Political and Social Theory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Political and Social Theory - Essay Example As the paper outlines, team cohesion refers to the ability of employees and the management to work together towards attaining the same goal. Through the role theory, both parties know what duties they ought to perform. The role theory defines the expectations of the employee; therefore staff members perform their roles bearing in mind that they are individual members of a team aiming at eventually achieving the same goal (Harnisch, 2011). On the other hand, functionalism shows the employees that each department in an organization forms a synchronized system which ought to function in unison so as to obtain the key target (Kendall, 2007). Therefore, these two theories help in displaying the reason both the employees and management, who have different functions, should work synchronously to achieve the main interest.  Conflict resolution in institutions refers to the ability of affiliates to provide solutions that resolve group differences. In any group, lack of knowledge about oneâ €™s role and position often leads to conflict. Therefore, in order to avoid or resolve the differences that may develop, the management should apply concepts found in both the role theory and functionalism. Concepts of the role theory such as expectations and resources stipulate some of the duties an employee has to perform and the supplies provided (Harnisch, 2011). Similarly, the functionalism perspective describes some of the activities particular members of the organization need to accomplish in order to assist in the overall production of the whole corporation (Quah, 1990). Both theories are beneficial in preventing and resolving conflict since they help the management and employees to understand their individual roles.

How does Arthur Miller Utilise the marriage of Elizabeth and John Essay

How does Arthur Miller Utilise the marriage of Elizabeth and John Proctor to reflect the events that unfold in Salem in his play The Crucible - Essay Example The play opens in the home of Reverend Parris where the night candle still burns in the breaking morning light and is symbolic of the new beginnings for the town and its people. Yet, these beginnings are filled with tension and mistrust. People are gathering and something is amiss. Act I opens at the preachers home and the characters introduced are a cross section of Salem. The characters are infused with the fear and paranoia that runs through the room. John Proctor still has feelings for his mistress, Abigail, while the towns girls are flirting with the sin of dancing. John Proctor is in the room and we learn he is married when he scolds his housekeeper to return home where "my wife is waitin with your work" (22). Proctor also reports that people are streaming into town and comments that "The towns mumbling witchcraft" (22). Another sign of new beginnings is Proctors past affair and attraction for the young girl Abigail, and his newfound commitment to his wife. When Abigail assumes that Proctor has come to see her, she is in disbelief when he replies, "Abby, youll put it out of mind. Ill not be coming for you more" (23). The use of the nickname Abby instead of the more formal Abigail indicates a familiarity that Proctor still carries with him in his heart. The language is stark and utilitarian reflecting an almost biblical tone that signifies the religious roots of the problem. The town of Salem is undergoing a significant change, while Proctors marriage is also evolving. In respect to the action in the town, and the accusations of witchcraft, Proctor wishes to remain uninvolved in the same way he wishes to remain uninvolved with the young Abigail. Just as witchcraft is perceived as a deep-rooted evil for the town, so is Proctors past affair an issue of trouble for his marriage. Yet, he cannot hope to remain aloof from the

Consequences for domestic oil & gas companies resulting from the Research Paper

Consequences for domestic oil & gas companies resulting from the recent crash in oil prices - Research Paper Example According to Baker Hughes, there was a reduction of energy industry oil rigs by 16 rigs in the week ending December 23, 2014 with 26 more rigs reduced in the week ending January 2, 20153. The decline in the rig count is evidenced by the chart below. The other impact on the US oil and gas companies is a reduction in drilling of new wells with a fall of 40% in issuance of new permits for oil production in the United States in November in response to fall in oil prices. Hemerich & Payne, an energy exploration and production company based in Tulsa, reduced its oil rigs by 50 in January in response to the low oil prices after a previously reducing its oil rigs by 11 rigs. The other impact of the declined oil prices on US oil and gas companies is a reduction in share prices. US shale producer’s shares fell by 8.4% on January 5, 2015. The fall in oil prices resulted in the fall of share value of Continentals resources by 12%4. Transocean’s shares declined by 7% making it a 65% fall in stock for the company within the last one year5. Rigs witnessing low production have also been shut to allow the company’s to concentrate on more productive rigs. The fall in oil prices also resulted in the layoff of workers in the oil and gas sector. Schlumberger (SLB) stated low oil prices and few wells being drilled as reasons for dismissal of 9,000 workers6. A total of 53,041 jobs were lost in January in the United States with 40% of the job cuts being directed related to the fall in oil prices7. Of the 53,041 jobs lost, a high percentage was lost from the energy sector with 21,322 jobs attributed to oil price cut. Halliburton and ConocoPhilips announced 0.42% (1000 workers) and 0.75% job cuts in January respectively, because of the reduced prices of oil. In Texas, 19, 833 people lost their jobs with the main reason being the fall in oil prices while Baker Hughes reduced its workforce by 7,000 workers. The fall in oil prices has also affected economies that were booming

