Aztec Human Sacrifice – a Detached View

In searching for a thesis for this paper, I was faced with a singular problem. With the ghastly subject of human sacrifice, what could possibly be argued and defended? During my reading and research, the stark and horrible reality of a butchered, battered, or burned human being slain in some grisly, weird ceremony for some equally weird gargoyle-like idol nearly caused me to choose another subject. Yet, years ago, when I read Gary Jennings' novel Aztec, I was fascinated with his description of the Aztec's sacrifice of prisoners during the dedication of the great pyramid in Tenochitlan: â€Å"The hearts of †¦ perhaps the first two hundred of them, were ceremoniously ladled into the mouths of Tlaloc and Huitzilopochtli until the statues' hollow insides could hold no more, and the stone lips of the two gods drooled and dribbled blood†¦ Those who have read Jennings' novel know that the foregoing is but a mild example of some of the graphic barbarism he describes. During my first reading of that novel, I would have never believed that I could come to the conclusion of my thesis. My thesis is this: There appears to be an intolerable paradox between the barbarous religious practices and the rather high state of civilization in the Central Valley of Mexico. This paradox undoubtedly led the early Spanish missionaries to regard the conquered Indians as devil worshipers. However, I believe that it is possible to regard the Aztecs as civilized people who also happened to perform human sacrifice. They performed human sacrifice in reaction to their view of the world and how they cope within it. Maintaining those two opposing viewpoints requires an understanding and a detached view which may have more to do with the study of history than the study of human sacrifice. The Aztecs, of course, had no monopoly on the practice of human sacrifice. Earlier cultures (the Maya, the Toltecs and others) provided the cultural base for human sacrifice upon which the Aztecs took to new heights. According to Encyclopedia Britannica, excavations in Egypt and elsewhere in the ancient Middle East have revealed that â€Å"numerous servants were at times interred with the rest of the funerary equipment of a member of the royal family in order to provide that person with a retinue in the next life. The burning of children seems to have occurred in Assyrian and Canaanite religions and at various times among the Israelites. Rites among the ancient Greeks and Romans that involved the killing of animals may have originally involved human victims. † The Aztecs, as previously stated, took the practice to new heights. In 1487 (five years before Columbus arrived to the East and two years after Henry VII began the Tudor dynasty in England) the greatest orgy of bloodletting of human sacrifice occurred during the fierce rule of Ahuizotl. I have already quoted Gary Jennings' description of the carnage, and I will quote one more passage to illustrate how the Aztecs in a ceremony lasting four days sacrificed at least 20,000 prisoners to their insatiable god Huitzilopochtli: â€Å"The prisoners endlessly ascended the right side of the pyramid's staircase, while the gashed bodies of their predecessors tumbled and rolled down the left side, kicked along by junior priests stationed at intervals, and while the gutter between the stairs carried a continuous stream of blood which puddled out among the feet of the crowd in the plaza†¦ Although Jennings' Aztec is, admittedly, a work of fiction, I have seen his descriptions corroborated elsewhere; for example, G. C. Vaillant's The Aztecs of Mexico describes the scene: â€Å"†¦ At the start of the dedication, the captives stood in two rows, and (they) began the grisly work of tearing out the victim's hearts†¦ † Returning to my thesis, how could the practice of human sacrifice be looked upon as anything less than barbaric, even to the point where Aztecs could be regarded as uncivilized? The answer, in my opinion, arises from their view of their creation, their position in the world, their relative importance therein, and how they were only holding on by a thread. If the Judeo-Christian God took only six days to create the heavens and earth (and rested on the seventh day), the Meso-American deity took awhile longer to get it right. The Aztecs believed that the sun and earth had been destroyed in a cataclysm and were regenerated four times. They believed that they were living in the fifth, and final, stage of creation, and (according to Meyer and Sherman's The Course of Mexican History) â€Å"that in their age of their fifth sun, final destruction was imminent. † Meyer and Sherman also point out another interesting (and revealing) aspect of how the Aztecs regarded themselves in the cycle of their cosmology. The accepted view of â€Å"a natural cycle† was that humans occupied a rather lowly position in the food chain of the gods. The cycle held that since the sun and rain nourished plant life and sustained man, man should give sustenance to the sun and rain gods. One might infer from the foregoing view that the Aztecs placed a low value on human life. To add to the paradox of sacrifice versus civilization, the evidence is that the Aztecs regarded the individual human as â€Å"a most significant locus of the meditation of the human and divine. † In Aztecs – An Interpretation by Inga Clendenin, the author focuses in on the actual meaning of the word â€Å"sacrifice. In her analysis of the Nahuatl linguistic iterations covering the separate meanings of death and sacrifice, she (gradually) comes to the conclusion that Aztecs regarded sacrifice as a payment of the debt incurred and only fully extinguished by death, â€Å"†¦ when the earth lords would feed upon the bodies of men, as men had perforce fed upon them. † What I liked most about Inga Clenninden's writings on the Aztec was her m ixture of sometimes excruciating detailed scholarship (I had to have a dictionary handy at all times) along with her eventual arrival at the exquisite truth of the matter. Concerning debt of humans to the gods she states the truth of the matter in two exquisitely perspicacious sentences: â€Å".. (T)he Mexica knew that all humans, unequal as they might be in human arrangements, participated in the same desperate plight: an involuntary debt to the earthly deities, contracted through the ingestion of the fruits of the earth†¦ It is that divine hunger which appears to underlay the gross feedings of undifferentiated mass killings. While everyone in Aztec society had the same debt, Aztec religion and its black-robed, blood-caked priests served to pay everyone's daily dues for continuation in humanity's last Tonatiuh yet a while longer. Through obeisance and observance of the needs of the pantheon of gods and with the complicity of the Aztec society at large (and often even with the active cooperation of the victims), the priests performed their killings, according to Clendinnen, openly and everywhere: â€Å"†¦ not only in the main temple precinc t, but in the neighborhood temples and on the streets. The Aztecs believed that without human sacrifice and the offering of the most precious and sacred thing the human possessed (blood), the sun might not rise to make its way across the sky. This rather strange and naive belief was supported by a mythology in which Huitzilopochitli, their fierce bloodthirsty god played a central part. But first, an explanation of the Aztecs' beliefs regarding the creation of their current age does shed some light on the role of sacrifice and Huitzilopochitli's cult, which later ran rampant and reached its zenith in the sacrifice of 20,000 at the dedication of the temple in 1487. A succinct description of Meso-American mythology appears in The Daily Life of the Aztecs by Jacques Soustelle. The ancient Mexicans believed that the two parent gods lived at the summit of the world. Their â€Å"unending fruitfulness† produced all the gods, and from it all mankind was born. The sun was born when â€Å"the gods gathered in the twilight at Teotihuacan and a little leprous god â€Å"covered with boils,† threw himself into a huge brazier as a sacrifice and â€Å"rose from the blazing coals changed into a sun†¦ † This sun was motionless and it needed blood to move. So the gods â€Å"immolated themselves, and the sun, drawing life from their death began its course across the sky. † To keep the sun moving on its course, â€Å"so that the darkness should not overwhelm the world forever, it was necessary to feed it every day with its food, ‘the precious water'†¦ human blood. † Every time a priest fed the gods at the top of a pyramid, or in the local temple, the disaster that always threatened to fall upon the world was postponed once more. About the time of the Crusades in Europe, the Aztecs migrated from the west into the Valley of Mexico. They brought with them their strange hummingbird god Huitzilopochitli, who, according to Victor W. Vonhagen in his The Aztec Man and Tribe gave the Aztecs some rather sound advice: â€Å"†¦ wander, look for lands, avoid any large-scale fighting, send pioneers ahead, have them plant maize, when the harvest is ready, move up to it; keep me,†¦ always with you, carrying me like a banner, feed me on human hearts torn from the recently sacrificed. † †¦ all of which the Aztecs did. The mythology surrounding Huitzilopochitli's origins was also revealing. The Aztecs believed themselves to be the â€Å"people of the sun. † This god's fierce preeminence is surpassed only by the Aztec view of his mother Coatlicue. Victor Von Hagen describes the Aztec sculpture of this powerful and awesome goddess: â€Å"†¦ her head of twin serpents, her necklace of human hands and hearts, her arms claw-handed, and her skirt a mass of writhing serpents†¦ † The Aztecs believed that Huitzilopochitli sprang alive and fierce from his mother to vanquish his brothers, the stars, and his sister, the moon who had conspired to kill his mother. Coatlique, an earth goddess, conceived him after having kept in her bosom a ball of hummingbird feathers (i. e. , the soul of a warrior) that fell from the sky. His brothers, the stars of the southern sky, and his sister, a moon goddess, decided to kill him, but he exterminated them with his weapon, the turquoise snake. The Aztecs followed the hummingbird's twittering and became the dominant culture of a civilization that by the time Cortes and his group of scruffy adventurers landed in 1517 numbered in the millions. It is difficult to imagine an ancient, complex civilization like the Aztecs with a daily life that centered around the grisly practice of human sacrifice. The average Aztec only had to look at the stone idol of household god to be reminded of what nourished that particular deity. Deities other than Huitzilopochitli had their own feast days in the Aztec calendar and, accordingly, demanded their own sustenance. Slave children were drowned as an offering to the rain god Tlaloc. The fire god's victims were given hashish and thrown into the blaze. Those who represented the god Xipe Totec were fastened to a frame, shot with arrows, and then had their corpse flayed (the priests dressed themselves in the skin representing the â€Å"new skin† of spring). Here we have the phenomenon of how the person being sacrificed was symbolically transfigured into the image of the god and his own temple. In most cases the victim was dressed up so as to represent the god who was being worshiped. Just as the gods of old had accepted death, the person reenacted and became that sacrifice. Moreover, according to Jaques Soustelle in The Daily Life of the Aztecs, â€Å"when ritual cannibalism was practiced on certain occasions, it was the god's own flesh that the faithful ate in their bloody communion. † As the Aztec cycle continued and a shortage of â€Å"god food† occurred, the Aztec â€Å"Flowery Wars† replenished that supply. Militarism, elevated to a virtue, became ever intertwined with Aztec society. In fact, a warrior's status was determined by the number of captives he delivered to the sacrificial altar. Whether as a battlefield casualty or ending up as a captive on the altar of an enemy tribe, this â€Å"flowery death† was desirable and noble, and a place in the clouds was reserved for that warrior. Returning one last time to Gary Jennings' graphic description of the prisoner sacrifice on that day in 1487, when long lines of captives shuffled along the avenues toward Tenochitlan up the pyramid staircase towards the twin temples of Tlaloc and Huitzilopochitli: â€Å"†¦ any prisoners, however complacently they came to their fate, involuntarily emptied their bladders or bowels at the moment lying down under the knife. The priests – who†¦ had been clad in their usual vulturine black of robes, lank hair, and unwashed skin – had become moving clots of red and brown, or coagulated blood, dried mucus, and a plaster of excrement†¦ † It is indeed difficult to read of such gore and barbarism without relegating the Aztecs to the level normally reserved for far less developed and organized societies. Although the Aztec period is considered by historians as not having reached the heights of civilizations of the classic period, it is clear that the Aztecs and the cultures of the Central Valley were sophisticated and well organized. There may have been as many as 30 million inhabitants of that area (although some scholars believe that count is somewhat exaggerated), and the breathtaking sight of Tenochtitlan must have impressed Cortes beyond words. The question remains: Does existence and abhorrent (to us) practice of human sacrifice disqualify the Aztecs from full membership in the â€Å"club† of civilizations? Apparently, the Spanish felt that the answer to the question was an unequivocal yes. The horror and disgust that newcomers must have felt may have helped the Spanish convince themselves that the native religion was another form of devil worship and provided subsequent justification for destroying their culture. Jaques Soustelle gets to the heart of the matter in The Daily Life of the Aztecs. He says that the Aztec practice of human sacrifice was a great factor in making the two religions which confronted one another totally irreconcilable. In the early battles, some conquistadores ended up as captives and sacrificial victims of the Aztecs themselves, and this practice lent a particularly remorseless attitude on each side of the struggle between the Aztecs and the Spanish invaders. If we can understand the motives and the religious and cultural perspective of the Spanish, who massacred, burnt, mutilated and tortured their conquered natives, it is likely that the definition of cruelty differs from culture to culture. It follows, therefore, that it is possible to use the same perspective towards human sacrifice on the part of the Aztecs. Works cited: Jennings, Gary, 1980, Aztec Von Hagen, Victor W. , 1958, The Aztec, Man and Tribe Vaillant, G. C. , 1944, The Aztecs of Mexico Clendinnen, Inga, 1991, Aztecs An Interpretation Meyer, Michael C. , and Sherman, William L. , 1995, The Course of Mexican History Pre-Columbian Civilizations: MESO-AMERICAN CIVILIZATION: Postclassic Period (900-1519): AZTEC CULTURE TO THE TIME OF THE SPANISH CONQUEST: Aztec religion. Britannica Online HUMAN SACRIFICE: Britannica Online XIPE TOTEC – Britannica Online â€Å"Tlaloc† Britannica Online.

