A Streetcar Named Desire Film Analysis Essay Example for Free

A Streetcar Named Desire Film Analysis Essay These actors take on the difficult task of bringing two complex, emotional characters onto the silver screen. With spot-on reactions to each others theatrical advances, the pair create an experience that is both enjoyable and expressively coherant. Vivian Leigh was cast for the role of Blanch DuBois for various reasons. She was white, slender, beautiful and had already acted in several other films. Tennessee Williams, the author of the original play, saw Leighs performances in plays such as â€Å"The School for Scandal† and â€Å"Antigone†, and decided that she was perfect for the role. All that Leigh needed to change was the color of her hair, which was originally black. Leigh does a splendid job of portraying Blanches ascending insanity by seamlessly transitioning from melodramatic anguish into her signature faux semblants, or pretense. An example of this is the scene where Blanche sits alone in Stellas apartment crying until a delivery man comes to the door. Blanche is then quickly transformed into a mysterious temptress who seduces the young man into kissing her. Leighs uncommon ability to switch from such extreme emotions brings a refreshing distinction to the film. Blanches eccentric and offbeat personality requires a talented actress to be be fully realized. Leighs acting style works well with the other actors, and expresses a coherence so profound that one might often forget that she is acting. The role of Harold Mitchell was one that needed to be fulfilled in order for the script to make sense. Mitch is described as being two hundred and seven pounds, six foot one and having â€Å"a massive bone structure†. His physique is an important aspect of his character, thus making it imperative for the actor to meet these conditions to be casted for the role. Karl Malden is tall and bulky, with a large nose and a receding hairline. These traits accenuate Mitchs awkward demeanor and informs the audience of how lonely he is without him having to say it. Malden also shares Leighs ability to transition between emotional extremes. For instance, in the beginning of the scene where Mitch confronts Blanche about her lies, he is silent. Though after hearing more of her absurd grip on reality, he snaps into an aggressive brute who pins Blanche to the wall. Maldens on-screen chemistry with Leigh is apparent throughout the film, and is believable the entire time. Vivian Leigh and Karl Maldens performances perfectly depicted the tragic twosome that is Blanche and Mitch. With Leighs seamless transitions of polar-opposite emotions and Maldens angry yet passsionate fits of rage, the two give what are easily the best performances of the film. From their intriguing introductionto their dreadful departure, no purer chemistry has been captured so passionately.

Importance of Lying Essay Example for Free

Importance of Lying Essay Dishonesty is, and has been, a vital piece of human culture since the beginning of time. Through the need to improve and compete, this trait developed into sneaking and trickery, but eventually gave way to lying and deceit. Stephanie Ericsson’s article, â€Å"The Ways We Lie,† is a blunt take on the negative effects associated with the act of lying. She covers the topic from many different angles, dissecting why each type of lying is destructive to others, but she neglects to think of the beneficial aspects of the activity that have structured civil society around the globe. Without various types of lies, humans would be unable to compete against each other in the 21st century version of natural selection that is present in the world today. In order to be successful in life, elaboration and embellishment are necessary on a daily basis. These facades are fragile lies though, that are often disproved and discredited, hence the evolution of defense mechanisms used by us that rely on more deception to gain advantages. This chaotic scene of embellishment and defense mechanisms would make society near impossible if it wasn’t for our susceptibility to common ignorance. All civilizations form under the same beliefs, whether they’re true or not, bringing us to where we are today, a society that relies on the uses of facades, omission and deflection in order to function. With the era of technology, social networking, and mass media, human interaction has become much more frequent and scrutinized; every word that is said is judged instantly. Thus comes the necessity of facades for the sake of survival of the fittest. It is natural human instinct to go for the â€Å"fittest mate,† and in this day and age, that doesn’t mean most physically able. Character is a factor, and self-presentation, multiple different things that don’t come naturally to everyone, but anyone can put on a facade and present themselves as whatever they so please. The social advantage of putting a mask on and embellishing oneself to attract any sort of benefits whether they be romantic, financial, or professional. In America, there is an idea of an â€Å"ideal life,† commonly known as the â€Å"American Dream,† is a common goal that most citizens share to get a job, house and family, and the most efficient way to get there is through elaborate facades. The brutal side of the â€Å"American Dream† type natural selection mostly lies in the selfish aspects of it. Developing through this survival of the wittiest requires a thick shield of defense mechanisms in order to compete verbally. Humans use forms of lying that Stephanie Ericsson lists as deflection and omission. A man using his original facade to improve his live is at the scrutiny of his peers in the sense that his facade may be discovered, but developed defenses even the playing field so that lies may stay hidden. Stephanie describes deflection as instead defending oneself, going on the offensive. This defense mechanism draws attention away from whatever lies you may hold a bring other issues to the table, holding whatever facades may be hidden deep inside. Omission allows the liar to pick and choose what parts of the truth are told when they are, so the collaboration of omission with deflection creates a shield of misinformation and uncertainty that can deflect attempts to discredit and help grant people benefits all throughout their lives. But, with these fake personalities, and the reliance humans have on defense mechanisms to protect those personalities, how can people coexist with any trust at all? The answer lies within people’s susceptibility to ignorance on a massive scale, and their quickness to accept common knowledge for fact. The form of lying Stephanie calls ‘Groupthink’ suggests that humans rely more on the loyalty of the group than on any other sources. This is the lie that can be associated with all societies, civilizations, religions, and superstitions. People who all believe in the same things align with each other and defend the similar facades they have with their own uses of deflection and omissions to protect their group beliefs. Stephanie Ericsson seems to wish for an end to lying in general, but lying has been an essential part of human evolution and natural selection since social interactions have been in existence. The theory of groupthink is reflected on the devout nationality of people around the world, and the influence that facades such as religion have over people’s lives. Without these fundamental lies, there’s no telling where human history would be. Our dishonesty and ignorance have shaped and molded us just how predators have molded prey throughout history.

