The Haqqani Network: Terrorists or Insurgents

The definition of terrorism is broad and open to interpretation. Hoffman, in his book Inside Terrorism, suggests that terrorism is â€Å"the deliberate creation and exploitation of fear through violence or the threat of violence in the pursuit of political change. † Schwartz, Dunkel, et al, define terrorism in their Studies in Conflict & Terrorism article entitled Terrorism: An Identity Theory Perspective, as â€Å"the deliberate targeting of civilian sites for attacks designed to result in destruction of those sites and/or the injury and death of noncombatant civilians. Together, these two perspectives coupled with identity theory and will serve as the basis for an evaluation of the Haqqani network and their interrelationships and interactions with known terrorist groups such as the Taliban and al-Qa’ida as well as with Pakistan’s military and government intelligence agencies.The Haqqani Network: Who Are They and Why do We Care? The Haqqani network is an Af ghan and Pakistani group of fighters that operates primarily in southeastern Afghanistan as a semi-autonomous component of the Taliban with close ties to Pakistan’s Army and intelligence agencies (Rassler et al. July 14, 2011, p. -2). The Haqqani network’s leadership structure is hierarchical in nature with members of the patriarch’s family filling top leadership roles (Rassler et al. July 14, 2011, p. 7). This familial structure is an important cultural identity marker â€Å"that can serve to promote terrorist activities. † Furthermore, Schwartz, Dunkel, et al address the family as it relates to upholding honor and â€Å"avenging wrongs done to the family. † This is interesting because even those who sympathize and support terrorism, but don’t actually participate in it, often share the same level of social identity based upon their group affiliations.This tends to show how the Haqqani network is able to exert its influence over their colle ague groups without actually having to be in control of them. It appears to be a symbiotic relationship where the Haqqani network clearly benefits from bi-directional credibility of association with the Taliban and al-Qa’ida. Rassler et al support this claim when they discuss the relationship between senior Haqqani network leaders and their close operational relationships with the Taliban and al-Qa’ida, revealing that there is often no distinction.This shared identity-based connection legitimizes the Haqqani network with the segment of the Afghan society that believes in radical Islam and jihad. This was evidenced when the Haqqani network helped â€Å"sustain al-Qa’ida’s relevance and branding as the leader of the global jihadist movement. † All in all, it appears the Haqqani network just wants their proverbial place at the table so to speak. Clearly, it must be working, as current assessments put the strength of the group close to 15,000 fighters. The Haqqani Network: Duplicity at WorkAmerican intelligence and military officials claim the Haqqani network is a â€Å"proxy force used by the Pakistani intelligence service [Pakistan’s Inter-Service Intelligence {ISI} agency] to carry out grisly, high-profile attacks. † The question here is whether this is a relationship of convenience or an alliance due to shared identity. The secret relationship with ISI coupled with links to al-Qa’ida and the Taliban clearly shows the need to solicit support (e. g. , material, financial, spiritual, etc. ) and ultimately rally the masses behind them.Furthermore, â€Å"for decades, [the Haqqani network has been] a mentor to Arab, Uzbek, Chechen, Turkish, and Pakistani jihadists. † These associations speak to the core of shared identity and the interactions among the groups, as according to Schwartz, Dunkel, et al social and cultural identity is formed when members come together based upon common beliefs shared across the group, and individual identity represents personally chosen goals, values, and beliefs coupled with their perspectives of the world around them.The study of terrorism necessitates (according to Schwartz, Dunkel, et al) that we not only understand the effects of identity, but also the interactions among these levels. In addition, we need to look at the importance of the wider community as Schwartz, Dunkel, et al put it, â€Å"Without local, and sometimes international support, those engaged in terrorist attacks would find it substantially more difficult, if not impossible, to conduct their activities. † Working with the Taliban, al-Qa’ida, and Pakistan’s ISI is a duplicitous role that provides â€Å"credibility within, and across, multiple dimensions of jihad† (Rassler et al.July 14, 2011, p. 5) establishing the shared identity necessary to imbue respect and connectivity as part of an influential group dynamic. Why is all this important? The Haqqani ne twork’s credibility in the region, especially with the tribal groups of Afghanistan, helps extend the Taliban’s reach and because the Haqqani network is effective militarily, they act as a force multiplier for the Taliban. This puts the Haqqani network in a regional leadership position, and Schwartz, Dunkel, et al suggest that this leadership role would be considered admirable providing further social capital.The Haqqani Network: Terrorist Threat or Insurgency? So with such a significant fighting force that is radicalized, is the Haqqani network a terrorist organization pitted against Western ideology, or is it simply an insurgency focused on eradicating outsiders who have forced their way into the Afghani homeland? According to the Office of the Coordinator for Counterterrorism of the Department of State as of September 15, 2011, the Haqqani network is not listed as a foreign terrorist organization. Despite this, according to the Jamestown Foundation Terrorism Monitor , â€Å"The U.S. military has long been frustrated by deadly operations carried out against its troops in Afghanistan by Haqqani Network forces. † They quote U. S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta as saying, â€Å"We cannot have the Haqqanis coming across the border attacking our forces and [Afghans] and disappearing back into a safe haven [in Pakistan]. † In between the rhetoric, the real reason they aren’t on the terrorist list is because there is a belief that, â€Å"such a move would scuttle any chances that the group might make peace with Afghanistan’s government. To make our decision, it is essential that we not lose sight of the need to fairly evaluate this group from the point of view of that group and not from the â€Å"Westernized† framework we can easily apply to it. Brannan, Esler, and Strindberg, point out that, â€Å"Scholars’ insistence that ‘terrorists’ are somehow ‘not like us’ but, instead, abnorma l—insane, power hungry, or a combination of both—is a classic exercise in out-group stereotyping†¦which undermines the analytical utility of the interpretations in use. Applying this to the Haqqani network and to prevent us from being constrained by our (Western) cultural boundaries, it is incumbent upon us to look at the Haqqani network from their vantage point. The clearest and most-recent message came in September of 2011 when Sirajuddin Haqqani (the son of the group’s patriarch, Jalaluddin Haqqani) told The Telegraph in the United Kingdom via a telephone interview, â€Å"There are sincere people in the Afghan government who are loyal to the Taliban as they know our goal is the liberation of our homeland from the clutches of occupying forces. With this, their actions, and their relationships, it is apparent that the Haqqani network is interested more in the local issues and having local influence than it is in trying to wage a global jihad against the W est. A such, their lack of inclusion from the list of terrorist organizations is still valid. Bibliography Brannan, David W. , Esler, Philip F. , and Strindberg, N. T. Anders. 2001. â€Å"Talking to â€Å"Terrorists†: Towards an Independent Analytical Framework for the Study of Violent Substate Activism. † Studies In Conflict & Terrorism 24, no. 1: 3-24. Goodspeed, Peter. National Post, â€Å"About the Haqqani network. Last modified September 30, 2011. Accessed November 24, 2011. http://news. nationalpost. com/2011/09/30/about-the-haqqani-network Griffin, Emory. A First Look at Communication Theory. New York: The McGraw-Hill Companies, 1997. Hoffman, Bruce. Inside Terrorism. New York: Columbia University Press, 2006. Mazzetti, Mark, Scott Shane, and Alissa Rubin. New York Times, â€Å"Brutal Haqqani Crime Clan Bedevils U. S. in Afghanistan. † Last modified September 24, 2011. Accessed November 23, 2011. http://www. nytimes. com/2011/09/25/world/asia/brutal- haqqani-clan-bedevils-united-states-in-afghanistan. html? pagewanted=all.Rassler, Don, and Vahid Brown. The Combating Terrorism Center at West Point, â€Å"The Haqqani Nexus and the Evolution of al-Qa'ida. † Last modified July 14, 2011. Accessed November 11, 2011. www. ctc. usma. edu. Shahzad, Faizul. â€Å"Taliban Reject American Perceptions of the Haqqani-ISI Relationship. † Terrorism Monitor. 9. no. 37 (2011): 1-2. http://www. jamestown. org/uploads/media/TM_009_Issue37. pdf (accessed November 10, 2011). Schwartz, S. J. , Dunkel, C. S. , & Waterman, A. S. (2009). Terrorism: An Identity Theory Perspective. Studies in Conflict & Terrorism, 32(6), 540. Websites Referenced http://www. cfr. org http://www. tc. usma. edu http://www. dawn. com http://www. foreignaffairs. com http://www. jamestown. org http://news. nationalpost. com http://www. nytimes. com/ http://www. state. gov http://www. telegraph. co. uk http://www. thedailybeast. com http://tribune. com. pk h ttp://www. understandingwar. org/themenode/haqqani-network ——————————————– [ 1 ]. Hoffman, B. (2006). Inside Terrorism (2nd ed. ). New York, NY: Columbia University Press. p. 40. [ 2 ]. Schwartz, S. J. , Dunkel, C. S. , & Waterman, A. S. (2009). Terrorism: An Identity Theory Perspective. Studies in Conflict & Terrorism, 32(6), 537-559. 3 ]. Ibid (p. 540)—Identity theory for our purposes will cover cultural identity, social identity, and personal identity. [ 4 ]. Rassler, Don, and Vahid Brown. The Combating Terrorism Center at West Point, â€Å"The Haqqani Nexus and the Evolution of al-Qa'ida. † Last modified July 14, 2011. Accessed November 12, 2011, www. ctc. usma. edu. [ 5 ]. The Haqqani network’s patriarch and leader is Jalaluddin Haqqani, although it is reported that he may be in ill health, and his son, Sirajuddin Haqqani, is running the day-to-day opera tions. http://www. cfr. org/afghanistan/institute-study-war-haqqani-network/p26126 [ 6 ].Schwartz, S. J. , Dunkel, C. S. , & Waterman, A. S. (2009). Terrorism: An Identity Theory Perspective. Studies in Conflict & Terrorism, 32(6), 542. [ 7 ]. Ibid. [ 8 ]. Ibid (p. 548) [ 9 ]. Much like the traditional phrase, â€Å"guilt by association,† I suggest there could be credibility by association. It is concept that is often discussed in marketing whereby a person, product, or company gains credibility by associating itself with a larger more recognized person, product, or company (e. g. , a computer with the â€Å"Intel Inside† sticker on it). [ 10 ]. Rassler, Don, and Vahid Brown.The Combating Terrorism Center at West Point, â€Å"The Haqqani Nexus and the Evolution of al-Qa'ida. † Last modified July 14, 2011. Accessed November 12, 2011, www. ctc. usma. edu. (p. 40) [ 11 ]. Ibid (p. 43). [ 12 ]. http://tribune. com. pk/story/259314/sirajuddin-haqqani-dares-us-to-atta ck-n-waziristan/ [ 13 ]. Mazzetti, Mark, Scott Shane, and Alissa Rubin. New York Times, â€Å"Brutal Haqqani Crime Clan Bedevils U. S. in Afghanistan. † Last modified September 24, 2011. Accessed November 23, 2011. http://www. nytimes. com/2011/09/25/world/asia/brutal-haqqani-clan-bedevils-united-states-in-afghanistan. html? pagewanted=all. [ 14 ].Hoffman, B. (2006). Inside Terrorism (2nd ed. ). New York, NY: Columbia University Press. p. 199. [ 15 ]. Goodspeed, Peter. National Post, â€Å"About the Haqqani network. † Last modified September 30, 2011. Accessed November 24, 2011. http://news. nationalpost. com/2011/09/30/about-the-haqqani-network [ 16 ]. Schwartz, S. J. , Dunkel, C. S. , & Waterman, A. S. (2009). Terrorism: An Identity Theory Perspective. Studies in Conflict & Terrorism, 32(6), 540. [ 17 ]. Ibid. [ 18 ]. Ibid (p. 548) [ 19 ]. Rassler, Don, and Vahid Brown. The Combating Terrorism Center at West Point, â€Å"The Haqqani Nexus and the Evolution of al-Qa' ida. Last modified July 14, 2011. Accessed November 12, 2011, www. ctc. usma. edu. (p. 13) [ 20 ]. Schwartz, S. J. , Dunkel, C. S. , & Waterman, A. S. (2009). Terrorism: An Identity Theory Perspective. Studies in Conflict & Terrorism, 32(6), 550. [ 21 ]. The current list of Designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations contains 49 entries, but the Haqqani Network is not one of them. http://www. state. gov/s/ct/rls/other/des/123085. htm [ 22 ]. Faizul Shahzad, â€Å"Taliban Reject American Perceptions of the Haqqani-ISI Relationship,† Terrorism Monitor, 9, no. 37 (2011): 1-2, http://www. jamestown. org/uploads/media/TM_009_Issue37. pdf (accessed November