Why College Education Is Important to Me Essay Example for Free

Why College Education Is Important to Me Essay Why College Education is important to me?, Its so important to me because it ONE of the most pompous thing you need in this world today to get somewhere in life, and survive so you can support yourselves, and yours kids. When I see the words â€Å"College Education† First thing pop up in my Mind is my Mother Smile, able to make her proud!, Not to be worried about her little baby-girl taking on this big world By herself. And to able to give her a little peace of mind that â€Å"I can† survive and support myself because I finished my College Education to get a Higher paying job and not Struggle. Another good reason why College Education is so important to me so I can be a Motivation for my younger sibling also nieces and nephew to see me â€Å"FINISHED† College to persuade them to follow in my footsteps to help them in their own lives, and be a inspiration for them, so that one day they realize that its not as hard as some people make it seems, that if you put your mind into it and have faith anything is possible When I Finished High-school I knew that it wasn’t enough!, I knew a high school diploma wasn’t going to get me so far, but a Job in a fast-food restaurant or a sale clerk at a local store, and maybe a Apartment that I have to work two jobs to just pay all my bills and live, that’s not the life I wanted to choose for myself, so when I think about the words â€Å"College Education† I imagine myself working at good paying job with benefits or owning my OWN business, I see myself being a Homeowner and specially when I have kids able to pay for them when they go off to college. I wish kids nowadays in this generation will understand a college education Is very important to achieve your dreams, in order to have better life, because children today need to know with a education you can be ANYTHING in life, they can be the next President of United State Of America if they finished college and have some motivations, so I hope for myself getting my Bachelor Degree in business show my friends and family anybody can or go  back to school to Finished can be successful. A College education can get you so Far in life just with a little motivation from knowing that a better education means a better job, better self-confidence and more motivation to achieve my goals in the job career that I have chosen. I feel achieving a college degree will help me climb up the ladder in the job I choose when I finished getting my Degree, I also feel that going after my dreams and achieving my goals and showing determination will help for my Future kids as they grow up to do the same. The most important things In my life is God, faith, Family, and my education to reach high to complete all my goals. Jim Rohn Quoited: â€Å"Unless you change how you are you will always have what you got.† I really like this quote because it speaks the truth if you don’t change the situation you in now, couple years later down the road you’ll be in the same situation procrastinating. Another Quote from Brian Tracy Quoited â€Å"One of the marks of successful people is they are action oriented. One of the marks of average people is they are talk oriented.† this quote speaks to me, it saying that action speaks, you can talk, or you can prove yourself by your actions, for me my actions is getting a college education, so that I dont have to talk, but let my actions speaks for itself.