How To Build And Maintain Stakeholder Relationships Management Essay

How To Build And Maintain Stakeholder Relationships Management Essay Organizations change constantly, a projects stakeholder set will change as stakeholder change roles within the organization, move into different roles or leave the organization to take up roles in other organizations. For whatever reason, the ability of individual stakeholder to influence the project may increase or decrease. Most project management methodologies define ways to identify project stakeholder, and then base their entire communications strategies on this initial, and only, identification. Many projects fail because stakeholders do not continue to support the vision or objectives of the project. In many cases this is because the team does not recognize changes in the relative power or position of key stakeholder and fails to make appropriate adjustments in their stakeholder management activities. This study reported upon in this paper is focused on support for project managers in building and maintaining relationships with project stakeholder. This is accomplished through using a practical methodology that allows the project team to identify and priorities the projects stakeholder and then stakeholders needs of the project to develop an appropriate relationship management strategy. The underlying assumption for this research is the stakeholder management is extremely difficult, the project manager and his/her project team members must identify, engage and sustain relationships with a diverse set of groups and individuals (including themselves) who can impact the project in many ways. HOW TO BUILD AND MAINTAIN STAKEHOLDER RELATIONSHIPS GOTTA QUIRK (1999 2012): Communication and trust is the main source for creating a lasting relationship between stakeholders. Through effective communications and building trusting relationships, organizations should be committed to ensure that all stakeholders are involved in shaping the decisions of organizations in a meaningful manner. The commitment to actively build and maintain long-term relationships with stakeholders is based on two fundamental guiding principles communication and trust.   These two principles shape the development of stakeholder relations philosophy which includes: ENMAX Corporation (2012): Encouraging stakeholder participation in the decision-making process Providing timely information Open, and honest communication Listening to stakeholder concerns Respecting diverse opinions Seeking mutually beneficial solutions Learning from each other Moreover, stakeholder relationships that are unmanaged or mismanaged have a number of less than favorable consequences for companies. These include unnecessary expenses, and a lack of buy-in to processes and initiatives aimed at transforming the company. However, stakeholder management is a difficult undertaking for organizations because it requires investment and commitment to a long term structured process. While there are a number of efficient information management tools available through marketing, it is important to start with the big picture who are we going to be speaking to and how? BY IDENTIFYING THE STAKEHOLDERS Particularly in larger organizations, this process is a critical one because the network of stakeholders with an investment or interest in a business is broader than we would originally have imagined. Consider that likely stakeholders include the board, management, other employees, customers, suppliers and the community within which we operate. It is important when making this list that we gather and collate as much information as possible about the individuals and groups on it. This will enable us to start thinking through appropriate and targeted communication with them. BY PRIORITIZING THE STAKEHOLDER However noble our intentions regarding stakeholder relationship management are, there unfortunately have to be some individuals and group whos needs are more important and who require prioritization if we intend maintaining their support. While this sucks for the interns, the chairman of organizational board will be pleased to know that you have his best interests at heart. Prioritizing begins with segmenting a list into groups and then listing them in order of importance. This process needs to be completed with the organizational goals and the level of stakeholder information in mind. Ultimately, this will ensure personalization and consistency across communication channels at a later point in the process. BY UNDERSTANDING THEIR NEEDS Stakeholders require consistent and regular communication and service. However, their individual distinctiveness requires that this communication be personalized and targeted. This is difficult enough in the corner store but is universally impossible across larger organizations; the number of individuals is just too great. The next thing is to understand each group. A key part of this is to know what information they have, how