Similarities Between Confucianism And Ancient China

Religious and political ideas have served as the fundamental foundation to many early civilizations and settlements and Ancient China is no exception. The texts of the Ta Hsà ¼eh and the Chung Yung clearly details some ideas and concepts of early Confucianism in Ancient China. These early Confucian ideas and concepts from the two texts, in many ways reflect the political, intellectual, and social context of ancient China. Although Confucianism is no long as prominent as it was during the times of ancient China, it is important to understand these concepts and how later Chinese Dynasty adopted it. Confucianism has developed and influenced modern China and also other East Asian cultures, customs, and heritages. The origins of Confucianism are often disputed among historians and philosophers and many believe the myth of Confucius developing Confucianism all in his lonesome. Confucius was born in the historical state of Lu at a time when Zhou Dynastic power was crumbling. The Zhou Dynas ty has started to lose control and Ancient China erupted into a struggle for power. Many ruling elites craved for unification thus granting them total control of the Zhou household, known as the Warring States Period. Confucius believed the founders of the Zhou Dynasty had established a well-developed government and principled actions, but he only kept seeing war and greed among the rivaling states around him, grasping for leadership and power. As the Spring Autumn Periods of the Zhou DynastyShow MoreRelatedBuddhism : The Popularity Of Buddhism1306 Words   |  6 PagesBuddhism Culture in China Instructor Dr. Jack Name: Zhoudongxue Zhang Student #: 100311725 Date: 26/11/2015 The Popularity of Buddhism in China Buddhism is one of the most popular religions in the world. The Pew Research Center reports that nearly 488 million people practice Buddhism, which represents 7% to 8% of the world’s entire population. Buddhism is mainly practiced in the Asia-Pacific region with approximately 481,290,000 Buddhists, which means 99% of Buddhists live in Asia-PacificRead MoreSimilarities Between Imperial Rome And Han China938 Words   |  4 Pages These two great empires Imperial Rome and Han China both had highly advanced political structures. These two empires both had highly political structures because Not only that but both of these two empires held on and retained many aspects from their previous empires or systems, like the Han Empire used aspects from the Qin dynasty while Imperial Rome used aspects from the Roman Republic. Another big similarity in these two EMpires was that they achieved great architectural achievements. TheRead MoreA Brief Note On The Japanese Religion Of Shintois m1446 Words   |  6 Pagesappeasing the Gods. 6. The main similarity is that they are all monotheistic- meaning they believe in one god and worship one and only one god that is divine and created the world. This is different because this one god controls the destiny of all people and there is no one that can speak to or pacify the spirits. 7. - Humans struggled to understand the world and their place in it. - These beliefs found a way to define and explain the relationship between Cosmos and the community. - TheyRead MoreInfluence Of Confucianism On Korean Traditions1369 Words   |  6 Pagesof influence of Confucianism on Korean traditions As history goes by the world structure, politics, and economy changes from decade to decade, however traditions, customs and culture of different countries remain almost untouched. Culture therefore is a highly important aspect to the society and individuals (Oatey, 2012). Culture of any society includes traditions, customs, rituals and events flourished by certain society. As a part of culture traditions in originated in ancient times and determinedRead MorePhilosophies of China and India Essay858 Words   |  4 PagesChina and India have many philosophical schools of thought. There are multiple similarities as well as a plethora of differences. While China has a wide range of thoughts concerning eternal salvation and everyday rule, India is more narrow-minded in their approach. The differences are astounding and the similarities are few and far between. Each nation has a distinctly different school of thought, which ultimately led to the establishment of their current day societ ies. China has many differentRead MoreThe Monument Of The Tomb Of Emperor Qin1072 Words   |  5 PagesMost of the vertical section below is the human realm. At the very bottom is the Underworld. In the heavenly realm, dragons and immortal beings appear between and below two orbs the red sun and its symbol. The woman awaits her ascent to heaven, where she can attain immortality. Daoism and Confucianism are both philosophies and religions native to China. Both schools of thought attracted wide followings during the Warring States Period. The Daoism emerged out of the metaphysical teachings attributedRead MoreEssay about The Classic of Poetry957 Words   |  4 Pagesthe beginning of Confucianism. Confucianism is the concept of centering one’s life or work on authority figures, family, and friends. The expression of Confucianism is best seen in the work of Tu Fu. Confucianism is wide spread throughout the Classic of Poetry. Confucianism is brought out in the poetry because it focuses on education, political views, and social views. Education in the poetry helped to spread the ideas or moral values and knowledge to the people of China. (â€Å"Norton AnthologyRead MoreConfucius And Aristotle On Virtue1318 Words   |  6 Pagesand Aristotle on Virtue This essay compares two philosophers of two very different and distinct backgrounds. Confucius’s ideas were developed as a result of his involvement and manifestation in the ancient Chinese culture while Aristotle’s ideas were a result of his absorption and existence in the ancient Greek culture. Subsequently, both philosophers touched on subjects of a similar nature quite frequently, so as, what constitutes virtue or good ethical character and conduct. According to DictionaryRead MoreAncient China Versus Ancient Greece Essay1008 Words   |  5 PagesAncient China Versus Ancient Greece Ancient China and Ancient Greece were two vastly different civilizations with different cultures; they shared a multitude of similar political, economic, and philosophical achievements while also inholding multiple differences. The centralized government of China differed from the independent city-states of Athens. A similarity that both civilizations held in regards to politics would be the role, or lack thereof one, that women played within their respectiveRead MoreWork of the Christian Missionaries: Converting China to Christianity1392 Words   |  6 Pagesgoing to be easy. Going to China at the time was a one way trip to an unknown land. The task of converting China to Christianity was rife with challenges due to continued resistance to any sort of outside influence that was a tradition of China for many years. Never-the-less the missionaries still went to China and by leveraging what advantages they could find, they were able to find some measure of success over the years. One of the men who made so much headway in China was a Jesuit named Ricci

Wrist Watch Structure Free Essays

THE TOP PLATE The Movement as Seen from the Back of the Watch {draw:rect} {draw:frame} THE BOTTOM PLATE *The* Dial Side of the Movement {draw:rect} {draw:frame} THE KEYLESS WORKS Winding and Hand-Setting {draw:frame} THE MOTION WORKS The Hour, Minute and Second Hands {draw:frame} The Cannon Pinion, Hour Wheel, Minute Wheel and Wheel Pinions {draw:rect} {draw:frame} The illustration above shows the motion works of a center-seconds watch. (1) The fourth wheel pinion, which carries the seconds hand. (2) The center wheel pinion, which carries the cannon pinion. We will write a custom essay sample on Wrist Watch Structure or any similar topic only for you Order Now 3) The cannon pinion, which carries the minutes hand. (4) the hour wheel, which carries the hour hand. {draw:frame} The second illustration diagrams the power flow from movement to hands. (A) The movement plate. (B) The center wheel. (C) The fourth wheel. (D) The cannon pinion. (E) The hour wheel. (F) The minute wheel. You can follow the power flow with the red numbers, 1 through 8. {draw:frame} The Balance Wheel: Amplitude {draw:rect} Amplitude may be measured with an electronic timer, or may be visually estimated. In the illustration the balance is in its centered (rest) position. The clockwise travel of one spoke (bottom) is indicated. Normally, the spoke will travel to between 275 and 315 degrees before reversing its direction, returning to center, and traveling 275 to 315 degrees counterclockwise. The Balance Wheel in Detail {draw:rect} {draw:frame} *THE ESCAPEMENT: Escape Wheel,* Pallets and Balance Staff {draw:rect} {draw:frame} The Mainspring, Mainspring Barrel, Barrel Arbor, Ratchet and Crown Wheel {draw:rect} {draw:frame} The Wheel Train {draw:rect} {draw:frame} Screws *The* Various Screws Used in the Watch {draw:rect} {draw:frame} How to cite Wrist Watch Structure, Essay examples

