Thursday, December 26, 2019

Important Lines of Latitude and Longitude

Four of the most significant imaginary lines running across the surface of Earth are the equator, the Tropic of Cancer, the Tropic of Capricorn, and the prime meridian. While the equator is the longest line of latitude on Earth (the line where Earth is widest in an east-west direction), the tropics are based on the suns position in relation to Earth at two points of the year. All three lines of latitude are significant in their relationship between Earth and the sun. Running in the opposite direction, north-south, the prime meridian is one of the most important lines of longitude on Earth. Equator The equator is located at zero degrees latitude. The equator runs through Indonesia, Ecuador, northern Brazil, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Kenya, among other countries. It is 24,901.55 miles (40,075.16 km) long. On the equator, the sun is directly overhead at noon on the spring and fall equinoxes—around March 21 and September 21 each year. The equator divides the planet into the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. On the equator, the length of day and night are equal every day of the year: day is always 12 hours long, and night is always 12 hours long. Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn The Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn each lie at 23.5 degrees latitude. The Tropic of Cancer is located at 23.5 degrees north of the equator and runs through Mexico, the Bahamas, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, India, and southern China. The Tropic of Capricorn lies at 23.5 degrees south of the equator and runs through Australia, Chile, southern Brazil (Brazil is the only country that passes through both the equator and a tropic), and northern South Africa. The tropics are the two lines where the sun is directly overhead at noon on the two solstices—about June 21 and December 21. The sun is directly overhead at noon on the Tropic of Cancer on June 21 (the beginning of summer in the Northern Hemisphere and the beginning of winter in the Southern Hemisphere), and the sun is directly overhead at noon on the Tropic of Capricorn on December 21 (the beginning of winter in the Northern Hemisphere and the beginning of summer in the Southern Hemisphere). The reason for the location of the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn at 23.5 degrees north and south, respectively, is due to the axial tilt of the Earth. The Earth is tilted 23.5 degrees from the plane of the Earths revolution around the sun each year. The area bounded by the Tropic of Cancer on the north and Tropic of Capricorn on the south is known as the tropics. This area does not experience seasons, because the sun is always high in the sky. Only higher latitudes, north of the Tropic of Cancer and south of the Tropic of Capricorn, experience significant seasonal variation in climate. Areas in the tropics can be cold, however. The peak of Mauna Kea on the Big Island of Hawaii stands nearly 14,000 feet above sea level, and snow is not unusual. If you live north of the Tropic of Cancer or south of the Tropic of Capricorn, the sun will  never  be directly overhead. In the United States, for example, Hawaii is the only location in the country that is south of the Tropic of Cancer, and it is thus the only location in the United States where the sun will be directly overhead in the summer. Prime Meridian While the equator divides Earth into Northern and Southern Hemispheres, it is the prime meridian at zero degrees longitude and the line of longitude opposite the prime meridian (near the International Date Line) at 180 degrees longitude that divides Earth into the Eastern and Western hemispheres. The Eastern Hemisphere consists of Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia, while the Western Hemisphere includes North and South America. Some geographers place the boundaries between the hemispheres at 20 degrees west and 160 degrees east to avoid running through Europe and Africa. Unlike the equator, the Tropic of Cancer, and the Tropic of Capricorn, the prime meridian and all lines of longitude are completely imaginary lines and have no significance to Earth or its relationship with the sun.

Wednesday, December 18, 2019

Why Adolescents Commit Suicide - 599 Words

Adolescents are an important group for every society and country. Each year unfortunately, thousands of adolescents are dying, not from cancer or car accidents, but by their own hands. They make the choice to take their lives. There are many laws and regulations promoting healthy lifestyles for adolescents within the United States. Adolescence is a period of physical and psychological change for teenagers. The central theme of the adolescent individual focuses on identity development, creating one’s value system, and accomplishing life goals. Adolescents have many psychological and social problems. Psychological problems consist of depression, stress, and anxiety. Social problems include social networks such as family, friends, and the academic setting. This period includes notable negative behaviors such as suicide attempts and alcohol and drug use. The number of teenagers who take their lives is rapidly increasing each year. According to the Centers for Disease Co ntrol (CDS), suicide is the third-leading cause of death among U.S. adolescents. Overall, suicide ranks as the 11th leading cause of death among the American population (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2006). Suicide attempts occur in different age groups; however, suicide attempts are more common among adolescents than other age periods. The number of youths, ranging from ages ten to 14 committing suicide has been of particular concern, with suicide rates increasing 51% between 1981 andShow MoreRelatedTeen Suicide: A Growing Problem Essay1541 Words   |  7 PagesSuicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem.; Teen suicide as an extremely complex tragedy, that unfortunately happens all the time throughout the United States. There are friends, parents, and peers that are facing the misfortune of losing a young, close, loved one to suicide. Most people dont realize that adolescent suicide is common. They dont want to believe how often this occurs in the secure environment found in the small towns of America, as well as in its largest cities.Read MoreEssay about Virgin Suicides1044 Words   |  5 PagesEach year suicide is becoming more common in the United States among adolescents, according to the Suicide and Mental Health Association International. The main reason why adolescents commit suicide is because they are depressed. In the article Nightmare in the Mirror by Scott Long, he explains that adolescence has changed throughout the years. An assertion he makes is that teens have Angst and bouts of suicidal despair distinguish this gloomy figureÂ… (Long 156). Long explains that throug houtRead MoreWe Must Commit Suicide And Practice Self Harm1498 Words   |  6 PagesAdolescents are more likely than any other age group to commit suicide or engage in self-harm. Why is that? Being an adolescent is a tough time in one’s life. They begin experiencing puberty, experimenting in relationships, hanging out with friends more but also having problems at home and self-esteem issues. We will discuss exactly why adolescents feel the need to commit suicide and practice self-harm. As well as the different forms of self-harm, clues on determining if the adolescent is suicidalRead MoreSocial Issues in Hong Kong Teen Suicide1265 Words   |  6 Pagessocially and academically. A number of factors influence how adolescents navigate this period of change. Positive outcomes are more likely if adolescents engage in healthy activities, have adequate social support, and are connected with their families. However, the negotiation of developmental tasks in adolescents may also be quite challenging and difficult, leading to the onset of adolescent depression, substance use, and ultimately suicide The number of teenagers taking their own lives is increasingRead MoreChild, Adolescent And Suicide867 Words   |  4 Pages Child Adolescent and suicide Suicides attempt is a potentially self-injurious behavior with a non-fatal outcome, for which there is an evidence that the person intended at some level to kill himself/ herself (Kola 1). In simple words a person tries to kill himself/herself by poison, injury and many other ways. Then intent to commit suicide is called suicidal ideation. Now a days, many people committing suicide in which most of them is the youth generation. Why it happens?. When a personRead MoreReasons for Adolescent Suicide Attempts1173 Words   |  5 Pagestext reports situations when an adolescent is at risk of suicide. Some of these situations are parts of depression, social pressure, drug abuse, and family difficulties. All of these factors make an adolescent feel overwhelmed and confused. There are many events that an adolescent goes through before taking their lives. Finding rates of suicide vary in males and females because the males use more fatal methods than females. What are the feelings that mak e adolescents take their own life? All the informationRead MoreEssay Teenage Suicide1191 Words   |  5 Pages Teenage suicide has become a critical, national problem the extent of which is mind boggling. From 1980 to 1992 the rate of suicides involving persons from the ages of 10-14 years old has increased by 120 percent, and has increased 28.3 percent when involving persons from the ages of 15-19 years old (Suicide 451). More recently in a poll of 3,210 high-school honor students, a stunning one-quarter have seriously considered suicide (Eaton 15). Suicides have been proven to be one of the leading causesRead MoreKelly Yao. British Literature. Mr. Carlucci. May 15, 2017.1377 Words   |  6 PagesMay 15, 2017 Causes of Teenager Suicide Recently, Netflix’s 13 Reasons Why has drawn people’s attention. The drama series illustrates 13 reasons of the teenage girl’s suicide. As we have entered a brand new century, climbing suicide rate has become one of the most serious public health and mental issue in the society. In daily life, there are even more reports of teenage suicide by media. People may wonder about the actual reasons why teenager decide to commit suicide to end their lives. There areRead MoreSuicide Is The Third Leading Cause Of Death1191 Words   |  5 Pages Suicide is the Third Leading Cause of Death in Adolescence Connie Yonn West Coast University Suicide behavior arise in adolescence, a period when significant mood and disturb behavior preoccupied with death (Stoep, 2009). Teen suicide rates are disturbing and have been increasing in the current years base on statistic (Croft, 2016).  The increasing number of teen suicide have cause awareness and brought attention to observance in teen suicide (Croft, 2016). It is said to be the third leading causeRead Moreâ€Å"Dying Before Their Time: The Startling Trends in Adolescent Suicide†1217 Words   |  5 PagesAccording to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP), suicide is the third leading cause of death for adolescents aged 15-24 years old. This calculates to 33,000 adolescents killing themselves each year (CDC, 2010). The National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), reported that suicide amongst all individuals nation wide has declined over all, but despite the decline, adolescents between the ages of 15 and 19 have shown suicide rates th at has increased by 6 percent (NCSL

Monday, December 9, 2019

“The Code of the Street” by Elijah Anderson Sample Essay Example For Students

â€Å"The Code of the Street† by Elijah Anderson Sample Essay The statement Elijah Anderson is seeking to do is that the behaviour of the kids today is greatly influenced by the street civilization. In this street civilization. he describes it as being violent when they’re faced with impersonal onslaughts and any type of disrespect shown. 4. I think this class reading tantrums with two class constructs from the talks in category and the text edition. The first construct would be ethnography. The writer had reached a personal degree with the deprived African American communities of Philadelphia. He was able to separate the difference between â€Å"street† households and â€Å"decent† households. In the nice households. they teach their kids how to be polite to others. how to last their societal environment and etc. ; while the street households have no concern for one another and normally lead to drug usage. alcohol addiction. spouse maltreatment or some other signifier of self-destructiveness. The 2nd construct would be soc ietal construction ( more towards achieved position ) . The difference between interior city/lower category households and upper category households in society is apparent. The households that live off of â€Å"street† codifications have a harder clip get bying with the manus they’re dealt with than a individual who comes from a stable household background. 5. I believe the most of import transition in this article would be. â€Å"The codification revolves around the presentation of ego. † I believe this is of import because the street codification is merely something that is influenced to a great extent by the continuance of a rundown society. Equally long as the codification is around to devour the kids into force. hatred. and discourtesy. it will go on to raise more coevalss into â€Å"street† households. The codification is what one makes of it. if the grownups would affect themselves more and go â€Å"daddies† in the inner-city communities. these street codifications could discontinue to be. 6. The reading reminds me of the Television show. â€Å"The Boondocks. † In this one episode. it’s about a imm ature male child who is seeking to raise money for a fundraiser. However as he raises more money. he becomes entangled in the â€Å"fundraising game† and starts a crooked concern. This relates back to the class constructs by demoing that kids are influenced by the society around them. The nexus to the picture is every bit follows: hypertext transfer protocol: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=29YO4FkA6BM.

