Louis XIV and the Greatness of France by Maurice Ashley

For all of his foibles and eccentricities, King Louis XIV of France stands in history as an important and effective leader in 17th century France.   His impact on the course of French history is undeniable, and the story of his life and rise to power is fascinating to study.   One of the pivotal works on Louis XIV in the last several decades is â€Å"Louis XIV and the Greatness of France† by Maurice Ashley.   In this book review, Ashley’s work will be discussed within the historical context of 17th century France in an effort to better understand Louis XIV and the writing of Ashley himself. Overview of the Work Maurice Ashley, in writing â€Å"Louis XIV and the Greatness of France† created a work that is rich in historical details about the life and rule of the man who would come to be known throughout history as The Sun King (Ashley, 1965), combined with literary techniques and contemporary viewpoints, which will be presented in subsequent portions of this review. The work takes a biographical format, beginning literally with the conception of Louis XIV and following the course of his life and monarchy to its conclusion, and ultimately, discussing how France continued forward after the end of his life and reign.   In retrospect, Ashley’s book has come to be known as one of the pivotal modern writings about The Sun King as well as a highly regarded historical record. The Use of Descriptive Language in the Work Interestingly, Ashley uses vivid descriptive language to bring Louis XIV to life for the reader by describing his physical, emotional and monarchical presence, written in the third person.   In doing this, the reader is able to relate to Louis XIV as a character in the drama of French history, rather than just as a statistic or footnote to history.   Because of this, one gains additional insight into the psyche of the king, and can better evaluate his decisions and rule. A perfect example of personal information about Louis XIV comes in the form of a direct quote form deMotterville, one of Louis XIV’s contemporaries, when he observes: â€Å"I often noticed with astonishment that in his games and amusements, the king never laughed† (Ashley, 1965, p. 11).   The text is full of such quotes, which make the book more understandable and enjoyable. Central Theme of the Work If a central theme were to be assigned to Ashley’s book, it would be absolute power, or as historians would describe it, Absolutism, which is to say that Louis XIV sought to hold control of all of the government of France, which went against the parliamentary systems that other nations were adopting during this time (Ashley, 1965).   The author makes an excellent point when he implies that Louis XIV’s rule, which ran contrary to the popular opinion of the world at that time, did not continue despite France’s greatness, but because of it.   Not even an autocrat like Louis XIV could destroy the French empire. Use of Contemporary Viewpoints Ashley wisely utilized commentary from his contemporaries to add depth to â€Å"Louis XIV and the Greatness of France†.   By including modern leaders such as Winston Churchill as part of the book, Ashley cleverly brought hundreds of years of history into the modern arena of thought, again helping the reader to better understand Louis XIV in a present-day context. Summary In closing, what should be noted about Maurice Ashley’s â€Å"Louis XIV and the Greatness of France† is that the author wove literary technique and solid facts to create and informative and entertaining work that has withstood decades of scrutiny to become one of the pivotal works about this formative period in the history of France. References (Ashley, 1965) (Ashley Maurice 1965 Louis XIV and the Greatness of France)Ashley, Maurice (1965). Louis XIV and the Greatness of France. New York: Free Press.      

