Personal history Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Personal history - Essay Example It was my first Monday at work after a happy long vacation. I was walking through the aisle of my Walgreens, when I suddenly heard from the Vitamin’s aisle a sweet voice of a little Cuban girl. ‘Mami, mami, manana es tu cumpleanos (mom, mom, tomorrow is your birthday)!’ said the little girl with a huge smile and happiness in her face. In that moment, a rush of emotion invaded my mind, and I could not stop the tears of my eyes falling to the floor. As I was looking at the mother’s girl with an immense smile, I saw a cheerful girl during the spring of 2000 in Cuba, when I was only 10 year old, and I saw the radiant smile of the woman who gave me life. In that age, I had a straight black hair, brown eyes and rep lips. Although I was a skinny and stylish girl like a Barbies’ model, I did not like to brush my hair and dress up my bed in the mornings, and every day I was waiting for make a new mischief with my friends at school. In that time of my life, my favorite place was a little space that I created for myself with rocks and small pieces of wood at the back yard of my home. I was the leader there! My school friends and I went to there to do homework, study for the tests, make some food and of course, play games endlessly. I had a very unique family. I lived with my father my brother and my Queen: my mother. She was my teacher, my best friend and my witness. Always, every single plan that I did, I had told her before. I almost forget! I cannot fail to mention my little and adorable Blanquito, my funny and crazy puppy! These are some of my most precious treasures of memories, but the storm that would come and the darkness that would surround me, along with the anguish and pain that destroyed my heart would forever leave me wanting to see her face again. Mum had been seriously ill in the days leading up to her painful demise. In the latter days, as her condition grew worse, my

Work based experience Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Work based experience - Coursework Example that the former students should be patient and wait for the jobs they were trained but this is not an option because of the student loans among other obligations that the graduates have to fulfill. A Work based program is the best option that a student or a graduate can undertake because it will help transition the student from the school environment to the job market. This program is meant to provide a first-hand experience of the nature of work that the student has been trained for while also benefiting the employer in terms of the new ideas that the student brings to the organization. This paper seeks to research and evaluate the suitable organizations that a student can undertake his or her work based program to help in the transition to the job market. Caution must be exercised when looking for an organization to undertake a work based experience program. Studies have shown that money should not be a factor when choosing an organization to undertake a work based experience program. This is because, positions that seem high paying seem to pale faster compared to positions that pay moderately. As one is seeking for on an opportunity to learn, one should only consider organizations that intend to expand in near future as this will increase their chance in getting employed on a permanent basis after graduating. While its normal for students to find themselves in a position they are to undertake some menial tasking like filling forms or compiling expense reports, students should avoid organization where most of the tasks given involve are menial and instead, they should seek experience elsewhere. Students should also avoid taking any positions just because of the enticing titles. They should take initiative to learn the roles involved in the position (Burnsed 2011); hence, they will understand what is expected of them should they choose to accept the position. Doing so will also help them assess the relevance of the position in relation with skills and the

The Historical Progression of African American Essay Example for Free

The Historical Progression of African American Essay In Unit One, life for African Americans was transformed by Lincoln’s proclamation of emancipation. The social/cultural issue they faced was without economic dependence, effective freedom would never be had. In response to that issue they chose to gain literacy, build black churches, and remain working for white land owners. The outcome of that was the establishment of black churches controlled by freed staves, blacks were trained to be teachers, and sharecropping agreements were made between white land owners and African Americans. In Unit Two, life for African Americans was plagued by violence and intimidation. The political issue they faced was reform for the support of white supremacy. In response to that issue they chose to protest against segregation, discrimination, and disfranchisement. The outcome was the establishment of the organization National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) which rallied for the equal rights and privileges of African Americans. In Unit Three, life for African Americans was leaning toward financial independence. The economic issue they faced was securing better paying jobs. In response to this issue they sought employment in the railroad and automobile industries. The outcome was the black owned businesses, Pullman porters, and growth in the entertainment industry by way of the Harlem Renaissance. In Unit Four, African Americans became