The Acropolis Essay Example for Free

The Acropolis Essay The Acropolis is the main part of the city of Athens located in 150m above sea level. Since ancient times, art flourished in his part of the city. Temple building had both a symbolic and economic objective. It glorified the gods and the city, which thereby succeeded in overawing the proprietary aristocratic cults that existed in the earlier foundations. In economic terms temple construction meant returning to circulation the money that otherwise would have accumulated in the coffers of the divinities concerned. Acropolis represents a flat-topped rock settled since Neolithic era (6 millennium BC). Further, Mycenaean population settled in this region. In two centuries, Acropolis was occupied by Kylon. For tribes henceforward all looked alike to Athens, set on that plains broad level between the mountains and the sea (Coulton 34). The splendid rock, the famous acropolis, afforded them a strong, capacious citadel; and under the rocks north slope sprang up the nucleus of what later was to be incomparably the largest of Greek towns. Political power was vested in the hands of a landowning aristocracy, the High-born or Eupatrids. From their ranks were yearly chosen the three Archons or executive officials, for civil administration, for religion, and for war. Plutarch, in his life of Pericles wrote of the great Classical buildings on the Acropolis that â€Å"they arose no less towering in their grandeur than inimitable in their grace of form, for the workmen eagerly strove to surpass one another in the beauty of their craftsmanship . . .† (Berve 56). This description shows that Acropolis had a great meaning and significance for Greece.   Acropolis art included literature and sculpture, buildings and painting. The most famous architectural constructions, temples, were located in Acropolis’ slopes. The most important temples were the Parthenon, the Erechtheion, and the Temple of Athena Nike. Temple sacred to Athena Polias’ was built around 6th century BC. There were two temples of Athene, an old and a new. Athenas new temple on the acropolis, and the great Portico which was raised at the entrance to the hill; out of it, too, came the gold and ivory statue of the goddess which stood within the shrine. Such a use of the allies money may seem inexcusable to us; but the ethics of imperialism are never very easy to define. Pericles believed that Athens had a mission to spread artistic culture by such means, and for this reason empire builders too have believed in their own mission and not always in a mission upon so lofty a plane (Berve 67). The temple of Athene had important meaning for Greeks because the climax of the Festival was a procession of ascent to the temple of Athena on the citadel. This temple dated from times long before the tyrant Gelon, there is excellent evidence that he embellished it, adding perhaps the pillars which ran round the shrines exterior, and the sculptured groups of marble figures which adorned its gable-ends. Nor were these the only monuments of his architectural passion (Coulton 76). Peisistratus and his sons rebuilt the Ancient Temple of Athena, with a peristyle of stone. Most unusual is the difference of material in the marble raking cornice, with its hawksbeak bed moulding and a crowning moulding which, though an ovolo, is also painted with a Doric leaf. The sima is likewise of marble, and on the pediments has the ovolo imitated from Corinthian terracotta simas, but on the flanks it retains the old Ionic vertical face with pipe-like spouts at intervals, while the water-spouts carved on the four angle acroterion bases were lion heads at one end, ram heads at the other (Berve 9). For the first time great pedimental groups were carved in marble, and consequently in the round rather than relief, for the technical reason that it was cheaper to construct the tympanium background separately in local limestone; the subjects were, at the east the battle of the gods and giants, and at the rear a combat of animals. The Erechtheum (421-407 BC) was constructed, near the north edge of the Acropolis, in the troubled period after Pericles death when the Peloponnesian War was going badly for Athens and funds were limited. Despite these handicaps, and the extraordinarily difficult architectural problems involved by the necessity of incorporating earlier shrines into the structure, the Erechtheum ranks as the finest of all Greek temples in the Ionic style. It later suffered badly from fires, from adaptation into a Church and then into a Turkish mansion, and from the carrying off of much of its materials for use in medieval and later buildings. This temple had â€Å"porch of maidens† consisted of six female figures as columns (Plommer 34). The greatest temple, the Parthenon (5th century BC) and popular monument, the Propylaea, were in the Dorian style, though they were in many respects different from the Dorian works elsewhere. Leader among the architects was Ictinus, the designer of the Parthenon, Ictinus was assisted in his work on the Parthenon by Callicrates, of whom less is known; and the name of Mnesicles has come down to us as that of the creator of the Propylaea, the Parthenon embrace both Doric and Ionic principles, as well as their distinctive features.   