Loss Of Objectivityin Miss Jean Brodie And Madame Essay Example For Students

Loss Of Objectivityin Miss Jean Brodie And Madame Essay BovaryTiffany M. LittleLoss of ObjectivityLoss of objectivity is a personality trait of someone who has grown out of childhood yet has not matured emotionally in order to recognize other peoples wants and desires. A person without objectivity functions much like a child. They are able to let their imaginations run wild and function without regard to the consequences of actions. Madame Bovary and Miss. Jean Brodie are two characters who are unable to mature emotionally and therefore are without objectivity. It is much like they are too big children with the power to hurt others around them who expect them to be objective. In society, a degree of objectivity is needed to function properly. Objectivity is also needed to realize that happiness in not won by using other people, but my corroborating with them. Madame Bovary and Miss Jean Brodie are unable to see past their private inside world of fairytale dreams in order to leave peacefully with other people. Emma Bovary, like Jean Brodie , is the definition of a person without objectivity. Emma harbors idealistic and romantic illusions. She lives to desire, and she desires sophistication, sensuality, and passion, and when she is unable to achieve her desires, she lapses into fits of extreme boredom and depression. Evidence of Emmas lack of objectivity appeared at the beginning of the movie when she marries Dr. Bovary even though she know nothing about him, and marries him because it seems romantic. This does not satisfy her because she soon realizes that her marriage is anything but a romance novel, but is a practical. Although Emmas husband is pleases with their marriage and to the outside world Emma should be happy, she is disappointed and board. Emma feels dissatisfied by her new life, because, due to her inability to get past childhood expectations, she always expected marriage to lead her to romantic bliss; instead, she feels that her life has fallen short of the high expectations she received from books. Her marriage does not match her naively romantic expectations, and she lapses into a state of boredom and restlessness. After some time as Madame Bovary, Emma becomes pregnant, and in an attempt to revive her ill health her husband gives up everything he has and moves to a new town. However Emma does not see the sacrifice that he has made, but only sees where he has fallen short of her high expectations. When the Bovaries move to this new town, Emma meets a young man name Leon. Although Leon and Emma do not have an affair, she romanticizes the relationship and the tragedy of her marriage. Later, Emma gives birth to a daughter, Berthe, but this does not raise her spirits. Although her husband lavishes affection on her, she does not give one thought to him or the fact that she is now a mother, but instead pretends it never happened and continues with her self-fulfilling acts. She is still infatuated with Leon, but her infatuation and survival through her fantasies about him end when he goes to Paris, and Emma is left in a deep depression. With Leons departure, Emma refocuses her attention on being high class and sophisticated, which leads to her further contempt towards her husband even though he worshiped her and did everything in his power to please her. Emma finally seems happy when she meet Rodolphe, a sophisticated landowner and experienced lover. She begins an affair with Rodolph e, and for a time is very happy. During this affair, Emma begins to recklessly spend her husbands money with no regard to his feelings or wellbeing. When she plans to run off with Rodolphe, he even has to remind her that she has a daughter. She was so caught up in her fantasy affair that she completely forgot about her husband and daughter, and was not concerned with either of their emotions. However when her plans to run off with Rodolphe fails, she develops a serious illness, which seemed to be her attempt of dying of a broken heart. During her illness, her husband Charles takes care of her and their child. He never leaves her side, and when she is finally well, spends all his saving to buy her a dress and take her to a real opera. Emma does not care that her husband has spent all of his time and money on her, but instead still resents his simple nature. While out of town, Charles and Emma run into Leon and Emma starts another affair. In order to maintain the affair, Emma tricks C harles into giving her power of attorney so she can fund her lavish second life. The sadness thing is that Charles loves her so much and does everything because he loves her and all the time she is off leading a fantasy life through her affairs and spending all his money. Cleopatra Power In Antony And Cleopatra EssayMiss Brodie did not only disrupt her students life, but she branched out to include the art and music teachers as well. Because she was unable to have a significant relationship with the art teacher, Miss Brodie formed a relationship with the music teacher even though she was really in love with the art teacher. She did not care about the music teachers feelings or that she was using him to fulfill her need of a relationship. Not only did she hurt the music teacher with her games when she had no real feelings for him, but she also included the art teacher and her girls in her scheme to fulfill her relationship with the art teacher. Although morally wrong and emotionally damaging to her girls, Miss Brodie encouraged her girls to have an affair with their former art teacher so that in some way she could be a part of his life. Because she completely overstepped her boundaries and put both the girls and the art teacher in morally and legally wrong situation for her own benefit and did not recognize the trauma and the responsibility her actions carried, Miss Brodie continued to be completely self-centered and without objectivity. Although Miss Jean Brodie and Madame Bovary seem to be very different women, they actually share the character trait of lack of objectivity. Although Madame Bovary is more romantic and tries more to live a fantasy life, like Miss Jean Brodie she ignores the people around her that she is hurting and does nothing for them but only acts out of self-satisfying notions. Miss Brodies main effect of objectivity was the reckless use of teaching to influence the minds of young girls and to push her ideas and ways onto them even though they were harmful. Words/ Pages : 1,914 / 24

Key to Success free essay sample

The Importance of Hard Work That hard work is a key to success is a well-known adage. Parents, teachers as well as others guide a child to work hard so that he can achieve good scores, though a little bit of luck plays a positive role but I believe that hard work is the key to success. In fact if only luck is to be considered, no one would work but just wait till their lick shines up. But this is not the case. Today we see that technology has improved to such an extent that a person can have a lunch in Paris and a dinner in New York on the same day.There lies great contribution from people like the Wright brothers and Henry Ford to invent these means of transportation, which were the result of their hard-work and great efforts. If these people had waited for the D-day probably we could still have been using fire and wood to cook instead of using electrical ovens, and the globalization would not have taken effect. We will write a custom essay sample on Key to Success or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page A person can excel in his career due to hard work. If he sits at home, no one would offer him a job unless he initiates the job searching process.Also if you are working in a company you will be promoted only because of working hard: luck does not lie in the picture. A student stands out firstly only if he studies hard. Many students after the graduation say that probably they were not luck enough to get good marks, or the evaluators must have marked their papers strictly. But again these are merely reasons that can’t be given preference. Today a young individual has the potential to do something and crave in reaching a particular acme.There is, after all no substitute for hard work, and as Henry Ford says, â€Å"The harder you work, the luckier you get† – the more successful you get! How do you overcome success? Intense hard work along with great skills shall help you win one success after another. There shall be innumerable obstacles strewn in your path towards success, however, what makes a man truly worthy of the success that he attains is the ability to keep struggling until he can reach his goal.Giving up after a few failed attempts makes you a loser. A truly successful man will keep trying and keep struggling until he perfects his art. Thomas Edison failed approximately 10,000 times while he was working on the light bulb and yet he never dreamed of giving up – this is the hard work and the determination that marks a true success. Indeed, success is not measured by the position that you are in, today but the amount of hard work you put in and the number of obstacles that you overcome to reach your goal.Why work hard, if there are shortcuts? The good thing about working hard is, that for people who are driven towards their goal can enjoy their hard work and consequently, the work does not seem unduly grueling to them. When you begin to work hard towards achieving success, make sure to work smartly too. An intelligent working technique, along with relentless effort will go a long way in helping you achieve the success that you always desired. Nothing in this world comes easily, least of all, success. Take the example of Abraham Lincoln who worked hard, without ever getting disappointed of his countless failures, from the age of 21 till the age of 52, when he went on to become the President of the US. Again, it took Noah Webster 36 years to compile his Websters Dictionary. Where would we be today if he had not put in those countless hours of hard work behind his grand contribution to the English language? Therefore, you need to remember that there are no short cuts to success. Hard work, complimented with an intense desire to struggle and to achieve success is the only sure shot way of reaching success that you have always wanted. Key to Success free essay sample Key to success To be or not to be, that Is a question. To succeed or to fall? How to succeed and how to achieve? These problems confuse many teenagers In nowadays. We all have dreams, and we all work hard to realize them. But there will always be some problems and setbacks to stop the pace of advance. When they appear, what should we do? To stop or to go on? Mrs.. Curie told us the answer. We all know that Mrs.. Curie discovered radium, but how many people really know how hard she worked?At hat time, there were many people disapprove of Mrs.. Curie. Although she got over hundreds of difficulties, she still believed in herself and never gave up. Finally, she succeeded to discover radium. She proved that she was right by her continuous hard work and her strong spirit. We should learn from Mrs.. Curie. She told us the truth through her own experiences that believe in yourself, you can do it! Never give up, face the difficulties with a smile, someday, you will be proud of yourself. We will write a custom essay sample on Key to Success or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The key to success is confidence. It makes you brave, helps you get over the troubles, and brings motivation to you. For example, somebody always get nervous when they have an important speech, If they are In a nervous mood, the results are always terrible. But If they are confident to themselves, the results turn out to be better. Therefore, be confident, believe In yourself, keep smile In your face when comes to difficulties, and you will achieve more.