influential in the television and film industry. The literary issue that they faced was unbiased portrayal of their culture. In response to that issue African Americans became freelance writers and photographers. The outcome was the showcase of the talented African American writers and photographers who achieved rose above the achievements of their peers. In Unit Five, the life of African Americans was ridiculed by the increase in teenage pregnancies. The religious issue they faced is abstinence is more spiritually moral than birth control. In response to that issue they choose use the methods that they saw fit to counter act teenage pregnancies. The outcome of that was a decrease in the incidents of teenage pregnancies. The historical progression of African Americans was accompanied by new found freedom, racism, and struggle for equal rights and opportunities. The Civil War was supposed to be justification of social and political freedom for all American born people. The end of the Civil War bought freedom to enslaved African Americans but the change in social status did not provide much relief for them because they lacked economic dependence. The period from 1865-1876 was the most transforming period in history for African Americans. Emancipation freed slaves from whippings, the breakup of families, sexual exploitation, and constant confinement. For African Americans freedom meant the right to travel without the permission of their white captors. The south witnessed a massive migration of freedmen as they traveled to reunite families and establish permanent homes. Politically, it became evident that emancipation and equality were not synonymous and that oppression arose in a variety of forms. Political actions influenced an economic situation that was already bleak (Meacham, 2003). Prominent African American leaders fought the National Republican Party to secure rights promised by the Equal Rights Amendments and to extend those rights into material independence for the freed people. However this would be difficult because of the numbers of newly freed slaves who were largely uneducated, highly migratory while searching for family or employment, and largely disorganized by centuries of oppression (Meacham, 2003). After the Civil War, the newly freed southern blacks developed many methods to obtain the freedom and equality that they had expected from emancipation. One such effort was the Exoduster movement. The Exoduster movement was an attempt by Benjamin â€Å"Pap† Singleton, a former slave and others to encourage migration of African Americans from the old south to Kansas. Singleton worked towards this goal within the black community in a variety of ways and developed support in the dominant societys institutions. Singleton saw the need to improve the material status of freedmen. In 1880, he told the Senate, â€Å"My people want land we need land for our children and our disadvantages that caused my heart to grieve and sorrow; pity for my race, sir, that was coming down, instead of going up that caused me to go to work for them. Because of the freedmen history of agricultural labor, land seemed the most expedient need for their economic development (Meacham, 2003). Blacks remaining in the South after the war had few choices, so they had to continue to work for white landowners. Although they paid some wages, whites wished to continue the old system of labor consisting of close supervision, gang labor, and physical punishment. African Americans’ refusal to work under these conditions or live in the old slave quarters near the master’s house, afforded them the task of erecting cabins on plantation land located far away from the main house. Wages were at $5 or $6 a month but in the year 1867 wages increased to $10 a month. Because African Americans farmed were able to farm separate sections of land, a rise in sharecropping developed. African Americans would tend the crops and split them with the white landowner at the end of the planting season (Davidson, Gienapp, et al, 2008). After the Civil War, education became the main source of release from the mental chains of slavery. During this time there were many who had never experienced basic education due to the constraints of slavery. However, those who had been exposed to formal as well as informal education established what was called â€Å"Sabbath schools† which were operated in churches on Sundays and through the week. Religious denominations such as African Methodist Episcopal, Colored Methodist Episcopal, and Black Baptist helped to educate freedmen because they knew that education was a form of eradicating illiteracy, poverty, and the degradation of slavery. Education was not just a strike against discrimination, but a means of gaining respect and dignity ( Butner, 2005). The anti-freedom movement progressed and grew stronger. During the period from 1877 to 1920, the situation hardly changed for better. The discrimination of African Americans was ongoing. The 1890’s was one of the lowest points for African Americans. Lynching increased, black voting suffered drastic restrictions, and special facilities were used to segregate whites from blacks. This segregation was represented by signs painted with the words â€Å"For Whites Only. † African Americans from all walks of life began to fight back against such discriminations. Booker T. Washington tried to influence blacks to accept segregation but W. E. B. Du Bois believed that intellectual growth would be damaged if they settled for vocational training. Du Bois, not accepting of the discriminatory caste system structured by whites, also believe that