This temple was built on the place of the old temple of Athena. A huge platform of solid limestone masonry 252 feet long and 103 feet wide, attaining at one corner a height of 35 feet above bed rock, â€Å"formed the substructure of the temple; along the south flank it was intended to form a podium rising 7 ½ feet above the graded earth† (Berve 34). Leaving a portion of the platform to form a terrace on all four sides, the three-stepped temple was begun with stylobate dimensions of 77 feet 2 ½ inches by 219 feet 7 ½ inches; the lowest step was of pink Kara limestone, the middle step and stylobate of Pentelic marble. The temple was hexastyle, with sixteen columns on the flanks, all uniformly 6 feet 3 inches in lower diameter except those at the corners, which in accordance with a new system of emphasis were thickened by one-fortieth of the diameter. On the other hand, the archaic practice of reducing the flank spacing was retained. The inner building was tetrastyle prostyle (rather than in-antis) at both ends, the antae being of Ionic form lacking offsets but with base mouldings which were continued along the cella walls (Berve 56). The pronaos gave access to a long cella divided by two rows of interior columns, while through the opisthodomus could be entered what was probably a single large room, the prototype of the west chamber of the Periclean temple (Dinsmoor 48). The chief interest of this temple is that it initiated marble construction in Attica on a large scale, introduced the use of Ionic elements (Ionic frieze which runs around the walls) and the application of delicate refinements in upward curvature and column inclinations, and even contributed much of the material and many of the dimensions for the present Parthenon. When the Persians returned in 480 B.C. they completely destroyed it, the unfinished columns at this time having attained a height of only two to four drums above the stylobate. Also, â€Å"in high relief 92 metopes were carved† (Dinsmoor 48). East and west impediments depict scenes from Greek mythology. â€Å"The metopes of the Parthenon all represented various instances of the struggle between the forces of order and justice, on the one hand, and criminal chaos on the other† (The Parthenon, n.d.).   Pheidias was the maker of the celebrated gold and ivory Athena Parthenos that stood in the Parthenon. There are literary descriptions of this lost statue which inspire us with the belief that the great image was truly free in the Greek sense. There are also, unfortunately, copies of Roman date which can only mislead. When he made the Athena Parthenos in Athens, and later the seated Zeus at Olympia, both of gold and ivory and on the giant scale, he was fulfilling the highest ambition of Greek art which had begun, more than a thousand years before, to make works of ivory and gold (Coulton 74). Under the south-east side of the Acropolis he further planned the building of a magnificent temple to Olympian Zeus. This scheme he never lived to see completed; and before the roof was added, the Athenian people had regained their liberty. The gaunt columns of the arrested work were left simply as they stooda memorial, as it were, of the tyrants frustrated pride and a warning to others who in future days might be tempted to follow in his footsteps (Coulton 73). Similar plans were employed for the earlier temple of   Ã¢â‚¬Å"A† on the Athenian Acropolis. More elaborate was temple A on the Acropolis, with a tetrastyle in-antis faà §ade (Plommer 78-80). In these temples may be seen the characteristic Greek practice of using a different type of anta capital (with the Doric) from that of the column In the entablatures, while the mainland tendency was to leave the metopes uncarved, they were frequently accented by the use of thin slabs of white marble, contrasting with the dark blue or black of the triglyphs and the blues and reds of the taenia below and cornice above. The Hydra gable (belonging to an unknown building on the Acropolis) illustrates the growing Athenian tendency to use sculptured pediments, though here the amount of relief is only 1 inch (Plommer 78-80). Other Athenian temples of this period were the miniature temple E on the Acropolis, unknown as to location (possibly one of three treasuries, including temples B and C, west of the Hecatompedon) though its details obviously imitate those of the Peisistratid temple of Athena, and also its direct antithesis, the huge but frustrated beginning of the great Olympieum by the sons of Peisistratus, abandoned when Hippias was driven into exile in 510 B.C. (Plommer 78-80).. The two lower steps were actually built, as well as the foundations of the second or inner rows of columns, as well as the arrangement of the columns, the outer rows having eight on the fronts and twenty-one on the flanks, with a diameter of 7 feet 11 1/4 inches (Dinsmoor 48). The Acropolis and its temples embodied the best architectural constructions of Ancient Greece. The Acropolis temples represent a architectural importance because of the meticulously detailed representation of a building and unique combination of styles. Works Cited Berve H., Gruben G., Hirmer M. Greek Temples, Theatres and Shrines. Greenwood Press, 1963. Coulton J.J. Greek Architects at Work. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2002. Dinsmoor W.B. The Architecture of Ancient Greece. London: Croom Helm, 1975. The Parthenon n.d. 09 Ma7 2007. http://academic.reed.edu/humanities/110Tech/Parthenon.html Plommer W.H. Ancient and Classical Architecture. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2001.

