Veganism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Veganism - Essay Example People like puppies, so they keep them in their laps, but would often forget to put them in the shelter when it’s raining out there. People who keep donkeys to use them as a means to travel and transport luggage over the cartridges beat them with lashes to make them run faster. So many animals are treated this way including horses, donkeys, ponies, and camels. People keep the dog for their safety, but when some dog catches a disease, he is shot dead! All life long, dogs bark at the outsiders for the protection of their masters, and the masters kill them when the dogs become useless. These are all cases of direct and overt subjugation of animals’ rights. Humans have also caused great loss to animals through their environment-unfriendly activities. Thousands of species of animals have become extinct as a result of the ever-increasing global warming. Humans happen to be the fundamental cause of this rise in temperature that has spoiled the natural habitat of thousands of a nimals. An in-depth analysis of the kind of treatment humans have given to the animals suggests that humans have largely been unfair to the animals and have always suppressed them. Animals are as much part of nature as are humans and they are as much creation of God as are humans. In light of these facts, it is a moral obligation upon every human being to take care of the animals. I have decided to become a vegan. This would enable me to take objective measures to protect the animals and provide them with a healthy and safe environment to live in.

Employee Rights Review Essay Example for Free

Employee Rights Review Essay â€Å"Acts of Equal Employment Opportunity and Employee Rights† laws make it illegal for employers to discriminate against an employee or potential employee in certain workplaces. The Family Medical Leave Act of 1993 was created to grant family temporary medical leave. The Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 was created to prevent employees from being discriminated against because of age. The Drug- Free Workplace Act of 1988 requires some federal contractors and federal grantees to agree that they provide drug-free workplaces as a precondition of receiving a contract or grant from a federal agency. The requirements for organizations are more extensive because organizations have to take comprehensive, programmatic steps to achieve a workplace free of drugs. In the case, Coleman v. State of Maryland Court of Appeals, Coleman, an employee for the Maryland Court of Appeals, requested time-off for the purpose of tending to serious personal health issues. The request was denied and Coleman was informed he must resign from his position or risk termination. Coleman sued his employer, claiming that by denying him self-care leave the state court was in violation of the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993. His employer, the state, argued that the case should be dismissed based on the state’s ‘sovereign immunity’. Sovereign immunity is a legal provision that says a government agency cannot be sued unless they agree to be sued. After dismissal by the Federal District Court and the Fourth Circuit Court, the case was heard by the United States Supreme Court. On March 20, 2012 the Supreme Court ruled that a provision of the Family and Medical Leave Act giving workers time off to care for health related issues such as serious illness, pregnancy, or childbirth, is not enforceable in cases involving state employees (Migdal, 2012). The Court justified the ruling by stating that the lawsuits by state employees permitted under the FMLA would violate the constitutional rule that the states, as sovereigns, are immune from suits for damages. Basically, the Supreme Court ruled that state workers cannot sue the states under the Family and Medical Leave Act, essentially stripping public employees of the job protection otherwise provided by the act. The Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 protects employees of organizations with more than 50 employees in the case of childbirth, adoption, their own medical care or the care of a family member. The law has several stipulations such requiring 1250 working hours in the prior 12 months, therefore, accurate recordkeeping and a process in place to determine FMLA eligibility and compliance is crucial. An example of a company HR policy regarding the Family and Medical leave Act of 1993 may read: â€Å"Employees employed for 12 months or more and who have worked at least 1250 hours in the previous 12 months, may take an unpaid Family and Illness Leave for up to 12-weeks per year. Employees are required to use all available paid time accrued for the leave period prior to unpaid leave.† â€Å"The amount of Family and Illness leave will be based on the amount taken in the 12 months preceding the request for leave, and in cases of serious health condition, require adequate medical certification.† â€Å"Family and Illness Leave may be taken intermittently, or for less than a full day. If the employee remains out on leave for more than 2 weeks, additional medical documentation may be required as allowed by law.† â€Å"An employee returning to work from Family and Illness Leave shall return to the position held at the beginning of the leave, or to an equivalent position with equivalent pay and benefits.† â€Å"Employees on a Family and Illness Leave will continue to have the Employer’s portion of the cost for health insurance paid by the Employer during the leave period. It is the responsibility of the employee to make on-time payments for their portion of those benefits while on leave.† Individuals 40 years of age and older are protected with employment by The Age Discrimination Employment Act. Applicants and employees alike have protection under the ADEA. â€Å"The law protects discriminating against an individual with respect to any term of employment, as it relates to age, compensation, benefits, job assignments, hiring, firing, layoff, job assignments, and training† (U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 2012). Employers who employ 20 or more employees must comply with the Act. A 70-year-old pharmacist employed by Kmart in Honolulu recently challenged The Age Discrimination Employment Act. The lawsuit charged by the EEOC recognized that Kmart unlawfully discriminated against the pharmacist, and a settlement was reached for $120,000. A Kmart store manager openly â€Å"stated that the pharmacist was too old, should retire and was greedy, for continuing to work at the age of 70† (Inside Counsel, 2012). The age discrimination act protects folks for age harassment. In this case the pharmacist was continually distraught with regard to remarks about her age and the hostile work environment that could have resulted. Employers tend to stereotype older workers as employees’ stuck in their ways, and who cannot adapt to new changes. Additionally, employers believe that training older workers is a cost and not a benefit. The Age Discrimination Act prohibits these scenarios from occurring with people over the age of 40. Regarding the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, certain occupations have an exception to the law if the organization can prove the necessity to enforce an earlier retirement or decrease of job responsibilities. An example of a company HR policy showing compliance with the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 may read something like this: â€Å"The Company complies with the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, and prohibits age discrimination in employment practices of individuals 18 years or older. This policy applies to but is not limited to issues involving hiring, discharge, compensation, terms, conditions, advancement, recruitment, promotion, demotion, transfer, layoff, training, or privileges of employment.