Learning Style Inventory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Learning Style Inventory - Essay Example My achievement style manifests itself through my belief in giving and asking for honest feedback, my commitment to making things better, and a focus on achieving excellent standards. Finally, my power style manifests through my tendency to be dictatorial, rather than guiding, my aggressive attitude, and the tendency to feel threatened by anyone I perceive to undermine my authority. I think my limiting style is my power style, which has increased my tendency to associate what I am worth at the workplace with how much I can dominate and control others. One behavior that I would like to change in this style is my tendency to be dictatorial, where I would like to be more guiding and nurturing as a manager, which will allow me to have a better relationship with my workers and subordinates.Impact on Management Style  My personal thinking styles portend a very important impact on my style as a manager. I scored quite highly in my self-actualizing qualities. In my personal life, I tend to live for and by the moment. In my workplace, I find that all my workmates are responsible for what they do, and to obtain their goals we all need to be responsible for our actions. I also strive to be self-developing and have an urge to keep learning. This is an important perspective in my work in management since I can assign my team tasks that are based on learning curves. When I see a team member who is in need of a new skill, I use the opportunity to better their experiences. In organizing terms., I have the ability to select the best team for completion of the task. I am also able to distinguish the qualities each member exhibits and how it specifically fits within the task. With regards to leadership, I feel that I can lead the team in case of obstacles while I am also accepting their flaws and make attempts to work around these issues. The fact that I have a high score in achievement proves that I have the ability to show initiative in effecting changes. I feel able to begin a reformation to improve the team’s efficiency. With regards to planning, I am able to lead in making proper adjustments. I also have the ability to organize various tasks based on things that need to be done under my guidance and according to my standards. Over time, I also feel that I have got more lenient, which has lessened my tendency to make unattainable goals and standards for my team members. While I am available to show them the things that need to be done as a leader, I also expect them to do their part in their tasks. Genesis of Personal Style I assume that my upbringing has had a major effect on my personal styles. For instance, my parents were very controlling and demanding. Growing up, I was always required and expected to do a thing right or not attempt to do it in the first place, which caused me into always seeking to be in control and have power so as to make sure I had the ability to do things right. My father was never particularly satisfied with most things I did, which was also responsible for my very high need to achieve. I

Hersey Blanchard Situational Leadership Management Essay

Hersey Blanchard Situational Leadership Management Essay The term leadership is a word taken from the common vocabulary and incorporated into the technical vocabulary of a scientific discipline without being precisely redefined. As consequences, it carries extraneous connotations that create ambiguity of meaning (Janda, 1960). Additional confusion is caused by the use of other imprecise terms such as power, authority, management, administration, control and supervision to describe similar phenomena. An observation by Bennis (1959, p. 259) is as true today as when he made it many years ago: Always, it seems, the concept of leadership eludes us or turns up in another form to taunt us again with its slipperiness and complexity. So we have invented an endless proliferation of terms to deal with it. and still the concept is not sufficiently defined. Most definition of leadership reflect the assumption that involves a process whereby intentional influences is exerted over other people to guide, structure, and facilitate activities and relationsh ips in a group or organisation. The numerous definitions of leadership appear to have little else in common. They differ in many respects, including who exerts influence, the intended purpose of the influence, the manner in which influence is exerted, and the outcome of the influence attempt. The differences are not just t a case of scholarly nit picking; they reflect deep disagreement about identification of leaders and leadership processes.(Gary Yukl, 2010) Theories of leadership: Douglas McGregor described Theory X and Theory Y in his book, The Human Side of Enterprise. Theory X and Theory Y each represent different ways in which leaders view employees. Theory X managers believe that employees are motivated mainly by money, are lazy, uncooperative, and have poor work habits. Theory Y managers believe that subordinates work hard, are cooperative, and have positive attitudes. Theory X is the traditional view of direction and control by managers. 1. It is the nature of average human being who dislikes doing work and will avoid if he or she can. 2. Because of this human characteristic of dislike of work, most people must be controlled, directed, and threatened with punishment to get them to put forth adequate effort toward the achievement of organizational objectives. 3. The average human being prefers to be directed, wishes to avoid responsibility, and has relatively little ambition, wants security above all. Theory Y is the view that individual and organizational goals can be integrated. 