Monday, December 2, 2019

The Anti War Movement Of The Vietnam War Essays -

The Anti War Movement Of The Vietnam War The Anti-War Movement J,J,J,J, United States participation in the Vietnam War was a subject of much debate among the American public. While many Americans supported the United States involvement in the War, in agreement with the Government that American assistance was needed in order to stop the spread of Communism, other people felt that it was immoral for the United States to involve itself in another country's internal matters. The antiwar movement against Vietnam in the US from 1965-1971 was the most significant movement of its kind in the nation's history. Anti-war protesters ?were not confined to the young, radicals, intellectuals, and the disaffected?. By 1968, [they] included many powerful individuals within the business and financial communities, the media, and the government itself? ( McMahon 466). Also by '68, protesters numbered almost seven million, with more than half being white youths in the college. Students for a Democratic Society, (SDS), announced its opposition of the Vietnam War publicly in 1965. In a public announcement, they state their reasons for disagreement. ?We feel that the war is immoral at its root, that it is fought alongside a regime with no claim to represent its people, and that it is foreclosing the hope of making America a decent and truly democratic society?.We are anxious to help and to change our country; we refuse to destroy someone else's country (McMahon 467).? The SDS was not alone in their opposition. Civil-Rights leader, Martin Luther King, Jr., declared his opposition in 1967. He stated many reasons. it became clear to me that the war was doing far more than devastating the hopes of the poor at home. It was sending their sons and brothers and their husbands to fight and die?As I walked among the desperate, rejected and angry young men, I have told them that Molotov cocktails and rifles would not solve their problems?But, they asked, what about Vietnam?Their questions hit home, and I knew that I could never again raise my voice against the violence of the oppressed in the ghettos without having first spoken clearly to the greatest purveyor of violence in the world today-- my own government? (McMahon 471). One aspect of the anti-war movement were teach-ins. Teach-ins were mass public demonstrations, usually held in the spring and fall seasons. These well-publicized rallies made the antiwar effort more respectable. The White House was plagued by two wars: the war in Vietnam and the war at home?. In October 1967, protesters marched on the Pentagon. This was one of the most significant events of the antiwar movement. Although the marchers were unable to get into the Pentagon, this demonstration had a direct influence on the redirection of American policy in Vietnam. The antiwar effort crippled Johnson's presidency. In 1968 he announced that he would not be running for re-election. The antiwar movement inadvertently helped Richard Nixon win the election. Once elected, Nixon was bothered with the antiwar movement. He was convinced that it prolonged the war. He could not understand how the current generation of young people could include brave young marines, hippies and draft-card burners. In May 1970, Nixon ordered an attack on Cambodian sanctuaries to destroy communist command-and-supply buildings. He also tried to contain the protest that he knew his action would provoke. His hopes of controlling the rally failed when poorly trained National Guardsmen killed four students at Kent State University, on May 4. This made the expected protests much worse than anyone in Washington could have foreseen. The wave of demonstrations on hundreds of college campuses paralyzed America's higher-education system. The Kent State tragedy ignited a nationwide campus disaster. ?Between May 4 and May 8, campuses experienced an average of 100 demonstrations a day, 350 campus strikes, 536 colleges shut down, and 73 colleges reported significant violence i n their protests. On that weekend, 100,000 people gathered to protest in Washington. By May 12, over 150 colleges were on strike? (Internet source). The overwhelming response to the invasion of Cambodia and the Kent State crisis soon became too much for President Nixon. On December 15, Nixon announced his intention to withdraw fifty thousand troops from Vietnam in 1970 Among the most convincing theories of the movement were that it

Wednesday, November 27, 2019

Feminism and Modern Friendship

Feminism and Modern Friendship It is argued that feminists have become the major opponents of liberalism. Feminism critics assert that this move exhibit an intrinsic gender prejudice, which emphasizes on the works of Sandel and Macintyre.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Feminism and Modern Friendship specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In the article Feminism and Modern Friendship: Dislocating the Community, Friedman Marilyn explores these allegations (Weiss Marilyn 108). Marilyn seconded the communitarian position held by Sandel and Maclntyre. Nevertheless, she opposes certain aspects of the approach. In her writings, Marilyn aims to change the communitarian visualization of personality and society in a feminism path. This article seeks to criticize Marilyn from the story Feminism and Modern Friendship: Dislocating the Community. Marilyn argues that communitarian theories pose numerous risks to feminists. As such, they appeal to models of societies emphasizing on families, localities, and nations. According to her, these models have harbored social customs that tend to oppress and the female gender. Through this argument, it is apparent that Marilyn thoughts oppose other feminists’ views. She asserts that communitarians pretense the notion of a self based on communities, families, social groups, and families. According to her, it is wrong for commentaries not to pretense the notion based on sex and gender (Weiss Marilyn 112). In my opinion, her arguments on these notions are wrong. If sex and gender are used, individualism will be enhanced, which opposes communitarian ideologies. Marilyn fails to note that women empowerment, the main goal of feminists, can be attained easily through community and family levels compared with through individual levels.Advertising Looking for essay on gender studies? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Although Marilynâ€℠¢s’ ambitions on abolishing women empowerment are justified, her approach clashes with communitarians’ theory. In my opinion, there are other ways of achieving these ambitions without the adoption of individualistic approaches. Equally, in the article Marilyn criticizes other feminists’ contributions such as Sandel and Macintyre (Weiss Marilyn 109). These feminists had visualized the actual self according to social attachment identities rather on sex and gender identities. While criticizing these individuals, Marilyn asserts that the omission of sex and gender implies that these individuals wanted to affirm that social attachment such as societies, families, and nationalities contribute to identity rather than sex and gender. Although Sandel and Macintyre failed to classify the self in terms of sex and gender, Marilyn should have acknowledged that communitarians view communal identities as a priority rather than sex and gender prioritize. Marilyn criticizes com munitarian philosophies claiming that they are perilous to feminism (Weiss Marilyn 108). She fails to note that if communitarian philosophies were strengthened, all people would be treated equally regardless of their nationality, age, gender, or sex. Even though some norms and structures in family, community, and national levels oppress women, it does not mean that communitarian philosophies support the vice or are wrong. Marilyn does not recognize that these oppressive norms and structures can be addressed from the communal level rather than from individual levels. In reality, women empowerment gains have been achieved through the effort of communal groups.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Feminism and Modern Friendship specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More As opposed to Marilyn, I believe that womens empowerment programs are not going to be attained with ease through her approach. Feminists’ goals can be achieve d through communal theory if the communities as a whole agree to abandon gender subordination and gender prejudices. Other than attacking the communal theory, Marilyn should have pointed out areas that need to be amended to improve the theory. In the second part of her article, Marilyn focuses on modern friendship (Weiss Marilyn 113). In the section, she asserts that modern urban friendship developed based on shared interests rather than on communities or families. Urban life has provided shelter to most women who escape from their oppressive societies. Similarly, urban life has provided women with several opportunities enabling them to be financially stable like their male counterparts. In the second part, readers expect, Marilyn to offer feminists an approach to replace the communitarians’ approach criticized in part one. However, in the second part Marilyn does not provide an appropriate approach on how to improve communitarian theories. Similarly, Marilyn failed to note, or is not aware, that in towns some groups exist based on their nationality, communities, and families. Notably, the minority groups in towns consist of members from the particular nationalities or communities. This implies that the social norms and structure that oppress women exist in urban areas. Therefore, to ensure that women empowerment is attained, as advocated by feminists, communal theories should be strengthened.Advertising Looking for essay on gender studies? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Equally, Marilyn fails to note that in a rural set up friendship established based on interest. Thus, she should confine her postulations to both urban population and rural population. Based on Nagel’s arguments, Marilyn should attack negative prejudices and oppressive norms against women by overturning silence that help to support them without necessarily denouncing communism (Nagel 125). In this regard, Marilyn should have postulated on how to improve womens rights and personal rights, but should not have confronted communitarian philosophies. It will be better if these criticisms were avoided because they enhance individualism. Nagel asserts that no one should be in control of culture and persistence of private racism, sexism, homophobia, religious, and ethnic bigotry. According to Nagel, failure to do so will provoke liberals to demand constant public affirmation of the opposite values (Nagel 127). To achieve the self-state emphasized by Marilyn, we should empower everyon e in the society, rather than the female gender only. The insistence on securing more rights for a single minority group and neglecting the others raises social stakes unnecessarily. All minority groups including women, the disabled, and minority communities should be empowered. To achieve this we should tackle issues that are concerned with how people should care for one another, how social and economic organizations are to be run, and how to share public resources equally. In general, Marilyn is not contented with liberal philosophy unlike other feminists. She believes that communitarian theories pose numerous risks to feminists. As such, they appeal to models of societies emphasizing on families, localities, and nations. She thinks that independence and rights are vital principles that should be remodeled to benefit all women and end domination and social subordination. From the article, Marilyn supports individualism to some extent. To her, individualism of liberalism cannot be discarded completely in the quest toward being responsible of what social relationships add to personal advancements. Contrary to other feminists believe, Marilyn believes that women individualism is appropriate for several reasons. Therefore, to attain women empowerment goals, as advocated by feminists, it is necessary that communal be strengthened. Equally, we should all try to accommodate one another’s views regardless of their community, nationality, sex, or gender. Through this, an equitable society will be achieved. Nagel, Thomas. Public and Private. Concealment and exposure: and other essays. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002. 117-129. Print. Weiss, Penny A., and Marilyn Friedman. Feminism and Modern Friendship: Dislocating the Community. Feminism and community. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1995. 107-115. Print.

