Freedom of the Press

Freedom of the Press

By Scott Summit

Mass Communications 1500

Professor Jason Allen

7/20/13

The United States Constitution declares “Congress shall make no law respecting… the freedom of speech or of the press…” (Constitution).  Since the constitution was ratified there has been freedom of speech in this great country.  Anyone who wanted to could criticize the government, their neighbor or themselves.  Newspapers were able to print views that may not have been popular.  Recently there has been a shift from having absolute freedom of the press and speech towards the government regulating the media and the press.  This is not a good shift.

What do people mean when they say freedom of speech and freedom of the press?  Freedom of speech and the press means that anyone and everyone can say or print anything they want to without fear of being hurt by someone else.  It means that the government or your neighbors will not come in the night and take you away to prison.  Unfortunately, the majority of the people no longer know what these expressions mean.

Why is it important that the United States media remain free?  It is important because the free exchange of information has helped America become the greatest nation on earth.  There have been many wonderful inventions because people were not afraid to try new things.  Many times the government has helped us solve social problems because people were allowed to speak and write what has been on their minds.

There have been recent headlines in the news of a former National Security Agency contractor who told the media that the NSA used surveillance to track Americans (Guardian).   This leak of information could potentially do more harm than good.  Edward Snowden fled to China where he posted online about the information he had made public.  This leak of information has created headlines about the ethics of such a decision.

Some have questioned the wisdom of Snowden leaking the information to the public.  He has been called a coward.  One journalist questioned why Snowden had to flee at all; she says he was free to express any political view (Washington Post). Others have called Snowden a hero. Still others have called him a traitor (Newsfeed).  They claim that the information given out would compromise “national security concerns.”  Whatever you personally want to call him does not matter.  He believes he has acted heroically and in the best interest of the American people.  Since Snowden leaked the information he has sought asylum in Hong Kong, China, and Russia.  He is currently in Russia. Edward Snowden said these words: “I have been made stateless and hounded for my act of political expression” (Washington Post).

Why would he want to stay away from the United States, where free speech is protected as stated above?  Many political figures here are calling for whatever country he is hiding in to bring him back.  “We continue to discuss with Russia our strongly held view that there is absolute legal justification for him to be expelled, for him to be returned to the United States, to face the charges that have been brought against him for the unauthorized leaking of classified information" (Guardian).

This new information has been particularly upsetting to people here because they believe that there is no reason for the government to use surveillance for Americans.  There is a debate about whether it is ethical for the government to do such a thing.  They question the reason the government is hiding such information. They wonder why the government did not come out and say why surveillance was a secret.  It raises questions about what else the government is hiding. 

There have been many examples of governments who controlled the media and what was known to the public.  Nazi Germany, Communist Russia, and North Korea are a few.  These governments have used propaganda to tell people what to think.  The people became so conditioned to what the state was telling them many refused to believe the truth when it was staring them in the face. During World War II the Nazi media was telling the Germany people that they were winning the war, when German forces were in full retreat.

What are the advantages of government controlled media?  Some include promoting a particular ideology, promoting unity, getting rid of political opposition, and to controlling what people think.  In the book Writing Today there is a story of a young woman who grew up in Communist China during the Cultural Revolution.  She loved to read books before they were banned and one day she finds another young woman who is reading “The Little Mermaid.”  Soon she and the other young lady were reading and trading books with others who had hidden them.  One day her mother found out and made her burn the books.  Her mother did this to ensure that no government official found out and punished the whole family (Paine, p. 57).

I don’t know about you, but I would rather have and read about opposing views than just one view.  I am someone who does not like being told what to do.  I think diversity of opinions is what makes America great.  If you disagree with me then we can work together to find the best possible solution.  If one person or party tells everyone what to do and think we lose that ability.