The American Civil War Essay Example

The American Civil War Essay Example The American Civil War Essay The American Civil War Essay Essay Topic: Notes From Underground The American Civil War is a topic which many poets have addressed in verse. What separates Lowells For The Union Dead from the scores of other Civil War poems is not only the complex interweaving of period and contemporary events in order to make a social commentary on change, which give the poem a strong modern-day resonance, but also the precise and polysemic lexis Lowell employs in order to link different timeframes.In 1964, four years after he first read For The Union Dead in public, Lowell stated in a letter: In my poem For The Union Dead, I lament the loss of the old Abolitionist spirit; the terrible injustice, in the past and present, of the American treatment of the Negro is the greatest urgency to me as a man and a writer.. By describing the loss of such a spirit, Lowell also reveals what has replaced it in modern Boston; a vulgar fixation with consumerism. His juxtaposition of the unselfish and heroic sacrifice of Colonel Shaw and his all-black 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry against the moral decline of modern Boston, of a rose-tinted past against a dystopian present, is a continual theme in the poem. He describes the bronze monument celebrating their valour as (sticking) like a fishbone in the citys throat, going on to state that the Colonel is out of bounds now; in both instances, Lowell alludes to the fact that the laudable values which the Colonel and his men stood for are ignored by modern society, that human nature has degenerated into crude materialism.This degeneration is shown further by Lowells disdainful description of the building of a garage beneath the Boston Common, which is owned by the people of Boston rather than the city itself. The construction of the garage in the 60s was subject to vehement and ultimately unsuccessful protest, as it was seen as an infringement of the peoples rights. The theme of immoral consumerism recurs in this disdainful description: Parking spaces luxuriate like civic sandpiles in the heart of Boston. Lowell sees his city reduced to a plaything for childlike developers who have no thought for culture or heritage. Yet another example of this brazen consumerism is the reference to the Mosler Safe, which is advertised and glorified as a result of WWII. This is juxtaposed against the memorial, carelessly propped by a plank splint. This theme is not only applicable to Boston, but universally applicable; indeed, with the ever increasing emphasis on material wealth in modern life, the poem may have even greater relevance today. Through the universal applicability of its themes, then, Lowells poem demonstrates the qualities of durability which allows literary works to be widely deemed as valuable.In addition to this large-scale historical juxtaposition, there is a personal juxtaposition between the child Lowell and the adult Lowell, adding another layer of complexity to the poem as the factual and emotional interact with each other. The Aquarium is vital here, not only exhibiting the imp ermanence of the world we live in as modernisation propels human advancement, but showing how even within Lowells lifetime, the world has changed beyond recognition; the fish of his childhood are gone, and all that is left is the bronze weathervane cod which has lost half its scales; they have been replaced by yellow dinosaur steamshovels grunting behind their cage and giant finned cars. The replacement of the sentient fish from the Aquarium with these mechanical beasts of the modern era runs parallel to the aforementioned degeneration of human nature, and together they chart the disappearance of the world of Lowells childhood, as well as and Colonel Shaws lifetime. On a personal level as well, then, Lowell portrays the change which has come about in his lifetime with great pessimism. At this personal level, though, there are also elements of continuity within the different timeframes which Lowell describes melancholically. As a child he watches the fish behind the glass, as an adul t he sees the drained faces of school-children rise like balloons through a television screen; in both situations he is frustrated by his own helplessness.Lowell also presents continuity regarding the fact that despite the American Civil War was won by the Abolitionists, segregation was still existent at the time of writing; he conveys disgust at the fact that while Americas fragile sense of heritage and culture is bulldozed in the name of technological advancement (the steamshovels and cars), racism remains. The fact that the Boston Common garage is geographically close to the bronze memorial for the 54th Massachusetts Volunteers Infantry means that the link between the two is justified and founded in reality, the link being that although the garage would suggests advancement, it actually represents a backward step for Boston, and the memorials place in an America which still instigates segregation shows that America is still stuck in its prejudiced past. Lowells layering of images , juxtapositions and parallels across various timeframes, and the split between historical and personal, allows the poem to be a complex collection of ideas contributing to the same central twin destinations concerning inequality and transience. A complex interweaving of ideas which denotes value, then, can be clearly identified in Lowells poem.Another feature of valued literature, alongside complex ideas, is complexity in language and word choice. There can be little doubt that Lowell has chosen to place certain words in certain places in the poem, that he is a craftsperson in command of (his) writing. Even the opening line, the epigraph Relinquunt Omnia Servare Rem Publicam is an edited version of the epigraph on the actual memorial Reinquit Omnia Servare Rem Publicam. Lowells amendment turns He gave up all to serve the Republic, referring to Colonel Shaw into They gave up all to serve the Republic, referring to the entire 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry. Even in this minor adjustment, then, the central themes of racial equality is addressed, as well as the bravery of the soldiers which is so often acknowledged in Civil War poems. Evidence of Lowells conscious decision to select exact words can also be seen by the repetition of words within the poem, to either reinforce or contradict a point previously made. When describing his experience of the fish at the Aquarium, Lowell writes that his hand tingled, and when describing the Statehouse when the construction works for the garage are occurring, Lowell also says it is tingling. The former use of the word suggests vitality and excitement, whereas the latter use suggests both the literal and symbolic undermining of democratic values, of equality.The first line and the second to last line also utilise this repetition, this time Servare and servility. Here, Shaws civic courage, his noble defence of his beliefs and his country, is contrasted against the savage servility of the cars. Savage servility is a par adoxical description which highlights both the bleak, unfeeling, asocial nature of modern life and the undercurrent of menace which Lowell feels accompanies this modernisation. The placement of these juxtaposing words at the beginning and end of the poem serve to illustrate the change which Lowell works so hard to show the reader throughout the poem. A final and less obvious instance of such repetition comes, rather than at the beginning and end of the poem, in a single sentence: on Boylston Street, a commercial photograph/Shows Hiroshima boiling/over a Mosler Safe. Boylston and boiling is not repetition in a strict sense; it is an example of assonance. Boylston Street is a major commercial centre in Boston, and so the avarice portrayed by the Mosler Hiroshima boiling advertisement is clearly mirrored by this hub of capitalism. It is evident, then, that Lowell has formed the poem with a meticulousness of the highest order, giving the poem a great deal of value.There is, however, a p roblem with the poem in terms of value. Lowells poem includes intimate details about Boston and the Civil War at the risk of alienating readers who are not familiar with either, for instance an English reader with no knowledge of the Civil War or Boston. The English reader would then have to research into the Civil War and Boston in order to understand the poem even at its most basic level. This could mean that the perceived value of the poem is diminished for this reader. Michael Foucault certainly holds this view, positing that all literary texts display enunciative poverty, in that they inevitably cannot convey full meaning or representation, and that it is critics themselves who repeat over and over the message which the text itself failed to tell, that these critics make up for a poets lack of precision in craft.However, the ignorance of the reader cannot diminish the value of a poem; it is the readers responsibility to fill in gaps in their knowledge and thereby fully comprehe nd the value and complexity of the poem. Foucault also doubts that the writer is in complete control of the writing, arguing instead that certain literary traditions economic and literary pressures influence the text. Again, if Foucaults position is to be believed, this would show that Lowell is not a craftsman in command of (his) writing, and therefore that his poetry is not valuable. However, while these pressures undoubtedly shape certain decisions concerning issues like structure and subject matter (for instance, the construction of the underground garage in the vicinity of the memorial and the on-going civil rights movement led Lowell to consider Colonel Shaw and his Infantrys bravery and the futility of their sacrifice), the artistry and poetic technique exhibited by the poet requires a great deal of control. These pressures, if anything, form a vague outline of a work which must be defined and filled by the poets imagination; Lowell does this magnificently, using the intricat e entwining of themes and ideas and precise word choice to create a work of true value.

The Ancient Practice of Bloodletting in Archaeology

The Ancient Practice of Bloodletting in Archaeology Bloodlettingpurposefully cutting the human body to release bloodis an ancient ritual, associated with both healing and sacrifice. Bloodletting was a regular form of medical treatment for ancient Greeks, with its benefits debated by scholars such as Hippocrates and Galen. Bloodletting in Central America Bloodletting or auto-sacrifice was a cultural trait of most of the societies in Mesoamerica, beginning with the Olmec perhaps as early as 1200 AD. This type of religious sacrifice involved a person using a sharp instrument such as an agave spine or sharks tooth to pierce a fleshy part of his own body. The resulting blood would drip onto a lump of copal incense or piece of cloth or bark paper, and then those materials would be burned. According to historical records of the Zapotec , Mixtec, and Maya, burning blood was one way to communicate with the sky gods. Artifacts associated with bloodletting include sharks teeth, maguey thorns, stingray spines, and obsidian blades. Specialized elite materialsobsidian eccentrics, greenstone picks, and spoonsare thought to have been used for elite bloodletting sacrifices in the  Formative period and later cultures. Bloodletting Spoons A so-called bloodletting spoon is a type of artifact discovered on many Olmec archaeological sites. Although there is some variety, the spoons generally have a flattened tail or blade, with a thickened end. The thick part has a shallow off-center bowl on one side and a second, smaller bowl on the other side. Spoons usually have a small hole pierced through them, and in Olmec art are often depicted as hanging from peoples clothing or ears. Bloodletting spoons have been recovered from Chalcatzingo, Chacsinkin, and Chichà ©n Itz; the images are found carved in murals and on stone sculptures at San Lorenzo, Cascajal, and Loma del Zapote. Olmec Spoon Functions The real function of the Olmec spoon has long been debated. Theyre called bloodletting spoons because originally scholars believed them to have been for holding blood from auto-sacrifice, the ritual of personal bloodletting. Some scholars still prefer that interpretation, but others have suggested spoons were for holding paints, or for use as snuffing platforms for taking hallucinogens, or even that they were effigies of the Big Dipper constellation. In a recent article in Ancient Mesoamerica, Billie J. A. Follensbee suggests Olmec spoons were part of a hitherto unrecognized toolkit for textile production. Her argument is in part based on the shape of the tool, which approximates bone weaving battens recognized in several Central American cultures, including some from Olmec sites. Follansbee also identifies several other tools made of elite greenstone or obsidian, such as spindle whorls, picks, and plaques, that could have been used in weaving or cord-making techniques. Sources Follensbee, Billie J. A. 2008. Fiber technology and weaving in formative-period Gulf Coast cultures. Ancient Mesoamerica 19:87-110. Marcus, Joyce. 2002. Blood and Bloodletting. Pp 81-82 in Archaeology of Ancient Mexico and Central America: An Encyclopedia, Susan Toby Evans and David L. Webster, eds. Garland Publishing, Inc. New York. Fitzsimmons, James L., Andrew Scherer, Stephen D. Houston, and Hector L. Escobedo 2003 Guardian of the Acropolis: The Sacred Space of a Royal Burial at Piedras Negras, Guatemala. Latin American Antiquity 14(4):449-468.