Saturday, November 23, 2019

Chaac, the Ancient Mayan God of Rain

Chaac, the Ancient Mayan God of Rain Chaac (spelled variously Chac, Chaak, or Chaakh; and referred to in scholarly texts as God B) is the name of the rain god in the Maya religion. As with many Mesoamerican cultures that based their living on rain-dependent agriculture, the ancient Maya felt a particular devotion for the deities controlling rain. Rain gods or rain-related deities were worshiped beginning in very ancient times  and were known under many names among different Mesoamerican people. Identifying Chaac For example, the Mesoamerican rain god was known as Cocijo by the Late Formative period Zapotec of the Oaxaca Valley, as Tlaloc by the Late Postclassic Aztec people in Central Mexico; and of course as Chaac among the ancient Maya. Chaac was the Maya god of rain, lightning, and storms. He is often represented holding jade axes and snakes that he uses to throw at the clouds to produce rain. His actions assured the growth of maize and other crops in general as well as maintaining the natural cycles of life. Natural events of different intensities from the vivifying rain and wet season storms, to the more dangerous and destructive hailstorms and hurricanes, were considered manifestations of the god. Characteristics of the Mayan Rain God For the ancient Maya, the rain god had a particularly strong relationship with rulers, because- at least for the earlier periods of Maya history- rulers were considered rainmakers, and in later periods, were thought able to communicate and intercede with the gods. The alter-egos of Maya shamans and rulers roles often overlapped, especially in the Preclassic period. The pre-classic shaman-rulers were said to be able to reach the inaccessible places where the rain gods dwelled, and intercede with them for the people. These deities were believed to live on the tops of mountains and in high forests which were often hidden by clouds. These were the places where, in the rainy seasons, the clouds were hit by Chaac and his helpers and the rains were announced by thunder and lightning. Four Directions of the World According to Maya cosmology, Chaac was also linked to the four cardinal directions. Each world direction was connected with one aspect of Chaac and a specific color: Chaak Xib Chaac, was the Red Chaac of the EastSak Xib Chaac, the White Chaac of the NorthEx Xib Chaac, the Black Chaac of the West, andKan Xib Chaac, the Yellow Chaac of the South Collectively, these were called the Chaacs or Chaacob or Chaacs (plural for Chaac) and they were worshiped as deities themselves in many parts of the Maya area, especially in Yucatn. In a burner ritual reported in the Dresden and Madrid codexes and said to be conducted to ensure copious rains, the four Chaacs had different roles: one takes the fire, one begins the fire, one gives scope to the fire, and one puts out the fire. When the fire was lit, hearts of sacrificial animals were cast into it and the four Chaac priests poured jugs of water to put out the flames. This Chaac ritual was performed twice each year, once in the dry season, once in the wet. Chaac Iconography Even though Chaac is one of the most ancient of Maya deities, almost all of the known representations of the god are from the Classic and Postclassic periods (AD 200-1521). Most of the surviving images depicting the rain god are on Classic period painted vessels and Postclassic codexes. As with many Maya gods, Chaac is portrayed as a blend of human and animal characteristics. He has reptilian attributes and fish scales, a long curly nose, and a protruding lower lip. He holds the stone ax used to produce lightning and wears an elaborate headdress. Chaac masks are found protruding from Maya architecture at many Terminal Classic period Maya sites such as Mayapn and Chichen Itza. Mayapns ruins include the Hall of Chaac Masks (Building Q151), thought to have been commissioned by Chaac priests around AD 1300/1350. The earliest possible representation of a pre-classic Maya rain god Chaac recognized to date is carved into the face of Stela 1 at Izapa, and dated to the Terminal Preclassic Period about AD 200. Chaac Ceremonies Ceremonies in honor of the rain god were held in each Maya city and at different levels of society. Rituals to propitiate rain took place in the agricultural fields, as well as in more public settings such as plazas. Sacrifices of young boys and girls were carried out in especially dramatic periods, such as after a prolonged period of drought. In Yucatan, rituals asking for rains are documented for the Late Postclassic and Colonial periods. In the sacred cenote of Chichà ©n Itz, for example, people were thrown and left to drown there, accompanied by precious offerings of gold and jade. Evidence of other, less lavish ceremonies have also been documented by archaeologists in caves and karstic wells all over the Maya area. As part of the care of a cornfield, members of historic period Maya communities in the Yucatan peninsula today held rain ceremonies, in which all the local farmers participated. These ceremonies reference the chaacob, and the offerings included balche, or corn beer. Updated by K. Kris Hirst Sources Aveni AF. 2011. Maya Numerology. Cambridge Archaeological Journal 21(02):187-216.de Orellana M, Suderman M, Maldonado Mà ©ndez Ó, Galavitz R, Gonzlez Aktories S, Camacho Dà ­az G, Alegre Gonzlez L, Hadatty Mora Y, Maldonado Nà ºÃƒ ±ez P, Castelli C et al. 2006. Rituals of Corn. Artes de Mà ©xico(78):65-80.Estrada-Belli F. 2006. Lightning Sky, Rain, and the Maize God: The Ideology of Preclassic Maya Rulers at Ancient Mesoamerica 17:57-78.Cival, Peten, Guatemala.Milbrath S, and Lope CP. 2009. Survival and revival of Terminal Classic traditions at Postclassic Mayapn. Latin American Antiquity 20(4):581-606.Miller M and Taube KA. 1993. The Gods and Symbols of Ancient Mexico and the Maya: An Illustrated Dictionary of Mesoamerican Religion. Thames and Hudson: London.Pà ©rez de Heredia Puente EJ. 2008. Chen K’u: The Ceramic of the Sacred Cenote at Chichà ©n Itz. Foundation for the Advancement of Mesoamerican Studies, Inc. (FAMSI): Tulane, Louisiana.Sharer RJ and Traxler, LP . 2006. The Ancient Maya. Sixth Edition. Stanford University Press: Stanford, California.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Economic History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Economic History - Essay Example One of the most major market failures in the world is the presence of imperfect information, and indicative planning is considered as being one of the best attempts that can be used in order to bridge this information gap. Basically, the aim of indicative planning is "to improve the performance of the economy by the provision of better economic information: forecasts or targets are published but compliance with them is voluntary. The underlying logic is that the plan, via collective action, can supply economically valuable information which, as a public good, the market mechanism does not disseminate efficiently" (Young & Holmes, 2000). There are many different reasons as to why it is believed that we need this indicative planning, and namely: if there were complete and efficient forward markets there would be little need for indicative planning or any shared set of assumptions because enterprises could use such markets to hedge the risks attendant on their investment decisions; the economic forecasts embodied in an indicative plan give both buyers and seller's confidence that the general levels of demand for products and supply of materials would be forthcoming; by identifying early the existence of any oversupply or bottlenecks, investment behavior can be modified in a timely fashion and the incidence of market disequilibria reduced; and both business and consumers can benefit from exercise in collective and consistent market research, which is freely distributed to all the relevant actors in the economy. (He, 2007). In regards to French indicative planning, there are many other issues that need to be discussed here, and the theory of French indicative planning is an issue which is of primary importance; the founder of the French indicative planning was a man named Pierre Masse, and it was he who actually introduced the concept of information pooling, where planners carry out 'generalized market research', thus allowing a common view of the future, and "This research involves consulting with leading actors in the economy for their input, a process called concertation. After this step the elements of the plan are adjusted to assure coherence and to guarantee policy coordination. The goal is concerted economy" (He, 2007). The French adoption of indicative planning had many steps involved within it, and this begins around the year 1500, when France surpassed China as being the nation with the largest GDP in the world; Jean-Baptiste Colbert, who was the finance minister under Louis XIV at that time, was pursuing strongly for aggressive and comprehensive governmental policies, and in fact, during this time, Colbertism became a word that was used to describe interventionalist state activity. Similarly, in the 19th century, France was considered as being a 'late' industrializer, and policy was more directed towards the nurturing and protecting of the industry as a whole. In 1830 France was surpassed by the UK; in 1936 a leftist regime came to power, led by L'eon Blum, and resulted in establishing a Ministry of

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Group Project Finance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Group Project Finance - Essay Example Year in and year out, there are reports of various forms of medical errors, most of which lead to very grievous consequence s as has been stated before. Below are some of the commonest forms of medical errors that are experienced in the United States on a constant statistical basis. Forms of Medical Errors Medication Errors The American Health Association identifies medication errors as the number form of medical error that is experienced in all United States health facility (McDonald , 2013). According to the European Medicines Agencies (2012), â€Å"Medication errors are unintentional errors in the prescribing, dispensing, or administration of a medicine while under the control of a healthcare professional, patient or consumer.† This can be said to be a very holistic definition that gives a total outline of what medication errors are and how they come about. Basically, medication errors can be said to be unintentional, even though their consequences are mostly unavoidable an d unpardonable. What is more, medication errors are not caused by unskilled specialists put by medical experts and under the supervision of same. What this means is that medication errors ends at the point where the medical expert ends his duty in prescribing, dispensing or administering a drug to the patient. The situation must not continue from the point where the patient makes a mistake with a well prescribed or administered medicine or drug to say medication error has taken place (Den Bos et al., 2011). Surgical Errors Surgical errors have also been said to be the second largest form of medicine errors that are recorded across health facilities in the United States. Whiles finding permanent or temporary solutions to some forms of ailments and diseases that plague patients, health professions have had the need to undertake various forms of surgical operations. These operations may be as minor as a non-opening surgery or as huge as a plastic surgery. Whiles undertaking some of the se surgical operations, there are series of mistakes that surgeons make. When such mistakes that occur in the process or in the act of undertaking a surgery occurs, we say there has been the occurrence a surgical error. Experts have continued to wonder why there continues to be high cases and incidents of surgical errors when there continuous to be advancement in technology, tools, training, and procedures. It has however been settled that over work on the part of nurses, doctors and other hospital personnel is a major cause of this. Fatigue, miscommunication, lack of attention, and hastiness have also been identified as common causes. Nosocomial Infections Nosocomial infections have also been identified as a very risky medical error that commonly takes place among some most health facilities. Generally, nosocomial infections are hospital acquired infections, meaning they are infections that come about as a result of favored hospital environment (Den Bos et al., 2011). In the common est form, nosocomial infections occur as patients visit hospitals or are admitted at the hospitals. Nosocomial infections are also commonly reported in the form of outbreak of diseases among