In the book Hubener vs. Hitler a story is told of a young boy, Helmuth Hubener, who formed a resistance unit against the Nazi regime during the late 1930s.  Hubener and his three friends, Karl-Heinz Schnibbe, Gerhard Duwer and Rudi Wobbe would listen to the BBC broadcasts and distribute pamphlets with the information they had gathered.  The Nazis at the time controlled tightly the news media.  Listening to the BBC broadcasts was considered treason.  The boys would print the pamphlets and distribute them throughout Hamburg by pinning htme on the bulletin boards, light posts and sometimes stuffing them into coat pockets.  One day while trying to translate a pamphlet into French, Hubener was caught by the Gestapo. He was tried and convicted of treason.  He was beheaded by the guillotine (Dewey). The only treason he committed was to try to help spread information about what was really happening.    
These are a few examples of what happens when there is no freedom of the press and no freedom of speech.  The exchange of information is tightly controlled by a few people who hold political power.  In order to protect their power it is necessary to do this.  In order to keep these rights that are protected in our Constitution we need to understand the meaning of the first Amendment and not allow the government to enact laws that would restrict freedom of the press and freedom of speech.

Works Cited

Luhn, Alec and Elder, Mariam.  The Guardian, Guardian News and Media Limited. July 12, 2013. Web. July 20, 2013.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jul/12/edward-snowden-accuses-us-illegal-campaign

Dewey, Richard Lloyd. Hubener vs. Hitler: A Biography of Helmuth Hubener, Mormon Teenage Resistance Leader. Provo: Academic Research Foundation/Stratford Books, 2004. Print.

Katy Steinmetz. Time News Feed. CNN, July 10, 2013. Web. July 20, 2013.

http://newsfeed.time.com/2013/07/10/the-edward-snowden-name-game-whistle-blower-traitor-leaker/

Paine, Charles and Johnson Sheehan, Richard.  Writing Today. Upper Saddle New Jersey. 2013.  Print.

United States Constitution. Bill of Rights Amendment 1.

http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/bill_of_rights_transcript.html

Washington Post Edward Snowden is no hero

Ruth Marcus. The Washington Post, washingtonpost.com.  July 18, 2013. Web. July 20, 2013.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/ruth-marcus-edward-snowden-is-no-hero/2013/07/18/91731766-efcc-11e2-a1f9-ea873b7e0424_story.html

Music 1010 Presentation

Music 1010 Power point Presentation

HealthCare

Scott Summit         

Prof. Brown

English 2010

Argument Paper

                                                                            

There are many social issues that confronting America today.  These issues include the continuing war on terror, immigration, social security, obesity, gay marriage, healthcare and drugs.  At least one if not many of these problems affect every person in America.  A social issue can be defined as “a condition (such as poverty) or a pattern of behavior (such as substance abuse) that harms some individuals or all people in a society and that a sufficient number of people believe warrants public concern and collective action to bring about change" (Bidwell).  One major issue that has come under focus since the 2008 election of President Barack Obama is healthcare.

Having access to health insurance is a major concern for most people.  Everybody wants insurance coverage for their medical emergencies, but some are unable to afford the monthly or annual premiums.  Doctor visits as well as unexpected visits to the hospital are expensive.  Without health insurance these things can often lead to bankruptcy and other unintended consequences.  Those who are unable to afford the increasing cost of having insurance are worried.

These people are concerned about their future and their ability to pay for rising medical costs.  Since they are worried, they want someone to take action.  One body of people that have shown a willingness to take action is the government.  In the 1960’s the federal government started two programs called Medicaid and Medicare (CMS).

Medicare and Medicaid give medical insurance to those ages 65 and older as well as those who are disabled.  This has helped those who are in the most need of medical insurance.  This is the first step that the federal government took towards universal healthcare.  

Since that time, people have seen the benefits that Medicare and Medicaid have given to a select group of people, and they wanted access to the same benefits.  They wanted the government to not only provide health insurance to the elderly and disabled but to the general public. 

Beginning with Medicaid and Medicare the healthcare industry has grown in size and in government regulation.  While government subsidies has increase the number of people the industry has had increasingly more mandates on coverage, on practices across the country, and the industry in general.  These regulations have hurt the healthcare industry.

With more and more regulations, mandates and insurance paid for by the government the industry has little room to innovate and improve.  Since patients with government healthcare can always pay the hospitals and doctors do not need to improve as their income is assured.  In a none subsidized industry if people do not approve of service provided they go somewhere else with their business. 