John James Audubon - Biography of Painter and Naturalist

John James Audubon created a masterpiece of American art, a collection of paintings titled Birds of America published in a series of four enormous volumes from 1827 to 1838. Besides being a remarkable painter, Audubon was a great naturalist, and his visual art and writing helped inspire the conservation movement. Early Life of James John Audubon Audubon was born as Jean-Jacques Audubon on April 26, 1785 in the French colony of Santo Domingo, the illegitimate son of a French naval officer and a French servant girl. After the death of his mother, and a rebellion in Santo Domingo, which became the nation of Haiti, Audubons father took Jean-Jacques and a sister to live in France. Audubon Settled in America In France, Audubon neglected formal studies to spend time in nature, often observing birds. In 1803, when his father became worried that his son would be conscripted into Napoleons army, Audubon was sent to America. His father had purchased a farm outside Philadelphia, and the 18-year-old Audubon was sent to live on the farm. Adopting the Americanized name John James, Audubon adapted to America and lived as a country gentleman, hunting, fishing, and indulging in his passion for observing birds. He became engaged to the daughter of a British neighbor, and soon after marrying Lucy Bakewell the young couple left the Audubon farm to venture into the American frontier. Audubon Failed in Business in America Audubon tried his luck at various endeavors in Ohio and Kentucky, and discovered that he was not suited for a life of business. He later observed that he spent too much time looking at birds to worry about more practical matters. Audubon devoted considerable time to ventures into the wilderness on which he would shoot birds so he could study and draw them. A sawmill business Audubon ran in Kentucky failed in 1819, partly due to the widespread financial crisis known as the Panic of 1819. Aubudon found himself in serious financial trouble, with a wife and two young sons to support. He was able to find some work in Cincinnati doing crayon portraits, and his wife found work as a teacher. Audubon traveled down the Mississippi River to New Orleans, and was soon followed by his wife and sons. His wife found employment as a teacher and governess, and while Audubon devoted himself to what he saw as his true calling, the painting of birds, his wife managed to support the family. A Publisher Was Found In England After failing to interest any American publishers in his ambitious plan to publish a book of paintings of American birds, Audubon sailed to England in 1826. Landing in Liverpool, he managed to impress influential English editors with his portfolio of paintings. Audubon came to be highly regarded in British society as a natural unschooled genius. With his long hair and rough American clothes, he became something of a celebrity. And for his artistic talent and great knowledge of birds he was named a fellow of the Royal Society, Britains leading scientific academy. Audubon eventually met up with an engraver in London, Robert Havell, who agreed to work with him to publish Birds of America. The resulting book, which became known as the double elephant folio edition for the immense size of its pages, was one of the largest books ever published. Each page measured 39.5 inches tall by 29.5 inches wide, so when the book was opened it was more than four feet wide by three feet tall. To produce the book, Audubons images were etched on copper plates, and the resulting printed sheets were colored by artists to match Audubons original paintings. Birds of America Was a Success During the production of the book Audubon returned to the United States twice to collect more bird specimens and sell subscriptions for the book. Eventually the book was sold to 161 subscribers, who paid $1,000 for what eventually became four volumes. In total, Birds of America contained 435 pages featuring more than 1,000 individual paintings of birds. After the lavish double elephant folio edition was finished, Audubon produced a smaller and much more affordable edition which sold very well and brought Audubon and his family a very good income. Audubon Lived Along the Hudson River With the success of Birds of America, Audubon purchased a 14-acre estate along the Hudson River north of New York City. He also wrote a book titled Ornithological Biography containing detailed notes and descriptions about the birds which appeared in Birds of America. Ornithological Biography was another ambitious project, eventually stretching into five volumes. It contained not only material on birds but accounts of Audubons many travels on the American frontier. He recounted stories about meetings with such characters as an escaped slave and the famed frontiersman Daniel Boone. Audubon Painted Other American Animals In 1843 Audubon set off on his last great expedition, visiting the western territories of the United States so he could paint American mammals. He traveled from St. Louis to the Dakota territory in the company of buffalo hunters, and wrote a book which became known as the Missouri Journal. Returning to the east, Audubons health began to decline, and he died at his estate on the Hudson on January 27, 1851. Audubons widow sold his original paintings for Birds of America to the New York Historical Society for $2,000. His work has remained popular, having been published in countless books and as prints. The paintings and writings of John James Audubon helped inspire the conservation movement, and one of the foremost conservation groups, The Audubon Society, was named in his honor. Editions of Birds of America remain in print to this day, and original copies of the double elephant folio fetch high prices on the art market. Sets of the original edition of Birds of America have sold for as much as $8 million.