Challenges to HR Managers at British Gas

Challenges to HR Managers at British Gas Challenges to HR Managers at British Gas 1.0 Q 1 . Business Environment is changing everyday and bringing new challenges to the HR Managers. What are the challenges forces by HR Managers at British Gas in the UK? Ans.: With the increase in business competition locally and globally, organizations must become customer-focused to succeed. Therefore HR professional has to work out to become a strategic partner and a change mentor within the organization. In order to succeed, Human Resource must be a business driven function with a thorough understanding of the organizations big picture and be able to influence key decision and policies. In general the focus of todays HR Manager is on strategic personnel retention and talents development. And they will also promote and fight for values, ethics, norms and beliefs within the organization. In a 2004 Deloitte Research Study, Athey (2004. p1) noted that, organizations in recent days have to deal with many external forces which influences the way they do business and how they develop and implement a business plan. Some of the external influences that impact an organizations business planning are: government, natural disasters, terrorist threats, local and community, vendor, competitors, transportation etc. Therefore it is important for British Gas to have their business continuity plan. If British Gas able to do so then they can reduce their small and large unknown affect in their daily operations. That is why HR Manager of British Gas should evolve with the change in competitive market environment and realize that they must play a more strategic role in the success of an organization. So, in this global business environment crisis what kinds of challenges are faced by the British Gass HR managers? In UKs market the companies like: EDF energy, EON energy, N power, Scottish Hydrogen are consistently competing with British Gas. If these companies reduce their prices to attract more customers then it will be a challenging issue for British Gas. If this happens then, British Gas can reduce their prices at the same time manage their customers with quality services and make them happy with offering some bonus facilities. For doing this British Gas has to hire skilled employee and place them in a challenging position, Otherwise they might face the retention challenges. Secondly, looking at some political challenges like: regulation of counter policies country tax; Since the whole world economy is unstable and to make some positive changes in UKs economy govt. might impose some extra taxes to the big companies like British Gas. And if this is happen then British Gas management might think about to reduce their workers salary or layoff some workers. Thus how to plan the HR competency towards British Gas employee then? Then again some social factors like: attitude of workers towards the management is a problem. Example: workers are not giving their best effort, may be they are emotional or not satisfied with their job. Sometimes the workers bring their family problem in work. So how the HR manager will handle these issues? Then again, when British Gas hire employee from different culture sometimes the hired people dont know the English very well but they have the competency of holding the offered position. So its a kind of challenge for HR manager tha t which trainings are given to the employee and how that employee will be fitted to the specific position. A part of that, every single day new technologies are coming up. So how the British Gas HR will fit the workers with their new technologies, which training they can provide to the workers then? Then the late ages workers are not that skilled of using the technical staffs but they are well efficient towards their manual works. Thus how HR will fix this problem. According to Cox, (1993) suggests that a HR Manager needs to change from an ethnocentric view (our way is the best way) to a culturally relative perspective (lets take the best of a variety of ways). This shift in philosophy has to be ingrained in the managerial framework of the HR Manager in his/her planning, organizing, leading and controlling of organizational resources. Now we should look forward to how globalization changes the HR policies and a part of that, what kind of challenges are facing by the HR Managers. So globalization can be defined based on ongoing political, economical, social and technological issues and with the help of these issues business environments have been greatly changing from last few decades. Thus organizations are required to respond in a strategic manner to the changes in order to survive and progress in this competitive world. And for surviving well into the market the HR manager should be integrated with the strategy and strategic need of the firm. Then HR policies should adjust, accepted and used by line managers and employee as part of their daily work. According to the above statement, the British Gas has already focused on macro based oriented, productive, and long term goals. Nowadays Human Resource function faces many challenges during the globalization process, including creating global mind-set within the HR g roup, creating practices that will be consistently applied in different locations while also maintaining the various local cultures and practices and communicating consistent corporate culture across the entire organization. In this circumstance British Gas Managers should meet these challenges and the whole organization should consider the HR personnel not as just the administrative service but as a strategic business. As an expanding business of British Gas, HR managers will face some problems like: Health Safety policies, EU regulations, huge demand for quality service to the customers. Therefore British Gas can developing health safety policies by conducting risk assessments which indentify hazards, carrying out health safety audits and inspections, implementing occupational health programs, managing stress, preventing accidents, communicating with employee about the health safety practices etc. And for fulfilling the customer demand, those who are working for British Gas needed more technical training, people skills training. And the HRD of British Gas also can come up with some global training programs like: Cross cultural technology transfer, international protocol and presentation, Language training etc. If British Gas trains their employee with a global perspective then the trained employee shall be improving job satisfaction and retention of overseas staff and enabling a newly assigned employee to communicate with colleagues abroad. These kinds of training will not only help them to develop their skills and knowledge but also work as motivational and building block to organizational