going away from the familiar and when he is returning to it. The genre of this piece is a Lyrical Ballad, with elements of Romance and the Gothic. It draws on elements of the Romantic by its recurring themes of nature, extremes of emotion and religion. It also draws on elements of the Gothic as it includes religious imagery, bad weather and supernatural themes. The ballad is set at a wedding in reality, but the embedded narrative in Part 1 is set in the land of ‘mist and snow. ’ This represents the isolation of the Mariner as he strays away not only from land and equilibrium but also from God. This distance from God is physical, as it points out that he left the ‘Kirk,’ ‘the hill’ and ‘the light-house top’ representing him moving away from where God is, but also mental because the Marnier commits a great misdeed: ‘with my cross I shot the Albatross’ and it is almost as if he and God are not at peace any more. There are connotations of the Mariner’s tale happening a long time ago as he uses archaic lexis in his version of events, such as ‘Kirk’ for Church, ‘thee,’ ‘thou,’ and ‘thus. ’ Coleridge begins the poem with ‘It is an ancyent Marinere,’ the language used shows that the Mariner is a strange being as he is referred to as ‘it’ rather than ‘he. ’ The lexis used is archaic as both ‘ancyent’ and ‘Marinere’ are non-standard spellings. Although the wedding guest uses quite outdated terms, we can tell that the Mariner is older than him because his vocabulary predates to Coleridge’s times. Part 1 of this ballad uses internal and alternate rhymes throughout to create a flow of events. The Mariner tells the wedding guest twice ‘there was a ship’ in stanzas three and four which shows that the Mariner is persistent, but the reader does not know why he is so eager (we later find out that he had to tell this tale to the wedding guest). The wedding guest starts to become aggressive at the Mariner’s persistence, telling him ‘Now get thee hence, thou grey-beard Loon! Or my Staff shall make thee skip. This illustrates the wedding guest’s ignorance, and reflects what the reader would probably do if they were in that situation. The Mariner is described as being almost wizard-like in appearance with his ‘skinny hand,’ ‘grey beard,’ and ‘glittering eye’ which could be taken as being quite supernatural; an element of the Gothic. The Sun is mentioned throughout the poem as a motif for God, and is personified as ‘he. ’ The Sun is present a lot before the Mariner shoots the Albatross but is a less prominent character afterward, showing that God is displeased with the Mariner. Coleridge uses Pathetic Fallacy to show the Mariner’s mood, by showing the ‘Storm and Wind, A Wind and Tempest strong! ’ This is also an element of the Gothic. Coleridge also uses a similie to describe the ice: ‘As green as Emerauld. ’ The colour depicted is very natural, which is an element of Romance and the word ‘ice’ is repeated many times throughout to show the reader that the Mariner is literally surrounded by ice, representing his desolation. The ice ‘crack’d and growl’d and roar’d and howl’d,’ which personifies the ice using animal imagery. This shows the unforgiving and harsh nature of the ice, which the Mariner is encapsulated by. The Albatross is a symbolic religious symbol, and religion is referenced throughout Part 1, showing Coleridge’s personal views and depicting elements of the Romantic and Gothic. The moon is used as a motif for change and is only introduced moments before the Mariner shoots the Albatross, which could be taken as foreshadowing.