Mardi Gras Funny story Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Mardi Gras Funny story - Essay Example We started our journey yesterday afternoon and before the fall of the evening, we were already in New Orleans. Everybody seemed happy with some adoring special attires to mark Murdy Gras Day. As per our plan, we checked in at one of the famous bars. The mood inside was exciting. People were very many. Something peculiar struck us though, one side of the bar had relatively few patrons with some tables empty. We did not bother to find out why more people preferred one side of the bar to the other. The mood did not allow us to do that. After approximately two minutes, a young beautiful waiter came, and we placed our orders. The first round of beers came, and we cleared it fast. The waiter enquired if we were comfortable with paying for the first set before proceeding to the next one. We retorted that it should come at the end of drinking. We ordered for several rounds of assorted beers. The interesting part came when we requested for the final bill for the evening. The bill was double my expectation. On enquiry, we realized that the cost of beer was almost double the normal rate. Besides the cost of beer being high, the waiter explained that the table we occupied had a different rate from the rest. Ignorance has no defense. We had no more cash as the bill was far much high. We came to an agreement with the bar owner that we be waiters for the rest of the night. It was embarrassing and funny. Before travelling to New Orleans, we had organized to meet with the girls after drinking. We resorted to being offline as a way of escaping from the girls. As the night progressed, we went round serving patrons at the bar. An unfortunate coincidence occurred just when we were about to finish the waiting role. The women we were to meet happened to occupy one of the tables I was serving. It was an amusing scenario and embarrassing at the same time. The thought of serving a girl you are interested in was a spoiler for the whole Murdy Gras

Business Models and Cross-Cultural Differences Assignment

Business Models and Cross-Cultural Differences - Assignment Example The annual quantities can be estimated. For instance, in 2001 about 8.5million cosmetic surgical procedures were carried out. Besides, doctors did about 127,000 non-ablative laser skin procedures. The marketing strategy, in this case, is to assess technological and design factors in cosmetic surgery. In addition, the company will look into their current market size, market share, role of competitors. Others are to evaluate the effect of substitute products like LED devices and consider the bargaining power of existing and potential clients. The company should continue to outsource the design and construction of gentle waves from Light Sciences Company of Virginia Beach, because it will benefit from economies of scale and better negotiations than developing one. Being the CEO, I would specialize in the skin treatment, prioritize on good client service and seek better negotiations with suppliers. I will also increase the number of skilled personnel to cope with surging numbers of clien ts. Problem 2 Part A: The film demonstrates the integration of various talents to engender and new era of computer technology. Each had an exceptional gift of computer programming, hardware and hacking. The strategy applied here is technological and industry specific (Porter, 1998). Special expertise is required to produce a new prototype of modern day computer. This according to the student will meet user expectation in computer security, software and hardware. Therefore, entrepreneurship emanates from invention and design control to ensure a continuous flow of income into the future. Patents and copyrights protect and sustain the gains in design, creativity and innovation hence competitors are few (Brandenburger, & Nalebuff, 2006). Substitutes are available, but not an enormous threat owing to the uniqueness of the invention. Buyers will be able to buy the product as long as it meets their expectations and needs. Suppliers of computer parts will be few and competitive since the in vention requires new techniques in production. The competitor rivalry will reduce due to product uniqueness and monopoly. Part B: The forming stage involved one individual’s desire to approach three colleagues and focus on team organization, roles and meetings. There is learning, independence and knowledge sharing. Storming stage involved combining the different ideas of programming, hardware and security. They also open up to new ideas, opinions, arguments and perspectives. Norming comprised of teams desire to have one goal of developing a computer with a strong mutual plan (Porter, 1998). They had to give up their own individual ideas and perform as a team so as to make team goals a success. Individuals in performing stage get involved the design and fabrication of computer components, running the operating system and installing system security. Once the design is complete, the team members engage in review, revision and celebration of their results by throwing a party. The team stands dissolved at this stage (Brandenburger, & Nalebuff, 2006). Problem 3 Bus service is a government as well as private service to travelers within and outside principal cities. The service involves making payments, bookings, carrying passengers and responding to customers’ queries and complaints. Christmas seasons records high bookings since many people travel while others go on arranged

The Solar System And The Earth Essay Example for Free

The Solar System And The Earth Essay THE SOLAR CYCLE AND ITS EFFECT ON THE EARTH The motion of the sun can trigger earthquakes. The solar flares also have the capability of altering the length of the day. There exists a correlation between solar activities and weather. There is a correlate between various geophysical phenomena, volcanic eruption, earthquake, solar activities and the length of the day. DYNAMICS OF A PHOTON     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã¢â‚¬Å"Photons are often described as wavelets because a single photon covers only a very small amount of space† (www.play-hookey.com) .A photon of light is produced when light from a source (sun, etc) of an appropriate frequency (threshold frequency) impinges on the atom or metal surface, a phenomenon referred to as the photoelectric effect. The light impinging on the metal surface could be UV or infrared rays of appropriate frequency.   The number of emitted electron varies from one atom to the other due to the difference in the characteristics intensity of light. The more the intensity of the light, the more the number of emitted electron or photon of light. Another reason for the difference in the amount of photon of atoms in the periodic chart is due to the difference in the mass.The heavier the atom, the more the no emitted electron.In the same vein the energy of the emitted electron depends on the frequency of the impinging light rays. SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES OF THE VARIOUS COMPONENTS OF THE ELECTROMAGNETIC SPECTRUM   Infrared rays and radio waves carry less energy per photon than visible light. They have low frequency and high wavelength. On the contrary, UV rays, x ray and gamma rays have high frequency and low wavelength. All travel at the same speed as light. The difference lies in the difference in the wavelength .X rays have found their use in medicine as they penetrate human body. Radio waves have weak penetrating power. Visible light can pass through transparent objects e.g. glass.   USE OF ELECTROMAGNETIC SPECTRUM TO DETERMINE COMPOSITION AND MOTION OF STAR   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Today it’s been possible to determine the chemical composition of the stars. The valuable tool to do this is via spectroscopy (i.e. the study of a thing using spectra) .Astrophysics and spectroscopy are closely related. â€Å"Astrophysics is the aspect of astronomy that deals with the physical properties of stars, galaxies and other astronomical objects† (Astrophysics on astronomical.org) .Sunlight can be separated into its various colors via a prism. Dark lines in the spectrum indicate areas with little or no light. On the earth similar line could be seen with hot gases spectra. These patterns correspond to specific element. The chemical elements in the sun which is mainly hydrogen are also found on planet earth. The vast similarities in the absorption line of sun and the stars lead to the conclusion that the stars composed majorly of helium and hydrogen with traces of other elements. So many information is revealed by the absorption line pattern of stars. A large domain of stellar spectra contains absorption lines . The star must be made up of an outer part which is less dense, cooler and atmospheric and also the inside must be hot and denser and produces a continuous spectrum. The temperature of the earth is inversely proportional to the distance from the earth’s centre. Stars lack molten interior as opposed to what is observed in other planets. The denser part is also gaseous because of the high temperature. From EM spectrum it appears to us as if the stars (and sun, planet and moon) rotates around us. On a daily basis, it arises in the east and set in the west. This is the diurnal motion.                   Works Cited: Ken, Bigelow.†Characteristics of a Photon.†(1996, 2000-2007) Retrieved from www.play-hookey.com on Sept. 27, 2008. Scientia Astrophysical Organization.†Astrophysics and Astronomy.† Retrieved from: www.Astrophysical.org on Sept 27, 2008.