As You Like It By William Shakespeare Essay

1. As you like it is full of characters pretending to be someone other than themselves. To what degree are the characters aware that they are role-playing? Does their acting have serious consequences, or is it merely a game. In the text as you like it by William Shakespeare many characters have alter egos in whom they use to influence and associate themselves with other characters. The two main characters that are pretending to be someone other than themselves are Celia and Rosalind. In act 1 of the text Rosalind is banished from the court of the duke and decides to seek upon her father in the forest of Arden. Rosalind and Celia decide to disguise themselves, Celia as a country girl named Aliena and Rosalind as a young man named Ganymede. Rosalind and Celia are unaware of the consequences that occur from having disguises. A consequence of Rosalind’s male disguise as Ganymede is that she makes Phebe, a female shepherdess in the forest of Arden fall in love with her. This disturbs the natural order in which Phebe is in love with a fellow shepherd Silvius. Rosalind’s gender swapping has created a consequence in she has made a woman fall in love with her when she is in love with Orlando. In the end Phebe goes back to Silvius and the consequence of Rosalind’s role-playing is resolved. The role-playing in the text does have effects on the other characters but Rosalind does end up marrying Orlando, Celia ends up marrying Oliver and Phebe ends up marrying Silvius. So the long-term consequences of Celia and Rosalind’s role-playing are miniscule only making the text more intricate and interesting for readers. In conclusion although characters in the text as you like it do pretend to be someone else, the consequences add to detail in the text and have have no serious consequences.

Critique of Kochavi’s Article Essay

Many of us used to read historical facts and data whether as a form of requirement of just a source of knowledge. As we read these texts, we are mould to understand certain parts of history that gives us greater perspective and learning of the past. According to Howell and Pervenier in their book â€Å"From Reliable Source: An Introduction to Historical Methods,† there is a process in obtaining historical data and evidences. This book serves as the basic steps in understanding the meaning and essence of history. As readers, we may be brought into historical places and scenarios because of many historians that give us several accounts on history, but we must also understand how history played a significant role to our growth and identity. This paper will discuss Noam Kochavi’s article entitled â€Å"Washington’s View of the Sino-Soviet Split, 1961-63: From Puzzled Prudence to Bold Experimentation† as it unravels a significant point of world history. In discussing the text, Howell and Prevenier will be taken into consideration to justify the arguments of the paper. Kochavi’s article discussed and described the trend and pattern of Sino-Soviet War. In the beginning of the article, the author discussed the path of the war as it involves the United States. In the middle of the text, Kochavi analyzed the different perspectives of the other historians as they give narration to the process of war through time between the concerned countries and the United States as part of the issue. Howell and Prevenier discussed the five keys to successful elaboration of historical accounts – a historian should know how to choose, he or she must know how to authenticate, to decode, to compare, and to interpret those sources that he or she has obtained. Based on the article, Kochavi has overflowing materials right through her hands. It was seen in her bibliography. They were used according to each topic. In the beginning of her article she discussed her main source, Gordon Chang’s â€Å"Friends and Enemies. † She discussed every sequence of Chang’s ideas and facts towards the World War and the perspectives of the United States within the issue of Sino-Soviet War. From all of these, it shows that Kochavi achieved the first key to obtain elaboration of the topic – by choosing the topic and idea. â€Å"Chang’s study has the single virtue of highlighting the considerable extent to which US officials during the 1950s and 1960s, Republican and Democrat alike, identified China as a growing danger to global and regional stability (Kochavi 51). † Kochavi’s article is a depiction of social reality and history into a complex situation. She is a product of modern historian that deals with the nature of facts and data in a sociological perspective rather than the technical acquisition of evidences. It can be said that this formation is a good attack to discuss the issues and relevant topics to make the article whole. Kochavi is also a basic definition of historian by Howell and Pervenier – having her own perspective that moulds the people into her own idea of the topic of the history. This point shows how the author authenticates the knowledge and evidences that she obtained throughout the process research and discussion of the text. â€Å"Another manifestation was the sense that the Communist Chinese soldier was capable of exhibiting inhuman resilience, partly because of the leadership’s alleged low regard for human life (53). † This part of the article showed the thoughts and arguments of Kochavi in regards with the context of the war. There are several points that she obtained throughout the text and all of these were discussed with certain evidences from different books, articles, discussions, and interviews. It was seen in the article that the author is making her assertions with points and justification to her main idea. As she discussed the inclusion of Washington to the war of China and Soviet Union, she is armed with different learning, ideas, composition, facts, evidences, and relevant materials to fulfill her goal for the text. That is why as the article went to its end, the readers would have greater knowledge towards the war and the ways on how Washington or the whole United States faced the issues and complications of the war. Kochavi decoded the facts and discussed it through her own senses and ideas to formulate better perspectives and identity to this part of history. â€Å"At the same time, prominent Foreign Service ‘Russian experts’, respected in the administration’s higher counsels, deemed Rostow’s prognosis too optimistic (62). † This part of the text discussed other relevant data and analysis to the topic. It is a form of comparison because Kochavi used to define and describe the capabilities, skills, knowledge, and identity of the Russian experts as they discuss the war. The author attempted not to become bias with her own thoughts and ideologies. That is why she recognized some ideas and analysis coming from other historians or experts in different countries especially to the concerned countries during the war to show their struggles, emotions, and own viewpoint of the battle. Therefore, Kochavi slowly obtained the fourth key to become a good historian for she already discussed the key aspects in tortuous case to make her readers understand well her input, subject, and point of view. On the other way around, as the article evolves and articulates its main thought, the author also narrates her simple ideas towards the scenario or the chosen topic that she faced. â€Å"In no small measure, Washington’s handling of the split was shaped by the policymaker’s preconceptions regarding China and the Soviet Union, as well as by perceived domestic factors. Yet, this article demonstrates that intelligence organs and intelligence products played a significant role (71). † The last part of the text, he discussed the main points that she wanted to convey. Through this, she has the willpower to learn and continue growing in the field of history that only few could acquire. She interpreted the sources that she has in greater sense of responsibility towards her readers. The attempts, attacks, symbolisms, and signs that Kochavi used to perform her duty as a historian and gives the readers the understanding of the content and rationale that shows the political, social, and economic aspects of war during 1960s. In conclusion to this, it can be said that Noam Kochavi did not only made a good effort to discuss the points and revelations of the Sino-Soviet War but she also made some input that moulds the readers on how they will perceive this certain part of history. It is true that historians give the idea of acquiring the facts of history as based on Howell and Pervenier. History is always in the hands of the historians because they give life to the past as we readers continue to nurture our minds in whatever facts, evidences, and information that we obtain through reading and acquiring knowledge. Work Cited Kochavi, Noam. 2000. Washington’s View of the Sino-Soviet Split, 1961-63: From Puzzled Prudence to Bold Experimentation. Intelligence and National Security 15, no. 1 (Spring): 50-79

