Community Practice Essay

Facilitating and obstructing factors for development of learning in clinical practice: a student perspective. Issues and innovations in Nursing Education. Journal of Advanced Nursing 34(1), 43–50; Priest, H. , 2004. Phenomenology. Nurse Researcher 11(4), 4–6; Stockhausen, L. , 2005. Learning to become a nurse: student nurses’ reflections on their clinical experiences. Australian Journal of Nursing 22(3), 8–14). The data were analysed using content analysis techniques, exploring their contextual meaning through the development of emergent themes (Neuendorf, K. A. 2002. The Content Analysis Guidebook. Sage Publications, London). The identified themes related to elements of students’ basic skill acquisition, the development of their working relationships with mentors, patients and others, the learning opportunities offered by community practice placements and the effects that such placements had on their confidence to practice. These themes are discuss ed with regard to the published literature, to arrive at conclusions and implications for future nursing education, practice and research. Author: M. R. Baglin Source: http://www. urseeducationinpractice. com/article/S1471-5953(09)00110-3/abstract Community nursing competencies: a comparison of educator, administrator, and student perspectives. Perceptions of functioning levels of baccalaureate students nearing graduation were assessed, comparing views of 15 educators, 15 health department administrators, and 185 students. A modified list of the 47 essential public health nursing competencies identified through the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services Division of Nursing served as the basis for data collection and analyses. Student competencies in individual skills were ranked higher than group and community competencies by all three groups surveyed. Students ranked competencies at higher levels than educators and educators at higher levels than administrators. Although administrators continue to advise new graduates to work in acute care before entering community health, support for continuation of this practice was not observed based on administrator ratings. Author: Nickel JT,  Pituch MJ,  Holton J,  Didion J,  Perzynski K,  Wise J,  McVey B. Source: http://www. ncbi. nlm. nih. gov/pubmed/7899221 Enhancing students’ perspectives of health through non-traditional community experiences. The shift in emphasis to community-based health care necessitates that opportunities be provided for nursing students to acquire an understanding of the complex nature of health. A qualitative study was used to demonstrate the benefits accrued by junior baccalaureate nursing students in non-traditional community settings. Key themes that emerged from data analysis included definitions of health and illness as context specific, and environmental factors influencing health. The study demonstrated that learning experiences with diverse communities can broaden students’ perspectives and understanding of health behaviours. Students gained an appreciation of the sociocultural variation in meanings of health and illness as well as of the social and political dimensions of health. Author: Sword W,  Noesgaard C,  Majumdar B. Source: http://www. ncbi. nlm. nih. gov/pubmed/8313070 Student Nurse Attitudes Towards Homeless Clients: a challenge for education and Practice The purpose of this research was to describe attitudes of nursing students (and paramedic officers) towards marginalized clients. Convenience quota sampling in a major health faculty was employed. Students participated on a voluntary basis. A 58-item Likert scale, developed by the authors, assessed the student nurses’ attitudes. In general, attitudes towards homeless clients were neutral; detailed analyses, however, revealed that student nurses would decline to care for homeless clients in various situations. Personal experience with homeless patients and positive attitudes of nurses significantly contributed to increased quality of care and equality of treatment for homeless clients. Certain student nurse behaviors warrant immediate attention to prevent marginalized patients from being exposed to unfair, inaccessible and biased nursing care. Based on our results, we recommend that further research attention be paid to the role of ethics education and faculty behaviors, as faculty members serve as role models for professionalization. Zoltan Balogh Semmelweiss University, Budapest, Hungary,  zrinyi_m@freemail. hu,zrinyim@who. int Source: http://nej. sagepub. com/content/11/4/334. abstract Author: Miklos Zrinyi world Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland Student Nurses Learn Lessons in Community Health on Tribal Reservations University of Washington School of Nursing students have the unique opportunity to complete a community health rotation on one of two Native American reservations on Washington’s Kitsap Peninsula—the only rural public health clinical offered by the school of nursing. The experience has not only helped students learn about a unique group of people, but also how to relate to any patient population in future community health work. Recently, teams of student nurses were assigned to the Fort Gamble S’klallam reservation and to the Suquamish reservation, focusing on four different projects. One group of students partnered with family services personnel in an obesity prevention program mirroring TV’s â€Å"The Biggest Loser,† in which the person who lost the most weight won a car. Other students developed a nutrition program for an early childhood development center. A third group was involved in educating the staff of an early childhood development center about the prevention of Hepatitis B infections. The remaining group conducted and transcribed interviews with individuals for a community assessment. The goal of the assessment was to understand the community’s perception of its strengths and problem issues and to discover which issues were most important to the community. Author: Megan M. Krischke, Source: http://insightsinnursing. com/2009/07/student-nurses-learn-from-community-immersion/ Foreign studies Foreign nurses can slip into communication  gap According to (marshall 2009) it’s not politically correct — but it’s a frequent complaint of hospital patients in Las Vegas: â€Å"The nurses don’t speak English! The complaint is inaccurate. Foreign nurses working in Las Vegas do speak English. All have passed English language competency exams to become licensed in Nevada. But the complaint also contains an element of truth. More than 15 percent of the Las Vegas nursing workforce is internationally trained, about five times the national averag e of 3. 5 percent, according to an expert at UNLV. Most of these nurses are from Asian countries — the Philippines, India, Japan and Korea. Their English is often heavily accented and they may not understand the nuances of American culture and lingo — which can create challenges for patients and doctors. Xu’s research has shown that foreign nurses have a difficult transition to the American health care system. A study he conducted on Chinese nurses in the United States found they often felt socially isolated and paralyzed by their communication inadequacies. Foreign nurses are also forced to adjust to differences in the job description in the United States, Xu’s research has shown. Asian nurses are accustomed to family members doing tasks like bathing and feeding the patient, and may feel such jobs are beneath their level of education, one of his studies found. Language and communication problems can have a direct effect on the quality of patient care, and on the perceptions patients have of their care, Xu said. An estimated 100,000 people die every year as the result of medical errors in the United States, and communication problems are believed to be a leading cause. Xu said it’s impossible to know how much internationally trained nurses contribute to medical errors because the area is grossly understudied. Author: Marshall Allen Source: http://www. lasvegassun. com/news/2009/mar/10/foreign-nurses-can-fall-communication-gap/ A Study of the Drivers of Commitment amongst Nurses: The Salience of Training, Development and Career Issues According to (McCabe etal 2) this study is to highlight factors influencing the commitment of nurses, and particularly focuses on the role of training, development and career issues. It provides the basis for a HRD framework, outlining policy choices in developing high commitment amongst nursing staff. Design/methodology/approach: The main themes and sub-themes relating to the drivers of commitment and the role of training, development and career issues were identified and explored employing a grounded theory, constant omparative approach. Findings: The main â€Å"fault-line† between nurses and the organization concerned resource management, and the introduction of general management concepts and practices. HRD practitioners should consider using the language and terms of reference familiar to nurses when devising HRD initiatives. Factors positively influencing the comm itment of nursing staff included shared values, involving a sense of â€Å"vocational† commitment towards patient care and nursing. Strong leadership, particularly concerning the role of line management, was seen as important in influencing commitment. Teamwork and support, from both line management and colleagues, was also important. Training and development were highly regarded by nurses, and could be a useful way of recognizing and acknowledging their contribution to health care delivery. Career progression and greater involvement were viewed favourably by some nurses and unfavourably by others. The main issue concerned the possible substitution of nurse practitioner responsibilities with administrative and managerial responsibilities. Research limitations/implications: The findings are solely based on interviews with nursing staff from two NHS organizations. In exploring the various drivers of commitment and the role of training, development and career issues the study’s focus was towards depth, as opposed to breath, of investigation. Practical implications: Valuable information for HRD practitioners and researchers on the drivers of commitment amongst nursing staff and the role played by training, development and career issues is provided. Originality/value: This paper is a useful study on exploring commitment amongst nursing staff and ways in which HRD practitioners and researchers can facilitate and develop commitment. The DoLE official added that while waiting for a chance to be employed overseas, nurses can venture into and already start income generating projects. However, she admitted that the high demand for nurses abroad is a really attractive career to pursue because of its obvious economic returns. Meanwhile, Pineda disclosed that the continuing demand for Filipino nurses overseas is expected to intensify, as the world’s northern countries experience longer lifespans and the graying of their population in the next five to ten years is sure to see the deployment of local nurses. Countries that will continue to offer employment opportunities include the Gulf States in the Middle East such as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman,† she said. Further, European countries including the United Kingdom and Ireland will also continue hiring Filipino nurses, even as new markets are emerging in Norway, Belgium, Denmark, Finland and Netherlands. Canada, too, is a new market, while Australia and New Zealand likewise offer