Isolation in Faulkners Light in August Essay -- Light August Essays

  Isolation in Light In August  Ã‚   In William Faulkner’s Light In August, most characters seem isolated from each other and from society. It is often argued that Lena Grove is an exception to this, but I have found that I cannot agree with this view. Consequently, this essay will show that Lena is lonely too, and that the message in Faulkner’s work on the issue of human contact is that everyone is essentially alone, either by voluntary recession from company or by involuntary exclusion, and the only escape from this loneliness is to have a proper family to comfort you. As a child, Lena was involuntarily isolated from a society she wanted to be a part of. We are told that â€Å"six or eight times a year she went to town on Saturday† (p. 5), which obviously was not enough for her. â€Å"It was because she believed that the people who saw her and whom she passed on foot would believe that she lived in town too† (p. 5). Lena had a need to be a part of society and join the ranks of ordinary people in an ordinary town, which presumably includes marrying and starting a family. Living with McKinley in a far off mill hamlet continued to keep Lena isolated, and this condition was further aggravated by the fact that she was kept busy with housework much of the time. Admittedly, housekeeping for a large family is one kind of community, but it is not the kind that Lena wants. She would rather have a family of her own than care for someone else’s, and so she seeks love in the form of Lucas Burch. Unfortunately, Burch does not want to start a family. He only uses Lena for his own pleasure, and as soon as she tells him about the pregnancy, he leaves town (p. 16-17). Lena takes off on a quest to reunite herself with her would-be hu... ...g the society she loves. When she no longer has any hope of putting her family together the way she reckons it should be, she can no longer face society because she will never fit in. Even if she married Bunch, he would still not be her child’s father, which would make their family an anomaly. Lena has turned into a voluntary outcast, dragging Byron Bunch around to help her run her daily life but never letting him get intimate, never really making him a part of her life. After being forced into isolation from society for most of her life, Lena has now chosen to remain isolated. She is just as alone as any other character in Light in August. The conclusion I inevitably reach is that Faulkner wanted to portray family as the ultimate unit of society. Without a family, you cannot fit into society, and if you do not fit into society, you are essentially alone.   

Canada’s Involvement in the Vietnam War Essay

The bloody Vietnam War of the 1950’s was fought by the brave American troops with the help of the Canadian citizens. Though, sources claim that Canada had a limited amount of contribution in the war, facts state otherwise. The Vietnam War took place during the Cold War era where a military conflict had occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from November 1 1955 to April 30 1975. Canada became officially involved in the Vietnam conflict in 1954, as part of the International Commission for Supervision and Control in Vietnam. However, Canada did not post troops to Vietnam until 1973, in which Canadian troops remained under the United Nations banner to enforce the Paris Peace Accords. The War had persisted for more than nineteen years, five months, four weeks and one day. During the Cold War era, Canada remained associated with the main stream western powers. Many Canadians who truly wanted to fight in the War had served along the U. S Military. Canadians serving with the United States had occurred as far back as the Civil War. In addition, Canada was part of many organizations such as â€Å"N. A. T. O† (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) which guaranteed Canada would not partake in the Vietnam War. Even though people around the world contemplate that Canada had no contribution in the Vietnam War, various facts state that Canadians did have excessive amount of involvement towards the Vietnam War that was never taken into consideration. Throughout this essay, the reader will be able to grasp a general understanding of the ways in which the Canadians had part in The Vietnam War, regardless of what bias sources claim. To start with, Canada sent more than thirty thousand troops into the Vietnam War with the Americans – these troops volunteered and died there.

Bottlenecks in a Process Paper

Bottlenecks in a Process Paper Tino Hearn OPS/571 James Powell April 13, 2010 RUNNING HEAD: Bottlenecks in a Process Paper The daily exercise process design is not an extensive process. The cycle time may vary daily. There are potential bottlenecks but not many relating to the daily exercise process design. â€Å"Good intentions often lead to bad habits. This is evident when bottlenecks occur from relying too heavily on highly productive individuals or systems. It is common practice to place more responsibility on an individual if that person consistently demonstrates the capacity for it† (Executive Blueprints, 2010). The writer notices a couple of bottlenecks that occurs due to natural elements of the process. For example, the flowchart displays the writer decides the length of time and the distance he will run. This is a potential bottleneck because if the weather is inclement, there will be a delay in the writer’s ability to begin running at the designated time. This will produce a buffer prior to the next stage of the process because the anticipated time of the next stage which is the abdominal workout will be prolonged. Another bottleneck would be if the writer starts his run and he gets muscle cramps or fatigue. This will potentially cause the writer to discontinue his run. However, these bottlenecks are not necessarily part of the normal process. Other potential bottlenecks could include the writer’s heart rate and vital signs being abnormal. The writer would have to his exercise regiment for that particular day. The bottlenecks in the exercise process will hinder the writer from reaching his overall health goals of losing weight; lower his cholesterol and acquiring better general health. Some potential buffers could involve the writer being too fatigued or exhausted to complete the cool down period. This would also prevent the writer from getting into the abdominal and weight lifting phase of the process. In essence, there are limited amount of bottlenecks in the exercise program flowchart. The bottlenecks are not detrimental to the overall objective of getting a good workout and exercise program prior to starting the workday. The bottlenecks can potentially help the writer fine tune some steps in the process to get better results. References Executive Blueprints (2010). Eliminating bottlenecks for process improvements. Retrieved April 13, 2010 from http://www. executiveblueprints. com/tips/090511bottlenecks. htm Tino, process analysis is a basic skill needed to understand how a business operates. I notice you used a source of reference to define bottlenecks and it is different than our course of study. However, I am not sure if you understand the concept of bottleneck correctly as evidence discussed in your paper. Except for you mentioning heart rate and vital signs being abnormal and these factors can limit the capacity of your workout and there is limited discussion about this bottleneck. (-3) Consider using a value-added analysis (focused on eliminating the non–value-adding activities), you might be able to reduce the workout time and maintain an acceptable heart rate for your activities. I would like to have seen you support your perspectives of the process and support it with theoretical concepts from the assigned reading where necessary. (-. 25) As presented your paper earned . 4. 75 out of 8. 0 points.

Werner syndrome essays

Werner syndrome essays This paper will discuss the what, how and who of a progressive, rare, but fatal dysfunction called Werner Syndrome. Werner syndrome affects approximately 1 in 1,000,000 individuals world- wide. However, there are some populations, mainly persons of Asian descent, who seem to be more susceptible to acquiring Werner syndrome. Werner syndrome is a syndrome that is characteristic of premature aging following puberty. Werner syndrome is a genetic disorder, whereby a person inherits an abnormal gene, predisposing them to age prematurely. Some examples of this premature aging include osteoporosis, muscle weakness, small jaws, and a striking difference between the persons appearance and his her real age. Hence by the time an individual reaches the age of 40, they often appear at least a decade older. Werner syndrome is diagnosed by, using clinical criteria. The person must exhibit symptoms and stature; they must have premature senescence or aging, scleroderma-like skin, and endocrine abnormalities. Because diagnosing Werner syndrome can sometimes be difficult to diagnose, the only available treatment for a person who has Werner Syndrome is to be supportive. There is no cure; however, doctors can treat symptoms to make the disease less painful. Signs and symptoms of Werner syndrome include, but are not limited to wrinkled skin, muscle aches and pains leading eventually to muscle atrophy, baldness, cataracts, and individuals are more susceptible to Diabetes mellitus. In addition, you will began to develop a skull that is relatively large, with a disproportionate lower part of the face, a high pitched voice, and the nose is pinched and the cheeks are sunken, because of fat loss which causes the bird like facial appearance. The average age of death is 47, usually as a result of some secondary disease, such as cancer or heart disease. Care for the person with Werner syndrome includes, checking the blood sugar lev...

A View of Alex Garland’s Film, Ex Machina

A View of Alex Garland’s Film, Ex Machina In the bathroom scene in Ex Machina (2015), Caleb (Domhnall Gleeson) performs a test on himself, to see if he is an android like Ava, and, as he has just discovered, Kyoko. While one would think this scene should resolve the question, it only muddies the water. As Caleb examines himself in the mirror, green and blue digital effects flash on his face. Is this a function of the mirror, or a HUD of Caleb’s potentially robotic eyes? Or perhaps it is a non-diegetic element solely to heighten the viewer’s curiosity. Sound design plays an integral role in this scene as well. As he pulls at his teeth, small click sounds emanate from his mouth, which could be plastic pieces snapping, or just the sound of his fingers clicking on his teeth. The score features electronic instruments and synthesizers playing non-lyrical rising tones. This both reflects a mechanical mood, hinting that Caleb may be an android, and instills a sense of rising tension with the viewer, anxiously anticipat ing a reveal. The cinematography is vital to this scene’s function. The camera work toys with the viewer, first with quick, non-continuous cuts, followed by long, suspenseful shots, keeping the audience disoriented and unable to predict the pace of the scene. As the scene progresses, the lighting shifts to emphasize his bone structure, tantalizing the audience to see what is below his skin. One particular shot is composed so that Caleb’s arm and body form a triangle with his face obscured behind it. This separates the audience from Caleb, making the viewer wonder if they can trust and relate to him anymore. Is this a moment of revelation for him as he looks at his cut open arm? The framing of the shot, with his eye at the top of the triangle formed by his arm and body, is ever so slightly reminiscent of the Illuminati symbol, which could allude to the conspiracy facing Caleb. What is most compelling in this scene is Gleeson’s performance. What kind of human can cut deep into their own arm without so much as flinching or uttering a sound of pain? Though he begins the scene frantic and curious, he ends the scene staring at his reflection, unblinking in a very Terminator-like fashion. He ends the scene by punching the mirror, creating a shatter which very poetically mirrors the shatter on the glass between him and Ava. Though this ultimately proves to be a red herring, this scene all but convinces the viewer that Caleb is likewise a robot.

