Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca, Indians of the Rio Grande (1528-1536) Essay

Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca, Indians of the Rio Grande (1528-1536) - Essay Example We treated many satisfied patients who firmly believed in our abilities. The natives highly respected us. Women treated us with mats and cooked food for us. The natives would abandon anything that was not blessed by us. As a result, we were supposed to breathe on and bless every share that was bought to us. Moreover, they would seek our advice for all important matters. During our expeditions, other people who feared us and believed firmly in our sacred powers welcomed us. They surrendered all their possessions to us that were distributed to those who were needy of them. During the expedition, we suffered a lot from malnutrition until Castillo and the Negro, left to look for food to a village beneath the river. Good news flowed from here, and the natives came to welcome them with food and water (Barker, pp. 15-20). However, as the natives and the Indians did not get along well, we had to follow the league of the natives, leaving the Indians behind with their food. The natives celebrated our arrival, while we left the next day. The following night, I asked my mates to look for the Christians who were moving away from that part of the country, who nevertheless refused due to the fatigue and weariness. However, I took off with my league in search of Christians. On our journey, we met four Christians who were astonished to see us; I nonetheless, asked them to lead us to their captain Diego de Alcaraz.

Case assignment cultural Identity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Case assignment cultural Identity - Essay Example 2. To what extent do you think cultural beliefs, values, and traditions may impact health education efforts? Please provide examples of negative and positive impacts that apply to the case studies from the video. Cultural beliefs, values and traditions play a crucial role in the health-care setting. As emphasized in the National Transitions of Care Coalition (NTOCC) (n.d.), â€Å"health care professionals increasingly recognize the crucial role that culture plays in the healthcare of a client or patient and the need to deliver services in a culturally competent manner† (p. 1). Therefore, the ability of health care professionals to educate the patients on the most effective intervention would depend on the ability to communicate messages that accommodate understanding cultural beliefs, values, and traditions. In the case studies from the video, the good cross-cultural patient communication scenario clearly depicts that the following elements assist in effective efforts for health education: (1) eliciting information on the cultural remedies; (2) demonstration of acceptance of patient’s views; (3) accommodating the health beliefs of patients; (4) explores understanding of the cultural impact; and (5) empathizes and supports the patient’s perspectives and cultural views (University of Michigan: Lesson 1, 2010). On the other hand, the bad cross-cultural patient communication scenario exemplified negative impacts on health education and cultural competence: (1) not demonstrating acceptance of patient’s view; (2) not eliciting information on cultural remedies; (3) not accommodating health beliefs; and (4) not empathizing and supporting the patient’s perspectives and cultural views (University of Michican: Lecture 2, 2010). Based on the video, one would suggest to health professionals who want to improve their cross-cultural communications

