Native American Story Telling Essay

Story telling was the heart of Native American culture. The way natives executed everyday tasks and their way of thinking came from what they heard as children from stories that were passed through multiple generations. When White Settlers started tearing tribe by tribe apart and claiming Native American land as their own, a dwindling effect on the rich Native’s culture became noticeable. The sense of unity they once knew so well was becoming an unknown aspect which ultimately left each individual shattered because they were so used to being and acting like one whole. Storytelling became a sort of glue that united and healed the damage done by the White Settlers. Already being the basic guidelines that each Native survived on, stories became even more valued because they were the things that kept the culture from becoming extinct. Storytelling re-taught the natives the way their ancestors taught and spoke, how their surroundings came to be and how to live a good, pious life. It was how they so eagerly grasped for sanity when they were basically stripped from all rights they had from the Colonials. Native American storytelling incorporates many themes and structures, some more evident that others, such as poetic writing styles that include morals, and an explanation of how the world came to be. Morals were a crucial factor why ancestors passed stories down to their offspring, other than just for enjoyment. They incorporated what they thought were major principals of living or not living a good life into stories by writing them in between the lines. A little child that was listening to an elder recalling a story might be listening for the mere amusement but also leaving with a lesson learned. In â€Å"The Sky Tree† from the Huron- Eastern Woodland tradition, the extremes the wife of the old man goes through to save her husband is definitely admirable, regardless if the story is true or not. The moral of trying to do all you can to save a loved one can be taken from this tale. This concept of Native American stories having morals is also found in â€Å"Coyote Finishes His Work† from the Nez Perce tradition. After reading the overly confident coyote correcting the wrongs on earth and then getting punished for his mischief, one can take away the lesson of being humble and not abuse power no matter how capable you are. These texts that heavily included morals helped remind the Natives how to repair and establish a meaningful life, even after being influenced by the White Men. As the Native’s became unsure of how the world even worked anymore when seeing the odd lifestyle of the Whites, storytelling reminded the way their ancestors explained their surroundings. The simplest aspects of life, like how a turtle got its shell, was explained in Native American stories. As said in â€Å"The Sky Tree†, the turtle got its shell when telling all the animals to dive down into a deep pit in order to save the wife of the old man and bring up the soil and place it on his back. This simple explanation showed the thought process of the oldest Native’s and helped bring a sense of unity among the broken ones. Broader ideas, such as how the world came to be, were also included in these tales. According to â€Å"Coyote Finishes His Work†, the coyote gave people names, taught them languages and how to hunt. Some way or another, humans learned how to these perform basic tasks. Native Americans explained how their people achieved these tasks by claiming The Coyote taught them. This concept was easier to take in rather than the Theory of Evolution, especially in an era where science was less developed. Creating stories of how the world worked when confused was what the Native Americans did best. Imagining how utterly lost the Natives were when the colonials came, one can assume that more stories were created. Stories of how strange men with snow skin must have calmed the nerves of scared Indians and settled the uproar. It is human nature to become less agitated of an unknown idea if an explanation was given. In this case, Native Americans produced hundreds of stories so that their people could live in peace without having to consistently question everything in existence. Incorporating basic ideas of how the world functions and principals of being a generally good person in Native American storytelling influenced how Natives lived and perceived the world around them. Without these stories the Indians would have no sense of culture to latch on to as settlers tried to change their ways. Each significant society of people throughout the years had some sort of guidelines on which their people believed. Egyptians having their stories written in hieroglyphics which were carved into walls to Christians having their fundamentals in the Bible. Aside from being the rules people acted upon, maybe each civilization came up with their perspective on life to authenticate their establishments. Whatever the reasoning was behind storytelling, Native Americans definitely did not exclude that factor in their culture. Storytelling was their culture.