accurate it is, how it aligns with the organizational goals and what information they need. This should align with the process of prioritization, with the groups at the bottom needing the least amount of information and the groups at the top needing the most. BY BUILDING TRUSTIN RELATIONSHIPS Collaborative partnerships depend on trust. Partners must communicate effectively and resolve conflicts, especially about sensitive issues like distribution of rewards and the involvement of host organizations the in laws. As in any relationship, attention must be given to renewing the relationship and sustaining the commitment of the partners by building and maintaining support of the parent organization, evaluating progress and celebrating success. BY ENCOURAGING THE STAKEHOLDERS This is the act of giving someone support, confidence, or hope that it is well even though they do not see it. When we encourage our stakeholders, it makes them feel the company do have plans for them and that would make them hold on. BY SATISFYING THE STAKEHOLDERS Satisfaction is important in maintaining a good relationship because when one is not satisfied, they would always look for a place where they would be satisfied. Even the study of economics makes us to understand that man is insatiable. So as a company, lets look for a way to satisfy the stakeholders needs. BY ENGAGING WITH THE STAKEHOLDERS Now the easy part is over and you actually have to find an innovative and efficient manner in which to communicate with these stakeholders. Whatever tactics you use, it is helpful to have a communication plan in place so that the process runs smoothly without negatively impacting on productivity. Using a collaborative software package could be the answer, particularly if you want to keep a specific group up to date about a specific project. Regular status reports are useful and email newsletters are very effective for those individuals who are not privy to sensitive information. Going one step further, these can be divided into an internal and an external newsletter; the first being only for staff and the second for clients and interested parties. For small groups and occasionally large ones, meetings are a good way to get a message across and invite buy in and feedback. Remember that in order to be effective, this engagement should be two-way. Stakeholders need a forum to air concer ns and grievances while having the comfort of knowing they will get a response. Neglecting this element of communication is bound to undermine the ultimate goals of your organization. Regardless of tactics though, the important part of this aspect of the process is to understand and manage stakeholder expectations. The stakeholders need to know when to expect communication and what sort of communication to expect. MONITORING THE ENGAGEMENT EFFORTS There is little point in engagement with the stakeholders if it is perceived to be token or ineffectual. While its admirable that you are trying, this lack of efficacy is not going to encourage buy-in and may undermine your company, particularly if the negativity spreads. It is thus important to track and monitor your efforts and gauge the response to them. Speak to individuals directly, encourage feedback and through email tracking assess whether people are reading the information that are been disseminated. Tweak your efforts accordingly. Part of this is keeping a finger on the pulse of the companys reputation which is also important. Conduct surveys if necessary and establish who thinks what and why. Knowing what the perception is will go a long way toward finding the necessary means to turn it around. ISSUES THAT MAY AFFECT STAKEHOLDER RELATIONSHIPS AND THE POSSIBLE AREAS OF CONFLICT CIM (1998): The issues that may affect relationships are likewise the same as the areas of conflict, and this is certainly the opposite of the factors that builds relationship. For example, when a stakeholders interest in an organization is different from that of other stakeholders group, this may affect the relationship between stakeholders or cause conflict to an extent. Another example is trust, when there is no trust in an organization; it could also affect a relationship or cause conflict. Also consider when there is no: Control mutuality (think mutual control) the degree to which parties agree on who has the rightful power to influence one another. Trust one partys level of confidence in and willingness to open ones self to the other party. Commitment The extent to which each party believes and feels that the relationship is worth spending energy to maintain and promote. Satisfaction The extent to which each party feels favorably toward the other because positive expectations about the relationship are reinforced. Exchange relationships In an exchange relationship, one party gives benefits to the other only because the other has provided benefits in the past or is expected to do so in the future. Communal relationships In a communal relationship, both