In the year 2010 both houses of Congress agreed to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.  (ACA)   This law was signed by President Obama on March 23, 2010 (STOLBERG).  This act was intended to make healthcare affordable to those who can afford it and provide it for those who are not.  It does this by mandating that companies with a certain number of full time employees provide health insurance, making it cheaper for the individual. 

Supporting the Affordable Care Act:

There are many reasons people support universal healthcare.  The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act states that “Starting January 1st of 2014 the following "benefits" must be included under all insurance plans:  emergency services, hospitalization, laboratory services, maternity care, mental health and substance abuse treatment, outpatient, or ambulatory care, pediatric care, prescription drugs, preventive care, rehabilitative and facilitative (helping maintain daily functioning) services, vision and dental care for children” (ObamaCare Facts).

Many Americans believe that it is a right of person to have access to healthcare.  They believe that if someone has something they do not the government should step in and provide it for them.  There really are people who get sick and die because they are not able to pay for care.  This is really sad.  Everyone should be able to live a healthy life.  Sometimes things happen in life that just isn’t fair.  It is not fair that a young mother gets cancer and dies. 

One issue that many people have had with the healthcare industry before the ACA was the increasingly higher premiums charged by insurance companies.  As the cost rose fewer people were able to afford it.  In 2005 “more than 40 million adults stated that they needed but did not receive one or more of these health services (medical care, prescription medicines, mental health care, dental care, or eyeglasses)… because they could not afford it.” (HealthPAConline)

One benefit of the Affordable Care Act is that now insurance companies are not able to deny healthcare coverage to anyone based on a pre-existing condition.  Before the law companies were able to ask if an applicant had any previous medical issues.  If they were diabetic, or had had cancer, the company was free to deny service or increase the premiums for that person. 

Many saw this as unfair.  They believe that everyone should have access to medical care, and those with pre-existing conditions were in the most need.  It seems that this was one part of the law that gained the most support during the healthcare debate.  One tactic of insurance companies used to stay in business was that they would often drop someone from their coverage when they got a chronic disease.  Under the ACA companies are not allowed to do so.  This means that health insurance companies have an increase in cost, thus raising their prices for everyone. 

It is believed that having access to adequate medical care would help increase the health of most Americans.  When you get the flu, or catch a cold, if you have insurance you can go to the doctor at a low cost, and get the medicine you need help you get better.  When you are not able to get medicine your body may take longer to fight the infection.  This is not necessarily true.  Diet and exercising play in a big role in helping people maintain their health. 

Colds and the flu are part of life, but if we exercise regularly we can help our immune system fight diseases.  If we are obese our bodies have a much harder time fighting the flu.  What is important to remember the best way to have good health is to eat right and exercise.

Many women support the ACA because the Act mandates that insurance companies pay for preventive care for them.  The companies must pay for testing of HPV, contraceptive methods, counseling for violence, and screening for cancer (Peterson).  This is believed to enable healthcare costs in general to be lower as the companies do not have to pay for the treatment of many diseases that could be prevented with regular checkups.

Opposing the Affordable Healthcare Act:While having all these changes in place are nice there are many aspects of government regulation of the healthcare industry that need to be considered. When it was passed in 2010 there were strong opponents who loudly voiced their opposition to the bill.  The opponents to the ACA are chiefly Republican.

Why would the opponents, mainly Republicans, be opposed to something that would seem to help so many?  Many Republican leaders do not like the increasing power of the federal government, believing that the power of the government is limited to what the Constitution allows.  Since the Constitution is the supreme law of the land they believe that it should be followed.  Nothing in the Constitution talks about healthcare.  Many believe that healthcare is not an inalienable right

Many leaders recognize that ever increasing government spending will only hurt those whom it is trying to help.  Governments get their money through taxes.  The more programs a government offers to the people the more money it needs.  If it needs more money they increase taxes.  If I have more taxes to pay I am not able to use that money to provide for myself and my family. 