Employment Law Essay

The main issue under consideration in this case is whether a claim under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (ADEA) can be subjected to compulsory arbitration pursuant to an arbitration agreement in a securities registration application. Gilmer contends that it is not. Among the arguments raised by Gilmer are: a) the compulsory arbitration of claims under the ADEA pursuant to arbitration agreement is inconsistent with the purpose of the Federal Arbitration Agreement; b) the compulsory arbitration of claims will undermine the role of the EEOC in enforcing the ADEA; c) compulsory arbitration will deprive the claimant of the judicial forum provided for by the ADEA; d) compulsory arbitration should not be countenanced because of the inherent inequality in the bargaining power between the employers and the employees. The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit holding that an ADEA claim may be subjected to compulsory arbitration. The Supreme Court ruled that it does not see any inconsistency between the purpose of FAA and the enforcement of agreements to arbitrate under age discrimination claims. The Sherman Act, the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, RICO, and the Securities Act of 1933 all are designed to advance important public policies but claims under these statutes may still be subjected to compulsory arbitration. Also, it is incorrect to argue that compulsory arbitration will undermine the role of EEOC in enforcing the ADEA because a claimant subject to arbitration agreement is still free to file a charge with the EEOC. Further, compulsory arbitration agreements will not deprive the claimants of their right to seek judicial recourse under ADEA rather it even broadens the right of the claimants as they now have the right to select the forum for resolving their disputes whether judicial or otherwise. Mere inequality in the bargaining power between the employer and the employee is not sufficient to hold that arbitration agreements should not be enforceable as it is precisely the purpose of FAA to place arbitration agreements in the same footing as other contracts. In effect, the Gilmer case required claimants who are under compulsory arbitration agreements to comply with the said agreements before they seek judicial recourse even if it involves a claim under the ADEA. In the dissenting opinion of Justice Stevens, he argued that arbitration clauses contained in employment agreements are specifically exempt from coverage of the FAA thus respondent corporation cannot compel petitioner to submit his claims arising under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (ADEA) to compulsory arbitration. One of the arguments raised is that the requirement of compulsory arbitration between the petitioner and the respondent is not embodied in the contract of employment. In fact it was admitted by both parties that there was no contract of employment between them. Instead, the Compulsory Arbitration clause was embodied only in Gilmer’s application for registration before the NYSE. Moreover even if there was a contract of employment, the FAA should be not held to apply to employment-related disputes between employees and employers. It would be contrary to the spirit of the FAA to allow the same people who have practiced discrimination against an employee to bargain with them for the purpose of settling their disputes. I agree with the majority opinion. In the first place, the injured party in discrimination suits is the employee. As the injured party, they have the freedom to seek judicial recourse for the purpose of obtaining relief for the damage done to them. However, they also have the freedom to opt for other alternatives. In an effort to settle their dispute with their employers, they may choose to enter into arbitration. Indeed, it would be more in keeping with the laissez faire doctrine to allow both the employers and the employees to settle their dispute among themselves.

Report of the death of Vicky Margaret who died at Albany hospital Case Study

Report of the death of Vicky Margaret who died at Albany hospital - Case Study Example Vicky Margaret was involuntarily admitted at Albany Hospital because the doctors found out that she had a mental illness, which could not allow her to make an informed decision about whether to get treatment (Hope, 2009). The doctors discovered that Margaret had a mental illness according to the statement given by her mother. The statement argued that the patient was diagnosed with the mental disorder after giving birth to her two children. The hospital diagnosed Mrs. Greeuw with bipolar and schizoaffective disorders. The results of the post mortem conducted by the Chief Forensic Pathologist, Dr Cookie, however, indicated that Vicky died from bowel obstructions. The report that comprised of photographs showed that the bowel obstructions resulted from constipation, which led to vomiting and piling up of faeces in the rectum of the deceased. Further investigation indicated that the medication used to treat the patient was capable of leading to constipation. The medication includes Oloz apine, Lamotrigine, Ferrograd, Benztropine, and chlorpromazine (Hope, 2009). All the prescriptions had side effects of leading to constipation, and the doctors failed to examine Vicky’s physical condition. This led to the severity of the case, which consequently led to the death of Vicky Margaret.... This led to the severity of the case, which consequently led to the death of Vicky Margaret. 1.1 Objectives of the report The main aim of preparing this report is to find out and analyze the causes of the death of Vicky Margaret. The report also aims at formulating recommendations that will help health institutions to prevent similar cases. Health institutions may integrate the recommendations in their policies to ensure that nurses and doctors attend to patients efficiently. 2.0 Background of the report The report was compiled using nursing and laboratory notes and reports, in addition to discussions with critical health officers such as psychiatrists, nurses, and general practitioners. 2.1 Analysis of the Case using the Human Factors Models The Human Factors Model explains that efficiency at the workplace is achieved when human characteristics are integrated into the system of a clinic. The human factors include effective communication, safe working tools, and healthy working condi tions. The theory argues that errors are reduced in the workplace when there is efficient communication, and workers use safe tools. In this case, the patient was not examined physically, and there was no proper communication between the doctors who treated Vicky. Griffies, the doctor who admitted Margaret, argued that he was not responsible for the treatment of the patient. Griffies failed to communicate with the doctor who treated Vicky, yet he had some information on her condition. The practitioners also ignored the treatment history of the patient, which shows that Vicky was treated with bowel obstructions in 2005, and she had been admitted to the hospital twelve times since 1989. The case would have been

Wonderfun plc Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Wonderfun plc - Essay Example To analyse the current position of Wonderfun, the trends in financial ratios have been seen and the performance of company with other companies has been compared by taking the industry averages. Based on analysis, few recommendations have been provided to the company and investors. The financial ratios analysis has shown that Wonderfun PLC has been performing above than market average during the period 2005-2008. However, the performance of company has been declining slightly from 2005-2008. The year 2009 appears to be a tough year for the company, as its profits have reduced and debt and liabilities have increased. Still, the company has paid the same dividend in 2009, as it has paid in 2008. Moreover, Wonderfun has also pursued expansion strategy in 2009, which have enhanced the liabilities of the company; however, the sales of company are improving after this expansion. It has been recommended to the company that it can improve its performance in coming years by reducing its operating expenses such as selling and distribution costs. Moreover, it has been suggested to investors that Wonderfun is still a good company to invest in because of its excellent past performance, declining industry performance in 2009 (which also affected company) and potential of increasing revenues because of expansion strategy. Various groups need financial information and the nature of their uses also varies. The main groups of users may include owners of the company, managers, prospective owners, banks or lenders, suppliers of materials, government bodies, related industry regulatory authorities and employees or unions (ACS). The needs of analysis for these users groups also vary for example, investors may want information to decide whether to invest in the company or not. The suppliers of materials may need information to evaluate whether the company is profitable enough to pay back trade

Moral Management Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Moral Management - Research Paper Example This paper discuses the concept of moral management in the current business world. Vogel (2005: 51) argues that the objective of management â€Å"is to offer direction, develop commitment, facilitate change and achieve results through creative, effective and responsible use of people and other resources†. Morals on the other hand deal with personal or organizational behavior or a belief regarding what is acceptable or not suitable to do or engage in. In this case, moral management in business organizations and in the society entails the deliberate engagement of people to perform particular tasks that are morally acceptable in the organization. Morals and ethical standing of an organization determines how the public perceives it (Vogel, 2005). For long period, the public gauges the moral standards of an organization using honesty and ethical elements of its management. In this regard, businesspersons are ranked differently depending of there area of specialization or engagement . Aguilar (1994) lists several business professionals that have consistently been ranked low by the public in the last four decades. These include stockbrokers, contractors, car salespersons, advertisement practitioners, insurance agents in addition to real estate agents. The moral and ethical standings of the practitioners who engage in these lines of business in the public view have lower ethical standings compared with other professions including teaching or medicine. Irrespective of the line of the business, that a person or an organization is engaged in, it is important to entrench pragmatic moral practices in order to gain public confidence in the organization that would in turn enhance its performance. In the current competitive and challenging business environment, Baron (2001) notes that customers are more aware of their rights and loyalty to a particular brand or an organization is not enough to maintain them. In view of the current highly globalized world, the issue of bu siness ethics and morality is no longer confined in a particular geographical region. The widespread application of information technology, World Wide Web, electronic commerce, in addition to social networking sites have suddenly exposed small and large enterprises to global scrutiny and this trend underlies the importance of moral management. Similarly, the emerging technology in other aspects of human existence, such as medicine and biotechnology continues to elicit many ethical and moral issues in respect to their application, regardless of the benefits that they offer to humanity. To address these issues in view of globalization and developing technologies, it is important to look at the enduring management practices, their challenges in the business environment and how they need to change to address the merging business moral management issues. In this regard, it is important to investigate moral, immoral and amoral management in order to make a clear distinction among them. Ba ron (2001) argues that immoral management established the foundation of the business ethics discipline. According to Brekke and Karine (2003), unethical and immoral practices in an organization are identical. In this regard, they define immoral management as an organizational practice that not only lacks ethical principles but also in opposition to what is just or right. Therefore, immoral management

Develop an arguable, creative, and unique thesis about one theme in Essay

Develop an arguable, creative, and unique thesis about one theme in The complete Persepolis - Essay Example The author uses religion as a theme in the book on several occasions. For instance, Marjane introduces herself to the reader that she comes from a religious family yet her family is not religious. As observed at the beginning of the book, â€Å"I was born with religion† (Satrapi 6) according to Islam religion, God is viewed as a unique sustainer of the entire universe and accords favor upon those who call upon Him. God is the sovereign in the spiritual aspect of people’s lives and also the physical. Marjane at the tender age of ten believed in God and set out her imaginations of God for answers. Marjane mimic the historical revolutionaries in her dressing and pretends to be Cheguavera and Fidel Castro. This imaginative character in Marjane’s autobiography that offers a comic relief of macabre imaging of revolution and war in Iran at that time is seen. The religion of Marjane helps her to endure through hard times. She believes in religion as she even claims that she is a religious prophet. She emphasizes this by telling her teacher in the class that she want to be a prophet in future. When her belief in class is isolated, and her religion taken away from her, hope is lost for a while. Religion is forced on many women, through wearing a veil. The religion revolution of Iran had a significant role; they were two different parties who participated in the revolution religion. One party involved those who were trying to strengthen the religion in Iran while the other party involved people who were focused on modernizing Iran. This situation is seen and forecasted by Marjane as evident that she is a prophet, she claims â€Å"I want to be a prophet† (Satrapi 6). The Guardians of Revolution, who are focused to make Iran a religion country, detain anyone who breaks the rule of faith, just as they stopped the family of Marjane. Thos e who fail to