Examine the ecological impacts of global warming for Arctic areas Essay

Global warming is the general increase in average temperature globally over a period of time. This can have an effect on the arctic in a multitude of social, political and environmental ways For example, the Arctic Circle is home to over 150,000 Inuit’s, whose primary food source is fish and seals. As a result of global warming, arctic ice has receded greatly over the last 10 years, destroying seal hunting grounds, and so limiting access to Inuit food supply. Also, the melting of glaciers into the arctic waters is causing less fish to occupy the now fresh waters, causing polar bear and seal numbers to dwindle as there food source disappears. Such an impact to the Inuit food supply and main source of income would mean that communities would have to import food instead of hunting it, which would be incredibly expensive (up to USD$ 1 million per year) due to their high protein requirements to help them cope with the harsh environment. Another environmental impact is the negative feedback mechanism that artic ice withdrawal creates. Arctic ice has a high albedo, meaning it reflects a lot of solar radiation back into space. However, the sea and rock have a low albedo, meaning these areas are warmer. As a result of the ice melting, the general albedo of the arctic is lowering, which in turn causes an increase in average temperature, and therefore increases ice melting even more, and so on. This negative feedback mechanism will also further greenhouse gas emissions by the thawing of permafrost. Beneath the permafrost found on arctic tundra, are thousands of gallons of methane, trapped there for thousands of years. As this permafrost begins to melt, the methane will be released, increasing the temperature and creating a similar feedback mechanism to the albedo effect stated above. Further so, the warming of the arctic means that the â€Å"tree line† (the line at which most forests such as coniferous forests, stop growing) will recede. This withdrawal of the tree line means that habitats for creatures normally found in the northern parts of Russia and Greenland (or other arctic regions) will begin to inhabit further into the arctic, putting pressure on animals currently living in the arctic circle, for example the arctic fox. The melting of the arctic regions has also uncovered opportunity for oil companies such as BP and shell to start drilling for oil in regions they couldn’t previously drill in (for example the arctic pass). This increase in oil production can only further the greenhouse gas emissions, and spoil natural beauty of the area, and destroy habitats due to incidents such as oil spills (should they occur). Drilling is not the only risk that is imposed, as Russia have also allowed for nuclear waste disposal in there arctic territory, poisoning habitats and killing wildlife.

Native American Hardships Essay

Native Americans have been struggling in society since the Europeans had migrated to the United States of America. Native Americans have always tried to get along with the Europeans yet the Europeans wanted dominance over the Native American population. In American schools children learn about how the Native American were savages and how they were the cause of the tension between the Europeans and the Native Americans. Native Americans still haven’t assimilated into American culture or Society. Native Americans and Europeans have been in contact for centuries and there are stories depicting first encounters. There is one story by Sarah Winnemucca describing her life among the Piute’s tribe. In this tale there were prophecies describing White men to come to the Native American tribes and being their brothers. When the Europeans came in contact with the Native Americans the Native Americans perceived them to be their brothers because of the prophecy. Due to the prophecy the Native Americans did not take any precautions when meeting the Europeans. The Europeans wouldn’t be friends with the Native Americans and kept them at a distant. The Native Americans than had to migrate just so the White men would not cause violence to their tribes. They were skirmishes between the Native Americans and American colonizers which made more conflict between the Native Americans and Colonists. (Winnemucca 507-17) There were many wars and battles fought between the Native Americans and Colonists of America during the 1800’s. Many of these wars were ended by treaties that the Native Americans and American Government agreed upon. When reading the articles in Norton Anthology of American literature volume C, I found that the Native Americans referred to treaties quite often and they would be footnotes describing the name and details of the treaties. I found this quite interesting so I decided to look for a journal relating to Native American treaties. The article stated that there had been two million square miles of land transferred from the sovereignty of Native Americans to the United States of America. The president use to deal with the Native people directly but in 1871 the congress stripped that right. 2. 5million Native Americans living in the present-day United States and the U. S. government officially recognizes 565 tribes and Alaska Native peoples . They are concentrated in California, Oklahoma, and the Southwest. There were many treaties offered to the Native Americans and this chart displays all these different treaties even small ones that weren’t accepted. Only a portion of wars involving Native Americans were actually full fledge wars with start and finish dates as well as real planned battles such as Red Clouds War. The other type of war were small sporadic attacks such as Third Seminole War (1855–58) involved very small numbers of Indian warriors with the conflict itself small attacks on Florida settlers with less than 200 Native American Attackers. Many treaties came after wars such as all treaties do such as the Treaty of Fort Laramie which was established after Red Clouds War. A lot of treaties were followed up by Indian Removal System where the Indians would be transferred to a piece of land they could call their own but wasn’t anything close to what they deserved these pieces of land were called reservations. This article was a bit shocking considering that they didn’t mention what I actually wanted to see in a treaty article which was how the Native Americans were usually lied to and their treaties would fall apart. In the story they mentioned the treaty of Fort Laramie which the Native American in the story described how the treaty wasn’t upheld because there was gold in the black Hills, and they moved the Native Americans and also they didn’t give them supplies. I looked at several stories that were dealing with treaties and I couldn’t find a journal dealing with how the Native Americans were mistreated by treaties signed by the United States of America. (Spirling 84-97) It disappoints me greatly that as an American citizen that my government would treat Native Americans this way and blatantly lie. American citizens did make reparations. The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act require federal agencies and institutions that receive federal funding to return Native American â€Å"cultural items† to their respective tribes. The Native Americans definitely deserve these reparations but it also disappoints me how people are misinformed about Native Americans. Most people assume since there are Native American Casinos that Native Americans are rich which is not true at all most native Americans don’t receive any money from casinos most of the money if their tribe even owns a casino goes to the high ranking members of the tribe. Native Americans have many problems in their culture and society. Some problems are alcohol problems along with poverty. America as a whole should step up and help these people just as we do for other people such as the money raised for Haiti and Japan. If we are willing to help other countries we should be willing to help people in our own country even if they are a sovereign nation. People don’t realize the problems locally because Native Americans are not associated when describing American culture and society. In the late 1800’s and early 1900’s young Native Americans were sent to schools where they were being trained to be assimilate into American culture and leave all their culture behind which was not the right way to handle the situation. The young Native Americans should have been taught American culture while still being able to hold onto their own culture. There was one story that exemplifies this exact situation and it was written by Gertrude Simmons Bonnin. Their were stories of Zitkala Sa called â€Å"Impressions of an Indian childhood† and â€Å"The school days of an Indian girl† by Gertrude Simmons Bonnin and are quite sad but show a triumph when overcoming hardships. The short selections described Zitkala’s life and dealt with assimilation. There was symbolism in these stories in several different ways. She seemed miserable after attending the eastern school. She went through that school and then attended college all so she could obtain knowledge. Zitkala Sa is a young Native American girl part of the Sioux tribe. Her and her family were made to relocate and lost members of the family due to this relocation. The stories don’t blatantly state this but to my knowledge the relocation is due to when Andrew Jackson was president he made many Native Americans relocate to reservations called the trail of tears. Many presidents after Jackson continued to move the Native Americans to pieces of land that the European Americans did not want. This relocation led to her uncle and sister dying due to illness. Many native Americans dealt with death during these relocations because they would receive little or no food on the trip and travel by walking or wagons. This did not affect Zitkala as much as her mother who had a distain for the â€Å"palefaces† or European Americans. Due to these deaths in their family her mother did not want Zitkala to go with the missionaries to the school in the east where she would receive an education. There were a lot of differences shown between the European Americans and Native American values in this story. (Bonnin 1087-1094) The story allows the reader to see how a young Native American girl would have to go this school in the East and learn traditions of the European Americans. Native Americans during this time did try at the schools in the east so they could obtain knowledge and help their people assimilate into American Society. The education in the east made a gap between the older generations and the younger generations of Native Americans. In the story this young girl had to give up her traditions such as her long hair just to meet with America’s culture and lose her culture. This story exemplifies her triumph over her hardships such as many other Native Americans had to go through. Also the story talks about the trail of tears which involved Native Americans having to relocate to parts of America other colonists didn’t already live or want to live. Many people died on the relocation trips, so intern many Native American families were destroyed by these events and a bigger rift came between the Native Americans and American Government. There was a story by John M. Oskison which went to describe how an older Native American wanted to assimilate into Christianity. The story was called The problem of Old Harjo and dealt with a man named Harjo. Harjo was around missionaries a lot and wanted to become a Christian. He went to many services and was ready to convert to Christianity. The problem he had was that he had two wives and in Christianity you’re only allowed to have one. So the young missionary told the man he would have to get rid of one but they both meant a lot to him and after you read the story you realize they all like the situation and want to stay together. The young missionary sees this and does not ask him to become a Christian anymore but to be happy with his situation. (Oskison 1036-41) This story shows another way that a Native American cannot become part of American culture or society just because he cannot convert to Christianity. Religion seems to be a big part of American culture even in today’s society. This man Harjo wanted to become Christian but because of his old cultural traditions such as having more than one wife he can’t convert. This shows how two cultures even in the same country can be completely different. Native Americans have trouble trying to assimilate when their cultural traditions are so different. I had many reactions to the stories I read and the topic as a whole. I feel like Native Americans should be seen as Americans even if they have their own traditions and even if they are to be their own sovereign nation, they should still receive help from America. Americans have caused most of the problems to Native Americans just by stealing their lands and making their own country. Even though Americans have made reparations with the Native Americans we still owe them a lot and should be willing to help them out. The American government has treated them unfairly and lied to them on many occasions and even in legal documents such as the treaties discussed earlier. Native Americans have gone through enough hardships they could use the government and citizen’s help even if it is by not discriminating or judging them. This paper was written to describe how Native Americans have struggled in society and haven’t become assimilated yet still exist in American society just by being in America itself. Native Americans have gone through a lot due to the early colonization of America and wars during the 1800’s and even though most of the problems were caused by the European Americans, the blame goes onto the Native Americans. Native Americans should get to be seen in a higher light and in the American educational system they should be honest and tell student how the history really occurred. One example I could use is how in elementary school everyone learned that Abraham Lincoln freed the slaves but in high school or college you learn that Abraham Lincoln freed the slaves because he was losing the war and need the Emancipation Proclamation to help him win. The same thing happens when discussing Native Americans many young students end up seeing the Native Americans as savages and brutes, they get described as they did in old westerns and they weren’t savages or brutes. The Native Americans deserve to be treated equally especially after the hardships which they managed to triumph through.

