Affirmation :: essays research papers

Affirmation is defined as a recognition of political, personal, cultural values and identity. The Puritans, African Americans, and Native Americans affirmed their identity in Colonial America through: oral traditions, songs, and rituals. This is the reason they are studied all over the world.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Puritans affirmed their identity through their religious beliefs, utopian ideas and theocracy. The Puritans had a storyteller who spoke of their genealogy. Since these stories were based on the bible, most of the listeners (children) were isolated from the reality of life. They grew up with their same beliefs as their parents, grandparents, and elders. All Puritans were considered sinned because of the teachings on the bible. However, they believed in predestination (only those people, â€Å"the elect† by God are saved and go to Heaven) yet the other Puritans continued to value the bible and obtained good citizenship. The Puritans respected hard work and had a distrust of leisure, a suspicion that the poor are shiftless which is said to have contributed to their downfall. When the Puritans escaped Europe from its Religious persecution and came to the colonies, they dreamed of becoming a utopian society. This society was also looked at as â€Å"the city on top of the hull† probably expressing the point of view the Puritans had of themselves. They used their theocracy (belief that the bible was the supreme authority) to complete their utopian society and has been debuted by historians if they achieved their dream. The Puritans did affirm their beliefs by their storytelling, by their genealogists, their theocracy, and the achievement of their utopian society.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Enslaved African-Americans affirmed their identity through their developmental resistance towards slavery, sacred songs and their storytelling. Storytelling has existed in many cultures, but existed for different reasons than that of the Puritans. Survival skills folk wisdom and hope, were the most common reasons and were important to their everyday survival. Mr. Rabbit and Mr. Bear is one of many stories told by the griot (genealogist) which focuses on hope that the Enslaved African-Americans will one day be a trickster like Mr. Rabbit and escaped slavery; like the Rabbit escaped being hung from a tree. After a long bitter life, the Enslaved African-Americans began to imagine and dream of freedom. Most slaves had learned to speak English and sang. Having been a slave herself, Harriet Tubman, helped other slaves escape by using her songs to guide them North, thus becoming the founder of the Underground railroad; by her will to give and her heroism, she is still re membered and her determination inspires people still today.