1. The expenditures of physical and mental effort in work are as natural as play or rest. 2. External control and the threat of punishment are not the only means for bringing out effort toward organizational objectives. 3. Commitment to objectives is a function of the rewards associated with their achievement. 4. The average human being learns, under proper conditions, not only to accept but also to seek responsibility. 5. The capacity to exercise a relatively high degree of imagination, ingenuity, and creativity in the solution of organizational problems in widely, not narrowly, distributed in the population. 6. Under the condition of modern industrial life, the intellectual potentialities of the average human being are only partially utilized. Fred E. Fiedlers contingency theory postulates that there is no best way for managers to lead. Situations will create different leadership style requirements for a manager. The solution to a managerial situation is contingent on the factors that impose on the situation. For example, in a highly routinized (mechanistic) environment where repetitive tasks are the norm, a certain leadership style may result in the best performance. The same leadership style may not work in a very dynamic environment. Fiedler looked at three situations that could define the condition of a managerial task: 1. Leader member relations: Compatibility between the manager and the employees? 2. The task structure: Is the job highly structured, fairly unstructured, or somewhere in between? 3. Position power: How much authority does the manager possess? Managers were rated as to whether they were relationship oriented or task oriented. Task oriented managers tend to do better in situations that have good leader-member relationships, structured tasks, and either weak or strong position power. They do well when the task is unstructured but position power is strong. Also, they did well at the other end of the spectrum when the leader member relations were moderate to poor and the task was unstructured. Relationship oriented managers do better in all other situations. Thus, a given situation might call for a manager with a different style or a manager who could take on a different style for a different situation. Another aspect of the contingency model theory is that the leader-member relations, task structure, and position power dictate a leaders situational control. Leader-member relations are the amount of loyalty, dependability, and support that the leader receives from employees. It is a measure of how the manager perceives he or she and the group of employees are getting along together. In a favorable relationship the manager has a high task structure and is able to reward or punish employees without any problems. In an unfavorable relationship the task is usually unstructured and the leader possesses limited authority. Positioning power measures the amount of power or authority the manager perceives the organization has given him or her for the purpose of directing, rewarding, and punishing subordinates. Positioning power of managers depends on the taking away (favorable) or increasing (unfavorable) the decision-making power of employees. The task-motivated style leader experiences pride and satisfaction in the task accomplishment for the organization, while the relationship-motivated style seeks to build interpersonal relations and extend extra help for the team development in the organization. There is no good or bad leadership style. Each person has his or her own preferences for leadership. Task-motivated leaders are at their best when the group performs successfully such as achieving a new sales record or outperforming the major competitor. Relationship-oriented leaders are at their best when greater customer satisfaction is gained and a positive company image is established. Hersey-Blanchard Situational Leadership The Hersey-Blanchard Situational Leadership theory is based on the amount of direction (task behaviour) and amount of socio-emotional support (relationship behaviour) a leader must provide given the situation and the level of maturity of the followers. Task behaviour is the extent to which the leader engages in spelling out the duties and responsibilities to an individual or group. In task behaviour the leader engages in one-way communication. Relationship behaviour is the extent to which the leader engages in two-way or multi-way communications. This includes listening, facilitating, and supportive behaviours. In relationship behaviour the leader engages in two-way communication by providing socio-emotional support. Maturity is the willingness and ability of a person to take responsibility for directing his or her own behaviour. People tend to have varying degrees of maturity, depending on the specific task, function, or objective that a leader is attempting to accomplish through th eir efforts. To determine the appropriate leadership style to use in a given situation, the leader must first determine the maturity level of the followers in relation to the specific task that the leader is attempting to accomplish through the effort of the followers. As the level of followers maturity increases, the leader should begin to reduce his or her task behavior and increase relationship behaviour until the followers reach a moderate level of maturity. As the followers begin to move into an above average level of maturity, the leader should decrease not only task behaviour but also relationship behaviour. Houses Path-Goal Model The path-goal theory developed by Robert House is based on the expectancy theory of motivation. The managers job is viewed as coaching or guiding workers to choose the best paths for reaching their goals. Best is judged by the accompanying