There is a phrase that originated in the 19^th century that is relevant to this discussion: “There is no such thing as a free lunch” (Martin).  To illustrate this consider a story about 3 young boys in a school lunch room.  Billy has a wealthy family who sends him to school with 2 sandwiches each day for lunch.  Johnny is from a poor family who is unable to send him to school with any lunch.  Robert, the school bully, sees this and takes one sandwich from Billy and gives it to Johnny so that Johnny does not go hungry.

Now, who is paying for Johnny’s lunch?  He is not able to pay for it.  Billy’s family is.  Johnny is given a sandwich each day which he did not earn.  He did nothing other than be poor.  Billy did nothing other than be able to have 2 sandwiches.  Billy considers this unfair because why should he have to give Johnny a sandwich each day?  Billy wants 2 sandwiches.

Robert thinks that everyone should be nice to each other and forces Billy to be nice to Johnny.  Stealing is not nice.  Using force to take something from someone and giving it to another is not right.  Johnny did not earn the food; therefore he should not get it.  It is not Billy’s fault that Johnny is not able to get food.  Billy might choose to give the sandwich to Johnny of his own free will if he has been taught compassion. Compassion will take care of many of the social ills, but forced compassion or forced charity will never benefit a society.

“There is no such thing as a free lunch” means that someone must pay for everything.  If you give someone a gift you are saying that you are willingly giving that person that item.  I am paying for that item to give it to you.  When something is taken from you by force it is theft.  The person taking it does not have your permission to use your goods to give to someone else.

So when we talk about healthcare something that is not often discussed is cost.  Since giving healthcare to millions of uninsured Americans will cost a lot, taxes will increase.  A tax is taking money from someone.  If this is used for something I do not willingly give it to it is wrong.  There are many things that taxes should be used for.  A government should be able to protect its’ citizens with a military, provide fire and police services, roads, postal services and other necessary things.  Regulating and giving healthcare to people is not needed.

One unintended consequences of the ACA is that with healthcare now provided “free” of charge private medical insurance companies will not be able to compete.  If there is a service you want and the choice is either pay for it or get it free, which would you choose?  Most people would probably choose the free service.  This will mean that private companies will lose revenue, which will leave to a decrease of jobs.  Jobs created money for people.  This means that more people will be unemployed and not able to purchase private medical insurance.

This cycle will just continue until private medical insurance companies cease to exist.  Once it does the government will be the only provider of insurance.  With more and more people under government medical insurance the cost will only increase, leading to a huge increase of taxes.  Nobody likes to pay taxes, so why would you support something that will only lead to an increase?

Government run healthcare with regulations and mandates is wrong.  Just like the saying “There is no such thing as a free lunch” someone has to pay for government run healthcare.  The average citizen would do well to consider the implications of providing others with a service that they are unable to provide for themselves.  Taking something from one person is wrong.  If I took from you it would be called stealing.  Why is it when government does takes from us to give to another it is considered right?

Works Cited

Bidwell, Dr. Lee D. Millar. Defining Social Problems. Longwood University, Web. July 3, 2013. http://www.longwood.edu/staff/bidwelllm/socproblem/defineout.htm

CMS.gov. cms.gov, Center Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, 06/13/2013 Web. July 3, 2013 http://www.cms.gov/AboutCMS/AgencyInformation/History/index.html?redirect=/history/

 HealthPAConline, Health Care Statistics in the United States. HealthPAConline. 2001-2013. Web. July 3, 2013 http://www.healthpaconline.net/health-care-statistics-in-the-united-states.htm

Martin, Gary. The Phrase Finder, Gary Martin. 1996 – 2013 Web. July 3, 2013.

ObamaCare Facts. Benefits of Obamacare: Advantage of ObamaCare, ObamaCare Facts. Web. July 3, 2013. http://obamacarefacts.com/benefitsofobamacare.php

Beadle, Amanda Peterson.  Think Progress, Center for American Progress Action Fund. July 31, 2012 Web.  July 3 2013. http://thinkprogress.org/health/2012/07/31/614331/women-benefit-from-obamacare/?mobile=nc

STOLBERG, SHERYL GAY and PEAR, ROBERT. Obama Signs Health Care Overhaul Bill, With a Flourish, New York Times, 23 March 2010. Web. 3 July 2013. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/24/health/policy/24health.html?_r=0