Assignment 3-2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Assignment 3-2 - Essay Example This pattern emerges when we study the dominant traits of all the individuals in the group. Just as the personality profiles of individuals can be used to understand their interactions; the personality profiles of individuals and groups can also be studied to understand the extent of fit that the individual has with the group. Such analysis can often help us identify helpful and unhelpful patterns between levels in the hierarchy; co-workers, and thus help us repair the same to ensure efficient functioning of the group. In the present study, the group supervisor has a personality profile that can be coded as ESFP, and the group he supervises is coded has a dominant profile ESTJ. We find it important to study the interaction between these two profiles in order to try and understand the areas of strength and those of concern in the interactions of the supervisor and the group. The supervisor (personality profile ESFP) is a spontaneous, outgoing individual who loves attention and being a mongst people; interacting with them and helping them feel good about themselves. He makes a great team worker because of this. This person is also liable to be emotional in some situations, and moody in his interactions with others. He prefers using pre-existing structures to new ones; and is less likely to be analytical about the situation at hand. On the other hand, the group profile suggests that the group is organised and focused in its functioning and prefers to abide by rules and structures. It respects authority and is meticulous in its functioning. The discipline that the group seems to love keeps in on target in its goals, which also fuels its sense of purpose and confidence. The group does not take lightly to erratic and strange or out-of context behaviour. Its strong centrifugal style keeps the group connected and united in most cases. The relationship between these two groups is seen as one of Benefit; with the supervisor (personality profile ESFP) being the Benefactor of the group (personality profile ESTJ). A relationship of this kind gives the benefactor a more favourable place in the relationship; and thus, a higher place in the hierarchy. The relationship is mutually beneficial to the extent that the benefactor – here the supervisor – provides the presence and authority that the beneficiary needs and craves. This makes for a smooth work relationship in most cases, since the supervisor provides the authority and direction the team happily follows in the completion of the set goals. The supervisor in return gains respect from the team that provides a sense of authority and control the ESFP love. The team or group tend to identify with the supervisor and treats itself as an extension of this supervisor, such that the flow of command and direction is seamless and rarely challenged. There are potential areas of conflict also; since the supervisor does have some weak spots that the group tries to fill out. But being lower in the hiera rchy of power; they can only make suggestions that may or may not be conceded. This can lead to strife and angry interactions that taint the mood of the group; and could even affect it’s functioning. The supervisor’s personality does lead him to undervalue to inputs of the group; and may ignore suggestions from the team members. While they are focussed on maintaining the wellbeing and functionality of each team member; they do not feel the need to take all

Understanding high attrition rates within a retail bank finance Essay

Understanding high attrition rates within a retail bank finance department - Essay Example This is project report for tackling a serious problem which is currently facing Bank 4 U. That is the problem of abnormally high attrition. This project is not intended to be an analysis of the problem. An analysis by its very nature is intended to be a review of the situation.This analysis is reviewed later and appropriate decisions are taken on its recommendations. This problem is sufficiently serious that only an interventionary approach to solve the problem will solve it. The Author proposes an Action research project in this proposal.The project team members will be managers and other personnel who will be able to act on the solutions as they come up in the research team. The members of this team will also not be disinterested members of this project, but whom this problem of attrition personally and professionally affects.The theory and practice of action research is sufficiently covered in the project plan to give an idea of the approach which will be taken to solve this probl em and the rationale behind that approach. The problem itself is explored sufficiently to see how it could be properly solved using this method.This Project was initiated by the top management of Bank 4 U. The author of this report was entrusted with implementing it. Action research methodology will be used. The theory will be accumulated from various scholarly sources. The problem, which was attrition, will be defined in great detail. It is apparent that this is a problem of very high magnitude with no apparent solution and that there is a requirement of an immediate intervention. A team of highly affected members of management will be put together. Using the various methodologies of Action Research, solutions will be constantly be discussed by the group and based on this discussion , various solutions will be continually implemented. The data gathered from implementations will be reviewed to look at possible modifications on a constant basis. The Author of this project , is also t he originator of this project , would not lead this project , but be more of a facilitator . The members of this project will be more of a round table with everybody's opinions receiving the same value. This would be important for a successful intervention and prevent this action research project be taken over by one or a few people and defeat the purpose the panel. The project panel will be in place for the duration of the intervention Understanding High Attrition within a Finance Organization Developing a Collaborative Roadmap to Improve Employee Retention Conceptualization and Framework Context Bank-4-U is one of the nation's leading financial services companies serving consumers and small to mid-sized businesses through various subsidiaries in the Bank-4-U family of companies. The organization has grown extensively through a series of acquisitions and as a result needs to address challenges in the areas of cultural and technical integration.

Critique of any qualitative Nursing Reserch Paper Research

Critique of any qualitative Nursing Reserch - Research Paper Example One of the major motivations behind the research conducted by Walker and colleagues (2010) was the absence of predialysis guidelines and educational components that would facilitate and regulate the work and professional development of predialysis nursing in New Zealand. Walker et al (2010) opted in for qualitative method of gathering information and based their study on descriptive exploratory methodology. The sample for the study was comprised of fourteen nurses located in New Zealand, and the main criterion for the sample selection was â€Å"any nurse providing pre-dialysis education and care in New Zealand† (Walker et al, 2010, p.5). According to Walker et al (2010), the data for analysis was gathered via semi-structured interviews, which allowed interviewers to obtain in-depth description and discussion of the problem of nurse’s role in effective predialysis care. According to Marshall & Rossman (2011), the purpose of qualitative research is to gather an in-depth understanding of a problem, and its method aims to investigate the why and how of decision making, thus, the study by Walker et al (2010) corresponds to the criteria of qualitative study. During their semi-structured interviews, authors (Walker et al, 2010) opted in for c ollecting demographic data of the participants. Walker et al (2010) applied inductive approach to retrieve thematic content for the study discussion. Study’s preliminary findings were retrieved from the analysis of transcripts and were later discussed by participants’ group formed of predialysis nurses, which facilitated the formulation of themes and further analysis. As indicated by Marshall & Rossman (2011), in order to build a sold proposal the researchers has to argue that the study has the potential to contribute to theorizing and research, to policy issues and policy making. From the critical perspective, Walker et al (2010) did not