achievement of organizational goals. It is based on the precepts of goal setting theory and argues that leaders will have to engage in different types of leadership behavior depending on the nature and demands of the particular situation. It is the leaders job to assist followers in attaining goals and to provide direction and support needed to ensure that their goals are compatible with the organizations. A leaders behaviour is acceptable to subordinates when viewed as a source of satisfaction and motivational when need satisfaction is contingent on performance, and the leader facilitates, coaches and rewards effective performance. Path goal theory identifies achievement-oriented, directive, participative and supportive leadership styles. In achievement-oriented leadership, the leader sets challenging goals for followers, expects them to perform at their highest level, and shows confidence in their ability to meet this expectation. This style is appropriate when the follower suffers from lack of job challenge. In directive leadership, the leader lets followers know what is expected of them and tells them how to perform their tasks. This style is appropriate when the follower has an ambiguous job. Participative leadership involves leaders consulting with followers and asking for their suggestions before making a decision. This style is appropriate when the follower is using improper pr ocedures or is making poor decisions. In supportive leadership, the leader is friendly and approachable. He or she shows concern for followers psychological well being. This style is appropriate when the followers lack confidence. Path-Goal theory assumes that leaders are flexible and that they can change their style, as situations require. Effective leaders clarify the path to help their followers achieve their goals and make the journey easier by reducing roadblocks and pitfalls. Research demonstrates that employee performance and satisfaction are positively influenced when the leader compensates for the shortcomings in either the employee or the work setting. Leadership plays an important role in ones life. If one is a business owner he needs to be a leader in the field of your business. To be a successful leader, one must demonstrates some or all of the following characteristics: 1. The ability to listen: Most leaders do too much talking but not enough listening. Feedbacks to a persons company services or products are important to that person as they demonstrate the customers needs. 2. The ability to acknowledge and change: This is probably the hardest part to do. People often refuse to change. They believe their services or products are the best, which, theres nothing wrong with that. But when there are feedbacks coming from customers you have to listen, then acknowledge them and make changes to provide better customer service. 3. The ability to form one-on-one relationships: People will need to be able to reach you. If you are just starting a business its especially important for you to be able to spend some time to get to know your customers, and/or employees. If you do that, over time, you will develop a strong trust between you and your customers. 4. Successful people make sure they surround themselves with like-minded people. Im not saying millionaires should just ignore the poor. But you need to spend time to communicate with like-minded people. You cannot survive by yourself, and by interacting with others you can motivate others or give others a chance to motivate you. 5. The ability to know yourself: It is very important to know what youre best at, and what your weaknesses are. A business is a team sport. Often one cannot handle all the aspects of a business and need to know when to seek for assistance. 6. Successful people refuse to let other people dictate how they should do certain things. We are not living under someone elses shadow. We must take control and ownership of our lives and careers and never let go. 7. The ability to communicate: Communication is really very important. Even if you are running a home online business and you use email as a communication channel. Down the road, you might want to do a video to promote your company. You might receive TV interviews. Its never too late to practice your presentation and communication skills. 8. Successful people display high levels of optimism and confidence. They believe in themselves and they are not afraid of failures. They see every obstacle as a stepping-stone to their success. They turn challenges into motivators and become their advantages. 9. People who are successful are the ones who are passionate at what they do. 10. People who are successful are the ones who develop high levels of patience and dedication to see the results. http://ezinearticles.com/?Top-10-Characteristics-of-a-Successful-Leaderid=1552997 Characteristics of Successful and Effective Leadership It is not only inborn personality traits that are important but also styles and behaviours that a person learns. Strong autocratic leaders set their goals without considering the opinions of their followers, and then command their followers to execute their assigned tasks without question. Consultative leaders solicit the opinions and ideas of their followers in the goal-setting process but ultimately determine important goals and task assignments on their own. Democratic or participative leaders participate equally in the process with their followers and let the group make decisions. Extremely laid-back leaders, so called laissez-faire leaders, let the group take whatever action its members feel is necessary. A research team at the University of Michigan, inspired and led by Renis Likert, studied leadership for several years and identified two distinct styles, which they referred