A Modern Look at the Plague of Athens

A Modern Look at the Plague of Athens The plague of Athens took place between the years 430-426 BC, at the outbreak of the Peloponnesian War. The plague killed an estimated 300,000 people, among which was the Greek statesman Pericles. It is said to have caused the death of one in every three people in Athens, and it is widely believed to have contributed to the decline and fall of classical Greece. The Greek historian Thucydides was infected by the disease but survived it; he reported that plague symptoms included high fever, blistered skin, bilious vomiting, intestinal ulcerations, and diarrhea. He also said that birds and animals which preyed on the animals were affected and that doctors were among the most affected by it. The Disease That Caused the Plague Despite Thucydides detailed descriptions, until recently scholars have been unable to come to a consensus of which disease (or diseases) caused the Plague of Athens. Molecular investigations published in 2006 (Papagrigorakis et al.) have pinpointed typhus or typhus with a combination of other diseases. Ancient writers speculating on the cause of plagues included the Greek physicians Hippocrates and Galen, who believed a miasmic corruption of the air arising from swamps affected the people. Galen said that contact with the putrid exhalations of the infected was quite dangerous. More recent scholars have suggested that the Athens plague arose from bubonic plague, lassa fever, scarlet fever, tuberculosis, measles, typhoid, smallpox, toxic-shock syndrome-complicated influenza, or ebola fever.​ Kerameikos Mass Burial One problem modern scientists have had identifying the cause of the Athens plague is that classical Greek people cremated their dead. However, in the mid-1990s, an extremely rare mass burial pit containing approximately 150 dead bodies was discovered. The pit was located on the edge of the Kerameikos cemetery of Athens and consisted of a single oval pit of an irregular shape, 65 meters (213 feet) long and 16 m (53 ft) deep. The bodies of the dead were laid in a disorderly fashion, with at least five successive layers separated by thin intervening deposits of soil. Most bodies were placed in outstretched positions, but many were placed with their feet pointing into the center of the pit. The lowest level of interments showed the most care in placing the bodies; subsequent layers exhibited increasing carelessness. The upper-most layers were simply heaps of the deceased buried one on top of another, no doubt evidence of a spike in deaths or a growing fear of interaction with the dead. Eight urn burials of infants were found. Grave goods were limited to the lower levels and consisted of about 30 small vases. Stylistic forms of the Attic period vases indicate they were mostly made around 430 BC. Because of the date, and the hasty nature of the mass burial, the pit has been interpreted as from the Plague of Athens. Modern Science and the Plague In 2006, Papagrigorakis and colleagues reported on the molecular DNA study of teeth from several individuals interred in the Kerameikos mass burial. They ran tests for the presence of eight possible bacilli, including anthrax, tuberculosis, cowpox and bubonic plague. The teeth came back positive only for Salmonella enterica servovar Typhi, enteric typhoid fever. Many of the clinical symptoms of the Plague of Athens as described by Thucydides are consistent with modern day typhus: fever, rash, diarrhea. But other features are not, such as the rapidity of the onset. Papagrigorakis and colleagues suggest that perhaps the disease has evolved since the 5th century BC, or perhaps Thucydides, writing 20 years later, got some things wrong, and it may be that typhoid was not the only disease involved in the Plague of Athens. Sources This article is a part of the About.com guide to the Ancient Medicine, and the  Dictionary of Archaeology. Devaux CA. 2013.  Small oversights that led to the Great Plague of Marseille (1720–1723): Lessons from the past.  Infection, Genetics and Evolution 14(0):169-185.  doi:10.1016/j.meegid.2012.11.016 Drancourt M, and Raoult D. 2002.  Molecular insights into the history of plague.  Microbes and Infection  4(1):105-109.  doi: 10.1016/S1286-4579(01)01515-5 Littman RJ. 2009.  The Plague of Athens: Epidemiology and Paleopathology.  Mount Sinai Journal of Medicine: A Journal of Translational and Personalized Medicine  76(5):456-467.  doi: 10.1002/msj.20137 Papagrigorakis MJ, Yapijakis C, Synodinos PN, and Baziotopoulou-Valavani E. 2006.  DNA examination of ancient dental pulp incriminates typhoid fever as a probable cause of the Plague of Athens.  International Journal of Infectious Diseases  10(3):206-214.  doi: 10.1016/j.ijid.2005.09.001 Thucydides. 1903 [431 BC].  Second Year of the War, Plague of Athens, Position and Policy of Pericles, Fall of Potidaea.  History of the Peloponnesian War, Book 2, Chapter 9: J. M. Dent/University of Adelaide. Zietz BP, and Dunkelberg H. 2004.  The history of the plague and the research on the causative agent Yersinia pestis.  International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health  207(2):165-178.  doi: 10.1078/1438-4639-00259