success. Q2. Comment on how HR activities contribute to the success of British Gas. Use any 2 HRM Models to explain your answer. Ans.: Nowadays effective and efficient HRM is a big challenge to all HR professionals. And the sole purpose of HR is to help humans via mediator between employees and employer. Thus British Gas has to determine what benefits they are willing to offer to their employees and what portions the company is willing to pay for those benefits vs. what they may mandate their employees to share costs in those same benefits. Since HR professionals are playing a very vital role for British Gas therefore its important to know that how the HR strategies align with British Gas business strategies. Since British Gas is a huge company and lots of technical workers are working with them thus in this company there is a need to attract, retain and motivate employee because it is heavily dependent on the knowledge base and expertise of the employee and such there is a need for building a kind of high performance culture based on a strategic mission. HR activities contribute to the success of British Gas in the following way: Recruiting both skilled and unskilled employee which have to go through the training and development called traineeship, which provides a way the new employee/recruit learns about the gas industry, gain relevant skills and qualification to ensure that organization objective to meet consumers high demand for quality services and competitive price for products and services. HR train their engineers throughout that career which ensure that its employees are kept up to date with new information and technology to enable them provide the best possible service. HR has strategy of retaining its people by offering a mix of financial and nonfinancial benefits. This is in line with the organization strategy. As well as the good pay and pension scheme also providing each employee the opportunity of buying shares in Centrica. From the analysis above, it is clear that we can say British Gas adopts two models, namely: Fit model Holistic/dialogue model. Fit Model: represent recognition of the importance of the people in the achievement of organizational strategy. Employees are seen as key in the implementation of organizational and HR strategy is designed to fit the requirements of the organizational strategy. British Gas uses this method to align their HR strategy with organization strategy also it aligns the interest of the workers (pension scheme, investment opportunity, development and training, salary interest)with the interest of the organizations (to maintain the competitive position the company has within the energy market, ensure returns on investment by making profit by share holders) end goal. Harvard Framework for HRM: Harvard model (Beer et al) of HRM developed by Michel Beer, Richard Walton, Quinn Mills, they argues that human resource policies are to be influenced by two significant consideration, first, situational factors, second, shareholders interest. And Harvard framework also explains the significance of the HR policies in the organization which recognize external environment and refers that if its properly used would lead to organizational effectiveness. It also can be used a good fit between organization environment and HR policies and it would lead to various element like employee commitment, cost effectiveness in product and services and congruence which are all covered by the Harvard model and the British Gas holds firmly these elements in dealing with its employee as one of its organizational; objectives. The following elements will give us the idea that how the HR in British Gas apply this to the organization. Competence: The HRM of British Gas has a policy that reflects to the organisational objective in selection of their workforce. HR department not only concern about recruiting skilled engineers but also give attention to go through its assessment centre before appointing an employee for his/her job, which can determine the core competence and life skill of that employee. Personal skills that are created an impact on the customers experience when someone is to work on the field. Core competencies involves team working, leadership skills, listening skills, problem solving skills, interpersonal skills(such as properly dealing with customers), motivation skills, innovation skills and responding to changes. These are crucial skills that can affect the way an individual fits in and works within an organisation and also important because these skills can determine the companys lose or gain more customers. And if British Gas loses then the customers will be shifted to their rivals. Commitment: according to Bratton, John and Gold, Jeffrey (Beer et al: Human resource management Theory and Practice second edition: page 19). Refers, one way HR of British Gas can contributes to the company is that the employee are made to invest high interest to their work within the organization, which will give up two aspects: First, it will enhance self respect and value, at British gas the HRM has a policy that counter on employees, for those offered a job, With Human resource strategy British Gas provides the job benefits including a market competitive starting salary and van from outset. And with British Gas development offers technical comprehensive training for all its engineers throughout their career by their training academy. And the training ensures that employees are kept up to date with new information and technologies and provide best services possible. Second, it will accelerate the employee loyalty and performance towards their work. When British Gas offers employee to invest in the company with having to their own shares in its Parent company (Centrica), also offering good pension scheme after retirement which increase the commitment of the job and good sense of responsibilities. And its the plus point of promotion to management level, which is a strategy of the HR in retaining its suitable people for promotion to higher role, because it needs managers to plan, organise and co-ordinate the teams of engineers. Congruence: here it states that there must be agreement between and amongst various HRM policies and practises in operation. At British Gas HR need to keep in mind the fact that having a company policies of recruiting people from different background and sex as is seen in the case, the company in trying to meet with a recruitment process that is all embarrassing (being recognised by operation now, wining the prestigious award for inspiring the work force of the future, an award for women into science and engineering etc) must consider not just overall employee numbers but ensuring that it attracts and retain the skills that will be required within the business. British Gas managers articulate a programme of forecasting