blacks could achieve a better future if they fought politics to gain suffrage and equal rights. As a result of protest against segregation, disfranchisement, and discrimination; the Niagra Movement was formed in 1905. This movement sought political and economic equality for colored people. However, in 1909 a coalition of black and white reformers came together and changed the movement into the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) which challenged the legality of the Jim-Crow system of bigotry and segregation (Davidson, Gienapp, et al, 2008). Black professionals identified the Achilles heel of white supremacy. Segregation provided blacks the chance, indeed, the imperative, to develop a range of distinct institutions that they controlled. Maneuvering through their organizations and institutions, they exploited that fundamental weakness in the separate but equal system permitted by the U. S. Supreme Courts 1896 decision in Plessy v. Ferguson. For all their violence, lynching, prejudice, and hatred, white supremacists could not exterminate black people. The white supremacists major goal, after all, was to maintain an exploitable labor force that would remain in a inferior place (Hine, 2003). However, in 1921-1945, the situation started to improve and the civil right movement of African Americans had started to grow stronger. The 1920s were the period known as the Harlem Renaissance. As a result of the Great Migration of African Americans from South to North, their number of blacks in Northern states increased steadily. They had more opportunity to exercise their rights because oppression in the North was not as severe as in the South. The cultural movement, known as the Harlem Renaissance, spread nationwide and became a powerful movement which proved that African American communities had the power and ability to achieve success in the US (Tolnay, 2003). Since the time of Emancipation in the 1860s, economic circumstance handicapped Baltimores African-Americans. They understood that advances in economic opportunities were crucial to other gains in social access and civil rights. During the 1930s workplaces across Baltimore begin to yield such access and opportunity. Increased access and opportunities came in a wide array of industries. The strength behind the change rested on the expanding black population. Ariving by bus, train, and by car, African Americans came to Baltimore in search of higher wages and to escape from the hedged-in experience of the deeper South. They came in search of greater job variety and greater political freedom. By the mid-1940s, Baltimore-bound blacks averaged fifty people each day and as many as 300 per week. Drawn to Baltimore for the chance at something better, they more than doubled the citys African-American population in the forty years following 1910. Union goals and civil rights aims largely paralleled each other. Amid the talk of labor reform, a rights consciousness developed among blacks, supplying working-class militancy with a powerful, moral foundation. War-time protests, such of the 1942 March On Annapolis, also emphasized the need for opportunities. For example, when white workers walked off their jobs at Western Electric in 1943, in protest of the absence of worksite segregation, in spite of racial tensions many blacks progressed economically and occupationally. Beyond industrial work, blacks struggled through the 1940s. All of the 800 employees in the citys post worked as custodians or mail handlers. The municipal government as well as many other city departments barred African-Americans from employment. By the early 1950s, most municipal entities dropped their color bar, including the Baltimore City Fire Department, which appointed ten black firelighters in 1953. In the private sector, several important companies offered semi-skilled positions to blacks for the first time, including the Yellow Cab Company, which opened driver opportunities in 1951(Terry, 2004). In the post-World War II period, from 1946 to 1974, African Americans became major contributors in the television and film industry. African American actors and actresses were forced to accept demeaning roles or have no roles. However in spite of these demeaning portrayals, African Americans starved to see folks who looked like themselves in films and on television. During the 1970s, several African American families were introduced on American television with series such as The Jeffersons (George and Louise) and Good Times (James and Florida Evans). Both shows were spin-offs of Norman Lear programs: The Jeffersons hailed from All in the Family and Good Times from Maude. Two important components regarding these programs addressed are their overall societal harm and/or good and the different way, in which blacks and whites processed the programs contents. The widely popular Cosby Show arrived in the 1980s, providing a stark contrast to the ghetto based comedies of the 1970s (Mastin, 2006). In 1964, Sidney Poiter’s acting talent and skill earned him an Oscar, making him the first African American male to win this prestigious honor. Finally, teenage pregnancy has plagued the African American community for many years. The high rate of adolescent pregnancy among African-American adolescents and damaging consequences of premature parenting make it imperative that strategies be developed to address these problems. This oversight is tragic given that an early adolescent pregnancy often predicts the beginning of a rapid succession of unwanted births and that such repeat pregnancies have adverse consequences for the infants health as well as for