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Catholic Church and Ultima’s mystical folklore Essay Example for Free

Catholic Church and Ultima’s mystical folklore Essay The novel â€Å"Bless Me, Ultima† by Rudolfo Anaya is pastoral, apocalyptic and, at the same time, tragic story revealing the complex nature of human relations and ambiguity of the world. The novel teaches readers not to interfere with the destiny of any person not to change the cosmic order. However, Ultima dares to influence the destiny and her death at the end of the novel is symbolical representation that every person should be responsible for his own actions. The author describes relations between an old healer Ultima and a young boy Antonio who is seeking for truth. The novel can be defined as apocalyptic as the author illustrates that biculturalism leads to inevitable conflict between cultures and religions. I think that the novel belongs to Chicano literature being rather popular in 1965-1975s. However, it can be seen as cultural novel which tends to explore self-development, personality and ethnic identity in the world filled with race and ethnic discrimination. The novel is rich narrative weaving many themes and sub-themes together allowing readers for different interpretations. Therefore, the objectives of the paper are to analyze author’s writing style, relations between Antonio and Ultima, to identify main themes and symbols, and to discuss the question of autobiography. â€Å"Bless Me, Ultima†: Analysis I think that the novel â€Å"Bless Me, Ultima† can be analyzed from different perspectives and from many angles. The novel is a rich literary work dealing with social changes, cognitive and psychological development of main heroes, religious issues, etc. Moreover, the novel weaves cultural conflicts and formation of ethnic identity into believable and coherent story illustrating the smoothes and roughs of Antonio’s life – the main hero. On the one hand, the novel can be seen as romance novel as it discusses societal period through myth creation. On the other hand, the novel can be seen as cultural novel as it describes historical conflict between villages and opposes race discrimination in the United States. Furthermore, the novel can be defined as Chicano literature as it promotes apocalyptic ideas and moods. The novel presents fertile background for analysis as the author uses rich themes and symbols to show the life pass of a young extraordinary boy. Writing Style The author incorporates powerful and vivid images to present the multiplicity and ambiguity of responses. In other words, Anaya uses prophetic dreams, episodes of horseplay among children, idyllic scenes presenting harmony and natural balance, mystical dynamism, scenes of violence and death as imagery to create strong impression and to make people think whether the world we see is real one and what the destiny of the person is. However, the novel tends to reveal whether it is permissible to change human destiny. Anaya uses strong imagery to show that characters and nature are strongly tied together creating so-called natural continuum. Anaya refers to technique of oppression when writing the novel in order to create multi-level conflict. For example, Antonio’s parents have opposing backgrounds, views and aspirations. Further, religious are opposed in their beliefs, values and demands on the individual. Cosmic forced are apposed as they symbolize eternal struggle between the good and the evil. Finally, the author juxtaposes forms of nature saying they can choose whether to make soil dry or fertile. The novel is based on conflicts – social, psychological, physical and cultural. Antonio’s life is also a conflict. The novel is also based on tripartites. It means that all evens and things are occurring in so-called ‘threes’. For example, there are three cultures in the novel, three Trementina sisters, three brothers, three Comanche spirits, three prophetic dreams, three Ultima’s efforts to identify her ethnicity, and three Ultima’s interference in the life of other people. Numerology is central in structure of the plot. Issue of Autobiography I think that â€Å"bless Me, Ultima† can be defined as quasi-autobiographical novel as the narrator refers to ‘I’ style showing that the novel is generated from personal experience or experience of the younger ‘I’. The novel is told by mature Antonio who shares experiences of being a young boy. Moreover, the experiences are transmitted in childish manner and it may seem that the story is told by a six-year-old boy. One more interesting fact is that the author says that he had to refer to his personal experiences and experiences of other children to construct the story. Despite the fact that the novel is quasi-biographical, the readers aren’t allowed to distinguish the real and imagined events as the author represents everything as fiction. I think that the author does base the story on rich expository of personal experiences, but he skillfully hides this fact. Relations between Antonio and Ultima Antonio is the main hero in the novel who decided to reconcile his conflicting religious and cultural identity. Antonio is only six years old, but he is extraordinary child with questioning mind, appreciation of life, and moral curiosity. Antonio is more serious than other children of his age, he is more sensitive to ambiguity of the world and conflicting cultural traditions. Anaya shows that Antonio is troubled about his uncertain destiny and he is willing to understand the world. After the death of one of the town’s residents Antonio seems to plunge into crisis of the faith and for the first time he doubts validity of the Catholic faith. Therefore, desire to reveal the truth can be defined as one of the strongest components of his character as his desire leads to interest in sin, death, innocence, and the nature of God. Antonio is developing to maturity throughout the novel progression and it is Ultima who teaches how to remain morally independent, to receive knowledge from all available traditions and to refrain from prejudices and limitations. Ultima leads Antonio to his physical and psychological maturity. Ultima helps him to resolve many conflicts and to determine his future. Old healer Ultima represents the moral system which Anaya supports. Relationships between Antonio and Ultima are the most important bond in the novel. Ultima is Antonio’s mentor helping him to overcome difficulties and to cope with anxieties and uncertainties. Relations between main characters can be defined even as spiritual. Ultima presents herself as the keeper of Antonio’s destiny and starts playing central role in his life and psyche. She uses her power of influencing to make Antonio think of himself and create his own sense of morality. Ultima incorporates knowledge of both Catholic and indigenous traditions. She thinks that spirituality and life are tied. Nevertheless, we see that Catholic Church rejects her mystical power, and Ultima respects its wisdom attending mass regularly. Ultima teaches to appreciate equally multiple faith and perspectives as each person is entailed with rights to make independent moral decisions. Ultima instills tolerance, open-mindedness and independence in Antonio’s faith. Ultima treats Antonio with respect and understanding, despite he is a small child. At the end of the novel Antonio is treated as spiritual partner and Ultima asks to bury the owl which symbolizes her own death. Ultima dies, but her spirit continues to guide Antonio throughout his life. Main Themes Firstly, the author stresses the importance of moral independence as no one has the rights to interfere with the destiny of others. Anaya emphasizes rights to think independently and to make up moral decisions. In the novel Antonio’s progress is the sign of maturity and self-development. Antonio constantly struggles to make his own decisions and he realizes that complex experience of religion has forced to change his minds. Antonio is really frustrated when he realizes that the church has failed and pressing questions about human morality emerge in his head. We see that Ultima becomes his guide and teaches about morality and independence. Moreover, Ultima explains ambiguity of life stressing that life can be viewed simply in terms of culture and religion. Cultural and religious traditions are important, but they constrain human abilities to be morally independent. Antonio realizes that he should find answers about evil, good, soul, forgiveness and truth himself. Once Antonio has committed fatal mistake, when he believed that the Communion ritual was able to answer all questions. Instead, Ultima teaches Antonio to make decisions and choices himself. Secondly, the author identifies the influence of culture on identity. In the novel Anaya explores the conflict between cultural traditions which fail to co-exist as one culture tends to dominate others and vice verse. However, in the end we see that the author offers new solution – he argues that several cultural traditions are able to create more adaptable identity. For example, Antonio manages to find answers as his life has been influenced by several constantly conflicting cultures. The first conflict was with his parents as Antonio’s mother wanted him to become a priest, whereas his fathers wanted Antonio to ride the llano. The problem was that parents had different cultural convictions. The next conflict is observed within Antonio’s native town where Spanish culture is struggling with other culture. The conflict is presented in tensions between the Catholic Church and Ultima’s mystical folklore. I think that through such conflicts the author explores the influence of culture on identity formation. Anaya shows that many characters in the story are limited by cultural prejudices and they have failed to look beyond their horizon. For example, when people define Narciso as drunkard they didn’t consider his traumatic experiences in the war, although it is known that war may serious distort human psyche. Ultima teaches Antonio to become free from cultural and religious limitations. Instead, she tends to encourage Antonio to think of all cultural influences as it is the only way to become a descent person. Symbolism â€Å"Bless Me, Ultima† is highly symbolical novel. The author uses different colors, figures, numbers and objects to represent abstract ideas and concepts. In the novel the golden carp, Ultima’s owl and the virgin of Guadalupe are provided with symbolic meanings. As for mea, the golden carp is symbolical representation of magical religious order which is hardly associated with Catholicism. The legend about golden carp offers main characters and readers moral guidance, brand of wisdom and comfort. Golden carp supports author’s idea that cultural traditions are different, but they are equally valid. Antonio firstly rejects the golden carp as he thinks that in such a way he abandons God. However, later he realizes that golden carp can help to weave cultural and religious sources together in creating his won identity. Then, Ultima’s Owl represents religious mysticism and life force. One night the owl sings outside Antonio’s windows symbolizing Ultima’s presence in boy’s life. Moreover, owl is the symbol of protective power of magic. In the end of the novel killing of the bird symbolically represents that Ultima’s life force is destroyed and she will die soon. When Antonio buries the bird, he buries Ultima. Finally, the Virgin of Guadalupe represents symbolically understanding, forgiveness and solution of cultural conflict. The story of the Virgin is definitely reconciliation of Antonio’s indigenous culture and European Catholic Church. When Antonio is frustrated, he often turns to Virgin to find a forgiving god. Conclusion â€Å"Bless Me, Ultima† reveals the ambiguous nature of the world and human relations. The author shows that every person has to make independent choices and to appreciate different religious and cultural traditions as it is the only way to become a better person. Ultima teaches Antonio to create his own sense of morality and to remain independent person. Moreover, she teaches him to avoid prejudices and limitation. But the author shows that no one is allowed to interfere with the destiny of other people. Works Cited Anaya, Rudolfo. Bless Me, Ultima. New York: Grand Central Publishing, 1994.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Some Esential Points in Reading The Critique of Pure Reason :: Modern Philosophy Research Papers