Research Differentiatin Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Research Differentiatin - Essay Example l design, the researchers were able to demonstrate conditions which have caused judges to treat cases related to gender violence in a more punitive and serious manner than before. The research design was used to demonstrate changes within the sentencing attitudes in abuse cases. The article â€Å"Investigating the Relationship between Justice-Vengeance Motivations and Punitive Sentencing Recommendations† is based on an experimental research design (Murray, Thomson, Cooke & Charles, 2013). The experimental design enabled the researchers to have control over the variables of the experiment (Hagan, 2011). This design allowed the researchers to gather qualitative data on how vengeance and justice motivations influenced punitive sentencing in criminal judicial processes. Through the experimental design, valid findings were obtained and used to make credible inferences and recommendations on the topic under study (Elliott, Thomas & Ogloff, 2011). On the basis of a case study design, Lin, Grattet & Petersilia (2012) present credible quantitative research findings in their article â€Å"Justice By Other Means: Venue Sorting In Parole Revocation†. The researchers used California prisons as a case study, upon which they were able to investigate institutional culture and procedures of California’s parole revocation system. They based their study on the issue of processing or sorting venues for the revocation of parole. The case study design enabled the researchers to come up with in-depth or comprehensive data, which can be generalized and applied within other parole systems (Elliott, Thomas & Ogloff, 2011). Through a case study design, Galletly, Pinkerton & DiFranceisco (2012) reveal quantitative research findings on Michigans Criminal HIV Exposure Law among HIV positive individuals. The Michigan case study was used to narrow the research into a specific and researchable example (Staton-Tindall, McNees, Leukefeld, Walker, Thompson, Pangburn & Oser, 2009). The case study

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

English - Essay Example The conditions that shaped the plays of Sophocles shall also be looked into. These shall enable an exploration of the main concern of this paper, which is to examine the role of the agency of the tragic protagonists of these plays, Othello and Oedipus, in their own downfall. This shall include a reference to the ideas of free will and predetermination, a debate that had great political, intellectual and religious value during the Renaissance. How this contrasts with the pre-Christian world of Sophocles shall be looked into and these issues shall be incorporated into the main thesis of the paper. The paper shall thus, attempt a comparison of the two plays, Othello and Oedipus, by examining the social, cultural and political situations that shaped these plays. This paper shall thus, place both these plays in their contexts and try to analyze how the concept of tragedy as propounded by Aristotle undergoes a change in the intervening time-period. Othello and Oedipus: Agency and Fate Othe llo and Oedipus are two of the most famous characters in the history of tragedy. Timeless in their appeal, these two tragic heroes are as similar as they are different. In a sense, Othello represents the evolution of the tragic hero from a world-order that gave precedence to fate over the will of man, to one where he undergoes a fall as a result of his own actions. This signals a transition to a world-order where man is considered to be the supreme being, one where he is considered a being who is able to create his own destiny. Oedipus is considered to be the most perfect tragedy that has ever been written. In fact, it is by citing this play that Aristotle explains his theories regarding tragedy as a form of drama. Peripeteia, the tragic revelation that the tragic hero experiences at the climax of the play that sends him hurtling to his doom, is explained by Aristotle using examples from Oedipus, where he describes it as â€Å"a change from ignorance to knowledge, and thus to eithe r love or hate, in the personages marked for good or evil fortune† (Aristotle 30). Peripeteia for Oedipus is preceded by inaction, an inaction that stems from an inability to change his fate. This is evident from the predictions that the oracle makes. As Harold Bloom points out, it is significant that the oracle does not merely predict that Oedipus would commit some heinous crime but specifies every detail of it. Harold Bloom warns against readings that see Oedipus as a free man, since that entails a neglect of the oracle’s warnings, which form a very important part of the plot of the play (Bloom 141). The oracle stands for the religious forces that controlled, and were controlled by fate. For Aristotle, these forces represent the â€Å"good or evil fortune† that he talks about in The Poetics. Fate for Oedipus represents a course of action that he cannot avoid, as is seen from the events in the play, where significantly, none of his actions have as a direct conse quence the murder of his father, or incest. Oedipus's knowledge of the prophecy of the oracle too cannot mitigate the misery that fate holds in store for him. Ironically, it is the knowledge of the prophecy that leads Oedipus towards the land of his birth. Throughout the story of Oedipus, we see him being willed towards the ultimate outcome of the play without his knowledge of

Impact and Accomplishments of Steven Speilberg Research Paper

Impact and Accomplishments of Steven Speilberg - Research Paper Example Steven Spielberg was born on 18 December 1946 in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. A man with middle height of 5 7". During his film career, he has won 3 Oscars, 2 BAFTAs, and 2 Golden Globes. (Web-Steven Spielberg Biography) â€Å"Spielberg was born to Jewish parents Leah Adler (nà ©e Posner), a restaurateur and concert pianist, and Arnold Spielberg, a computer engineer. Throughout his early teens, Spielberg made amateur 8 mm "adventure" movies with his friends, the first of which he shot at a restaurant (Pinnacle Peak Patio) in Scottsdale, Arizona. After moving to California, he applied to attend film school at the University of Southern California School of Theater, Film and Television three separate times but was unsuccessful due to his C grade average. He attended California State University, Long Beach. His actual career began when he returned to Universal studios as an unpaid, seven-day-a-week intern and guest of the editing department. After Spielberg became famous, USC awarded him an honorary degree in 1994, and in 1996, he became a trustee of the university. In 2002, thirty-five years after starting college, Spielberg finished his degree via independent projects at CSULB, and was awarded a B.A. in Film Production and Electronic Arts with an option in Film / Video Production. As an intern and guest of Universal Studios, Spielberg made his first short film for theatrical release, the 24-minute movie Amblin in 1968. After Sidney Sheinberg, then the vice-president of production for Universals TV arm, saw the film, Spielberg became the youngest director ever to be signed to a long-term deal with a major Hollywood studio (Universal). He dropped out of Long Beach State in 1969 to take the television director contract at Universal Studios and began his career as a professional director†. Impact of Spielberg on filmmaking is enormous. He has introduced new themes, concepts, techniques and technologies to direct and produce

Human Resources Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Human Resources - Assignment Example rly interested in the jobs they are performing but are only performing those jobs for the sake of getting paid and meeting their basic needs, this often signals a lack of employee motivation and interest. This can be harmful for the company in the long run as human resources are the main asset of a company and substantiate the company’s brainpower. Thus, it is highly in the interest of organizations to keep their employees fully motivated in order to ensure that their main assets are strong (Kishie et al, 2012). Accordingly, there are various factors, which influence employee motivation. Intrinsic motivation and extrinsic motivation are both needed in order to encourage employees to do their best. However, some organizations mainly focus on extrinsic motivation and they are not as much focused upon intrinsically motivating employees. Several motivation theories focus on intrinsic motivating factors that develop interest and a desire to work hard within employees. It has also been seen that without intrinsic motivation, employees are not likely to be properly motivated (Kishie et al, 2012). This paper analyzes the human resource practices regarding employee motivation of a semiconductor intellectual property supplier by the name of ARM. While the company is highly successful in its business and conducts business worldwide, the company can attribute its success to the hard work and high motivation levels of its 2,050-employee workforce all over the world. ARM†s main human resource management strategy is directed towards global learning and development, talent management, and the provision of proper reward systems in order to enhance employee motivation and increase productivity. In order to do this, the company uses several intrinsic motivational tools, such as providing employees with proper training, opportunities to choose and manage their own challenges and assignments, rewarding them with shares and bonuses, and giving them the discretion to act as owners