Consider Thomas Hardys Essay Example for Free

Consider Thomas Hardys Essay In the dictionary the word Isolation means to be separate or a part from others. I think if someone is isolated then it would be a negative aspect because they are alone and have nothing to do with anyone else. The reason for the various isolations in the two texts differs because of the different time periods they were set in. In the two books I am comparing is the Withered Arm by Thomas Hardy and Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. I feel that in both texts there are a few characters with their lives or they had illegitimate children. The text Of mice and Men was written in the 1930s the time period of the depression. In the most of John Steinbecks books he describes the life of people working on the land and that his characters are all often poor. This was because he wanted to show how real the life was during that time. Within his books men and women rarely understood each other because of the lack of communication. During the time when John Steinbeck wrote Of Mice and Men people would frown upon coloured people, the handicapped, the old and women. They also were prejudice about women. The text the Withered Arm was written in the late 19th century in England. The book is set in a place called Wessex and the expectations at the time are different compared to the ones we have in todays society. In that time social classes were expected to marry inside their class and not below that. Otherwise this would be considered a disgrace to the family of the higher class. Thomas Hardy introduces Rhode as his First character who is isolated. He establishes her isolation as her sitting on her away from the others Where a thin fading women of thirty milked somewhat apart from the rest. The word fading and somewhat apart from the rest reveals that she was separated from the rest of the milkmaids. Further on in the first chapter Hardy also establishes her loneliness by where she lives lay part from that of the others, to a lonely spot high above the water-meads this also show her isolation. The characters who are lonely are Candy, Crooks and Curleys wife in the text Of Mice and Men. They are lonely because each one of them is different from everyone else. Such as Crooks is black, Candy is disabled and Curleys wife is a women. The reason for them being lonely is because of the societys attitude, which they lived in. The two characters that are not lonely are George and Lennie. This is as they have each other for company whereas everybody does not. Lennie and George treat each other, as they were family because they have been together for a very long time. Because I got you an___ An I got you. We got each other, thats what, that gives a hot in hell about us. That quote indicates what Lennie say to George about them having each other to look after and keeping each other company. George needed Lennie because he wanted someone who would listen to him and not say anything. Lennie need Georges because he is not able to handle himself and also George promised Lennies aunt that he would look after him. Thomas Hardy describes Rhodes Brooks house as it old and worn It was built of mud walls, the surface of which had been washed by many rains left none of the original flat face visible here and there in the thatch above a rafter showed like a bone protruding through the skin. This suggests that Rhode did not a great house and that it was old just like her. The quote also indicates that the house had been through some hard times. In the text Of Mice and Men John Steinbeck writes about one female character that is known as Curleys wife. As the reader I feel sympathy for her, as she is the only woman on the ranch. She is also isolated because her husband does not like her talking to any of the other workers, and also her own husband hardly speaks to her. The author has not given her a name because during that time period women were not as important as men, furthermore she is so isolated that the author decided on not given her a name. The effect this has on the reader is that she belongs to Curley unlike her being an individual person. So therefore the reader feels a little bit of sympathy for her. Thomas Hardy writes about a little boy in his book Withered Arm who is also nameless like Curleys Wife. In the book he is referred as Rhodes son. Rhodes son is isolated because his mother had an affair with Farmer Lodge. The main reason that he is isolated is that his mother moved further away from the farm, so therefore he does not live close by to anybody. I feel that Rhodes son is a victim of the circumstances between Farmer Lodge and Rhode because he was a product of their affair, and then Rhode moved away so she could be away from society. As a result Rhodes son does not have friends. John Steinbeck writes about another isolated man named Crooks. The reason Crooks is so isolated is because during the time period everyone was prejudice against coloured people, and he was black. Another reason he is isolated as that he isolates himself to have some respect in the white world. Crooks was born with a disability, therefore he feels that he need to isolate himself further. He makes friends with Candy and Lennie as they isolated on the farm. When Crooks first meets Candy and Lennie it says he kept is his distance and demanded that other people keep theirs. This indicates that Crooks does not want anyone to be close to him. Though as the story goes on he makes friends with Candy and Lennie. I feel sorry for Crooks for being coloured and handicapped as he is very friendly person. In both the texts that I read there are two more handicapped people, named Gertrude from the Withered Arm and Candy from Of Mice and Men. Candy is isolated as he is old and has only got one arm since it was cut off when he was working on the farm. Gertrude isolated because one night Rhode cast a spell on her arm. In both texts Gertrude and Candy are alike because of their arms. They are not as isolated as Crooks or Rhode, since they only have a small isolation problem, unlike the rest. In the beginning of the text Withered Arm Farmer Lodge is presented as being bold and proud. He is proud as he has a new wife Gertrude, who is a lot younger than him and plus she is very beautiful. Gertrude starts to get a problem in one of her arms, as time passes her arm gets worse, therefore Farmer Lodge feels as she is not as pretty as before. This makes Farmer Lodge change. He also feels depressed since his son is hung and this changes him. The reason for him to isolate himself is that all these problems are occurring around him and he feels that it is his fault. So he moves away from his farm. In conclusion I consider that isolation is a negative aspect in someones life. I think that when people are isolated dreaming keeps them from getting trough. Like for instance Lennie and Georges dream to open up a farm or their own and Rhodes dream to get back with Farmer Lodge. Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE John Steinbeck section.