Amusing Ourselves to Death Synthesis essay Essay

Synthesis Essay If a question was asked, any question, today’s automatic answer is to find the solution through technology. We’ve grown dependant on the ticking of clocks, the virtual world of the internet, and the convenience of our phones. A difficult concept for us to grasp, however, is merely thirty years ago most of these did not existed. So how has this affected our minds? Have we turned our brains into a living computer, or are we so dependent on outside answers that we’ve ceased thinking for ourselves? In today’s society we’ve entered a state of ignorant bliss about how little knowledge and wisdom we truly hold. Neil Postman (1984), the author of â€Å"Amusing Ourselves to Death† and an educator, tackled the now apparent fact that unlike George Orwell’s prediction that our rights to thinking would be ripped away, Aldous Huxley’s prediction that we will gladly hand them away voluntarily has become more and more true. Both Orwell and Huxl ey are English authors. (Postman, 1984) We allow our information to be fed to us by the television which trivializes it, and the internet which blends opinion and fact together so intricately that it is intermixed beyond comprehension. Yet we process this information, we build our thoughts and opinions around what the other misinformed populous insists is fact. But we are aware of the lies and incomplete facts out there, so when the truth does come out, it is unrecognizable. Nicholas Carr (2008) wonders of our ability to separate how we think and how a computer processes input in his article â€Å"Is Google Making Us Stupid?† He complains of a recent inability to pay attention to books for long periods of time. He blames this on receiving his information online in quick snippets, and reading novels has become a chore to him. Carr mentions Lewis Mumford, a cultural critic, who speaks of the invention of the clock. He degrades the clock, saying â€Å"In deciding when to eat, to work, to sleep, to rise, we stopped listening to our senses and started obeying the clock.† (Carr, 2008, p. 4) Is it true that we’ve handed over not only our minds, but our bodies to technology? We are becoming slaves to o thers to feed us the information we search, and to tell us how and when to do what instinct and Mother Nature had guided us to do for hundreds of thousands of years. And we’re paying the price. For thousands of years we’ve read and written books, which helped pass down wisdom to younger generations. Books created worlds we’ve never seen, they questioned our philosophical purpose, and they  answered it. From manuals to stories, books have been handed down as a collection of knowledge; but for the first time in millennia we’re raising entire generations who have never read a novel, short story or even a poem. David McCullough (2008), author of â€Å"The Love of Learning† defines for us the difference between facts and wisdom. Data is irrelevant until we have made the judgment to make it important and learn from it. We cannot memorize facts and call ourselves learned; we must look a layer deeper and find what the facts mean to us. â€Å"Learning is acquired mainly from books, and most readily from great books.† (McCullough, 2008, p. 2) Without books we are only being fed data, numbers and words without any true meaning. (McCullough, 2008) Our ability to understand and think about problems creates an ability to understand beyond the ordinary and think c omplexly on a situation. When told the rate of a bowling ball’s fall, and the opposing force of air fighting against gravity, we can think about this and then ask something that never came up, â€Å"Why did we drop the bowling ball? Will a ten pound fall faster than an eight pound bowling ball? And what if the ball were square?† Science is built on this foundation of thought, and with our technologies answering our questions – people have stopped asking the questions all together. In the article â€Å"O Americano, Outra Vez!