Shall We Dance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Shall We Dance - Essay Example People when exposed to the urban life have to strongly adapt the way the life must go in there. However, just like Sugiyama who lives in the suburb, way far beyond the very demanding city life, he must face the reality, and that is to create a balancing act between varying roles and the desired personal achievements. In this paper, the proponent tries to explicate the very point on how a built environment comes into existence on the basis of the movie film â€Å"Shall we dance?† For this reason, the proponent clearly elaborates the need to understand actual daily life’s activities and the places normally that have to be taken into account by the Japanese together with their existing culture in order to fulfill personal achievements and to go on with life. Substantial idea about the community environment, as a component of planning, is integrated in the discussion, prior to considerable understanding of the actual built atmosphere. Japanese people are known for their positive outlook, to make them move forward to ensure hard work with respect to their personal career and development. As a result, they need to face the demanding and challenging environment of the workplace. This is how they would respond to the way they should take everything. Job could have been so stressful for them, and as just what Sugiyama would want to point up in the film. They need to find something that could help them not to be exhausted by the very taxing nature of their work and working lifestyle conditions. As a result, Japanese people need to go around, not in an unproductive manner, but with full of sense just to release the tautness they must have acquired from work. For this reason, there are many places in Japan, especially somewhere in the urban areas where Japanese would call and find them as sakariba, the â€Å"zone of evaporation between work and home† (Hendry,

Finance and accounts Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5250 words

Finance and accounts - Essay Example Stock markets are very volatile and investors need to learn through various important concepts before proceeding to invest their money to ensure satisfactory returns.Many at times there may be possibilities that investors suffer on the back drop of decreased prices after they invest. These situations should at least be reduced if they cannot be reduced as a whole. The process of loss reduction involves a complex understanding about the following terminologies:1.CAPM and Arbitrage Pricing Theory 2.Efficient markets hypothesis and Pecking order theory 3.Modigilani and Miller approach and Residual theory 4.Symbolic interactionism, ethnography and phenomenology 5.Conceptual framework of accounting and 6.Conceptual framework of management accounting.These abovementioned theories explain the basics of share trading and knowledge of them is a must to avoid risk in the stock market. 1.CAPM and Arbitrage Pricing TheoryCapital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM): It was developed to predict the future value of shares based on the previous trends in market equilibrium. It establishes the underlying relationship between the returns expected in the light of unavoidable risk. Any investment can be classified into risk free or portfolio categories. It analyzes the return which a portfolio is expected to deliver in the form of a characteristic line which comprises of three primary measures – the alpha (ÃŽ ±), Beta (ÃŽ ²) and unavoidable risk. ÃŽ ± is the simple intercept of the line and is bound to be zero and any value below that would avert the investor to participate in that particular stock. Unavoidable risk is the risk relating to a particular stock or industry which can be avoided or reduced comprehensively in a portfolio. Hence, the main determinant of the stock price is the ? which defines the sensitivity of a stock in relation to market changes. If it is more than 1, the stock is supposed to be more volatile than the market and vice versa. The formula for evaluating ? i s: Rj = Rf + (Rm-Rf)?j where Rj refers to the return expected of the security, Rm is the market return and Rf is the risk free return (treasury bond interest rate). ? is the unavoidable risk. The values of ? for many active stocks can be obtained through data published by various financial concerns. Thus, the expected return can be calculated. The same ? can also be interpreted as the discounted rate of the dividends to ascertain the value of the stock and thus by equating both the values, one can conclude whether a particular stock is over or undervalued. The underlying assumptions are: 1. Existence of efficient capital markets 2. Zero costs for transactions 3. No restrictions 4. Investors cannot influence the markets 5. Non-incurrence of taxes Specific situation: Let us evaluate a situation comprising of 7% Treasury bill rate and portfolio market returns of 12% to estimate the share value of pro-fli Corporation which contains a ? of 1.3. According to the formula, the share value w ould be: .07+(.12-.07) *1.3 which gives a result of 13.5%. This shows that when ? is more, the returns tend to be more rewarding. In the same case, if ? is estimated to

International financial institutions, WTO and sustainable development Thesis Proposal

International financial institutions, WTO and sustainable development - Thesis Proposal Example The present approach to development recognizes that environmental and human rights protection is linked closely to economic growth and development (Kirk Herbertson). Kirk argues that the World Bank has invested in activities that promote sustainable development. But, the legal mandate of the World Bank has not changed to reflect this broader understanding (Kirk Herbertson).In the 1980 and 1990s, the World Bank demanded economic reforms. Now it allows the borrowing government to choose what is most appropriate for them. Sometimes governments demand funds for projects that are not environmentally sustainable. The civil society sometimes protests against such projects. In the recent past, World Bank has adopted policies to support sustainable development. In 2006, the Bank created its Sustainable Development Network. It provides financial support on issues such as climate change, agriculture, and natural resource management (Kirk Herbertson). The international financial institutions now serve more as advisors to government than regulators. Kirk further argues that in the next decade, the World Bank and other IFIs will play an important role in financing sustainable development. The IFI favourably responds to demands of government after considering the risk factors. Its fossil fuel related projects have grown.

Youth Crime And Delinquency ( Criminology) Essay

Youth Crime And Delinquency ( Criminology) - Essay Example The child saving movement began in the 1880s. By this time, attention had shifted to children welfare and campaigns were evident, advocated by social reformers who advocated for the child welfare. Child-saving movements were aimed at protecting the children from cruelty, removing the children from almshouses, and emphasizing on the transfer of children from institutional care to foster homes. In addition, this movement advocated for the reformation of the juvenile justice system through the introduction of juvenile courts. This essay will discuss the child saving movement and its achievements in the United States between 1880s and 1920s. According to Platt, Ryerson, and Ferdinand (2009, p.4), the child saving movement attempted to achieve the welfare of children; however, it could not have been successful without political and financial support of the wealthy and mighty. Addressing the plight of underprivileged children was the main agenda for the child- saving movement. In addition, achieving order, control, and stability was considered. The modern justice system has risen from various reformations and developments over the centuries. Therefore, it was not until the end of 19th century that the modern system was organized to include the juvenile courts. The 1890s was a period of discoveries of the poverty–stricken areas and misery that existed throughout the towns of United States. During the time, â€Å"scarcity, diseases, ignorance and dangerous influences, were evident throughout the city,† (Platt, Ryerson, and Ferdinand, 2009, p.9). Therefore, the lowest level of human degradation was in existence. As a result, the child-saving movement drew its supporters from professionals and the middle class; however, in order to achieve reforms, the movement required both political and financial support. This support required precedence; for instance in Chicago, some of the lifesavers included Louise Bowen

Charismatic Leader Essay Example for Free

Charismatic Leader Essay This type of leadership holds a lot of power. In both productive and counterproductive respects. The rhetoric employed to effectively carry out charismatic leadership acts as a double edged sword. While it is true that a message delivered in a charismatic manner inspires the followers to implement it with a lot of fervor, but in this same zest, there are a lot of important issues that are overlooked and lots of questions ignored. This entails problems when the charisma delivers its desired results, but they still leave a sour taste in the mouth. In my professional career, I have not encountered charismatic leadership neither in the top echelons of power nor in the middle management slots. However, most of us have been affected, and even wowed, by the charismatic skills of Barack Obama, while running for the US Presidency in 2008. Inspirational rhetoric, exceptional oratory skills and narcissistic excellence were expertly deployed towards millions of people. Perhaps in our lifetimes, it has proven to be a living, breathing example of pure, unadulterated charisma. It was a need of the time and a result of the disillusionment with the last 8 years. But, the cynicism that perhaps was put in the back seat during this process, made a comeback in the last two years, where more and more people have grown disillusioned by the lack of actual, and perceived, objectives being achieved. The overhyped expectations that are, in effect, created by charismatic leadership, eventually end up hampering its own effects, even though the results achieved might be significant. In the spirit of double edged swords, narcissism fits the bill perfectly. Excessive traits of this personality type have officially been diagnosed as a psychological disorder, whereas a good mix of those same qualities supposedly makes a great leader. From my personal experience, there has been a lot more interaction with unproductive narcissists, as compared to the productive ones. Charismatic leadership is an outward focusing theory, but since being confident and thoughtful requires a thorough understanding of one’s own self, unless it is coupled innately with authenticity, there would continue to be major loopholes in its implementation. As is the case with most leadership theories, the situational context of the company or market matter deeply. Charismatic leadership is the need of the hour during turbulent times and thus ends up being encouraged and nurtured. However, during mature and stable market times, charisma tends to be counter-productive and pointless. Also, since narcissistic leaders tend to believe undoubtedly in their vision, not taking into account the ideas put forward by others, it can become self-destructive for companies. This leadership theory, more than others, needs to be deployed with a lot of care and consideration.