to as job-centered and employee-centered leadership styles. The job-centered leader closely supervises subordinates to make sure they perform their tasks following the specified procedures. This type of leader relies on reward, punishment, and legitimate power to influence the behaviour of followers. The employee-centered leader believes that creating a supportive work environment ultimately is the road to superior organizational performance. The employee-centered leader shows great concern about the employees emotional well-being, personal growth and development, and achievement. A leadership study group at Ohio State University, headed by Harris Fleishman, found similar contrasts in leadership style, which they referred to as initiating structure and consideration. The leadership style of initiating structure is similar to the job-centered leadership style, whereas consideration is similar to the employee-centered leadership style. It was the initial expectation of both research groups that a leader who could demonstrate both high initiating structure (job centered) and high consideration (employee centered) would be successful and effective in all circumstances. Many students of leadership today believe that there is no one best way to lead, believing instead that appropriate leadership styles vary depending on situations. Fred Fiedler (1967), for instance, believes that a task-oriented leadership style is appropriate when the situation is either extremely favorable or extremely unfavorable to the leader. A favorable situation exists when the relationship between the leader and followers is good, their tasks are well-defined, and the leader has strong power; when the opposite is true, an unfavorable situation exists. When the situation is moderately favorable, a people-oriented leadership style is appropriate. Some theorists suggest that situational factors-the type of task, nature of work groups, formal authority system, personality and maturity level of followers, experience, and ability of followers-are critical in determining the most effective leadership style. For instance, when followers are inexperienced and lack maturity and respons ibility, the directive leadership style is effective; when followers are experienced and willing to take charge, supportive leadership is effective. (http://www.answers.com/topic/leadership)

How Social Capital is Viewed by Different Communities Essay -- Social

Introduction The purpose of this essay is to compare and contrast two different papers that highlight how social capital is viewed by different communities in any given society. The first article titled â€Å"Social Capital and Civil Society† was published in October 1999 by Francis Fukuyama from the institute of Public Policy, George Mason University. Fukuyama (1999) explores to examine in a wider context what social capital is? It’s key function in the free market, how social capital is measured and finally makes suggestions on how social capital can be cultivated for the good in any given society. In the second article titled â€Å"What is Social Capital and why is it important to Public Policy?† was published in 1998 by Robert E. Lang and Steven P. Hornburg from the Fannie Mae Foundation. The authors highlight that social capital has a clear link to government housing and urban policy formation and argue that the lack of social capital has a clear affect to community stability and housing provision. By using Robert Putman’s concepts and comparing six different articles on social capital the author’s further see the increase to social capital to an area has a high effect to the community and improves the lives of many people that are living in deprived areas of the society. Brief Outline Articles Article One â€Å"Social Capital and Civil Society† published in October 1999 By Francis Fukuyama from the institute of Public Policy, George Mason University. Fukuyama (1999) defines social capital as the cooperation of a group of people that are mainly formed by two or more people. He goes further to claim that the formation of the group can be between two very good friends or be more complicated like in the formation of religious group b... ...l suggested by â€Å"globalisation† where the involvement of the community is made not just for capital gain but by ideas of culture. In conclusion this two articles even though different and written for two different audiences, prove without a doubt the theoretical concept behind social capital whether the focus is in housing, public policy or civil society, an enhanced social capital within a community can generate good to any given society. Bibliography Fukuyama F., (1999). Social Capital and Civil Society. The Institute of Public Policy. Web. March 1, 2016 https://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/seminar/1999/reforms/fukuyama.htm Lang R.E, and Hornburg S.P (1998) What is Social Capital and why is it important to Public Policy?. Housing Policy Debate. Vol.9, No.1, pp1-16. Web. March 6, 2016 http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/10511482.1998.9521284

A Woman of No Importance, Final Act Essay