Discussion Board Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 9

Discussion Board - Essay Example This article hopes to examine the various techniques of literary and historical criticism as well as providing a solution for getting a clear presentation of the Bible. Historical criticism consists of various specialties such as tradition criticism, redaction criticism, form criticism, and source criticism. Form criticism concentrates on the numerous elements or features of the task and specifically concentrates on the oral transmission time. As its name indicates source criticism tries to recognize the applicable written sources employed by the author2. On the other hand, redaction criticism concentrate on the writers and tries to recognize the material the authors may have modified or added based on their specific theological viewpoints. Historical criticism is the employment of source, redaction, and form critique in combination to draw out the whole of the tradition. Literary criticism can be as easy as reading through the writing as one would read through a section of classical literature by determining literary background, devices, climax, etc. Nevertheless, a new kind of literary criticism claims for an engagement into the writing where a finding of significance happens in an encounter with God and thus prevents the small of historical criticism. Although the objectives of literary criticism appear authentic, it led to various excessive conditions such as deconstructionism, which suggested that meaning was not available in the writing alone. It was of the view that meaning was only available through an exchange between the writing and the reader. Deconstructionism normally led to the reader-response concept, which in its extreme has left the meaning wholly to the reader3. The dimensions of historical criticism have the potential of resulting in an atomistic display that may entirely skip the meaning of the writing by concentrating on the section thus

Case Analysis (another one) Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Analysis (another one) - Case Study Example Before 2007, the firm realized same growth rate that exceeded five percent for 15 consecutive years. This growth helped the company to establish its brand in the market, setting it apart from its rivals. The company maintained â€Å"standardization,† which helped it build its brand regardless of its rapid expansion. A lucrative business, the company has manage to merge growth and profitability with its competitive advantage, particularly by espousing strong ethical values (Ivey 7). In the recent years, however, Starbucks is showing weaknesses attributed to high prices, market saturation, and long waits in its stores due to the inexperience of its baristas and managers. The quality of coffee is low, and the food the company provides highly unattractive. With respect to opportunities, coffee culture is growing at a rapid pace globally, providing Starbucks with a chance to go up-market and compete with established coffee firms, especially in the luxurious European market and emer ging markets such as China, India, Brazil, and Russia. In this case, Starbucks will manage to cope with the threats posed by Dunkin Donuts, McDonald’s, and Peet’s Coffee & Tea, as well as those resulting from financial crisis and the company’s overexposure in the market (Ivey 8). Based on the strategic issues that Starbucks is encountering, which contribute to its downfall, the firm should hire additional managers and train its baristas appropriately to help streamline its menus, fill orders faster, and improve the overall services delivered to clients. The organization should also offer more products and services beyond coffee to address the diverse needs of its clients. The company should also provide its clients with natural food that does not affect their health negatively. In addition, the firm should lower the prices of its products and enforce fair workplace arrangements for it to create a

International Human Rights and Islamic Law Essay

International Human Rights and Islamic Law - Essay Example Almost all the nations that are either Islamic in nature, or have a strong Islamic presence within their population, have at some point of time entered reservations. Amongst these, some states have entered their reservations by citing the Sharia law, while other states have based these reservations by categorising the Sharia as ‘domestic family law’. Such high number of reservations portrays the existence of a contention that relates directly to the women’s laws pertaining to human rights, while also indirectly relating to the theory and practice of the international human rights law. This conflict thus showcases a direct confrontation between the idea of universalism of human rights; and the so called ‘cultural relativism.’ Even a casual glance at the reservations will show us that some of them that cite the Islamic Sharia laws, are completely at oddity with the very nature and objective of the Convention, and often undermines the primary goal that a ims to the remove all kinds gender bias and bring in equal status for all human beings, irrespective of whether he is a male or a female. In my article I will examine the tension that arises from the certain state parties’ reservations to CEDA

E-Learning Management System Essay Example for Free

E-Learning Management System Essay The basic facilitator for E-learning is triggered by the exponential growth of internet and thirst for information to make smooth decisions at all spheres. The primary purpose is to help people all over in making their lives easier. E-learning creates a network consisting of every being who desires to share and use information. It is very crucial to researchers, professionals and policy makers who require information at the correct time for their work and development. It helps immensely the businesses to cater to a large public domain, typically rendering to B2B, B2C and C2C models. It helps them to cater on-demand services from anywhere across the globe for taking advantage of technology and newer innovations for growth and development. Information can flow smooth across nations and businesses so that its transition can help them to learn newer things and implement it in practice creating an environment of trust and confidence. Communication forms a major part of our lives which can be enriched by sharing information. E-learning management system must be set up effectively with the help of domain experts and professionals so that the correct representation of information can take place. Appropriate classification and representation would further help in optimum procurement and use of it in practice. Knowledge repositories of current practices and lessons learned must be captured effectively for further derivation of knowledge and intelligence. The concept of Data mining is of great importance. Interoperability issues must be addressed to acknowledge the successful delivery of knowledge. Security and quality consideration is a priority as any form of abuse would affect quality of the content. Special care must be taken with regard to knowledge depository so that it can be successfully implemented in practice to render effective services to masses for their prosperity.