Relationship Between Skeletal and Muscular System

Relationship Between Skeletal and Muscular System Locomotion of the human body is a result from the alternate contractions and expansion of the muscles[1]. These contractions are generally caused by conversion of chemical energy to forces and moments therefore creating[1]. Based on the properties of muscles (structural and contractile), the muscular system of the human body is classified into three categories ; skeletal muscle, smooth muscle and cardiac muscle.[1 2]. In this essay the anatomical structure, contraction mechanism and also a disease of the skeletal muscle is explained. Generally in the human body nearly 40-45% of the total body weight comprises of the skeletal muscles and the rest 10% is made up of the of smooth muscles[2]. These muscles help keeping the skeleton intact by distributing the external or internal loads evenly across the joints which are held by tendons that help in the transmission of force muscles to the bones or joints, thus providing strength for human motion[1]. Skeletal muscle is surrounded by a membrane called the epimysium, which consists of bundles of fascicles enveloped by a dense tissue called the perimysium[12]. These fascicles are made up of individual structural units that are long, cylindrically shaped multinucleated cells called muscle fibres[2]. The diameter of the muscle fibres varies from 1- 100ÃŽÂ ¼m and has average length of 20cm[2]. Each muscle fibre is subdivided into thousands of myofibrils that are packed together in the form of cylindrical bundles by a thin membrane called sarcolemma[1,2 3]. Skeletal Muscles cannot be repaired in case of any damage but satellite cells which are located beneath the basal lamina of the myofibers have the ability to form new muscle fibres however the strength will not be same as the old skeletal muscle[4]. The myofibrils consists of many repeating units along its length called sarcomeres which is made up of thick and thin filaments of varying size having contractile proteins called actin and myosin respectively[1,2 3]. According to nuclear magnetic resonance studies the structure of the actin was found to be ÃŽÂ ±-helical in shape but certain other experiments using scanning transmission electron microscopy(STEM) prove that actin appears to be double helical in structure[5]. Thick filaments on the other hand is made up of protein molecules called myosin with an average molecular weight 200,000[6]. The thick and the thin filaments are arranged in a parallel pattern in a sarcomere as given in figure 2 this gives to the rise of dark bands called the A-bands which lie in the central region of the sarcomere[12]. The darkness in this band is because of the presence of the thick filaments and the overlapping of the thin filaments. The thin filaments are connected to the Z line, which is made up of complex and dense protein structures. These Z lines have an unique property of not allowing easily the passage of light. Another set of bands is the I bands, these are gener ally light bands because of the presence of thin filaments and they lie generally between the A band and the Z line. Titin molecules are polypeptide chains that link the Z line with the myosin filaments in this region and center them in a sarcomere[1,27]. These titin molecules is responsible for generation of a passive force upon application of any load [7]. The striated appearance of the skeletal muscle is because of the presence of these bands. Some additional structures that are present are the H zone and the M line. The H zone lies in the centre of the A band and this region consists of only thick filaments. This zone is bisected by a relatively narrow band called the M line which is a result of the cross linking of proteins with the central region of the thick filaments. Recent studies which used electron micrographs to determine the ultrastructure of the M line it was found that the M line had a width of 750 A and the thickness of the M line was large as a result the opacity o f this line was high[8]. The Neuromuscular junction The neuromuscular junction is the site of action of motor neuron (somatic efferent neurons) with respect to the muscle fibres. The axon terminal of the motor neuron bifurcates into several smaller branches, each of which forms a junction with the muscle fibre. Thus by this manner a single neuron is able to excite several muscle fibres at the site. The motor neuron and the muscle fibres at the site of the action are together known as the motor unit. The neural impulses from the axon branches are received by the muscle fibre at a site known as the motor end plate. The junction comprising of the axon terminal and the motor end plate together form the neuromuscular junction. The axon terminal contains a neurotransmitters (acetylcholine ( ACh)) in vesicles similar to those found at synaptic junctions. The nerve plasma membrane is triggered by an action thereby opening the voltage sensitive calcium channels and allowing the calcium ions to diffuse into the axon terminal. The calcium ions bind to proteins and cause the release of ACh from the axon terminals into the muscle fibers. The diffusing ACh binds to the receptors located in the motor end plate and causes the opening of the ionic channels. The opening of the ionic channels causes the movement of sodium and potassium ions, due to the differential electrochemical gradient there is a higher influx of sodium than the efflux of potassium causing a local depolarization of the motor end plate which is called as end plate potential. The motor end plate has an enzyme known as acetylcholinestrase which causes the breakdown of ACh. The ACh bound in the receptors is in equilibrium with the free Ach present in cleft between the axon terminal and the skeletal muscle fibre. Acetylcholinestrase causes the fall in concentration of free ACh by breakdown, thus less amount of ACh is there to bind with receptors. The moment the receptors do not contain bound ACh the ion channels in the end plate close. Thus causing the depolarised end plate to return to its resting potential so that it can respond the arrival of Ach which would be released by the next nerve action potential. The axon terminals are located at the centre of the muscle fibre and thus with the generation of muscle action potential the wave of excitation travels bidirectionally towards the end of the fibre. Sliding Filament Mechanism Actin is globular in structure and hence when these single polypeptide chain polymerizes with other actin molecules forms a helical structure with a myosin binding site. Hence along with tropomyosin and troponin regulatory proteins these molecules together form a thin filament (see fig.4). Myosin molecules on the other hand comprises of two golf club like structures that are facing in the opposite direction hence these club heads are called myosin cross bridges (see Fig.5). During shortening of the length these myosin cross bridges hook on to the myosin binding sites in the actin molecules and pull the thin filaments towards the M line of each sarcomere. These filaments upon overlapping form arcs around the fixed poistion of the sarcomer. The length of I bands and the H zones keeps decreasing and finally reaches the minimum during the sliding of the filaments .During contraction the length of the sarcomere depends on the movement of these molecules hence the length of the sarcomere decreases with the increase in contraction. This process of filament sliding is repeated many times to complete contraction of the muscle. The following figure (see Fig.6) shows the overlapping of the thick and thin filaments in a sarcomere. According to the sliding filament theory the muscle contraction process is due to the release of calcium ions. These ions are released by the lateral sacs in the sarcoplasmic reticulum when an action potential triggers the transverse T- tubules. Troponin and tropomyosin molecules prevent the overlapping of the actin and the myosin molecules before the release of the calcium ion. Upon release the calcium ions bind on to troponin complex to causing a shift and exposing the active site so that myosin cross bridges can be formed. Now the myosin is activated by the release of the calcium ions and breaks down in to ATP (adenosine triphosphate) ,ADP (adenosine diphosphate), inorganic element (Pi) releases energy. This energy is used by myosin heads to pull the actin myofilaments along so that these filaments slide over each other thus cross bridges break at on site and attach at the other causing the muscle to contract. The contraction cycle ends when there is no action potential propagatin g through the T-tubules. As a result of which the calcium release channels are closed and the remaining calcium ions are pumped out of the sarcoplasemic reticulum. The troponin-tropomyosin complex returns to it original position and blocks the myosin binding site on actin. Thus the cross bridge movement ceases and the muscle relaxes. The above process is explained in figure 7 which gives the sequence of operations that are involved in muscle contraction. Skeletal Muscle Disease- Muscular Dystrophy Skeletal muscle diseases are of many types which affect the normal movement and posture of the human body. This may be because of the loss of contractile properties of the muscle (myopathy) or the nervous system that is involved in contraction of the muscle (neuropathy). This disease taken into consideration here is muscular dystrophy. Muscular dystrophy is the name given to a group of genetic muscle related disorder, characterized typically by muscle fibre degeneration. Generally about 1 in 3500 boys are affected and in the UK nearly around 100 boys are born of these disease[A,C] The most common among the group of disorders is the Duchenne muscular dystrophy and the myotonic muscular dystrophy . Usually it is more common in males since the disorder is carried on the recessive sex chromosome (X chromosome). The sex chromosomes in males is made up of X and Y chromosomes, hence a disorder in anyone of the two would cause the genetic disorder to appear. However in females the sex chromosomes comprise of a pair of X chromosomes, thus a genetic disorder would not appear unless both the X chromosomes carry a disorder. The most common symptoms seen in muscular dystrophy are Scoliosis (the bending of the spine in a S pattern), inability to walk hence the balancing of the body is not proper, calf pain and improper gait. The following figure (Fig.8) shows the symptoms of muscular dystrophy. These symptoms are diagnosed by measuring the high level of a certain enzyme called creatine kinase in the blood. Some other techniques include DNA testing and muscle biopsy. According to the recent findings it was found that certain biochemicals like dystrophin, merosin and adhalin were found deficient when diagnosed for muscular dystrophy[B]. Duchenne muscular dystrophy is the most serious and the most common type of dystrophies. In this dystrophy the Xp21 position part of the X chromosome arm carries the disorder and the gene that is encoded is dystrophin,. This protein is either absent or non functional in this disease. Normally patients suffering from this disease have a life expectancy of 25 years which can improve depending on the quality of treatment received so as to reduce the development of respiratory problems which may lead eventually to death. Most of the patients die at an early age because of the car diacmyopathy. According to certain statistical studies done on the survival rate of duschenne muscular dystrphy it was found that the survival rate has increased from 14.4 years in the 1960s to 25.3 years in the 1990s but the occurrence of cardiacmyopathy has decreased the years to 16.9. Its also found that a drastic increase in percentage of survival rate from 0% in 1960s to 53% in 1990s upon good quality treatment.