† The Drug-Free Workplace Act â€Å"requires institutions that receive grants and certain contracts from any federal agency to certify that it will provide a drug-free work place† (Office Of General Counsel, 2012). The law was enacted in 1988 and it began with federal contracts of $25,000 or more but was later changed to $100,000 or more where it stands today. The court case that has caused the most controversy is Gary Ross v Ragingwire Telecommunications Inc. After California legalized medical marijuana Ross obtained a prescription for the drug and used it as directed. He was later fired by Ragingwire Telecommunications for failing a drug test as a result of the use of medical marijuana. â€Å"The court ruled that drug testing in the state was legal, that firing an employee for use of medical marijuana was not tantamount to discrimination and that employers are not obligated to accommodate the use of medical marijuana—even outside the workplace† (Schwartz, 2010). This ruling is important because while some states have legalized medical marijuana and protect individuals from criminal prosecution, it remains clear that a drug-free workplace is critical to the safety of the entire workforce. To avoid conflict an organization must establish the guidelines for drug testing and communicate the expectation clearly to employees. The human resources team may establish the process for drug testing and implement a plan to assist employees that test positive on drug screens, such as offering the employee rehabilitation (DeCenzo Robbins, 2007). An example of a company HR policy showing compliance with the Drug-Free Workplace Act may read something like this: â€Å"The possession, use, or sale of illegal drugs while on Company property is strictly prohibited. The misuse of any illegal drugs and/or alcohol while on Company time or during breaks or meals, is strictly prohibited. Any employee under the influence of alcohol or drugs that may impair judgment, performance, or the safety of the employee or others while on Company property, Company business, or during work hours, is subject to discipline up to and including termination. The Company conducts post-accident drug and alcohol testing of employees when an accident occurs during company time as allowed by law. The Company reserves the right to conduct random drug and/or alcohol testing at their discretion for performance or behavior issues. A positive result from any testing conducted may result in immediate termination, or unpaid leave to enter an approved rehabilitation program at the Company’s discretion. These conditions are by no means established as a right of the employee, and may be rescinded at any time without prior notice by the Company.† References Migdal, A. (2012). Blog of Rights. Retrieved from http://www.aclu.org/blog/womens-rights- reproductive-freedom/not-so-secret-war-moms-how-supreme-court-took-protections Swanton, Mary, Inside Counsel, EEOC Wins Settlements in Age Discrimination Cases Involving Senior Citizens, retrieved on December 1, 2012 from website, http://www.insidecounsel.com/2010/03/25/eeoc-wins-settlements-in-two-age-discrimination-cases-involving-senior-citizens U.S. Equal Employment Commission, retrieved on December 1, 2012, from website, http://www.eeoc.gov/eeoc/publications/age.cfm Schwartz, S. K. (2010). The Drug-Free Workplace v Medical Marijuana. Retrieved from http://www.cnbc.com/id/36179669/The_Drug_Free_Workplace_vs_Medical_Marijuana Office of General Counsel. (2012). Retrieved from http://counsel.cua.edu/copyright/index.cfm Sue Shellerbarger, â€Å"Work and Family,† The Wall Street Journal, August 22, 2001. Retrieved 11/29/2012. http://www.benefitslink/buying-time-off/policy/hr/whitman/press.org http://www2.cortland.edu/offices/hr/affirmative-action/policy-on-the-age-discriminatio n.htm http://www.eeoc.gov/laws/statutes/index.cfm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Employment_(Equal_Opportunities)_Law,_1988

Biography Of Charles Dickens :: essays research papers

Biography of Charles Dickens There is something about Charles Dickens' imaginative power that defies explanation in purely biographical terms. Nevertheless, his biography shows the source of that power and is the best place to begin to define it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The second child of John and Elizabeth Dickens, Charles was born on February 7, 1812, near Portsmouth on England's south coast. At that time John Dickens was stationed in Portsmouth as a clerk in the Navy Pay Office. The family was of lower-middle-class origins, John having come from servants and Elizabeth from minor bureaucrats. Dickens' father was vivacious and generous but had an unfortunate tendency to live beyond his means. his mother was affectionate and rather inept in practical matters. Dickens later used his father as the basis for Mr. Micawber and portrayed is mother as Mrs. Nickleby in A Tale of Two Cities. After a transfer to London in 1814, the family moved to Chatham, near Rochester, three years later. Dickens was about five at the time, and for the next five years his life was pleasant. Taught to read by his mother, he devoured his fathers' small collection of classics, which included Shakespeare, Cervantes, Defoe, Smollet, Fielding, and Goldsmith. These left a permanent mark on his imagination; their effect on his art was quite important. dickens also went to some performances of Shakespeare and formed a lifelong attachment to the theater. He attended school during this period and showed himself to be a rather solitary, observant, good-natured child with some talent for comic routines, which his father encouraged. In retrospect Dickens looked upon these years as a kind of golden age. His first novel, The Pickwick Papers, is in part an attempt to recreate their idyllic nature: it rejoices in innocence and the youthful spirit, and its happiest scenes take place in that precise geographical area.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the light of the family's move back to London, where financial difficulties overtook the Dickens's, the time in Chatham must have seemed glorious indeed. The family moved into the shabby suburb of Camden Town, and Dickens was taken out of school and set to menial jobs about the household. In time, to help augment the family income, Dickens was given a job in a blacking factory among rough companions. At the time his father was imprisoned for debt, but was released three months later by a small legacy. Dickens related to his friend, John Forster, long afterward, that he felt a deep sense of abandonment at this time; the major themes of his novels can be traced to this period. His sympathy for the victimized, his fascination with prisons and money, the desire