Squash Agility In Season Training Physical Education Essay

Squash Agility In Season Training Physical Education Essay Introduction Squash is a sport which is played by 2 individuals and sometimes played in doubles. The game is played in a 4 walled court sometimes made of glass, and uses a hollow rubber ball, which can be changed depending on the skill level of the player and the colour dot used/ ball type. Squash is a high intensity fitness sport and is not for the faint hearted, this sport places high demands on the energy systems of the body namely the aerobic and anaerobic systems. As squash is a sport which involves the movement of the entire body it is import to condition the body in order to produce the best results. Squash not only relies on the energy systems, but the players ability to reach any part of the court at any given time to play the ball, then get back to the T which is the most dominant position on the court, this is because from the T to any position on the court is shortest distance covered and thus you would have the upper hand against your opponent. Other demands are also placed on the pl ayers such as the ability to change direction quickly while maintaining dynamic balance; this is otherwise known as agility. Agility is very import in squash, in fact without it squash would be next to impossible, the more agile an individual the more likely them being able to retrieve a ball anywhere on the court at any given time. In order to be a successful squash player you need to have a varied training program, variety is the best way in order to improve as the body is placed under stress continually and never gets time to adapt. Us as humans have the ability to adapt quickly thus the muscles and training methods need to follow this trend, sticking to the same training trend will lead to a plateau and will decrease training performance as well as match performance, as said earlier. Agility is an important part of squash and in this assignment I plan to approach it in a way in which an in season training program will produce the best results for a squash player, finding the right balance between all the aspects that make up the game is key. Agility is made up of four main components and they are balance; the ability of the squash player to maintain balance while moving in any direction; speed, the ability of the squash player to move any part of their body at any given time quickly; strength, the ability of the muscles or the muscle groups to overcome the resistance applied to them and finally co-ordination, the ability to control the movement of the body in co-operation with the bodys sensory functions, an example of this would be using the racket to hit the ball while running in a sideways direction. All of these four aspects can be improved by developing weekly training programs which incorporate drills that are effective and efficient enough to produce the required results depending on the season training which in the case of this assignment is an In season agility training approach. Chapter 2: Physiology Energy Systems During physical fitness training for squash we train and recruit the two energy systems because squash is considered as a whole body activity, squash is a sport that demands a high levels of aerobic fitness as well anaerobic endurance, anaerobic endurance can be sub-divided as follows: Short anaerobic less than 25 seconds (mainly alactic) Medium anaerobic 25 seconds to 60 seconds (mainly lactic) Long anaerobic 60 seconds to 120 seconds (lactic +aerobic) These energy systems are crucial in the athletes ability to perform during high intensity matches, as well as weekly training program developed to improve overall fitness. During exercise the energy for muscular contractions is provided by these energy systems, which are the Aerobic and Anaerobic systems. Aerobic Energy System The term aerobic means in the presence or with oxygen, how it works is that the aerobic energy systems uses oxygen to produce energy, from the metabolic breakdown of fats as well as carbohydrates. The aerobic energy system is located in the mitochondria of the cell muscle fibre itself. These mitochondria are cellular energy factories if to say that are designed to make metabolism more effective and efficient and thus in turn synthesize or breakdown carbohydrates and fats as stated before to produce energy in the form of ATP. Energy cannot be created or destroyed but merely transformed from one form to another, thus the energy from the oxygen present is used to transform carbohydrates and fats into ATP. ATP or otherwise known as Adenosine Triphosphate is a nucleotide which is derived from adenosine that occurs in muscle tissue. ATP is the major source of energy for cellular reactions, and is thus a very important compound in terms of human survival. During the metabolic breakdown of carbohydrates and fats in the presence of oxygen in the aerobic system, the process yields 36 units of ATP which is said to be very efficient; this process is known as the Krebs Cycle. During training for squash or during squash matches the aerobic energy pathways utilize energy sources to provide the ATP required for specific muscle groups to contract effectively over long periods of time. These energy pathways are more efficient than the anaerobic pathways, as they get more energy from each molecule of glucose that is synthesized. In aerobic energy system , endurance trained muscle contains more intramuscular fat and highly trained endurance muscles are better suited to use fat as an energy source during exercise. Although this is only true to an extent, due to the fact that fat requires large amounts of oxygen for it to be synthesized efficiently, during high intensity exercise oxygen becomes limited and the burning of this fat is not viable, so the body has to look for other forms of energy to keep producing the muscular contractions required to perform the exercise. Fibre type In the aerobic energy system there are fibres in the muscle which are specific to this system and these fibres are known as slow twitch fibres. These slow twitch fibres generate energy for ATP re-synthesis by means of a long term system of aerobic energy transfer. They tend to have a low activity level of ATPase, a slower speed of contraction with a less well developed glycolytic capacity. They contain large and numerous mitochondria and with the high levels of myoglobin that gives them a red pigmentation. They have been demonstrated to have high concentration of mitochondrial enzymes, thus they are fatigue resistant. In the aerobic energy system you have two types of main fibres and they are: Type I Red fibres Slow oxidative fibres (also called slow twitch or fatigue resistant fibres). These fibres allow squash players to partake in long intense games which can last for over an hour, thus providing aerobic endurance to these players. Their production is utilized after about 90 seconds of any given activity, thus after the anaerobic energy systems resources have been fully utilized These fibres Contain: Large amounts of myoglobin present. Many mitochondria. Many blood capillaries. Generate ATP by the aerobic system, hence the term oxidative fibres. Split ATP at a slow rate. Slow contraction velocity. Resistant to fatigue. Found in large numbers in postural muscles. Needed for aerobic activities, or long rallies in a squash match which can last a few minutes over the time that the anaerobic system can provide energy for(90 seconds or longer), thus revealing why these fibres are known for endurance. Type II a Red fibres Fast oxidative (also called fast twitch A or semi fatigue resistant fibres). These fibres Contain: Large amounts of Myoglobin. Many mitochondria. Many blood capillaries. A High capacity for generating ATP by oxidation. Split ATP at a very rapid rate and, hence, high contraction velocity. Resistant to fatigue but not as much as slow oxidative fibres. Needed for the transition between the anaerobic phase and aerobic phase, utilized between 25 and 89 seconds (so after the type II B fibres are fatigued, and before the type I fibres become utilized) Anaerobic Energy System The anaerobic system derives its energy from the breakdown of carbohydrates without the need of oxygen (or due to the lack of oxygen present in the metabolic pathways) to synthesize the reactions taking place hence the term anaerobic meaning no oxygen present or lack of it. The anaerobic system provides an athlete with the energy we require at the start of an exercise with the initial increase in pace for example. This energy source however is not sufficient enough to last for long periods of time through the exercise and soon as this initial energy is expended the aerobic energy system takes over as the primary ATP provider for the sport specific muscular contractions. The anaerobic system is limited and very inefficient; thus it is said to waste vast amounts of expended energy in the process. This system relies on the breakdown of stored compounds in order to produce the energy required upon request. These energy compounds are very high in energy and are often in limited supply in the human body, thus explaining as to why anaerobic effort is very intense and can only be sustained for brief periods at any given time. The energy system also makes use of stored glycogen in the muscle, this glycogen when synthesized only produces a small amount of ATP, one of the down sides of this is the metabolic waste product called lactic acid, this process of the breakdown of glycogen to lactic acid is known as anaerobic glycolysis and is one of the two ways of deriving energy in this type of system the other form of attaining this energy is known as short term energy supply in which ATP stores are briefly broken down. In the short term energy supply ATP is split into ADP (Adenosine Diphosphate) releasing the energy required for muscle contraction this way or means of attaining energy is very brief and once this supply is drained the body resorts to anaerobic glycolysis. Anaerobic glycolysis is a term which is used for the nonoxidative breakdown of glycogen found in the muscles. Glycogen is a clump if to say of stored glucose molecules located in the muscles themselves. This form of attaining energy for muscular contraction on tap comes at a cost, as stated earlier on; it is very inefficient and wastes energy, for every glucose molecule broken down this process only yields 3 units of ATP and as a result gives lactic acid off as a by product as stated earlier . Fibre type A fast twitch fibre is one in which the myosin can split ATP very quickly and is associated with the anaerobic energy system. Fast twitch fibres also demonstrate a higher capability for electrochemical transmission of action potentials and a rapid level of calcium release and uptake by the sarcoplasmic reticulum. The fast twitch fibres rely on a well developed, short term, glycolytic system for energy transfer and can contract and develop tension at 2-3 times the rate of slow twitch fibres. Type II b White Fast glycolytic (also called fast twitch B or easy fatigable fibres). These fibres Contain: Low myoglobin content. Few mitochondria. Few blood capillaries. Large amount of glycogen. Split ATP very quickly. Fatigue easily. Needed for squash in short sprints to different parts of the court, and explosiveness, Type 2B fibres are utilized from 0 to 24 seconds, but this time is also dependant on the intensity of the sprint (i.e. if the intensity increases the time will decrease). Lactic acid Lactic acid is produced during anaerobic effort, mainly from a process mentioned earlier called anaerobic glycolysis, or when the oxygen supply is limited on demand. Lactic acid accumulates in the muscle and affects the ability of that muscle to perform at its full potential thus fatiguing it if to say. Lactic acid changes the ph in the muscle fibre itself, therefore reducing the overall enzyme activity and ATP production in the aerobic pathways spoken about earlier. Lactic acid is also said to reduce the contractile force of each individual muscle fibre. After exercise this lactic acid accumulation disappears quickly, as the body has its systems which remove this by product, if one were to engage in an active recovery it would also increase the removal time of lactic acid in the muscles. By squash players training their aerobic system more efficiently it helps to preserve the anaerobic system. It also reduces the recovery time of the anaerobic pathways and removal of lactic acid and its conversion back into pyruvate molecules, which could then be utilized by the aerobic pathways. Lactate Lactate simply put is a salt formed from lactic acid, this occurs when the acid rapidly loses it hydrogen ions and these ions combine with sodium and even sometimes potassium to form a compound known as lactate. Lactate threshold Lactate threshold is known to represent a transition zone that involves increasing dependence on anaerobic energy pathways. Lactate threshold basically defines ones bodys ability to clear lactic acid from the muscle as well as blood more rapidly and the transition zone that involves increasing lactate production resulting from the overall recruitment of fast glycolytic muscle fibres. Sharkey, Gaskill (2006) Chapter 3: Training Program This assignment aims at producing an effective and efficient 4 week agility In-season training program. The term In-Season refers to the peak performance period, during this period training for squash with regards to all the fitness components continues with a high intensity to maintain all the aspects as spoken earlier that squash players require, such as the four components of agility, but there is an overall reduction in total