Some Esential Points in Reading The Critique of Pure Reason ABSTRACT: (1) Things are not to be found in the Critique (real things also called physical objects-an epochà © 'avant la lettre' as in Husserl). The things as appearances are only Vorstellungen (representatio, B376). Confusion arrives because Kant calls these objects with the same names employed in the language of common sense for designating the things. (2) Due to the absence of these things, nothing is said concerning the relation between things and empirical objects (things as appearances, Erscheinungen). (3) Things in themselves, considered in the abstraction of sensible receptivity, are for this very abstraction, unknowable. Consequently, they cannot be considered as the origin of appearances. (4) I propose an explanation of the relation mentioned in (2). (5) What is the use of the Critique of so strange a conception as the thing in itself instead of simply mentioning real things and their representations in the subject? (6) Mind is not an adequate translation of the German gem à ¼t. I think subject is better. At this paper I shall limit myself to expose only two items as possible themes of an adequate reading of the Critique. (1a) According to the imposed extension of the paper a detailed treatment is not to be found here. These two themes are: the first one, things and things in themselves. The other one, the translation of the German word Gemà ¼t as subject and not as mind or spirit. Previous Definitions Two languages will be used: one of them it's Kant's exposition of his sistem, the transcendental idealism (TI) and the other one, designated as the common sense language (CSL), the colloquial language concerning Husserl's natural actitude. (1) In this later one, the things are the so called real things or physical objects, things we can see, touch and handle and modify them according to determinate purposes In this paper I shall refer only to this kind of things, simply calling them things. It is no necessary, I think to mention each time that Aristoteles defines these things as being in the mode of fusis and techne. (2) Heidegger also defines them as the natural things (3) When we are looking at something — a state of things — in this same action a representation appears in conscience of that we are looking at. We erroneously believe that we truly see things directly, but instead what we really do is to become conscious of the representation of the thing.

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Information Security Essay

Information Security is a fundamental function of any organization expecting to be competitive in the global market. As more and more developing countries make the leap into capitalism, competiveness will only become more essential. With Asian nations like China, Korea and India stepping up to make their presence noticed taking more of the market share than ever before other organizations must remain competitive which means keeping their piece of the pie safe and secure. Organizations’ proprietary information if left unsecure could mean loss of their competitive edge. In the IndustryWeek. com article by, â€Å"Manufacturers Must Think Virtually to Ensure Data is Protected† Chris Benco contends; â€Å"Data is what all manufacturers rely upon, and with the ever-increasing influx of it, companies need to ensure that it is protected in the event of a natural disaster, human error or other problems. With this heavy reliance on data to maintain day-to-day operations, manufacturers cannot afford to overlook data protection as it is the key in maintaining production, optimizing productivity and guaranteeing profit. Information security though takes on another aspect when you consider an often over looked key element of corporate information. We think of information security in terms of protecting what is on paper and in data bases, but knowledge is much harder to nail down. Knowledge, information that is stored in the minds of the organization’s personnel is just as important as any other data or product information and should be gathered and stored just the same. As we could see in the reading material for this case assignment there are many methods for obtaining, sharing, and storing knowledge information. Some such methods were discussed by Ann Field in her article â€Å"Locking Up What Your Employees Know†. The step according to Ms. Fields are to first Create a knowledge profile, then foster mentoring relationships, encourage communities of practice, ensure that passing knowledge on is rewarded, Protect people’s privacy, and decide whether you’re interested in recorded knowledge as well.