Defeating the Aztec Empire

Hernan Cortes, a fierce Spanish conquistador, landed at San Juan de Ulua, in April 1519. With him, Cortes had 508 soldiers, one hundred sailors, artillery cannons, eleven ships and sixteen horses. Cortes and his small army, marched through Mexico, forming alliances with Aztec rivals, until reaching the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan. Tenochtitlan was the capital city of the massive Mexican empire known as the Aztecs or Mexica. It had a population of 200,000 people; almost three times that of the largest city of Spain, Seyville (Windschuttle, 43). Within the next two years, Cortes and his men had triumphantly defeated the Aztecs and taken control of Tenochtitlan against all odds. (Daniel, 1992) So how, despite be hopelessly outnumbered, without the possibility of new supplies or reinforcements, fighting other native tribes and Spaniards, and the Aztecs on their own turf, did this tiny Spanish force defeat such a formidable army. Today, there are a number of reasons why the Spanish have believed to been able to overcome such odds. A combination of poor Aztec military tactics against advance Spanish weaponry and strategy, a weak Aztec ruler, the spread of disease, Tenochtitlan’s poor governing over its populace, and the interconnectedness of Aztec military and religion ultimately led to the demise of its empire. The first phase of the Spanish invasion of Mexico took place in April 1519. In defiance of the Governor of Cuba and his expedition sponsor, Cortes took control over his forces and moved them inland. On the way, Cortes met resistance from other locals, who he eventually conquered and absolved into his army as allies. After reaching Tenochtitlan, capital of the Aztec Capital, the Spaniards were initially greeted as foreign ambassadors. Other claims state that the Aztecs viewed Cortes as the god, Quetzalcoatl (Windschuttle, 50). The Spanish did not return the favor, eventually kidnapping Emperor Montezuma and, using him as a puppet, ran the country. The Governor of Cuba, angry with the defiant Cortes, sent a force under Panfilo Narvaez to end his exploration. As the natives before him, Cortes defeated this force and had them join him in his conquest. In Cortes’ absence, the Spanish troops left behind had massacred Aztec nobles during a religious festival, a confrontation that also left emperor Moctezuma dead. The Spanish were forced to leave Tenochtitlan, ending the first phase of the conquest. For a year, the Spanish forces recuperated, gathering eight thousand native allies and new supplies, including three naval vessels. â€Å"To ay siege to a lake-girt city requiring the prefabrication of thirteen brigantines on the far side of the mountains, eight thousand carriers to transport the pieces, their reassembly in Texcoco, the digging of a canal and the deepening of the lake for their successful launching (Clendinenn, 72)† For a year, Cortes and his native allies lay siege to the city of Tenochtitlan. Using experience military tactics, against an Aztec force unprepared for them, Cortes and his troops captured the capital cit y, killing almost all inside. This would be the end of the Aztec empire. Moctezuma II was the ninth ruler of Tenochtitlan and the first Aztec emperor to make contact with Europeans. Moctezuma’s poor leadership and unwillingness to deal with the invading Spaniards are regarded as large factors of the Aztec’s demise. He immediately assumed the foreigners to be foreign ambassadors and was blindly unable to see their true intent. At their first meeting, the two leaders exchanged gifts. Clendinnen stated that â€Å"Cortes interpreted Moctezoma’s first gifts as gestures of submission of naive attempts of bribery. To the Aztecs, Moctezuma gifts were most likely â€Å"statements of dominancy, superb gestures of wealth and liberality made the more glorious by the arrogant humility of their giving (Windshuttle, 40). † After living months in Tenochtitlan, the Spaniards launched a coup, taking Moctezuma as a hostage. When he was taken hostage, he preferred to attempt to bribe the invaders rather than, although have the ability to, expel t hem from the city. Being heavily religious, Moctezuma would depend on his oracles for a plan of action, proving his indecisiveness and wasting valuable time. Indecisiveness of the leader and inaction to deal with the invaders led to the demise of the Aztec empire (Windschuttle, 45). The Aztec’s authoritative rule over its different cities and populations allowed for Hernan Cortes to recruit thousands of native allies. Only recently rising to power, the Aztecs depended on governed regions and populations for taxing tribute that included food and other necessities. â€Å"They exacted tribute by threat of terror and retribution. In fact, each year, the agricultural harvest heralded the onset of a six-month season of war, in which warriors from Tenochtitlan would go out to other settlements to challenge them to battle, to bring back captives for sacrifice, and to carry off women, children, and slaves (Windschuttle, 54). † The capital city of Tenochtitlan’s use of murder, sacrifice, and firm rule over its lands caused other Aztec cities to desire them to be overthrown. The Aztec’s authoritative rule was heavily resented, and did poorly to attain any loyal sentiments among its far-reaching population. Cortes was able to easily break these shaky alliances, and have these angered native populations join him in getting rid of the Aztecs. By the second siege of Tenochtitlan, Cortes had almost every other Aztec city fighting behind him. It was these native allies that led to the final massacre of the remaining Aztecs in Technoctitlan (Clendinenn, 91). Since the first contact between Europeans and American natives, diseases such as smallpox, measles, and yellow fever had spread like wildfire, killing millions of natives. The spread of disease to natives lacking immunity also contributed to the fall of the Aztecs. During the second siege of Tenochtitlan, a Spanish soldier from the force sent by the Governor of Cuba, had brought the smallpox disease with him. This disease spread quickly and was very effective at killing the natives. â€Å"Smallpox was the biggest single cause of death in the Valley of Mexico and killed off many more Aztec warriors than did Spanish swords or guns (Windschuttle, 46). † When the second siege of Tenochtitlan began, their population had dwindled so much that defeat was seemingly imminent. A major reason for the Spanish victory over the Aztecs was their experienced and trained military soldiers. They had foot soldiers with pikes, swordsmen, muskets and artillery. Spanish forces, trained by numerous wars with the French, were comprised of tercios, or units of 250 men. Soldiers were well-trained and put through drills that stressed the importance of the unit working together. Cortes