Wilde uses many dramatic effects throughout the play to shock and amuse the audience and many of them can be seen in this final scene. The fact that this conversation between Mrs Arbuthnot and Lord Illingworth takes place in Mrs Arbuthnot’s house, her personal space and territory puts her at an advantage and it shows that Lord Illingworth is surrendering his usual control over his situations By Lord Illingworth referring to Mrs Arbuthnot as ‘Rachel’ we are again made aware that we are listening to two people who have a strong past relationship. She calls him ‘George Harford’ while he uses her name far less often that in the persuasive Act 2. During this scene, Lord Illingworth speaks with awareness of the legal situation, he knows he can never make Gerald legitimate but he is willing to leave him property â€Å"What more can a gentleman desire in this world? † and Mrs Arbuthnot’s response of â€Å"Nothing more, I am quite sure† turns this in to a class confrontation. When Mrs Arbuthnot says â€Å"I told you I was not interested, and I beg you to go. † this is a threat to conventional society and the audience would have been shocked by this. She treats Lord Illingworth as he once treated her, in purely financial terms and she tells him that Gerald no longer needs his money, â€Å"You come too late. My son has no need of you. You are not necessary. † She then goes on to explain to him that Gerald and Hester are in love and they don’t need his money because Hester already has money of her own. Lord Illingworth asks where they will go and Mrs Arbuthnot’s reply â€Å"We will not tell you, and if you find us we will not know you. You seem surprised. What welcome would you get from the girl whose lips you tried to soil, from the boy whose life you have shamed, from the mother who dishonor comes from you? † is very melodramatic and it also relives the fact that Lord Illingworth tried to kiss Hester and this is when Gerald found out that he was his father, â€Å"Lord Illingworth you have insulted the purest thing on Gods earth†. This leaves Lord Illingworth to admit that he wants Gerald, â€Å"Rachel, I want my son. † Wilde uses many props in this scene, the main one being the letter Gerald has written to Lord Illingworth imploring him to marry his mother. The audience know what is written in the letter before Lord Illingworth does and this adds drama and tension because the audience are waiting for the big reveal and to see what happens. This letter also links back to the letter that Lord Illingworth sees in Act 2 and says â€Å"What a curious handwriting! It reminds me of the handwriting of a woman I used to know years ago. † and his dismissal of it so simply. The stage direction of ‘Mrs Arbuthnot watches him all the time’ is very important because she wants to see his reaction. Ironically his proposal of marriage after reading Gerald’s letter uses similar language to Mrs Arbuthnot’s when explaining to Gerald why she would refuse him, for her marriage would be a ‘sacrifice’ and for Lord Illingworth it would be a ‘surrender’. For Mrs Arbuthnot to say this at this point in the play would have been very uncommon for the time because the audience would be expecting a happy ending, for the fallen women to marry the father of her child or for it to end like a melodrama, in tragedy. For the first time, Mrs Arbuthnot is triumphant against Lord Illingworth with the repetition of his own words when she says, â€Å"Children begin by loving their parents. After a time they judge them. Rarely if ever do they forgive them. † Lord Illingworth is clearly surprised at this response and then resorts to cruelty. His parting speech creates an exciting climax as the censorship of the time wouldn’t allow anyone to say the word ‘bastard’ on the stage. Wilde’s stage direction of Mrs Arbuthnot’s use of the glove â€Å"Mrs Arbuthnot snatches up glove and strikes Lord Illingworth across the face with it† is a very good use of a prop because in the time this play was written a glove was a very masculine item and being hit with one was a sign of violence and confrontation. The audience is allowed a shock, due to the word about to be spoken and then they get a relief as the taboo is maintained by Mrs Arbuthnot cutting Lord Illingworth off before he can finish his sentence because she will not let him say the word because she doesn’t want to hear him say this about her beloved son. The villain is punished and Mrs Arbuthnot’s respectability is ma intained. All of this is typical of a melodrama and we the audience now feel something has been accomplished. Wilde’s use of stage directions are very well placed and are very dramatic, especially the last few lines of this scene when Mrs Arbuthnot ‘falls sobbing on the sofa’ and it reinforces that this play is a melodrama because people are not usually this dramatic in normal everyday life. Gerald and Hester now return to Mrs Arbuthnot and we have the image of ‘a man and a woman in a garden’ which has been mentioned previously throughout the play and is a sign of sex and fertility and in this scene it shows the audience the image of a new family emerging. Due to Hester having changed her views from believing that women who have children outside of the laws of marriage should be punished, â€Å"A woman who has sinned should be punished, shouldn’t she? † And that the children should also carry this shame, â€Å"Yes, it is right that the sins of the parents should be visited on the children. It is a just law. It is God’s law. † to her now saying â€Å"I was wrong. Gods law is only love. † Because she is in love with Gerald and has managed to listen and understand all of the things that Mrs Arbuthnot has had to face to bring up Gerald alone. At the end of the play when Gerald sees the glove lying on the floor Mrs Arbuthnot picks up and changes the title line of the play and once again mirrors Lord Illingworth’s statement about seeing the letter from Mrs Arbuthnot, â€Å"Oh! o one. No one in particular. A Man of no importance. † Unmarried and defiant she enters into a fresh and better world although the 19th century attitudes to marriage are still upheld in a way because even though she has won against Lord Illingworth and she has managed to keep Gerald and now has the love and respect of Hester the audience are still left with the image of them being exiled to America, where they have less strict views on illegitimacy and have more freedo m.