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Psychology of Sexuality

Since the dawn of mankind, sexuality has played an enormous role in the complex social behaviors exhibited by our incredibly unique species. Sex contributes not only to reproduction, but also to relationships between people, cultural norms, and mental health. There are many important factors that contribute to sexuality; one of the most important factors is sex differentiation.We can take this even further and look at reproductive anatomy and the differences between the male and female reproductive systems. Thus, this paper discusses the history of sex, male and female reproductive anatomy and physiology, and finally human sex differentiation. The history of sex is interesting especially because of the controversy over the length of the time span from whence it was recorded. John Gagnon argues that it was really the turn of the 19th century when sex research emerged.While many (if not all) of Sigmund Freud’s theories have been disproved by this point in time, he did hit on man y major ideas about sexuality and was one of the first people to really think and talk publicly about it, as well as Havelock Ellis. Freudian theories were extremely influential in shaping future theories and research, even throughout the late 20th century. Another important player was Alfred Kinsey, who built upon previous researchers and made note of the social changes around the 1950s, in turn affecting policy, general attitudes towards sex, and future research.Winston Ehrmann agreed that the history of sexuality is quite a short field in his work â€Å"Some Knowns and Unknowns in Research into Human Sex Behavior,† arguing that and while there has been documentation about sexual behavior throughout history, a more scientific approach to sex only really begun since the late 19th Century. However, I would contest that it’s a distinction based more on a social construct of what constitutes a scientific study in Western society.For example, ancient Indian literature of the Kama Sutra can be said to have treated sex as a science, giving practical advice about sex as well as showing the various positions in detailed paintings. There is also detailed historical evidence of homosexual behavior among men in Ancient Greece. While Ehrmann may not have considered these sources scientific, I would argue that for their respective time periods, they were as scientific as could be expected. In fact, we can’t really judge whether something was â€Å"scientific† since what we consider scientific in a modern Western sense may be completely different from their nderstanding of scientific back in the days of Ancient India or Greece. For a perspective of the history of sexuality from around the globe, we go back further in time and look at eighteenth century England, as well as ancient African Bushmen. Hera Cook writes an article â€Å"Sexuality and Contraception in Modern England: Doing the History of Reproductive Sexuality† in which she argue s that historians have ignored reproduction as a factor relevant to and influencing sexual mores and change. Pregnancy, and the resulting child, is not only a physical demand and economic cost, but a health risk.Effective contraception was not available and alternative sexual practices were not acceptable substitutes for vaginal intercourse. While I agree with most of her arguments, I would contest her claim that many historians dismiss reproduction as a factor of changes in sexuality. In fact, the next article â€Å"The Century of Sex: Gender, Bodies, and Sexuality in the Long Eighteenth Century† by Karen Harvey discusses sexuality in England during the 1700s and does consider the effects of reproduction.Harvey argues that prior to the Eighteenth century, men and women were â€Å"placed on a vertical, hierarchical axis, in which their bodies were seen as two comparable variants of one kind† in a sort of â€Å"one-sex model† based on the four humors of different qualities – cold and moist, which dominated women, and hot and dry, which dominated men (Harvey, 2002, p. 901). Furthermore, they thought of sex organs as simply the reverse of one another; a vagina was like an inside-out penis, the labia corresponded to the foreskin, etc.However, towards the eighteenth century, there was a shift in the understanding of bodies towards a two-sex model. Anatomical differences were stressed and their bodies were regarded as qualitatively distinct. While previously the female orgasm was previously thought to have importance for conception, it was ultimately deemed unnecessary. Women were reimagined from â€Å"lascivious and lustful creatures† to having no sexual needs whatsoever (Harvey, 2002, p. 903). Homosexuality was highly frowned upon and considered perverse and sodomy.On the other hand, a certain ancient African Bushmen tribe had a much more egalitarian view on sexual behavior and gender differences. Marc Epprecht discusses the hist ory of the zvidoma, the orginal inhabitants of Zimbabwe in his book â€Å"Hungochani: The History of a Dissident Sexuality in Southern Africa. † Epprecht notes that these ancient Bushmen were hunters and gatherers using Stone Age weapons and tools comprising a classless communitarian society with no concept of individual ownership or property. Decisions were made by group consensus, and this included females; uncommon for that time.While there was a clear gender division of labour, the zvidoma were closer to egalitarian than any other culture in ancient African history. Not only did they traditionally marry monogamously, but women could divorce relatively easily and retain rights to sexual autonomy. Depictions of women’s genitals in cave paintings suggest â€Å"a source of vital, mystical energy at least on par with men’s† (Epprecht, 2004, p. 25). Because of their limited geographical area as well as their method of hunting and gathering, they had to be c areful to avoid overpopulation.During times of hunger, they practiced sexual restraint and possibly infanticide. Furthermore, there is a rock painting at least 2000 years old depicting three males engaged in anal intercourse as well as two male couples, one embracing face to face and the other also engaging in anal sex with an overly large emphasized erect penis. There are not many paintings depicting sexual practice, but the relative scarcity of ones depicting homosexual practices as well as paintings with heterosexual sex suggest they were equally commonplace.While the history of sexuality gives us a good basis on which to study the psychology of sexuality, some would argue this basis is biased toward differentiation. Merry Wiesner-Hanks argues that women’s and gender history over the last few decades has spent too much time on divergence, making more and more complex categories of difference over sexual orientation, marital status, able-bodiedness, gender relations, etc. H owever, I argue that it is necessary to study these differences in order to properly ascertain similarities and relations between the sexes.First and foremost we will discuss the biological and anatomical differences between the genders, then later human sex differentiation in a broader, more psychological and social construct. Historically, fixing sexual types became popular in the eighteenth century, according to Londa Schiebinger in â€Å"The anatomy of difference: race and sex in eighteenth-century science. † It was a great age of classification. Just as natural historians flooded Europe with new strange flora and fauna from the New World, new cultures were being discovered in America.Thus they sought new and simple principles that would hold universally, and tried to define the genders. This set the stage for genders to be divided in an evolutionary context. Judith Lipton and David Barash posit in â€Å"Gender Gap: The Biology of Male-Female Differences,† that bio logical differences between men and women have a strong and direct correlation with evolution. They argue that we can look to other species to learn more about ourselves. Just as scientists look at E. Coli to study the replication of DNA, we can look at other living creatures and see our sex differences mirrored there within.However, Katarina Hamberg challenges that argument. She thinks that using sex differences seen in biological experiments on animals to explain gender differences in humans is ridiculous. I agree with her that this is completely unscientific. Gender differences as well as gender itself varies greatly between species. In fact, in many species the female is bigger than the male. Furthermore, she is often stronger and will sometimes consume the male after sex in order to give strength to her developing babies, as with many arachnids and some insects.Therefore we can hardly compare studies on animals to human sex differences, though we can certainly look at the diffe rences and ponder the implications. Hamberg also argues that throughout history, biological arguments have been used in order to legitimize a social gender order characterized by male supremacy. This is more problematic, for while men are physically stronger and bigger than women, they are certainly not more intelligent nor are they naturally more disposed to leadership. In fact, some studies have shown that women possess more of the skills necessary to lead well and do better academically.The male and female orgasms are an important biological distinction in a reproductive, evolutionary, and social context. In â€Å"Why Women Have Orgasms: An Evolutionary Analysis† by David Puts, Khytam Dawood and Lisa Welling, the evolutionary adaptation of the female orgasm and its purpose is discussed. There are two possible likely hypotheses; firstly the mate-choice hypothesis which holds that female orgasm has â€Å"evolved to function in mate selection† and secondly the byproduc t hypothesis which asserts that the female orgasm in fact has no evolutionary purpose and rather exists because women and men share early ontogeny with men.They found the first hypothesis to be more likely, which seems the case to me as well. Another article â€Å"Women Who Prefer Longer Penises Are More Likely to Have Vaginal Orgasms (but Not Clitoral Orgasms)† discussed vaginal versus clitoral orgasms and the evolutionary implications. Their method was to have over three hundred women report in an online survey; however, people may not always be truthful in surveys, especially those discussing sensitive matters like sex, therein lies a possible problem with their study.They were able to find a positive association between likelihood of orgasm with a longer penis and vaginal orgasm frequency. Finally â€Å"Human Sperm Competition† discussed the concept of sperm competition, the competitive process between spermatozoa of two or more different males to fertilize an egg of a lone female. They were looking into the claim that sperm competition has an effect on mate selection in humans. This study also involved the use of a survey with approximately 400 men and women. The results of the survey showed that sperm competition was most likely not a huge factor in mate selection.On the other hand, perhaps this is something that evolved recently since nowadays there are many options for couples who have trouble conceiving such as adoption, artificial insemination, use of surrogates, etc. thus the ability to conceive a child naturally is not as important in mate selection now as it may have been earlier in human evolution. Contributing to sex differences such as these is different concentrations of steroids and hormones delivered to the fetus, which can have lasting effects throughout a person’s life.After looking at sex differentiation in a biological context, we must consider how and why females and males differ in behavior, psychology, genetics, a nd pathology? Certainly, it has long been posited that there is a divide in spatial abilities. Patricia Gilmartin and Jeffrey Patton assess this in â€Å"Comparing the Sexes on Spatial Abilities: Map-Use Skills. † They suggest that males are more proficient than females in many types of spatial tasks. Furthermore, they found these differences were greater in childhood, especially in relation to maps, geography, and navigation based tasks.Among college students, these differences in map-use and navigation were negligible. I would have liked to see them look into the concept of men preferring not to ask for directions or use a GPS to navigate – a long standing gender joke, but possibly true. Certainly this has proved true in my experience driving with my male family members and friends. However, I would posit that it varies culturally, for example in respect to Japanese people who don’t have this social construct of men not asking for directions. Another dimension on which genders vary is leadership.Cheryl de la Rey argues in â€Å"Gender, Women and Leadership† that the question is not only whether genders vary in leadership ability and skills, but whether they vary in leadership styles as well. These differences in leadership style, she posits, are not reducible to biological differences, nor can they be adequately explained by socialization and sex roles. Rather, it’s about how gendered behaviors become more dominant within organizational contexts that are masculinized. This leads to the hindrance of women’s access to leadership positions via discrimination and stereotyping.Part of the problem is that people need mentors to move up in the business world, but since most of the people in high ranking positions are men, and close relationships between men and women in the workplace may be frowned up, it can be hard for a woman to find a mentor. Sebastian Schuh notes that women are still underrepresented in leadership role s, but he has different ideas about why. He thinks it’s because women consistently report lower power motivation than men. While this may be a piece of the puzzle, I don’t think he addresses the full picture very well.In addition to differences in leadership, men and women vary on the axis of sexuality and attitudes towards sex. Jennifer Petersen and Janet Hyde’s meta-analysis on research of gender differences revealed that although men indicated somewhat more sexual experience and permissive attitudes, there were exceedingly minimal gender differences in sexual attitudes and behaviors. Furthermore, these differences decreased with age. However, I think he glosses over many of differences. There are subtleties to it that must be considered.In â€Å"The Orthodox View of Brain Sexual Differentiation† Marc Breedlove, Bradley Cooke, and Cynthia Jordan discuss how the standard view of sexual differentiation of the brain, which is chiefly resulting from work wi th mammals, oversimplifies a vastly complex process of mechanisms derived through natural selection. The spinal nucleus of the bulbocavernosus (SNB) plays an important role in all this with a complex system. It was interesting to see how social factors could take an effect and how plastic and ever-evolving this system could be.One thing is clear from this reading; this SNB system is more multifaceted than previously thought and may be changing well into adulthood. As far as gender differences in aggression, I was not surprised to learn that men are more likely to be engaged in violence than women. Both from personal experience and cultural norms, that seems to fit the model. However, it was interesting to learn that the primary reason for male aggression is mate competition. From a personal standpoint, I don’t find a violent man liable to get into fights more attractive.I’ve certainly seen the type more than once at a bar, or on the streets, and my first instinct is to remove myself from his company and immediate area. On the contrary, that would be a shortcoming. However, from an evolutionary perspective it makes more sense as to protection and fighting for territory. Though there has been much study on the history of sex, biological and anatomical sex differences and social, sexual, and psychological implications of gender differences, psychology of sexuality is a field that is ever-growing and expanding as studies become more daring and social constructs allow for more experimentation and study.Hopefully in the next century, we will see new research leading to greater understanding of gender and sex. References Ainsworth, S. E. , & Maner, J. K. (2012). Sex begets violence: Mating motives, social dominance, and physical aggression in men. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 103(5), 819-829. Barash, D. P. , & Lipton, J. E. (2002). Gender gap: the biology of male-female differences. New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction Publishers. Breedlove, M. , Cooke, B. M. , & Jordan, C. L. (1999). The orthodox view of brain sexual differentiation. Brain, Behavior, and Evolution, 54, 8-14. Cook, H. 2007). Sexuality and Contraception in Modern England: Doing the History of Reproductive Sexuality. Journal of Social History, 40(4), 915-932. Costa, R. M. , Miller, G. F. , & Brody, S. (2012). Women who prefer longer penises are more likely to have vaginal orgasms (but not clitoral orgasms): Implications for an evolutionary theory of vaginal orgasm. International Society for Sexual Medicine, 9, 3079-3088. La Rey, C. D. (2005). Gender, women, and leadership. Agenda, 65, 4-11. Ehrmann, W. (1957). Some knowns and unknowns in research into human sex behavior. Marriage and Family Living, 1, 16-24.Epprecht, M. (2004). 1. Hungochani: The History of a Dissident Sexuality in Southern Africa (pp. 25-49). Montreal: McGill-Queen's University Press. Gagnon, J. H. (1975). Sex research and social change. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 4(2), 111-141. Gilmar tin, P. P. , ; Patton, J. C. (1984). Comparing the sexes on spatial abilities: map-use skills. Annals of the Association of American Geographers, 74(4), 605-619. Hamberg, K. (2005). Biology, Gender and Behaviour. A Critical Discussion of the Biological Models used for Explaining Cognitive and Behavioural Gender Differences .Psychology of Gender Identity (pp. 127-144). Social Science: Nova Publishers. Harvey, K. (2002). The century of sex? Gender, bodies, and sexuality in the long eighteenth century. The Historical Journal, 45(4), 899-916. Petersen, J. L. , ; Hyde, J. S. (2010). A meta-analytic review of research on gender differences in sexuality. Psychological Bulletin, 136(1), 21-38. Puts, D. A. , Dawood, K. , ; Welling, L. L. (2012). Why women have orgasms: an evolutionary analysis. Arch Sex Behavior, 41, 1127-1143. Schiebinger, L. (1990).The anatomy of difference: race and sex in eighteenth-century science. Eighteenth-Century Studies, 23(4), 387-405. Schuh, S. (2013). Gender dif ferences in leadership role occupancy : The mediating role of power motivation. Journal of Business Ethics, 112(517), 34-78. Simmons, L. W. , Firman, R. C. , Rhones, G. , ; Peters, M. (2004). Human sperm competition: testis size, sperm production and rates of extrapair copulations. Animal Behavior, 68, 297-302. Wiesner-Hanks, M. (2007). World history and the history of women, gender, and sexuality. Journal of World History, 18(1), 53-67.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