and his army, due to lack of men, had to adjust to follow Spanish military strategy. â€Å"During the siege of Tenochtitlan the force was reformed into nine companies of about fifty men each, grouped in turn into three â€Å"divisions,† each of three companies. This handling of troops was in keeping with Spanish practice of the period (Daniel, 189). Cortes’ sixteen horses also proved to be incredibly effective against the Aztec soldiers and a played a vital role in their victory. â€Å"At Cintla in Tabasco, early in the expedition, thirteen horseman route a huge enemy force engaged with the infantry. At Otumba the wounded and exhausted cavalry repeatedly broke through the overwhelmi ng numbers of Aztec troops until they retreated (Daniel, 189). † Without the help of rival native groups, such as the Tlaxcala and Texcoco, the Spanish would have been even more outnumbered by the Aztec forces. This tactical use of alliances was possibly the most important aspect of Cortes’ conquest of Mexico. Overall, the use of infantry, cavalry, and allies seemed to be too much for the Aztecs. The tactical organization of the Aztec military was much different than that of the Spanish. The Aztec forces were comprised of every able man, who had little option, as opposed to the Spanish forces comprised of volunteers. Their forces were divided into four units of four hundred men, commanded by a councilor of the emperor. Most of these troops were low class commoners. There were also units of elite soldier fraternities, such as the Eagle and the Jaguar, that provided increased military skill to the Aztec army. Typically, Aztec forces would use open formations and attempt to overcome their foe using flanking tactics (Daniel 120). The Aztecs and their fortified cities were also not used to siege warfare or the use of cannons. â€Å"European cities had over this time adapted their construction, supplies and defenses to the possibility of a siege. Moreover , at the time the Spaniards were departing from America, European fortifications were going through a rapid redesign because of the challenge presented by the invention of cannon. In Tenochtitlan, however, Cortes found a people who had never even conceived of European-style siege warfare, let alone constructed defenses against it (Clendinenn, 56). † The Aztec use of open formations and inability to defend against cavalry attacks led to a disadvantage on the battleground. The Spanish army’s closed sword-wielding formations were able to hold up well against the Aztecs, often breaking through their lines. The cavalry, time and time again, were able to break up the Aztec formations, causing them to retreat. An example of the overpowering Spanish army tactics was highlighted by the Battle of Otumba. Here, a large Aztec army confronted exhausted Spanish forces. Cortes ordered his cavalry to attack the military leaders and the Aztec army’s flanks, breaking through their lines and causing confusion. The Spanish infantrymen engaged the Aztec foot soldiers, continuing to attack as the Aztec retreated. These tactics of Cortes and his men proved to too much even large Aztec force. Aside from military tactics, the military technologies utilized by the Spanish army were far more superior to the weapons of the Aztecs. Europeans were much more advanced in terms of weaponry, using weapons of steel and iron against the Aztec’s wood and stone. As the Aztecs considered kills with long-distance weapons to shameful, their arrows and darts were only meant to injure their opponents. Aztec warriors carried wooden arrows, knives of flint stone and wooden clubs embedded with flakes of obsidian, a form of volcanic glass (Windschuttle, 45). † These clubs with stone tips were the most effective weapons carried by the Aztecs. Spanish soldiers on the other hand carried â€Å"cutlasses, lances, arrowheads and armor all forged from iron and steel, plus hand guns, crossbows, and cannons (Windschuttle, 1997-45). Their lances and cutlasses were much more efficient in hand-to-hand combat, with the ability to kill opponents with one strike. The Spanish also brought with them armored cavalry, cannons, crossbows, brigantines (ships), and handguns. In the second siege of Tenochtitlan, the three brigantines lay waste to Aztec canoes fighting in defense of the city. The Aztec military was seemingly outmatched and did not intimidate the invaders in the least. â€Å"Spanish soldiers, in fact, found Aztec weapons so inconsequential that they abandoned their own heavy metal armor in favor of quilted cotton (Windschuttle, 55). The Spanish weaponry was too much for the outdated weapons of the Aztecs to have a chance. One historian, Inga Clendinnen, argued that the biggest Aztec disadvantage was how they viewed military confrontations. As they did with the Spanish, the Aztecs would send food and gifts to an enemy viewed as inferior. The Aztecs felt that war and religion were interconnected. The Aztecs preferred hand-to-hand combat with the intention of using captives for sacrifices to the gods. They were opposed to killing opponents from a distance and viewed surprise ambushing as an unthinkable military tactic. The Spanish army, however, cherished their long-ranged weapons, such as their muskets and crossbows. To make matters worse, Aztec warriors considered being killed by a long-distance weapon as an unworthy death. â€Å"Spaniards valued their crossbows and muskets for their capacity to pick off selected enemies well behind the line of engagement: as snipers, as we would say. The psychological demoralization attending those sudden, trivializing deaths of great men painted for war, but not yet engaged in combat, must have been formidable (Clendinnen, 80)† Cortes also launched numerous attacks in the orning, known as dawn raids, charging on unsuspecting villages and slaughtering men, women, and children. Cortes and the Spanish army learned to take advantage of the Aztecs’ religious military tactics. Spanish soldiers would pretend to retreat, tempting Aztec troops to pursue chases in the hopes of acquiring sacrificial captives. Cortes would then simultaneously have his troops turn around and slaughter the unsuspecting Aztecs (Windschuttle, 52-53). Cortes states that â€Å"Sometimes, as we were thus withdrawing and they pursued us so eagerly, the horsemen would pretend to be fleeing, and then suddenly would turn on the,; we always took a dozen or so of the boldest. By these means and by the ambushed which we set for them, they were always much hurt; and certainly it was a remarkable sight for even when they well knew the harm they would receive from us as we withdrew, they still pursued us until we had left the city (Clendinenn, 80). † The Spanish used siege warfare to ultimately bring down Tenochtitlan. They constricted its perimeter, forcing other tribes to join them against the Aztecs, and cutting off supplies to the Tenochtitlan’s inhabitants. â€Å"Siege was the quintessential European strategy: an economical design to exert maximum pressure on whole populations with active engagement, delivering control over people and place at least cost (Clendinenn, 83). † Aztecs detested this form of warfare, preferring