the mothers developmental, educational, and occupational well-being (Okwumabau, Okwumabau, Elliott, 1998) The period from 1976-present, several attempts have been made throughout the African-American community to provide programs and services to prevent this problem. However, some scholars and practitioners argue that such prevention programs and services are doomed to failure when African-American communities lack the ability to recognize or build on the cultural integrity of that community. The continued high rate of adolescent pregnancy among African-Americans, despite extensive intervention and prevention efforts, brings to the forefront the issue of cultural consistency as a key ingredient in providing prevention programs (Okwumabau, Okwumabau, Elliott, 1998). The Let the Circle Be Unbroken: Rites of Passage program is a translation of the theoretical underpinnings of an Afrocentric conceptual model into a prevention program. It influences adaptation of socialization processes observed in African cultures, which acknowledge that it is necessary to assist adolescents in the transition or passage from childhood into adulthood. â€Å"Rites of passage† is a cultural experience which requires that ideology, education, training, and culture be taught prior to an activity or celebration marking the successful transition from one stage of development (adolescence) to another (adulthood). For example, young people in many African societies are involved in initiation and training experiences that can extend from a few days or weeks to several years. More often than not, the training is conducted by elders in the society and includes a period of total separation from ones family and community during which the young person lives alone or together (communally) with others who are also in training. The young persons return from the separation-back to her family or community-signifies the successful completion of a developmental process and the earning of the respect of the community for having done so. This is the time that new responsibilities and privileges are given to the youth The Rites of Passage program began in 1991 as a pilot project of the Memphis City Schools Adolescent Parenting Program. It initially targeted pregnant and parenting adolescents and was offered as an after-school program at the Comprehensive Pupil Services Educational Center (CPSEC), home to the systems special program for pregnant and parenting students. The subjects that are covered in the Rites of Passage program are: Knowing Africa increases awareness of global Africa, her geography, people, culture, beliefs, community, and family. Knowing Self and Others introduces participants, adult facilitators, leaders, and elders to the Rites of Passage program as a means of socializing youth for adult roles and responsibilities. Family History encourages appreciation of the African-American family, including its role and function from a cultural and historical perspective. The History of African People increases basic understanding of the history and accomplishments of people of African descent. Family Life Education increases knowledge and awareness about family life matters, including human sexuality and how ones sexuality relates to responsibility, values, and respect for self and others. Spirituality: The Journey Within increases understanding and awareness of the importance of spirituality to well being. Taking Care of Self and Etiquette promotes understanding of the importance of total wellness, including physical, emotional, and spiritual well being and enhances understanding of socially acceptable (appropriate and inappropriate) behaviors. Housekeeping and Finances increases understanding of the overall management of a household, including financial planning, money management, and homemaker skills (cleaning, grocery shopping, cooking, sewing, and mending). Values Clarification and Goal Setting develops awareness of the traditional value system that guided African people, and explores and begins to clarify individual values and encourages behavior, including life goals, that is consistent with values Conflict Resolution and Violence Prevention increases awareness and understanding of violence, including the kinds of violence that are destroying AfricanAmerican communities and people as well as the cause and consequences of violence. It also illustrates that violence is preventable and that there are alternatives to violence. Creativity increases basic understanding of the contribution of people of African descent to the creative arts as well as knowledge and appreciation of the creative arts, particularly those related to the history and culture of African people. X Life Management: Time, School, Work, and Leisure develops skills to appropriately manage ones life in regard to time spent at school, work, and at leisure. HIV/AIDS and Other Life-Threatening Conditions increases knowledge and awareness about sexually transmitted diseases and other health conditions (high blood pressure, homicide) that threaten the longevity of people of African descent. Communication increases awareness of the importance of communication skills. Assertiveness and Leadership increases awareness of the qualities of leadership, including those qualities shown by famous and/or high profile African-Americans, as well as the importance of assertiveness and leadership to ones growth and development. Career Development exposes participants to a variety of career options and the requirements for each career (Okwumabau, Okwumabau, Elliott, 1998). The Let the Circle Be Unbroken: Rites of Passage† program helped