Question Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Question - Lab Report Example om the supply side of Economics, the traditional proposition is that producers should exploit natural resources and subject them to the highest and best use possible. This implies that in our Capitalist dispensation, there is a risk and a possibility that if the fundamental concepts and ideas of Economics are employed, most natural resources are prone to becoming depleted. This is because Economics encourage businesses to exploit the natural resources to the best way and manner possible. This is because anything that can bring money that is not illegal can be pursued. Traditional laws do not criminalise the massive exploitation of resources. This is because the mainstream process of making law is to fundamentally protect the people living in society. Hence, there was a general trend in which traditional Economics neglected the rights of the unborn. Thus, it is generally rare for laws to be made to strictly control the misuse and depletion of natural resources. However, environmental awareness and the need for sustainability have grown over the past 50 years. And the fundamental premise of environmentalism is that there must be some kind of sensitivity to environmental concerns when dealing with Economics. Therefore, there is the need for Economics to be adjusted. There is a natural tendency for Economics to adjust to embrace important changes and modifications in society. Therefore, in relation to sustainability, there is the need for Economics to emphasise on the need for environmental and natural capital to be identified and treated differently and separately from other forms of capital. This new approach must provide metrics and processes for the measurement of environmental footprints of businesses and corporate entities. And with these systems and processes in place, there is the obligation for firms to be tasked with environmental responsibility. And this is to be done through the creation of a Corporate Social Responsibility system that will ensure that

Troubleshooting Electric Circuits Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Troubleshooting Electric Circuits - Essay Example Effective troubleshooting is a stepwise procedure that can be modified depending on the system that is being dealt with. The basic steps of troubleshooting, as I discovered, start with identifying the defect system. This enables the person identify whether the problem is I the electrical circuit, or if the problem is mechanical. The second step in basic troubleshooting is analysing the fault in the identified system. The third step of troubleshooting is carrying out of repairs. With these three steps, the setback has been identified and sorted out (Electrical Circuit Theory). Considering that there a number of problems that are encountered, I narrowed my scope of study to electrical troubleshooting. Troubleshooting an electrical circuit has its own procedure. It is a modification of the basic process of troubleshooting, to suit the system in issue. In any given electrical circuit, it is important to identify what the controls and loads are. This is the first step in troubleshooting electrical circuits. Electrical circuits are put into two groups; the power, and control circuits. I realised in my hunt that it is crucial to understand both of these circuits consist of the power supply, and the switches and/or controls. In addition, circuits will also have one or more loads, and the path that the current will follow. These four components of a circuit could be the source of the problem experienced. After this, I realised that it is necessary for the sequence of operation of the system be properly understood. Every step involved, proper understanding is crucial since lack of the same can lead to gross errors. This will help a technician have a clear knowledge of how the system should work. In the occasion that the system is not operating like it should, the technician will be able to point out the problem with the circuit (Brown, Rawtani, & Patil, 2004). The third step in this process is application of

Gallery Assignment - James Robie Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Gallery Assignment - James Robie - Essay Example Angeles (UCLA) and in 1968 – 1970 he studied with fellow artists Lester Johnson, Al Held and Jack Tworkoff who graduated bachelor in fine arts and masters in fine arts at Yale University Graduate School and Architecture. Robie also experienced working at a tooling company where he learned plaster casting and also worked as an apprentice to a wood pattern maker and fabricating prints. His educational background and experiences taught him different approaches and different discipline to his tremendous art. This leads me to his piece â€Å"Mighty Hero†, 2010, oil and gesso on canvas, 20† x 30† that was displayed in a simple, spacious, clean and well lighted gallery of California State University Northridge. While looking at the said piece, the first thing I noticed was that there was no focal point on the art which made me categorize the piece as an abstract art. So I viewed the piece through my feelings and visual perception. I saw the art as a horizon of diff erent worlds of different energies, represented by the strong lines and edges that were illustrated on the piece. I also felt fear, sorrow, rage and terror while looking at the art, because of the intensity of the colors used which was very strong and the way it was brushed giving the piece so much drama. It made me look back on the devastating war in Libya and the catastrophic earthquake in Japan. As a viewer, I was moved by his art and how his illustration made me feel. Another work of James Robie which is â€Å"Summer Day† gave me a different mood, a different feel, and a different perception on the art, and it also reminded me of my childhood days. This art inspired me to relive my childhood moments, to bring back the kid in me, to have fun, to play and to be carefree. This piece illustrates a sense of freedom, friendship and playfulness shown by the shapes and the presentation of the art. The color balance is consistent, giving the viewer a peaceful perception and allowi ng the viewer to connect more to

Psychological Stress Emotional

Psychological Stress Emotional Abstract In recent years, the living condition is getting better than the past; people have better education life, better civilized living and better social life. As technology and the form of mass media has been changing so fast, people can have information easily through internet and chat with their friends and so on. Also, people are enjoying their life with exciting hobbies. Even though, life is more comfortable and better than before, more people have lots of stress. When they wake up, they start the morning with their job or school, fight with their projects and spend the whole day working. This routine is performed every day, which causes too much stress, which causes sleeplessness, heart disease, depression and even death. However, there are the ways that people can minimize stress and manage the stress that is inevitable. Positive thinking is then used to create positive assertions that people can use to counter negative thoughts. These confirmations compensate for negative thoughts and build their self-confidence. Stress In recent years, the living condition is getting better than the past; people have better education life, better civilized living and better social life. However, people are not always happy with those conveniences, especially at the work place. People are having unpleasant events more than the past, such as losing a job, arguing with co-workers or managers at the work place, and trouble with friends or teachers at school and having difficulties at home. Those feelings like there are too many pressures and demands on them. Losing their desire and sleep worrying about tests, projects and schoolwork make them have lots of stress. Then what is stress? According to EhealthMD (2004), stress is the emotional and physical strain cause by peoples response to pressure from the outside world. Usually, common stress reactions include irritability, tension, inability to concentrate and a variety of physical symptoms that include headache and a fast heartbeat (EhealthMD, 2004). There are more causes that people have got stress. The potential causes of stress are highly individual and numerous. Stress is a usual part of life and stress affects people of all ages, all races and all walks of life. However, if left unmanaged and disregarded, stress has many different causes which lead to psychological, emotional, and even physical problems, including high blood pressure, irregular heartbeat, diabetes, and sleepiness. A lot of scholars have studies based on this issue and they found the causes and effects of stress. First of all, stress can bring about psychological problems. Is it possible that stress gets inside the body to affect the immune response? The American Psychological Association (1994) mentioned that sympathetic fibers descend from the brain into both primary (thymus and bone marrow) and secondary (lymph nodes and spleen) lymphoid tissues. These substances bind to specific receptors on white blood cells and have diverse regulatory effects on their distribution and function (Ader, Felten, Cohen, 2001). These sometimes lead people to engage in behaviors such as alcohol use or changes in sleeping patterns that also could modify immune system processes. Thus, behavior represents a potentially important pathway linking stress with the immune system (Felten Felten, 1994). Most causes of psychological stress are perpetually related to psychological and emotional disorders. Stressful situations can set forward a series of emotional symptoms such as anxiety attacks, phobias, a personality disintegration, exaggerationed emotional responses and psychological discomposure such as confusion, depression, burn out and vehicular accidents. These disconcertments in psychological and emotional health may exacerbate or cause debilitating disorders, which can put an end to life on its track (Spiritual and Psychological Stress, 2000). Second, stress leads to emotional problems which are very difficult to cope with and manage. According to the dealing with Stress, Peoples bodies can not defend themselves against the damage that emotional stress produces quietly over time. Peoples bodies pay a heavy physiological price for every single moment that they feel tense, angry, anxious, and frustrated. Emotional stress is often precipitated by a dramatic event that puts a persons nervous system under acute strain. This could be an event such as seeing someone die, losing a loved one, or being put into a life-threatening situation. An event such as these can put serious strain on a persons mind and nerves and the unbelievable strain can cause changes in the way that the brain works. Actually, a severe emotional strain could even cause somebody to be afflicted by post-traumatic stress disorder. However, emotional stress does not result in a sudden shock. It can also follow a total emotional strain that mounts to an overwhelm ing strain that blocks a person from thinking about anything other than the problems that seem to have no solution. Next, as the stress mounts, the mind and brain are left in their own cocoon of stress that can only want attention to itself, cutting the person off from the world outside. Therefore, emotional stress can result in inability to concentrate, memory problems, detachment, and fatigue (Dumbleton, 2008). Experiencing psychological and emotional stress leads to an increase in heart rate, release of stress hormone and elevation of blood pressure. All these end in a greater workload for the heart, which can be risky. Psychological and emotional stress brings out physical problems. According to the Journal of the American Medical Association, effects of stress on the heart are increased heart rate, increased blood pressure, release of stress hormones, including epinephrine, which is also known as adrenaline from the adrenal glands, increased oxygen demand on the body and temporarily higher metabolic rate, lower threshold, unusual heart rhythms, including ventricular tachycardia, ventricular fibrillation, and atrial fibrillation. Electrical unreliability in the heart makes it easier for these abnormal heart beats to occur. Also, stress gives rise to spasm of heart blood vessels, leading to inadequate blood flow to the heart (Torpy, 2007). The lack of time makes people buy a lot of instant food and time saving products for to save time. Instant food includes a high amount of sodium has a bad effect on health, which could cause diabetes. According to the Diabetes Care(2002), Stress having an effect on mental and physical health causes peoples blood sugar level to rise. Stress hormones like epinephrine and cortisol start flowing since one of their most important roles is to raise blood sugar to help boost energy when its needed most; these act the like fight-or-flight response. People can not fight danger when their blood sugar is getting low, as it can rise to help to meet the challenge (Rouge Sledge, 2002). Not only human feels stress, but also warm-blooded animals feel pain and the emotion of fear and stress. (add more) The factors of stress are a general outlook on life, social support system, and problem-solving abilities. People might think of stressors, which are the pressures and demands that cause stress as being negative experiences. However, the demands and pressures that may cause stress can be positive in their effect. Graph 1. (need sources) According to the Stress Management from Mind Tools (n.d.), the relationship between pressure and performance is described in one of the oldest and most important ideas in stress management. The inverted-U relationship pays attention to peoples performance of a task. The left hand side of the graph is easy to give an explanation of pragmatic reasons. When there is a bit of pressure on people to carry out an important task, there is little inducement for people to focus energy and attention on it. This is specially the case when there may be other, more interesting, more urgent, tasks competing for attention. As pressure on people increases, they enter the â€Å"area of best performance†. People are able to focus and perform a task well. There is enough pressure on people to concentrate their attention but not so much that it disturbs their performance (Stress Management from Mind Tools, n.d.). The right hand side of the graph is high stress anxiety and unhappiness. As written above, this situation is that people become uncomfortably stressed, distracted, anxious, have difficulties, and negative thinking begins to enter their minds. At this point, people have to look at causes of stress and References What is Stress? (2004). EhealthMD. Retrieved April 15, 2008, from http://www.ehealthmd.com/library/stress/STR_whatis.html Rouge, B., Sledge, D. (2002). Stress and Diabetes. Diabetes Care, 25, 30-34. Felten, S. Y., Felten, D. (1994). Neural-immune interaction. Progress in Brain Research, 100, 157-162 Ader, R., Cohen, N., Felten, D.L. (2001). Psychoneuroimmunology (3rded.). San Diego, CA: Academic Press. Spiritual and psychological Stress. (2000). Life Positive Foundation. Retrieved April 21, 2008, from http://www.lifepositive.com/Mind/psychology/stress/psychological-stress.asp Dumbleton, T., (2005). Dealing with Emotional Stress; The Hardest Thing in the World? Retrieved April 15, 2008, from http://www.submityourarticle.com/articles/Trevor-Dumbleton-406/stress-3552.php Dealing With Stress The Hardest Thing in the World? When you are stressed, the hardest thing in the world is dealing with stress. Date of Article: 30Nov2005 Category: Health Fitness View(205) EasyPublish(191) Torpy, J. M. (2007). Acute Emotional Stress and the Heart. JAMA, 298, !!!!!!!!!! Vol. 298 NO 3. Stress and Your Performance (). Stress Management from Mind Tools. Retrieved April 22, 2008, from http://www.mindtools.com/stress/UnderstandStress/StressPerformance.htm