Marine Reptiles

The Hiv / Aids Virus - 1244 Words

Identify the Problem Mr. B has confided that he has been diagnosed with the HIV/AIDS virus. His diagnosis has caused both his physical and mental health to suffer. Mr. B has been engaging in sexual activity with several partners who were all unaware of his diagnosis, he has intentionally kept this from them and has no plans to inform them. He has chosen not to tell his partners about his HIV/AIDS status which means he is purposefully putting others at risk for contracting this disease. His reasons for not informing his sexual partners include the fact that he does not want to be treated differently by his family and friends, Mr. B s concerns are understandable that he would want to keep his health information private however, Mr.†¦show more content†¦(This applies in the sense of how the counselor obtained the information from Mr. B) B.1.c. Counselors should not disclose confidential information of their client unless they have sound legal or ethical justification. As counselors, we value our client s privacy and their right to confidentiality in what they tell us. ( If this is violated clients would never feel comfortable sharing any personal information with their counselors. In Mr. B s case there is an ethical and legal justification to report Mr. B s threat to society and towards his girlfriend. B.1.d Counselors are to communicate the limitationsof confidentiality to their clients, which includes if someone intends to harm themselves or others. Mr. B has made it clear that he intends to continue having unprotected sex and more recently with his new girlfriend who has yet to be infected, he expressed that he will continue to deliberately conceal his diagnosis from his girlfriend and if she should find out he has threatened t to kill her if she were to discover it. We are ethically and legally mandated to report this behavior. B.2.a Confidentiality should be breached if the counselor believes the client will bring harm upon themselves or others. (The counselor would be obligated to break confidentiality in order to warn the

The Flu-Shot Dilemma free essay sample

You all remember getting shots at some point. When we were little, they were the scariest part of a doctors visit. However, getting a shot would be much less scary than the actual disease. Inoculations are an important part of our lives. They keep not only us, but the people around us healthy. If shots such as smallpox and polio are required for public schoolchildren, the common flu should be too. Children should be required to update their flu shot every year when attending school. Around 100 normal, healthy children die from influenza every year. (CDC) The sad part is that most of these deaths were unnecessary. If these children had received a vaccine, many lives would have been saved. Each shot costs around $20. For this amount of money, a child could have reached adulthood. If schools required updated flu shots, the student body will be immune on the whole. Of course someone will catch the flu, but they will have a less severe case, and those with weak immune systems wont be at risk. We will write a custom essay sample on The Flu-Shot Dilemma or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page When small children are dying, we know that this is a serious issue. The flu may seem like a very common ailment, but for infants and babies, catching influenza is severe. What happens to younger brothers and sisters? If an unvaccinated child catches the flu and brings it to school, a vaccinated child may bring it home without having the symptoms himself. His younger sister isnt old enough for the seasonal flu shot so when she catches it, her fragile immune system is unprepared. This is very preventable. Update your flu every year; not just for yourself, but for those you may never meet. If you were a parent, you would obviously care if your child was sick. During the winter, many children stay home from school because of cold and flu symptoms. If you want your child to stay healthy it takes more than one shot. At school not everyone gets a flu shot, therefore putting even vaccinated kids at risk. To guarantee a sterile learning environment, every single student needs a shot. The only conceivable way to avoid the vomiting, sneezing and fevers is to vaccinate the school. If the childs parents cant afford medical care, the school could also distribute a cheaper option. Clearly it should be mandatory that the staff and students be immunized. Others may argue that shots go against some familys religious or moral beliefs, or maybe the parents believe that shots are linked to more serious mental problems. This is an unreasonable paranoia. These unfortunate side affects only occur in a small percentage of vaccinated children and are often due to a pre-existing condition. W hen parents read that a child developed autism because of a flu shot, they jump to conclusions, many times without facts. There are some groups of children who shouldnt get vaccinated, such as kids with an allergy to chicken eggs, and some parents may have need to be concerned. Nevertheless, one small group shouldnt be able to sacrifice the well being of the whole. Those particular families can choose a private school if a simple flu shot is that big of an issue. Everyone gets sick. Some years one in every five people get the flu. (WebMD) It is predicted that 200,000 individuals suffer from influenza complications and 36,000 people die. These numbers are outrageous considering flu shots are so accessible. With the recent H1N1 pandemic, school age children are even more at risk. It is said that 1 in 13 childhood swine flu cases result in death and school children are the most affected. (DiscoveryNews) This is even more reason to vaccinate the schools. If there is a way to protect our selves, why not do it? Ultimately, the flu will come around every year. Do we want to watch healthy children die unexpectedly? Or do we want to defend our children from this disease? A simple shot is all it takes. Its the realistic choice. Children come to school to learn, they shouldnt have to worry about what germs they might pick up. Its the schools responsibility to keep the kids safe and to do that, they should make a flu shot mandatory. Give your child a flu shot. Not just for them, but for the children that they may never meet.

