American Torture Techniques Against Detainees

The U.S. government has been accused of using torture-lite or moderate physical pressure against detainees, persons held in custody for political reasons, typically because they pose a distinct threat to the U.S. or possess information crucial to American security. In practical terms, what does this mean? Palestinian Hanging This form of torture is sometimes  referred to as Palestinian hanging due to its use by the Israeli government against Palestinians. It involves binding the prisoners hands behind his back. After fatigue sets in, the prisoner will inevitably fall forward, putting full body weight on his shoulders and impairing breathing. If the prisoner is not released,  death by crucifixion  may eventually result. Such was the fate of U.S. prisoner  Manadel al-Jamadi  in 2003. Psychological Torture The number one criterion for torture-lite is that it must leave no physical marks. Whether U.S. officials are threatening to execute a prisoners family or falsely claiming that the leader of his terror cell is dead, a steady diet of misinformation and threats can be effective.   Sensory Deprivation Its remarkably easy for prisoners to lose track of time when theyre locked up in cells. Sensory deprivation involves removing all noise and light sources as well. Guantanamo prisoners  were additionally bound, blindfolded and wore earmuffs. Whether prisoners subjected to long-term sensory deprivation can still tell fiction from reality is a matter of some debate.   Starvation and Thirst Maslows hierarchy of needs identifies basic physical needs as the most fundamental, more so than religion, political ideology or community. A prisoner may be given just enough food and water to survive. It may take as long as a week before he appears physically thinner, but his life will come to revolve around a quest for food and he may be more inclined to divulge information in exchange for food and water.   Sleep Deprivation Studies have shown that missing a nights sleep temporarily drains 10 points from a persons IQ. Consistent sleep deprivation  through harassment, exposure to bright lights and exposure to loud, jarring music and recordings can drastically impair judgment and wear down resolve.   Waterboarding Water torture is one of the oldest and most common forms of torture. It arrived in the U.S. with the first colonists and has cropped up many times since then. Waterboarding  is its latest incarnation. It  involves  a prisoner being strapped down to a board then dunked in water. Hes brought back to the surface and the process is then repeated until his interrogator secures the information being sought.   Forced Standing Most common in the 1920s, forced standing involves prisoners standing in place, often overnight. In some cases, the prisoner may face a wall, standing with his arms extended and his  fingertips touching it.   Sweatboxes Sometimes referred to as a hot box or simply as the box, the prisoner is locked up in a small, hot room which, due to lack of ventilation, essentially functions as an oven. The prisoner is released when he cooperates. Long used as a form of torture in the U.S., it is particularly effective in the arid Middle East. Sexual Assault  and Humiliation Various forms of sexual assault and humiliation documented in U.S. prison camps  as forms of torture include forced nudity, forcible smearing of menstrual blood on prisoners faces, forced lap dances, forced transvestitism and forced homosexual acts on other prisoners.

Analysis Of The Poem Hello, Morgana - 1534 Words

Hello, Morgana. A few hours before dawn, Arthur received word that Morgana was stirring, the last dose of belladonna finally wearing off. He wanted to be there when she woke, when she discovered where she was, to tell her himself what awaited her. A spiked bracelet engraved with archaic runes was now clasped on her forearm and locked by blood. His blood, and only he could release her from its bonds. Morgana sat on the cot, her head buried in her hands, wild hair spilling down her arms. She raised her head at his final approach on the other side of her cell bars with a group of faces known and unknown to her. Bloodshot eyes, haunted and confused, met his before the moment passed and the coldness returned upon recognition. She pulled herself to her feet with as much grace as her weakness would allow, slightly swaying in the balancing of her stance. I knew you had it in you, Arthur, she said with sarcastic pride, coming to stand before the rods of iron separating her from freedom. Uther would be proud of you. She presented her arm to him, tracks of crimson seeping from under the silver band, her lips twitching to force a crooked smile. The Hades Lock. Ancients told that no matter how powerful you were, once Hades put his hold on you, there was no escape from his realm unless he allowed it. I assume your blood sealed it. Arthur crossed his arms and nodded once, determined not to rise to the bait she dangled verbally in front of him. It had been like this between them