Historical Report on race Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Historical Report on race - Research Paper Example Today, you hear people speaking Spanish in very street you walk through in the cities of the United States of America. Hispanic Americans or Latinos originated in the Latin America and Spain. Hispanic American refers to the people of Spanish-speaking ancestry, while Latino refers to the people of Latin American origin. The history of Hispanic Americans in the US dates back to 16th century when Spanish ships sailing through Pacific Coast to Oregon. Hispanic Americans were the first racial group to reach the Mississippi River, the Appalachian Mountains and Great Plains. Spaniards created the first local settlement in continental America at St. Augustine in Florida in 1565 while other settlements in Virginia, Plymouth Colony, San Antonio, San Diego and Los Angeles followed later in the century (Jim, 2011). During the American Revolutionary war, Spain aided America since Spain held about half of the continental America territory. Through treaties, diplomacy and the Mexican-American War, United States increased its territory at the expense of Spain and most Hispanic Americans were pushed to the Southwestern States (Jim, 2011). Hispanic Americans account for about 17 percent of the total US population which translates to over 50 million people. Hispanic Americans is the fastest growing racial group with a population growth rate of 28.6 % which is about four times the national average of 7.2 % according to 2010 statistics. Majority of Hispanic Americans live in Puerto Rico, East Los Angeles, Texas, Miami, California and Colorado. Hispanic Americans form the second largest are the second largest racial group in the US after the White Native Americans. Hispanic Americans are still a minority group. Most Hispanic Americans originated from Latin American countries like Salvador, Colombia, Cuba, Mexico and Dominica (Jim,

Compare the education between Saudi Arabia and United state Essay

Compare the education between Saudi Arabia and United state - Essay Example Saudi Arabia and the United States are allies. However, while learners in the United States continue to access valuable education and subsequent employment, learners in Saudi Arabia continue to undergo substandard education. Saudi Arabia needs to be at the same level of education as the United States, if the two countries are to gain meaningful cooperation. A lot of scholars have written on the current trends in education in Saudi Arabia and what future holds. Such literature acknowledges that most of the elite in Saudi Arabia have schooled in the United States and provideslessons that Saudi Arabia can learn from the United States (Lippman, 2012). In order for Saudi Arabia to compete globally with nations such as the United States, theformer needs to borrow from the educational system of the latter. It would be very beneficial for Saudi Arabia to emulate the United States in terms of learner-centered instructional methods, more investment in libraries, more emphasis on higher education, and the use of online

Community Health- Communicable Diseases Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Community Health- Communicable Diseases - Essay Example This highly transmissible virus is spread via coughing, sneezing, contact with infected nasal or throat secretions or physical contact with infected individual. It can remain in the air or infected surface in its active virulent form for as long as two hours. Infected individuals can spread the virus from four days before up to four days after the manifestation of the signs or symptoms (Center for Disease Control (CDC), 2012). Respiratory diseases such as measles and Tuberculosis are usually very communicable because most of them are transmitted airborne. Care should be taken to ensure that in case of an outbreak the disease is contained within the shortest time possible to prevent an epidemic. Epidemiological Indicators Epidemiological indicators may be confused as they are similar to normal flu; however there are key indicators that would help one identify the symptoms with ease. Measles is characterized by high fever with temperatures higher or equal to 38.70 C, red watery eyes (a condition referred to as conjuvitis), runny nose and cough. These manifest 6 to10 days after infection with the virus. There is appearance of a red discolored rash on the face and the upper neck area accompanied by appearance of white-bluish spots in the buccal cavity, inside the cheeks. Similar rashes to those on the face and upper neck region, eventually spread to other parts of the body including the feet later. The rash disappears on its own, 5-6 days after its onset. Complications are very rare but when the immune system is compromised or in very severe cases, measles can lead to encephalitis, damage and infections to the middle respiratory illnesses such as pneumonia and diarrhea. Laboratory analysis involves Enzyme linked immunoabsorbent assay, positive serologic analysis of IgM measles antibodies and significant increase in IgG measles antibody levels or by Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) of the virus from a medical case (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2011). Ac cording to Killewo (2010) is to watch for the median value between the time when the rashes appear and when they reappear. Killewo continues to explain that epdeniological indicators show that the disease mostly affects children less than five years old and the very elderly. A study conducted in 2006 Somalia revealed that the disease mostly affects malnourished children leading to 50% to 80% of the deaths. Epidemiological indicators are important because they help doctors and practitioners to come up with effective preventive measures. Infection with measles remains high in regions where it is still endemic like some places in Africa and Asia. Most of these places are at high risk due to poor economy and poor coordination in and decentralized health systems. War conflicts and natural outbreaks have great significance in deadly measles outbreaks. The disease also spreads at great pace due to high population and low nutrition associated with these regions especially due to overcrowdin g in camps. However, most countries have been able to put it under control by introduction of measles vaccine. In the mid 20th century, as many as close to 1 million cases of measles infections were reported in the United States. Thanks to the measles vaccine, this number has reduced to as low as 150 cases as reported in the United States towards the end of the 20th century. Such progress led to the disease being declared

Critically analyse how culture and nonverbal communication are Essay

Critically analyse how culture and nonverbal communication are connected - Essay Example Universally, there is a set of psychological problems that various groups of individuals must solve to survive which highly connect with the biological imperatives. In essence, both groups and individuals must design ways of addressing the universal problems. The means developed by people and groups essentially become their culture. Therefore, culture can be referred to in this context as a shared system of socially transmitted behaviour that defines, describes and guides our ways of life, communicated from one generation to another. Every culture can be said to have its unique language, with its grammar, vocabulary, pragmatics and phonology. The specific way in which every culture develops its non-verbal language differs from that of another. The connection between culture and non-verbal communication is a reality that the essay endeavours to analyse critically. Just like the case with verbal communication, culture significantly influences the various forms of non-verbal communication in profound ways. The application of gestures, facial expressions, the interpersonal space, gaze, touch and body postures impacted on by cultural behaviours that differ significantly. There is a great connection between culture and gestures. The examination of the interrelationship between culture and gestures dates back to the 1936 and 1941 studies by David Efron (Berko, Rosenfeld and Samovar, 2013). In these studies, David examined the use of gestures among the Lithuanian and Sicilian Jewish immigrants who lived in the New York City. In his findings, Efron established that there were different gestures between the traditional Italians and Jews which gradually kept disappearing as people got assimilated into the American culture. Other studies by Ekman et al. in 1976 produced a documentation of the cultural differences in the use of emblematic gestures betwee n the Americans, Japanese, and the New Guineans. It is worth noting,

5 cold war Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

5 cold war - Assignment Example The disintegration of the communism in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union was the most unexpected and rapid major economic and social transformation that occurred in the 20th century. Although the demise of communism in Eastern Europe was largely peaceful, it had extremely destabilizing repercussions in the Soviet Union. This was due to the fact that communism was founded on two defining economic features which were characterized by a centralized command economy in which prices as well as output targets were administratively fixed. It is worth noting that the key premise behind communism was that the cause of human suffering was capitalism and its subsequent lack of the distribution of wealth. The heaviest price that was paid by the relatively disorganized manner in which communism ended was the financial/ monetary costs that the European countries had to face, and the subsequent debt the states would have to the West for the economic assistance offered to help in the building of market economies in the East. There was an unexpected high cost to reunification and reconstruction in the East which consequently caused tension which spilled over the country’s borders. Additionally, there was a quick growth in the number of Eastern European immigrants which in turn spurred powerful racists and rightist political movements which ultimately culminated in anti-immigrant riots. Unfortunately, as a result, there was a great increase in unemployment caused by the chaos on the currency markets in Europe and the fragmenting of the European monetary system. There was a lingering recession characterized by unemployment and hyperinflation where people’s savings were exhausted. Unfortunately, European governments were preoccupied with striving to lower their budget deficits as well as the national inflation and had little room to deal with the issue of unemployment or any other social issues that arose from the collapse of communism. Therefore, due to the mentioned

From the Concert of Europe to the Cause of the First World War Essay Example for Free