Ritual Homosexuality Among The Sambia Of New Guinea Essays

Ritual Homosexuality Among The Sambia Of New Guinea Deviant Behavior: Ritual Homosexuality among the Sambia of New Guinea The Sambia are a former war-like tribe. They believe that every man is a warrior at heart. They separate boys from their village at 7-10 years of age. These boys lead a ritual homosexual life for the next 10 years. The boys always act as the fellator: the insertee. The men and older boys act as the fellated: the insertor. This is the only way that boys can acquire the semen that is needed for puberty and growth. Once the boys are older, they are fellated by younger boys. They share the wealth. Once married, they lead a bisexual life. Once they become fathers, all homosexual behavior stops, until the next batch of boys are initiated. Deviant Sambian acts are: fellating boys, leading a homosexual life outside of the ritual, and having any non-homosexual sex during the rites of passage. The Sambian style of homosexuality is vastly different than the American version, i.e., there is no physical/emotional/sexual attraction between the men and the boys- it is simply a practice that ensures the strength of the men. Sociology

Accountability in Public Administration

Accountability in Public Administration Introduction Public accountability is one of the noble concepts immensely supported by scholars in the discipline of public administration. In the political discourses coupled with policy documents, the term finds an imperative usage since it portrays an image of trustworthiness and transparency (Forrer, et al., 2010).Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Accountability in Public Administration specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More These two aspects are crucial since citizens who are also the clients of a state become satisfied that a system of administration is able to meet their anticipations in the public sector without exposing their resources to risks of fraud. In this extent, accountability emerges as one of the key values in the public administration. The aim of this study is to discuss the issues involved in making public organizations accountable. A consideration is also given to discuss the people whom public offici als are accountable to, and the most effective means of ensuring a balance between the demands for accountability and the need to have high-performing organizations. Issues involved in making Public Organizations Accountable Accountability involves making organizations transparent and responsible in their dealing in the effort to enhance their trustworthiness. For them to realize the goal, they need to address a number of issues concerning accountability. One of such issues is the development of the capacity to deal with emerging matters that may impede their efforts to attain their dream of being accountable. For instance, the advent of globalization presents many challenges to corporations and institutions of public administration seeking that to be accountable in many nations. Kearns (2003) supports the argument by further adding, â€Å"Globalization plays the role of shaping the current trends in the global economic markets and the increasing interactions among nations and peop le from different parts of the world† (p.76). Emergence of new interactions driven by the dawn of globalization introduces challenges to institutions of public administration in that they handle emerging new roles and expand their functionality sphere. The more expansive an institution or any system requiring checks is, the harder it becomes to handle all the individual facets of an organization, which may provide loopholes for acts of fraud. Emerging new issues such as those prompted by globalization also present challenges to accountability efforts of an organization due to â€Å"the need to understand the dynamics of global value chains, creating trade facilitation structures, developing partnerships, and the establishment of value chains and networks† (Kearns, 2003, p.81).Advertising Looking for report on public administration? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Existence of such new challenges means th at public administration officials have to constantly change their tactics for enhancing accountability since traditional approaches or styles for public administration cease to be effective in handling all the contemporary situations that may prove to be a challenge to the efforts of becoming accountable. From the above discussion, it is essential that an organization that seeks to be accountable in a globalized market to consider looking for new approaches of enhancing transparency as opposed to the traditional approaches for enhancing intelligibility in the public administration. In fact, this factor is yet another crucial issue involved in making public organizations accountable. The history of public administration reveals that the main approach for enhancing accountability is through exercising of control and close monitoring of persons who are mandated to execute certain affairs that are of public interest. This task entails â€Å"bureaucratic discretion through compliance w ith some tightly drawn rules and regulations† (Forrer et al, 2010, p.477). Alteration of such an approach is critical in the modern world that is driven by