Essay on Temptation in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight -- Sir Gawain G

Temptation in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight  Ã‚   In the poem "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight," Gawain is a guest at Hautdesert Castle. During his stay at the castle, three separate hunts take place. These hunts also parallel temptations aimed at Gawain by the wife of the Lord of Hautdesert Castle. In each hunt scene, a characteristic of the prey of that hunt is personified in Gawain's defense against the advances of the Lord's wife.   Ã‚  Ã‚   The first temptation of Gawain is perhaps the most difficult for him to defend. This temptation corresponds with the hunt scene involving a deer, In terms of the hunt, the deer is hunted because it is a staple of the diet, or it is something that satisfies a person. In the same manner, the Lord's wife viewed Gawain as art animal that she was hunting. She was pursued him on the sole basis of her carnal desire. This, her first temptation, is totally sexual. She says "Do with me as you will: that well pleases Inc.,/ For I Surrender speedily and sue for grace Which, to my mind, since I must, is much the best Course" (1215-1217-) She is viewing Gawain much as a hunter would view a deer. She has no interest in any kind of relationship, and she is not extensively flirting with him as she does in the next two temptations; she simply wants sex from him, plain and simple. She is, in a sense, "hunting" Gawain; hunting in that she is pursuing Gawain for the sole purpose of making hi m her trophy. If he falls prey to this temptation, then she has slain him. In his reaction to the lady, Gawain acts much like a deer. He first tries to entirely ignore her, but this tactic was unsuccessful. Then, he stealthily avoids her advances, not directly confronting her, but subtly downplaying the magnitude of her ... ...ce comes into play here as well; he accepts this sash as a foxy attempt to outwit the Green Knight in their pending encounter. In accepting this sash, though, Gawain has shown his weakness, cowardice. As a knight, Gawain is supposed to be protected by God alone. By accepting the sash, Gawain has shown that he has lost his faith in God, since lie feels the sash will do a better job in protecting him than God would. While it may be his only weakness, Gawain's cowardice has done him no good in acting as a honorable, God-fearing knight.   Ã‚  Ã‚   In these temptations, it is evident that Gawain was being tested. Knowing the final out come of the story, it is possible to see that Bertilak and his wife planned the hunts and temptations to coincide with each other. Whether this is true or not, Gawain has certainly proven his honor during his brief stay at Hautdesert Castle.

Aboriginal Land Claims in Canada

Aboriginal land claims is the proposition contained in formal statements that are submitted to the provincial and/ or federal government by Aboriginal community claiming that the Crown has not honored its obligations or commitment in respect to treaty or Aboriginal rights as pertains land ownership and usage.Aboriginal land claims are Aboriginal (or Native) people’s claims about their land ownership rights which they inhabited before settlers, primarily Europeans arrived. It is a process that has been active for several decades in countries such as Canada, Australia and New Zealand.This dispute has been in existence due to the native populations’ displacement from their historical land or territory by the European settlers’ arrival.[1]The federal government is particularly involved in most Aboriginal land claims as the primary jurisdiction organ in this matter. The provinces are specifically involved in the sense that their involvement basically rests in ascertai ning historical occurrences that gave rise to such claims. Most of these claims require such assertion on private property, natural resources and Crown lands.The original treaties are therefore considered to evaluate the extent they have been honored or dishonored and the necessary redress in case of dishonor of the same.There is marked difficulty in defining aboriginal rights due to the diversity of the aboriginal cultures but most commonly, these aboriginal rights are defined as collective, inherent rights flowing from their traditional land occupation which is now the present Canada and other orders which are basically social pre-contacts.To many, this implies independence rights through culture, land, resources, governance and other aspects in respect to their self-determination.[2] This is as the Inuit, Mà ©tis and Indian peoples of Canada assert their rights. In this respect therefore, the nation, environment and race context must be put into consideration in dealing with thi s controversial issue that have raised much conflict and debate for several years.The 7th October, 1763 Royal Proclamation had been organized such that the North American’s new acquisitions by the Britain’s governments would not interfere with the Indian’s land interests, particularly in the Ohio Valley.It was also supposed to end the Great Abuses and Frauds. The major reason that led to this declaration was the fact that this area which was referred to as â€Å"Indian Territory† was reserved by the Royal Proclamation since it had not been ceded to or purchased by the British governments. It was thus reserved to them for their hunting endeavors and these Indians were not to be disturbed or molested even though they remained under Britain's protection.Much of the 20th Century Northern Canada’s development and settlement process has been subjected to these land claims which have been comprehensive for past thirty years, and as a result have undergone some significant transformational changes.This is as the aboriginal people have engaged themselves in the encroachment process concerning their customary livelihood restrictions as well as the transformation of their traditional territories.This involved; sedentarization and population relocation, governmental restrictions on fishing and hunting, river systems contamination, diversion, alterations, impoundment and pollution.[3] In the 1970s, Aboriginal legal and political action stimulated formal process establishments that were aimed at Aboriginal land claims resolution and revision of the treaty rights as well as the Aboriginal judicial interpretation.This is particularly seen in the geographers’ documentation of the claims. Furthermore, these documentations overtly expounds these remedies’ effectiveness as concerns the Canadian perspective changes towards the northern Aborigines, development and environment, and how the northern Canada resource regimes have been al tered by these land claims. There is therefore need for cultural understanding and personal awareness development that will foster positive attitudinal reflections on indigenous people’s contribution to overall Canadian development. [1] Charlesworth Max, 1984. The Aboriginal Land Rights Movement. New York: Hodja Educational Resources, pp.45 [2] Brock Peggy, 2001. Words and Silences: Aboriginal Women, Politics and Land. New York: Allen & Unwin, pp.32 [3] Crane John, 1994. Directions for Social Welfare in Canada: The Public’s Review. University of British Columbia Press, pp.12