Effects of Air Pollution and Proposed Solutions

Effects of Air Pollution and Proposed Solutions With the rapid development and urbanization in Hong Kong, the air quality deteriorated due to a great amount of air pollutants released into the atmosphere, and contributing to the greenhouse effect as well as worsening global warming. This essay is divided into two parts, the first part is briefly talk about the negative effects caused by serious air pollution in terms of sustainable development, and the second part is a detailed discussion of the suggested solutions. The effects caused by air pollution can be discussed in terms of sustainable development with three aspects which are inter-related, inter-dependence and equally balanced, and these aspects are environmental, social and economic aspects. In terms of the environmental aspect, the worsening air quality will fasten the greenhouse effect with a rise in temperature and contributing to global warming. In terms of the social aspect, â€Å"the World Health Organization estimates that every year, 2.4 million people die from causes associated with air pollution† (Sierra-Vargas Teran,2012, p.1031). It shows how air pollution causing health impacts on human. The worsening air quality increases the risk of having â€Å"respiratory diseases, cardiovascular diseases, or cancers† (Deguen et al. 2012), and according to Sierra-Vargas and Teran (2012), people who are active outdoors, people with diseases and elderly are at higher health risk. These pollution-related illnesses are affecting the quality of life because these illnesses not only shortened the life expectancy and caused the psychological stress, but also increased the expenditure on health care. Therefore, serious air pollution causing pollution-related health impacts in the social aspect and increasing the expenditure on health care in the economic aspect. Apart from the social aspect, the poor air quality with low visibility and high concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere also produce negative impacts in the economic aspect. Deteriorating air quality affects local tourism industry and the foreign investment. According to Law and Cheung (2007), the tourism industry in Hong Kong has recently threatened by the deteriorating air quality, regarding to the huge economic contribution from the tourism industry, poor air quality may reduce the willingness of tourists to travel in Hong Kong. Besides, some foreign investments are retreated and some professionals refuse to work in Hong Kong because of the poor working environment with worsening air quality. All these economic impacts will weaken the competitiveness of Hong Kong and resulting in unexpected economic losses which in turns suffered by the whole society. From the examples mentioned above on the impacts in three specific categories, we can notice that air pollution caused adverse impacts at both individual and social levels. Therefore, â€Å"[i]n order to protect the air quality from deteriorating further, more efforts should be made by the government, as well as by society to make Hong Kong a clean and safe place to travel and to live† (Law and Cheung, 2007, p.398). Both the HKSAR government and the public should be responsible for the improvement works on air pollution, such as a strong pertinence policy together with active public participation. The most important and effective long-term air improvement policy should be the adoption of sustainable development approach with an equal balance between the environmental conservation and the economic development. Hong Kong is a well-known financial-based metropolis around the world. Therefore, the government mainly puts emphasis on the economic development, but neglected the importance of environmental conservation, in other words, the government weighted the economic development over the environmental conservation, and thus resulting in environmental destructions during the process of economic development in Hong Kong. However, it is hard to make equal balance between the economic development and the environmental conservation, and the co-existence of both aspects may be in a low possibility, because one aspect has to make scarification when the other one exists. For examples, lands for economic development propose generate a great amount of dust particulates during construction and resulting in poor air quality with low visibility. Simultaneously, the air quality improvement policies for environmental conservation purpose spend a huge amount of government expenditure. But, regarding to the serious problem of air pollution in Hong Kong and the related distinct negative outcomes caused, environmental conservation should be given the first priority and economic development should come the second. The second possible solution is urban greening. Vegetation plays an important role in air purification because plants can absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen through photosynthesis. In order to improve the air quality, the government should carry out urban greening to increase the green areas through proper city planning in the urban areas, especially in the inner cities and heavy traffic areas, such as MongKok, Wan chai, Causeway Bay and Tsim Sha Tsui. However, limited spaces with densely distributed pattern of skyscrapers in the urban areas create hurdles on urban greening and the use of the valuable lands for growing vegetation in urban areas may trigger voices of disapproval. But, there are two possible ways of urban greening, the first solution, according to Sierra-Vargas Teran (2012), is making good use of rooftops for growing plants, the government can give economic incentives to the property owners for the encouragement of planting vegetation on rooftops. The second one is re-planning the existing parks with an enlarged percentage on the area of vegetation. These two solutions can make the best use of the available space resources that do not require extra space on the ground floor. Sources of pollutants in Hong Kong are mainly from power plants and vehicles, so strong pertinence policies on these two sources are needed. The first solution, according to Sierra-Vargas and Teran (2012), promoting the use of the landfill gases as one of the energy sources is a possible way to improve air quality with a fall in the amount of pollutants. Mexico is one of the successful places that converts â€Å"landfill gas into electricity and powers the light rail transit system and city street lighting at night† (Sierra-Vargas and Teran, 2012, p.1036). The Hong Kong government should study from the cases of Mexico and conduct a suitable plan based on the ideas observed. The alteration of landfill gases into useable energy can reduce the greenhouse gases being released into the air. Another solution is promoting the extensive use of renewable power instead of non-renewable power so as to change to a cleaner way for power generation, such solar power and wind power. However, there are two difficulties in using landfill gases and adoption of renewable power resources. The first hurdle is a great amount of government expenditure is required for the construction or installation of the specific power plants, like the regular maintenance of the power plants. Besides, the opposition from environmental protection groups may also rise because this power generation method is not classified as renewable power. If the opposition raise, it is better to take the second solution instead of both solutions in order to avoid social conflicts based on the problem mentioned. In terms of the vehicles, the government should work together with two bus companies to carry out the discussion about the expansion of the service area and increase the service provided to the public. The HKSAR government can use economic incentives or make investments to increase the operating capital of two bus companies. With better bus services provided, the willingness of people to take public transportation to school or to work will be increased and thus less energy is used and less pollutants are emitted into the atmosphere. Apart from the policies mentioned above, the active public participation on the reduction of air pollutants is very important and it should be made by every citizen, such as the using of public transportation instead of private cars and reduce the use of energy means less air pollutants are released by burning non-renewable power resources, such as coal. Also, citizen should actively participate in the consultation of the government policies launched for improving the air quality. Air pollution is a serious problem which created many negative impacts, and an effective comprehensive solution with a lengthy period for thorough and careful planning is needed for improving air quality. It is beneficial when better air quality can be found in Hong Kong. Although the problems of air pollution cannot be totally eliminated, the more efforts we pay resulting in a higher chance for us to make changes and improve the air quality. References Sierra-Vargas, M. P. Teran, L. M. (2012). Air pollution: Impact and prevention. Respirology, 17 1031-1038. Law, R. Cheung, C. (2007). Air quality in Hong Kong: A study of the perception of international visitors. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 15 (4), 390-401. Deguen, S., Sà ©gala, C., Pà ©drono, G. Mesbah, M. (2012). A new air quality perception scale for global assessment of air pollution health effects. Risk Analysis, 32 (12), 2043-2054.