to decrease the incidents of teenage pregnancy among African American teenagers by providing them with knowledge of ancestrial heritage, self, family values, spirituality, and personal skills that influence them to make effective decision about birth control and sexuality which will not hinder them from succeeding in life due to teenage parenthood. Conclusion Lincoln’s signing of the Emancipation Proclamation in Unit One subjected African Americans to a life where economic dependence was vital in securing true freedom. The assistance of black churches enabled them recognize the importance of education in developing their own communities, securing employment, and gaining respect of white land owners. Although violence and intimidation was a part of the political reform of the Democrats in support of white supremacy, African Americans remained steadfast. Protests of social injustices such as segregation, discrimination, and disfranchisement, influenced the formation of the organization National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) defenders of the equal rights and privileges of African Americans. African Americans’ achievement of financial independence in Unit Three was dependent on securing better paying jobs. The migration from South to North and the Harlem Renaissance afforded them the opportunity of employment as factory workers, postal workers and government employees. The unbiased portrayal of African Americans in television and film in Unit Four encouraged the creation of sitcoms and movies that presented the progression of blacks from demeaning roles to award winning roles that showcased their talents as award winning writers, photographers, actors, and actresses. The development of prevention programs in Unit Five, helped to decreased the incidents of teenage pregnancy by increasing community awareness. References Butner, B. (2005). The Methodist Episcopal Church and the Education of African Americans After the Civil War. Christian Higher Education, 4(4), 265-276. Retrieved July 20, 2009 from http://search. ebscohost. com. Davidson, J. W. , Gienapp, W. E. , et al. (2008). Nation of nations: a narrative history of the American Republic (6th ed. , Vol. 2). Boston: McGraw Hill. Hayes, J. (2009). Political-Cultural Exodus: Movement of the People! Black History Bulletin, 72(1), 7-13. Retrieved July 14, 2009, from Research Library. (Document ID: 1708145821). Hine, D. C. (2003). Black professionals and race consciousness: Origins of the Civil Rights Movement, 1890-1950. The Journal of American History, 89(4), 1279-1294. Retrieved July 20, 2009, from Research Library. (Document ID: 322744531). Mastin, T. (2006). Color Television: Fifty Years of African American and Latino Images on Prime Time Television/Representing Race Racisms, Ethnicities and Media. Review of Journalism Mass Communication Educator, 61(2), 218-222. Retrieved July 22, 2009, from Research Library. (Document ID: 1124893681). Meacham, M. (2003). The Exoduster Movement. Western Journal of Black Studies, 27(2), 108-117. Retrieved July 20, 2009, from Research Library. (Document ID: 828030721). Okwumabua, T. M. , Okwumabua, J. O., Elliott, V. (1998). Let the circle be unbroken helps African-Americans prevent teen pregnancy. SIECUS Report, 26(3), 12-17. Retrieved July 21, 2009, from Research Library. (Document ID: 26859760). Terry, D. (2004). Dismantling Jim Crow: Challenges to Racial Segregation, 1935 1955. Black History Bulletin, 67(1-4), 14-17B. Retrieved July 22, 2009, from Research Library. (Document ID: 1379490521). Tolnay, S. (2003, August). THE AFRICAN AMERICAN GREAT MIGRATION and BEYOND. Annual Review of Sociology, 29(1), 209-232. Retrieved July 21, 2009, from Academic Search Premier database.

The Competitive Sport Of Nba Basketball Sports Essay

The Competitive Sport Of Nba Basketball Sports Essay 1. Introduction: I would to start by introducing one of the most famous sports around the world; furthermore, it is currently one of the most played sports around the world. This sport is called Basketball, and it is team sportin which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or shooting† aballthrough the top of a basketball hoop while following a set ofrules. While competitive basketball is carefully managed, basketballhad been developed for casual play. Competitive basketball is primarily an indoor sport played on carefully marked and maintainedbasketball courts, but less regulated variations are often played outdoors in both inner city and rural areas TheNational Basketball Association(NBA) is an exciting mens professionalbasketballleague inNorth Americawhich consists of thirty different teams, where twenty-nine are located in theUnited Statesand only one inCanada. The NBA is one of the fourmajor North American professional sports leagues, which includeMajor League Baseball(MLB), theNational Football League(NFL), and theNational Hockey League(NHL). The league was created inNew York Cityo n June 6 ,1946 as theBasketball Association of America(BAA).The league adopted the name National Basketball Association in 1949 after merging with the rivalNational Basketball League(NBL). The leagues several managements are directed out of its head offices located in theOlympic Towerat 645Fifth Avenuein New York City. Section 2: NBA Regular seasons After the summer Holiday, teams organize training camps in late September. Training camps are opportunities for players to practice , locate the teams strengths and weaknesses, prepare the players for the challenging regular seasons, and determine the 12-man active roster (and a 3-man inactive list) with which they will