hefty interactions so that, rather than using a direct-control paradigm, an organization has to consider implementation of strategies for enhancing accountability. The strategy must be driven by the concerns of delegations as a methodology for breaking down the bureaucratic approaches to public accountability. The relevance of this issue for an organization that wants to be accountable rests on the platform that, although delegation is an effective way for enhancing accountability, it has its limitations. A challenge facing an organization that is determined to be accountable is the establishing of balance and determination of the extents and permissible thresholds of accountability in the organization. Thirdly, an organization needs to deal proactively with the issue of balancing levels of accountability anticipated from v arious stakeholders. In support of this argument, Forrer et al. (2010) reckon, â€Å"public managers report not only to a multitude of elected officials, but also to a plethora of interest groups, clientele, media, and other actors† (p.478). This argument means that public administrators serve many conflicting interests of different stakeholders, both formal and informal, through the deployment of appropriate mechanisms for enhancing accountability.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Accountability in Public Administration specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The balancing mechanism that an organization that seeks to become accountable must deploy includes hierarchical accountability, public accountability, while not negating deploying of mechanisms for enhancing accountability to impersonal standards. Organizations that embrace the relevance of accountability as a way of development of trust among various stakehol ders must appreciate that one of the important issues they must put into perspective is that they must conform precisely to a myriad of legitimized but also competing anticipations for accountability. To whom are Public Officials Accountable? Public officials have to be accountable to various people. Essentially, accountability is a â€Å"means through, which public agencies and their workers answer to the citizens directly and indirectly for the use of their power, authority, and resources† (Kearns, 2003, p.9). From this definition, it is paramount to note that, in the first degree, public officials are accountable to the citizens who are also served by other persons and interest groups to whom public officials must also be accountable. Such other persons include city councils, administrators such as presidents, states’ legislatures, media, and professional associations among others. With the rise of and advocating for governance approaches that portray the exercise o f democracy as the chief mechanism of ensuring equal presentations of all citizens’ concerns and interests in the tools of administration, concerns have been alarming on the mechanisms that can ensure that governments are held accountable effectively. Consequently, with regard to Kearns (2003), internal means of enhancing accountability including â€Å"official rules, codes of conduct, administrative hierarchy, performance evaluation, organizational culture, and professional ethics† (p.65) have dominated the discussions of public accountability. Some of these mechanisms of enhancing accountability have been pinned in the constitutions of many democratic nations. All systems of power comprise executives, judicial, and legislative divisions of government. These divisions have the responsibility to keep public administrators on the check to limit their discretion to ensure they are achieving their noble mandates placed on them by citizens.Advertising Looking for report on public administration? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More For instance, in the US the progressive era marked the establishments of â€Å"independent government regulatory agencies, public commissions, and corporation to oversee government bodies through the executive branch† (Forrer et al., 2010, p.478). From the context of the roles of congress, public officials have a duty to ensure that they meet the requirements placed on them in terms of meeting the demands for accountability as stipulated by organizations for agency oversight and committees for budget appropriations among others. Since citizens cannot directly regulate the operations of public officials, such organs exercise control and monitoring of the activities of public officials on behalf of the citizens to ensure that they are accountable to any repercussions of the policies formulated and implemented by the public officials. Public officials are accountable to legislatures. Legislatures have roles to play to investigate the operations of various public officials and de mand to provisions of information on certain aspects that they may believe have comprised the national ethics and codes of practice in public offices including accountability. Organizations such as GAO can also be employed by legislatures and congress to scrutinize public agency programs. Consequently, public officials must be accountable to them. Since the goal of accountability is to ensure transparency to all interest groups and stakeholders in the operations of public administrators as argued before, public officials are