the more honorable hand-to-hand combat. The Spanish, however, would avoid this type of warfare, sticking together in tight formations and using long-distance weapons and artillery. In the end, despite being heavily outnumbered, outgunned, and malnourished the Aztecs followed their prideful ways and refused to surrender. â€Å"Again they encountered ghostly figures, of women and gaunt children, and saw the warriors still stationed on the rooftops, but silent now, and unarmed, close-wrapped in their cloaks. And still the fruitless pretense at negotiation, the dumb, obdurate resistance (Clendinnen, 91). † Here Cortes seems to be dumbfounded by the resilience of the seemingly defeated Aztecs. In the coming day, Cortes and his army killed twelve thousand more Tenochtitlan inhabitants. Cortes again tried to get them to surrender. â€Å"I said many things to persuade them to surrender but all to no avail, although we showed them more signs of peace that have ever been shown to a vanquished people for we, by the grade of our Lord, were now the victors (Clendinnen, 91). † After two more days of Aztec refusal, Cortes released their native ally forces, which mercilessly murdered â€Å"forty-thousand† more Aztec civilians. Between the 15th and 16th centuries, the Aztec empire had been a thriving empire with far-reaching influence throughout Mexico. The eventual demise befalling them would go blindly unknown as Hernan Cortes and his army of Spanish Conquistadors explored Mexico. Within two years of seeing Tenochtitlan and meeting its emperor Moctezuma II, the Spanish forces of roughly five hundred men had destroyed the Aztec city and killed off most of inhabitants. There are many reasons that contributed to this extremely unlikely scenario. Moctezuma made the first blunder by accepting the invaders as foreign ambassadors and basically allowing them to roam freely around the city. His eventual kidnapping at the hands of the Spanish seemed to be the beginning of the end. After the initial siege of Tenochtitlan was unsuccessful, the Spanish were able to recuperate in a neighboring city of Texococo. Preying on weak ties between Technotitlan and the cities it cruelly and authoritatively ruled over, Cortes was able to combine a native ally army. In conjunction with the Spaniards’ advanced weaponry and military strategy, and using the poor religious-backed military tactics of the Aztecs to their advantage, the Aztecs fell within a year. The defeat of the Aztecs seemingly opened the door to European colonization of the Americas and the further destruction of the continents’ natives.

World War I and World War II

The period after World War I and World War II, this was approximately during the years 1919 to 1944, and after 1946, various sentiments appeared ranging from loss, death, suffering, happy to be alive and family reunions.   Since people are still experiencing the aftermath of the war, poets and authors alike were also feeling the fever. Rupert Brooke was well known for his war poems that vividly described what he saw, relating the fear and devastation he felt while fighting in the battlefield. Fiction novelist D.H. Laurence, poetess Edna St. Vincent Millay and Robert Frost became well known for their works that includes Women in Love, A Few Figs from Thistles and a   Pulitzer Award Winning collection of poems, respectively. However, other authors like John Hall Wheelock began publishing The Liberator, a weekly journal of criticizing the current society radically, where he soon became affiliated with the communist party. There were some who were not contented with the result of the war and went on to protest through their writings. Filling up the people’s mind with â€Å"what if† questions, and â€Å"if this was what they want†. This somehow changed the people’s view and a mixture of reactions was raised against their current situation. For example in the aftermath of World War II, a wave of sympathy was given to the holocaust survivors, while others, still, believed in Hitler’s ideology. From this event, numerous autobiographical accounts were published, the famous of which was The Diary of Anne Frank. Nonetheless, the conflict that arose from this era was that people became too sensitive in what was written down in journals, poems, stories or even in any articles. Such sensitivity was somehow dreadful for the literature world since authors did not have the liberty anymore to write anything out of topic and was not able to deviate from the current issues that were going on at that time. Works Cited Online Focus. War Poets. A Newshour with Jim Lehrer Transcript. February 17, 2003. November 5, 2007. http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/entertainment/jan-june03/war_poets_2-17.html World Chronology(1919, 1920). Answers.Com Website. November 5, 2007. http://www.answers.com/topic/1919?cat=technology#literature http://www.answers.com/topic/1920?cat=technology#literature  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Between The Covers Rare Books, Inc. Website. November 5, 2007. http://www.betweenthecovers.com/btc/awards/1000304   

Internment of Japanese Canadians during world war 2 essays

Internment of Japanese Canadians during world war 2 essays In 1942, 23,000 Japanese Canadians lived on the West Coast of British Columbia. The majorities of them were Canadians by birth or naturalized citizens. While they worked as fishermen and laborers and paid their taxes, they were denied the right to vote. Thirty-five years after the first person of Japanese origin settled in Canada, Japanese Canadians continued to face persecution and racism. Despite the racism, the community continued to develop and prosper. During the years of limited immigration, women arrived and families began to grow. Japanese Canadians, still without the franchise, volunteered for service in WWI. By 1919, Japanese Canadians owned nearly half the fishing licenses in B.C., but by 1925, 1,000 fishing licenses were stripped from them. In 1941, Japanese Canadians were fingerprinted and photographed and were required to carry registration cards. War was imminent. Immediately after the bombing of Pearl Harbour, 1,800 Japanese Canadian fishing boats were seized and impounded. The government enacted the War Measures Act and vested power from the representative Parliament to the Prime Minister's Cabinet. Within three months, federal Cabinet Orders-in-Council forced the removal of Japanese Canadian male nationals to camps, and then authorized the removal of all persons of Japanese origin. The RCMP was given expanded powers to search without warrant, impose a curfew and confiscate property. A Custodian of Enemy Property was authorized to hold all land and property in trust. During the "evacuation", many people were given only 24 hours notice to vacate their homes, before being sent to "clearing sites" where they were detained until internment camps were prepared. A civilian body, the B.C. Security Commission was in charge of the expulsion orders. By November 1942, after eight months of operation, the Commission managed to breakup and up-root families and sent nearly 22,000 individuals to road camps, internment camps a...