Figure 1

OKPolicyBlog. Oklahoma health insurance consumers will still receive benefits and protections of the Affordable Care Act. Okpolicy.org April 16, 2013. Web. July 8, 2013.

http://okpolicy.org/oklahoma-health-insurance-consumers-will-still-receive-benefits-and-protections-of-the-affordable-care-act

Figure 2

Voxxi. Affordable Care Act: What are the options for young adults? Disqus. June 11, 2012.  Web.  July 8, 2013.

http://www.voxxi.com/affordable-care-act-young-adults/

Figure 3

Working Class Heroes.  What we stand to lose if the Affordable Care Act gets Repealed! Working Class Heroes.  October 30, 2012. Web.  July 8, 2013.

http://www.workingclassheroes.me/?p=1953

Figure 4

The Liberal Curmudgeon.  Democrats Should Campaign On New Health Care Protections. The Liberal Curmudgeon.   September 24^th, 2010. Web.  July 8, 2013.

http://www.theliberalcurmudgeon.com/2010_09_01_archive.html

Thoughts at 4:45 AM

This morning I had a huge epiphany.  This is the story of that.

Well, I began my huge epiphany with the thought that what sets me apart from out people in my thoughts.  I have as much time as the next person to think.  We all have 24 hours in a day.  It is what we think about is what sets great thinkers apart.  I could spend all day thinking about food, or girls, or video games.  I could read some philosophy book, or I could spend my time analyzing how I play a game and how to improve.   

If I choose to spend my time thinking of a game, or of sports, or of girls, then I feel like I waste my time.  I am not trying to say that thinking of these things is bad, but I believe there are more important things to discuss and think about.  I love to consider some of the thoughts that humans have not come to a consensus as to their meaning.  Things such as “What is truth?” “What is love?” “Is there a God?” “What are morals?” 

Why do I consider these things important?  Because I believe when people stop thinking about these things is when they are most easily controlled.   These are not the only important things each and every person has to come to their own understanding of, but some of the ones I can think of right now.   And how are we controlled if we don’t come to our own understanding of these things?

When you are unsure if something is true or not, if presented with an option or opinion on something, you are very likely to believe what you are told on the subject.  If told something is evil we build up prejudice against it.  When told there is no God at a young age, it is quite possible we will carry this belief with us as we grow older.

It is fairly easy to control a person when you tell them what to believe and what not to.  If you drill a concept, such as 2+2=4 then pretty soon they will just accept this fact.  Now, this is in fact a fact, but something we need to take for granted.  Since someone came up with the concept of math they are forcing others to agree with them in order to effectively communicate.

There are many things we must take for granted in this life.  We must take it for granted that certain things work a certain way regardless of how we believe they should function.  Gravity will always function no matter how much we wish it would not.  2+2=4 no matter how many ways you try to prove It is not true.

When told that fire will burn me, I most likely believe that it will.  But something inside me tells me to test it, to see if fire really will burn me.  I will soon learn that fire is hot, and causes discomfort to any part of my body.  I think it is important to test different things out so that we know for ourselves if something is true.  We are all told things, but we need to continually test our beliefs to see if they are correct.

This is why we need to consider the questions I listed above and many others.  If we become complacent with our beliefs we fall into a trap.  That trap is the belief that we, and no one else, knows exactly how things should be in this world.  We close our minds to opposing ideas; we dismiss things that may help us learn and grow into better people. 

This type of attitude can cause social problems.  Racism is the belief that people of different skin colors or of different nationalities are inferior to your own.  When we are racist we dismiss everything that a black, Hispanic, or white person has to offer.  They might make the best food, but if we are racist we don’t eat their food based solely on their skin or nationality.  We miss out on amazing food because we have closed out minds to the things those people have to contribute to society. 

We all are on a journey thru life, so why not make it enjoyable for everyone?  Why not consider that others of different beliefs and cultures have much to offer?  Why not join in friendly discussion with others about topics that matter to us all?