training volume so that players do not fatigue and can be at the peak level of performance for when they really need it which is during match time. Agility Drills Lateral Change of Direction Requirements: Flat surface of the squash court Three cones Stop watch Assistant How to conduct the drill: Place the first cone on the half court line, place the second to the right close to the wall and the other close to the wall on the left hand side (The top of the T on the squash court) as seen in the diagram below: The squash player starts at the middle cone (where the vertical line meets the horizontal line forming the T) The Coach gives the signal to start and points in a specific direction, right or left The player moves to and touches the first cone, returns past the middle cone (start) to the far cone and touches that one and then returns to the middle cone, touching that one. The coach starts the stopwatch on giving the Go command and stops the watch when the athlete touches the middle cone. The better of the two trails in each starting direction, right and left, are recorded and the best score in each direction is used for scoring. T-Drill Requirements: Flat surface of the squash court Four cones Stop watch Assistant How to conduct the drill: Set out four cones as illustrated in the diagram above (With B being the cone at the centre of the T on the court). The subject starts at cone A. On the command of the timer, the subject sprints to cone B and touches the base of the cone with their right hand. They then turn left and shuffle sideways to cone C, and also touches its base, this time with their left hand. Then shuffling sideways to the right to cone D and touching the base with the right hand. They then shuffle back to cone B touching with the left hand, and run backwards to cone A. The stopwatch is stopped as they pass cone A. Illinois Agility Drill Requirements: Flat surface of the squash court Eight cones Stop watch Assistant How to conduct the drill: Set the squash court up as shown in the above picture. The length of the course is 10 meters and the width (distance between the start and finish points) is 5 meters. Four cones are used to mark the start, finish and the two turning points. Another four cones are placed down the centre an equal distance apart. Each cone in the centre is spaced 3.3 meters apart. Subjects should lie on their front (head to the start line) and hands by their shoulders. On the Go command the stopwatch is started, and the athlete gets up as quickly as possible and runs around the course in the direction indicated, without knocking the cones over, to the finish line, at which the timing is stopped. Box Drill Requirements: Flat surface of the squash court Four cones Stop watch Assistant How to conduct the drill: Four marker cones are placed 10 yards apart in a square configuration (see diagram above). The player starts by getting down in a three-point stance next to Cone 1. On the command Go, he sprints to cone 2, and then shuffles sideways to cone 3. From there you back-pedal to cone 4 and finish by turning and sprinting through and finishing at cone 1. The athlete must go around the outside of each cone. Agility Compass Drill Requirements: Flat surface of the squash court Five cones Stop watch Assistant How to conduct the drill: The cones are laid out as per the diagram (on the squash court), with four marker cones placed in a diamond shape, and one in the middle (placed on the centre of the T). The outer cones are each placed 3 meters from the centre. The player crouches behind and with their left hand on the middle cone, facing forwards (towards cone 5). The player then turns and runs to the right and touches the cone (2) with their hand. They then turn back and run to the centre cone, out to the next cone (3), back to the centre, out to the next cone (4), back to the centre and then finally turn and finish by running through the finish line at cone 5. The player is required to touch the cone with their hand at each turn. Timing starts when the hand comes off the centre cone, and stops when the chest passes through the line of the final cone. Rest for three minutes, then repeat the drill, moving in the opposite direction (counter clockwise, cones in order 1-4-3-2-5) Zig Zag Agility Drill Requirements: Flat surface of the squash court Five cones Stop watch Assistant 4 3 2 1 C How to conduct the drill: Place one cone at the centre of the T of the court , then place one cone in each corner of the court allowing enough space for the player to run around it (See above diagram).This drill requires the player to run a course in the shortest possible time. A standard Zig Zag course is with four cones placed on the corners of a rectangle formed by the court, with one more cone placed in the centre. If the cones are labelled 1(start/finish cone) to 4 around the rectangle going along the longer side first, and the centre cone is C, the test begins at 1, then to C, 2, 3, C, 4, then back to 1. Court Sprints Agility Drill Requirements: Flat surface of the squash court Four cones Stop watch Assistant C B A Starting /finished Position How to conduct the drill: Place the starting cone at the middle of the T on the court; place another cone directly in front of it by the tin board (Cone A in the diagram above), place another cone (Cone B in diagram) in the corner of the left hand service area, place the final cone (Cone C in the diagram) at the back wall of the court. The player must start at the starting position, as seen on the diagram, upon the word go the stopwatch is started, the player sprints to the wall, upon reaching cone the player remains facing in the forward direction for the entire drill, and then back tracks to the starting position, player then sprints to cone A, back tracks to cone B, sprints to cone A, back tracks to cone c, the sprints to the finishing/Starting position again. This drill must be completed in the fastest time possible with maximal intensity. Figure 8 sprinting Drill Requirements: Flat surface of the squash court Five cones Stop watch Assistant How to conduct the drill: This agility drill involves very short bursts of speed followed by sudden changes in direction and is one of the best in simulating the movements on a squash court. From the start position, the athlete will sprint to the centre cone (which is placed on the centre of the T), go around it and then sprint to cone 2 (placed near to the right wall of the court). This is repeated for all 4 cones rounding the centre cone after each outside cone until the player returns to the starting position (See above Diagram). 6 Point Agility Drill Requirements: Flat surface of the squash court Six cones Stop watch Assistant How to conduct the drill: They key with this drill is that is involves multiple directional changes. Sprint to cone 1 and return Sprint to cone 2 and return Sprint to cone 3 Side-step from cone 3 to cone 4 Side-step from cone 4 to cone 5 Side-step from cone 5 to cone 3 Back peddle from cone 3 back to the starting position Double T-Drill Requirements: Flat surface of the squash court Seven cones Stop watch Assistant How to conduct the drill: Place one cone on the T, this is your centre cone, place one cone to the far right close to the wall in line with the cone on the T, do this on the other side as well. Now place another cone toward the back wall in line with the middle cone. Now place a second row of cones in line with those at the top of the T towards the front wall giving the player enough space to move. (See Above Diagram) This drill is similar to the T drill, there is just another row of cones, the drill is conducted in the same way as the T drill, just adding on an extra row once the player has completed the extra row they must back pedal all the way to the start/finish (Black arrows, then blue arrows, then finally the red arrows) Star Drill Requirements: Flat surface of the squash court Seven cones Stop watch Assistant G C F D E B A How to conduct the drill: Set court up as shown in the following diagram above. Player starts at A then runs to B, plays a shot, then back tracks back to the T point A on the diagram. Player then runs to point C, plays a shot then back tracks back to A again; however for cones F and G its a sprint there and shot played then side step back to the T. Player completes drill in cone order, upon reaching cone D player side steps, plays a shot, then side steps back to point A again, same applies for cone E. This exercise is done as quickly as possible. 4 Week In-Season Agility Program Before each daily Agility training session be sure to engage in a Squash specific dynamic warm up exercises, and upon completing the daily program be sure to engage in a cool down, including static stretches to conserve and increase muscle flexibility. For every agility drill, start in the ready position: feet shoulder-width apart; ankles, knees, and hips flexed in a quarter-squat position; head and shoulders slightly forward with hips and ankles in a straight line. Keep knees and hips flexed and your centre of gravity over the feet. The body cannot move quickly when it is standing straight up. From this position, you are ready to move in any direction and can hold this position if bumped from any angle. This ready position is the most efficient position for moving and reacting. For each training session, please refer to section of Agility Drills, to attain the layout of the drill as well as drill description and execution. Week 1 Day: 1 Agility Drill: Lateral Change of direction Variation: Place rubber band from one ankle to the other, to encourage side stepping movement Intensity: High intensity (90% HR Max) Time: 2 minutes non stop Rest Time: 1 minute 30 seconds Repeat: 2 times (Total drill count = 3) Rest for 2 minutes Agility Drill: T-Drill Variation: Timed T drill, player has 1 minute to complete as many Ts as possible, 1 T is counted when player returns to cone A(starting position) Intensity: High intensity (90% HR Max) Time: 1 minute Rest for 2 minutes Agility Drill: Star Drill Variation: (playing a shot while working on agility) as player reaches cone they play a shot before returning back to cone A at the T Intensity: 90% HR Max Time: As fast as possible Repeat: 3 Times Rest period: 90 seconds between drills Day: 2 Agility Drill: Illinois Agility Drill Intensity: High intensity (90% HR Max) Time: Fast as possible Rest Time: 30 seconds between drills Repeat: 3 times Rest for 1 minute Agility Drill: Box Drill Variation: Timed minute, continue drill till time is up Intensity: High intensity (90% HR Max) Time: 1 minute (Timed) Repeat: 3 Times Rest period: 45 seconds between drills Rest for 2 minutes Agility Drill: Double T-Drill Variation: (playing a shot while working on agility) as player reaches cone they play a shot while completing the drill Intensity: 70% HR Max Time: As fast as possible, with respect to intensity Repeat: 3 times Rest period: 30 seconds between drills Week 2 Day: 1 Agility Drill: Court sprints Intensity: High intensity (90% HR Max) Time: Fast as possible Rest Time: 1 minute Repeat: 3 times Rest for 2 minutes Agility Drill: 6 Point Agility Drill Variation: Play a shot upon reaching each cone Intensity: High intensity (80% HR Max) Time: Fast as possible Repeat: 3 Times Rest time: 30 seconds Day: 2 Agility Drill: Agility Compass Drill Variation: Play a shot upon reaching each cone Intensity: High intensity (90% HR Max) Time: Fast as possible Rest Time: 45 seconds between drills Repeat: 3 times Rest for 2 minutes Agility Drill: Zig Zag Drill Variation: Run as far as you can in 1 minute Intensity: High intensity (80% HR Max) Time: 1 minute (Timed) Repeat: 2 Times Rest period: 1 minute 30 seconds between drills Rest for 2 minutes Agility Drill: Figure 8 Sprinting Drill Intensity: 90% HR Max Time: As fast as possible Repeat: 3 times Rest period: 1 minute between drills Week 3 Day: 1 Agility Drill: Lateral Change of direction Intensity: High intensity (90% HR Max) Time: 1 minute non stop Rest Time: 30 seconds Repeat: 2 times (Total drill count = 3) Rest for 2 minutes Agility Drill: T-Drill Variation: Timed T drill, player has 1 minute 30 seconds to complete as many Ts as possible, 1 T is counted when player returns to cone A(starting position) Intensity: High intensity (90% HR Max) Time: 1 minute 30 seconds Rest for 2 minutes Star Drill: Variation: (playing a shot while working on agility) as player reaches cone they play a shot before returning back to cone A at the T Intensity: 90% HR Max Time: As fast as possible Repeat: 3 Times Rest period: 90 seconds between drills Day: 2 Agility Drill: Illinois Agility Drill Intensity: High intensity (90% HR Max) Time: Fast as possible Rest Time: 30 seconds between drills Repeat: 3 times Rest for 1 minute Agility Drill: Box Drill Variation: Timed minute, continue drill till time is up Intensity: High intensity (90% HR Max) Time: 1 minute 30 seconds (Timed) Repeat: 3 Times Rest period: 45 seconds between drills Rest for 2 minutes Agility Drill: Double T-Drill Variation: (playing a shot while working on agility) as player reaches cone they play a shot while completing the drill Intensity: 90% HR Max Time: As fast as possible Repeat: 3 times Rest period: 30 seconds between drills Week 4 Day: 1 Agility Drill: Court sprints Intensity: High intensity (90% HR Max) Time: Fast as possible Rest Time: 1 minute 30 seconds Repeat: 4 times Rest for 2 minutes Agility Drill: 6 Point Agility Drill Variation: Play a shot upon reaching each cone Intensity: High intensity (90% HR Max) Time: Fast as possible Repeat: 4 Times Rest time: 30 seconds Day: 2 Agility Drill: Agility Compass Drill Variation: Play a shot upon reaching each cone Intensity: High intensity (65% HR Max) Time:

