Zheng Shi, Pirate Lady of China

The most successful pirate in history was not Blackbeard (Edward Teach) or Barbarossa, but Zheng Shi or Ching Shih of China. She acquired great wealth, ruled the South China Seas, and best of all, survived to enjoy the spoils. We know next to nothing about Zheng Shis early life. In fact, Zheng Shi means simply widow Zheng - we dont even know her birth name. She was likely born in 1775, but the other details of her childhood are lost to history. Zheng Shi's Marriage She first enters the historical record in 1801. The beautiful young woman was working as a prostitute in a Canton brothel when she was captured by pirates. Zheng Yi, a famous pirate fleet admiral, claimed the captive to be his wife. She pluckily agreed to marry the pirate leader only if certain conditions were met. She would be an equal partner in the leadership of the pirate fleet, and half the admirals share of the plunder would be hers. Zheng Shi must have been extremely beautiful and persuasive because Zheng Yi agreed to these terms. Over the next six years, the Zhengs built a powerful coalition of Cantonese pirate fleets. Their combined force consisted of six color-coded fleets, with their own Red Flag Fleet in the lead. Subsidiary fleets included the Black, White, Blue, Yellow, and Green. In April of 1804, the Zhengs instituted a blockade of the Portuguese trading port at Macau. Portugal sent a battle squadron against the pirate armada, but the Zhengs promptly defeated the Portuguese. Britain intervened, but did not dare take on the full might of the pirates - the British Royal Navy simply began providing naval escorts for British and allied shipping in the area. The Death of Husband Zheng Yi On November 16, 1807, Zheng Yi died in Vietnam, which was in the throes of the Tay Son Rebellion. At the time of his death, his fleet is estimated to have included 400 to 1200 ships, depending upon the source, and 50,000 to 70,000 pirates. As soon as her husband died, Zheng Shi began calling in favors and consolidating her position as the head of the pirate coalition. She was able, through political acumen and willpower, to bring all of her husbands pirate fleets to heel. Together they controlled the trade routes and fishing rights all along the coasts of Guangdong, China, and Vietnam. Zheng Shi, Pirate Lord Zheng Shi was as ruthless with her own men as she was with captives. She instituted a strict code of conduct and enforced it strictly. All goods and money seized as booty was presented to the fleet and registered before being redistributed. The capturing ship received 20% of the loot, and the rest went into a collective fund for the entire fleet. Anyone who withheld plunder faced whipping; repeat offenders or those who concealed large amounts would be beheaded. A former captive herself, Zheng Shi also had very strict rules about treatment of female prisoners. Pirates could take beautiful captives as their wives or concubines, but they had to remain faithful to them and take care of them - unfaithful husbands would be beheaded. Likewise, any pirate who raped a captive was executed. Ugly women were to be released unharmed and free of charge on shore. Pirates who deserted their ship would be pursued, and if found, had their ears cut off. The same fate awaited any who went absent without leave, and the earless culprits would then be paraded in front of the entire squadron. Using this code of conduct, Zheng Shi built a pirate empire in the South China Sea that is unrivaled in history for its reach, fearsomeness, communal spirit, and wealth. In 1806, the Qing dynasty decided to do something about Zheng Shi and her pirate empire. They sent an armada to fight the pirates, but Zheng Shis ships quickly sank 63 of the governments naval ships, sending the rest packing. Both Britain and Portugal declined to directly intervene against The Terror of the South China Seas. Zheng Shi had humbled the navies of three world powers. Life After Piracy Desperate to end Zheng Shis reign - she was even collecting taxes from coastal villages in the place of the government - the Qing emperor decided in 1810 to offer her an amnesty deal. Zheng Shi would keep her wealth and a small fleet of ships. Out of her tens of thousands of pirates, only about 200-300 of the worst offenders were punished by the government, while the rest went free. Some of the pirates even joined the Qing navy, ironically enough, and became pirate hunters for the throne. Zheng Shi herself retired and opened a successful gambling house. She died in 1844 at the respectable age of 69, one of the few pirate lords in history to die of old age.