The Clinical Leadership Theory Essays

The Clinical Leadership Theory Essays The Clinical Leadership Theory Essay The Clinical Leadership Theory Essay Our organization has used Ashridge Model to express their vision and strategies for their key objectives for transforming our practices as an Agenda for change strategies. (See Fig 1 for Ashridge Model) However, Whiteley et al 1996) warns that the danger with transforming leader is that many are left behind in the dark if the vision is not communicated well. Trait theory: Attempts made to identify common characteristics of effective leaders but most studies singled out intelligence, which means solving complex problems and discovering patterns. Initiation. It includes the use of initiatives related to stamina and energy. Self assurance- Perception of a place in society and self-confidence. John Hunt of the London Business School claims that leaders trait tend to be found in the first born of families, are high achievers, have high energy levels, think and plan over long time spans, are goal directed, they are politically active, loners and psychologically able to differentiate things of important from those that are not. This theory fell out into disrepute after concluding that effective leaders are either above average height or below. (Open University Centre Business School 1998)` Style theory came at the time of reaction to scientific management. It advocates participation culture, linked to the notions of satisfaction. It represented a more democratic humanistic approach of the use of manpower in organisations. Hardy (1999, p117) proposed the best fit approach with effective performance that dependent on the environment. It includes power or positions of the leader shown in the box below. The Clinical Leadership Theory by Jumaa and Allyene (1998) proposes a Leadership Model (CLINLAP), which is a clinical leadership learning and action process. The Leadlap/clinlap model is identified as strategic management and leadership process that positions processes learning as a force that drives the health and social care organizations on a day to day basis in the management of goals, roles process and relationships (Jumaa 2001). Strategic learning requires among other things two major points in the box below. I have chosen to use this Model because it recognises stakeholders needs and gives tools to do the job. It had provided a pragmatic approach for the development of Management and Leadership activities in Group clinical supervisions with District Nurses therefore it has been tested for its effectiveness. It provides power to the leader and her followers. The assumptions are that it believes in strategic workplace learning for continuous quality improvement, which is now, needed so much in the New NHS. Whilst the Leadlap/Clinlap model may gives satisfaction to many stakeholders, Alimo-Metcalfe and Alban-Metcalfe (2003) remind us of the cost of poor leadership. In the NHS it is estimated that 27% of staff have psychiatric problem developed at workplaces suggesting poor leadership. The study by CBI of the cost of absenteeism to UK organisation estimates it at around 3 billion pounds per year, and it is suspected that 60% of absenteeism was due to stress at work. 60-75% of employees in any organizations reported that the worst and most stressful aspect of their job is dealing with their bosses. This shows that Leadership is clearly a moral imperative, but it is also an organisational imperative. The Leadlap/Clinlap Model that I am using in this essay has five phases as shown in (Table: 1)

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

25 Things Every Teacher Wants From Their Stakeholders

25 Things Every Teacher Wants From Their Stakeholders Teachers often make do with what they have and are happy with any credit they receive. They are not teachers because of the money or the glory. They simply want to be known as difference makers. Their jobs are not easy, but there are many things that others can do to make their jobs easier. Teachers want several things from their students, parents, administration, other teachers, and the local community. Many of these things are easy to comply with, yet stakeholders often fail to fulfill these simple requests that could make each teacher tremendously better than they are. So what do teachers want? They want something different from each of the stakeholder groups that they deal with on a daily basis.  These are basic and simple requests that when unfilled frustrates teachers, limits effectiveness, and keeps them from maximizing student potential. Here, we examine twenty-five things that teachers want that would boost student learning and improve teacher effectiveness significantly across all classrooms. What Do Teachers Want..........From Students? Teachers want students to come to class each day ready to learn. They want them to come prepared, focused, and motivated. They want students to enjoy the learning process and to be active participants in the learning process.Teachers want students to be respectful. They want students to respect their authority. They want students to respect each other. They want students to respect themselves. A respectful and trusting environment allows teachers to maximize learning opportunities each day.Teachers want students to understand that the concepts they are teaching them are meaningful. They want their students to make real-life connections. They want their students to see the big picture and to understand that they truly are there because they want to make a difference.Teachers want students to be critical thinkers. They want students who desire to understand the process of finding the answer as much as the answer itself. They want students who are not lazy and are as invested in learnin g as the teacher is in teaching. Teachers want students to recognize individual strengths and weaknesses. They want students to apply their strengths so that others in the class can learn from them. They want students to be aware of their weaknesses and to make a continuous effort to improve upon those weaknesses. What Do Teachers Want..........From Parents? Teachers want parents to understand that they genuinely have their child’s best interest in mind. They want parents to understand that they are not out to get their child. They want parents to see them as the educational expert that can provide their child with a quality education.Teachers want parents to communicate their concerns appropriately. Teachers do not want parents to avoid or skirt around an issue. They want an open, trusting relationship with parents so they can figure out the best approach for teaching the student together.Teachers want parents to support them. They want parents to take them at their word and not to question their motives. They want parents to support and reinforce classroom management strategies which they have in place. They want parents who will volunteer to help out in any area help may be needed.Teachers want parents to be involved with their child’s education. They want parents to take an active role in the education of their child. T hey want parents who will ensure that all homework gets done and that the child is getting plenty of rest so that they will be alert in class each day. Teachers want parents to value education. They want parents to stress the importance of education from an early age. They want parents to read with their children each night, to help with homework, and to challenge them academically. What Do Teachers Want..........From the Administration? Teachers want administrators to have their back in difficult situations. This includes student discipline, disagreements with parents, or confrontation with another faculty member. Teachers want to feel like their administrator(s) will listen to their side and back them if the evidence supports them.Teachers want administrators to provide them with adequate resources. Teachers understand that money can be tight for schools, but there are certain resources that they must have. If a teacher finds a resource that they believe will benefit all students, then they expect the administration to find a way to fund it.Teachers want administrators to provide encouragement and advice. Most teachers appreciate honest, accurate evaluations. They want to be encouraged when things get difficult and often need advice in those situations.Teachers want administrators to understand what they are doing in their classrooms entirely. This is true, especially for great teachers. They want their administrat or(s) to know what they are doing in their classroom because they are proud of it. Teachers want administrators to communicate clear expectations. They want to understand school policy and procedures that affect themselves. Teachers want administrators to clarify and explain the district’s expectations with issues such as classroom management, student learning, and communication. What Do Teachers Want..........From Other Teachers? Teachers want other teachers to be professional. They do not expect other teachers to talk about them with their students, a parent, or another faculty member. They expect other teachers to value their opinion. They expect other teachers to adhere to the policies of the district.Teachers want other teachers to collaborate. They value other teachers’ opinions. They want them to share best practices and offer advice. They want a strong working relationship with other teachers in which they feel comfortable to share frustrations and success stories.Teachers want other teachers to be supportive. They want to know that other teachers believe that they are doing a terrific job. They want to know that their peers believe they are an effective teacher who does a solid job in preparing their students.Teachers want other teachers to be unified. They want other teachers to have the same general philosophy of educating students. They want to build relationships with other teachers that go beyond the walls of the school. Teachers want other teachers to respect differences. They want other teachers to understand that there is no one way to teach. They want them to understand that education would be boring if every teacher was the same. They want other teachers to steal brilliant ideas being used in their classroom and to apply it to their own. What Do Teachers Want..........From Community Members? Teachers want community members to get involved. They want them to volunteer to help in classrooms, read a book to students, or help with a fundraiser. They want them to donate money to projects that they are doing. They want them to offer their services in any capacity that they would be able to help.Teachers want community members to share their mission and vision. They want them to pass bond issues. They want them to sit on school committees to gain their perspective and insight. They want them to take ownership of what the school is doing.Teachers want community members to understand the value of education. They want them to externalize the importance of a good education. They want education to be a high priority in their community. They want them to understand that the education the school is providing will have a significant impact on their future.Teachers want community members to be proud of their school. They want them to know that they have excellent teachers. They want the m to be proud of the facilities. They want them to celebrate in student achievements in academics, athletics, and other extracurricular activities. Teachers want community members to stay involved. They do not want community members to disappear once their children are no longer in school. They want them to stay involved in the process. They believe that there is power in continuity.

Sunday, November 3, 2019

The American Red Cross Structure Research Proposal

The American Red Cross Structure - Research Proposal Example In 1859, Mr. Dunant witnessed a battle in Italy and was horrified to see how the wounded were left to die without help. Very rapidly he organized the villagers to recover the injured and took them to houses and church to provide them with the best help they could at the time. Most of them had little or no medical experience. From there on, Dunant devoted his work to train international relief groups that would go into aid the wounded in battlefields worldwide, both civilians and soldiers, who were victims of war, it is important to outline that Mr. Dunant required these organizations to work independently from any nation. Starting in 1863, two conferences played very important roles for the Red Cross organization. The first one in Geneva, Switzerland, outlined the principles of the Red Cross, and the second one, created the set of rules of how to treat the wounded on a battlefield and the conduct of war. Initially, twelve European Nations signed the Geneva Convention, today the Red C ross organization can work in war zones and battlefield worldwide, under the International Committee of the Red Cross. (Red Cross History. How the American Red Cross Works. Howstuffworks.com) In the United States, during the civil war, Clara Barton volunteered as a nurse to aid the wounded soldiers in the battlefield. She had no medical background since she was a former school teacher and later an office clerk. Her first-hand experience with the wounded inside the battlefield, made her realize that these soldiers needed professional care as soon as the battle ended, and later when the war was over, she created a system to track down missing soldiers and bring them together with their families. Later on, she made a trip to Europe where she learned about the Red Cross organization and its similarities to her efforts. She stayed in Europe and volunteered to work in European wars.  