† written by Richard P. Feynman, an American scientist and educator, the consequences of learning but never understanding concepts was made clear. In Brazil they taught physics as young as elementary school, however not a single student taught by Feynman in Brazil seemed to be able to comprehend what the words meant beyond just data. (Feynman, 1985) This inability to have opinions and questions over facts we learn impedes our ability to really understand what we learn. Because of the convenience of information today we’ve stopped asking if this needs verification. We’ve become lazy in our advancement, and expect that sort of work and authentication to be done by someone who we may say is â€Å"smarter than I†. What today’s society doesn’t seem to understand is that this attitude has stunted our growth as the human race, and we are reaching a stalemate of blissful ignorance, much as Huxley predicted. But this is not to say technology is the sole root of our decreasing intelligence. The blame lies namely in our attitude towards the world of information that lies in our gadgets. Rather than utilizing this sort of resource as a layer of foundation to go beyond in discovery in a way that  was impossible before, we let the endless array of data sit there only to be utilized at our discretion, which is not often. This state of unintelligence is not incurable, and perhaps turning to the root of knowledge and wisdom that has accumulated over our history, otherwise known as books, can turn around our ability to simply think . A book has the amazing capability to let us read in between the lines, and gives us the ability to absorb information much more efficiently than this â€Å"skimming† we find ourselves doing when facing screens. We engage our minds when reading a book, and discover new ideas in every novel, short story and poem. And maybe all we need is to reawaken this amazing brain power we have long forgotten to use the information our technology hands us to the best of our ability. Our brain retains a wonderful ability to maintain enormous amount of information, and however much knowledge we may lack we can always remedy this by settling down with a good book. While our computers, phones, and television and provide an almost endless stream of pure data to us, we must learn how to properly utilize this information to the best of our benefit. We can choose to think logically with the knowledge handed to us, and to continue our growth. The world can carry on its advancements to improve the lives of all that inhabit it, but only if the individual continues progressing. William J. Perry, Jr. (1970) said it best in his article â€Å"Examsmanship and the Liberal Arts† when he defined the words bull and cow. Bull is information that has relevancies but have minimal to no data to back it up, and cow has data but no relevancies. (Perry, 1970) Our technology is full of cow, and our minds are full of bull. Once we can find a way to combine these forces, we will never stop progressing. Perry (1970) summed the dangers of a chronic â€Å"cow†, â€Å"These are delicate matters. As for cow, its complexities are not what need concern us. Unlike good bull, it does not represent partial knowledge at all. It belongs to a different theory of knowledge entirely. In our theories of knowledge it represents total ignorance, or worse yet, a knowledge downright inimical to understanding. I even go so far as to propose that w e award no more C’s for cow. To do so is rarely, I feel, the act of mercy it seems. Mercy lies in clarity.† (p. 8) Perry is arguing we must first become aware of and recognizing cow, and to correct it upon sight. This requires we learn to learn, which means we should delve our minds into books and others personal wisdom and experience. In only this  method can we expand our own minds and become aware of cow, or bull, and teach ourselves to think beyond what is given to us. We learn to analyze and experiment, and in this manner we can progress into a better future – not only for ourselves, but for future generations. WORK CITED Carr, Nicholas. (2008). Is Google Making Us Stupid? [PDF document]. Retrieved from: https://byui.brainhoney.com/Frame/Component/CoursePlayer?enrollmentid=1491373 Feynman, Richard. (1985). O Americano, Outra Vez! [PDF document]. Retrieved from: https://byui.brainhoney.com/Frame/Component/CoursePlayer?enrollmentid=1491373 McCullough, David. (2008). The Love of Learning [PDF document]. Retrieved from: https://byui.brainhoney.com/Frame/Component/CoursePlayer?enrollmentid=1491373 Perry, William. (1970). Examsmanship and the Liberal Arts [PDF document]. Retrieved from https://byui.brainhoney.com/Frame/Component/CoursePlayer?enrollmentid=1491373 Postman, Neil. (1984). Amusing Ourselves to Death [PDF document]. Retrieved from https://byui.brainhoney.com/Frame/Component/CoursePlayer?enrollmentid=1491373