Ishmael essay Essays

Ishmael essay Essays Ishmael essay Essay Ishmael essay Essay Essay Topic: Push Precious Ishmael essay BY 1100205268 Ap World Summer Assignment Dennis Podvidz Coach Floyd Period 1 Floyd 8-10-12 How Agriculture Has Shaped Man assignment 1 Mr. In the novel Ishmael by Daniel Quinn it makes a brave point of how man has taken over Mother Nature and has claimed what is not his due to the fact that Agriculture has shaped man and his potential. In the movie by James Diamond Guns, Germs, and Steel it strikes a similar note in how the taker people compare to the leaver people and how they have more success than the original lifestyle of the leavers. Man has dvanced greatly through the progression of agriculture and from their into their civilization. Though in the end the taker people are starting to destroy themselves and ultimately mother earth. In Ismael and Guns, Germs, and steel it shows how man has progressed and ultimately start to destroy himself because of the agricultural progression of man. The world was made for man, but it took him along time to fgure that out(Quinn: pg 68). That is what was imposed for the novel Ishmael meaning that the whole world revolves around man. Man is why we have cities, technology, architecture and other luxuries. The place where all of this has come from though, has been from the way that man had expanded and how his agriculture had expanded. The idea of agriculture had happened back in the Fertile Crescent because the so-called takers were running out of food to take. They had to settle down and have a source of food to live off of so they could support villages and eventually Increase tnelr populatlon. I ne numan populatlon nas done Just tnat ana for the most part they have thrived, but because of this they have done unthinkable damage. Weve gobbled up irreplaceable resources as though they could never run ut-and we go on gobbling them up(Quinn: pg 80). As the Human Population had found out about the possibilities of farming and staying in one place as opposed to traveling and being gatherers, they have become successful. The success comes with its prices though on the other hand, The Takers had started to get very nasty and disgraceful with the leaver people. They had started to believe that the way to live is to farm and any group of people that does not abide by that rule will ultimately get whipped out when Ishmael clearly stats this when he says miou may no longer live by hunting and gathering. This is Wrong. This is evil. We forbid it. (Quinn: pg 167). As people had started to get greedier they had ultimately wanted more land and more power. The main reason of this power and land was to expand their population and to have growth in their economy. The takers did not have room for the leavers so they had simply had started to kill them off. They had started to kill them of for one simple reason, they needed that land for agriculture, and agriculture ultimately means expansion. Then people had started to feed of the Takers and had brought it into their culture because they see what uccess they have compared to the other leavers. An example of this type of people would have been the Jews. The Jews though had seen the value of the leaver people and they had left the leavers in their culture. The Takers though had a downfall later in the revolution. The Taker people had invested all of their might into the agriculture of the land and had expanded beyond the holding limit of mother earth. In Guns, Germs, and Steel by James diamond he makes a very valid point of why the taker people of the modernized world have so much more technology and an overall better wellbeing than the Native Papua New Guineans. The answer to this question is that the New Guineans are a leaver civilization, they didnt expand and didnt have such technological growth as the taker people, an example of this is cargo. Cargo is what the New Guineans had called the technology and the actual things that the modern world people have. The New Guineans have followed the same way of life since their fist appearance onto mother earth. They are hunter and gatherers and they do very littlie farming. They look as if though they were in the 1000 B. C. E and their culture is very reflective of that as well. They live in large ommunities and they are hunting to get their food and the women are staying home doing all of the work since they are counted less superior to man. The only reason that the New Guineans had not expanded was because they didnt have agriculture and that has pushed them back in the overall evolution of man. In Ismael and Guns, Germs, and Steel it shows how man has progressed and ultimately start to destroy himself because of the agricultural progression of man. The fact of the expansion of the human population had gone back to agriculture. That one step had put us in the position we are now, and the countries that had not aken that step are very behind in the cultural evolution. But the question is, did we take the right step with expanding through agriculture and ultimately killing our resources and Mother Nature? Only time will tell if we will fail or succeed. Diamond, James. Guns,Germs, and Steel Part One. Guns, Germs, and Steel Part One. N. d. Television. Quinn, Daniel. Ishmael: An Adventure of the Mind and Spirit. United States of America: Bantam/Turner, 1995. Print. Evaluatlon 0T How Man created Cltles to Isnmael ana -uns, Germs, ana s assignment 2 All three of these works present a very careful argument pretty much textbook example of the process of posing a research question, making a claim to answer that question, and presenting clear evidence, examples, and support for the claim. Show how each demonstrates this in the following matrix How Man Created Cities Ishmael Guns, Germs, and Steel What is the overall driving question? How did Man Invent cities? Why are things made up to be the way they are? Why do first world countries have so much more cargo than the people of Pupa New Guinea? What is the overall answer? (thesis) Man had invented cities on the fact that the place where the city had originated, that ertain geographical location had been able to supply mans needs. Things are made up to be the way they are because or society is based on a myth that is so deeply rooted into our society that we cant do anything about it and if we do then we make it worse. The people of first world countries have more cargo because they had the ability to farm and have good livestock, which they gained, through geographical location and experience with mother nature. .What are the main claims to support the answer? The place that you would chose to build a city would be place that had a good access to food, water, and shelter. People in our society believe that the people that have other lifestyles than our own are living a very uncivilized lifestyle. The people of the first world countries had wheat and