parties provide benefits to the other because they are concerned for the welfare of the other even if they get nothing in return. STRENGTHENING AND RESOLVING CONFLICT IN RELATIONSHIPS ASSESS THE STRENGTH OF THE RELATIONSHIP The first thing is to survey the stakeholder group using some variant of the questionnaire, this will reveal how weak or strong the relationship is and where it is weak or strong. For example, in one project I did, we learned the organization had excellent scores with all stakeholder groups on all but one of these six factors. So improving stakeholder relationships in that case was a matter of focusing on that one factor. BUILD STAKEHOLDERS TRUST IN THE ORGANIZATION Consistently treat stakeholders fairly. Whenever the organization makes important decisions take stakeholder opinions into account and otherwise demonstrate concern for stakeholders. Keep organizational promises. Demonstrate competence by doing what was proposed.   PAY ATTENTION AND RESPOND TO WHAT STAKEHOLDERS SAY AND DO Demonstrate the belief that stakeholder opinions are legitimate by responding to them. Give stakeholders a say in the organizations decision-making process, especially in those areas that affect the stakeholder group. DEMONSTRATE COMMITMENT TO STAKEHOLDERS Show stakeholders that the organization wants to maintain a long-term relationship with them. Engage stakeholders to build loyalty to the organization. SATISFY STAKEHOLDERS Identify and enhance the ways stakeholders benefit from their association with the organization. Make interacting with the organization a delightful experience. Make stakeholders feel they are important to the organization. MOVE BEYOND AN EXCHANGE RELATIONSHIP TO A COMMUNAL RELATIONSHIP As noted above, exchange relationships are those in which two parties in a relationship expect a benefit in return for a benefit tit for tat. These relationships are the basis of most for-profit businesses. That is, a customer expects a certain quality product in exchange for the money he/she spends, and the organization expects the money in return for the product. Employees expect pay, benefits and a sense of fulfillment and organizations expect work and engagement.   A communal relationship goes beyond that. One party in the relationship believes the other will give benefits with no expectation of a return. An example of this is corporate social responsibility programs, such as when a bank goes beyond the basic business exchange to give back to the community by supporting programs that benefit neighborhoods.  Some argue that this corporate giving is not really selfless in that the organization expects good will in return for the benefit it bestows on the community. And this may be. Nevertheless, when a stakeholder believes an organization helps people without expecting anything in return, the relationship is at a different level than if the stakeholder believes the organization only trades benefit for benefit. THE IMPORTANCE OF MONITORING AND REVIEWING DIY Committee Guide (2012) Both research and common sense support the notion that we need to monitor the performance of stakeholder on an ongoing basis. If we are ever to know how we are doing, the management committee should use reports against its annual operational plans to review progress towards meeting the strategic aims and objectives. Therefore, they must ensure that whoever is doing the work is keeping appropriate records so that progress can be assessed. This will involve, at the implementation stage of the plan, being clear what systems and structures are required. The things you decide to measure will give an indication of how well youre doing, hence, the name indication or performance measures. Before completing your plan, you need to agree how and when it will be monitored and reviewed and what information the Management Committee needs to receive in order to review progress. When reviewing progress towards achieving the strategic aims and objectives, the Management Committee should: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ensure that activities are kept within the parameters of the agreed strategic aims and objectives; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ensure that activities are consistent with organizations vision, mission and values; and à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢keep under review internal and external changes which may require changes to the organizations strategy or affect their ability to achieve their objectives. GETTING FEEDBACKS The quality of a partnership can be analyzed by getting feedback from the stakeholders through questionnaires or interviews CONCLUSION In closing, Id like to re-emphasize the importance of assessing the strength of the relationship at the outset. That there are six factors to manage when building relationships is a great insight. But to manage we must be able to measure. This tells us not only where to focus our efforts but also whether we have succeeded.