Was World War One Responsible for Nicholas Ii’s Downfall?

Emily Hawkins How far do you agree that Nicholas II’s downfall was caused by World War 1? 1914 was a devastating year for many countries of the world, as world war one began to take full effect. But as world war one shook the world; it began to question Nicholas II’s ability to rule Russia. In this essay i will discuss the extent of world war one’s responsibility in Nicholas II’s downfall, and the extent of other contributing factors. I will argue that Nicholas II’s own traits as a leader were the main reason for his downfall.On the one hand, world war one had a huge impact on the Tsar and his country. Firstly, the cost of the war was placing a huge strain on Russia’s economy. Taxes increased hugely and the cost of living rose by 300%, so in order to try and help the economy through the struggling times of world war one, the government printed more money, making all money worthless. The people of Russia were now struggling even more than they were before the war had begun. Secondly, the Germans were forcing the Russians to retreat and they were therefore losing a lot of land.The impact of the battle of Tannenburg, where 30,000 troops were killed and 95,000 captured had a huge impact on the army’s moral, and by the end of 1916, 2 million soldiers had left the army. The commander in chief shot himself because of how bad the country and the army were doing, and soon after, the Tsar himself took on the role of commander in chief, although he lacked ability and knowledge. Also, the military had a lack of resources, in each regiment in the army; there was one gun per three people; the Tsar was blamed for many of the military downfalls, and this was one of them.The Russian transport system was also facing serious problems, and the ammunitions being made in the factories weren’t getting to the front line. Thirdly, world war one was causing huge food shortages; in Moscow in 1914, Russia was receiving 2200 wagons of grain and by Christmas 1916, the number of carts was down to just 300. This was because of distribution problems; nobody could sort the carts out properly. They were prioritized to the front line, so that the soldiers got the first carts.But after the front line had been sent their grain, there was nobody sorting out the rest of it; there were carts found with bread rotting away, bread that the starving Russian people were missing out on. Although world war one was not the sole reason for Nicholas’ downfall, it did act as a catalyst. It increased the severity of the existing problems that Russia was facing. It also highlighted that the Tsar and the Romanov dynasty was no longer capable of ruling the country and that they didn’t have the support and determination to rule the country through a world war.On the other hand, there were many other reasons that the Tsar’s downfall occurred. Firstly, the strikes and demonstrations in Moscow and Petrograd were causing h uge disruption, and when the Tsar tried to return to Petrograd, his train was stopped and he realised that he couldn’t control the protestors; a major sign that he had no control of Russia and its people. Secondly, the revolutionary parties were spreading their radical ideas around the country, and also highlighting the weaknesses of the Romanov dynasty.The Tsar’s downfall was prone because of the amount of opposition that he faced and his loss of support to the other political parties. Parties such as the Bolsheviks, Social Revolutionaries, Mensheviks and Populists educated the peasants and working-class people on the need for a new type of leadership; this encouraged strikes and discontent. Many of the strikes were purely because of the appalling living and working conditions, and for a while, the people united together because of the war, but when the Russian people began to feel the true cost of the war, the protests began to re-occur and more support for the Tsar was lost.Thirdly, because of the troops refusing to shoot at protestors on 25th of February, the army felt no longer obliged to be loyal to the Tsar. As long as the Tsar was not supported by the army, he had no chance of successfully running Russia. The Duma also refused orders to dissolve, and 12 of its members formed a committee that planned to take over Russia; the called themselves ‘The Provisional Government’. The soviets also issued ‘Order number 1’ which demanded that all officers in the army be elected by their men, proving that the Tsar had lost all of his power.Therefore, there were many factors involved in the Tsar’s downfall, such as the political opposition, strikes and the disloyalty of the army and the Duma. Once people started to support the other political parties, they lost all loyalty for the ‘God appointed’ Tsar. The strikes highlighted the weaknesses of the Tsar’s leadership skills and proved that he couldnâ⠂¬â„¢t no longer control and rule Russia. The disloyalty of the army and the Duma completely removed all of his power, meaning that Nicholas could no longer be Tsar.I personally believe that Nicholas II was responsible for his own downfall. Although there was definitely contributing factors, his naive attitude and inability to effectively rule a country caused his downfall. Nicholas failed to trust key advisors such as Witte and Stolypin and despite him issuing the October Manifesto; he preserved his own autocratic power through the fundamental laws, which the Russian people didn’t like. He failed to think and plan ahead to create a better future for Russia, he didn’t think like a leader should.Even though the war was already a huge strain on Russia, and on Nicholas, he still felt it necessary to take over the role of commander in chief of the army; although he had no experience or knowledge of the role. He was blamed for many of the army’s failure, and people s topped believing in him. By Christmas 1916, the Russian army were struggling and with Nicholas II as an unqualified leader, poor communications and shortages of food and supplies led to problems and Nicholas was blamed for the 1. million soldiers who died, the 3. 9 million wounded and the 2. 4 million who were now prisoners. As Nicholas was busy trying to incapably run the army, he left his wife in charge of Russia, his wife that nobody liked. As she was German born, the Russian people thought that she was sympathetic to the enemy, and they deeply mistrusted her. The Russian people looked at their leadership and saw the ineffectiveness; they began to look for alternative leaders.Also, people disliked the Tsar, as he took key advice from Rasputin, who was disliked by the population for making many ministerial changes, and they thought that he was having an affair with the Tsarina. Some radical parties began to plot the death of Rasputin as the Russian people looked for alternatives t o the Romanov dynasty. Therefore Nicholas was responsible for his own downfall. People began to dislike him after he failed to listen to his key advisors and improve Russia. This was made worse by his inability to share power with the Dumas or any other political opposition.Russian people also hated the fact that Nicholas had taken the role of commander in chief of the army. He was unable to run the country, let alone the army as well. He had almost run Russia into the ground, and then he left it in the hands of someone that none of the population liked or trusted, so that he could take up a role he knew nothing about; which he failed at miserably, letting the country and the army down. Therefore, i believe that Nicholas was responsible for his own downfall.There were many other things to blame though, such as world war one, the disloyalty of the army, and his political opposition. As soon as world war one started, the Russian people began to see that Nicholas was incapable of runni ng Russia and they looked towards the opposition for a way out of the autocratic state they had suffered so long. Once the loyalty of the army was lost, Nicholas had no chance of getting Russia back to how it was 100’s of years before. He knew that his time of autocracy, and the time of the Romanov dynasty was up.