Tybalts Misinterpretation in William Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet :: Romeo and Juliet Essays

Tybalt's Misinterpretation in Romeo and Juliet Romeo and Juliet is the story of two "star-crossed lovers who take their life" (prologue). Their families were ancient enemies based on an ancient grudge no longer known, but still strong. Romeo and Juliet fall passionately in love ignoring the fact they are, by household, enemies. Friar Lawrence joins them in marriage in hope "to turn their households' rancour to pure love"(p. 43). They married without their families' permission or knowledge and against their society's conventions. Neither Romeo nor Juliet could live without the other by their side and were willing to do anything to be with each other. Shakespeare believes that acting in response to knowledge without evidence or thought can lead to disaster in the end. Misfortunes occurred due to Tybalt and Mercutio's misinterpretation of Romeo's reluctance to fight. Tybalt came to pick a fight with Romeo and instead of getting what he wanted, Romeo continued to hold back because of his marriage to Juliet. Tybalt continued to push for conflict not understanding Romeo's unwillingness. Mercutio also misunderstands Romeo's reluctance to fight and decides to stand up for him by challenging Tybalt to a dual. Tybalt and Mercutio end up fighting. When Romeo stepped in between the fighting Mercutio believed that the dual had ended. And as Mercutio was taken off guard Tybalt attacked and Mercutio was killed. Romeo wanted to get Tybalt back for what he had done and make Mercutio's death of some worth. Romeo used his rage and grief to slay Tybalt. All of this had happened because of Tybalt's and Mercutio's little misinterpretation of Romeo. Both acted without thinking or waiting for a little sense of the matter or any kind of explanation. Two lives were taken as a result and one banished from his true love. Romeo's banishment from Verona resulted in Friar Lawrence's failure to form a back up plan of any kind in case Romeo would not receive the letter or learn of the plan with Juliet. Right after Friar Lawrence received news that Juliet was to be married to Paris he created a plan right on the spot. The plot involved taking a substance that would make her appear to be dead. He said that he would send a letter to Romeo