Prohibition: The So-Called war on drugs Essay

†¢ Nick Possum: In the thrall of the monster drug barons It is also obvious that so much of the government propaganda regarding those fine sacred herbs Cannabis indica and Cannabis sativa is just bullshit. †¢ Alcohol worse than ecstasy on shock new drug list The position of ecstasy near the bottom of the list was defended by Prof Nutt, who said that apart from some tragic isolated cases ecstasy is relatively safe. Despite about a third of young people having tried the drug and around half a million users every weekend, it causes fewer than 10 deaths a year. One person a day is killed by acute alcohol poisoning and thousands more from chronic use. †¢ Marijuana Delivery Services Flourish In NYC †¢ Scientific American: Large Study Finds No Link between Marijuana and Lung Cancer †¢ Nathan Guttman: Israelis at center of ecstasy drug trade †¢ Law Enforcement Against Prohibition After nearly four decades of fueling the U. S. policy of a war on drugs with over half-a-trillion tax dollars and increasingly punitive policies, our confined population has quadrupled over a 20 years period making building prisons this nation’s fastest growing industry. More than 2. 2 million of our citizens are currently incarcerated and every year we arrest an additional 1. 6 million for nonviolent drug offenses — more per capita than any country in the world. The United States has 4. 6 percent of the population of the world but 22. 5 percent of the world’s prisoners. Every year we choose to continue this war will cost U. S. taxpayers another 69 billion dollars. Despite all the lives we have destroyed and all the money so ill spent, today illicit drugs are cheaper, more potent, and far easier to get than they were 35 years ago at the beginning of the war on drugs. Meanwhile, people continue dying in our streets while drug barons and terrorists continue to grow richer than ever before. We would suggest that this scenario must be the very definition of a failed public policy. This madness must cease! †¢ Inquiry into drug trial that became a nightmare †¢ Sheryl Jackson-Sczbecki: Marijuana — Through The Haze †¢ Peter Dale Scott: o The Global Drug Meta-Group: Drugs, Managed Violence, and the Russian 9/11 o A Ballad of Drugs and 9/11 †¢ 15 Ways the Auto Industry Would Change if it Operated Like Drug Companies. Just say No to drugs — from Pfizer, Merck, Roche and the other major drug pushers. †¢ Marcia Angell, M. D: The Truth About the Drug Companies In 2002 †¦ the combined profits for the ten drug companies in the Fortune 500 ($35. 9 billion) were more than the profits for all the other 490 businesses put together ($33. 7 billion). †¢ Chris Largen’s satirical novel JUNK is â€Å"a riotous exploration of prohibition. † †¢ The Narco News Bulletin †¢ Oscar Heck: Chavez Frias not losing much sleep over the USA’s intent to â€Å"punish† Venezuela (Also here.) I believe that the DEA and other US-based organizations such as USAID, the American Center for International Labor Solidarity, the Center for International Private Enterprise, the International Republican Institute and the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs are fronts for the CIA †¦ and that a part of the CIA’s job is to assure that 1) drug exports to the USA are not halted 2) that this drug trade is controlled by the US government. †¢ 2005-07-31: Oregon Anti-Meth Bill Aimed at Cold Meds. The Senate on Saturday approved a plan to make Oregon the first state in the nation to require a prescription for many cold and allergy medicines, an attempt by lawmakers to shut down methamphetamine labs. †¦ The legislation would require prescriptions by mid-2006 for medicines containing pseudoephedrine and two similar substances, which are used in such popular medicines as Sudafed, Claritin and Theraflu. †¢ Jeanne Lenzer and Nicholas Pyke: Woman Commits Suicide While Testing New Antidepressant. Was Traci Johnson Driven To Suicide By Antidepressants? That’s A Trade Secret, Say US