Bruce Tuckmans stages of group development- Team Development Model

Question: Describe about the bruce tuckman forming storming norming performing team development model? Answer: Introduction Joe and Harry combined their first names to form a Johari model that is used as a model for self-awareness, interpersonal relationships, personal development, group dynamics, inter-group relationships and team development. The window expresses information on feelings, attitudes, skills, experience, motivation etc. The Johari window is also used to represent a team in relation with other groups. It is a square with four panels as a pictorial representation of degree of how known we are to others and ourselves (West and Turner, 2006). Johari Window Four Quadrants The Johari window has four quadrants- Arena, Blindspot, Faade and Unknown area. Every person is represented by their own window. Mine is described as under: Quadrant 1- Arena The arena or open area, free self or free area or open self is also known as the area of free activity. The quadrant gives the information about a persons behavior, knowledge, feelings, attitude, views, skills etc that is known by both the group and self (South, 2007). I know my name and age, and so do the other people. This region determines the amount of co-operation and communication I have with other people. When I first meet a new person, I dont gel up quickly. I take a lot of time to get comfortable with the person and create the comfort zone. I dont get too talkative or expressive in the beginning. The aim of a group is to explore and widen the open area so as to enhance communication in the team. I usually start with a relatively small open area because of lack of communication skills but it can be enhanced horizontally into the blind area with the support and feedback of my team members. The group members can also help in expanding my arena vertically downwards by disclosure in the group members. This region is the most ideal and open receptive person. There is a high degree of trust and respect in people for me. I am sensitive to the needs of self and others. I have concern for people whom I care. This region also highlights the personal skills in me and other members (Businessballs.com, 2015). In a team, as an action-oriented role, I played the role of Completer-Finisher. I see the projects completed from start to end. I was ensured to make no mistakes. I was not supposed to make any errors or omissions and pay attention to the finest details in the team. I believe in timeliness and I pushed the team to complete the job on time. I get a bit anxious about petty things and worry about small things unnecessarily. I am a perfectionist and follow an orderly fashion. As a people oriented role, I am a resource investigator. I explore options and alternatives for development and negotiation of resources. The external stakeholders who help in accomplishing the teams objective and I helped in coordinating with them. In a thought oriented role, I am a monitor-evaluator. I analyze and evaluate the ideas that people come up with. I consider all pros and cons to the situation before arriving at a decision. I am a critical thinker and apply strategic approach. I am poor in motivating bec ause I react to events rather than instigating it (Shenton, 2007). Quadrant 2- Blindspot This quadrant indicates the unknown factors of a person himself but the others know it is there within him. This region refers to a situation where one is unacquainted with oneself. This region can be made better by getting useful feedback from peers and managers (Sutton and Stewart, 2002). In an ongoing conversation, I might lose an eye contact that is not noticeable by me but was told from my peers. Sensitive feedback was given by people so that I realize my inner capabilities that are hidden from me. The blind area is not a productive space for an individual. This is basically ignorance about oneself. The capability hidden turns me unproductive that what is expected of me. For example, while eating in a restaurant some food particle sticks on my mouth. I dont see it but the other people can see it. Unless the other people tell me about the food particle stuck on my mouth, I wont know since it is a blind spot to me. I did not get very sincere answers from my peers as they hesitated to share any problem thinking they would embarrass me (West and Turner, 2007). In a team as an action oriented role, I have hidden capabilities of a Shaper. I challenge the team to improve on the grounds of punctuality and timeliness. I was told by peers that I am an extrovert who questions norms and takes effort to solve problems by developing the best strategies. I find obstacles as new challenges that need to be overcome. I dont let the team members quit when they want to. I motivate them in my very own ways. I get argumentative at times, and that offends the feelings of other people. As a role in people- oriented, I am a coordinator. I guide the team and the stakeholders by bringing them together in the best motive. Team cohesion is a priority for me where I