A Comparison of Federal and Puerto Rican Employment Protections

Following the Industrial Revolution of the Nineteenth Century, the federal government of the United States pursued the enactment of various laws to protect the rights of individual laborers.This was primarily spawned at the insistence of labor unions, which were legalized in the same time period. Throughout the following century, a number of revisions and improvements were made upon these laws, to the point where at the present individual workers enjoy the full legal protections of the United States government at their places of employment.These federal statutes cover all areas from age discrimination to discrimination against those with disabilities. One major statute is based on Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, which makes it illegal for an employer to discriminate against a worker on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.This applies to not only treatment on the job, but to all aspects of the employment process, including hiring, promotion, discharge, pay, fringe benefits, job training, classification, and referral.Employers are prohibited from showing preference while advertising or recruiting. For example, an employer may not post advertisements for a position that are tailored exclusively to a particular gender, or insinuate during the hiring process that individuals fitting a certain description are more likely to be hired. (Department of Labor.)Falling under the same statute, employers cannot dismiss an employee for any of the above classifications, and cannot pay less on the basis of gender, race, etc. This was a common practice before the creation of such protections, as in many circumstances women were paid much less for working the same jobs that men were being paid much higher to complete.In addition to this, the federal statutes prohibit child labor, which means in most states that workers under the ages of 18 or 16 are subject to certain restrictions in the number of hours a week they may work, and other aspects of working the job including the use of tools and operation of machinery. (Department of Labor.)As well, Title I of the Americans With Disabilities Act prohibits employers of fifteen or more employees to discriminate against qualified individuals with disabilities.This law is inapplicable in some circumstances. Obviously, if an individual is disabled in such a way so as to make them wholly unable to perform the duties of a given job, it is not considered discrimination for the employer to refuse to hire them. However, in some cases involving minor mental illness, where individuals are still able to adequately perform the function of a job, which may or may not require less skill, employers are not permitted to discriminate on the basis of the disability, and are subject to being penalized if they are discovered doing so. (Andrade.)The federal government left some areas of employment protection to be decided by the individual states. One example of this is minimum wage. Though there is a fairl y low standard of minimum wage established by the federal government, individual states may establish a higher minimum wage. In the case of Puerto Rico, the minimum wage is $5.15 per hour worked, though over the summer of 2006 members of the House of Representatives introduced legislation to raise this minimum wage to $5.40.This minimum wage only applies to employers who are covered by the Federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Employers not covered by the FLSA may pay their workers much lower rates, close to $3.00 per hour. (Department of Labor.)Even so, Puerto Rico is said to have some of the most strictly regulated labor laws within United States jurisdiction. This is due in part to highly successful labor movements within the territory. All federal statutes regarding labor apply to states, and this includes territories such as Puerto Rico. If these regulations are not followed, the Department of Labor will intervene in some manner and enforce the law. At a minimum, Puerto Rica n labor laws must comply with the labor laws established by the federal government of the United States. (Andrade.)In some areas, Puerto Rico has gone above and beyond the minimum established standards. As mentioned, the House of Representatives has made an effort to raise the minimum wage. As well, the territory has established the Puerto Rico Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which enforces the Occupational Safety and Health Act of Puerto Rico (OSHA).Among other things, this act guarantees to each employee in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico â€Å"safe and healthful working conditions†. Employers must ensure that each employee has a job and jobsite free of hazards which may cause death or physical injury. (Constitution of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico; Serrano.)Employers must also obey all occupational safety and health standards, and any rules or regulations that are applicable to the worksite. This includes federal statutes, as well as Puerto Rican laws.This is enforced through the use of inspections, which are conducted on the basis of priority in the following order: imminent danger, fatalities/catastrophes investigations, complaint/referral investigations, programmed inspections, and follow-up inspections to ensure that any necessary modifications have been carried out by the employer. An additional measure established a Boiler and Elevator Inspection Program, the title of which is self-explanatory.In this program, inspectors ascertain the safety of boilers and elevators on jobsites, judging all aspects including manufacture, installment, and safe operation. These measures, while adopted by several other states, are not specifically enforced or provided by the federal government.Contrary to the bad reputation that many labor sites outside of the continental United States have earned, Puerto Rico vigorously follows federal standards of employment protection, and has made initiatives to improve upon the federal model. With a decent mi nimum wage, laws promoting safe workplaces, and an administration in place that actively inspects employers to ensure the enforcement of these laws, Puerto Rico has been deemed by many to be a safe, profitable place for laborers to work.Works CitedAndrade, N (2006, October 4). Puerto Rico-State-Labor Law Center Blog. Retrieved October6, 2006, from Labor Law Center Web site: http://blog.laborlawcenter.com/category/state/puerto-ricoAuthor Unknown, (2006). Constitution of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. Retrieved October6, 2006, from ToPuertoRico.org Web site: http://www.topuertorico.org/constitu.shtmlAuthor Unknown, Puerto Rico State Information Page. Retrieved October 6, 2006, from U.S.Department of Labor Web site: http://www.osha.gov/oshdir/stateprogs/Puerto_Rico.htmlSerrano, M, Labor Laws Weigh Heavily on Puerto Rico’s Employers. (2005, August 25). PuertoRico Herald, http://www.puertorico-herald.org/issues2/2005/ vol09n34/ CBLaborLaws.shtml

Why Are We Happy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Why Are We Happy - Essay Example In his speech, Gilbert had broken down happiness in two categories: Synthetic and Natural. As he noted, â€Å"Natural happiness is when we get what we wanted and Synthetic Happiness is what we make when we don’t get what we wanted.† (â€Å"TED Talks: Dan Gilbert asks†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ). Normally, people will think that synthetic happiness is not true happiness but a defense mechanism to avoid hurting our egos. However, based on the studies that the speaker presented, it is scientifically proven that people tend to accept the end result of whatever decisions that they make no matter how unfortunate it is, and eventually become truly happy about it. To illustrate this, he exhibited a study between the percentage of happiness of lottery winners and paraplegics after a year. The data showed that the level of happiness between the two groups of people was equal. The lottery winners might have a higher level of happiness in the beginning but it evened out during the course of th e year. This is because the mind has the capacity to synthesize happiness thus it can alter the initial response to a situation into a better one. As Gilbert explained, â€Å"The fact is, year after they lose their leg, and a year after winning the lotto, lottery winners and paraplegics are equally happy with their lives†¦ The research that my laboratory has been doing†¦ had revealed something really startling to us. Something that we call the impact bias is the tendency for the simulator to work badly. For the simulator to make you believe that different outcomes are more different than the fact that they really are.† (â€Å"TED Talks: Dan Gilbert asks†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ). During the presentation, it can be observed that the speaker connects to the audience and everybody seems to be actually listening throughout the whole time. Noticeably, the three elements of effective arguments or appeals by Aristotle, ethos, pathos, and logos, were essentially delivered. Ethos refe rs to the appeal to the character of the speaker (Kennedy). It further demonstrates that if the speaker is credible, reliable or respected enough, his audience will actually believe the message that he’s trying to convey.

Anxiety of a Preoperative Patient Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Anxiety of a Preoperative Patient - Essay Example Extensive surgery or surgery with uncertain outcomes also generates more anxiety than any surgery with a predictable course of events. Ambiguity about the outcome and unpredictability about the course, although depend on the type of the surgery and the indication for which it is done. Therefore the nursing staff that is usually in contact with such patients in the immediate preoperative period in the preoperative area has a chance to intervene provided they can assess these patients in a systematic manner for the experienced perioperative stress leading to elevated anxiety scores of these patients. Perioperative nurses are specially trained to do so, and they must find out time to intervene in these patients even in the preoperative area to deal with these patients' emotional distress. If the positive outcome of the care is the goal of care delivery, these interventions can change the emotional status of these patients in such a manner that the relationship between preoperative psych ological status and postoperative recovery of these patients is positively influenced (Stirling, 2006). The most common nursing diagnoses that require intervention from the nurses in this period are anxiety that may be partly related to knowledge deficit, but also partly contributed by the context and the environment. Therefore, the knowledge about the surgical procedure and the patient assessment findings can be combined to make an appropriate plan of care in such situations. It is to be remembered that every patient have their own perspectives of anxiety, and hence assessment and consequent plan of care should be individualized based on specific patient needs. A patient who needs surgery and is waiting for the in preoperative area may be surrounded by a sense of impending doom for the imminent surgery, and a nursing diagnosis of preoperative anxiety needs nursing intervention in that period only. Many of the incidents of anxiety result from patient knowledge deficits related to perioperative routine, surgical interventions, or outcome expectations (Stirling, 2006). Contextual assessment process would examine and assess the patient's knowledge about the surgery. Thus, the assessment must include the status and quality of communication the patient has already received, the patient's possible language barrier, assessment of sufficiency of the patient's mental capacity, extent of information received by the patient regarding the surgical procedure and why it is needed. Since most of the anxiety in this phase id related to the ignorance about the details of the surgical intervention and outcome expectations, the patient's level knowledge regarding those must be assessed in simple questions, so the nurse can design a customized intervention strategy and create the baseline communication link for future interventions before the surgery following this contextual assessment. This assessment should ultimately be able to determine the patient's learning needs and based on these needs, to design an intervention to fulfill the patient's knowledge deficits a ppropriate to the etiology of it (Mitchell, 2000). The environment plays a significant role in perioperative nursing, and the operating area environment has significant impact on all such patients. The perioperative nurse also is a part of the environment, and she can indeed catalyze a positive environment that can influence the patient's anxiety. While assessing anxiety,