From the Concert of Europe to the Cause of the First World War Essay After the fall of Napoleon there was a need to create a balance of power that would preserve the peace between European monarchies. Also to redraw the map of Europe and to restore the countries in crisis after their defeat of Napoleon. The main goal of the Concert was to contain France and prevent another ascend of authority such as Napoleon Bonaparte. The origins of The Concert of Europe begin from the international conference called by the victorious allied nations in Vienna – The Congress of Vienna. It took place in September 1814 to June 1815 and is mostly considered as the precursor to today’s United Nations. The Congress was highly successful in achieving its goal, as there were no wars between European countries for almost 40 years. One could say that the Concert of Europe is still continuous, but with different players, goals and name. Thus The Concert of Vienna was first of its kind and in addition Europe had not seen such cooperation between major powers before, it nonetheless made numerous decisions that shaped Europe to its historic course. For instance France was deprived from lands Napoleon had conquered. Britain got several strategic colonial territories, also gaining control of the seas. France and Spain were restored under rightful bloodlines. However the numerous decisions and outcomes were pompous, concentrating on the needs and wants of four main powers Austria, Russia, Prussia, and Great Britain. The Concerts main accomplishment was the securing of independence for Greece (ironic) by sending fleets to fight against invading Ottoman-Egyptian armies. Thanks to three great powers, Russia, The United Kingdom and France, Greece was finally recognized as an independent nation that it is today. In Belgian revolution the Great Powers recognized Belgium as an independent state. After that the signs of collapse of the alliance started to appear. The goal of the Concert of Europe was to keep a balance of power between leading countries in Europe, but if the balance starts to change to someone’s favour then the conflicts begin to arise. The sudden development of Egypt and their successful war against Ottomans brought about fear in European powers. A collapse of Ottoman Empire could have had a destabilizing effect to every country especially to the United Kingdom. England was not only worried for loosing economic benefits and militarily strong state in Mediterranean, but also about Egypt’s close ties to France. Britain preferred a weakened but intact Ottoman Empire that would give it the strategic and commercial advantages it needed to maintain its influence in the region. This all lead to what was called the Oriental Crisis of 1840 where United Kingdom, Austrian Empire, The Kingdom of Prussia and the Russian Empire backed Ottoman Empire against Egypt. France did not accept with the terms The Concert of Europe offered to Egypt, not siding with any of the rivals, but stayed ‘neutral’. Eventually after numerous military conflicts Egypt accepted the terms and Ottoman Empire got back all its lost fleets and territories. The significant downfall of The Concert of Europe was Crimean War in 1853 when Russian Empire started its expansion, which was against the main idea of the Congress of Vienna. It was all powered by the weakening Ottoman Empire and religious disputes till Russia made its move on Constantinople which was owned by the Turks. Afterwards European powers joined in to prevent Russia from growing too powerful. Followed three years of hostilities on five theatres till Russian Empire was eventually stopped. Being the first major armed conflict in Europe after the settlement at the Congress of Vienna, Crimean War signified the downfall of the Concert of Europe. At the Treaty of Paris, signed on March 30, 1856, the real looser was Austria. Having chosen to defy the Russians in the Balkans, Austria lost main ally, and over the next few years it appeared that Britain and France were not interesting in cooperation. Moreover, the Crimean War was the collapse of the Vienna Settlement, the system that had enabled Austria, Britain, France, Prussia and Russia to cooperate and maintain peace for three decades. The Crimean War placed the basis for two powerful new nation states Italy and Germany. The new six-power European system demonstrated to be less stable than its forefather, while the expectation that political and diplomatic aims could be satisfied by war led these states to adopt ever closer alliances. The Crimean War was a turning point in European history, marking the end of the Vienna settlement, and the beginning of a new system. In spite of all, the Great Powers finally returned to war in 1914, almost hundred years after the Congress of Vienna. Alliances and common pacts all end in the course of time, lead by human needs and personal gains, sooner or later. (And the outcome is war ofc) The First World War begun with a simple murder of Austrian-Hungarian royalty, at least that is the simplified reason. In reality it only triggered the war; the actual roots of the war are much deeper and more complicated than a simple bullet in the Archdukes neck. Rise of nationalism and its movements in Europe created such secret societies that used terrorist methods to promote their views. Slavic people in Bosnia and Herzegovina wanted no longer to be a part of Austria-Hungary, but instead be to be a part of Serbia. Viewing it in this way, it could be said that nationalism led Slavic people to rebel against their occupiers that ended with the First World War Increased military and naval rivalry led not only to the belief that war was close and increase in military control of the civilian government also there was an increased cooperation between allied countries. For example United Kingdom, France and Russia held secret military talks. The British and the French naval authorities agreed that the French navy should be concentrated in the Mediterranean and the British in the North Sea. Germany and Austria also had military agreements. When the First World War began, it was to be fought by all powers because they were locked into the conflict from the beginning by contracts and alliances. European powers had formed themselves into two rival groups called the Triple Entente versus the Triple Alliance and the interests of these groups clashed in many parts of the world before 1914. Whenever a clash arose, the two groups seemed to be on the edge of war. Believably, on some level, it eventually led to hatred of each other. Contributing fact was that after 1870, the European nations began to acquire colonies in Asia, Africa and the Pacific. Their imperialistic activities led to another clash of interests. It could be said that the underlying causes for war are the same as for everything else in life. One decision affects the other to ad nauseam. It was possible that politicians knew that war was at their doorstep, but I am sure they did not know that over 15 million people will have to pay for it with their lives. Could the First World War be avoided is doubtful, because of the tense relations, rivalry and complicated alliance systems. It was a small scale war between Austria-Hungary and Serbia that transformed into world war. The same could easily happen today when China or USA supports North or South Korea over the conflict. History repeats itself and we need to learn from it. Poking your nose into other people’s business is not the smartest plan when both sides have powerful ‘’brothers’’ positioned farther back.

Legal and Practical Impact of Insolvency

Legal and Practical Impact of Insolvency Introduction The dissertation is going to consider the topical area of insolvency and the impact that it has on contracts that are in place with the insolvent company. A company may enter insolvency proceedings either voluntarily or be forced into the position by creditors and/or members. Similar processes exist for partnerships[1]. However, when a company enters into a position of insolvency, this creates a potentially difficult position in relation to the contracts that have been entered into on behalf of the company, prior to the company entering into insolvency and ultimately being dissolved. This research paper will look at the effects that insolvency has on these contracts, both in terms of commercial contracts and employment contracts. It will consider not only the legal impact but also the reality of how these situations are dealt with regarding the practicalities[2]. Hypothesis It is suggested that when a company enters into insolvency proceedings, whether on a voluntary basis or on a compulsory basis, the legal structure of what should happen to the relevant contracts is not, in fact, in line with what actually occurs. In reality, those involved in company insolvency will ensure that the contracts simply do not collapse but rather that economic value which exists in the contracts is maintained as much as is possible in the circumstances[3]. Objectives The main objectives of this research are to consider the legal and real impact of insolvency proceedings on contracts that are in place with the newly insolvent company. As a company can enter into contracts as its own distinct legal entity, this can result in a position where one party of the contract ceases to exist[4]. The aim of the research is to consider what should happen from a purely legal point of view in relation to the contracts that a company has entered into when it becomes insolvent and how this relates to the reality of what actually occurs. Due to the nature of commercial and employment contracts and the different legal principles that apply to these types of contracts and the potentially different implications that may arise from the treatments of these contracts, they should be analysed independently. It is suggested that the strict legal position is rarely followed due to the complex nature of the situation and this research aims to ascertain whether or not this statement is accurate[5]. Methodology Several different methods will be followed during this research. Initially, research and analysis will be conducted into what the strict legal position should be. This will involve looking at the relevant legislation and the way in which this should be interpreted strictly in relation to both types of contracts[6]. After the strict legal position has been ascertained, the case law relating to how this legislation has been applied, practically, in the courts will be established. A range of contracts (both commercial and employment) will be considered and looked at in order to ascertain what the agreed clauses state should happen during insolvency and how these issues are dealt with during court cases. At this point, it would also be helpful to consider what happens in other jurisdictions, both across the European Union and in one other developed country, in particular, such as the USA. Research will also be conducted as to what is used as the main alternative to insolvency, i.e. distressed business sales or carving up of assets. Perceptions are important in this field. Therefore, part of the research will be conducted with first hand interviews and questionnaires of business people (ideally company directors) on how they believe the contracts would work in the event of insolvency. This perception will then be compared with what is written in the contracts to see if the real perceptions meet with the legal drafting[7]. The research will focus on gaining a strict legal view as well as an understanding of what happens, in reality, in relation to the basic principles of contract, i.e. is there any difference between executed and non-executed contracts? Are there any differences, in reality, to the way contracts that are now frustrated are dealt with, in comparison to ones that could be performed adequately by another party? Limitation Commercial and employment contracts are often sensitive in their nature and not readily available for analysis. More specifically, companies that are entering into an insolvency scenario will be extremely reluctant to give information readily that relates to their commercial contracts. Many deals that are done with a company which is entering insolvency will be negotiated rapidly and with commercial secrecy, making the research particularly difficult to undertake. Insolvency is often something that businesses are simply unprepared to consider or discuss, as discussion of such issues can be seen as a sign of weakness. On this basis, it may prove difficult to speak to a sufficient number of directors about insolvency provisions[8]. Resources Resources used in this research will be relatively variable. Firstly, and arguably the most important resource, will be the legislation that underlies the area of insolvency law[9]. This is the fundamental part of the legal area of insolvency and will be the background for the remaining part of the research. Case law and analysis of legislation will then form the secondary part of the research when looking at the way in which the legislation actually operates on a practical level. Once the legal position has been established, direct contact will have to be made with individual companies. These resources will include questionnaires, direct analyses of the relevant contracts and perceptions of the contractual terms that are in place, in the event of insolvency. Commercial and employment contracts will be looked at separately due to their considerable differences in content, legal position and scope[10]. Timetable This research is expected to span a period of at least 8 months. The initial part of the research considering the legal context and provisions of the relevant legislation will create the foundation of the research and will be undertaken in the first 2 months of the research timetable. Towards the end of the first 2-month period, the case law and journals analysing the relevant legislation will provide the supplemental part of this initial research. After a full understanding of the legislation has been obtained, the research will move on to considering the practical reality of what happens in insolvency situations. Questionnaires and interviews will be conducted over a period of 2 months, with the remaining 3 months of the research being used to consolidate and conclude, based on the information gathered. Suggested Chapters Suggested initial chapters will include methodology and research background. In the main body of the research, the findings will be broken down to contain legislative provisions (both employment and commercial), case law and legal analysis relating to the legislation, directors’ perceptions, contractual provisions and overall conclusions drawing all information together[11]. It is anticipated that the conclusion section will draw together all of the above information and findings to establish whether or not the legal provisions relating to insolvency are followed, in practice, when a company enters into a position of insolvency. Bibliography Brousseau, Eric, Glachant, Jean-Michel, The Economics of Contracts: Theories and Applications, Cambridge University Press, 2002 Dickerson, A. Mechele, Insolvency Principles and the Odious Debt Doctrine: The Missing Link in the Debate, Law and Contemporary Problems, 70, 2007 Fletcher, Ian F., Insolvency in Private International Law: National and International Approaches, Oxford University Press, 1999 Goode, Royston Miles, Principles of Corporate Insolvency Law, Sweet Maxwell, 2005 Marsh, S.B., Soulsby, J., Business Law, Nelson Thornes, 2002 McKendrick, Ewan, Commercial Aspects of Trusts and Fiduciary Obligations, Oxford University Press 1992 Schwartz, Alan, A Contract Theory Approach to Business Bankruptcy, Yale Law Journal, 107, 1998 Schwartz, Alan, Bankruptcy Contracting Reviewed, Yale Law Journal, 109, 1999 Thorpe, Chris P., Bailey, John C.L., Commercial Contracts: A Practical Guide to Deals, Contracts, Agreements and Promises, Institute of Directors, Kogan Page Publishers, 1999 Unt, Lore, International Relations and International Insolvency Cooperation: Liberalism, Institutionalism, and Transnational Legal Dialogue, Law and Policy in International Business, 28, 1997 Yemin, Edward, Bronstein, Arturo S., The Protection of Workers Claims in the Event of the Employers Insolvency, International Labour Office, International Labour Organization, 1991 Footnotes [1] Fletcher, Ian F., Insolvency in Private International Law: National and International Approaches, Oxford University Press, 1999 [2] Brousseau, Eric, Glachant, Jean-Michel, The Economics of Contracts: Theories and Applications, Cambridge University Press, 2002 [3] Yemin, Edward, Bronstein, Arturo S., The Protection of Workers Claims in the Event of the Employers Insolvency, International Labour Office, International Labour Organization, 1991 [4] Marsh, S.B., Soulsby, J., Business Law, Nelson Thornes, 2002 [5] Schwartz, Alan, A Contract Theory Approach to Business Bankruptcy, Yale Law Journal, 107, 1998 [6] Dickerson, A. Mechele, Insolvency Principles and the Odious Debt Doctrine: The Missing Link in the Debate, Law and Contemporary Problems, 70, 2007 [7] Goode, Royston Miles, Principles of Corporate Insolvency Law, Sweet Maxwell, 2005 [8] Schwartz, Alan, Bankruptcy Contracting Reviewed, Yale Law Journal, 109, 1999 [9] Thorpe, Chris P., Bailey, John C. L., Commercial Contracts: A Practical Guide to Deals, Contracts, Agreements and Promises, Institute of Directors, Kogan Page Publishers, 1999 [10] Unt, Lore, International Relations and International Insolvency Cooperation: Liberalism, Institutionalism, and Transnational Legal Dialogue, Law and Policy in International Business, 28, 1997 [11] McKendrick, Ewan; Commercial Aspects of Trusts and Fiduciary Obligations, Oxford University Press, 1992