The Science Guys - Theories of Evolution :: essays research papers

Jean-Baptiste Lamarck (1744-1829) Today, the name of Lamarck is associated merely with a discredited theory of heredity, the "inheritance of acquired traits." However, Charles Darwin, Lyell, Haeckel, and other early evolutionists acknowledged him as a great zoologist and as a forerunner of evolution. To be fair to Lamarck, we should mention that since the time of Linnaeus, few naturalists had considered the invertebrates worthy of study. The word "invertebrates" did not even exist at the time; Lamarck coined it. The invertebrate collections at the Musà ©e were enormous and rapidly growing, but poorly organized and classified. Although the professors at the Musà ©e were theoretically equal in rank, the professorship of "insects and worms" was definitely the least prestigious. But Lamarck took on the enormous challenge of learning -- and creating -- a new field of biology. The sheer number and diversity of invertebrates proved to be both a challenge and a rich source of knowledge. What Lamarck actually believed was more complex: organisms are not passively altered by their environment. Instead, a change in the environment causes changes in the needs of organisms living in that environment, which in turn causes changes in their behavior. Altered behavior leads to greater or lesser use of a given structure or organ; use would cause the structure to increase in size over several generations, whereas disuse would cause it to shrink or even disappear. This rule -- that use or disuse causes structures to enlarge or shrink -- Lamarck called the "First Law" in his book Philosophie zoologique. Lamarck's "Second Law" stated that all such changes were heritable. The result of these laws was the continuous, gradual change of all organisms, as they became adapted to their environments; the physiological needs of organisms, created by their interactions with the environment, drive Lamarckian evolution. Carl Linnaeus (1707-1778) Carl Linnaeus, also known as Carl von Linnà © or Carolus Linnaeus, is often called the Father of Taxonomy. His system for naming, ranking, and classifying organisms is still in wide use today (with many changes). Erusmus Darwin He did discuss ideas that his grandson elaborated on sixty years later, such as how life evolved from a single common ancestor, forming "one living filament". He wrestled with the question of how one species could evolve into another. Although some of his ideas on how evolution might occur are quite close to those of Lamarck, Erasmus Darwin also talked about how competition and sexual selection could cause changes in species

The Dehumanization Process in the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Do

The Dehumanization Process in the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass: An American Slave Throughout American history, minority groups were victims of American governmental policies, and these policies made them vulnerable to barbaric and inhumane treatment at the hands of white Americans. American slavery is a telling example of a government sanctioned institution that victimized and oppressed a race of people by indoctrinating and encouraging enslavement, racism and abuse. This institution is injurious to slaves and slave holders alike because American society, especially in the south, underwent a dehumanization process in order to implement the harsh and inhumane doctrine. In the episodic autobiography Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass: An American Slave, Frederick Douglass illustrates, through personal experience, the brutality and violence of slave life. As a young boy, Douglass is sent to Baltimore, an event that gives him temporary relief from the harsh conditions on the plantation. In Baltimore, he teaches himself to read and write and begins a jou rney to mental freedom that eventually paves the way to his successful escape to the North. Despite the hardships he endures, â€Å"most amazing is the indestructible total humanity of [Douglass] whom society called a thing, a chattel to be bought and sold† (Rexroth 134). Amazingly, Douglass realizes at a young age that the institution of slavery poisons people who might otherwise act in good and decent ways. His autobiography focuses primarily on the ill effects slavery has on slaves; however, he also acknowledges the damage that enforcing the laws of slavery has on slave holders. Through the use of imagery, Douglass masterfully illustrates the dehuman... ...oppression due to the lack of liberty, education, humanity, or justice. Works Cited Douglass, Frederick. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass: An American Slave. The Heath Anthology of American Literature. Ed. Paul Lauter. Vol 1. 4th ed. Houghton Mifflin Company: New York, 2002. 1817-1880. Franklin, Bruce. â€Å"Animal Farm Unbound.† Frederick Douglass’s Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass. Ed. Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea House, 1988. 29-43. Houston PBS Online. Resource Book: People and Events Frederick Douglass 1818-1895. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4p1539.html Rexroth, Kenneth. â€Å"Frederick Douglass.† The Elastic Retort: Essays in Literature and Ideas. The Continuum, 1973: 108-11. Rpt. in Nineteenth Century Literature Criticism. Eds. Laura Lanzen Harris and Sheila Fitzgerald. Vol. 7. Detroit: Gale, 1984. 133-34.

Human Trafficking and how the Global Community can Mitigate the Practice Essay

Human trafficking is a type of illicit trade in humans which is carried out globally for the purpose of sexual slavery or exploitation and forced labor. It is one of the most booming business and fastest growing criminal enterprise around the world. The most affected population is women and children and the global community is charged with the responsibility of responding urgently to issues related to human trafficking. A number of approaches can be utilized by the international community to curb the problem of human trafficking. The most important approaches include the human rights approach, enhanced research into the problem of human trafficking, encouraging international judicial and the police cooperation as well as the community integration in the fight against human trafficking and providing support and assistance to victims of human trafficking (International Organization for Migration, 2008). One of the approaches that can help mitigate human trafficking is the human rights approach where the root causes of human trafficking such as patriarchal structures and gender based violence need to be brought into the limelight. These elements have been shown to favor several incidents of human trafficking particularly among the women. Policies and legislation on equal opportunities can help strengthen and protect the social and legal position of children and women and address gender and age discrimination. Support programs should be stepped up to strengthen efforts of fighting poverty and marginalization among vulnerable populations such as the girl child and women (Morrison, 2010). The global community should be keen not to confuse the fight against human trafficking with the fight against illicit immigration as there is need to scrutinize ways of increasing gainful, non-exploitative and legal migration of labor for the purpose of globalization. Education provision to vulnerable groups and creation of campaigns among the targeting clients can help reduce human trafficking (Morrison, 2010). The global community can combat human trafficking by encouraging research which will provide sufficient data and form a starting point of tackling the problem. Extensive research will indicate the scale of human trafficking and the mechanisms of exploitations. Information on human trafficking should be made available and this information should be shared bilaterally and multilaterally in order to facilitate good research on the problem (UNGIFT, 2009). Research on counter-trafficking responses will form a crucial component of combating human trafficking. This research will examine the reasons why clients of trafficked humans prefer the trade and check ways on solving the clients’ requirements. There should also be an extensive research that will focus on the needs of the vulnerable groups who mainly include women and children (UNGIFT, 2009). Another approach that can be used by the global community to combat human trafficking is the judicial and police cooperation which include the fight of corruption, checking on the investigative methods, exchange and specialization measures and legislative recommendations. The law should always ensure that there is protection of the witnesses and the victims, prohibit prostitute exploitation, ban illegal work and regulate national territory residence so as to combat such trafficking. There should be an introduction of adequate penalties into international and national legislation for such crimes that involve trafficking and other related offenses. Confidential and parallel investigation of the suspected traffickers’ financial affairs should be followed when identifying, sequestrating and confiscating the assets and proceeds of the human traffickers (UNGIFT, 2009). These should be legal provisions which may include the financial institution taking the legal duty to disclose any suspected transaction of money laundering to the agencies of law enforcement. However, the financial institution should not disclose any police enquires into the affairs of the suspect’s finances. The international community should ensure that states have legislations to assure the victims the right to secure and seek compensations for the harm and injuries they suffer during trafficking. Additionally, there should be direct contact between the judicial authorities and effective service of law enforcement for the purpose of speeding up information exchange in investigation process and having mutual legal support (UNGIFT, 2009). The approach of victim assistance and protection can help combat human trafficking. There should be an establishment of sufficient study and research to identify the trafficked victim and the traffickers’ profiles. This may include the design of key indicators of trafficking design matrix which can be used by the border personnel and the front-line police to assist them in distinguishing between the irregular migrant and the trafficked victims. The victims have to be provided with access to the support measures of all ranges such as shelter, sexual, psychological and physical health support and care. There should also be legal, social and independent health counseling to equip them with skills which will ensure that they avoid any future human trafficking predisposing factors (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, 2007). The global community can play a major role in combating incidents of human trafficking. This can be done by setting up rules and proving enabling environment that will discourage such crimes in the society. The approaches which look into the needs of both the traffickers and the trafficked individuals tend to strike a balance between caring both the offended and the offender as both are members of the community. Several organizations such as the United Nations have so far invested efforts to fight human trafficking although the cases of the illegal trade continue to be reported. This calls for more integrated approach which will involve the community, the victims and even the criminals of human trafficking.

The literary work of Niccolo Machiavelli entitled “The Prince”