Pervasiveness of Marketing

Vital marketing decisions are made by every business; but as important as it is to make the right business decision†¦ it is essential that marketing professionals understand how their marketing impacts our social values. There are several different ways that marketers get their message across to potential customers(1), each marketing communications tool can have different effects on us. Marketing is intrusive, businesses are constantly trying to push their brands in our faces†¦ we barely process one piece of information before the next one comes shooting our way. The pervasiveness marketing has undoubtedly influenced our mind-set and behaviour†¦ a disposable culture creeps closer to becoming reality. It’s because our buyer behaviour is image based, we care about how others see us more than how we see ourselves. This hugely changes our views on society; contemporary marketing has made us believe that we are what we buy, and that the brands we own†¦ are a direct reflection of us. Marketing is an integral business function, but is hardly respected. It continually aims to stimulate demand which leads to new customers†¦ and that leads to more market share. No longer can marketing be tunnel visioned in it’s pursuit for brand awareness. Certain companies have mastered the AIDA model and can use their understanding on countless consumers, the Sony Bravia advert with the bouncing balls(2) went through the whole cycle from attention all the way to stimulating action†¦ making them buy products they didn’t particularly need in the first place. Point-Of-Sale cues are used relentlessly and marketers are accused of not looking at how their decisions impact broader society. Our social values are changing to customers being more self-centred and buying everything that suits them. Our social values include friends, who we want to have a good time with. But playing on the back of our heads constantly, is how cool we think we look, have we impressed our friends? Do we have the right clothes on? Do we have the right phone? As I mentioned, we think that the brands we own are a reflection of us†¦ so we try and buy the right products, not only to suit our personalities; but to fit in. There is one thing that hugely influences our social values, and that’s technology(3). A wireless world is slowly becoming more of an actuality as time goes on. The internet, as enthralling as it may be, has made people ess sociable and more secluded. Perhaps one of the most important social values is quality time with our families; this is not possible if we are glued to the monitor during dinner time. In the past, dinner meant the whole family sitting around a table, having a laugh and eating to their hearts content. The internet has cut into this social value and is influencing young minds. But it’s been a fantastic medium for communication and a brilliant source for information. Both ways can be argued. Advances in technology will introduce location based advertising in the future(4), this makes us even more reliant on technology. This means that where ever we are, we will be targeted by businesses†¦ which directly impact our social lives; making us shop instead of talk to those we may know in the area. The whole notion of positioning is based upon understanding the consumer†¦ not society, making us feel like we can familiarise ourselves with the brand, so that it doesn’t feel like marketing but instead feels like a developing relationship. Segmenting customers is a common marketing tool used when it comes to deciding on a target market. But it has huge disadvantages on society; a common way for segmentation to take place is with airlines. First class, business class and economy are forms of segmenting the market. Customers who have high disposable income doesn’t necessarily have to fly first class†¦ but the positioning of first class in the consumers mind communicates the message that if you can afford it, go for it. First class passengers have made the association that flying in luxury means they are successful and are respected. When in realness, they simply have more money than the average person. Economy flyers are made to think that they are normal, nothing special, but some of them could actually be successful. Some of them may have significantly advanced in their careers, and may have even helped the world! The social values of first class travellers has changed into looking down on other passengers who aren’t flying first class†¦ the feeling of self accomplishment is just an illusion created by marketing. There are other marketing tools which de-individualises customers and sees them as groups and not individuals. An example of this is the postcode analysis, this influences the social values of consumers into thinking that they are only as good as the people who live near them. Marketing professionals need to start respecting customers as customers, and they need to understand the uniqueness of each individual consumer. There is a really important marketing tool that can assess how much marketers are impacting our social values. Businesses can construct a PESTEL analysis of themselves to gain a better understanding of what is in their way†¦ and what they need to take into account before implementing any marketing decisions. MOSAIC is another segmentation tool used by marketers to decide exactly how to target their target market. This generalises too much and doesn’t see customers as individuals, but as titles. There is one main point that marketing critics’ keep bringing up. They see branding as being misleading to consumers, that the associations made with the product or service is just an illusion†¦ and doesn’t reflect the actual quality of the product or service itself(5). Marketers definitely need to take this into account when taking care of brand management. However an argument against this is that branding gives people confidence, it helps consumers see themselves in a desirable light when owning a particular brand. It makes them feel like they are a part of something, this positive feeling surely can’t be criticised. An example of a business who tries to create a strong association is Disney. Their chain of ‘Magic Happens’ adverts definitely play on our emotional strings(6). They play on portraying the dreamy effect with their brand communication, which withholds powerful emotional appeals. Disney sells an experience, something intangible. This works really well when it comes to targeting children, the imagination of a child is endless†¦ with hardly any limits. However this really affects children’s social values, making them almost worship Disney characters. Ultimately, this makes the children think that going to Disney Land is described as ‘a dream come true’; taking their minds off of the important things in life. Another example is Coca Cola. Their marketing strategy relies on making the consumer feel satisfaction when drinking Coke, making the consumer feel refreshed†¦ and ‘happy’. The Coke slogan is ‘Open coke. Open happiness’(7). The association that will be made is definitely an emotional one, and will make customers feel like someone when they drink a can of coke in front of people. This is probably the brand that endangers our social values the most, due to the obvious reason that happiness is achieved through success or through a positive social encounter. Not from drinking Coke, this is nothing more than a positioning strategy. Behavioural psychology explains the laws of classical and operant conditioning. This has been used by many businesses in order to condition a specific response from a customer. Classical conditioning can be, and has been used in various advertisements; in order to create lasting associations that will be profitable to the business. A psychologist called Pavlov tests classical conditioning in one of he’s experiments(8), and since then, he has influenced the use of he’s findings by many marketers. An example of this is McDonalds, the first time we heard the famous McDonalds short and snappy jingle we didn’t know what to make of it. But after a few more adverts we made the association between the jingle and the slogan ‘I’m lovin’ it’(9). Whilst this association was being made, you can visualise the McDonalds logo and any images they want you to see. The general feel of the adverts are happy and upbeat. With time, our association became so strong, that all McDonalds do now is play the jingle, and we all say or think ‘I’m lovin’ it’. This then becomes our unconditioned response to the jingle, which started off as being a neutral stimulus. So as you can see, classical conditioning is a powerful tool that marketers use, and we have attempted to create an advert; whilst trying to apply the laws of classical conditioning. Customers are almost hypnotised into thinking exactly what McDonalds wants them to think. This changes our social values into being more self-centred, making us seek pleasure for ourselves and gets rid of the whole idea of togetherness and sharing. The psychodynamic approach in psychology was devised by Sigmund Freud, an influential figure in psychology. He said that our conscious thoughts and actions are influenced by unconscious drives, such as the sex drive(10). Marks and Spencer food adverts take advantage of this idea. The woman speaking in the background speaks in a soft, sensual voice making it seem the food should be eaten in an intimate way(11)†¦ which almost makes us think their selling sex. According to the psychodynamic approach, our unresolved child issues and our sex drive will influence our conscious behaviour†¦ which is to ultimately buy the food. Marketers need to be very careful with this type of advertising; it’s almost as if the consumers are not in control of what they like. Our social values may have been having a laugh with friends of the opposite gender, but due to this kind of psychological approach to advertising†¦ it may unwillingly effect the perception of the customer. Using psychological approaches in adverts is legal, but it doesn’t mean it’s moral. The mind-set of the customer changes, their perception changes and so their behaviour changes; this can be seen as immoral. Companies ensure they put all side effects of certain products on the packaging†¦ but when are marketers going to actually take into account the side effects of their own decisions? If a certain type of marketing impacts broader society too much, and stimulates demand to an extent that the environment will suffer†¦ the marketers should definitely take it easy and refrain from these types of activities. Every career needs to work towards a better world to live in; this is what morality is all about. ‘The strategic business function that creates value by stimulating, facilitating and fulfilling customer demand’(12)†¦ this is on of the definitions of marketing. But how will consumer sovereignty affect this? The old definition was meeting customer needs profitably, customers may decide what will be produced or on the other hand marketers may decide what consumers should be interested in. It all depends on how society is looked after by marketers, and how society reacts to marketing decisions. Our social values stems from how society operates and how society holds up against continual marketing activities. The decisions that marketers make impact society hugely, it can increase demand and can decrease demand. McDonalds have been successful at stimulating demand, due to this they have had to create 4000 new jobs(13). But even though more demand means success to a marketer, there is always backlash. There is ‘a protest against the promotion of junk food, the unethical targeting of children, exploitation of workers, animal cruelty, damage to the environment and the global domination of corporations over our lives. Marketing strategies are successful at making a profit, but it’s time marketing professionals look after the society which they themselves are a part of. Not necessarily societal marketing, but just using some of the concepts of this type of marketing. I think that it’s a personal challenge to each and every one of us to act and speak in a way which doesn’t reflect the conditioned responses that marketing and movies have created. Our social values echo our personality and what we hold close to our hearts; marketing professionals can change or strengthen this. That means reliability is a necessity as a marketer. References http://inventors.about.com/od/timelines/a/ModernInvention.htm http://www.e-lba.com/ELBA%20Overview%20english.pdf http://nobelprize.org/educational_games/medicine/pavlov/readmore.html http://www.textart.ru/database/slogan/fast-food-advertising-slogans.html http://webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/freud.html