WHITLAM essays

WHITLAM essays Was the Governor General right to argue that he had the constitutional authority to dismiss the Whitlam Government or was Whitlam correct in arguing that the principle of responsible government should prevail? On the 11th November 1975, the Australian Governor General, Sir John Kerr, dismissed the federal Government of Gough Whitlam and commissioned Opposition Leader Malcolm Fraser as Prime Minister. The dismissal and the events leading to it clearly demonstrated the friction between constitutional authority and responsible government. In a spiral of events, responsible government and the overall concept of democracy was blatantly ignored, and technicalities within the constitution abused, leading to the dismissal of a democratically elected Prime Minister. While the Governor Generals decision was constitutionally allowed, it was certainly not the responsible or democratic Despite their victory in the double-dissolution election of 1974, the Labor Party found themselves once again without a majority in the Senate, deadlocked with the Liberal/National coalition at 29 seats each, with 2 going to the independents.1 They received a further blow with the death of one Labor Senator and the resignation of an other. In this particular situation, according to the Constitution, under Section 15, such vacancies were to be filled by the state from which the former senator came from by a nomination from a joint sitting in the House of Parliament. However in the principal of responsible government and democracy, unwritten convention had developed that the casual vacancy should be filled by a member of the same political party, in this way maintaining the representation of the previous election. Both the New South Wales and Queensland governments broke with this convention and the two vacancies were not filled by the Labor Partys nominees. Even at this early point the tension between writt...

Future of Quantum Computing Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Future of Quantum Computing - Research Paper Example In the year 1982, Feynman revealed that to produce a quantum structure, the computer has to be operational quantum automatically, or else one wants a QC. The preliminary application for the practical execution of a Quantum Computing was developed in 1993. The fundamental element of quantum data and information in a Quantum Computing is the qubit or quantum bit. A particular quantum bit is can be envisioned because of a two-state structure like that a two-level atom and a spin-half. The probable influence of a Quantum Computing is foundational on the capability of quantum arrangements to be in a superposition of its fundamental circumstances. The entire of these statistics signifies through the fundamental states that would be controlled at the same time. For that reason, a Quantum Computing has vast quantum parallelism (Shu-Shen Li, 2003). Merging mathematics, physics as well as computer science, QC has developed in the precedent two decades beginning a visionary thought to one of the majority attractive regions of quantum technicalities. The modern anticipation in this active as well as approximate area of research was prompted by (Peter Shor-1994) who demonstrated how a quantum technology algorithm might exponentially "accelerate" conventional working out as well as attribute huge statistics into leading a great deal further swiftly (as the smallest amount in terms of the number of computational phases concerned) than some acknowledged standard algorithm (Hagar, 2007). The algorithm for Quantum Computing is offered by Shor which is acknowledged as the Shor’s algorithm was quickly pursued through numerous additional algorithms that intended to find the solutions of combinatorial and algebraic problems, as well as in the preceding a small amount of years abstract improved quantum systems allocation for the reaso n that computational strategy has attained incredible development.  

The Magna Carta and the Constitution Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Magna Carta and the Constitution - Essay Example Magna Carta also protected certain rights of the King’s subjects which includes due process. The Magna Carta also provided the framework of the idea of a â€Å"law† that cannot be altered by a ruler or any of his any acts which is now embedded in the Constitution of the United States and many countries. Perhaps this is the most important concept of the Magna Carta that was adopted by the Constitution. In the original document (Magna Carta), it was worded as â€Å"we will not deny or defer to any man either justice or right (Magna Carta). In the Constitution, this â€Å"justice or right† is elaborated as the inalienable right of speech (first Amendment), right to worship, assembly, petition for redress, to be free from illegal search and seizure etch (Hazeltine). Another very important feature of the Magna Carta that was adopted or embedded in the Constitution is the guarantee of these inalienable rights by prohibiting the ruler, or the President or any of his legislative acts to alter or make any law/s that will undermine these inalienable rights. These rights are protected by the Supreme Court whereby any acts or laws made or enacted that will undermine these inalienable rights can be invalidated. The inalienable rights of the subjects or citizens are guaranteed further by the concept of the right to due process contained in the Magna Carta which is embedded in the present Constitution. The right to due process meant that no rights, can be deprived from the subjects or citizens without the process of being heard by a competent court (Gedicks). Specifically, this right is enunciated in the Magna Carta as â€Å"No free man shall be seized or imprisoned, or stripped of his rights or possessions, or outlawed or exiled, or deprived of his standing in any other way, nor will we proceed with force against him, or send others to do so, except by the lawful judgment of his equals or by the law of the land† (The Magna