Compare And Contrast Two Leaders History Essay

Compare And Contrast Two Leaders History Essay According to (Richard.L. Huges, 2009)Leadership is a social influence process shared among all members of the group. It is the ability to inspire and at the same time influence others to strive towards one common goal. The aim of this paper is to compare and contrast two leaders: Steve Job who was a business leader for Apple Company and Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi who was a political and spiritual leader of India whose main focus was on non-violence. Firstly, I would declare which one of these two great leaders was more effective. Secondly, I will evaluate what skills they demonstrated to make themselves such great leaders in the business, political and spiritual world. Finally, meaningful conclusions will be drawn from the discussions of the two leaders. The relevant information and content for this paper were gathered from books, lectures, newsletters and internet research. I wish to acknowledge the assistance of my wife and colleagues for their valuable contributions toward this paper. 2. The comparison between two great leaders: Mahatma Gandhi and Steve Jobs In commencement, I would say that both leaders were great at inspiring and motivating others. Although their struggle involved the achievement of different objectives (Gandhi- the independence of India and the freedom and equality of its citizens and Jobs- constant and aggressive innovation and creativity in products and services), their leadership styles were somewhat similar in accomplishing their goals. According to (Gupta, 2008) Gandhi without a doubt could inspire and move the masses in India and around the world when he so convincingly demonstrated that even a common man can make a difference by bringing the British empire down. He accomplished this feat with his principles of self-reliance and non-cooperation to the British Autocracy. He willingly inherited the support of many Indian citizens against the fight of this dictatorship. He believed in effecting change through positive conflict; he organized many peaceful protests and marches and effectively utilized the tactics of civil disobedience to undermine the British Rulership. He explicitly exhibited through the Salt March that change can be effected through peaceful protests rather than anarchy and chaos. A fight for liberation was a fight that everyone felt a part of. Steve Jobs, who was also inspired by the legendary Mahatma Gandhi, inculcated a similar method in the way he inspired the employees of Apple Company to work assiduously towards the production of the best product for the company. He served as a motivator for many current CEOs with his hard knock style of leadership in the peculiar way he took his company into a new era. Especially because of his think different message and ability to continuously surprise  and deliver on his vision as cited in (Gupta, 2010). Jobs is particularly noted for his philosophy to make products which were at the intersection of art and technology, intuitiveness and design. His openness to being inspired allowed him to live his philosophy, and in turn inspire others. Secondly Gandhi and Steve Jobs build relationships with their followers through their leadership styles, which enabled them to execute their visions of being successful leaders. Gandhi connected with people of all classes, creed, religion and beliefs and built powerful relationships by his simple deportment of a white dhoti along with his modesty and humility which he displayed, indiscriminately with everyone by touring across India, leading all the major movements personally and by holding various public meetings repeatedly. Steve Jobs build relationships with all employees and remained simple by wearing jeans and t-shirt despite holding the prestigious position of CEO of the Apple Company. Both leaders understood that in order to gain the loyalty and commitment of their followers, the autocratic distinction and segregation between superior and subordinate through corporate attire, offices and other luxuries had to be abolished. In the instance of Jobs, employees need to feel comfor table, not intimidated, in order exploit their highest potential and creativity. Likewise, Gandhis philosophy preached Love for one and all: friend or foe. Thirdly, great credibility can be seen with Gandhi, through his initial work and movements in South Africa, so Indian society would already know what a great leader he was, by using his non-violent methods to attain his goals. He led through example by being a slave for the people of India and empowering the general public. According to (Gupta, 2008) He made it his policy to practice what he preached, even to the small things like spinning yarn to make his own clothes. He resorted to simple and poor living, just like millions in the country, hence people looked at Gandhi as one of their own, and they could see their own sufferings in him. While Steve Jobs according to (Gupta, 2010) is known to be secretive and does not give too many interviews or public appearances, his strategy, though adds to an element of surprise and curiosity, also provides him the necessary credibility. People know from his past that he delivers on his promise and does not create a false smoke screen of distrac tion and deception. In addition both of these leaders were visionary; one of the most outstanding qualities of Gandhi his long term vision, self confidence and strong principles of righteousness. He would have envisioned freedom for his followers a very long time before Indian got Independence from the British. Steve Jobs was known to have a stubborn and perfectionist attitude, which led in executing his vision, which was according to (Reed, 2012) making the best and most original products the world had ever seen even under adverse market conditions demanding quick reaction. He could envision new product and know what it would look like months before he would have make it. Furthermore both leaders had Faith them self -Mahatma Gandhi and Steve Jobs believed in themselves, both believed that they had a great responsibility. Firstly, Gandhi believed that it was his duty to free his country and he exhibited complete faith in his abilities, strategies and principles. He knew hed a play a significant role in the freedom of India and so he did in accordance with his famous quote Be the change you want to see in the World. It was this undying faith and confidence in himself that eventually manifested itself in the faith of millions of Indians in him. Similarly, Steve Jobs believed that it was his responsibility to grow the Apple Company through pioneering new products and services through constant innovation. Infact, his intense secrecy about products through their early stages of production clearly depicts his complete confidence in himself. Conventionally, companies invest in rigorous advertising during the production process of a new product so that by the time the finished product is ready for launch, there is already a committed market with full awareness of the features of the product and willingness to buy. However, Jobs strategy was quite different; the public knew nothing of the Jobs products until the official launching was instituted. He desired greatly the element of surprise and was confident that his launching tactics were more than enough to raise awareness and willingness to buy the product. Last but not least both were Great Tacticians: Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi and Steve Jobs were men of intense strategies and tactics and these strategies were well in sync with their beliefs and principles. Gandhis main objective was to end the British Dictatorship and gain Indias independence. However, his fervent belief in peace and non violence restrained him from leading an anarchic and chaotic revolution. Nevertheless, Britain succumbed to his demands through his tactics of organised massive civil disobedience. This can be seen in his most famous protest called the Salt March. Against a British policy of taxing the use of salt for Indians, he organized a 388 km march to the sea at Dandhi, Gujarat and make salt for himself. This campaign was extremely successful in upsetting the British and the government decided to negotiate with Gandhi. His peaceful resistance was his main weapon that leads him to victory. Steve Jobs had some tactics too that realised his dreams of constant inno vation and creativity. His perfectionism, belief in the element of surprise and balance between micromanagement and strategic direction helped him to achieve his objectives. 