James Mecer Langston Hughes Literary Genius - 1763 Words

Literary Genius James Mercer Langston Hughes was born February 1, 1902 in Joplin, Missouri. James Hughes and Carrie Langston are Hughes’ parents. They later divorced when Hughes was young. After his parents divorced he went to live with his grandmother until he turned thirteen years old. At thirteen years old he moved to Lincoln, Illinois. After living in Illinois he later moved to Cleveland, Ohio to live with his mother. When he moved to Cleveland he started writing poetry (â€Å"James Mercer†¦Ã¢â‚¬  par. 2). Langston had many influential poets that he looked up too such as Carl Sandburg and Walt Whitman (â€Å"James Mercer†¦Ã¢â‚¬ par. 2). Langston Hughes, a gifted African-American poet, whose poetry was driven by blues, jazz, and other prominent ideas of the†¦show more content†¦4). In the â€Å"Chicago Defender† Hughes introduced a character named Jesse B. Semple, who Hughes called â€Å"Simple†. Hughes made a comic column talking about the real-life si tuations that â€Å"Simple† went through on a daily basis (â€Å"James Mercer†¦Ã¢â‚¬ par. 4). The comic columns became a successful idea and lead to Hughes using the ideas from the comics for his books and plays (â€Å"James Mercer†¦Ã¢â‚¬ par.4). Hughes had a controversy about his time in the Soviet Union and accused as a Communist. These accusations were brought by Senator Joseph McCarthy. McCarthy forced Hughes to go to court and testify about his political views (Rampersad 1). â€Å"Hughes denied that he had ever been a party member but conceded that some of his radical verse had been ill-advised† (Rampersad 1). After this controversial incident Hughes’ career was not faulted. Soon after the incident Senator McCarthy was proven wrong and Hughes began to write about his time in the Soviet Union (Rampersad 1). Hughes wrote many books such as â€Å"Not Without Laughter†. â€Å"Not Without Laughter† received a gold medal for literature in 1930. â€Å"Not Without Laughter†, a book created by Hughes, talks about characters such as Sandy, Jim Boy, and Angee. â€Å"Not Without Laughter† is a fictional book that talks about the characteristics and descriptions of many different people. This book represented Hughes’ family in a metaphorical way. The

Ethics and Leadership in Engineering Free Essays

Engineers play a significant part in the development, prosperity and safety of people around the globe. The primary role of engineers is to identify/sense and respond to a need by constructing or creating a solution with certain specific guidelines. While it is the responsibility of engineers to develop such structures, it is also their responsibility that their creation serves the function in a proper manner, take all safety precautions while making it and give the safety directions to the users after handing it over. We will write a custom essay sample on Ethics and Leadership in Engineering or any similar topic only for you Order Now Discussion These structures, however, do not stay safe forever. No matter how safe a construction or a creation is, it reveals its failure after sometime. Eventually these failures lead to dire consequences some time. Engineers struggle all the time to avoid failures and make their solution safer and more efficient. Sometime mere lacking of professional ethics is the reason. In UK, the seriousness of ethical issues, which arise in professional lives of engineers, has been recognized recently. However, in USA this has been recognized for some time. Their universities offer substantial guidance and support to their professionals. The Royal Academy of Engineering, in 2005, initiated the process and brought its publishing in the form of â€Å"Statement of Ethical Principles†, which outlines the specific ways in which engineers across UK are committed to upholding certain ethical values. During the same time, UK Engineering Council amended its standards for chartered and incorporated engineers, in order to increase awareness of ethical issues. It appears that this has resulted in having a profound effect as many universities have incorporated ethical perspective in their studies. Professional Engineers strive to develop solutions that improve the health and safety conditions for the welfare of society. The statement of Ethical Principles sets standards for professional Engineers (Statement of Ethical Principles. 