Importance of Games and Sports

Posted in Essays, Paragraphs and Articles by Anurag Roy On August 27, 2013.There goes a good proverb—†All work and no play makes Jack a dull boyâ€Å".Games and sports are not only important for success in studio but it is important for success in every walks of our life. Games and sports include all outdoor and indoor games and also athletics. In ancient Greece they formed the principal part of education. In the advanced countries of the present day also they are a regular feature of the school and college curriculum.Games and sports may be of various kinds. Apart from school or college sports, boys and girls may practice races, jumps, discuss throw and javelin throw and thus pass their afternoon in useful activities. They may play various games like football, cricket, hockey, volleyball, basket ball, badminton etc.School and College Games and sports are annual affairs. Sports are generally held in winter months. Students take part in various games like high and long j umps, pole vault, go-as-you like and different kind of races. These annual sports foster competitive spirit and sportsmanship. Sometimes inter class tournaments are held in relation with football, hockey, cricket, tennis, cycling, volleyball, badminton etc. These games foster team spirit among the participants and make them disciplined.The importance of games and sports can never be minimizedFirst of all, they are good exercises and help to build fine, physique for the boys and girls. They make them mentally alert and physically strong. Secondly, students learn to cope with difficult situations. By displaying their feats before many spectators, they can overcome their nervousness. Thirdly, games and sports are good diversions and give them energy to learn their lessons well. For these reasons, every civilized nation values the importance of games and sports and spends large sum of money on improving the standard of games and sports among its players and athletes. The standard of gam es and sports in India is far from satisfactory. So, the  Government should take steps to improve this standard. Importance Of Games And Sports Survival and success of man has always depended upon his mental and physical energy. History tells us that only those nations could enjoy supremacy over others which more powerful and more active than their rivals. Therefore to develop standard of physical fitness nations of the world gave due importance to sports and games. In ancient Greece, such festivals were regularly held in which events of sports and games were arranged. The present day Olympic Games are conducted in the memory of Olympiads of the ancient Greece.Today in the modern age the importance of sports and games is much more than it was in the past. The impact of machine growing comforts of life, sports and games provide us the opportunities of physical exercise along with enjoyment. It is obvious that healthy individuals make a healthy nation and nobody can deny that, â€Å"Health is wealth† Every school and college has its sports day when annual competition in the games and sports are held. There are cricket c lubs, hockey associations, swimming clubs, boating clubs, football clubs and athletic forces of the country sports and games hold an unrivaled place.Also, the general population displays a keen interest in sports and games, The sports are popular among all classes of people; the reason is that sports influence a man physically and mentally as well as morally. In all kind of sports, the muscles of the body are engaged and so the body is developed. Different organs of the body are given exercise and as a result, eyes become sharper’ hearing is made keener and so on. It is quite obvious how sports influence the body but sports do much more. As Hippocrates said, â€Å"sport is a preservor of health†Playing games and sports has important advantages in a way that it socializes our lives. For example, when people intend to play basketball, they do it in groups. That will give them team spirit and a chance to identify each other very well and make friendships and relationships . So it is true that any of sports and games has advantages, since they decrease the stress, teach us skills that we need, satisfy us, and socialize our lives. And to get the most of the benefits, they should be practiced daily.