begin the regular season. After training camp, a series of preseason games are held. The NBA regular season starts on the last week of October. During the regular season, each team plays 82 games, 41 home and 41 away. A team faces opponents in its own division four times a year (16 games), teams from the other two divisions in its conference either three or four times (36 games), and teams in the other conference twice (30 games). The NBA is also the only league that regularly schedules games onChristmasDay.The league has been playing games regularly on the holiday since 1947,though the first Christmas Day games were not aired on television until1983.Games played on this day have featured some of the best teams and players. In February, the regular season comes to a short stop to celebrate the annualNBA All-Star Game. Fans vote throughout the United States, Canada, and even on theInternet, and the players with the top votes at each position in each conference are given a starting spot on their conferences All-Star team. Coaches vote to choose the remaining 14 All-Stars. Afterwards, Eastern conference players face the Western conference players in the All-Star game. The player with the best performance during the game is rewarded with aMVP (Most valuable player) award. Other events during the   All-Star stop include the Rookie Challenge, where the top rookies and second-year players in the NBA play against each other in a 5-on-5 basketball game; furthermore theSkills Challenge, where players compete to finish an obstacle course including shooting, passing and dribbling in the fastest time. There is also the Three Point Contest, where players compete to score the most amounts of three-point field g oals in a given time, and theNBA Slam Dunk Contest, where players compete to dunk the ball in the most entertaining and exciting way according to the judges. Around the middle of April, the regular season ends. As soon as the season ends, votes for individual and team awardswell begin. TheSixth Man of the Year Awardis given to the best player that was not in the startup line but was later substituted in the game. TheRookie of the Year Awardis awarded to the best first-year player. TheMost Improved Player Awardis awarded to the player who had shown the most improvement from the previous season. TheDefensive Player of the Year Awardis awarded to the leagues best defender. TheCoach of the Year Awardis awarded to the coach that has made the most positive influence into a team. TheMost Valuable Player Awardis given to player who had proved the most valuable for (his team) that season. Section 3: NBA Playoffs NBA Playoffs begin in late April, with eight teams in each conference going for the Championship. The three division winners, along with the team with the next best record from the conference are given the top four Positions. The next lower four teams in terms of record in the season are given the lower four position. This is how they organize it: There are 30 teams divided into two conferences, the east and west. Each conference has a division of 5 teams each. The top team from each division and the next 5 teams from each conference regardless of division make the top 8 teams from each conference. Then they get positioned   much like most other sports, the top team gets the worst qualifying team (1st versus 8th) and the second best gets the second worst, and so on. They play a round of best-of-seven, meaning technically they will play seven games against each other and whoever ends up with the most wins advances to the next round. Of course, after one team wins 4 games, theres no use to play out the entire 7-game series so it is the first team to win 4 games that get to move to the next round. Furthermore, the team with the best regular season record in the league is guaranteed home court advantage in every game it plays in the playoffs. The final playoff round, a best-of-seven series between the victors of both conferences, is known as the NBA Finals, and is held every year in June. The victor in the NBA Finals wins the Larry OBrien Championship Trophy. Each player and major contributor to the NBA season, including coaches and the general manager on the winning team, receive a championship ring. In addition, the league awards aBill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Awardto the best performing player of the Season. Section 4: conclusion As a conclusion, Basketball is an outstanding game where people all around the world can enjoy regardless of whether they are poor or rich, young or old, or even with different skin color. It is a wonderful game that knows no boundaries towards evolution in which any person could come up with new styles and skills that could be played in the friendly games and tournaments. The NBAs style of playing the game has changed dramatically through the years and it was all thanks to the people who have passion for the game.  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚   Many critics and fans around the world call theNBAgreatest show on earth. No other league around the world brings what the NBAs game has brought every season. The greatest plays, games, dunks, players and passion for the basketball are the reasons why the fans keep watching the games. The NBA is the basketball league which helped in the evolution of the sport. It had created many chances and opportunities for skilled and determined players around the globe to prove themselves in front of crowd and the whole world. It also gave them the dream that they would pursue in order to achieve greatness. For me it is the best sport I ever played.