John Williams Biography for Music 1010

John Towner Williams will go down as one of the greatest orchestral composers of the 20^th and 21^st centuries.  From composing the scores for many award winning movies.  The movies he composed scores for include Jaws, the Indiana Jones series, the Star Wars series, Saving Private Ryan and Jurassic Park (John Williams Web Pages).  His scores have changed the music Americans have come to expect in their movies.

Williams was born in New York on Long Island on Feb. 8, 1932. (AllMusic)  He attended college at University of California at Los Angeles and at Juilliard School in New York City.  He then studied privately under Rosina Living and composer Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco. (LyricsFreak)  While in the Air Force as part of his regular duties he was assigned to arrange music for the Air Force Band.

John Williams earned his living while in New York as a pianist in many of New York’s night clubs.  He married his first wife, Barbara Ruick from 1956 until her death on 1974. (LyricsFreak)  They had 3 children together: Jennifer, Mark and Joseph. He married his second wife, Samantha Winslow, in 1980.   After working in New York for several years Williams decided to return to southern California and work in Hollywood composing music.  He mainly composed music for films, winning two Emmy Awards during the 1960’s.  (The John Williams Pages)

Williams got his first film composition into the movie Daddy-O in 1958.  His first movie score came two years later in the movie Because They’re Young.  Over time he gained recognition within Hollywood for his excellent music.  He received his fist academy award in 1967.  He was nominated in 1969 for his piece in the movie Goodby, Mr. Chips.  During the 1970’s he was busy composing music for several big movies, earning the Academy Award for the classic Fiddler on the Roof.  He composed large scale disaster scores for the movies The Poseidon Adventure, Earthquake, and The Towering Inferno.  (LyricsFreak) 

In 1974 John Williams was first approached by the now well-known movie director Stephen Spielberg about making the music for his debut film, The Sugarland Express.  Williams did so well that Spielberg the following year asked him to compose music for his movie Jaws.  The music for that movie is now well known today. All suspense music today is patterned after Williams’ in Jaws.  The score earned him a second Academy Award.

Spielberg introduced John Williams to George Lucas, who in the late 1970’s was looking for a composer for his planned films Star Wars.  Williams composed a symphonic score that has gone down as easily the most recognizable in movie history.  It’s main theme, Luke’s Theme, as well as Force March and Princess Leia’s Theme earned him a third Academy Award for the best original score.   (LyricsFreak)

Of course, Williams did not want to only compose the score for one Star Wars movie.  He went on to compose the music for the movie’s Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi. Perhaps one of Williams most recognizable piece from Empire Strikes Back is Imperial March, Darth Vader’s theme song.  He earned two other Academy Award nominations for his work in the Return of the Jedi.

During the 1980’s Williams wrote and conducted music for Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark and E.T the Extra Terrestrial.  He won his fourth Academy Award for his E.T. music.  He worked with Richard Donner to compose the score for the movie Superman.  Many say in the 1980’s Williams created his best music.

John Williams did not only focus his attention of composing music for movies.  Before he started composing for movies he began to compose music for such television series as Gilligan's Island, Lost in Space, and The Time Tunnel.  In 1980 he became the conductor of the Boston Pops Orchestra. (Boston Symphony Orchestra)

In 1999 George Lucas approached John Williams again to create the music for three new Star Wars movies.  These were to be the prequels to the ones created in the 1970’s and 1980’s.  One of Star Wars fans favorite song is Duel of the Fates, where Darth Maul and Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi Wan Kenobi duel in the Phantom Menace.  Williams combined many parts of his previous scores to make entirely new scores for the last two movies, Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith.  His entire work in the six Star Wars films would take an entire orchestra 14 hours to perform! (LyricsFreak)

In the early 2000’s Williams was asked to create the score for the new Harry Potter movies.  He helped create Hedwig’s Theme, Patrick Doyle and Nicholas Hooper, which is the most recognizable song from the Harry Potter movies.  Like his work in the movies Jaws, Star Wars, Superman and Indiana Jones fans have come to identify those movies with their theme’s. 

John Williams has remained busy for most of the 21^st century.  He is a popular guest conductor, and appears annually at some Boston Pops concerts.  He still loves to play the piano, and stays busy by composing even more music today.