Officials †¢ Jennifer Moody, Albany Democrat-Herald, 2005-06-21: Retired DEA agent will run for sheriff Carl F. Worden, Liaison Officer for the Southern Oregon Militia comments: Please get this out to anyone you know in Linn County Oregon: You’ve got a guy running for Sheriff in Linn County by the name of Michael Spasaro, a former DEA Agent. Don’t vote for this guy unless you want a Sheriff who has no use for the Constitution or the Bill of Rights. I know of this guy, and I know some of the federal drug cases he worked on. He is NOT a guy you want as Sheriff. The Sheriff of a county is the only constitutionally elected official who has the power to curtail illegal federal actions in a given county. With his record, you can throw the Constitution right out the door if he becomes your Sheriff. †¢ 2005-06-23: Federal agents fan out to bust medicinal marijuana providers †¢ America’s War on Cannabis: PostModern Witch Burning †¢ You’ve Been Drafted: Uncle Sam Wants You for the War on Drugs. According to US Congressman Sensenbrenner’s draconian mandatory minimum sentencing bill: If you â€Å"witness† certain drug offenses taking place or â€Å"learn† that they took place you would have to report the offense to law enforcement within 24 hours and provide â€Å"full assistance† in the investigation, apprehension, and prosecution of the people involved. Failure to do so would be a crime punishable by a mandatory two year prison sentence. †¢ 2005-05-27: Bali court sentences Corby to 20 years in jail Prosecutors had demanded life in jail for Corby, who has argued the 4. 1 kg (9 lb) of drugs found by Bali airport officials in her unlocked bag last year were planted. †¢ Sydney Morning Herald, 2005-05-15: PM has left [Schapelle] Corby out to dry: Democrats [Registration required. ] Party leader Lyn Allison said the Government’s letter outlining drug-trafficking allegations among Australian airport baggage handlers should have been sent much earlier. †¢ Nate Blakeslee: The People Left Behind: Elaine Bartlett & Life on the Outside †¢ The Schaffer Library of Drug Policy. Major studies of drugs and drug policy, information on the â€Å"War on Drugs†, charts and graphs of Drug War statistics, US government publications related to drug policy, historical research on drugs and drug policy, the drug legalization debate, and much more. †¢ 2005-04-20: MS Victims to Get Cannabis Drug in Canada A cannabis-based medicine formulated by a UK company to help sufferers of multiple sclerosis has been approved for use for the first time — in Canada. †¢ BBC, 2005-04-18: US church’s illegal tea faces ban The Supreme Court is to consider whether a US branch of a Brazilian religion can import an hallucinogenic tea used as a sacrament. †¢ Kerre Woodham, 2005-04-17: Stakes high in Corby saga You can’t help but feel sympathy for Schapelle Corby, the 27-year-old Australian woman at the centre of a drugs trial in Bali. Surely she cannot have been so stupid as to try to smuggle 4kg of marijuana into Bali, where it would sell for less than it does on the streets of Australia. †¢ R. William Davis: The Elkhorn Manifesto †¦ Marijuana Prohibition was created in 1937, not to protect society from the â€Å"evils of the drug Marijuana,† as the Federal government claimed, but as an act of deliberate economic and industrial sabotage against the re-emerging Industrial Hemp Industry. †¢ Peter Dale Scott: A Post-Election Wrap-Up: Iraq, 9/11, Drugs, Cheney, and Watergate Two †¢ Four Alberta RCMP officers killed during raid Four RCMP officers were shot and killed after conducting a raid on a marijuana grow operation northwest of Edmonton on Thursday [2005-03-03]. †¢ David Adam, The Guardian, UK: Ecstasy trials for combat stress American soldiers traumatised by fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan are to be offered the drug ecstasy to help free them of flashbacks and recurring nightmares. †¦ Several studies in the US are planned or are under way to investigate whether MDMA, LSD and