also accountable to media, professional communities, and client groups. Client groups are interested in the implications of public policies. Such groups have specific anticipated outcomes from public officials. Should the public officials fail to meet these anticipations effectively, or do things at exorbitant and inflated costs, the officials have to be held accountable for the failure or embezzlements of funds. Conclusion: Balancing the Demands for Accountabil ity and the Need to have High-performing Organizations Accountability implies that public officials have to evaluate every policy or decision they take to ensure that it does not expose the interest of various stakeholders and interest groups at risk upon its implementation. This argument means that decisions and policies that have high potentials of yielding optimal results but possessing high-risk vulnerabilities may not be implemented. Measuring performance from the paradigm of the magnitude of returns, for instance, in terms of social benefit, failure to implement projects having high risks of failure but having high levels of returns means that the performance of a public institution is impaired. Public officials must balance demand for accountability and the need to have high-performing organizations. For instance, considering the experience of hurricane Katrina, it is arguable that the government ought to have invested heftily on strategies and equipments for dealing with aft ermaths and or for detection of both the likelihoods and the magnitudes of natural catastrophes in the bid to enhance effective disaster awareness through its established institutions for disaster management. Such a measure would make disaster management institutions highly performing if the investments turn out commensurate to the anticipated levels of response to human and logistical challenges posed by hurricane Katrina. However, in the effort to ensure that such organizations become highly performing, the question that emerges is whether indeed public officials charged with running such institutions would be willing to venture into risky decisions that would compromise their levels of accountability in the public domain. Koliba, Zia, and Mills (2011) support this line of thought by noting that it is important to develop both theoretical and empirical constructs â€Å"to identify and assess how and whether failures of accountability lead to failures in performance† (p.210) . Directly congruent with this proposal, it is of paramount importance that public officials be made to account for success rather than just failures. Such a strategy can help to balance demands for accountability and the need for high performing organizations. Obtaining a balance between accountability and the need for high-performing organizations is a challenge that public officials need to proactively address especially bearing in mind that the citizens whom they owe the ultimate responsibility while making their decisions do not directly elect them. Consequently, public officials may consider complying with political accountability roles since, according to Bovens (1998), â€Å"public officials are not rigidly constrained in their performance by narrow legal or procedural settings† (p.31). This case means that the capacity to form and operate public institutions driven by the motive for high performance may be compromised by the need to meet programmed guidelines issued by the appointing authority in hierarchical systems of administration. This argument is more imperative upon considering Bovens’ (1998) assertion that political accountability â€Å"tends to use outcomes as the main parameter for evaluation of performance rather than compliance with administrative rules and procedures† (p.31). As a repercussion, it is probable that public officials may fail to balance accountability with the need to create highly performing public institutions due to the need to satisfy the anticipations of the elected authority as opposed to direct anticipations of the electorate. Although in democratic and corruption-free nations, the elected persons may present the interest of the electorate. Hence, the anticipations of the elected and the appointing authority from the public officials have to measure up to the anticipation of the electorate. In the corruption-prone nations, the electorate interests are not presented by the elected persons. If publi c administrators appointed by the corrupt-elected persons have to be politically accountable, it means that a balance between accountability and the need to put in place a highly performing organization cannot be established. Reference List Bovens, M. (1998). The Quest for Responsibility: Accountability and Citizenship in Complex Organizations. Public Administration, 77(3), 455-474. Forrer, J., Kee, J., Newcomer, K., Boyer, E. (2010). Public- Private Partnerships and the public accountability question. Public administration review, 1(1), 475- 484. Kearns, P. (2003). Accountability in a Seamless Economy, in G. Peters and J. Pierre (eds.), Handbook of Public Administration. London: Sage Publications. Koliba, C., Zia, A., Mills, R. (2011). Accountability in governance networks: an assessment of public, private and nonprofit emergency management practices following hurricane Katrina. Public Administration Review, 1(1), 210-20.