Mid-term Exam Essay

What were some of the changes that took place in Europe between the years 1000 and 1492, and why did those changes lead to European exploration and overseas expansion? From Leif Eriksson being the first European to sail to North America to Marco Polo making his first trip to china were the few things that were going on in the European discovery. During the 1100 the crusades joined the holy war to regain capture of Palestine which was taken away by the Muslims. As the crusades war was going on, the Europeans introduced new and exotic goods to such as spices, silk and jewels. This opened up a whole new opportunity for the Europeans as the demands and the trade grew, Ships were departing from towns in Italy and Asia. Christopher Columbus discovered North American in 1492. Columbus sailed east from Europe trying to find a route to the east. He failed to sail east because of the landmass that was in his way. Columbus believe he sailed to India because of the landmass and called the land the â€Å"West Indies† and the people he found there as â€Å"Indians†. This led to the exploration and overseas expansion to North America from Europe. The expansion grew as the growth of expanding trade grew out of Europe. The discovery of the New World took a rise as the transfer of plants, animal’s food demanded the human population to expand. All these things that took place from 1000-1492 changed Europe forever. The demands in trade gave Europeans the opportunity for new forms of employment and ability to travel out of Europe for work. What were the major problems facing American leaders during the 1780s? What were the main weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation? How did those weaknesses prevent the new government from dealing with the new nation’s major problems? How did the Constitution of 1787 alter the structure and operation of the national government to more effectively deal with those problems? This period was called the â€Å"Critical Periods†, it was a time right after the American Revolution war that took place in 1783. George Washington became the president of this time in 1789. After the war the economic problems just grew. The British navy destroyed most of the American ships  and also taking over there flow of trade. The farmers suffered tremendously due to the army steeling from their farms in order to eat. Once the war was over in 1781 the exports to Brittan was restricted, British created a law that prohibited trade with the remaining sugar colonies that were in the Caribbean. The articles of confederation was a document signed by all 13 original colonies that put together the United States of America. The confederation left most of the power to the state governments. The weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation was that the states could not be forced by the government to obey its laws. Also it did not have the power to enforce any type of laws. The congress lacked the strong leadership and there was no system of national courts. In order for a change to be made to the articles 9 out of the 13 states had to approve the law before it could be passed on with no army to protect the nation. Compare and contrast the northern, middle, and southern colonies by 1760. What experiences were unifying the colonies? How were the British colonies different from Spain’s colonies? All three colonies had major differences in there economic activity and their culture. The resentment of the British held them together as they were suffering hard times as Brittan kept on restraining trade, shipping and manufacturing. The Northern Colonies was largely religious. Even though religion was practiced more in the Southern Colonies, a lot of people from the north were still very religious. Instead, there main focus was never on gaining wealth. The South was mostly agricultural and a big part of the workers were African American slaves. Tabaco was the main export of the Southern economy. In the Northern Colonies farming was usually just done to provide just for the family. The economy of New England, Northern, and colonies was based on the rivers and forests for the most part and the sou thern colonies were more focused on farming. There are only a couple of similarities and differences in the colonies. People beginning a new life for themselves was a similarity both regions had. These regions were founded for many different reason including political freedom, religion, conquest and economy. The British colonies were recruited from farmers, artisans and tradesmen. Immigrants from other countries were welcomed. In the Spanish colonies it contained more soldiers, conquistadores and mission Aries were the primary source of people. The farmers and traders  come at a later date. The government for the English colonies allowed colonist to set up local governments and representative assemblies and to make sure to tax themselves as long as they did not take up arms against the crown. In the Spanish colonies they were governed by the crown appointed governors. The settlers had to obey the laws the king set since the settlers could make laws on their own. The religion for the English was mostly non-Catholics. The puritans in Massachusetts established an autocratic and restrictive religious leadership. For the Spanish colonies the settlers were restricted to Catholics. The people that protested were persecuted and driven out. The economy on the British colony was rice, tobacco, t imber and fish. The economic activities were farming, trading and also fishing. In the Spaniard colonies it was a more largely trading economy. It was controlled by the Spaniards and the board of trade. What major challenges did Americans face during the War for Independence, and how did they overcome those challenges and defeat Great Britain? The British always seemed unbeatable. During the previous 100 years, the British had enjoyed victory after victory from countries that were powerful like Spain and France. The odds never looked good for the Americans on this war. Brittan had the best military in the world, their soldiers were well fed, paid good money and also well disciplined. The British military was also very well equipped unlike the American. Funds were so much easily raised by the empire then by the continental congress. A lot of those funds were used to hire Hessian Mercenaries to fight of the Americans. The Americans always had a difficult time being able to raise enough funds to purchase the basic supplies for the troops like shoes and blankets. The British always had a winning tradition, most Indians sided with Brittan who promised them protection over their land. The downfall for the Brittan was that they were fighting a war that was far from home. Their supplies that they needed sometimes took months to reach their destination. The British objective for this war to persuade the American to give up their claims for independence. Americans were fighting for their rights, independence and liberty. The soldiers and the leaders were unexperienced but always seemed competent. This war was very expensive, this war gave Americans courage which gave Americans a favor. Describe and explain the roles played by loyalists, African Americans, women, and American Indians during the Revolutionary War. How did the outcome of the war affect them? The principle is this was freedom which motivated the black slaves to join the Patriot or the British army. Approxitmaly 5 percent of the American soldiers in the battle of Bunker Hill were black. They received the same pas as whites although they never held a high rank. The blacks in the war served in integrated units. An estimated 100, 00 African Americans died or were killed during the war. They thought the concept of using slaves in the army would mean that the economy would collapse without slavery. Women in the revolutionary war took many different roles. They were nurses, cooks and maids and sometimes even secret soldiers and spies. Many of the women nurses were camp followers, wives, daughters and even mothers of the soldiers. The most common role the women played were cooks, maids, laundresses and water b earers for the army. This was the first time women took a role in the war since these duties were reserved for male soldiers. Women were not allowed to serve in the military but they still served as secret soldiers. They would disguise themselves by cutting their hair and using masculine names to blend in. A lot of the motivation for joining the army is unknown but most of these women were poor and needed to earn money for their families. They also worked as spies, most of the female spies worked as maids or cooks for the British and had a lot of insight about the movements, military plans and supply shortages and the deliveries. The loyalist supported the British. They were mostly older, educated and wealthier than most Americans. The life for the loyalist was difficult during the war. Loyalist who lived in the area that was being controlled by the patriots lost their businesses and homes. After the war was over a lot of them lost their fortunes and their land. The British government paid them for their loyalty, but it was not nearly as much as they had lost. Many of the Indians had to choose between the loyalist and patriots or somehow try to maintain a neutral stance. They had issues trying t o hold their homelands as well as try to maintain access to trade supplies as war was in there lands too. On September 4, 1783 the peace treaty of Paris was signed. Sources: â€Å"An Encyclopedia of American Women at War: From the Home Front to the Battlefields†; Lisa Tendrich Frank; 2013 â€Å"Women Soldiers, Spies, and Patriots of the American Revolution†; Martha Kneib; 2004 â€Å"The Revolutionary War†; Charles Patrick Neimeyer; 2007 National Women’s History Museum: The American Revolution: http://www.nwhm.org/online-exhibits/spies/2.htm Army.Mil: Early History of Women in the U.S. Army: http://www.army.mil/women/history.html United States Army: Early Women Soldiers: http://www.army.mil/women/history.html History.org: Women’s Service in the Revolutionary Army: http://www.history.org/history/teaching/enewsletter/volume7/nov08/women_revarmy.cfm