DISCUSSION QUESTION RESPONSE Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 16

DISCUSSION QUESTION RESPONSE - Essay Example I also approve of your point that learning is one thing, and being able to apply the knowledge thus gained to practical work situations is another thing. This may be because the factors that influence an individual’s performance at work are unlearned in the formal school studies. In order for an individual, he/she not only needs to have a high level of emotional intelligence, but also some experience in the work. It is only through experience, dedication and determination that one gets to identify the fundamental drivers of professional competence at work, and thus control them in a way to improve his/her own professional competence. I appreciate that you discussed the example of the young boy who acquired a bachelor’s degree in biology and was yet able to be more professionally competent than the son of the owner who had acquired the degree in business. This is a very strong example. Really, it is all about one’s aptitude instead of one’s field. The highe r education may be a driver of professional competence, but it is not the ultimate prerequisite of the

Inside Job from a Legal Perspective Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Inside Job from a Legal Perspective - Essay Example According to Inside Job, the issue securities of Goldman Sachs were crowded with fraud and deception.This is because the borrower of the security had borrowed all the money for the mortgage and therefore was under no threat of loss if the deal went wrong. These loans were however highly rated, prompting many people to purchase investments from the firm. Henry Paulson, the CEO who masterminded this scum was rewarded with a high salary. He was later offered government employment as secretary of treasury, a position that enables him to dispose more of his personal risky shares without having to pay taxes. Goldman also managed to earn extra finances by betting against the same securities that it was claiming to be high quality investment. The manager of Hedge fund, John Paulson made a lot of money by betting against the mortgage industry. He however continued to work with other stakeholders to create more mortgage securities so that he could bet against them to increase his income (Insid e Job). Morgan Stanley also made plenty of securities in the mortgage business that was of low quality. These securities were however rated as high investment securities, making many people to purchase them. The investors ended up losing millions of money while Morgan Stanley made much more by betting against the investments. Fraud is a sort of criminal involvement characterized as misuse of position or false representation, or prejudicing somebody's rights for individual gain. Essentially, fraud is a form of double-dealing and deception planned for individual gain or to bring about a misfortune to another party. The general criminal offense of misrepresentation can incorporate duplicity whereby somebody purposely makes false representation, they neglect to uncover important information or they mishandle a position. Fraudsters are continually discovering better approaches to deceive others for their own benefit. They employ different of channels to deceive others.

Question #1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Question #1 - Essay Example For these variables, almost all random variables correspond to the measures of tendency. However, in B5 it should be noted that the measures of central tendency are far from each other. In fact, there exist two modes for the variable. Also since the mean and the median are calculated and are not in the sample, the chance of picking a random variable which is the same as these two measures is zero. If the data is significantly skewed, the mean becomes an inappropriate measure of central tendency. It should be noted that the mean will be more likely to be found on the dataset where the skewness can be found. For example, a data set which ranges from 7-40 which is positively skewed can have a mean which is 15 only because most of the data range from 7-18 for instance. The presence of outliers which are extremely low or high data can also adversely affect the effectiveness of the mean as a measure of central tendency. If data is significantly skewed, the mode becomes the best approximation of the data's center. Mean cannot be relied upon because of the presence of outliers while median can also be misleading. Thus, mode which represents the most number of variable can be best represent the data's center at this situation. If the data is significantly skewed, the range will not be affected. ... PART 2. a. Determine the range, sample standard deviation , and IQR for each of these random variables: D1, D5, D6, D7, SBC1, SBC8, B5. Critical thinking: b. How would the range, sample standard deviation , and IQR be affected when data is significantly skewed If the data is significantly skewed, the range will not be affected. It should be noted that as the range is only a measure of the dispersion of data, it does not indicate how the data looks like. The range is simply a measurement of the values within the data set. However, it should also be noted that the presence of outliers in the data set will make the range very high. A symmetrical data is expected to have a skewness of 0 because the standard deviation is zero. Thus, when the standard deviation of a data set is computed as zero, it follows that it is normally distributed. The interquartile range is affected by the dispersion of the data set. It should be noted that as it looks at the 50% of the data set, the gap between the 3rd and the 1st quartile cannot fully indicate the dispersion because of the presence of observations which are in the lowest or highest quartiles. However, it is effective in removing the possibility of being misled by the presence of outliers. c. If data is significantly skewed, what measure would be the best approximation of the data's dispersion If the data is significantly skewed, the interquartile range serves as the best measure of dispersion. It should be noted that the interquartile range measures the dispersion by looking at the 50% of the observation. It removes the possibility of having misleading measures of central tendency by capturing the middle of the data and leaving the outliers behind. This is in contrast with range which is