3. Contrasting two leaders Mahatma Gandhi and Steve Jobs Mahatma Gandhi and Steve Jobs, although very similar in many ways, were also very different in many ways in their leadership styles (the great paradox). There differences stem from the different culture their vision, different generation era and different end results/goals. Firstly, Steve Jobs was a more authoritarian leader in the working environment while Mahatma Gandhi was a Servant Leader in the political and spiritual environment. He used his tactics of massive civil disobedience to organised millions of people in Indian to employ non-cooperation, non-violence and peaceful resistance as his weapons in the struggle against the British. Jobs on the other hand, because of his perfectionist quality, used a dictator type of leadership style to get the best from his employees. He ensured that the employees worked towards his vision which was to envision a better world of improved services and products. Secondly, Mahatma Gandhi was not interested in affluence and material wealth in life. This could be seen in the simple clothes he wore, the way he communicated with the common man and the way he lived his life. While Steve Jobss main goal was to impress and capture the world with his services and products and at the same time lead a creative and innovative company in the prestigious position of CEO. Thirdly, Mahatma Gandhi ardently exhibited and practised love for all in accordance with his inspirational quote Love for one and all, friend or foe. He was able to channel public discontent into a positive element  not with force but by love; this trait was always present in his  leadership.  Steve jobs demonstrated no emotions towards his employees; his only passion was to produce the best product for the market and ensure that his employees work towards his vision. Jobs was the kind of leader who concentrated solely on getting the project completed and probably regarded the employees as an instrument in the completion of the project. He paid little or no attention to the personal lives or issues of his employees. In addition, Mahatma Gandhi was a great communicator; he was a great public speaker who was fearless and eloquent in convincing his followers of his objectives. Public awareness of his vision was imperative in achieving Gandhis liberation; hence, he brilliantly utilized his journalistic skills to write various articles about his vision. On the other hand, Steve jobs seldom interacted with the public in an attempt to product the originality, creativity and competitive advantage of his new products. He was noted however, to give public speeches at the launching a new product which was the only time he actually interacted with the public. 4. Who of the two was the more effective leader? Mahatma Gandhi was a more effective leader in terms of how he fought for his followers because he had a passion to fight for people who suffered inequality and discrimination. His excellent knowledge of English law, as a result of his legal studies in England, provided him with the skills he needed to effectively battle against the autocracy of the British without breaching any laws. Since he had study in England and would have known the consequence of breaking the law. With his tactics of peace and non violence, he organised millions of people and convinced them of his cause without any element of duress or coercion. He believed in justice and equity and opined that injustice to one was injustice to all. He urged that one who observed and passively acquiesced to a tremendous injustice done to someone was just as culpable as the perpetrator of the injustice. His righteousness, transparency and philanthropic disposition automatically attracted many followers. Motivating people was a n atural talent of Gandhi because of his unison of thought, word and deed. His followers never questioned his intentions nor mistrusted him because he was always genuine and truthful to them. In addition, he was a leader in the true sense: he formulated and executed all his plans fearlessly and was always the initiator of action plans. 5. What skills did they demonstrate? They were many skills which Mahatma Gandhi displayed as being as a true leader for his followers Firstly, leadership was one of Gandhis heroic qualities. His leadership was overtly displayed through his motivation of the lower class in his village to begin home spinning their own clothing. He initiated the gesture by making his own clothes at home which he later wore to walk with his followers. This gesture was the beginning of poverty reduction within the lower class as many were able to start businesses in clothes making. Moreover, Gandhi fought diligently to end the issue of discrimination among the lower class in the Hindu religion. Gandhi focused alot of his energy in ending this segregation and made them realize how important it was for them to be allies rather than rivals in order to survive and battle against the British Rulership. The Indian Independence Movement was the all-time heroic deed led by Gandhi. This movement was accomplished in 1947 by Mahatma Gandhi. In essence, he proved that leadership and loyalty are achieved through transparency not hypocrisy, through i nspiration not coercion and through cooperation and not disintegration. Secondly, simplicity, modesty and humility were some of the most evident qualities of Gandhi. He believed in living a simple life with only the basic necessities. He was completely detached from luxury and materialism. He was neither arrogant nor haughty even though he was a lawyer. He never felt the need to be adorned extensively and thus dressed simply with his white dhoti, which was home spun. Even though he accomplished such greatness and triumphed over so many obstacles, he neither sought recognition nor gratitude. He vowed to remain a simple man in accordance with his quote I claim to be no more than an average man with less than average ability. His instinctive ability to always speak the truth was another outstanding quality of Gandhi. Even if I am a minority of one, truth is still the truth. In addition, bravery and courage were imperative to achieve the many feats of Gandhi. It took immense courage and valiance to demonstrate strong opposition to the British Autocracy. All the marches and protests, in particular, the Salt March were incredible symbolism of valour and heroism. He simply believed very strongly in something and fought tirelessly to achieve it. He was determined to disallow any acts intended to instill fear to impede his path of success and quickly recuperated from physical abuse and unlawful imprisonment. It was almost as though he was immune to acts of violence directed against him. 6. Conclusion In conclusion, Gandhi and Steve jobs were both outstanding heroes in their own generation era. Both leaders possessed numerous qualities consistent with being exemplary individuals. They set many examples for several countries and companies to follow. They both had their own beliefs and dreams and they fought relentlessly to achieve them. Gandhi triumphed despite all the impediments thrown in his path to instil failure. And the most celebrated part was that he did it with peace and non-violence. Leadership, simplicity and bravery were the three most outstanding qualities in Gandhi. While Steve Jobs conquered the world by being a perfectionist and having a vivid imagination. His scrupulous attention to detail and his infinite imagination enabled him to create products of wonder that amazed and captured the market. He was definitely a man of inventions and creations.