to assume how much the UK market for domestic gas service will grow and this helps the company to decide how many additional engineer they will require in the near future. Cost effectiveness: At the same time HR policies must be evaluated in terms of wages, benefits, turnover etc. In this segment British Gas HR implements its strategy that confront to the organisational strategy in developing and recruiting their employees to become capable and competent employees. And future managers can ensure the organisation turnover remains increasingly high and implement in their salary policy that is highly competitive. Thus, HRM knows it is much more cost effective to retain trained staff than recruit and train up new people therefore this strategy which is in line with the organisations strategy of minimising cost and maximising quality staff retain ship through offering a mix of both financial and non financial benefits helps the organisation achieve its goals. Lastly, looking at long term scenario, the organisation tries to differentiate between three levels: social, organizational and individual. In organisational level increased effectiveness and ensure the survival of the organisation. By providing top-class service at lower price to its customers and ensuring for a well define working environment, and also developing job training and a good pension scheme for it employee at the British Gas. At individual employee level the long term output comprises the reward receive by the workers for their efforts. In the societal level some of British Gas societal goals (employment and growth) are attained, offering exciting career paths for people of all backgrounds. This is how HRM at British Gas can achieve the success. Q3. Describe Recruitment Selection Strategies that have been taking by British Gas to enhance organization performance? Ans.: For British Gas workforce planning is essential because it analyze an organizations future needs for people in terms of numbers, skills and locations. It allows the organization to plan how those needs can be met through recruitment, selection and give them proper training. It is vital for British Gas to plan ahead because the company wants to satisfy their diversity customers by recruiting socially inclusive workforce. It seems that their HR personnel are little too much busy with the recruitment and selection process to meet its future demands for staff. It allows a business time to train existing staff to take on new responsibilities and to recruit new staff to fill vacancies or to meet skill shortages. But due to the recession, many organizations including British Gas not willing to expect so much on recruitment. Thus is this circumstance what are the strategies they are following in their recruitment and selection process. Recruitment strategies: British Gas recruitment involves attracting the right of applicant to apply for vacancies. They follow some ways of recruiting people. They first looks at its internal talent plan to fill a vacancy. This is a process that lists current employees looking for a move within the same level or gets a promotion to the next level. Since they need to make happy diversify customers thus they need to search people from the different regions peoples. So they can help their customers by offering different language, cultural value, norms ethics. They also emphasis on recruiting female engineers so that they can handle the female customers. This is just because sometime some female customers do feel comfortable to talk to the male one. And for some other external recruitment, British Gas advertises vacancies (like: apprenticeship) via their specialist Sky channels like parliamentary project TV, radio, newspapers, DVD for schools and British gas website. Selection Strategies: involves choosing the most suitable people from those that apply for a vacancy, while keeping to employment laws and regulation. For British Gas screening candidates is a very important part of the selection process. This ensures that those selected for interview have the best fit with the job requirements. Ref: The Challenges of Human Resource Management..:The Challenges of Human Resource Management. 25th November, 2009

Frederick Douglass Essay -- Biography

Frederick Douglass's Disguised Message Frederick Douglass, a firm believer in equality, was one of the most influential leaders of the abolitionist movement in America. An ex-slave, Douglass pushed for abolition and brought attention to the subject through his commanding speeches and his powerful writings. Among his writings Douglass published his autobiography "Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave" , which is indeed one of his more famous pieces of work. Douglass uses his own life and personal experiences to describe what life was like for a slave at the time. Although seen as a simple autobiography of his life, the text goes deeper with components that would ultimately affect the northern audience's view on southern slaveholders. Targeting the Northern audience was crucial because they were the only group he could persuade enough to change the way things were. Douglass used his life story as a propaganda device to promote and drive the abolition movement among northerners. Before Douglass begins his life story , the preface written by Wm. Lloyd Garrison, prepares the reader for the abolitionist message that is really behind Douglass's Narrative. The preface focuses on Garrison's admiration for Douglass and his cause. He describes hearing Douglass speak for the first time and states "I think I never hated so intensely as at that moment..."(2065). Garrison also demonstrates how devoted to abolition and persuading Douglass is by writing "..if Mr. Douglass could be persuaded to consecrate his time and talents to the promotion of the anti-slavery enterprise, a powerful impetus would be given to it, and a stunning blow..inflicted on northern prejudice against a colored complexion."(2066). To furt... ...ir sins. Using his written word and combining all the factors used to affect his audience, Douglass hoped to shed light upon the true nature of a slave holder and the practice of slavery. He knew his boundaries and did not try to promote a movement towards total civil rights; his intent was to motivate enough people to join his movement and fight for abolition. Douglass hoped his readers would become sympathetic towards the still enslaved using his own real experiences such as having no father, being separated from his mother, how the slaves were treated like animals, and the brutal punishments and killings without justice. Douglass also expected to place a black mark on southern slave holders by telling us how they had affairs with the slaves and used religion as support for their actions. Douglass strived to make readers imagine themselves in his position.