barley as well as good livestock like cows and horses. While the people of Papa New Guinea had some roots and bananas. What evidence is there to support these claims? Examples. You wouldnt build a city in the desert because there is no food, water, or shelter. You would build a city next to a river which would have water to drink, fish to eat, and some type of vegetation to mage shelter out of. People from the first world countries nat are llvlng taker IITestyles tnlnK tnat people 0T tnlra world countrles tnat are llvlng leaver lifestyles are wrong and uncivilized. The first world countries are more developed and carry a much larger population because of the reliable food source. Pastoral (nomadic) Culture vs. Neolithic Agrarian Culture (nomadic) Culture Neolithic Agrarian Culture assignment 3 Pastoral Being any type of nomad is the oldest way of living in the world and it dates back to as far as 6000 B. C The Postaral Nomads Follow a specific pattern to which to graze their livestock and they are constantly on the move They move their livestock ccording to the seasons Each year they go back to the same place they were during that season last year to herd In areas with a decent amount of rainfall, the Pastoral Nomads live in villages that are designed of them to have a more relaxed stay for In the dry seasons the Pastoral Nomads stick to portable tents that they can easily set up and take down The Pastoral Nomads are people that make their own food and dont buy or take from others, they do trade though for other products that would include hard goods The Pastoral Nomads in habit the less fertile regions of the world that receive little ainfall as well The Pastoral Nomads live in the regions of West Africa and Central Asia The Pastoral Nomads are originally based to be part of a warrior culture, because they were despised by people they lived round The Neolithic Agrarians mostly lived in small little groups or tribes They had the chance to acquire livestock so they did Unlike the Pastoral nomad the Neolithic Agrarians had homes that they could settle down and not travel from place to place, most of the homes were built out of mud The Neolithic Agrarians believed in burials and they would usually wait until only ones were left of the dead person and would bury them in-between the houses or even under the floor of the house The Neolithic Agrarians Had lived in Europe since 6400 B. C and in countless other regions across the world like the fertile crescent and the Americas The Neolithic Agrarians had heavily relied on Farming, in earlier times it relied on the region that you were in that the farming was based on, but near the ena all 0T tne T Intake was Ilmltea Ine Neollt lc n Agrarlans were very SKIIlea tool maker and had made tons of tool for many different reasons including farming and weapons Continued Next Page) Catalhoyuk and the Bedouin as Examples Pastoral Example- Catalhoyuk How are the Bedouin an example of a pastoral society? The Bedouins are a prime example of the Pastoral society because they are Nomads. The Bedouins live in counties in the middle east that have a relatively low rainfall and that means fertility. They have their livestock Just as the pastoral Nomads had and they travel with their livestock all the time. The Bedouins dont have a real home Just like the Pastoral Nomads so they Just set up tents and take tents down. Lastly the Bedoui ns travel with the seasons, In the dry season they go to a solid watering hole just as the Pastoral Nomads did. How is Catalhoyuk an example of a Neolithic agrarian society? The Catalhoyuk were much like the Neolithic Agrarians in their plan of living. The Catalhoyuk had made permanent settlements Just as the Neolithic Agrarians did compared to the pastoral nomads. The Catalhoyuk had made their houses out of the same material (mud) as the Neolithic Agrarians did. The Catalhoyuk had also the same burial traditions by letting the body of the dead decay to the bone and then bury them underneath the floor of the house. Lastly the Catalhoyuk had made many tools and had a wide variety of crops River Valley/Foundations Cultures PIRATES Fill in evidence that aligns with the cultural traits listed below. Each column may not be necessarily even, but all should be filled in to some extent. Assingment 4 Cultures Political (Laws, Governance) Intellectual (Math, Science, Philosophic, Ideas) Rellglons Art/Architecture (Forms, styles, uses) Technology Economic (How they make a living-trade, farming etc) Social (Gender relationships, role of women, classes) Shang They had an overall king that that had allowed territory rulers to rule parts of the and in exchange for military support under that was priest class which was in charge of religion and records The People of the Shang dynasty had created a writing system that had over 3,000 symbols, they had also made a 12 month calendar and a decimal system The Shang Dynasty believed in the god Shang-Ti, This god was considered superior to all the other gods The type of art the Shang dynast had were different types of pots, bronze weapons, vessels and hairpins. The Shang dynasty was highly skillful in metalworking and they had created many types of weapons and tools. The Shang Dynasty had made a living y agriculture, the type of cr ops that they had grown were wheat, barley, and other types of grains. The Shang dynasty had classes that went from nobles, to priests, to craftsman to peasants and slaves Harappa The political system of the Harappans is not quite discovered but it is believed to be that their was one main government with rules of the cities to help out The Harappan people were masters in measuring length, mass and time, they were one of the first civilizations that made up as system of weights and measurements The religion that the Harappa civilization believed in was Polytheistic, in this religion ertain animal represent gods The Harappans civilization had large scale urban like settlements; the Harappans had different types of vessels, pottery, and Jewelry. The Harappans were among the first to purify gold and it was also found that they had been some the first people using dental techniques(drilling human teeth) They had a very strong trading system because they would trade their precious artwork with Mesopotamian settlements, making them a well know economic hub, farmed lots of dry grain The Harappans were divided into four classes, learned people, businessmen, warriors, and working class. Women were considered higher up then men Egypt The Egyptians had a main ruler which was the king, under the king was the vizier. I ne vlzler naa ne10 all 0T tne countless projects tnat tne anclent Egyptians naa. The Egyptians had a completely finished numerical system, they were also the first civilization that had shown evidence of mathematical equations The ancient Egyptians had believed in the Divine Kingship, which means that the king is