Preserving Indigenous Languages English Language Essay

Preserving Indigenous Languages English Language Essay Many times when you are asked to describe your heritage it may not include language. In the United States we assume every person born here just speaks English because it is the nationally recognized language. We expect to walk into the grocery store and be able to carry on a conversation with the cashier or ask an individual for help. This is not the case everywhere. Many places such as Oaxaca, Mexico have more than one recognized native language. Many native Indians cannot expect to walk into town and have the cashier at the store speak the same language as them. The issue of language preservation is increasing extensively by the years. Language plays a hefty roll in culture, it has an extensive background, factors working against and for the preservation, and whether we like to acknowledge it or not plays a significant role within our government. Many of us do not realize how important something as simple as language really is. In the world today there are currently between 6-10,000 different languages and this all depends on what is considered a dialect vs. a language (Vazquez). This does not include the unknown languages or the ones that are already lost. Oaxaca is a state of great linguistic diversity. There are 16 indigenous languages and 17 including Spanish that are recognized in Oaxaca (Vazquez). Those however are only the languages the government recognizes. The recognized indigenous languages of Oaxaca consist of; Nà ¡huatl (the languages of 1 million speakers throughout central Mexico),Zapoteca (spoken by 400,000 people and has 5 regional dialects), Mixteca (320,000 speakers and 29 dialects throughout Oaxaca, Guerrero and Puebla), Mazateca (spoken by 150,000 people in Oaxaca, Veracruz and Puebla), Chinanteco (6 dialectal variants and 77,000 speakers), Mixe (70,000 speakers and 4 dialects), Amuzgo (spoken in Oaxaca and Guerrero by approximately 20,000 people), Chatino (20,000 speakers and 3 dialec ts), Zoque (spoken in Oaxaca, Chiapas and Tabasco by 20,000 speakers), Chicateco (14,000 speakers), Popolaca (has 12,000 speakers in Puebla and Oaxaca), Chontal (2 dialects and 10,000 speakers), Huave (10,000 speakers in southwest Oaxaca), Triqui (8,000 speakers throughout Oaxaca, Mexico City, Baja California, Sonora and the U.S), Chocho (3,000 speakers in Oaxaca), and Ixcateco (just 2,000 speakers in Oaxaca) (Languages used in Oaxaca, Mexico). As you can see there are a variety and dialects of indigenous languages in Oaxaca. There are many forces that work against the preservation of languages and even fewer forces that are working to preserve it. This creates a large issue for the indigenous peoples. Language shift or language death can be sudden or gradual due to colonization and globalization (Vazquez). Schooling is not an option in Oaxaca it is required however, there are very few forces to ensure education is received. When Children from villages and small towns attend school, they are taught in the nationally recognized language of Spanish. Many children who many have learned their native language are then forced to learn another language. Their parents cannot speak any language other than the native language, leaving the children as translators with the rest of the world. In Oaxaca, approximately 10-15% do not speak Spanish, 70% are bilingual, and only 15% speak only Spanish (Vazquez). The American idea encourages being bilingual in Mexico and this can have a negative effect. The act of being able to communicate with persons outside of your family is done through Spanish, not Triqui or Mixe, etcetera. Globalization teaches people that their native language is useless, it ha s no value to the outside world, this concept gets into the villages where the elders quit teaching their native language in order to adapt to a new world. This concept not only is the idea of globalization, but the loss of experience. Globalization goes as far as to include those migrants to American who came from small villages. Those migrants are individuals who have come for work however, they must adapt to American culture, a culture that frowns upon the different languages and its a culture that expects outsiders to adapt to it. These migrants spend a great deal of time in America to return with money to their villages taking with them learned American culture to teach, this then adapts into the small villages with endangered languages. Another contributing factor to the loss of language is the outside world delegitimizing language. Many languages are unknown or unwritten. The unwritten languages are ignored as if they do not exist because they cannot be written. Many native speakers are not literate therefore the verbal form of language is their only form of communication; they have no need for written language. According to Dr. Vazquez unwritten languages are ignored but people continue to draw from languages they have delegitimized, add an accent, legitimize it and create a written word. This act not only begins to tell villagers, your language does not exist but it then tells them that since we as higher people have changed this it can now be a written word however, it still gives no credit to the idea that it was a language to begin with. The article Vanishing Voices refers to language as an identity, the ability of a person to represent himself. If people are no longer able to represent themselves, they are no longer able to communicate and they then begin to lose a part of their humanity. This is all part of the process of losing language. While there are factors working against the preservation of language, there are people who are working towards preserving it. The first step in the preservation of language is to increase literacy. The more people can read and write the more they are going to want to read and write within their own language. The increase of literacy leads to documentation of the language not only in written form but in electronic form via computers; there are many different projects towards preserving these languages. In 1987 the Oaxaca Native Literacy Project was founded by H. Russell Bernard and Jesus Salinas Pedraza (Foundation For Endgangerd Lanugages). The project began before its foundation, in 1971 Salinas and Bernard began working on a project to document the Nyahnyu culture in Nyahnyu. They developed a writing system for Nyahnyu and Salinas wrote four books about the culture of the people of the Mezquital Valley. In 1989 the books were published in English. In 1987, building on their book collaboration, Salinas and Bernard conceived of the Oaxaca Native Literacy Center a place where Indian people from around the Americas could learn to read and write their own languages using microcomputers. Their idea was for Indians to write, print and publish their own works, in their own languages, on topics of their choice. They would write their own histories and record their knowledge for their children and for all our children as well. The center began operation in 1989 with support from the Nat ional Bureau of Indian Education and the Center for Advanced Studies in Anthropology in Mexico; from the Interamerican Indian Institute and from the Jessie Ball Du Pont Foundation. Salinas runs the center, along with Josefa Gonzalez Ventura, a Mixtec Indian from Oaxaca. Together they train other Indians to use computers, to write and to print books in Indian languages. In 1993 the project incorporated as a not-for-profit organization called CELIAC the Centro Editorial de Literatura Indigena, A.C. The A.C. stands for Association Civil, which means not-for-for-profit corporation. All five board members of CELIAC are native speakers of Mexican Indian languages. In January 1994, CELIAC moved into its own building in Oaxaca. The building houses up to 16 persons. There are toilet facilities for men and women, an ample kitchen, office space, meeting rooms, and computer work rooms. Indigenous authors spend time in residence at CELIAC and CELIAC is now a publishing house for indigenous lite rature, written in indigenous languages. CELIAC markets its books to scholars, libraries, and individuals. Proceeds from the sale of the books help keep the project going. Books are sold directly by CELIAC and all funds go directly to the project. So far, over 150 people speakers of a dozen languages (Mixtec, Chinantec, Aymara, Quichua, and others) from countries across Latin America (Mexico, Bolivia, Peru, Argentina, Chile, and Ecuador) have spent from four weeks to six months in residence at CELIAC (Foundation For Endgangerd Lanugages). The project is major in documenting languages electronically as well as increasing the ability of native speakers to become literate in their own language. According to Gasper Rivera, To keep a language alive, writing it is fundamental, (Mixtec Revival: Mexican Indigenous Language on the Rise). Oaxaca also has a Mexican government-funded Academy of the Mixtec Language that teaches Mixtec speakers how to read and write their language. Pà ©rez Castro explains that a written script for Mixtec will help inhabitants from different villages communicate with one another, since the creation of a standardized vocabulary will smooth over linguistic variants in the rugged countryside where the language originated (Mixtec Revival: Mexican Indigenous Language on the Rise). [The practical benefits of a written language are obvious, says Domà ­nguez. From public health messages to family correspondence, the writing of our language is a historical necessity. (Mixtec Revival: Mexican Indigenous Language on the Rise)]. Although the project ignores the different dialects of the Mixtec language, it does help decrease the illiteracy rating of the population. Language seems as though it would be strictly a cultural problem. Although it is a cultural problem, it is also a political issue. Many Politics are centralized around developing the culture as well as the language in which it is portrayed. The government is involved because it decides which languages are recognized languages. This creates a problem because the languages that are recognized receive more preservation efforts, where the languages that are not recognized are left to go extinct without a second thought by the government. Governments need to recognize all spoken languages and create efforts towards preserving them. A look back to biblical times tells us that at one time there was only one language. While this may seem the ideal it is not the case today. Throughout the years we have relied on recorded history to teach us about our ancestors and about cultures of the past. Where there has been a lack of recorded history we have relied on artifacts. We use these artifacts as a way to tell us about the lives and cultures of the past. How much easier it would be to communicate history and preserve a culture if these artifacts were accompanied by the written word. Literacy is the primary culprit to lost languages. As literacy becomes far more widespread, so will language preservation. Education is the foundation on which language preservation will stand. To preserve a language there must be education and literacy. This not only leads to people having pride in their culture but will also create a gateway in which to study these cultures in the future. Cultures that have widespread literacy are far mor e likely to survive and be passed on from generation to generation. Foundations such as CELIAC have recognized this need and are addressing the challenges however, this is just one foundation. Many more will be needed to accomplish the literacy challenge on a wide scale. Although education and literacy cannot guarantee that all languages will be preserved, it will most certainly give the future generations a way to study those cultures and languages that are lost.