Supernatural Elements in Shakespeares Macbeth Essay -- William Shakes

Consider the use that Shakespeare makes of supernatural elements in the play Macbeth. In the Shakespearean era, there was an eruption of superstition and alleged witchcraft. The people of that time had strong hatred for the ‘devil worshiping’ witches and had various trials and tests to determine their fate. Shakespeare used this as inspiration for his play ‘Macbeth’ We see the character of Macbeth go through a personality transformation after a powerful predicament from Three witches. Starting as the highly thought of thane of Glamis, Macbeth is told he shall become thane of Cawdor and then king. The witches, quickly portrayed as evil, could have predicted these events, or simply planted the idea in Macbeth’s head, to exploit his fatal flaw. As the play begins, we are introduced to the witches. They speak in rhyming couplets, just as all supernatural elements in Shakespeare’s work do. This could have been to let the audience, which would have been aware of this technique, that the witches are in fact, or simply appear magical. The stage directions indicate â€Å"thunder and lightning,† every time the witches appear, this same stage direction is given throughout the play to set the intended atmosphere, this is pathetic fallacy. The witches discuss the soon to come meeting with Macbeth, â€Å"apon the heath† â€Å"there to meet Macbeth†(Act1,scene1) Thus showing the witches knew about Macbeth before the meeting and the predictions were intentionally given. As Macbeth returns from a victorious war, he is unaware of the forthcoming encounter with the witches. Before he arrives ‘apon the heath’ the witches show a first glimpse of evil, one tells a tale of a woman whose husband she will curse. â€Å"he shall live a man forbid.† Meaning he will lived ... ...im. At this moment Macbeth realises his fate, and fights to his death with Macduff. Malcom then becomes king, and Macbeth’s head it placed on a steak. To conclude Shakespeare used the supernatural, to show how easily someone’s fatal flaw can be exploited to bring them to an end. This is extremely relevant to his audience at that time as well, no one knows, but Shakespeare could have been a non believer in the supernatural and wanted to show it as a figment of the mind, that can only result in insanity or he could have believed the popular opinion that the supernatural did exist and caused terror and evil throughout that period. Either way he wrote Macbeth in such a way to leave questions about the supernatural in peoples mind. Works Cited Shakespeare, William. Tragedy of Macbeth . Ed. Barbara Mowat and Paul Warstine. New York: Washington Press, 2008.

Solzhenitsyn’s Exile :: Russian European History Papers

Solzhenitsyn’s Exile missing works cited â€Å"In February 1956, the Soviet Union’s new leader, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated a period in Soviet history known as ‘The Thaw’ †¦ Millions of former political prisoners were granted amnesty, including [Aleksandr] Solzhenitsyn.† (Shattan 149) Solzhenitsyn is Russia’s most prolific writer of the 20th century was Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, a man who rose to fame through his literature. It was Khrushchev’s thaw, however, that resulted in Solzhenitsyn’s exile. Solzhenitsyn made his break in literature because of Khrushchev’s thaw. Yet as time went by, the Soviet leadership became increasingly conservative after the thaw. Initially, the conservative leadership did not know what to do with Solzhenitsyn, but after deciding to take action against Solzhenitsyn, they eventually worked towards a final solution, his deportation from Russia. Had it not been for the thaw, though, Solzhenitsyn would never have made the rise to fam e, and his deportation. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn first became active in politics during his time in Rostov University prior to World War II, during which time he became â€Å"a convinced Communist - a member of the Komsomol (Young Communist League)†¦ and the proud holder of a Stalin scholarship.† (Shattan 137) After graduating in 1941, Solzhenitsyn joined up with the Russian artillery to fight the Nazi army. During this time, he began to formulate a belief that Stalin â€Å"had betrayed Leninism and was responsible for the defeats in the first phase of the war† (Shattan 140) He communicated these ideas with a friend through letters, but was caught by censors and imprisoned. During his time in prison, which would provide the material for One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, it was discovered by Soviet authorities that Solzhenitsyn had a degree in physics. Because of this, he was transferred to a special science prison, where prisoners worked on Soviet experiments. In 1953, his term served, Solzhenitsyn was released from prison, but forced into an internal exile in southern Kazakhstan. However, in 1956 this exile was ended by the new Soviet leader, Nikita Khrushchev, who initiated â€Å"The Thaw† by releasing millions of political prisoners. Solzhenitsyn was free to write and to travel. In a society that had repressed its writers for the last 30 years, it was extremely difficult, and quite a gamble, for an author to try to publish a book, much less one that criticized one of the only two leaders the single party state had known.