Introduction to Quality Assurance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Introduction to Quality Assurance - Essay Example Improvements in the patient satisfaction by increasing quality of care, will in itself lead towards reduction of risk. The basic steps in the design of the risk management strategy for the hospital are as follows: Being a military hospital, the biggest risk it faces are times of war. This is an area where it should be prepared in. The hospital has a good history of being able to perform in war times. They are so confident on their abilities that a whole section has been dedicated on the website to this issue in fact. Other than this, the hospital mainly focuses on patient satisfaction and increasing the quality of services that they presently are offering to existing patients. This is particularly true for newly registered patients who need to be retained. The risk management process heavily relies on the total quality management department of the hospital. The major responsibility is on the head of the Command Risk Manager who needs to make sure that the risk management process is up to date and has not missed out on anything. He has to ensure that any new developments in the hospital are incorporated into this plan. This also includes that these practices should be in accordance with the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery (BUMED) and the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) rules and guidelines. Review and Evaluation of Plan When the planning stage has been developed, the time comes for the actual actions to be derived out of the planning. In this case the Naval Hospital hopes to make sure that losses will be able to be minimized and harm will also be prevented to the maximum extent. This is particularly important since the place exists for this very purpose only. This also means that the staff and the facility will be saved from any blame for any unforeseen accidents or mishaps. The benchmark that I am going to compare this Hospital to is the Naval Medical Center San Diego. The main reason for selecting this benchmark is that comparison between two same sort of things eliminates any discrepancies and confusion which might arise in the minds of readers. Now, being a bigger and more prosperous facility, the San Diego Naval Medical Center immediately has an advantage. It will get more customers than the Naval Hospital Guam. The biggest difference is that the Naval Medical Center San Diego is a "Center" while the Naval Hospital Guam is just a "Hospital". This means that the Naval Medical Center San Diego has to provide much more to its patients in forms of services and quality than the Guam Facility. So, all planning done by the Naval Medical Center San Diego is more thorough and covers a much more wide area to lower costs and provide a better overall understanding by the staff by reducing their confusion of the management practices. This makes the risk manageme nt program of Naval Medical Center San Diego a bit blurred compared to the Guam Hospital, as they can fine tune it without much changes and confusion, giving it the needed edge. There are not many things wrong with it actually. This plan is developed keeping many things in mind by the administration like lowering costs and so on.

New German Cinema Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

New German Cinema - Essay Example Finally, the films shared a concern with contemporary West German fact on the one support and search for public and markets on the other1. In an international view, the German Cinema was taken as the most encouraging development in German cinema since German assertions, and a handful of its directors who have won national reputations. The film developed in other countries like Britain and US during the mid 1970s through various magazines and television announcements. Many observers of the films focused on the characters of the new directors, discussing them as creative geniuses, artists with something to say and determined the films almost incompatible in terms of their personal visions of the directors. Thus, the New German Cinema in Britain and America was initially discussed predominantly as a â€Å"cinema des auteur.†2 Although the New German Cinema directors were undisputedly highly gifted, there were a number of historically particular influences that set up essential pre-conditions for the occurrence of the New Cinema. Of particular significant was the way in which Allies handled the fledging West German Film industry in the years promptly after the World War II. When the war was moving towards the end, the western Allies felt that it was vital to re-inform the German people in order both to declassify Germany and to assemble up the western zones of Germany as a barrier to the influence of the Soviet in eastern Europe and American films were recognized fast as an effective measure of disseminating western notions of freedom, democracy and capitalist enterprise. Before the distributors of America agreed to send their films to the FRG for this reason, however, they forced that they should be permitted to transfer any benefits made in Germany back to America. Since the market in the German was clo sed to America during the World war II, once this situation

School Connectedness analysisi based on multiple studies Essay

School Connectedness analysisi based on multiple studies - Essay Example Introduction School connectedness is a concept that refers to the extent of attachment, trust, compassion and positivity observed and felt by students for their school environment, teachers and class mates (Whitlock, 2003). In another view, it can be perceived as an ideological barometer of judging the true strength of a government’s academic policies, and the overall success of any educational institution. Whitlock (2003, p.1) affirms that â€Å"school connectedness revolves around the idea that when young people consistently receive empathy, attention, and praise at school, they feel a sense of belonging and support that is the springboard for healthy growth and development." It is also known as â€Å"school engagement," â€Å"school attachment,† and â€Å"school bonding† (Blum, 2004, p.1). Countless studies so far have been conducted to analyze the strength, importance, and impact of school connectedness on the cognitive, emotional, physical, and social grow th as well as the familial lives of students from varying age groups. Every research in this matter provides extra ordinary findings, exclusive details, and enlightening analysis about the miscellaneous factors associated with school connectedness. ... However, the concept of school bonding is not a hypothetical one; it is an integral factor that influences every student in one way or the other. That is why it was deemed important to understand and evaluate the varying levels of school connectedness on different aspects of an individual’s life. Robert Blum explains that â€Å"research on students’ attachment to the schools they attend is conducted in a variety of disciplines: education, health, psychology and sociology† (2004, p.1). Therefore, in search of a perfect analysis for this report, different studies on all these aspect will be inspected so that the importance of school bonding could be understood. School and family share a correlated association because home environment and preferences hugely affect the level of school connectedness. This is why the influence and impact of family conditions and environs on school belonging is important to be analyzed first. It is a pre-conceived notion that family and school are the two most important stabilizing factors in a person’s life and that their strong coalition produces an everlasting impact on students from a very early age. However, it is important to analyze if strong parent-teacher frequency really is important for developing strong sense of school-likeness. Serpell and Mashburn (2011) observed the extent to which family-school connection affected children’s social growth during Prekindergarten. A combination of 2966 multi-lingual four-aged children from 240 classrooms of 40 prominent state-funded Pre-K study programs in six states of USA participated in this study (Serpell & Mashburn, 2012). The results revealed that â€Å"pre-k teachers' perceptions of a positive relationship with parents are strongly associated with their ratings of children's