Gender and Coming of Age in Shakespeare’s As You Like It Essay

Gender and Coming of Age in Shakespeare’s As You Like It Shakespeare introduces the protagonists of his comedy, As You Like It, as youths mourning the absence of their fathers: Orlando remarks on the consequences of his father’s death and Rosalind first appears despairing over her father’s exile. He closes the play with the marriage of these youths. The absence of their respective fathers centrally figures into their courtship and preparation for marriage. Even more noticeable is the absence of all mothers—not a single mother or older wife appears in the play. The young women, Rosalind and Celia, enter adulthood, seemingly without any female role models. Such responses impact the development of the young protagonists, causing the two friends, Rosalind and Celia, to be remarkably independent of gender conventions and the constraints of older generations. The absence of elder influences allows Rosalind and Celia to shape their adult lives, particularly as they forge their own unique approaches towards marriage and realiz ations of the institution. In the absence of natural fathers, different characters volunteer as surrogate fathers for Orlando, but not for Rosalind. Without soliciting it, Orlando receives help and guidance from Duke Senior and Adam. For example, the ravenous Orlando interrupts Duke Senior’s banquet and orders them to stop eating, demanding food for Adam and himself. Duke Senior asks him why he so rudely demands food and then advises Orlando that â€Å"gentleness shall force / More than your force move us to gentleness† (2.7.101-102).* Warmly inviting the embarrassed Orlando to his table, the Duke offers him his friendship as he takes Orlando aside to speak privately. Orlando receives such unsolicited help from ... ...ns emotional maturity. Orlando finally achieves social adulthood and Rosalind achieves personal maturity. While the Shakespearean era certainly structured gender roles quite differently from our own, many women today find themselves, like Rosalind and Celia, in a forest of men without female role models. Though decrying the lack of female role models has become trendy, it is important to remember that the leadership of the older generation comes with its own constraints. As each generation forges its own identity, perhaps it is the very absence of such role models and the freedom to wear a man’s hat or a beggar’s cloak that allow the most independent expressions of adulthood to emerge. Work Cited *Shakespeare, As You Like It, in The Complete Works of Shakespeare, ed. David Bevington, 4th ed. (New York: Longman, Addison-Wesley Educational Publishers, 1997).