psilocybin, the active ingredient in magic mushrooms, can treat conditions ranging from obsessive compulsive disorder to anxiety in terminal cancer patients. †¢ Court allows drug-sniffing dogs during traffic stops The Supreme Court yesterday expanded police power to conduct searches, ruling that an officer who stops a motorist for a routine traffic violation can use a drug-sniffing dog to detect narcotics in the vehicle, even if the officer had no reason to suspect the car would contain drugs. The decision, in an Illinois case, gives law enforcement the authority to use drug-detecting dogs in the course of any minor traffic stop. †¢ J. Orlin Grabbe: The Function of the Drug War The function of the Drug War is to create the Drug Crisis. The Drug Crisis involves billions of dollars in hidden cash flow. Addicted to this flow of money are law enforcement agencies, drug producers and distributors, covert agencies who use it as a source of black funding, and politicians and bankers who are hired to protect the drug revenues. Addiction to drug revenues requires that the drug war be fought so as to be lost. Failure thus becomes the criterion of success. †¢ UK Guardian, 2004-10-13: MPs back legalisation ‘road map’ MPs, peers and former police officers are to back the publication today of the first ever report outlining a â€Å"detailed road map† to the legalisation of drugs in Britain. †¦ Transform’s director, Danny Kushlick, predicted that drugs would be legalised in the not-too-distant future because prohibition had been a catastrophe of startling proportions †¦ †¢ Pot Blocks Cancer-causing Herpes. Ingredient responsible for marijuana’s high could be the basis for new antiviral drugs †¢ Huge Ecstasy Bust Do Israelis control most of the world trade in MDMA? †¢ A Brief History of the Regulation of Controlled Drugs in Britain — Chapter 3 of the Fourth Report of the Shipman Enquiry (2001-2004). †¢ Colin Brown: Opium trade booms in ‘basket-case’ Afghanistan [This] will prove highly embarrassing for Tony Blair, who cited cutting the supply of heroin as one of the main reasons for the invasion of Afghanistan in October 2001 †¦ †¢ Doctors’ strike in Israel good for health. According to the American Medical Association, adverse reactions to prescription and over-the-counter pharmaceuticals are a leading cause of death and injury in the United States. †¦ As of this writing, there is a doctors strike in Israel. The death rate has fallen so sharply during the strike that the Israeli funeral parlors and burial associations are complaining. †¢ Glen Yeadon: Ambassador of Death, Right-Wing Death Squads, Drug Smuggling: George Bush’s Plan for Iraq †¢ Christopher Largen: A History of Medical Marijuana †¢ ‘DRUG’ OR SACRAMENT? YOUR RIGHT TO DECIDE About the 1999 police raid on the Dutch Santo Daime Church. †¢ Drug report barred by FDA — Scientist links antidepressants to suicide in kids It seems that the â€Å"war on drugs† does not apply to drugs which are making millions for the pharmaceutical companies. †¢ Xymphora: More on George and Drugs †¢ Cannabis online: click now and it’s with you in 24 hours On Thursday [2004-01-29] British drug law underwent its most radical shakeup for decades when cannabis was downgraded to class C. Although simple possession is unlikely to lead to prosecution in most cases, the drug remains illegal and dealing or possession with intent to supply will carry a maximum 14-year prison sentence. But a Guardian investigation has established that at least five large-scale online cannabis vendors are operating in this country, in competition with more established Dutch sites. As a result, the drug has never been so easy to buy online. A copy of (almost) the entire Serendipity website is available on CD-ROM. Details here. Prohibition: The So-Called War on Drugs Page One Page Three A Drug War Reading List Civil Asset Forfeiture Serendipity Home Page http://www. washingtonpost. com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/17/AR2007081701716. html.