The Laughing Fools :: Personal Narrative Emotions Feelings Essays

The Laughing Fools I just started my new job working as a bartender in this local jazz club. Not knowing a person in the place, I thought that I would ease-drop on a conversation that these two men were engaged in, just so I could get to know the costumers better. The conversation was being lead by Lee and the other man, Mike, was prompting him to go on with the story. The story was about an incident that Lee had when he was a small boy with a paper route and his dog was killed. It was a sad story, I thought , but the men just laughed. The reason they laughed I have never figured out, now I am trying to understand the two men. Working at the jazz joint , I see some rather strange things. Mike and Lee come in about once a week. I have listened to Lee and Mike have other discussions, although ease-dropping is not an easy task to do when working. The last time I listened in on uninvited was a conversation on Lee's mother. Lee talked how his mother did everything for him, she would cook his diner, do his laundry, clean his house and buy his groceries. She did all this for him, when he was moved out of her house and supposedly "on his own." Lee did not like his mother doing all this for him, but he never told her that he didn' t want her to keep doing the domestics around his house. She kept on doing things like that for her son, thinking that she was helping out. Eventually, Lee came to resent his mother for all that she did for him and as time passed he expected more from her. He did not tell her that she was interrupting his life. Lee's mother became ill. She had a long, painful battle with a disease, I am n ot sure which one, for I was only ease-dropping. As time passed she became worse. Lee's mother could not do all the things that she had done before, this was not good for Lee, for he had become dependent on one person and he disliked her for that. Finally she died. At the end of the story the two men were again laughing. This really bothered me. I was trying of something to say because it was just like the story with the dog, it had a sad ending with the same reaction of both Lee and Mike, they laughed.