Johnson County Stock War: Big Business versus Small Ranchers Essay

Johnson County Stock War: Big Business versus Small Ranchers On March 10, 1892 the Billings Gazette reported, â€Å"The opening of spring may be more red than green for the horse thieves and cattle thieves of Johnson County† (Brash, 143). The writer of the article could little have known how truthful their premonition would prove to be. The late 1800’s were turbulent times in the West. Large tracts of publicly held range ground would be at the center of Wyoming’s very own civil war. Gil Bollinger, author and western researcher, reports that by the 1870’s and 1880’s fencing of land to enclose both crops and water sources was common (Bollinger, 81). This practice, however, was still illegal according to the federal government. In 1877, the United States Government sued Swan Land and Cattle Company, in an effort to set an example that all fences on open range must come down (Bollinger, 81). The fencing of lands was a major problem, as agricultural producers needed open access to the limited resources, especially water. Johnson County, in northern Wyoming, was an agricultural nucleus for cattle and sheep producers who knew the lush grass and good water supply would greatly benefit their operations. Since fencing was illegal, these resources were available to everyone. Cattle operators, large and small alike, ran their livestock loose and participated in large roundups once a year where all the cattle were branded. Slick calves, called mavericks, were often unrightfully claimed. Lack of fencing made any free ranging livestock available to whoever was devious enough to take them (Smith, 25). Helena Smith quotes Horace Plunkett, a producer, in a letter he wrote to the Wyoming Stock Grower’s Association as saying, â€Å"The relations bet... ...576. Harvey, Mark E., A Civil War in Wyoming: A Centennial Commemoration of the Johnson County War. M.A., American Studies Program, December 1992. Pfeifer, Michael J. (2004). Rough Justice: Lynching and American Society: 1874-1947. Chicago: University of Illinois Press. Retrieved October 30, 2006 from . http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnson_County_War. Norman, David. (1994) The Johnson County War against Nate Champion and the "Red Sash Gang". Retrieved October 30, 2006 from http://www.gunnyragg.com/redsash.htm. Robert, Phil. (2006) Events Leading up to the Johnson County War/Invasion. History of Wyoming class syllabus. Retrieved October 30, 2006 from http://uwacadweb.uwyo.edu/RobertsHistory/Johnson_County_Invasion_06.htm. Smith, Helena H. (1966). The War on Powder River: The History of an Insurrection. Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press.

Love for Your Country

I don't love my country. In fact, I fail to see how it is possible to love my country. Now, I live in America, and, from somebody who's traveled a bit, it's not too bad here. The streets are fairly clean, one is free to say more or less what one thinks (outside of school, of course), and the standard of living is fairly high. So, I like living in the US. However, I could never love America. Loving your country is a bit like loving your race, or loving all those who follow your religion: it feels nice, but it's wrong. America is simply another country. It has its fair share of nice, kind folks. It has its fair share of misers. Fully half of its population is UNDER the average intelligence, as in any other country. Fully half is above the average intelligence, too. Just because you happen to live here doesn't make you in any way superior, or in any way special. Or, for that matter, it doesn't make you in any way inferior to anybody. It doesn't mean that you may not be special, or intelligent, or whatever, it simply means that you're not any of those things just because you're American. Being proud of being American is like being proud of being Christian: how can you be proud of that? If you want to be proud, be proud of your achievements! You've taught yourself quantum physics, that's a reason to be proud. Your artwork just sold for a whole bunch of money, that's a reason to be proud. You have just learned to read Kanji, that's a good reason to be proud. However, being proud because you can wave a cross or a specific flag? Being proud of where, exactly, your house is located? Where's the sense of that? You have no impact on America. You don't, in any significant way, affect it. Were your vote to count for a hundred votes, you'd still not affect the country one whit. Therefore, why be proud of something for which you're not responsible, of something that you haven't created or affected? Call me stupid (odds are some folks will anyway), but I don't get it. I'm not saying to hate America. That's as nonsensical as loving it. What I'm saying is: why have feelings for a giant chunk of land? Why care for a particular government? Love nice people, if you will. Be proud of belonging to Mensa, if you want. Those are things you can, and should, be proud of. But being proud of belonging to a giant organization for which there are no requirements, other than that you be born there? If your self- esteem is THAT low, I'd recommend you talk to psychiatrist, not write to your congressman.