The Growth And Production :: Beer Papers

The Growth And Production The smell of yeast hits you on the street more than a block away. Inside the lobby of the brewery, it is even stronger. I wondered how long that secretary had been putting up with the smell. "You get used to it." she said "The tour begins in ten minutes." Two other families had come to take this tour as well. A tasteful way to spend the afternoon with grandparents or in-laws, I thought. A short old man comes out after a while. He is wearing an amplifier around his neck and carrying a microphone. The speaker is bigger his head. The other members of the group stand up and we are all lead back out onto the street. The traffic rushes by us as he explains the square brass plate bolted into the pavement at our feet. "This is a time capsule" squawks the amplifier. The time capsule was buried in 1956 and will be opened again in the year 2006. It contains one bottle of Henry-Weinhard's beer, and one local newspaper. I picture a crowd gathered here in nine years and I picture them some fifty years ago. Maybe they shiver against the rain or maybe they brace themselves against a fierce wind rushing up Burnside St. like it is today. In any case I picture them waiting there as the sacred bottle is unearthed, having traversed time to bring us the old newspaper. I wonder if it will have frozen and cracked down there. I wonder if anyone will drink that bottle if it is intact when it is brought to surface. I picture the small man with the amplifier tipping back his head and downing the contents of the artifact. We are truly a people brought together most readily by such a symbol. Nothing warms Americans up to each other like alcohol. Blitz beer is one of the cheapest brands one can buy in the grocery store these days. It runs about four or five dollars for a twelve pack. Needless to say it is the choice of the thriftier lush. The can is of a simple design. White with red letters reading "Oregon's Premium quality beer for over fifty years....Founded 1856." One is lead to wonder whether those fifty premium years are taking place now, or if they have already passed us by. Blitz is really not that bad. It does the job, as they say, but the beer connoisseur would not be impressed by the flavor or body.

Healthcare Administration

Kudankulam will be anothet Uttarakhand with all these substandard technology. Stop this. Nobody on earth can give 100% safety to the local people. – Rev. Thomas Kocherry, Tamil Nadu , India The Need Today Is To Rid Our Minds Of The Influence Of Mullahs You have read or heard about Pakistan ‘s Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) recently deciding that DNA Tests may not be used as evidence in the absence of witness by four righteous adults; this apparen't â€Å"ridiculous decision† angers most of you. However it is important to understand why traditional Muslims minds (like in case of CII) reach such absurd conclusions.This is because â€Å"Literalists† dominate Muslim thinking. They read Quran, Hadith and all scriptures in a literal word by word fashion; they translate Arabic words of 7th Century (when mankind didn’t know about circulation of blood or role of heart as a pump) to create legally binding commands in 21st Century (when heart transplant and travel to moon have become relics of past). In reality all Religions can only be understood as timeless principles to create a just society free of tyranny but Mullahs and all others under the influence of Mullahs interpret our religion to create situations of tyranny (Zulm, Injustice).Do you not see how they create sectarian disharmony and killings? How do you think they end up creating hatred against Shia or Sunni? What we need today is to rid our minds of the influence of Mullahs. When many of you get â€Å"stressed† and warn others not to talk of religion without fully understanding it. It is not â€Å"fear of God† it's the psychological fear created by Mullahs, Allah is forgiving but Mullah is not. In the present day world no one can be an Aalam-e-Din without having a command of modern sciences (Biology, Physics and Chemistry even Finance etc) in addition to knowledge of Theology and History.Islam is a Code of Life for all times only because it has the elasticity to adjust with the changing times. – Moeed Pirzada, California AAPI And Its Young President Your cover story on AAPI’s Young Leadership and his vision for AAPI is very inspiring. Great to have such exceptionally great organizations and the many noble works they undertake. AAPI’s meteoric rise from a basement three decades ago to become one of today's premier ethnic medical associations is a tribute to its past leaders, a network of hardworking committees, and a constituency of 100,000 physicians and medical residents. AAPI has become a force to reckon with.AAPI's stellar role has come in for appreciation with the US political leaders and law makers. Hope, Dr. Shah is able to build on what he has inherited from its past presidents and take it to new levels of high achievements and great service to humanity. Rajiv Saxena, Illinois Historic Moment For Indian Americans As Srikant Srinivasan Confirmed US Judge Your report on India’s Chandigarh-born Srinivasan' s confirmation as the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, being unanimously approved by the US Senate with 97 voting in favor, is a historically prud moment for all Indian Americans.The 46-year-old has become the first South Asian to be appointed to the top American court amid speculation that he may one day be tapped for the Supreme Court. Justice Srinivasan has a distinguished and proven record of commitment to public service, and I look forward to his contributions to the bench. And he will offer a unique perspective and added diversity that is long overdue in our justice system. – Hemant Pancholi , North Carolina Well Written Editorial On Corruption Dear Ajay, I went through Asian Era and it is interesting to read and the quality is very good.In your editorial you have written well on world wide corruption with facts and figures. It is interesting to know different levels of corruption. Shijy & Selvan Albert , Michigan JUL-AUG 2013 Durga Mandir New J ersey No Cash Offerings Appeal to Devotees Respected Devotees: Namaskar, With all the due respect I am making an humble appealâ€Å"Not to make any Cash Offerings at Durga Mandir† in Princeton , New Jersey . Please do visit Durga Mandir for all your ceremonial needs as usual. Under no circumstances this Appeal should be construed as boycott of the Temple .