Risk Management and Patient Safety in a Hospital

Risk Management and Patient Safety in a Hospital This essay will present an interaction that took place in practice that captured the multi-disciplinary team discussing a service user. This interaction shows the concept of risk management, patient safety and leadership within a hospital setting. These concepts will be explored and critically reviewed to establish how important leadership and advocating for a service user is. It will also demonstrate how important a good multi-disciplinary team can work together for patient safety with least restrictive practice. Interaction in practice A mixed 20 bedded ward in acute mental health for adults aged 18 to 65 received an informal admission which is lease restrictive practice (Scottish Government, 2006). The service user has a diagnosis of borderline personality disorder who was known to staff on shift. As it was a weekend none of the service user’s medical team was on shift, which meant they would meet with the duty doctor, and duty consultant. The duty consultant arrived and went to one of the interview rooms to chat with the service user. On return the consultant stated that the service user would stay until they met with their own team. When asked about passes off the ward the consultant said nurse escort passes only. The coordinating nurse then stated that this would not be acting in the service user’s best interest and history has proved this to be non-beneficial. The nursing multi-disciplinary team (MDT) then proceeded to state the service user was informal and attended voluntary. This will cause di stress and anxiety to service user when staff cannot facilitate the time off the ward. The consultant stood by his recommendation but the coordinating nurse got in touch with the coordinating charge nurse (CCN) and pursued the decision. It was then talked over by the coordinating nurse, consultant and CCN as well as the staff on shift. After the MDT had discussed the matter the result ended with the service user gaining 15 minutes passes which worked out well over the weekend for the service user. Leadership The definition on leadership is one in a position or function as a leader to direct or guide a group or party (Waite and Soanes, 2007). Nicolson et al, (2011) states there is more ramification with being a leader such as: communication, emotions, and the relationship between followers and the leader. However if professionals in a leadership role are not performing to the high standard this can impact on the team reducing their commitment to the care and treatment of service users (Kilfedder, Power and Wells, 2001). Researchers have not only been tasked with finding a definition for leadership but also evidencing the characteristics that make a good leader. (Wangensteen, Johansson, Nordstrom, 2008) state that an individual constantly producing a high level of practice above recommended standards as well as displaying a caring interest in other colleagues performance, and sharing information or guidance at the correct time has all the characteristics of a leader. Professional socialization according to (Clearly et al. 2011) states leaders will engage in conversation to explore values, beliefs and attitudes of individuals they work with as well as initiating team building interactions and offering support towards the team members. Alimo-Metcalfe (2003) states that individuals are most effective when they are competent and confident and aware of their own strengths and behaviours and can work well with other team members. This was displayed in the scenario as the coordinating nurse was confident and showed their strength by pursuing the matter with the backing of the MDT. (Hogan, 1994) states leadership is persuading colleges to set aside individual concerns for a short period of time to support a mutual goal or responsibility for safety and welfare of a group. On the other hand (Fowler, 2012) states leadership is projected through role modeling. Role modeling according to (Fowler, 2012) is an individual who is â€Å"good at their job† and competent within their role with the ability to carry out tasks with ease. However there are some clinicians that practice on the edge within ethical dilemmas that could be deemed unprofessional therefor would not make good role models. (Bosman et al. 2012) also agrees with role modeling and its importance with leadership and states there are four aspects that experienced members of a team lead from. These are inspiration and motivation, self-efficacy reinforcing junior’s beliefs to achieve more. Learning by example of real life practice situations and a support for other members of the team. The leadership skills displayed in the scenario above was to advocate for the service user and be their voice. This took confidence and knowledge with a compassionate and empathetic approach so the service user would not be distressed or agitated over the weekend. It also demonstrates how connected the team was to get involved in the discussion to reinforce the initial statement. By displaying communication skills and introducing an outside party to evidence reasons why this would be the best course of action for the service user the pass was granted, and there were no incidents over the weekend involving the service user. However the service user could have went out on pass and not returned and the scenario could have been much worse even disastrous. But the staff member had evidence based knowledge about the individual and practical experience with care and treatment for the service user. Although there was a risk with this scenario all parties were following the 10 essential shared capabilities (ESCs) by working in partnership, promoting recovery, providing service user centred care, making a difference and positive risk taken (Anderson and Burgess, 2009) this guided all members to reach a decision. Kean and Haycock-Stuart (2011) argue that policies and interactions put in place to deliver a high standard of care can suggest that the individual in the leadership role is solely responsible for its success. This singular approach fails to report the relationship between the leader and followers and the prevalence of the followers contributions (Kean and Haycock-Stuart, 2011). The Scottish Government (2009) acknowledges that the leadership development for National Health Service (NHS) Scotland is achieving its goal. This is regarded as a priority for (NHS) Scotland and is prioritized at a local level (The Scottish Government, 2009). This has been introduced to insure healthcare professionals can practice nationally and local with leadership qualities and behaviours to deliver a high standard of care that is safe and effective. Policy within (NHS) Scotland states all employees are made clear and understand exactly what their role is. As they have a duty of care to provide the best care possible, and leaders have the responsibility to ensure this is happening to the correct standards but allow participation in the decision making process (The Scottish Government, 2009). The NHS has a model (Leading Better care, 2011) that can direct leaders to consider leadership qualities and develop positive attitudes and set out goals. How leaders behave within National H ealth Service (NHS) Scotland can make or break their agenda for health care. Research suggests that an effective leader can have a positive impact on service user care. There has been many cases of bad practice in healthcare that has been publicized for the public such as; The Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust which produced the Francis Inquiry (Nolan, 2013) which explored what happened and were the trust failed. The report stated that all healthcare workers working within the health care system will be held accountable for their actions and the care they provide. The report addressed staff from all positions especially senior positions who neglected their basic leadership skills (Nolan, 2013). (Blegen and Severinsson, 2011) state mental health nurses are always advancing their practice with change while working in environments that are challenging. By developing leadership skills that are motivating and encouraging colleagues to work responsibly and respectively with service users. This demonstrates the importance that leadership skills have when tasking or directing a colleague to have reassurance the task will be carried out correctly (Cleary et al. 2011). This can depend on the relationship of the followers and the leaders as this has an important bearing on the success of the healthcare environment. However (Kean and Haycock-Stuart, 2011) states that the followers are over looked as the framework for leadership focuses on the leaders as individuals. Kean and Haycock-Stuart (2011) state there is more to being a follower than following a leader, if judgements are made that disagree with a leader this can make or break the relationship of leader and follower. Good leaders hip takes opinions into consideration and work with reciprocity built on trust (Kean and Haycock-Stuart, 2011). Along with leadership is patient safety as described in paragraphs above leadership has been the emphasis for NHS Scotland locally and nationally but these two concepts work in partnership with each other (The Scottish Government, 2010). The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) acknowledge the importance for individuals to continually update skills and experience in leadership and patient safety and working in partnership with universities have implemented a new domain constructed for leadership. This domain will be part of student competencies that will be expected to be adhered to when they become registered nurses. Registered nurses must now lead and challenge in a bid to improve services to provide the best possible care (NMC, 2010). Patient Safety Safety is the most important part of the healthcare service, safety for service users and safety for healthcare professionals. The drive for safety within the healthcare services are one of the three ambitions by the Scottish Government which will strive to deliver and support safe and effective healthcare. All service users will receive care and treatment in a clean, safe environment free from preventable harm or injury in any NHS Scotland healthcare facility (Scottish Government, 2010). Patient safety is the foundation that nurses construct their practice around and is a professional value that the Nursing and Midwifery Council stipulate is a requirement with the code of conduct (NMC, 2015). All registered nurses must safeguard the health and well-being of all individuals for as long as there are receiving care (NMC, 2008). Ferguson et al. (2007) states when patient safety is compromised and errors transpire the role of the clinical practitioner can be scrutinized when there are numerous factors that threaten patient safety. Some factors such as; work load pressures and staff shortages can count for miner mistakes happening within the healthcare system. However (Ferguson et al, 2007) also states good communication within a positive and motivated working team are factors that are effective in building a good safety culture. General hospitals are subjected to the same safety risks with patient safety as in a mental health hospital such as; pressure sores and medication errors. However, additional risks to staff and patients are unique in the mental health area (Bark and Tingle, 2011).The management of violence and aggression and the use of seclusion are to support patient safety as mental health hospitals use restraining techniques which can increase the service user’s vulnerability. However mental illness can cause individuals to become suspicious, disorientated, paranoid or delusional that can cause anger or difficulty with instructions (Bark and Tingle, 2011). This can generate a more complex case for patient safety even though risk assessments are carried out daily within mental health wards. Staff predicting and planning for every preventable event that could happen, due to human behaviour is only effective with the information they possess at that time (Tate and Feeney, 2012). Langan (2010) states that violence in a mental health facility with service users were a risk may be prevalent to themselves or to staff, argues that this can exacerbate anxiety and increase pressure that is required when assessing a service users risk. Service users can be unpredictable when first presenting and with lack of knowledge of what is happening for that service user at that time presents numerous changeable factors that can transpire (Langan, 2010). There has been many attempts to build an assessment tool for mental health services but they have failed to reach the standard required (Langan, 2010). (NHS Lothian, 2012) state that the policy within mental health for risk assessments must be carried out for every service user that is admitted to hospital and becomes an inpatient this should be in conjunction with the service user. When filling out the risk assessment current information should be included such as; relevant history, associated behaviours, clinical diagnosis and information from the service user’s perspective as well as information from family this will ensure a robust risk assessment and support patient safety (NHS Lothian, 2012). A risk assessment is always being amended and is never complete it is an ongoing procedure that is effective at the time it is carried out (Tate and Feeney 2012). Risk assessments that are updated daily support patient safety. The mental health setting can highlight complexities with patient safety and emphasises how staff work in partnership with service users and using reciprocity keep patients safe (Tingle and Bark, 2011). When managing patient safety within the scenario this can present challenges as the coordinating nurse was basing her evidence on previous history but had a good knowledge and rapport with the service user. By working in partnership with the service user and promoting recovery on previous admissions the nurse already had a basic plan for a risk assessment and was thinking of patient safety and what could have transpired if the passes were not granted. However ever admission is different so nothing should be assumed for example; that last admission the service user got aggressive, that does not mean this will happen this admission. Conclusion The scenario that was introduced was not uncommon at the week end for an inpatient in mental health services. The service user could have had a different scenario if that individual was not on shift advocating for the patient and displaying leadership qualities. By checking legislation, frameworks, local policies and training which is available to support staff to deliver a high standard of care and ensure patient safety. By understanding what traits aid with leadership and just how important the skills to lead are and developing and nurturing them to provide a high standard of care from you and your team. Patient safety will always be identified as an important part of healthcare and by carrying out risk assessments will insure service user receive the best care for them. For more complex situation within mental health settings staff must follow polices and legislation and support each other fully as a team and with proper planning and applying daily risk assessments can support in minimizing harmful events from transpiring. References Waite, M., Soanes, C. (2007) Oxford dictionary and thesaurus (2nd ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. Alimo-Metcalfe, B.(2003) Leadership Stamp of Greatness. Health Service Journal 113 (5861) 28-32 Kean, S., Haycock-Stuart, E. (2011) Understanding the relationship between followers and leaders. Nursing Management. London 18 (8) 31-35 Scottish Government (2009) Delivering Quality through Leadership: NHSScotland Leadership Development Strategy. Available from: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/289816/0088790.pdf [accessed 9 Apr 2015] Kilfedder, C., Power, K., Wells, T. (2001). Burnout in psychiatric nursing. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 34 (3) 383-396 Hogan, R. (1994) what we know about leadership. American Psychologist, 49 (6) 493-504 Fowler, J. (2012) Professional development: From staff nurse to nurse consultant. Part 6: Importance of role models. British Journal of Nursing, 21 (5) 311 Bosma, N., Hessels, J., Schutjens, V., Praag, M. V., Verheul, I. (2012) Entrepreneurship and role models. Journal of Economic Psychology, 33 (2) 410–424 Wangensteen, S., Johansson, I. S., and Nordstrom, G. (2008) the first year as a graduate nurse—an experience of growth and development. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 17 (14) 1877–1885 Cleary, M., Deacon, M., and Hunt, E. (2011) Mental health nursing role models. Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services, 49 (8) 6–7 Cleary, M., Horsfall, J., Mannix, J., O’Hara-Aarons, M., and Jackson, D. (2011) Valuing teamwork: Insights from newly-registered nurses working in specialist mental health services. International Journal of Mental Health Nursing, 20 (6) 454–459 Anderson, J. and Burgess, H. (2009) Essential shared capabilities for the whole of the mental health workforce: Bringing the educators into the frame. The Journal of Mental Health Training, Education and Practice, 4 (3) 21-29 Kean, Susanne; Haycock-Stuart, Elaine. (2011)Understanding the relationship between followers and leaders Nursing Management. 18 (8) 31-35 Nolan, P. (2013). (2) The Francis Report. Nursing Ethics, 20 (7) 840-842. Cleary, M., Horsfall, J., Deacon, M., and Jackson, D. (2011). Leadership and Mental Health Nursing. Issues in Mental Health Nursing, 2011, 32 (10) 632-639 Scottish Government (2010). The healthcare Quality Strategy for NHSScotland. Available from: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/311667/0098354.pdf [accessed 9 Apr 2015] Ros Moore. (2011). LEADING BETTER CARE incorporating releasing Time to Care. Available: http://www.evidenceintopractice.scot.nhs.uk/media/150149/lbc incorporating rtc report.pdf. Last accessed 28th April 2015. Nursing and Midwifery Council (2008) The Code: Standards of conduct, performance and ethics for nurses and midwives. Available from: http://www.nmc-uk.org/Documents/Standards/The-code-A4-20100406.pdf [accessed 9 Apr 2015] Nursing and Midwifery Council. (2010) Pre-registration nursing education in the UK. Available from: http://standards.nmc-uk.org/Documents/Pre-registration%20nursing%20education%20in%20UK%20FINAL%2006092010.pdf [accessed 9 Apr 2015] Ferguson, L., Calvert, J., Davie, M., Fallon, M., Fred, N., Gerbach, V., and Sinclair, L. (2007) Clinical leadership: Using observations of care to focus risk management and quality improvement activities in the clinical setting. Contemporary Nurse, 24 (2) 212-224 Tate, L. and Feeney, A. (2012) the principles of risk assessment. Medicine, 40 (11) 574-576 Bark, P. and Tingle, J. (2011) Psychological aspects of patient safety. In Patient Safety, Law Policy and Practice. (64 84). Routledge: London, UK. Scottish Government (2006) The New Mental Health Act Whats it all about? A Short Introduction. Available from: http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2004/01/18753/3168 [accessed 9 Apr 2015] Nursing and Midwifery Council (2015) The Code: Preserve safety. Available from: http://www.nmc.org.uk/standards/code/read-the-code-online/ [accessed 9 Apr 2015] Preserve safety