Religion, Rituals, and Health

Chapter 4 Religion, Rituals, and Health Overview of Chapter Topics †¢ Introduction: Religion, spirituality, and ritual †¢ Religion in the U. S. †¢ Religion and health behaviors – Effect of religion on health-related behaviors – Religion and health outcomes – Religion and medical decisions †¢ Rituals in relation to health practices †¢ Case Study: Cystic fibrosis in a Hasidic Jewish patient Religion, Spirituality, and Ritual †¢ There is considerable overlap between religion and spirituality. Religion: a belief in and respect for a supernatural power or powers, which is regarded as creator and governor of the universe, and a personal or institutionalized system grounded in such a belief or worship †¢ Spirituality: the life force within each of us, and it refers to an individual’s attempt to find meaning and purpose in life Religion, Spirituality, and Ritual †¢ Religion is more associated with behaviors that can be quant ified than the more inchoate term, spirituality. †¢ Religion can be categorized by denomination, so there is more agreement about the meaning of the term, and it can be more easily quantified (i. . , place of worship) †¢ Similar overlap exists between religion and ritual. – Religion may include established rituals, but not all rituals are associated with a specific religion. – Consequently, this chapter examines the relationship between ritual and health separately from the relationship between religion and health. Religion in the U. S. †¢ In 1999, 95% of population in U. S. reported a belief in God or higher power. †¢ In a 2005 study, 57% of those queried stated that religion is very important in their lives, while some 28% stated that it is fairly important. Since 1992, studies have found consistent rates of attendance at religious places of worship. †¢ Religion and ethnicity may be loosely linked, but a person’s religious affiliation should not be assumed based on his/her ethnicity. Religion and Health Behaviors †¢ Lifestyle is single most prominent influence over health today. †¢ People with religious ties have been shown to follow healthier behavioral patterns than the nonreligious related to – Wider networks of social support than does a strictly secular life – Social networks are often key to coping with life stress so improved coping mechanisms – Proscribed behaviors (i. . , no alcohol consumption or premarital sex) Religion and Health Behaviors †¢ Dietary practices with possible effects on health – Prohibition or restriction of consumption of animal products and beverages – Fasting – Prohibition or restriction of use of stimulants and depressants because of addictive properties †¢ Some religions incorporate the use of stimulants or depressants into their ceremonies †¢ Religious practice may correlate with positive health behaviors generally , as well as with reduced rates of depression and higher rates of marital stability Religion and Health Behaviors Religion thought to correlate to positive outcomes with respect to: – – – – – – – – – – – Hypertension Mortality/longevity Depression Suicide Promiscuous sexual behavior Drug and alcohol use Delinquency General feelings of well-being Hope/purpose/meaning in life Self-esteem Educational attainment Religion and Health Outcomes †¢ Religion also can harm health – Sometimes used to justify hatred, aggression, and prejudice – Can be judgmental, alienating, exclusive – Can cause feeling of religious guilt or feeling of failure to meet religious expectations – May restrict health care services because belief that health is in God’s handsReligion and Medical Decisions †¢ Beginning of life decisions – Abortion: Opposed or strictly limited by many religio ns (i. e. , health of the mother is at risk if pregnancy continued; child would be born with a disability that will cause suffering; rape; incest) – Birth control usage: Varying methods approved or strongly opposed by certain religions; some religions permit hormonal methods but not the methods that block or destroy sperm Religion and Medical Decisions †¢ End of life decisions – Religious belief may influence decisions to accept/reject optional treatments to prolong life at the end i. . , respirators, organ transplants, feeding tubes Religion and Medical Decisions †¢ End of life decisions †¢ Organ donation: perspective is changing— some now view it an act of compassion; related to belief in resurrection †¢ Euthanasia: the act or practice of ending life of someone who is suffering from a terminal illness or incurable condition by lethal injection or suspension of medical treatment – Opposed when viewed as murder or suicide or that it wi ll damage karma (states that one must show respect for preservation of life) – Some see as an act of compassion and concern for dignityReligion and Medical Decisions †¢ End of life decisions †¢ Use of advance directives for end of life care †¢ Advanced directives are legal documents that enable a person to convey his or her decisions about care ahead of time †¢ Include information about use of life-sustaining equipment, artificial hydration and nutrition (tube feeding), resuscitation, organ donation, comfort care †¢ Concerns related to appointing one person as the decision maker in collectivists cultures, person undergoing needless suffering, and if you discuss it, it will happenRitual in Relation to Health Practices †¢ Ritual: a set of actions that usually are very structured and have symbolic meaning or value †¢ May be performed on certain occasions, at regular intervals, or at discretion of individuals or communities; held in private or p ublic †¢ Tied to numerous activities and events i. e. , births, deaths, holidays, club meetings, etc. †¢ Many rituals in health care settings i. . , being on time for appointments, how people are addressed, where patient’s sit Ritual in Relation to Health Practices †¢ Objects as rituals (i. e. , amulets, bracelets, statues, crosses) †¢ Importance of shrines in ritual activities (many are for health and healing) †¢ Rituals involving animal sacrifice (done to build and maintain personal relationship with a spirit) †¢ Birth rituals (i. e. food restrictions, silent birth, how placenta is discarded) †¢ Death rituals (how and when the body is disposed of, prayer, dress, use of flowers) Summary †¢ Religion and spirituality play a major role in people’s lives and in their health decisions and behaviors. †¢ It has been shown to improve health, but also can contribute to health problems †¢ Impacts medical decisions †¢ Many r ituals are related to health and some are tied to specific religions .