2005). It presents four principles that guide engineers in their professional duties. It includes Accuracy and Rigour, Honesty and Integrity, Respect for life, Law and the Public Good, and Responsible Leadership. Accuracy and Rigour means, Engineers have the responsibility to acquire and sustain the information relevant to their practices; they should also keep their knowledge up to date. It is also the responsibility to always act with care as their profession requires a strong commitment. They should only perform their services in the field of relevant competence. Since the technical knowledge, an Engineer can understand are not easy for the others, therefore, it is the duty of engineers to not knowingly mislead others as it can have dire consequences and therefore unethical. Honesty and Integrity means; engineers should act with high standards of professional ethics. They should not accept any bribery or questionable payment from anyone. They should act in the best interest of employer, unless it is not in conflict with rights of the other party. Respect for Life, Law and the Public Good, entails that engineers should be aware of relevant laws and regulations and should work accordingly. Conservation of nature and its resources should be a priority. They should act in the best manner that does not bring bad image to their profession. Responsible Leadership involves practicing high level of standards and leadership in the management of technology. Provide awareness to the public. Listen to the concern of the society. Adhering to these principles will bring good name to the profession and will make sure that it achieves what it is meant to be, welfare of society. However, we can have numerous examples from the past, of such negligence and improper conduct in this respected profession. In past successive accidents of railway occurred in UK, which were later fully investigated. These include the accident of Clapham Junction rail crash, on 12 December 1988. 35 people killed while 100 injured, when oncoming train ran into wreckage. Another on, 19 September 1997, Southall rail crash, killed 6 people and 150 injured. It occurred because of a collision with freight train. On 5 October 1999, Ladbroke Grove rail crash happened, when train passed the signal at danger and resulted in the head on collision, killed 21 while 523 injured. Investigation reports show that these could have been prevented by timely action of professional engineers. In America, a TV Antenna Tower collapsed in 1982, killing several people. Later investigation showed that safety measures were not taken as should have been (Uff, 2012, Pp13). Conclusion Engineering is a much respected profession. This respect demands responsibility. Adhering to rules but there arise ethical responsibilities too. However, if professional engineers stick to the four principles and apply them in their activities, it will surely add more value to this profession for sure. Running Head: leadership techniques Managers do things right, while leaders do the right thing. [Name of writer] [Name of institution] Managers do things right, while leaders do the right thing Thesis Statement â€Å"Managers do things right, while leaders do the right thing†. Introduction â€Å"Leaders create and change cultures, while managers and administrators live within them.† (Edward Schein) Managers do things right, while leaders do the right thing. Leader also sounds similar to the manager to the common man. But we know there are subtle differences. It takes a totally different approach to become a leader. These subtle differences create the difference that is visible in performances of organizations. There have been many theories on leadership and management. Talking about whether a manager is born or developed, what styles are of management exist and which is appropriate. Also, what a leader does, where his/her power comes from. First of all we will differentiate between a leader and a manager. Then we will discuss some models and theories related to it. Discussion The role of a manager is to achieve goals effectively and efficiently, by planning, organizing, co-ordinating and controlling. The importance of time is immense. On the other hand, leaders create and communicate a vision, then energise their followers towards achieving that vision. Leaders create a culture of shared values, beliefs and rituals to challenge the status quo. Managers use position authority to make subordinates work towards goals. While leaders motivate and inspire their followers to achieve their goals. Today the trait theory (born leaders) is criticized more. It is argued that even leadership has different styles, which are learned with experience rather than born traits (Daft, 2003, Pp.518). Ashridge Management College did research and found four major classifications of management styles. Tells, sells, consults, join. In tell style, the manager is autocratic, making a decision and imposing it on others. In sell style, manager still makes a decision on self like basis, but try to explain the logic behind it. In consult style, manager makes decision but in consultation with his/her subordinates. The most democratic style is join style, where manager himself becomes part of the team that makes joint decisions, and also claims the responsibility of that decision afterwards. Research indicates managers are generally thought to be having told or sell style. While employees prefer consult style. Choosing which style is more appropriate, depends on several factors. Contingency approach by Charles Handy suggests that four factors need to be understood to answer