Friday, November 1, 2019

Speech. Limit Sex in Advertising to the public Essay

Speech. Limit Sex in Advertising to the public - Essay Example Nonetheless, the companies found themselves on constant competition with visual promotions in both television and print media. One thing that differentiated one company advert from the other was the sex appeal employed. Reichert and Lambiase (2002, p. 25) defines sex appeal advertising as the form of advertising that draws customer’s attention through the use of sexual appeals that have been used as a form of communication technique. It almost goes without saying that contemporary customers are acquainted to more sex in advertising than ever before. This inclination of escalating use of sexual oriented topics and ideas is evident upon inspection of the broadcast and print media. In essence, marketers employ the use of romantic themes, nudity, or implicative ideas or topics to acquire the attention of its consumers. Though the use of sex in advertising has numerous advantages, limited research has been directed towards its implications on the society. In reference to Reichert and Lambiase (2002, p. 35), the use of sex appeal advertising has numerous significant public policy, social, and managerial implications. These propositions pivot the preferred depiction of women in the modern society, the circumstance under which marketers and advertisers should not use sexual themes in communicating with its consumers. For this reason, those impacted most by the sex appealing adverts are the women, both young and old, and not the targeted consumers. To the young women with developing and growing ideologies and bodies, sex appealing advertisements portraying women in a sexual explicit manner, whether fully clothed or nude, an imperative wrong is being executed. For the young and shapeable women, Jacobson and Mazur (1995, p. 79) notes that their perception of what they should wear, how they should look and how they should act is influenced, all with the assumption that

Wednesday, October 30, 2019

What are the features of the constructivist theory and its Assignment

What are the features of the constructivist theory and its applications - Assignment Example tainer† exists wherein the individual can seek to categorize the new and incoming information, the constructivist approach dictates that a container will be made which is suitable to house such information within the mind, worldview, and culture of the individual in question. Accordingly, as a means to provide a positive learning result, it is incumbent upon the educator to seek to build such a construct first prior to seeking to impart key elements of knowledge upon which a larger construct can be understood. An example of this would of course be the need for a teacher to adequately express and detail all points of vocabulary and understanding to an elementary school class prior to launching into a broad overview of a new means of understanding. Similarly, psychological constructivists are primarily interested in how people construct key internal elements of cognitive reasoning. In other words, psychological constructivists seek to answer the question of precisely how human construct different containers within which to house information that is oftentimes otherwise viewed as somewhat absolute. On the other hand, social constructivism, as the name implies, relies heavily on the means by which constructs are built as a result of the societal constraints, culture, and norms that are present within group dynamics. Accordingly, as the text states, on the extreme end of the spectrum there is what is known as radical constructivism. This particular type of constructivism is what can be termed as a type of relativism in which those that espouse such a view contend that there is no reality whatsoever other that what the individual establishes for themselves. Accordingly, the means by which any type of constructivism takes place lie s solely within the grasp of the individual who is creating the reality (construction) for themselves. These unique and differing layers of understanding the way in which human beings classify and categorize key information is

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Naturalism And Anti Naturalism Philosophy Essay

Naturalism And Anti Naturalism Philosophy Essay Naturalism is the natural state where there is no other types of knowledge other than scientific knowledge and aims to explain all known or other apparently un natural. Naturalism is justified by empirical evidence, experiment, empiricism, theory, data collection and laws. Anti-Naturalism denies the claim of human behaviours and evidence supporter but do not have the same positive route instead comes from hermeneutics. Example Human action is characterized by intentionality, rationality and reflexivity. ii. falsificationism and hermeneutics The falsificationism is proposed by scientist K.Popper. According to him, the scientific knowledge has to be at least in principle, if principle or theory is refutable and the logic behind no matter how large is empirical evidence, scientist does not attempt to prove or make their theory plausible by means of observations and experiments. Scientist should put the theory on trial by falsification. This methodology is falsificationism. If the theory is not stand by falsification the theorem is not true. Hermeneutics is the study of interpretation and understanding. It has broad scope; its base is in literary criticism rather than linguistics. It is one of the most sophisticated ways of reading text and concerns with understanding its meaning, how it is related to its own contemporaneous world and in turn, how it is related to our present world. It is criticized for having no any theoretical base that, some argue and leads practitioners to invent underlying structures rather than discover them. iii. realism and anti-realism Realism is the position that maintain, there is a real world and that is independent of us. It is concerning with science and should therefore be to give true or approximately true description of reality. Anti-realism means there is no possible justification of believing in reality other than constructed in human mind. In anti-realism we make our own world in mind or we can say Anti-realism and idealism is very much similar. iv. Marxism, feminism and humanism Marxism is historical materialism. This theory revolves round material condition of human existing and different modes of production of societies called the capitalism. These modes create certain relationship and attitudes towards nature. This relation reforms economical based of society and its activity, it could be living matter, political system and religious belief etc. In Classical sense Marxism is a historicist in which it past detailed knowledge in order to know something about present. Feminism is holistic theory in comparison with individual conduct explained by laws, scale and social facts. Mass of feminism is related with economic of society. It is the way of justify the knowledge claims. Humanism is more of precision and assumes that human beings have consciousness, intentionality and we all are moral beings. All human being actions are voluntarily and which allowed individual exercise with their free wheel in the machine of societies. The structure of society is influenced by human and its activities. v. post-modernism Post-modernism is against the grand theory (other social theories and methods) in Post modernistic methods, several voices and theories not just only one are allowed to say and no theory is privilege over known. Post-modernism creates differences, often uses construction and analysing tool and way to understand research and difference discourses involved. In Post-modernism, knowledge is multiple and situated which means situation is depended upon circumstances. 2. What can post-modernism be accused for and what do you think about it? Post-modernism can be accused for its relativism, it makes some time impossible to choose between two different interpretations. In different prospective we have different answer in those case both answer are right and it is difficult to act which is correct and which should be judged correctly. 3. Do you think it is possible to be a pure realist or anti-realist, and naturalist or anti-naturalist? I think it is not possible to be pure realistic or anti realistic and naturalist or anti realist as a practical matter. Its depend upon in which field you are conducting your research. Realist is based on scientific theories who describes that there is real world which is independent us, while Anti realist is who takes scientific theories which is not true. Realist and anti realist behave identical in doing scientific research. The only difference is that the realist adds an extra and unnecessary assumption that the reason our best theories are so empirically useful is that they accurately describe the world as it is, whereas the anti-realist prefers not to make that assumption (Pigliucci, 2012). As an example, theory A is true or false on the basis of some empirical evidence or test and it may not in other evidence or test because there might be many theories logically coherent to give empirical evidence. Similarly, Naturalism is the way of scientific methods on the basis of empirical evidence. For doing research in natural science is based on theory, laws, data collection and experiment but in case of social science like human geography is not always based on such evidences, its also based on human behaviour and experience and its support anti naturalism. 4. Do you think it is possible to exclusively have only an empiristic or hermeneutic perspective in the search of knowledge? It is not exclusively possible either empiristic or hermeneutic in the search of knowledge. The main question arises here in which field you are doing your research; natural science or social science. Empiristic way of searching knowledge always emphasis on evidence such as; observation, data collection and experiment as the basis of scientific knowledge to justify its claim. Empiristic supports naturalism. But hermeneutic way of searching knowledge is based on number of ways of interpreting human action such as, idealism, phenomenology, postmodernism, and post -structuralism. Hermeneutic supports anti naturalism. As a researcher both prospective have to choose according to research field. The following problem requires a little bit more of time and space: 6. Write a short essay (2-3 pages long) describing some different scientific philosophies in relation to your own research area. GIS and its Philosophy: Introduction: The term Geographical Information system (GIS) or geographic information system is recent phenomena, was used in North America and frequently applied to geographically based computer technology. It is very difficult to exactly define the term GIS due to number of reasons. There has been some debate about its origin and first application in the field although there have been several technological and theoretical organizational developments during the last thirty years. The rapid rate of progress has not been conductive to the analysis and definition of GIS (Maguire: 1991). The GIS is broad field, it is characterized by diversity of applications because it is integrated systems which brings many developed ideas including agriculture, botany, computing, economics, engineering, mathematics, photogrammetry, surveying, zoology and mostly Geography together in the same platform. There is not specific theory or philosophy which exactly defines the GIS because there are many different ways of defining and classifying objects and subjects. Due to diversity application of GIS in different field, many different methods have been applied to GIS. Classifications based on functionality have been popular and some other tried to develop schemes based genealogy, cost size, platform, application area and data model (Maguirie: 1991). There are theoretical difficulties of genuine academic debate about the central focus of present GIS activity. Some people believe that GIS focuses hardware and software, other argues that the main element is information processing, some people think that GIS is just tools or is it social process? Here are some definitions given by GIS philosopher: Aronoff (1989): any manual system or computer based set of procedures used to store and manipulate geographically referenced data. Carter (1989): an institutional entity, reflecting an organizational structure that integrates technology with a database, expertise and continuing financial support over time. Parker (1998): an information technology which stores, analyses and displays both spatial and non spatial data. Dueker (1979): a special case of information systems where the database consists of observations on spatially distributed features, activities, or events ,which are definable in spaces as points, lines or areas. A GIS manipulates data about these points, lines and areas to retrieve data for ad hoc queries and analyses. GIS and Feminism: Kwan (2002) argued how some of most influential feminist were used in the critical disclosure of GIS. For example Donna Haraway (1991), Liz Bondi and Mona Domosh (1992) were criticized GIS for objectifying way of knowing and the transcendent vision or the Gods eye view it enables. But Haraway (1991) proposition about possibility for feminist to undermine the views towards the main subjects was ignored, an important aspects of her cyborg agenda was lost in critical disclosure. According to Kwan (2002), using of Haraway in asserting GIS impose systems of monitoring misses her emphasis on womens participation in science and technology. He mentioned that women engagement with GIS as an important feminist strategy for writing cyborg and warns that failure to do so can severely impact upon gender equality in Geography on the basis of recent result of enrolment and employment trends of Women Geographers. The form of another engagement with GIS is to raise the voices of feminist GIS users and researchers who spoke their personnel experience on the issue of GIS. Carol Hall (1996) explored the link between the masculinist culture of Computer work and GIS lab, where women cultural identity is dominated by constituted technology culture and turn affects their attitude towards GIS technology. Hagger (2003) mentioned about the discomfort experienced in the GIS lab, which she described as the domain of white, middle to upper class graduate geography students. GIS and Post modernism: Postmodernism theory argue for the productive view of the objects either objects in reality with essential attributes or such objects are indirectly created by people for their needs. GIS is objective subscriber because objects are located in Cartesian space. There are at least three aspects of GIS (Yapa: 1998)- it technology, disciplinary location and methodology, which maintained the distance from concern of modern social theory. In this instance, GIS played the very limited role for addressing the social problems and question related to social policy.