Sam Rayburn :: Essays Papers

Sam Rayburn Samuel "Sam" Taliaferro Rayburn was born in Tennessee in 1882. He was the eighth of 11 children. When Sam was 5 he moved west with his family to a 40-acre cotton farm just outside the small community of Flag Springs, Texas. At the age of 18, Sam left the family farm and went to East Texas Normal College in Commerce. His father sent him off with $25 and he added to that by sweeping school rooms, ringing the class bell and building fires in school stoves. After a year of college, he paid debts and earned more money teaching in Greenwood, Texas. He then returned to Commerce and finished his three-year degree in two years. Sam first ran for public office in 1906 when he was elected to the Texas House of Representatives. While serving in the legislature, he attended and graduated from law school at the University of Texas in Austin. After two terms as State Representative, Sam was reelected to serve as speaker of the Texas House. He was only 29 at this time. In 1912, Sam ran for the U.S. House of Representatives. After winning that election, he, as a Democrat never again faced a Republican opponent. During his 48 years in the House, Rayburn served as minority leader for four years, majority leader for three years, and speak for 17 years. Even though he was a Democrat for life, he tended to be more moderate on most issues and he was never afraid to be independent or cut across party lines about any specific issue. This earned him respect from both sides of the House floor. His legislative accomplishments include authorship of the Truth in Securities Act of 1933 and the Railroad Holding Company Bill. A year after those he authored bills that created the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Federal Communications Commission. In 1935, he co-authored the Rural Electrification Act, which helped to bring electricity to most rural homes in America. As Democratic majority leader, Sam Rayburn guided President Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal programs through the U.S. House. On the personal side, Sam Rayburn was briefly married to Metze Jones, the sister of Rep. Marvin Jones of Amarillo. They were married in October of 1927 and divorced about 10 weeks later. On November 16, 1961, Samuel Rayburn died from cancer of the pancreas.

Free Essays On Shakespeares Sonnet 65 :: Sonnet essays

Analysis of Sonnet 65 Since brass, nor stone, nor earth, nor boundless sea, But sad mortality o'ersways their power, How with this rage shall beauty hold a plea, Whose action is no stronger than a flower? Oh how shall summer's honey breath hold out Against the wrackful siege of battering days, When rocks impregnable are not so stout Nor gates of steel so strong but time decays? Oh fearful meditation! where, alack, Shall Time's best jewel from Time's chest lie hid? Or what strong hand can hold his swift foot back? Or who his spoil of beauty can forbid? Oh none, unless this miracle have might- That in black ink my love may still shine bright. This sonnet shares several similarities in imagery as sonnets 63 and 66, and also to the theme of time and Rome as seen in Spencer's translatory sonnet sequence, _Ruins of Rome by: Bellay_. To best understand this sonnet we must realize to what or whom the pronouns refer to. My explication relies on "their" in line 2 referring to both time and ruin, a theme sustained from sonnet 64. 1-2: 'Only depressing mortality can overturn the tyranny of time and ruin, considering that brass, stone, earth or sea cannot prevent it'. Thus, death is an escape from time and the ruin which it imposes. The second quatrain is reminiscent of the thematic imagery of Rome's susception to time in sonnet 9 of _Ruines of Rome_: "Why were not these Romane palaces / Made of some matter no lesse fime and strong? . . . All things which beneath the Moone haue being / Are temporall, and subject to decay." Echoing the elements in the first line of the sonnet, Shakespeare is iterating the inability to avoid and preve nt time. "Battering days" also shares this imagery as "Time's injurious hand crush'd"; which, to note further, appears as "iniurious time" in Spencer's work. Knowing this, he appeals to dreadful and injurious knowledge in line 9: 'where should we hide time's most precious jewel [our youth] from the vault it is held in'. the reason I believe the jewel to be a symbol of youth stems from sonnet 63, in which time steals "away the treasure of his spring." Spring here, and in many other sonnets of Shakespeare, refers to youth and sexual prime.