this question. The environment, task or people, trust or control, liking or respect (Schermerhorn 2012, Pp.266). Each particular combination of these factors results in a different situation and, therefore, requires a different tailored approach of management towards it (Robbins Judge, 2010, Pp.393). Michigan and Harvard identified two basic types of leaders. Task oriented and people or relation oriented leaders. Both have their own advantages and disadvantages. Ohio state research suggests that task orientation and people orientation can be achieved simultaneously; they are not mutually exclusive. Blake’s management grid proves this research by suggesting rather than asking a question that a manager should be task or people oriented; ask to what extent a manager should be task and people oriented (Daft, 2003, Pp.522). Managers and leaders differ in their approaches towards performing similar tasks. The approach of management is routine in nature. They like to work under conditions of certainty, strive to gain as much information as they gain, take relatively less risk. Leaders on the hand challenge the status quo. They talk about changing the culture and create followers with their motivation and persuasions skills. Leaders create a shared culture towards achieving the vision that followers own. Conclusion Who is best, a leader or manager is, however, a question depending on what needs to be accomplished. If it is a routine or not so dynamic environment, then decision tilts in favour towards manager. While if it involves dealing with changing and fluctuating situation with lots of risk involved then it will require the initiative approach of a leader. How to cite Ethics and Leadership in Engineering, Papers

Karl Marx was born on May 5, 1818, in a place call Essay Example For Students

Karl Marx was born on May 5, 1818, in a place call Essay ed Trier in Prussia. Marx attended the university of Bonn and later the university of Berlin, where he studied law, while majoring in history and philosophy. Karl Marx was married to his childhood friend Jenny von Westphalen, in 1843. Karl met his closest friend Frederick Engels in September of 1844, when he arrived in Paris. Together they participated in the activities of many revolutionary societies, and formed the theory and ideas of revolutionary proletarian socialism, also known as communism. Marxs health declined due to his strenuous work with Frederick Engels with the theory and the ideas of Communism. On December 2, 1881, his lifelong wife passed away. And just more than a year later Karl Marx died peacefully at his home. Both were buried at Highgate Cemetary in London, where they still lie today. The belief behind socialism is that certain inequalities that are evident in our society are unfair, and that the lesser part of the population should now own the majority of the wealth. However there are different ways socialists believe this should change. Some feel that this change should come through the government, through a gradual process, and some believe this change should come rapidly through a revolution. Socialist beliefs have been growing for many years. It first originated when Western Europe and North America fell victim to the process of industrialization. Before that period, most of these areas dealt and traded in agriculture. But through industrialization, they became trading nations, and later industrial nations. Major changes in the lifestyle of society came with this major economic change. Many went from being self-employed, as a farmer for example, to working in a huge plant. This was how the working class was formed. All of this industrialization in the major c ities, caused many of the people in the rural areas to migrate to these areas in hopes of work. This resulted in the population becoming centralized. This centralization of population led to many problems caused by over-crowding such as crime, disease, and poverty. The ones working in factories werent the only ones suffering of low wages caused by too much competition, and the desire to cut costs by the owners, but also independent shopkeepers suffered. The craftsmen who had their own shops were swallowed whole by these big factories who could make the same product at mass volumes for half the cost as the shopkeeper. These independent shopkeepers were put out of business. Without any intention at all, capitalism had developed and spread throughout Western Europe and North America. As it grew and expanded, the few owners became wealthier, and the working class became poorer. Still today in western countries exist socialist parties, who look to achieve total or partial socialism for t heir nation, so they do not have to worry about the problems associated with capitalism.Years later, Karl Marx and his philosophies infulenced later leaders which gave rise to Communism in the world, which then started a political war with Capitalism. One of Marxs main theories was his critical assault on the capitalist system. The