The Fall of the Inca Empire Essay -- History, Ecuador, Peru, Chile

The Inca Empire, the massive nation that extended 2,500 miles along the western coast of South America and had a population of over 7 million at its peak. It included all of what is now Ecuador and Peru and most of Chile. Known as â€Å"The Children of the Sun†, they excelled at craftsmanship, weaving, and culture (â€Å"Children of the Sun†). A very religious people, they worshiped the Sun as their supreme god and held religious festivals monthly to appease these gods. Although they did not value it aside from its beautiful appearance, the Inca Empire was home to millions of pounds of solid gold and silver. The Inca had no use for it except to use it to craft decorations and statues. In fact, an Inca citizen valued cloth more than they valued gold or silver. Their collapse would be brought about because of the Spanish invasion, a brutal civil war that weakened the empire, and deadly disease brought over from Europe. The Inca Empire was a combination of many small tribes and nations that the Inca had conquered and placed under their rule. Their government was very well organized and efficient at ruling their subjects. The entire empire, however, was led by an emperor that was recognized by the Inca people as the â€Å"Son of the Sun†. The emperor selected his advisors and appointed governors for all of the territories under Inca control. They also had a very large, highly organized military consisting of around 500 thousand men. The Empire could have lasted centuries, if not for the Spanish invasion. Led by Hernando Pizarro, an accomplished conquistador, the Empire would be brought to its knees in just under thirty five years Before any conquistador had ever step foot in Inca lands, issues that would lead to the Inca’s downfall had been buil... ...ve died and the civil war would not have occurred. Who knows, Huyana Capac may have been a much stronger, brutal leader than Atahualpa and would have killed the Spanish as soon had he heard that they had landed in Peru. Pizarro, being the decisive, military leader that he was, would take advantage of the terrible plague and use it against the Inca. As he traveled from village to village, he would leave a person infected with smallpox in the village so that the whole village would become infected and die. When his men were in Cuzco while it was under siege from Manco Inca, he ordered dead bodies infected with small pox to be thrown into the Inca camps at night. Huge number of Inca soldiers died because of attacks like these. Pizarro and his men were from Europe, so they had some resistance to the diseases they brought with them, so they were not affected by them.

Language Acquisition and Corrective Feedback :: Education, foreign languages

Corrective feedback has been in the focus of research in SLA during the last years and has become an important part in learners’ language acquisition. Ellis (1994) referred to feedback as â€Å"the information given to learners which they can use to revise their interlanguage.† He also distinguishes two different kinds of feedback, positive and negative feedback; positive feedback has to do with the information that indicates that a hypothesis is incorrect. Ellis also mentioned some other forms of feedback such as direct or correction, indirect or the request for conformation, on-record which supplies ‘direct negative evidence’, and off-record which supplies ‘indirect negative feedback’; the negative evidence or feedback has to do with information about ungrammaticality. If corrective feedback is sufficiently salient to enable learners to notice the gap between their interlanguage forms and target language forms, the resulting cognitive comparison may trigger a destabilization and restructuring of the target language grammar (Ellis, 1994). Chaudron (1988) has pointed out that corrective feedback incorporates different layers of meaning. Chaudron consider the treatment of error is simply â€Å"any teacher behavior following an error that minimally attempts to inform the learner the fact of error† and finally â€Å"there is â€Å"the true† correction which succeeds in modifying the learner’s interlanguage so that the error is eliminated from further production†. In the view of Chaudroncited in El Tatawy (2002) the information learners get from corrective feedback allows them to â€Å"confirm, disconfirm, and possibly modify the hypothetical, transitional rules of their developing grammars.† Lightbown and Spada (1999) cited in El Tatawy (2002) define corrective feedback as: â€Å"Any indication to the learners that their use of the target language is incorrect.† Schachter (1991) cited in El Tatawy (2001) stated that the feedback can be explicit, that is grammatical explanation or overt error correction, or implicit. Implicit correction can be done using the following techniques â€Å"confirmation checks, repetitions, recasts, clarification requests, silence, and even facial expressions that express confusion.† (Schachter (1991) cited in El Tatawy (2001)) Tedick and Gortari (1998) summarize different types of corrective feedback: 1. Explicit correction. When the teacher provides direct corrective feedback to the learner after s/he has made any mistake S: [...] the coyote, the bison and the gr...grane. (phonological error) T: And the crane. We say crane. 2. Recast. The teacher indirectly provides corrective feedback to the learners, but tries to reformulate the utterance. S: You is a very good teacher. (grammatical error) T: You are a good teacher. Good. 3. Clarification request. The teacher uses some phrases such as "Excuse me?