The fellowship of the ring :: essays research papers

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, by J.R.R. Tolkien, is the first book in the fantasy-based trilogy of the Lord of the Rings. The book begins with Bilbo Baggins celebrating his one hundred and eleventh birthday. After his party, he then decides to leave everything behind and join a Fellowship, which has a task of destroying the ruling ring, which will give supreme power to whoever has possession of it. Just before he leaves, Gandalf asks Bilbo for this ring. Due to the power in which the ring possesses while it is in his possession, he does not want to give it up. The novel ends with the destruction of the Fellowship due to the power in which the ring contains. One of the prime facts of the Middle Earth is power. Power is not neutral, but is always evil. It gives wicked the chance to dominate. The good is corrupting and inescapable. This is shown repeatedly throughout the novel, from when Bilbo gives up the ring, to when Boromir tries to take the ring, and finally, t o seeing the control that the ring has over Frodo. One incident in the book, which corresponds with how power is evil, would be when Bilbo had to give up the Ring. The ring is very powerful. The power is so enticing that Bilbo is very weary to give up that ring. When Gandalf asks Bilbo if he wishes to give up the ring, Bilbo seems unsure saying yes and no. When it came to having to give it up he didn't like parting with it at all and didn't see why he should have to . Due to the power in which Bilbo feels that the ring had given him, he doesn't want to part with it. By no means does Bilbo want to use the power in an evil manner to dominate all. It is just the thought of power itself that causes this greed to come over him. Although Bilbo in general is a good character, the power of ring corrupts his ways, showing his thirst for power, which he deserves. Another incident, which portrays this corruption of goodness to evil, is when Boromir approaches Frodo and tries to take the ring f rom him. Boromir has authority, which is being heir to the throne of Gondor, but not the supreme power that he desires.

Heb Own Brands Analysis Essay

Rob Price was recently made vice president of Own Brands, which was the private label of H-E-B. The chairman, Charles Butt, had a real interest in growing the sales of the Own Brand product line. At the time, Own Brand represented 19% of sales while national brands accounted for the rest, which was opposite of 30 years ago when Charles took responsibility for the business. Charles gave Rob a goal to increase the sales of Own Brand’s private label by 11% in the next five years to bring it up to a 30-70 ratio of private and national brands, respectively. The increase needed to be across all product lines, but Rob had a specific assignment regarding the Own Brand’s bottled water under the label Glacia. The problem with the existing Glacia water was that it did not accurately market itself as imported spring water from Canada, which would increase its market share from the French imported water, Evian. There were many things for Rob to consider as his research showed that c onsumers would be more likely to buy Glacia if they knew it was Canadian spring water. With the competitive grocery market at the time, especially with Wal-Mart’s emerging into the grocery scene, Rob needed to make a specific recommendation on how to increase its sales in context of the overall Own Brand strategy. Initially, the problem was an undetected flaw in the marketing and labeling of the product. If consumers do not have something repeatedly pushed in their face, they will not likely remember it when asked. Other problems were caused by Wal-Mart and their huge ability to undercut pricing of most other chains because of their national, even international supply-chain relationships. Wal-Mart had its own brand in Great Value products but, according to the case, was not as high quality as the H-E-B Own Brand products. Great Value compared to the Hill Country Fare tier-3 generic that H-E-B put out. Rob knew that his competition was with Wal-Mart but he wasn’t sure yet how to properly compete. He wanted to keep their pricing model of Every-day Low Price s but the pricing against Wal-Mart was difficult to match because of other national brand’s pricing positions. I think the options that Rob had to decide between were whether to place Glacia in  competition with Evian as comparable imported spring water or keep it positioned against Ozarka, which is where it was, and add the Canadian value to help boost sales through points-of-difference? One of the reasons why they should consider a direct market-comparison with Evian is because there isn’t a competitor right now. Evian has far out priced itself among its competitors and Glacia scored equally as high in a double-blinded taste test showing that it didn’t actually need to change the product, just the positioning. Own Brand could significantly increase the pricing to be more related to the pricing of Evian. This would remove Glacia off the shelf next to Ozarka and next to Evian. This could possibly allow Own Brands to create a Hill Country Fare product to compete with Ozarka. However, Evian was a good premium national brand brought in money for procurement revenue. If the new Gl acia began beating out Evian in sales and profit, Evian could pull its product from the H-E-B stores and then they would lose the procurement revenue derived from a national brand. National brands also help bring in consumers who end up buying other Own Brand products in the store. This was a decision bases for the entire Own Brand product line. The options of pricing, promotions, positioning, and the overall corporate strategy were all involved in this first decision regarding Glacia. According to Butt’s target goal to Rob shortly after he became VP, only 30% of a store’s products should be their own, with a 70% mix of national brands. If Rob decided to simply elevate the existing position of the Glacia against Ozarka to increase their market share, they could grow sales and not have to compete with the national brands. I think this would be effective considering the low cost of refining their label and less hassle in re-configuring pricing and moving the product closer to Evian. A third possibility was to reposition Glacia as domestic spring water, which is what Ozarka was. I don’t see the logic behind this because they were already a direct competitor with Ozarka and their only point-of-difference was the source of their water. Why would they go through all the effort and cost of relabeling, promoting, and re-launching to get more of the same? If I were in Rob’s position, I would re-launch Glacia to be a somewhat generic competitor to Evian and create a Hill Country Fare product with purified water to be placed just below Ozarka. Evian needs some competition and according to their profit data in Table B, Glacia could increase their price  and profit significantly without changing the product, only the labeling. Also, Evian users indicated preference for the Canadian water over France. I  f Evian users began to prefer Glacia water instead, and that’s what H-E-B stores carried, what would be the downside if Evian eventually pulled their product out of H-E-B stores? It wouldn’t be in demand anymore, so the loss would be some procurement revenue, but the profits off the increased price of Glacia would seem to overcompensate for that.

Diffrenece Between Hypothesis and Theory Essay

Difference between scientific rectitude, possibleness and system 551 words In the world were living in present tense people, groupings or even or so nations apiece has a antithetic way of thinking. Thats why opinions were created and people could have different prospectives and different ideas were developed all oer the past centuries. That variation of ideas, prospective and ways of thinking had lead into the creation for methods for proving some social function as an idea an investigate a suggestion, and others.This canvas would be discussing those ways and their differences. Firstly, the first thing that leads into an opinion or way of seeing something is setting up your hypothesis, hypothesis is an educated guess found upon observation for a trusted matter. It is an explanation of a wiz event or something based on what is detect non deeply observed but honorable observed, and it also has not been prove yet. Most hypotheses can be supported or disproved by expe riment or a deep observation. roughly illustrations of hypothesis are, when an apple is put in the wind and solarise it will rot, this is a simple example its based on whats observed as when an apple is put in the sun it would rot but no hike up scientific explanation is given. After a hypothesis is set based on really weak and shallow observations it moldiness be tested for that opinion or idea to be true(p) it must(prenominal) be tested and observed scientifically and not only once it must be tried and observed a number of times, that what develops a system and obeys scientific police forces, a scientific law is a statement of fact that explains a trustworthy matter or different natural action or habits.It is generally accepted to be true and universal and can be proved and tested widely and sometimes they could be written as mathematical equations. Scientific laws must be simple, true and universal. Going back to a theory it is noted as more alike a scientific law th an a hypothesis. It is an explanation and prove for your hypothesis and sets of related observations or events based upon proven hypotheses and corroborate multiple times. A theory could fit on a definition as it is the way people could know this certain idea or issue is true by repeated xperiments whom tern a hypothesis into a theory or it just keeps it a hypothesis untested. Some examples of scientific laws are some physics and math rules as Newtons laws of motion, law of gravity, the laws of thermodynamics and other physics laws whom are proved and tested thats why they wreak into a scientific law. Sometimes some laws can turn to theories as the law of gravity and gravitational forces, as it could go more general to be glum into a theory.The biggest difference between a law and a theory is that a theory is much more interlocking and dynamic. A law runs a exclusive action, whereas a theory explains an entire group of related matters and phenomenas. Thats what differs an exp erimented hypothesis whether it turns into a theory or it is more qualify so it turns to be a law, an example of a theory is automobiles Components of it can be changed or improved upon and more things invented in it, without changing the overall truth of the theory as a whole that it is an automobile.

Charles Dickens

You may choose to sustain a biographical dictionary handy! Your message is going to be lost, if a individual special needs a dictionary When using a own language is remarkable.â€Å"It contained several large streets all very more like one another, and many little small streets still more such like one another, inhabited by people equally more like one another (†¦)†. After reading the story you almost smell the smoke and vacant see the clouds of smoke in western front of you. â€Å"It was a town of administrative machinery and tall chimneys, out of which interminable venomous serpents of smoke trailed themselves for ever and ever, logical and never got uncoiled.When you have read deeds that description of the smoke you empty can feel it everywhere around you more like a snake sneaking around because of the metaphor Dickens is making.Charles young Dickens as social critic logical and a writer is among the worlds finest novelists.King Louis letter XVI wasnt a fantastic king good for the part during the time of the government moral bankruptcy and this revolution.

At times the story appears to be aimless.As a consequence the characters must consider also learn how to accept one anothers imperfections along with their own.Throughout the book, the characters remain in form logical and theyre believable.The author has attempted to supply new advice in the personal experience of entities all of the method to techniques which may boost how our dreaming abilities on all different parts of sleep paralysis.

It is a little book about reading.Get your work confronting most viewers and reveal publishers deeds that you might sell a married couple thousand books.You have to little read the book.Write the book which you would love to read.

Mitochondrial Myopathy Disorder Health And Social Care Essay

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