capitalist system being based on private ownership of the means of production, which gives the power to very few. Marx himself mounted a full scale attack on the the theories, institutions, and philosophies of industrial capitalism. His main argument was that capitalism was irrational. Marx did agree that the capitalist system was unparalleled at the method of production it used. However, under that same system, the problem existed of how to distribute the products its factories have made. The fact was that under a capitalist system, production was meant to make a profit, not to satisfy the needs of the society. Marx stated that as long as those products being produced, were making a profit, they will remain being produced, no matter whether the public demanded that product, or not. Also with the capitalist system, came competition. This drove the capitalists to cut the costs as much as possible. This i s done through cutting the wages of the laborers. It is then evident that the public could no longer afford even the products they themselves produce. Also with competition, came the desire of the capitalist to increase volume, in the idea of grasping a larger portion of the market. This increased volume of product lead to a viscous circle, which includes overproduction, leading to lay-offs, periods of depression and recession. With this viscous circle, that is brought by capitalism, comes economic misery for all of society. Karl Marx also had a theory which described the workers in the capitalist system. Marx used the term alienation of labour in describing what effects are felt by the labourers under a capitalist system. He believed that laborers needed productive, gratifying work in order to remain happy. Marx stated that under a capitalist system laborers did not have a chance to develop their mental and physical capacities, something that Marx felt was essential while working. He also believed that man should not only labour as an individual, but for society as well. However under this capitalist system, man was working for his boss, who only seeked profit, and not the well-being of his workers, or the public. Under these conditions, workers became mentally and physically drained. Marx believed that every person had a need to work. However, the capitalist system does not satisfy that need. Marx said it best when he stated that this type of work, does not satisfy the need to work, but is only a means to satisfy other needs such as food and clothes. Marx used the term alienation of labour because this work left the laborer with a feeling of discomfort and homelessness. Marxs solution to capitalism, was the socialist revolution by the workers against the capitalists. Marx figured that this revolution would attain several things. Firstly, it would overthrow the system of ownership of the means of production, and place the means of production in the hands of t he people. Secondly, the goal of production would be to satisfy the needs of the society, and not to create a profit. Finally the socialist revolution would realize a rational way of distributing out the products it creates in accordance to need. The resulting system; socialism, would bring a society which was based on collective ownership of the means of production, rational economic planning, equal distribution of goods and services, and lastly, production for the human need. .u03f5162d33e1be0bdd934211549bd879 , .u03f5162d33e1be0bdd934211549bd879 .postImageUrl , .u03f5162d33e1be0bdd934211549bd879 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u03f5162d33e1be0bdd934211549bd879 , .u03f5162d33e1be0bdd934211549bd879:hover , .u03f5162d33e1be0bdd934211549bd879:visited , .u03f5162d33e1be0bdd934211549bd879:active { border:0!important; } .u03f5162d33e1be0bdd934211549bd879 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u03f5162d33e1be0bdd934211549bd879 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u03f5162d33e1be0bdd934211549bd879:active , .u03f5162d33e1be0bdd934211549bd879:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u03f5162d33e1be0bdd934211549bd879 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u03f5162d33e1be0bdd934211549bd879 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u03f5162d33e1be0bdd934211549bd879 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u03f5162d33e1be0bdd934211549bd879 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u03f5162d33e1be0bdd934211549bd879:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u03f5162d33e1be0bdd934211549bd879 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u03f5162d33e1be0bdd934211549bd879 .u03f5162d33e1be0bdd934211549bd879-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u03f5162d33e1be0bdd934211549bd879:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Business Ethics EssayIn the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the major forces reshaping Marxism in western Europe were improving economic conditions for workers and the growth of democracy. Factory workers