Applied Pharmacology Module 1 Workbook Learning Activity Dropbox Essay

Applied Pharmacology Module 1 Workbook Learning Activity Dropbox - Essay Example They further will also indicate a specific timeframe for the implementation of the policies along with a detailed plan for the expenditure (How to Develop and Implement a National Drugs Policy, 2003). The key components include† selection of essential drugs, Affordability, Drug financing, Supply systems, Regulation and quality assurance, Rational use, Research, Human resources, Monitoring and evaluation† (How to Develop and Implement a National Drags Policy, 1988). As a paramedic, my estimation is that the role played by national strategy in formulating the greatest possible use of medicines to develop the health results of all Australians is very remarkable (About Quality Use of Medicines, 2008). This has also provided an opportunity for the paramedic like me to expand a consistent approach to prescribe medicines that supports quality use of medicines, safe practice, and effectiveness of healthcare services.   Hawthorn is a heart herb belonging to the rose family. It is white to brownish in color and united with its extremely rose-like, lobed leaves, and brown wooded stems. The herb also works well with other tonic herbs and, therefore, fortifies its effect on the patient’s body. The leaves, berries and flowers of Hawthorn are used by herbal practitioners in UK in combination with prescribed drugs to treat hypertension (Herbs and Dietary Supplement in the Pretension and Treatment of Cardiovascular Disease, 1954). â€Å"Hawthorn (Crataegus) may play a role in the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases such as hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and in particular, congestive heart failure† (Research Update of Hawthorn Fruit Extras Hawthorn Leaves Extras, n.d). Evidence gathered show that hawthorn may lead to anti ischemia or reperfusion-injury, hypolipidemic, hypotensive and anti-arrhythmic effects. â€Å"Clinical trials have confirmed that hawthorn leaf and flower extracts are beneficial for

PART (a), Write a fiction story a single piece of 2500 words in form Essay

PART (a), Write a fiction story a single piece of 2500 words in form of a complete story. PART (b). Write a reflective commen - Essay Example Suddenly, John’s daughter entered and handed over a certificate to him. He asked, â€Å"From where did you get this certificate?† â€Å"I got it from the old shelf†, she answered. John returned the certificate and answered to his daughter, â€Å"This certifies that your father was a scapegoat of his father’s decision, nothing special. But ask your mother to keep it safe.† Then he asked his wife in a low but sweet voice, â€Å"Bella, can I have your help to walk the dogs?† Isabella answered, â€Å"Yes, if I have 10 or 12 hands. Can’t you see that I am busy with the kid?† Isabella entered the yard with their child and looked at John. She saw that John is still sitting on his chair. But he was trying to go through his past, as an obedient student. Noticing the certificate, she kept silent for a while and said in a sarcastic voice, â€Å"Sorry John, I was not aware of the fact that you are still clinging to your past.† She re alized that the certificate led John to ponder over his past, as an obedient student and existentialist. John changed his dress and walked to their farm with his wife and children. *** I still remember my kid’s childhood because he was never a nuisance to me. Can you imagine a child who is amiable and amicable? It is him. But his elder brother was quarrelsome and he tried his level best to please his pa. During his adolescent age, my child developed enthusiasm towards nature. He used to ask several questions about the secret behind the living world. He was aware of the fact that his father will not lend his ear to his words. During his teenage, my child faced a number of problems within our personal domain. I still remember that incident. One day, my old man asked my son to reveal his ambition. He plainly answered that his aim is to become an organic farmer. This conversation transformed our family into a hell. My old man scolded my child and made clear that he will not allow him to be a farmer. By the by, my old man is a businessman, who used to import and sell plastic toys from China. He never tried to understand that human beings are different in their attitude towards life. Some people consider that business is the core of success. Some others consider that rustic life is most suitable for human beings because the same never leave any carbon footprint. Personally, I belong to a rural family and I am aware of the importance of farming within human life. Still, it is difficult to prove that farming is better than business. The happiness that can be seen in a farmer’s face on seeing that his plants are growing cannot be compared to a businessman’s happiness. So, my old man decided to send my child to a boarding school. Still, someone was smiling, my other child. My child spent his teenage at a boarding school. After completing his school education, my child returned. He did not try to face his father, but revealed his future plan to me. H e told me that he does not like to be a businessman because he does not expect any profit in his life. I told him that his elder brother did complete MBA and is helping his father. Then, he told me that his burden is lifted because two aggressive lions cannot live in a forest. But I told him that a lion and a number of foxes can live in a forest. He answered that he does not like to be a fox in his life, but the lion in his own territory. But the problem was not over because my old man once more intruded into my child’s life and sent him to a famous business school to continue his higher