The literary work of Niccolo Machiavelli entitled â€Å"The Prince† is a narration of his personal experience as a messenger of the Florence Republic to the courts of Europe.   In its entirety, the book was a series of conversation made by a Counselor to a Prince.Going deeper, the said work scrutinizes the violent way by which political power is conquered and maintained, and situations by which it may be lost. In as much as this work is a political remark, and not a creation of imagination, Machiavelli had made use of his experience to narrate political and social events, all culled from the world history.Through out the story, it is the Counselor who had made the talking, giving advice to the Prince. As to manner for which the story was written, the author engages his audience to actively participate to intelligently uncover his true message. Analyzing and reading between the lines of the letters of the story would reveal that more meaning would be given to the Counselorâ⠂¬â„¢s advice.BODY POSSIBLE AUDIENCEAt first glance, one would think that the Counselor’s advice is solely addressed to the Lorenzo de Medici.  Nonetheless, after reviewing the story, it can be gleaned that the book is also addressed to leaders and to those individuals who want to become future leaders. (Hindman, 2000) One focus of his advice includes the ways of controlling a political organization.In doing so, he mentioned that giving recognition to the significance of the mass is important. A leader cannot secure his position without their support, aside from the assistance of his military. He also made a straightforward suggestion to future leaders to implement ruthless maneuvers to accomplish a specific political ambition without considering whether if it is for the general welfare.At some other point of the story, the Author seems also to address his work to the masculine audience.   This is due to his way of advocating atrocious and brutish act such as exterminatin g the kin of the leader he has dethroned, employing an act that injures mortals, and engaging in preemptive war.Moreover, the idea that the Prince may be generous only with the properties of others, to keep silent if possible, and to try to be feared instead of being loved is an act that may be attributed to virility. The worse suggestion he made which implies masochism was to improve the animalistic nature of the Prince, to learn how to engage against evil, and to know how to be unpleasant.It is interesting to note that Machiavelli also seems to address anybody who is in a competitive environment and those with hope to move forward. It is because the story of â€Å"The Prince† revolves on a leader who seems to have many obstacles and enemies. In the writer’s statements, he presented tactics on how this Prince would remain and still, can conquer people who oppose him.In the same manner, it also gives advice to those individual who faces many competitors. It presents sc hemes on how to prevail and find possible road that may lead to success. In effect, this is to say that the Machiavelli maxims are also applicable in every person’s daily activities.In relation thereto, business leaders may also be possible audience of this book. Take into consideration the case of Bill Gates, owner of Microsoft, who is likewise experiencing many stiff duels in computer world to maintain his power and position. Thus, the point is on how to set the limits on how to achieve power and how to maintain it.What is impressive in this work is the way Machiavelli communicates to the tyrant while at the same time speaks to lovers of liberty.   He made this possible by making a single explanation that may be interpreted in two different ways.Some events if interpreted possess two different ideas, that is, one is the literal interpretation and the other is extraction of messages by reading between the lines. This novel contains ideas, which at first glance, is addresse d to those want to lead tyrannically for their own benefit and, if interpreted, is also directed to those who wants to lead for the benefit of those individuals within their jurisdiction.In the case of tyrants, he sought to convert the possible tyrants by transforming their personal ambitions into the writers’ public one (i.e. for public good). He taught evil in as much as this is the idea that the tyrant wants to know, however, he made it possible to make said teaching against it and make it to benefit the common good.On the other hand, it teaches the lovers of liberty on how to fuse together their ambition to stay in power, by not being a good one, and still be loved by the mass.Thus, in effect, Machiavelli is appealing to tyrant by teaching to be bad, and at the same time, appeasing the lovers of liberty by promoting general welfare.Taken in a different context, this book may be also considered as a warning to the Republicans, the lovers of liberty, because it seeks to exp ose disgracefully the princely government by elaborately presenting it principles in an offensive way.Lastly, it has been told that â€Å"The Prince† was written by Machiavelli to express his thoughts not for Lorenzo but to those who deserves to be princes. This is because Lorenzo cannot, in any way, understand the message Machiavelli has conveyed in his twofold statement.

Practices prevent the abuse of school funds Essay

The education of students and the welfare situation of the staff are paramount issues in addressing school finance. The nature of the education cadre in high schools is an important part of the formal education of the young child who has in between the childhood and adolescent stages of human development. It is therefore important for he head teacher who is saddled with the responsibility of promoting education within the school to commit the available resources to the right channels to achieve the intended results of infrastructure development and provision of facilities to ensure continuity of education in the school. Some of the Infrastructure development- that needs be upheld include library, art and technical studios, computer rooms, music room; environmental sanitation, provision of teaching and learning aids, game centre and kits, award ceremony for staff and students In this age and time, it is needful to realize that education is a social and economic good; this implies that it is an avenue to build viable human capital which would contribute to , national economic wealth and health alongside the effective utilization of material, capital and natural resources within the environment. This economic good also contributes to individual health by establishing an individual as a positive force within the community where he resides. Although education does not preclude evil but its positive impact apparently outweighs its negatives. This issue is important because it informs the decision of the principal of head teacher of the high school about the judicial use of the funds available to him from various sources. What are these sources of funds to the high school? These include the federal allocation to public schools, the state allocation to schools within the jurisdiction. These two forms the socio-political source of funds, while there is the local source from payments by the attending students. Besides, there could also be internally generated funds from projects, programs and economic activities approved for and/or by the school. Realizing the economic good in education and the source of funding of schools are important tools that can contribute to stemming abuse of funds in schools especially high schools. While it is illegal to misuse funds for personal goals, aspirations like acquisition of political power or savings towards retirement, it is necessary for head teachers to realize the role of education in the growth and development of the adolescent child that attend high schools. If they realize the import this can have on the morals and social development of these kids, the propensity to embezzle schools funds would diminish in our schools. One of the practices that prevent abuse of funds includes fiscal accountability. Realizing that for every allocation by the government or payment by the attending students would be accounted for contribute to stopping the abuse of funds. This fiscal accountability is achieved by tracking fund though the means of revenue and expenditure track, monitoring of accounting transactions and auditing. As part of this measure, auditing is an inevitable tool; it includes internal and external audit. While the former uses local staff, the latter adopts using the appropriate institutions within the society which can rarely be influenced the caprices of a local head of high school. In any situation there is inconsistency in the tracking of the funds, which shows that there is need for more scrutiny of such heads. If this auditing can be effectively carried out at all levels of education especially at high schools, it would drastically change the shape of funding and spending within schools by their principals. Another equally important tool is Budgeting: this includes organizing financial transactions, balancing them through stipulated revenue and expenditure plan with a view to meeting staff needs, fund student activities and attain social and local goals. Organizations can incremental, use of school site, outcome-focused or tailored towards program planning. Balancing includes planning revenue and expenditure in such a way as to achieve a balance, deficit or surplus. The aim of budgeting is basically to draw a financial plan to meet specific needs. This gives rooms for identifying challenges and tackling them within the limit of available resources. A comprehensive budget would meet staffing needs which covers recruitment and selection, compensation, and continuous training and retraining on advancements in technological and teaching practices. It would also make provisions for student’s activities and embark of appropriate programs that can meet school and district missions. There would also be allocations for infrastructure development to cover construction works, architectural lay-out and provision of necessary education facilities. Such a budget would encompass all areas that need improvement within the school; when these goals are outlined and there is institutional will to meet them, it would be difficult to abuse funds. Usually available funds may not even be sufficient to meet needs driving fund-raising and capital programs for increased revenue generation. When purpose is not known, abuse is inevitable. This is the essence of the budget. Realizing the importance of good governance with respect to financial prudence on the morals of staff and students makes a leader a judicious custodian of available financial resources. Fiscal accountability through auditing by internal and external outfits dampens the propensity to divert school funds towards personal goals. Since knowledge does not preclude this evil, strict disciplinary measure meted to offenders who are convicted of this white collar crime is another practice that militates against abuse of school funds. These are measures that prevent misuse of school funds. REFERENCES Safeguarding School Funds by Henry Linn. 4th edition. †¢ Review of Educational Research, Vol. 3, No. 5, 399-408 (1933) 1933 American Educational Research Association Chapter VI: School Finance †¢ Does money matter? GT Burtless – Policy Studies Journal, 1997 †¢ Pritchett, Lant & Filmer, Deon, 1999. What education production functions really show: a positive theory of education expenditures. Economics of education review. Elsevier, vol. 18(2), pages 223-239, April. †¢ Goldhaber, Dan D. , 1996. Public and private high schools: Is school choice an answer to productivity problem. Economics of education review. Elsevier, vol. 15(2), pages 93-109, April.