can help people getting along and resolving conflicts. I bring out the best motive and value from each team member by delegating those tasks what they are good at. I tend to be manipulative at times as reported by my peers. Sometimes, I also try to shred away too many responsibilities from me. As a thou ght orientation, I am a Specialist, I can only contribute to a team task because of lack in specialized knowledge (Businessballs.com, 2015). When comparing with Tuckmans team model, it undergoes the Storming stage. The decisions dont apply easily within the group in this phase. There needs to be a focus on goals of the team so as to avoid getting distracted by emotional issues and relationships. There is formation of cliques and factions with the struggle for power. At times, to enable progress, compromises may be necessary (Sutton and Stewart, 2002). Quadrant 3- Faade This is the hidden area of what the person knows about himself but is unknown to others. These involve fears, manipulative intentions, sensitivities or anything a person does not reveal about himself. In a team role, according to action orientation, I play the role of an Implementer. I get things done through people in a manipulative way that I know would be beneficial for the team. I am conservative in nature and do not like to beat around the bush. I am organized and work systematically. Other do not know my inflexibility to new changes been made in the environment and I follow escapism in such cases. As a people oriented, I play the role of a team worker. I bring the team together by supporting them and making work as a single unit. I have a tendency to be indecisive when it comes to making decisions or maintaining positions. I help people get along their problems. I fear judgment or vulnerability therefore hide back my feelings for a situation. As a thought oriented, I am a Plant who tends to ignore given constraints and parameters. I am impractical at times and a poor communicator. A lot of hidden information is work-related and not very personal. Sometimes people get emotion ally upset and need some motivation as they are resilient in nature. This has also been described in the Maslows Hierarchy of Needs. The relevant hidden information or feelings must be moved in the open area by self-disclosure and exposure process (Handy, 2000). When compared to Tuckmans model, it undergoes Norming stage. The roles and responsibilities are clear enough and acceptable. The decision making process is handed over to individuals for minor issues. The unity and commitment in the group or team is strong. The team has a working style that proves beneficial as a whole. Also, the team leader engages in social as well as fun activities. There is a general respect for the team leader among team members and that is evident. The organizational culture has a major influence on the team members for disclosing their hidden selves. Even the working atmosphere in the group matters for the same reason. The extent to which I disclose my personal feelings or information must be at my own discretion (mindtools.com, 2015). Conclusion Johari window helps in analyzing personal self and also other peoples behavior and thinking patterns, interpersonal skills, and attitudes. This is helpful and taken into consideration in job profiling, human resource planning, customer relations and human resource planning. As a self-disclosure to be effective, judgment needs to be practiced by me. I must be honest and clear with my opinions. The estimate must be made to enhance a building relationship. The Johari window helps disclosures in enormous ways. Open area is considered to be the most ideal region for a person to explore oneself and others knowing the exact you. References Businessballs.com, (2015).bruce tuckman forming storming norming performing team development model. [online] Available at: https://www.businessballs.com/tuckmanformingstormingnormingperforming.htm [Accessed 7 Jul. 2015]. Businessballs.com, (2015).johari window model - helpful for personal awareness and group relationships. [online] Available at: https://www.businessballs.com/johariwindowmodel.htm [Accessed 7 Jul. 2015]. Handy, C. (2000).21 ideas for managers. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Mindtools.com, (2015).Belbin's Team Roles: How Understanding Team Roles Can Improve Team Performance. [online] Available at: https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newLDR_83.htm [Accessed 7 Jul. 2015]. Shenton, A. (2007). Viewing information needs through a Johari Window.Reference Services Review, 35(3), pp.487-496. South, B. (2007). Combining mandala and the Johari Window: An exercise in self-awareness.Teaching and Learning in Nursing, 2(1), pp.8-11. Sutton, J. and Stewart, W. (2002).Learning to counsel. Oxford: How To Books. Verklan, M. (2007). Johari Window.The Journal of Perinatal Neonatal Nursing, 21(2), pp.173-174. West, R. and Turner, L. (2006).Understanding interpersonal communication. Belmont, CA: Thomson/Wadsworth. West, R. and Turner, L. (2007).Introducing communication theory. Boston: McGraw-Hill.