Duties and Responsibilities Essay Example for Free

Duties and Responsibilities Essay As everybody know, to be responsible and accomplish with your duties, is one of the most important things around the world in the labor area. Without being responsible and do whatever you are supposed to do, practically, you are out of your job. As and future officer of the United States Army, we must know which ones are our duties and responsibilities in order to accomplish them and make our team look sharp and right. Due to constants changes in the army, we never know which position we or our fellow soldier are going to occupy. Thus, here you will see the duties and responsibilities of leadership positions from company commander to squad leader in order to make the reader understand why is so important to know what, when, where and why is your position so important. The company commander or CO is one of the most important positions in a company. The CO is responsible for everything the company does or fails to do, as an all. The CO is responsible for the training, discipline, administration and welfare of the soldier/ cadets in the company. He or she is the one who will receive the warning order (WARNO), formulates operation order (OPORD), creates plan and time line for every activity to do, supervise all trainings and coordinates with the cadre for detailed instructions. The CO leads by personal example and influence others to accomplish their duties and responsibilities. The executive office or XO is the second in command in a company. He or she primary role is to assist the commander in mission planning and accomplishment. The XO frees the company commander from routine details and passes pertinent data, information and insight to the commander and ensures suspenses are met by the platoon leaders. In addition to that the XO is responsible for the safety and risk assessment of all company events, thus, prepare OPORDs safety paragraph. The XO performs all other duties as assigned by the company commander. The first Sargent or 1SG, just like the company commander is the responsible for everything the company does or fails to do. Usually is the most experienced soldier/ cadet in the company. The 1SG is the commanders primary tactical advisor and expert on individual and NCO skills. The 1SG helps the commander plan, coordinate and supervise all activities that support the company or unit mission. He or she writes and presents paragraph IV (Service and Support) of the company OPORD, makes necessary announcements at PT and at lab, responsible for gathering all accountability and sending it up the chain of command, keeps company training running according to the time line, makes sure all information is disseminated to the PSGs and has accountability at all times and supervises PSGs and SLs. The platoon leader or PL is the responsible for the entire platoon does or fails to do. In the conduct of duties, consults platoon Sargent in all matters related to the platoon. The PL leads platoon in supporting higher headquarters missions, looks ahead to the next move for the platoon, requests and controls supporting assets and issues accurate and timely reports. In addition to that the PL places self where most needed to accomplish the mission and understands the mission and commanders intent two levels up. The platoon sergeant or PSG is usually a senior NCO in the platoon and second in command. The PSG sets the example in everything and is the responsible for the care of personnel, weapons and equipment in platoon. As second in command, the PSG assumes duties as assigned by the PL. In addition to that, ensures platoon is prepared to accomplish mission, prepares to assume the role and responsibilities of PL, acts where best needed to help mission command the engagement, organize platoon formations and control movement of the platoon. The squad leader or SL is the responsible for all the squad does or fails to do, directs team leaders and leads by personal example. The SL has authority over subordinates and overall responsibility for those subordinates actions and is responsible for the care of personnel. In addition to that, the SL ensure the squad is in proper uniform with proper equipment for training,  lead a supervise the squad, personally prepare and inspect the squad for all missions, keep squad accountability and report to the PSG, control movement of the squad, prepare and submit reports and prepare and issue the squad OPORD. In conclusion, it does not matter what position we are going to occupy, we need to make that our fellow soldiers are doing what they have to do. The duties and responsibilities of every single leadership position is based on take into consideration that a leader is supposed to know and understand their people. He or she knows their strengths and weaknesses as well as what motivates and frustrates them. So, in order to be successful and accomplish all our obligations, first, we need assume our position, always seeking for the welfare of our team.