History of Security in the United States Essay

Abstract Security in America has evolved from the time of the first settlers to today’s well-trained forces. Factors leading to the significant growth of private security from pre-Civil War to post World War II consisted of a lack of public police and large monetary loss by private industry. Today, security is global and faces challenges and changes, with increases in terrorism and technology crimes. It must maintain a high level of professionalism and maintain technological innovation remain a respected industry. History of Security in the United States Nineteenth Century The nineteenth century saw the private security industry fill in many of the gaps left by public law enforcement in both manpower and ingenuity. The development of public police forces was slow in the infancy of the United States. In the latter half of the 1800’s, police departments were fragmented, decentralized and often corrupt, creating a need for private security. The American frontier saw an extreme shortage of law enforcement, as they had to resort to deputizing civilians and forming posses. Citizens often had to resort to vigilante justice due to a lack of law enforcement. In 1850, Henry Wells and William Fargo established American Express and Wells Fargo cargo companies and in 1851 Allen Pinkerton established the first national private security and investigations service (Ortmeirer, 2009, pg. 10). Pinkerton provided security and investigative service to the railroad, offered private detective services and was actually the intelligence arm of the Union Army during the first half of the Civil War. In 1853 August Perry patented the first burglar alarm followed by Edwin Holmes in 1858, who produced the first central station burglar alarm. That same year, Washington Perry Brinks introduced the armored carriage for the transportation of valuables and money (Ortmeirer, 2009, pg. 10). Twentieth Century The quelling of labor unrest brought about a poor reputation to private security leading up to the Great Depression. Decades earlier, industries such as manufacturing, transportation and mining turned to agencies like Pinkerton for not only asset protection, but also to combat labor violence and break strikes. There were numerous violent incidents involving strikes resulting in civilian injury, deaths and job losses. One incident in particular was the Homestead Strike of 1892 in Pennsylvania, which culminated in a gun battle between Pinkerton agents and the strikers (Lipson, 1988). Incidents such as this eventually led to private security being viewed as ‘Knights of Capitalism’ by the public. Security companies were banned from carrying weapons and crossing state lines to break strikes in some states (Joh, 2006). There was a decline in the employment of private security during the Great Depression. According to The HUB, â€Å"There seems to be some controversy as to whe n the first proprietary security forces arose, but many sources attribute Henry Ford as the man who refined ‘in house’ security to factory work. As the automobile gained popularity so the industries providing the necessary materials for the factories producing them across the nation needed and utilized private security personnel. With the high unemployment and possibility of crime due to the Great Depression, private security further embedded itself within industry† (Hub pages, http://dyonder.hubpages.com/hub/The-History-of-Private-Security). There was an expansion of private security leading up to and during World War II due to infrastructure, military and industrial security concerns. Post World War II saw an increase in the professionalism of private security, as returning veterans with military police experience began to seek employment in the security industry. Anti-espionage procedures established by the government during World War II carried over into the Cold War era, with the government insisting on a quality security force and plans, to protect defense contractors and government assets. The private security industry followed the government’s lead, thus entering the era of the security manager (Hub pages, http://dyonder.hubpages.com/hub/The-History-of-Private-Security). The security industry increased in size in the mid twentieth century, as did the crime rate and police were unable to protect private property. Many organizations realized the value of protecting their personnel and property during this time. In 1955, the American Society for Industrial Security (ASIS) was formed and today is the world’s largest organization of security professionals. ASIS continues to formulate security policy and direct security programs in a vast number of businesses, industries and government operations (Ortmeirer, 2009, pg. 11-12). In 1970, private security continued to grow and matched the number of police personnel at 500,000. In 1976, the Task Force Report on Private Security was published and it was addressed for the first time that private security was an essential element to public safety. The Task Force recommended that the private sector be encouraged to nurture and improve the quality of security services and work with law enforcement to fight crime. This created an environment that saw the security industry continue to grow due to concerns over increased crime and limited law enforcement resources. By 1991, the number of security personnel had nearly tripled that of law enforcement and by the year 2000, private security personnel numbers rose to two million, clearly showing private security is the primary protective service (Ortmeirer, 2009, pg. 6-7, 13). Future The private security industry has made giant steps since the nineteenth century. It is clear from history that the private security industry must continue to complement the public police forces by providing innovative and needed support to industry and government. It must maintain and constantly improve upon its procedures and training, to keep the respect of the public, which it currently commands. It must above all remain one step ahead in today’s technological world, as M. Lipson (1988) stated, â€Å"The history of the ancient craft of private security may be illustrative of opportunities for those of the industry with foresight† (Lipson, 1988). It is crucial private security continue with its current expertise in antiterrorism and computer security operations. It is also imperative private security continue to foster the close, post-911relationships that were developed with law enforcement, from federal to state to local police agencies, to successfully move into th e future. References Joh, E.E. (2006). The Forgotten Threat: Private Policing and the State. Indiana Journal of Global Legal Studies, 13(2), 364. Lipson, M. (1988). Private Security: A Retrospective. Annals Of The American Academy Of Political & Social Science, 49811-22. Ortmeirer, P.J. (2009). Introduction to Security. Prentice Hall. The Hub (2009). (Hub pages, http://dyonder.hubpages.com/hub/The-History-of-PrivateSecurity).