Low-cost Carrier and External Analysis free essay sample

1. Introduction (111 words) AirAsia is a low cost airline company which was established in 1993 with its headquarter in Malaysia and found by government in 2001. The company has been growing and changing a lot with the title of ‘World’s Best Low Cost Airline’ in the annual world airline survey by Skytrax for continuous 5 years. Now they flight over 20 countries with associate companies AirAsia X, Thai AirAsia, Indonesia AirAsia and Philippines AirAsia Inc. AirAsia X was established in 2007 which flies long distance with low cost by reducing complex code sharing and extra expenses for non-essential services. They keep putting efforts to provide both reasonable price and great service to the customers. 2. SWOT Analysis (343 words – including the point forms) SWOT is a tool to figure out one company’s strength, weakness, opportunity and threats to identify company’s both positive and negative sides. SWOT can be divided into internal (strength, weakness) and external environment  (opportunity, threats). We will write a custom essay sample on Low-cost Carrier and External Analysis or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The company should do this analysis because by using this method they can know whether their company is doing well or not and what they need to improve and change to be better. (David Fred R. 1993) The biggest strength of Airasia is â€Å"Lean products and services† because this factor is the main reason of providing low cost. If they include all products and extra services, this company is no longer low cost airline. The biggest weakness of Airasia is â€Å"Customers cannot get a refund† which is the biggest complaint from many customers every time. The biggest opportunity of Airasia is â€Å"Expanding the routes to western countries† that can attract much more customers and make great profits. The biggest threat of Airasia is â€Å"Fixed-cost for empty seats† which makes the reduction of their profits. 3. External Analysis PESTEL Analysis (370 words) PESTEL is a tool for analyzing the general environment information that affect to the company. PESTEL stands for Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Environmental, and Legal. The reason why company has to use this tool is to assess their opportunities and challenges. And they can set the strategic plan effectively. (Neil Kokemuller, 2007) 1) Political Some decisions such as the routes, services, insurance, and so on are made by the government. Hiring staff members could be affected by politic based on the race. 2) Economical Oil price fluctuation affects the company’s profit a lot. If the oil price increases, the company’s profits will be decreased. If economic condition is bad, it will give negative effects to the company. For example, due to the bad economic condition, when personal income decreases, there will be fewer customers who fly overseas. Then, the company’s profits also decrease. If there are more low cost competitors Airasia might lose some customers from them. Since Airasia is an international company, they can be influenced by currency. 3) Social Airasis doesn’t really target based on the specific demographic. But they more likely consider social status and people’s budget. They target the low and middle income people who are willing to fly at the low price. They mostly target Asian people. The Chief Executive Officer of Airasia explains that they are targeting people who want to meet their families often and periodically without big burden of the price. So it can be the international students or business men who are studying and working overseas. 4) Technological Airasia provides online booking service which means they can reach customers from all around the world. Airasia is the first flight company who provides SMS booking services. So customers can reserve their flights, check schedules and adjust it with their phone anywhere anytime. But on the other hand, they can lose some customers who are not used to use the Internet. Airasia provides latest news, promotions and travel information on their Facebook which makes many people easily go and check them. As a result, they can attract more customers by showing them travel attractions and great price promotions. 5) Environment The weather is very significant factor to be considered for Airline industries. So whenever they set the flight schedules they always have to consider the weather conditions. If they fail to expect the right weather, they might delay the flights for few hours which give inconvenience to the customers. 6) Legal 4. External Analysis Porter’s 5 Forces Analysis (350 words) 1) The threat of new entrance Intensity of other low cost airline 2) The threat of substitutes Many substitutes such as buses, cars, trains 3) Suppliers Labor Aircraft components 4) Customers Since there are many other low cost airlines they can compare they price and services and choose what they want If they are not satisfy with the services they can choose other airlines 5) Intensity of Rivalry 5. Internal Environment Analysis 6. Conclusion 7. APA