John Williams won a total of 5 Academy Awards for  his scores in Fiddler on the Roof (1971), Jaws (1975), Star Wars (1977), E.T. (1982) and Schindler's List (1993).  He has been nominated for 40 others (The John Williams Web Pages)   He has won four Golden Globes and 21 Grammy Awards.  He holds honorary degrees from 14 American universities, among them: Berklee College, Tufts University, University of South Carolina at Columbia, Boston University, New England Conservatory of Music, University of Massachusetts at Boston.

John Williams will go down as one of the greatest American composers in history.  Movie fans will always remember films because of his music.  He is one of the most decorated music composer of all time, and is loved by many in America.

Works Cited

AllMusic.  Rovi Corp, 2013. Web. June 11, 2013

Boston Symphony Orchestra. Massachusetts Cultural Council, 2013. Web. June 12, 2013.

The John Williams Web Pages. The John Williams Web Pages, 2008. Web. June 12, 2013.

LyricsFreak.  LyricsFreak, 2013. Web. June 12, 2013

Paradise

These are the words to one of my favorite songs called Paradise by Coldplay.

                                                             "Paradise"

When she was just a girl
She expected the world
But it flew away from her reach
So she ran away in her sleep
Dreamed of para- para- paradise
Para- para- paradise
Para- para- paradise
Every time she closed her eyes
Whoa-oh-oh oh-oooh oh-oh-oh

When she was just a girl
She expected the world
But it flew away from her reach
And the bullets catch in her teeth

Life goes on
It gets so heavy
The wheel breaks the butterfly
Every tear, a waterfall
In the night, the stormy night
She closed her eyes
In the night, the stormy night
Away she'd fly.

And dreamed of para- para- paradise
Para- para- paradise
Para- para- paradise
Whoa-oh-oh oh-oooh oh-oh-oh

She dreamed of para- para- paradise
Para- para- paradise
Para- para- paradise
Whoa-oh-oh oh-oooh oh-oh-oh.

La la la La
La la la

So lying underneath those stormy skies.
She said oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh.
I know the sun must set to rise.

This could be para- para- paradise
Para- para- paradise
This could be para- para- paradise
Whoa-oh-oh oh-oooh oh-oh-oh.

This could be para- para- paradise
Para- para- paradise
Could be para- para- paradise
Whoa-oh-oh oh-oooh oh-oh-oh.

This could be para- para- paradise
Para- para- paradise
Could be para- para- paradise
Whoa-oh-oh oh-oooh oh-oh-oh.

Oo-oo-oo, oo-oo-oo, oo-oo-oo
Oo-oo-oo, oo-oo-oo, oo-oo-oo

Introduction to Launching a Leadership Revolution

This is found in the book Launching a Leadership Revolution by Chris Brady and Orrin Woodward.  It is the introduction.  I loved it and wanted to share with everyone.


"Just before the Great Depression a man named Ira Yates sold his profitable business to return to the ranching life he had known growing up.  He bought a thousand acres in west Texas and struggled through the years of the Depression, barely able to make a living.  As he heard rumors of Texas oil fields being discovered, he decided to drill on his ranch, but had difficulty getting oil companies to assist him with the complicated process.  Finally, Yates set up a test rig and found that he was living on one of the largest oil fields in North America.  His fortune was made.

Leadership ability is a lot like the drilling equipment used by Yates and his partners to discover the richness of oil that already existed beneath him.  Each of us has a natural wellspring of talent and ability buried within. The drill of leadership is required to tap into the geyser of our potential.  As with Yates's drilling equipment, leadership ability will take effort to attain, but the rewards and incalculable.

Everyone is called upon to lead in some capacity sooner or later in life. Some of the issues involved are big, some are small.  Sometimes the responsibilities requiring leadership last a lifetime, and somethings they are needed only for a moment.  Leadership, then is something each of us should strive to understand better and utilize more fully.  Whether in a corporate setting, a business of our own, a church environment, a volunteer organization, or in the home, improving our leadership abilities through the development process described int his book is key to unleashing the potential hidden within.  Helping to guide others through the same process is the secret to collective greatness and organizational victories.