Descartes vs. Spinoza Essay Example for Free

Descartes vs. Spinoza Essay What I will do in this following paper is to discuss two very interesting philosophers, Rene Descartes and Benedictus de Spinoza. I will discuss each philosopher’s perspectives and insights on their most recognized theories and thoughts. I will then evaluate them and then give my opinion on the given topic. By doing this, I will contrast the similarities and differences between the two genius minds. By the end of the paper I will have discarded some ideas and opinions from each of the two and will have my own judgment that consists of thoughts from Spinoza, Descartes and my self put together. Themes On Descartes: Existence of God- Descartes’ View One of the most famous and debatable theories Descartes had was his proof of the existence of God. He had for steps on the ladder to prove this. 1) Everything including our ideas has a cause. 2) We have an idea of God. 3) Nothing less than God is adequate to be the cause of our idea of God. An lastly 4) Therefore God exists. My View Considering the fact that Descartes was a rationalist and a very religious man, you can see why he would desperately try to make sense of everything, including God. I believe his proof that he has laid out for us that God exists is false. What Descartes is trying to tell us is that our idea of God comes directly from God himself and that we cannot create something in our minds that we have not already witnessed by our senses. But I believe we can implant the idea of God in our minds without God planting it for us. Since man has been on this planet, we have been evolving. I believe our idea of God is a collection of thoughts and ideas that has evolved. Ideas such as security, peace, direction, order, separating good and evil, questions to our existence, comfort, space, answers to questions no one has. It is all these thoughts, ideas and more put together in our minds overtime that create this all mighty powerful being who knows all and is all that we call God. The U-Turn- Descartes’ View One of the aspects Descartes strived to find was â€Å"certainty†, searching for absolute foundation. He felt in order to come across certainty; we must first doubt everything we know. To help people comprehend his idea, he created the U-Turn as a visual reference to understand. As we go down the â€Å"U† we first doubt common sense, then we doubt awake/sleep since he believes we can’t distinguish the difference. We continue to go down the â€Å"U† by doubting mathematics because there could be an â€Å"Evil Genius† that tricks us into believing something untrue. At the bottom of this U we reach the point where nothing is certain except one thing according to Descartes, which is our existence. He says â€Å"I think, therefore I am†, which means the only thing we can be certain about is our own existence. He then stops and says if we exist, then there must be a God, and this is where the U takes its turn and moves upwards. He then says if God exists he would not deceive us because he is all loving and caring, therefore we have no reason to doubt mathematics, followed by ourselves (body/mind) and lastly we can then be certain about the physical world, no need to doubt it. My View I find this to be an interesting concept that Descartes has formulated in his mind, one that is most definitely worth thinking about and taking into consideration. But in my point of view, there is a break in his chain. From the moment he mentions we doubt being awake and asleep is where I think his U-Turn collapses. Descartes says we can not distinguish the difference between the two, but that’s only true to a certain point. As humans we have logic, common sense and we are aware of most of the knowledge we obtain. We know that we live a life every day and that we need rest every night; and we know that sleeping is a form of rest which sometimes includes bizarre, twisted, chaotic scenarios which we call dreams or nightmares. The argument he made on this segment of his U-Turn concept was only half true. He was right on the fact that we can not distinguish the difference when in a dream state but wrong on the idea that same goes for when we are awake. As human begins we may not be able to have any reasoning, logic or understand the fact that we are dreaming but when we are not dreaming we can logically know we are awake and be able to know the difference between awake/sleep which means we don’t have to doubt common sense or mathematics anymore. If this is the case then Descartes U-Turn theory is wrong and the idea that the only thing we can be â€Å"certain† about is our own existence is false. Themes On Spinoza: Conception of God- Spinoza’s’ View Spinoza went on a whole different direction when it came to God. Up to his point in time most people believed in a transcendent God, this meant that they believed in a personal God that was all loving, caring and would not deceive us human beings. People would prey to this personal God for various things like comfort and security, but Spinoza had his own belief. His conception was quite different from that of anyone else. His conception of God was non-personal (Non- Transcendent) and was the totality of everything that is immanent. He explained that our infinite Universe is one that has no outside and is also one big web where everything in it is connected. What he is basically trying to say is that God=Nature, God is the totality of everything that is. My View Spinoza’s conception of God is quite absurd. There may or may not be a God but if there is, it is definitely not the totality of everything that is. The meaning of God is a higher supreme being that would have a higher consciousness than humans. There is a difference between nature and God. I feel nature is more on the lines of what he is trying to say but uses the word â€Å"God†. God can not be everything that is because then that would mean we are part of the make up of God and that is absurd. How can everything in the universe that has no conception of God be a part of God? His thoughts and ideas on this subject don’t add up in the end and don’t seem like an acceptable solution to the questions revolving around â€Å"God†. Ethics: On Interconnected Self- Spinoza’s’ View Spinoza said that freedom of choice is an illusion and that everything that happens is part of a necessary order witch is completely rational. My View If freedom of choice is an illusion and everything is already set to happen before it occurs†¦then why are we making choices in the first place? I believe we do have freedom of choice and that we set our own destiny. Everything will be set but is not set yet. We must make choices and decisions to get to where we want to or do not want to. This can be compared to a video game, the programmer and the player. The programmer sets al these scenarios, levels, obstacles, directions and gives the gamer various choices to make. The player goes through these obstacles, and makes choices where many possibilities are presented to him/her. Ultimately the game will finish one way or the other with the choices that the player makes. All these various different possibilities were laid out (each which had its own outcome) but the player made the decision to get to where he/she is now. Overall Comparison: After taking in everything these two philosophers have presented and evaluating their ideas, I have come up with my own thoughts. I believe Descartes had a much more reasonable and acceptable point of view than Spinoza. Descartes thoughts and concepts were easier to understand and coupe with. I disagree a lot with both of the two but my mind has a greater understanding of Descartes perspective. Spinoza was so special in his own way because of his unique ideas but his concepts on God and ethics seemed to far fetch. Descartes seemed to be on a perfect track until he took a couple things too far like God, trying to prove his existence. If we are to gain knowledge through sense experience then technically we have no knowledge of God, jus a compound of thoughts and ideas to create such a being. Overall I like Descartes philosophical way of thinking more than any other philosopher and feel we can learn a lot from him including helping ourselves to think in a more abstract philosophical manner. Sources Of Information: 1) A History of Western Philosophy : Hobbes to Hume (Second Edition) 2) individual. utoronto. ca/mtlin/god. pdf 3) www. utm. edu/research/iep/s/spinoza. htm 4) http://serendip. brynmawr. edu/Mind/17th. html 5) www. trincoll. edu/depts/phil/philo/phils/descartes. html 6) www. connect. net/ron/descartes. html.