School Clothes Essay -- School Uniforms Clothing Dress Codes Essays

School Clothes I strongly believe that children should come with an instruction manual in different languages, after all, even the most complicated computer system or VCR has a manual in three to four languages, or more. Granted, sometimes we can't understand the instructions, but we have them and sometimes even a toll-free help line. Now some people would say their own parent would be the help-line but not always does that work out. Our own parents advice can be, shall I say, out-dated; for example, many would suggest to us "new" parents to tell our child, "what we say goes," or "stop that crying or I'll give you something to cry about," or "do it because I'm the parent and I said so," not the desired tone for positive interaction with our children. So often parents today are left with either, no instructions at all, or, not the right kind of instructions. The school wardrobe dilemma for parents is void of instructions. The mandatory school uniform-code would be the best instruction manual entry available; and to prove this point I'll explore the instruction manual first and continue with presenting facts about school uniforms and their positive effects on parents and children and schools. Let's take a closer look at a possible entry in the instruction manual for parents: "School Clothes, What's Acceptable And What's Not." First the entry would tell us how the exchange should go with your child: parent, "Time to wake up sweetheart. Here's your freshly pressed shirt and trousers, and your brown belt, some matching socks, and your newly cleaned tennis shoes." Child, "Oh, swell mom, thanks. I'm so grateful you ironed my favorite shirt. I'll be down in a jiffy to have breakfast." Okay, so now for reality. The morning routine probably is similar to mine which sounds more like an episode from Law and Order rather than Leave it to Beaver. I wake my child cheerfully every morning and the usual response, no matter how or when I wake him, is "groan, grunt, whine, and ugh." This barrage of pleasant noises is followed by the sweet melody of "I'm so sleepy" or "I can't get up, I'm tired" or "Not now." Then the fun really starts picking out the day's wardrobe. We start with the usual negotiations which pants, and which shirt. Our negotiations entail which items are clean, my idea of clean is completely different from my son's, and which style... ...antly favor children in a school uniform. I support the school uniform code philosophy, because I favor a focus on academia, and a strong sense of school spirit and unity, a positive scholastic environment, building self-esteem from achievements, cost effective clothing budget, and, of course, a head-ache free morning. Works Cited Atkins, Andrea and Jeremy Scholsberg. "Dressed to Learn." Better Homes and Gardens. Aug. 1996:44+. Forest, Stephanie Anderson. "Dressed to Drill: School Uniforms are HOT - And Merchants Are Cashing In." Business Week. 8 Sep. 1997: 40. Gursky, Daniel. "Uniforms Improvement." Education Digest. 61.7 (Mar. 1996) : 46-48. Japanese Consulate of San Francisco. Personal Interview. 29 April 1998. Mancini, Gail Hinchion. "School Uniforms: Dressing For Success or Conformity?" Education Digest. 63.4 (Dec. 1997) : 62-65. Pushkar, Katherine. "Dressed For Success." Village Voice. 40.,3 (17 Jan. 1995) : 12. "School Uniforms?! : New York. January 26." National Review. 26 Feb. 1996:71. Tachibana, Judy. "School Clothes? All The Same To Some Uniform Policy Isn't Uniform In Region, But Trend Grows." The Sacramento Bee. 21 Aug. 1996: B1+.

The High Cost of Genetic Engineering Essay -- Persuasive Argumentativ

The High Cost of Genetic Engineering    Genetic research on human embryos, in correlation with the human genome, is the key to gene therapy, genetic diagnosis, and even to genetically engineered human beings.   Knowing which gene controls what trait and causes what genetic disease will arm doctors with a powerful tool to treat their patients at the molecular level.   On the other hand, this allows people to possibly manipulate genes to enhance specific traits or create the perfect baby.   Genetic research on human embryos has two implications.   A practical one in therapeutic research (to detect, and hopefully correct gene flaws), and then the potentiality of allowing parents to decide how their child should look (or in an extreme word, eugenics).   The former, which at the present is wishful thinking, will be a reality in the future if the technology becomes feasible.   Assuming that we did genetically engineer for positive, medicinal purposes, it would require germ-line therapy, eliminating the necessity of constant somatic cell therapy.   Germ-line therapy is the process of replacing genes, whereas somatic cell therapy is adding genes and hoping that they replicate at a higher rate than others.   Possible targets for genetic engineering would be genetic diseases, such as Huntington (The Benefits of Genetic Engineering) and Parkinson, those proven to be linked to genetic predisposition, such as cancer (Ao, 140), psychological disorders like schizophrenia (Bernstein, 518), and major birth defects (Resta).   There are however drawbacks to these treatments.   Examples include undue suffering to the subjects due to botched engineering of the genes (Wolfson), also known as the Frankenstein factor, psychological trauma associated with... ....edu/hdsa/huntingtonsdisease.nclk Resta, Robert G.   Genetic Counseling:   Coping with the Human Impact of Genetic Disease:   Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.gene.com/ae/AE/AEC/CC/counseling_background.html Saetz, Stephen. 1985.   "Eugenics and The Third Reich."   The Eugenics Bulletin.   Winter.   Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.ziplink.net/~bright/papers/3rdreich.html What's Morally Wrong with   Eugenics:   Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.med.upenn.edu/~bioethic/library/papers/art/EugenicsNotreDame.html Wolfson, Richard.   Cloning, Marketing Life, and Playing God (Part II): http://www.natural-law.ca/genetic/BiotechNov97.html Magazine Articles: Dickman, Steven.   "Human Embryos Carrying Altered Genes." New Scientist July, 1997. Henig, Robin M. "Tempting: If you could dictate the content of your kid's genes, wouldn't you?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Shouldn't you?"   Discover May, 1998.   Pp. 58-64.