Increasing our ability to lead requires change.  Vital to tapping into our inner wells of potential are the willingness and ability to grow personally and organizationally.  James C. Hunter wrote, "I never cease to be amazed that organizations do not insist that their leaders be continually improving and persistently working toward becoming the best leaders they can be.  With the awesome responsibility of leading others and the high stakes involved, it seems obvious to me that organizations would focus their attention on helping their leaders develop their leadership skills and thereby their character."

We wrote this book because our work with tens of thousands of entrepreneurs across North America for more than a decade has convinced us that most people (and their organizations) have much more potential locked away inside of them than they realize.  Leadership is the key that opens the lock on that potential.  Time and again we have seen people come alive and achieve things they never thought possilbe, once they started learning to take responsibility. The results, quite frankly, have been revolutionary.

Noel Tichy wrote, "In a broad sense, what leaders do is stage revolutions."  The term revolution is defined by Websters as "an activity or movement designed to effect fundamental changes."  In the beginning, revolutions begin with unrest on the part of one person or perhaps a small group of individuals.  These early leaders begin working to influence events in a direction that assaults the status quo.  Things can no longer remain as they were.  Changes must be made.  Usually because of their passion for the ideals espoused by the leaders, other people are drawn into the effort.  Gradually, the strivings of these early "initiators" gain momentum, attracting talent and support from broader and broader areas.  As a tiny campfire grows into a large bonfire with increased fuel and oxygen supply, so too does a revolution grow in power and ptency as fundamental changes are made and results of those changes begin to surface.

Sometimes a bonfire ends up engulfing the woods around it as it grows into a forest fire.  It can never be forgotten, though, that all big fires start with a tiny spark.  Similarly, all revolutions start as small rebellions  The root cause can always be traced back to a single individual or idea.  Fundamental changes are wrought because somewhere, somehow, someone provides leadership.  One person can decide to lead.  One person can make a difference.  One person leading makes a difference.

True leadership can bring radically positive change to a stagnant environment.  It can revitalize old relationships, poorly performing organizations, and underachieving individuals.  Leadership blows in like a fresh wind and clears the cobwebs of complacency.  For most organizations, management is common and leadership is rare.  Our experience has been that, all too often, where good leadership is needed, poor management is there as an impostor.  Leadership and management are two very different concepts.  Leadership is about doing the right things; management is about doing those things in the right way.  Both are vital, but each has its place.  Any group, any organization, any cause can be revitalized with proper leadership, but never with great management.  Leadership must come first.  Therefore, whether initiating a new venture or turning around an existing one, Launching a Leadership Revolution is the firs tand most important step to success.

In this book, ideas and principles of leadership will be presented in ascending "levels" to illistrate the crescendo effect of increased leadership ability.  It will become clear that as an individual or organization grows in leadership effectiveness, so too will the results, which will gain power and force like a first burning brighter and brighter, - or more illustratively, like a revolution.  Additionally, each chapter is punctuated with an example from history to show how its principles have been applied in real-life situations.  As author Barry Lopez wrote, "Sometimes a person needs a story more than food to stay alive."  The stories that history tells are often more interesting and enlightening than hours of expository teaching.

Life should be about purpose and meaning and cause and fulfilling our personal, God-given destinies.  Without exception, this is achieved through, with and for people.  In other words, it's done through leadership.  Writer Ken Kesey states, "You don't lead by pointing a finger and telling people some place to go.  You lead by going to that place and making a case."  It is our intention that this book will go to a certain place and make a compelling case.  The place is the wellspring of your personal potential, and that of your organization.  The case we wish to make is that your potential is bountiful and sufficient to fulfill your life's calling.  It sits there now, waiting to be tapped.  This is accomplished by taking responsibility to lead in the areas of your life where you have been called.  As you grow in your leadership ability, you will revolutionize your life.

May the pages that follow serve to enlighten, instruct, edify, teach and encourage, but most of all may their inspire you to set up a drill rig of leadership in your life and/or orgaization and harvest he abundance buried within.

We wish you all the succes you are prepared to earn.

Happy drilling.

Let the revolution begin."