Causes And Effects Of Food Insecurity Environmental Sciences Essay

Causes And Effects Of Food Insecurity Environmental Sciences Essay State reconstruction is primarily aimed at restoring peace and stability. One of the key factors that threaten peace and stability is food insecurity. This paper focuses on the key challenge of improving food security in protracted crises as well as during post conflict times. The goal of achieving  food security often becomes a daunting challenge, especially when emergencies persist for years or even decades as evidenced in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan and Somalia. The paper begins with a brief overview of what food security entails, structural factors hindering food security as well as the effects of food insecurity. This will be followed by a glimpse into the protracted situation in the DRC as well as suitable frameworks for analyzing and responding to protracted crises. It concludes with recommendations on how to improve food security in protracted crises. The World Food Summit of 1996 defined food security to be existing when all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to enough safe and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy lifestyle. Food security means that: Food is available The amount and quality of food available globally, nationally and locally can be affected temporarily or for long periods by many factors including climate, disasters, war, civil unrest, population size and growth, agricultural practices, environment, social status and trade. Food is affordable When there is a shortage of food prices increase and while richer people will likely still be able to feed themselves, poorer people may have difficulty obtaining sufficient safe and nutritious food without assistance. Food is utilised At the household level, sufficient and varied food needs to be prepared safely so that people can grow and develop normally, meet their energy needs and avoid disease. Food security is considered a complex sustainable development issue, linked to health through malnutrition, but also to sustainable economic development, environment, and trade. There is debate around food security with some arguing that: There is enough food in the world to feed everyone adequately; the problem is distribution. Future food needs can or cannot be met by current levels of production. National food security is essential or no longer necessary because of global trade. Globalization may or may not lead to the persistence of food insecurity and poverty in rural communities. Issues such as whether households get enough food, how it is distributed within the household and whether that food fulfils the nutrition needs of all members of the household show that food security is clearly linked to health. Agriculture remains the largest employment sector in most developing countries and international agriculture agreements are crucial to a countrys food security. Some critics argue that trade liberalization may reduce a countrys food security by reducing agricultural employment levels. 3. Structural Factors Institutional failure, non-existent or weak public and informal institutions are arguably the primary source of protracted crises and food insecurity. This is due to the fact that basic public services such as health, education and protection are inadequately and ineffectively provided if at all. Poor governance of land use and access fuels disputes over land in these crisis situations and impacts negatively on food security in that agricultural production is hampered and investments to increase food production decrease when access to land becomes insecure. Unequal access of land is common in protracted situations of the DRC, Somalia and Sudan and a typical example is when the powerful politico-military rewards their supporters with extra land in an effort to secure their support base. This results in the majority of land being the property of a small number of landowners and the rest of small farmers being marginalized. State reconstruction became hindered when the economy of the DR C collapsed due to the powerful elite exploiting the countrys economic resources. Informal and cultural institutions also play a role in easing the burden of conflicts and can prove to be more effective than weak or collapsed formal institutions. A perfect example in this regard is the local council in the DRC known as chambres de paix that comprised of community elders who investigated and settled land disputes between farmers on the basis of compromise. ¹ This form of justice system became the most trusted mechanism for providing protection to farmers and as a result, farmers no longer trusted the formal corrupt justice system and local courts which traditionally failed to afford them legal protection and justice. However, protracted crises have had a bad effect on informal institutions and thus deprived them of mitigating against the crises. For instance, in Sudan traditional elder authorities were eradicated by military forces. ² 4. Causes and Effects of Food Insecurity Poverty Poor people lack access to sufficient resources to produce or buy quality food. Poor farmers may have very small farms, use less effective farming techniques, and/or be unable to afford fertilisers and labour-saving equipment, all of which limit food production. They often find it difficult to grow enough food for themselves, let alone generate income by selling excess to others. Without economic resources and a political voice, poor farmers may be forced on to less productive land possibly causing further environmental deterioration. Addressing poverty is critical to ensuring that all people have sufficient food. Health Without sufficient calories and nutrients, the body slows down, making it difficult to undertake the work needed to produce food. Without good health, the body is also less able to make use of the food that is available. A hungry mother will give birth to an underweight baby, who then faces a future of stunted growth, frequent illness, learning disabilities and reduced resistance to disease. Contaminated food and water can cause illness, nutrient loss and often death in children. The HIV/AIDS pandemic has reduced food production in many affected countries as productive adults become ill or die. Lacking the labour, resources and know-how to grow staples and commercial crops, many households have shifted to cultivating survival foods or even leaving their fields, further reducing the food supply. Addressing health issues will improve utilisation and availability of food. Water and the environment Food production requires massive amounts of water. Producing sufficient food is directly related to having sufficient water. Irrigation can ensure an adequate and reliable supply of water which increases yields of most crops. Where water is scarce, achieving food security may depend on importing food from countries with an abundance of water. This may be a more efficient use of a scarce resource. Gender equity Women play a vital role in providing food and nutrition for their families through their roles as food producers, processors, traders and income earners. Yet womens lower social and economic status limits their access to education, training, land ownership, decision making and credit and their ability to improve their access to and use of food. Food utilisation can be enhanced by improving womens knowledge of nutrition and food safety and the prevention of illnesses. Increasing womens involvement in decision making and their access to land and credit will in turn improve food security as women invest in fertilisers and better seeds, labour-saving tools, irrigation and land care. Disasters and conflicts Droughts, floods, cyclones and pests can quickly wipe out large quantities of food as it grows or when it is in storage for later use. Seeds can also be destroyed by such environmental dangers. Conflict can also reduce or destroy food in production or storage as farmers flee to safety or become involved in the fighting. Previously productive land may be contaminated with explosive debris and need to be cleared before it can again be used for food production. Stored food, seeds and breeding livestock may be eaten or destroyed by soldiers, leading to long-term food shortages. Government spending needs to prioritise food security after conflicts. Population and urbanisation Population growth increases the demand for food. With most productive land already in use, there is pressure for this land to become more productive. Poor harvests and higher costs lead many poor farmers to migrate to cities to look for work. Expanding cities spread out across productive land, pushing food production further and further away from consumers. This increases the cost of all the activities associated with producing and transporting food, and decreases the food security of the poor in cities. Trade Many poor countries can produce staples more cheaply than rich nations but barriers to trade, such as distance from markets, regulations and tariffs make it difficult for them to compete in export markets against highly subsidised farmers in rich countries. This deprives poor farmers of income and entire countries of the agricultural base they need to develop other sectors of the economy. Trade imbalances prevent poor countries from importing agricultural products that could enhance their food security. The negative effects of food insecurity include impaired physical and cognitive abilities of children. Generally, food insecurity and hunger amounts to poor health status, making children sick more often, with higher rates of iron deficiency anemia, and also results in children being frequently hospitalized. In Somalia, for example, 20 percent of children die before the age of five. The nutritional status of women is also a major concern. They are mainly farmers and are usually carers of their families. It has been reported that two-thirds of women in the Horn of Africa suffer from anaemia, which is partly attributed to the high levels of maternal mortality. 5. Protracted Crises The term is defined as conflict situations characterized by the prolonged and often violent struggle by communal groups for such basic needs as security, recognition, acceptance, fair access to political institutions, and economic participation. ³ 5.1 DRC Democratic Republic of Congo is listed as one of the worst humanitarian crises. Its five-year war ended in 2003. The country is rich with gold, diamonds and minerals, yet millions of its people suffer from a lethal combination of disease and hunger caused by ongoing conflict and displacement. 5.4 million people were declared dead since 1998 from war-related violence, hunger and disease. The devastating effects of pre-war land policies on the rural people of DRC have intensified since the war. Land is at center stage of conflict, especially in the regions such as Ituri and Masisi. It has also become an important resource to warring factions because through their control over land, they have reinforced their political position to the disadvantage of small farmers. A study undertaken by FAO concluded that food insecurity in the DRC can be tackled through interventions that focus on land access and that possible interventions include the strengthening of the legal position of rural populations and the strengthening of the role of community representatives in land issues. The study also focused on the structural impact of the protracted crisis on local food systems and the effects and limits of food security interventions. 6. Frameworks for Analysis and Response In protracted crises, food security interventions tend to be based on a standardized set of responses that do not consider the dynamic nature of protracted crises. Such interventions usually focus on food production and neglect other dimensions of food security. Responses to these situations are of a humanitarian/emergency nature. They contribute to saving lives and to protecting livelihoods but are inadequate for addressing the complex root causes of these crises. Stated differently, traditional humanitarian and development approaches are often not suitable for guiding analysis and response. Organizations that intervene in these situations tend to concentrate on one side of the humanitarian/development divide and plan their response accordingly. The studies show that assistance is often externally driven and very few donors commit to longer term development once the acute phase of a crisis passes and thus disregard the root causes of the crisis unresolved. In the DRC and Sudan, analytical tools that were employed wrongly suggested that food insecurity in those countries were livelihoods crises at the household level caused by external factors. As a result, contextual analysis was not undertaken. Alinovi et al therefore suggest that a new operational framework for food security in protracted crises should: †¢ have an overarching livelihoods-based framework to represent various processes at the global level and the effects of those processes at the household level; †¢ highlight appropriate food security responses policies and programmes; †¢ identify institutions that play a positive (or negative) role in strengthening the resilience of food systems; and †¢ identify institutions that are necessary for implementing food security response. Conclusion It is necessary to address both the short and long term dimensions of protracted crises in order to have an impact on increasing food security and thus prevent and/or mitigate the adverse effects of food insecurity, especially in protracted crises. The current aid architecture also needs to be reformed so that it is flexible enough to link short and longer term response. Response must be based on adequate analysis, including institutional analysis of these complex situations. Acting without adequate analysis may reduce the effectiveness of response and, in the worst cases, make the situation even worse. The eradication of hunger and food insecurity must be considered a long-term development goal. Food insecurity cannot be addressed in isolation. Progress needs to be made also with relation to goals set in other pressing areas, including poverty alleviation; education and literacy; reductions in infant, child and maternal mortality; improved reproductive health; and environmental protection. The countries in protracted crises should establish their own regional and national targets as well as associated indicators. These goals should be achieved within the framework of human rights. This rights-based approach acknowledges the responsibility of national governments and their international partners in fulfilling peoples fundamental rights, including freedom from hunger. Community participation should also be encouraged to ensure that beneficiaries participate in all decisions affecting their lives. Women should also have an equal voice in decision-making.