Relationship Dynamics in The Perks of Being a Wallflower Essay

â€Å"My life is an afterschool special.† These words, spoken by the character, Patrick, summarize the dynamics of the relationships portrayed in the movie, The Perks of Being a Wallflower. The movie is a coming-of-age story about Charlie, a boy without any friends, as he enters his first year of high school. While the movie is geared toward young adults, the message portrayed about relationships touches everyone: We accept the love we think we deserve. In the movie, Charlie has a crush on a fun-loving, party-girl, senior, Sam, who is already dating an older boy in college. Though they become close friends and share intimate experiences and feelings with each other, Charlie never asks Sam out. see more:reaction paper about earthquake The movie upholds traditional high school relationship stereotypes from the Sadie Hawkins dance to prom photo shoots but it also illuminates the uniqueness of every close intimate relationship. It is best described by Charlie when he says, â€Å"I know someday our pictures will become old photographs,† like how a moment captured on camera can be seen but never experienced the same way again. Through the dynamics of Sam and Charlie’s relationship, I will show how The Perks of Being a Wallflower depicts a genuine, true love story that represents universal elements everyone experiences in close relationships. Before his first day of high school, Charlie writes, â€Å"I am both happy and sad and I’m still trying to figure out how that can be.† He begins his first day alone, eating by himself in the cafeteria, never raising his hand in class, and keeping his head ducked down in the hallways. One night he decides to go to a high school football game, where he first meets Sam and her stepbrother, Patrick. Together, they watch their school football team win the game and Sam and Patrick invite Charlie to the diner with them afterwards where they talk about their favorite music and what they want to be when they grow up. This act of sharing positive experiences together that benefits the progression of a relationship is called capitalization (Reiss, Carmichael, Caprariello, Tsai, Rodriguez & Maniaci, 2010). Sam and Patrick share the experience of Charlie’s first party, his first school dance, and even the first time he gets high. The most theatrical example of capitalization in the movie is when the three friends are driving home and the song, â€Å"Heroes† by David Bowie comes on the radio and Sam demands that Patrick drive through the Fort Pitt Tunnel so she can stand in the back of the pickup truck while blasting the song over the radio. Charlie is so stricken by the feeling of belonging that he looks at Patrick and says, â€Å"I feel infinite.† Sam and Charlie become closer when they offer each other the comfort of knowing that they are not alone. Their relationship grows even deeper when they learn that they can share their experiences and feelings with each other without being rejected. This happens the first time at Charlie’s first high school party. Charlie, while he is stoned, confesses to Sam that his only friend, Michael, shot himself last spring. Sam shares what Charlie told her with Patrick and they later toast Charlie at the party in order to welcome him as their new friend in front of everyone. Charlie looks as if he is about to cry because for the first time, he feels like he belongs somewhere. As their intimacy progresses, Charlie demonstrates his affections for Sam by giving her gifts and offering displays of affection known as maintenance behaviors in relationships (Stafford, 2003). For example, he makes her a mixed tape themed after the night that they drove through the tunnel together even though he couldn’t find the special song that made them feel â€Å"infinite.† Charlie also offers to help Sam study for the next SATs after he sees how disappointed she is when she receives her scores. Charlie’s self-disclosure and efforts to display affection encourages Sam to share the more private parts of her life without fearing she will be rejected by him. Sam’s moment of self-disclosure is after the Christmas party, when she invites Charlie up to her room for the first time to give him a thank-you present for helping her study for the SATs. On her desk is an old typewriter with a bow for Charlie, because she knows that Charlie wants to be a writer s omeday. When Charlie sees the gift on her desk, he says with disbelief, â€Å"You got me a present?† The glow of happiness off of Charlie’s face demonstrates the physiological reaction of expressing gratitude in relationships. Acts of gratitude are known to significantly increase relationship satisfaction (Demoss, 2004). Not only does Sam display gratitude towards Charlie, but she lets him into her room, her private space where none of the other party guests had been invited to go. In a moment of closeness, after Charlie confesses he’s never kissed a girl, Sam shares with Charlie that her first kiss was when her dad’s boss molested her at the age of ten. Charlie responds with validation, telling her that the same thing happened to his aunt Helen and that she turned her life around. When Sam comments that his aunt must have been a great woman, Charlie responds, â€Å"She was my favorite person in the world, until now.† Sam, overwhelmed with tears, tells Charlie that she knows that he knows she has a boyfriend, but she wants to make sure that the first person that kisses him, loves him. Charlie nods, and Sam leans in and kisses him. For the first time she says, â€Å"I love you, Charlie.† And he responds, â€Å"I love you too.† Charlie and Sam do not become a couple, but they continue to teach each other that they are deserving of genuine love. The greater the impact close relationships have on one’s self-image, the greater satisfaction one will receive from the relationship (Mattingly, Oswald, Clark, 2011). Sam and Charlie do this by perpetuating a positive self-image of each other, increasing the happiness they receive from spending time together. Sam does this for Charlie by acknowledging that he is not crazy and that he is someone worth being friends with. Charlie does this for Sam by encouraging her to apply to colleges and offering the emotional support that he believes in her. Sam and Charlie have a genuine concern for each other’s well being. These compassionate, supportive goals are another example of how responsive they are to each others’ needs (Conovello & Crocker, 2011). Charlie doesn’t just give Sam his most beloved gift because he thinks she’s pretty and wants her to like him. He gives her the Beatles record his deceased aunt Helen left him because he truly cares about her, and he wants her to be happy. It is for the same reason Sam gives Charlie his first kiss. They have goals to meet the needs of each other. However, like all individuals and relationships, Sam and Charlie are not perfect. Despite the genuine love and affection Charlie offers her, Sam continues to date her boyfriend who is cheating on her, and Charlie continues to date Sam’s friend, Mary Elizabeth, even though he doesn’t have romantic feelings for her. After Sam finally dumps her boyfriend and Charlie is no longer dating Mary Elizabeth, Sam confronts Charlie and asks him why he had never asked her out. Charlie responds that he didn’t think she wanted him to and that he just wanted her to be happy. Sam replies, â€Å"You can’t just put everyone’s lives ahead of yours and think that counts as love†¦I don’t want to be someone’s crush, I want people to like the real me.† Charlie fidgets nervously and after a long pause he tells Sam, â€Å"I know who you are,† and he tells her that she’s beautiful and he kisses her. This moment suggests that the impact their relationship had on their self-esteem, brought them both to a point where they could accept the love that the other thought they deserved. Despite all the efforts Sam and Charlie made towards the intimacy of their relationship, the movie does not end happily ever after. The next day Sam leaves for college, and the intimate sexual experience between Charlie and Sam triggered Charlie to have flashbacks of his aunt Helen molesting him as a child and he is hospitalized in a psychiatric ward. Charlie is left alone wondering how it is possible to be happy and sad at the same time and how someone he loved and idolized like his aunt Helen could have done something that hurt him so badly. The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a love story that is told the way Sam described rock love ballads to Charlie: both kitschy and brilliant. The story uses the general setting of stereotypical high school drama to portray the human experience of close relationships. Charlie experiences the euphoria of first love and also the pain of devastating heartbreak. And just like old photographs, whether the setting was a high school dance or a social at a retirement home, the relationships in this movie are relatable to anyone who views them, while also existing as independent unique experiences that will never be lived the same way twice. Even though the movie doesn’t end with Charlie and Sam as a happy couple, it still ends with an uplifting scene reuniting Charlie, Sam, and her brother, Patrick. Charlie is standing in the back of Sam’s pickup truck while they drive through the Fort Pitt Tunnel and his voice narrates, â€Å"I know these will all be stories someday and our pictures will become old photographs, but right now, this is happening.† He acknowledges that the experience of human relationships is something that everyone will experience and that all of the moments shared will become memories, but Charlie shows that the energy that comes from love lives in the moment where you feel like you are the only one who has ever experienced it before. â€Å"That one moment†¦when you’re listening to that song on that drive with the people you love most in this world†¦I swear, we are infinite.† References Canvello, A., & Crocker, J. (2011). Interpersonal goals, others’ regard for the self, and self-esteem: The paradoxical consequences of self-image and compassionate goals. European Journal of Social Psychology, 41, 422-434. Demoss, Y. (2004). Brief interventions and resiliency in couples. Dissertation Abstracts International: The Sciences and Engineering, 65(5-B), 2619. Mattingly, B.A., Oswald, D.L., & Clark, E.M. (2011). An examination of relational-interdependent self-construal, communal strength, and pro-relationship behaviors in friendships. Personality and Individual Differences, 50, 1243-1248. Reis, H.T., Smith, S.M., Carmichael, C.L., Caprariello, P.A., Tsai, F., Rodriguez, A., & Maniaci, M.R. (2010). Are you happy for me? How sharing positive events with others provides personal and interpersonal benefits. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 99, 311-329. Stafford, L. (2003). Maintaining romantic relationships: A summary and analysis of one research program. In D.J. Canary & M. Dainton (Eds.), Maintaining relationships through communication: Relational, contextual, and cultural variations (pp. 51-77). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

The invasion of a new world: Aztecs and Avatars

Could the very large and powerful blue creatures of Pandora have similarities with the ancient civilization of the Aztecs? Yes, they have many similarities, not in terms of culture or lifestyle like one might think. Rather, both these civilizations share one identical aspect of their history, they were both invaded by an unknown, foreign mass of people. These two invasions have many similarities between each other but the three most prominent are, a completely unknown group of people coming to their land, invasion resulting in violence and desire for a specific object.In February 1519 the Spaniards embarked on a conquest led by Hernan Cortez. Cortez brought many warriors to this new world they were about explore. When the Spaniards reached the new world they were absolutely astonished, they had never seen anything remotely like it, they didn’t know such things existed! As the Spanish conquistadors journeyed inland, they reached the enormous capital city of Tenochtitlan. The no rmal custom of the Aztecs is to capture all foreign invaders and sacrifice them but the Aztecs showed mercy to the Spaniards and treated them as guests. With the arrival of Cortez, the Spaniards were overwhelmed at the new world they had found and the potential it could have for gold.On the other hand the Aztecs were overjoyed because they thought the new conquistadors were gods they had been awaiting. Similar to the Spaniards arriving in present day Mexico, the humans that invaded Pandora acted in a similar way. Aside from the scientists who studied the avatars, the humans on Pandora knew very little about how they acted or what their culture was. In general, the Aztecs and the Avatars reacted the same way to to the foreign invaders, astonished and curious.Although the Aztecs and Spaniards were getting along peacefully, that peace was about to come to a stop. Over time the Aztecs realized the the conquistadors were not gods. The Spanish now feared they could not get out of the city , alive at least. The Aztecs eventually let the Spanish leave with no harm but the conquistadors wanted the gold they came for. After freeing the Spanish, Cortez led an attack on the Aztecs. Many battles were fought between the Spaniards and Aztecs totalling hundreds and thousands of deaths.Like the battles the spaniards and Aztecs endured, the Avatars also fought with great numbers against the humans. After the humans destroyed the mother tree, which all the Navi lived in and worshiped, the Avatars decided to fight for their land. The Navi gathered as many tribes that were willing to fight and took on the humans full force. Just as the Aztecs had â€Å"home field advantage†, the Avatars also had the advantage of knowing the terrain better than the enemy. Another similarity was the fact that the humans and spaniards had a massive edge with their use of guns. If not for the weapon technology the Aztecs most likely would have beaten the Spaniards.The last similarity is that bot h invaders desired a mineral. In the Spaniards case it was gold, for the humans it was unobtanium. When the Spaniards first set sail to the new and unexplored world they had one thing on the mind, gold. They would do anything that was necessary to bring home wealth to Spain. The same mindset applied to the humans, the primary reason for being on Pandora was to mine up as much unobtanium they could find. With all the greed that filled the minds of the invaders, they had no respect for the native people’s land. The primary cause of the violence on both occasions was the lack of consideration for the native’s homes.This essay described the similarities between the invasions of the Avatar and Aztec’s homeland. When one mass of people invades land belonging to someone else, there tends to always be tension and violence, this was evidenced in both these occasions. Espero que hayas disfrutado el ensayo!