Back to school event Essay

Back to school event Education is important for everyone in the society. Education ensures the future for young and old, and also the future society. The talk about education is also very relevant on the politically agenda, not only in America, but also in Denmark. Education is nearly always a priority on the agenda. And Obama keeps making speeches about the importance of getting and education. But does the clear American attitude change the message in Obamas’ speech? In the southern state Virginia in a town called Arlington the president of the United States, Barack Obama, held a speech in the year of 2009, on the 8th September. In the speech he stressed the importance of education and learning. It was broadcasted to students all over the country of all ages in order to get his word out: â€Å"If you quit on school – you’re not just quitting on yourself, you’re quitting on your country.† This sentence really sets the agenda for Barack Obama’s speech. By reading this people thinks that the entire future of the country is depending on them and their involvement. And of course this is the reaction that Obama is expecting. The feeling of importance will hopeful motivates students to work harder for a brighter future. The composition is not difficult to understand. The speech has a simple structure, which starts with a short introduction succeeded by the main message of his speech. He is supporting it by using different arguments and form of appeal. He is mixing a great deal of stories about himself and his life as a young student. In the ending there is a short summery of everything that has been mentioned so far. As I have mentioned in the above, the speech is directed towards students of all ages. Therefore is the language simple and understandable for both young and old students. He keeps it formal with a twist of casual. In the beginning of the speech Barack Obama chooses to start out with â€Å"how’s everybody doing toda y?† Here he sets the scene and confirms that he is just not a very powerful man but also that he is equal. By choosing to address directly to the students and mention almost every grade and giving a sense of familiarity, he does not talk down to the audience, and it shows a kind of compassion. It captures the student’s attention. In this sentence there arises attention from Obama to all the students: â€Å"And for those of you in kindergarten, or starting middle or high school, it’s your first day in a new school, (†¦). I imagine there are some seniors out there who are feeling  pretty good right now, (†¦)† Obama is also using some quotes, which appeals to the young readers. By telling the story of him when he was a boy and did not want to get up early to be homeschooled by his mother he elucidate that he is not an ordinary man. Once he was like all ordinary students. Such as referring to the Xbox shows that Barack Obama is within the same cultural frame of reference as the young students. The three appeal forms are all used in the speech: pathos, logos an d ethos. Barack Obama uses the pathos to connect with the young students, so he can explain to them how he experiences the important of education. Especial he uses the pathos, when he is talking about some of the students who are having a hard time taking an education. When he tells some of his own stories, he also appeals to the reader’s pathos. By saying that he had a hard time too, the students realize or imagine that it can be possible to obtain something big in their lives. In this sentence the pathos is obviously: â€Å"We need every single one of you (†¦)† Obama also uses logos in his speech; he uses it to appeal to the student’s logic. He says in his speech, that a good education is important for having a good job. At least he uses ethos by stressing how important an education is for the people, but also for the country. The following sentence shows the use of the appeals, especial pathos and ethos: â€Å"The story of America isn’t about people who quit when things got tough. It’s a people who kept going, who tried harder, who loved their country too much to do anything less than their best.† The arguments in the speech are reliable, because he does his duty. He tries to convince people about the important of education, and he is doing a good job. He uses examples from real life, and like I have mentioned before, he convinces the students of that they get to be as Jazmin, Andoni and Shantell, because it is that worth. The message in the speech is very clear and apparent: Work hard! Get a good education! An education is the key to getting a good job and good jobs ensure a future for the individu al and the country. To conclude he states that he is aware of how difficult and harsh life sometimes can be and that he has h ad troubles himself but that it is possible to break the negative social heritage. He admits that someone over other have it worse because of their social, cultural or financial capitals but as Obama declare â€Å"That’s no excuse for not trying†. And if we look on the political part of it, this is a typical American value. As a matter of fact Barack Obama even talks about the  American dream, which is based on the saying â€Å"everyone is the architect of his own fortune.† Yes, the speech has a very American attitude and view on life, but as we all the truth is that knowledge shall show the world the way to greatness.

Aztec Belief System Essay

Throughout the history of mankind civilizations have trusted in the existence of a higher power. Although the existence of a higher power doesn’t bear as large of an impact on societies like the United States today, it was the focal point of life in many civilizations of the past. A great example of a civilization that was extremely reliant on the connection between humans and higher powers was the Aztecs. The Aztecs believed that they were connected to the universe by a sacred energy. They believed this energy was the source of all natural events and if it were unbalanced, they would suffer. In order to maintain the balance, the Aztecs performed ceremonial sacrifices, bloodletting, and other forms of violent cultural behavior. The connection between the Aztecs and the universe is evident among their myths about how humans were created. One creation myth is the story of the goddess Tlaltecutli. In the story Tlaltecutli was ripped apart by the gods Quetzalcoatl and Tezcatlipoca and her body parts were used to create the earth and the other gods. This event caused Tlaltecutli to desire human hearts and she would not be quiet until they were brought to her. Nor would she bear fruit until she had been drenched in human blood. Another creation myth, and the most common legend amongst the Aztecs, was that the god Quetzalcoatl descended into the underworld and retrieved the bones and ashes of previous human beings in order to recreate humanity because the universe had been destroyed after the fourth Sun went out. Quetzalcoatl ground the bones into powder and used his blood to fertilize it and create humans.   The Aztecs also had a myth that explained how the Sun and moon were created. According to legend, the gods Nanautzin and Tecuziztecatl sacrificed themselves by jumping into a fire, which turned them into the Sun and moon. The other gods also sacrificed themselves to provide nourishment for the Sun. However the Sun and the Earth still had an insatiable craving for human blood, therefore war was created to satisfy the Sun’s needs. What’s interesting about these creation myths is that they all included some form of death, sacrifice, or blood shed in order to create something. The creation myths shaped the foundation for why Aztecs placed so much emphasis on violent cultural behavior. In the Aztec society, human sacrifice was extremely common. This is because sacrifices were the main method of creating cosmic order between humans and the universe. Pubic sacrifices took place at the beginning of each of the 18 twenty-day months. The sacrifices consisted of mostly captured warriors, but in rare cases included children and young women. The purpose of public sacrifice was to acquire the divine forces embedded in the physiology of human beings in order to nourish the Sun, Earth, and rain. Aztec ceremonies consisted of days of ritual preparation, ceremonial sacrifice, and acts of nourishing the gods and the community. Priests carried out the sacrifices, which included many forms such as decapitation, burning, hurling from great heights, strangulation, and arrow sacrifice. The most common was the removal of the heart. The heart and the head were the two most important body parts to the Aztecs. Tonalli was a type of energy that came from the head and determined the shape of one’s temperament and destiny. Tonalli was first acquired as an embryo in a female uterus. The Sun was the most powerful way to increase tonalli. It was believed that hair prevented tonalli from leaving the body. Therefore hair was a major prize in warfare. When heads were decapitated during ceremonies, the city as a whole gained tonalli. Teyolia, or â€Å"diving fire†, was the energy that came from the heart and determined a person’s sensibilities and thinking patterns. When a person died his or her tayolia traveled to the world of the dead, or â€Å"sky of the Sun†. Tayolia gives energy to the Sun, which is why heart sacrifices were so popular.   Giving hearts and heads wasn’t the only donation made to the higher powers. Bloodshed was also seen as a type of nourishment. The Aztecs believed that spilling blood was vital to please the gods and to ensure natural forces such as strong harvests. Another Aztec creation myth, the story of Tezcatlipoca, gives strong insight into the importance of bloodshed. In the story the body of Tezcatlipoca was cut into pieces and divided over the four directions of the world, with his blood flowing into the center. The divine blood redistributed energy to animals, body parts, vegetation, and the calendar. Although The Aztecs believed that by giving the hearts and heads of their victims to the gods and the universe, they would be blessed with gifts like bountiful harvests, strength in war, and healthy lives, they didn’t practice sacrifice just to receive blessings; they also feared that the universe would be destroyed. The Aztecs believed that there had been four previous ages that the universe passed through prior to the present age, the Fifth Age. At the end of each age, the Sun went out and caused a catastrophic event that destroyed all life on Earth. In the Second Age, for example, it was believed that the beings that lived there were carried away by the wind. (AD1, p. 4) The fear of the Sun going out again and ending the Fifth Age is one the main catalysts for explaining why the Aztecs placed so much importance on human sacrifice, warfare, and other violent cultural behavior. In order to ensure that the Sun wouldn’t go out again, the Aztecs participated in what is known as the New Fire Ceremony. It took place once every fifty-two years and was used to ensure that the Sun would last for another fifty-two years. The rebirth was achieved by the heart sacrifice of a brave, captured warrior specifically chosen by the king. The ceremony began at the top of a mountain with a priest cutting out the warrior’s heart and throwing it into a fire. The people in the village would then cut themselves and splatter their blood in the direction of the fire. The fire was then brought down the mountain and the people blistered themselves with fire. The Aztecs believed that if they did not perform the ceremony properly to nourish the Sun, it would go out and the demons of the darkness would descend to eat all human beings. The New Fire Ceremony is a great example of how the Aztecs viewed the connection between human beings and the cosmos. The role of humankind in the Aztec society was very pre-determined. Men were devoted to warfare and females were devoted to the household. Warfare was extremely important to Aztec men because it was used as a way to appease the gods with the hearts of prisoners of war.   It was also used a way to rank the importance and worth of a man. Men higher up in the military rank received more luxuries and entitlements than men of lower ranks. For example, a top war commander, or â€Å"quauhpilli†, was given land by the ruler and could run schools for commoners.   Military service was a compulsory obligation by all free men. The Aztec’s innate desire for combat is a direct impact of the believed connection between conflict and nourishment for the universe. When a male child was born, he is dedicated to the Sun, and â€Å"the flowery death† of the warrior in battle or on the killing stone. This shows that the Aztecs believed that the only honorable death for a male is on the battlefield or being sacrificed on another tribes killing stone. The Aztec devotion to the universe was so strong that they not only believed that they had to sacrifice others in battle to please the gods; they had to sacrifice themselves as well. The culture and beliefs of the Aztec civilization were much different than the culture and beliefs of society today. Human sacrificing no longer occurs because it is considered cruel and unusual punishment. Humans do not believe that sacrifices and bloodshed are necessary to please a higher power. Although there are certain religions that believe that the way humans act bear some consequence on things like karma and where we go in the afterlife, it is rare to find a society in today’s world that believes wholeheartedly that there is a direct connection between human’s actions, the divine, and natural forces, like the Aztecs believed. Science and technology have allowed humans to understand that we can control all aspects of processes such as growing crops and that the gods have no effect on it. Warfare, although still important, does not have nearly as strong of an impact on humans today. Warfare is only needed for protection, to defend other countries, or in certain areas of the world, to attempt to settle religious differences like the Shiite and Sunni Muslims. Today, men and women have the choice to grow up and become whatever they want. Men are not required to serve in the military and women have the ability to do more than just take care of the household. The main difference between the Aztecs and humans today is that for the Aztecs, the connection to the universe was the most important aspect of life, while today creating a family, treating others fairly, and having proper morals are the most important aspects of life. The majority of people just want to make the most of their lives on Earth while they still have time, and depending on their beliefs, if they do it right they will reach an afterlife when they die. The Aztecs were one of mankind’s most interesting civilizations. They devoted their lives to pleasing the universe and believed that sacrifice and bloodshed were the best ways of doing it. They attempted to control every aspect of their lives in order to keep the connection between humans and the universe in balance. The Aztec belief system was very extreme. No other civilization has put so much emphasis on sacrifices, and more than likely, no civilization ever will again.