Mariano Escobedo :: essays research papers

Mariano Escobedo Mariano Escobedo was a healthy man he was my Grandparents great great grandparent. He was a Mexican General from Mexico. He wanted to govern Mexico, he fought against dynasty and he won. Escobedo fought against the French Invasion in Mexico to govern Mexico. He became a great general who fought against Napoleon III (French.) In Mexico City airport and in Monterey his name is printed and also in some streets of difference parts of Mexico. Mexico had borrowed money from England, France and Spain. In 1861 representatives from this countries got together in London to find a way to get Mexico to pay this countries. Troops from this three countries went to Veracruz in 1862. They were welcomed from representative from Mexico. The general Juan Prim, from Spain accepted the way Mexico was going to pay little by little so as England. The representative from France is not accepted he wanted the money and ordered his troops to prepare to fight. The government of Benito Juarez organize the defens e. He made in charge the general Ignazio Zaragoza to get to Puebla and fight with the French. They attacked each other in the " Fuertes de Loreto y Guadalupe. The troops of Zaragoza, helped from the Indians Zacapoaxtla. In 1862of Mat 5 they won against the French. The emperor from France, Luis Napoleon Bonaparte, wanted to extend his powers in America and in Asia. He dreamed to form a great empire. Mexico took advantage of that situation to peek an European emperor to govern Mexico and to stop the politic anarchy. Luis Napoleon made them recommend Fernando Maximiliano de Habsurgo, brother of the emperor Francisco Jose. Maximiliano accepted his embarkation to Mexico but with her wife, the princess Carlota Amalia de Belgica. Luis Napoleon send his army to wish napoleon luck. Austria and Belgica also send troops. The emperors arrived to Mexico at the end of 1864. In Veracruz, Puebla were great big welcomes. To confront the invaders, to the president Juarez formed a government itin erante, who traveled from the capital to the north border. From this places it continue the position of the millitar action from the armies from the North, West, command from

Twelve Who Ruled †Why Tenacious Terror was Necessary Essay -- Politic

In the year 1793-94, the Reign of Terror invoked by the twelve members of Committee of Public Safety (CPS) was unavoidable and led the way for a metamorphosis to occur within France during the French Revolution. While the word terror is often associated with Halloween or stories meant to be frightening for fun, the word held a far more serious meaning to the people of France. The theme of fear allowed the CPS members to change the monarchy to a revolutionary government in hopes of eventually enacting the constitution already written (75). A group of well-educated radical republicans known as the Jacobins developed the CPS in the fifth year of the French revolution and each of the twelve members dealt with a monthly election to continue governing France (72). During this time, France and its people required assistance. The monarchy that controlled France eight centuries earlier ignored and heavily taxed the lower/middle class inhabitants (the san-culottes) who ironically happened to be the majority and poorest. The purpose of the CPS was to establish the rights and privileges to the middle and lower class only the nobility and clergy relished. While the nobles endured the negative consequences of the revolution and wars from the previous years, most of the nation dealt with the affects much more severely. One of the major duties as the new revolutionary government included repairing the damage imbued by the monarchial previously in power. Other agendas included supervising the Revolutionary Armies, along with the gen erals of the real armies working to purge France of impending invaders and the distribution of food supplies and necessities to live (74). The CPS never intended a revolutionary government to be a permanent solution,... ...bespierre predicted that it would create a gateway for another chapter to begin involving the French Revolution, military dictatorship (372). The steps for France to become an independent republic definitely were not easy, but without these transitions, the nation would have taken much longer to progress. In society today, it is difficult to believe that violence and terror would be essential for anything other than entertainment. Unfortunately, in order to triumph as an independent nation, viciousness is often unavoidable and only used as the final resort. As discussed in class, other countries recently have been trying to or are obtaining the sovereignty so easy to take for granted. While the development may not be the same as the French Revolution, the terror produced by the Committee of Public Safety heeds a warning to the ones who seek revolutionary freedom.