Yasuki Hiramatsu, the Famous Metal Smith

Yasuki Hiramatsu, the famous metal smith for jewelry was born in Osaka, Japan in 1926 and currently lives in Tokyo, Japan. He obtained his graduation in 1952 from Tokyo National University of Fine Arts & Music. Having experienced military life as a student soldier during World War II, Hiramatsu became acutely sensitive to the challenges of life. Wishing to create something truly valuable to human life, he had focused his efforts on producing crafts and jewelry that, through their use, bring joy and happiness into everyday life. He had a prestigious career as an educator and has been Professor Emeritus at the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music. He has also been the Director of the Japan Jewelry Designers Association. He actively promoted interactions with other countries, which won him a lot of international recognition. In 1994, he became the first non-European winner of the award presented to an outstanding foreign artist in the field of metal working by the German association for the promotion of precious metal art. Hiramatsu hammered pieces of 23-karat gold into thin sheets, produced crinkles by folding and bending and fashioned them into simple forms. Metals are generally considered heavy and hard, but he handled these materials like paper to create clearly defined forms that bring out unprecedented beauty and gentleness in the metal [1]. Yasuki Hiramatsu is a pioneer of contemporary jewelry in Japan. He has explored and re-interpreted traditional metalworking skills in order to create modern art. Hiramatsu?s works radiate simplicity, purity and strength. Concentrating on textures, form and light, his pieces capture an inner beauty and warmth that seem to come alive as light gently reflects across the surface. His jewelries show not only the softness and warmth of the metal by using more gold and silver than regular jewelry but also the shapes he creates. His innovative skills and capabilities made him to be internationally acclaimed as a leading artist in postwar Japan, especially in the field of jewelry. Yasuki says that â€Å"I consider the metals like living things when I use them. When I make a piece, I play, worry, struggle with it and encourage it. â€Å"[2]. Throughout Hiramatsu?s distinguished career, he has conducted several solo exhibitions, group exhibitions, workshops and lectures. His works are available in several public collections and he possesses several awards. He took part in several projects organized/funded by the culturebase. et partner institutions too. His solo and group exhibitions used to showcase a series of his representative jewelry work alongside various other items such as vases, paperweights and even crowns. Although his forms are simple, there is always an underlying sense of glamour. These exhibitions provided viewers with an opportunity to take a look back at Hiramatsu's career that spans half a century [3]. References [1] Hiramatsu Yasuki, Retrieved April 28,2010 from http://www.quicklink.co.jp/jj/jj_03.html [2] The international artist database, (2003, May 26), Yasuki Hiramatsu, Retrieved April 28,2010 from http://www.culturebase.net/artist.php?628 [3] Tokyo Artbeat Bilingual Art and Design Guide, Yasuki Hiramatsu Exhibition, Retrieved April 28,2010 from http://www.tokyoartbeat.com/event/2008/A6E6.en [4] Preziosa Contemporary Jewellery, Retrieved April 28,2010 from http://www.preziosa.org/it/2009/artisti/yasuki-hiramatsu.html [5] Yasuki Hiramatsu – Metal Works, Retrieved April 28,2010 from http://www.tortoiselife.com/trts/exhibitions/current/metal-works-by-yasuki-hiramats.html [6] Galerie Slavik, Yasuki Hiramatsu, Retrieved April 28,2010 from http://www.galerie-slavik.com/cgi-local/e_ishop/storeeng.pl?f=KUENSTLER;c=Yasuki+Hiramatsu;t=suche;db=schmuck.txt;start=1;dif=16 [7] Yasuki Hiramatsu – Jewelry: The Essence of Form, Retrieved April 28,2010 from http://www.momat.go.jp /english/craft/YasukiHiramatsu/