also their god. The architecture in Egypt is some of the famous architecture in the world, The pyramid of Giza is one example, Architects in Egypt were also famous for their recise stone work The Egyptians new how to make ships up to 35 meters long, they also knew how to make glass and many artificial stones The Egyptians had relied heavily on farming, since the rainfall was scarce they had made good use of the Nile for irrigation systems, their main crops were wheat, barley and other grains, but they also had fruits and vegetables Women in ancient Egypt had the same rights as men, but the were treated a lot differently, the woman usually had stayed at home while the men had worked Sumer The Sumerians had a king that had ruled the city state government, the king would ut the laws into effect, but instead of punishing someone physically He would punish them with a fine The Sumerians were the first to make use of math like algebra and geometry, They also were the first that had used numerical order, a nd find the area of a triangle and volume of a cube The Sumerians did not have a specific religion; each state had its own priests and churches. The Sumerians were the first to have the right who to worship The Sumerians had a lack of wooden materials, so in result they had started to build mud houses, if wanting something stronger then you would use brick The Sumerians had been innovators of many tems such as wheels, saws, knives, axes chisels, etc. Many Sumerians had made their living of farming onions, wheat, mustard, lentils, barley etc. hey also traded with many surrounding civilizations Woman in the Sumerian civilization were considered freer than in the other leading civilizations but, the civilization was still in favor of man, the class was mostly divided into a fee person or a slave Chavin In the Chavin civilization to have the power to rule was brought only to a few elite members that had some sort of divine connection The Chavin people were the first eople that had carve d the faces into stone of the deities that they believed in The civilization of the Chavin believe in different types of deities, there are deities for the underworld, food and, the supernatural world The Chavin had created many pieces of art, though to the modern world we cannot understand what they mean, they were meant to be understood only by the chiefs The advancements in technology for the Chavin was their abilities to use abnormal techniques for firing their clay The Majority of the People from the Chavin civilization have been involved with omestication of llamas, they also have some crops including potatoes and quinoa The woman in the Chavin civilization are usually at home caring for the kids while the men are trying to bring home food Olmec The political structure of the Olmec was strongly centralized, this gave power to the elite that would have control over the people The Olmecs were the first Mesoamerican people that would have a calendar, understand the concept of zer o, and create a writing system The Olmecs believed that their priests were the most important fgure and the most sacred fgure The Olmecs make there art out of many OITTerent materlals Inclualng clay ana Dasalt, most 0T tnelr Tlgures represent real IITe things The Olmecs had many types of invented technologies, but the most notable of them all was their geomagnetic lodestone compass The Olmecs were farmers back in their time, they had grown beans, squash, maize, and cotton, they also had done long distance trading The woman of the Olmec had taken care of the children while the men had been out and had brought home the food (Continued Next Page) Venn Diagram Unique toa Culture In Common Among a Majority of the Cultures The Shang dynasty had classes that went from nobles, to priests, to craftsman to easants and slaves The woman of most of these civilizations were considers less dominant then men Most civilizations listed here have some type of agriculture All civilizations worshiped some sort of fgure All civilizations had found out some technology that is still used today Sumer The Sumerians were the first to make use of math like algebra and geo metry, They also were the first that had used numerical order, and find the area of a triangle and volume ofa cube Harappa Chavin The civilization of the Chavin believe in different types of deities, there are deities for the underworld, food and, the supernatural world Egypt The ancient Egyptians had believed in the Divine Kingship, which means that the king is also their god. Olmec The Olmecs were the first Mesoamerican people that would have a calendar, understand the concept of zero, and create a writing system (Continued On Next Page) How does either the Phoenicians or the Minoans compare culturally to the other Foundation cultures? (Your choice of who to use, looking for an in-depth analysis here of at least one page. The Phoenicians are one of the most sought out civilizations in the world and they can be easily compared with the founder cultures. The Phoenicians are people that ave traded countless of precious items (mostly to Greece) that are supplied to the elite; one of t hese items would be vivid purple die that is received from the snail shell. The Phoenician alphabet with its very ideal and strict forms can be compared to the great writing system of the Shangs. The culture of the Phoenicians is a learning culture because they had sat out and had taken in countless information from the ancient Egyptians. Every good civilization has to be able to learn to flourish and prosper above all the rest. The Phoenician civilization had a chance to come out and they did, In about 900 B. C Their was no real strict military power in the region of the Phoenicians so they came out and they started to trade with the surrounding areas. With the population of the Phoenicians rising they had started to expand into the Mediterranean Sea. With the time that the Phoenicians were at the Mediterranean Sea they had become very hefty with their glasswork and had helped out the Egyptians as well. The Phoenicians hold one of the oldest cities in the world, just recently archeologist have found remains of farms and fishermans houses that date back to as far as 7000B. C. To the end of their being in the main groups of ivilizations, the interests of the Phoenicians had become art, religion and trade. If a civilization that is capable to give as much as it is capable to learn then it should have the right to be compared and even be part of the foundation cultures. Conrad Demarest Comparison of Empires assignment 5 Refer to the complete listing of characteristics in the C-D Model before completing this chart. Include specific examples, not generalities. Characteristics Neo-Assyrian Empire Persian Empire 1. Necessary preconditions for the rise of empires†the region must have: a) State- level government b) agricultural potential c) An environmental mosaic