Job Security in Relation to Japan and India Assignment - 1

Job Security in Relation to Japan and India - Assignment Example The loyalty and commitment from the employees are widely dependent on the job security offered by the organizations of the country. To cope with the situations and a more stable relationship between the employees and the employer Japanese companies are constantly changing their pattern of employment which is needed to be implemented by the Government of India and the organization at India for a more stable and strong relationship building for building an employee base with high commitment and loyalty instead of being rigid to the rules of the Government. Flexibility at work plays a vital role in building trust amongst the employees and satisfies with job security for the employees (Zechariah, â€Å"Comparative Industrial Relations in Japan and India†). With the initialization of industrialization in Japan, the Japanese Industrial Relations System is a perfect blending of continuity and change in the characteristics of the employees. The first industrial enterprise of Japan was founded by the Japan government in the year 1890. This was first handled by powerful industrial families of the country but later with the transition from the agrarian society to the industrial nation demands relationship between the employees and the employers with the changing business model. With the influence of the western culture into the workplace, the organization are influenced to change their work structure. Various reforms came into play with the introduction of lifetime employment as a form of linkage between the employer and the employees to build the strong relationship. With the development of industrial relations, the workers are needed to possess’ special skills to retain their jobs in the competitive environment. The emergence of the lifetime employment and remuneration pattern was designed keeping in mind the future trend in the industry. The regular employees are who enjoys lifetime employment schemes and are paid according to the length of their services in the system.     

Population Geography Essay

Population Geography Essay Understanding Population Geography Crystal Mullen What did you learn this week that you did not know before or that you found interesting? What outside resources did you use this week? I remember growing up in the 70s and 80s the term â€Å"Zero Population†. At the time, I didn’t really know what it meant except a term to encourage teenagers to use birth control and thereby avoid having children while they’re still a child as well. As it turns out I wasn’t that far off from my view of the concept. It actually originated by the prime minister of Singapore in 1972. He was concerned that his island country was facing overpopulation with its current count of 1 million people. So he legalized abortion and sterilization and banned maternity care and benefits for women who have more than two children. However by the mid-1980s, the Singapore’s birthrates plummeted to below the levels that are necessary to replenish the population. The prime minister’s plan to reduce his country’s population backfired because the abortions performed in the country were terminated more than one-third of all the country’s pregnancies. Th is lead the prime minister to reverse his policy in 1990 to encourage multiple births for mothers under 28 by offering long term tax rebates and thereby restore population loss suffered in Singapore (Getis, Bjelland, Getis, 2014, p. 111). This reversal of policy is an example of an unbending population reality: how a country’s infrastructure is controlled today will determine how it is controlled in the future. This means the size, characteristics, migrations and even growth trends are what determines the overall health of those yet to be born. This information is necessary when considering the locations and numbers of people as it relates to the necessary background to all of the aspects of population geography (Getis, Bjelland, Getis, 2014, p. 111). Population geography is an aspect of human geography. This branch of geography focuses scientifically studies people in their spatial distributions and the density (Briney, 2014). Population geography provides geographers and scientists with the theories and concepts need to better comprehend and thereby forecast the composition, size, and the distribution of human population (Getis, Bjelland, Getis, 2014, p. 111). In order for population geographers to study this factors, they review the data that documents the increase and decrease in an area of population, general settlement patterns, peoples movements over time, and even topics like occupation. This is what develops the geographic character of a particular region (Briney, 2014). Population geography is closely related and yet differs from demography. Demography statistically studies human population as well, however, demography is more concerned with spatial analysis – pattern, location, and density. Instead, population g eography studies a region’s resources such as standard of living, economic development, and food supply as they affect a population’s health and well-being. These characteristics are the essential ingredients for human population geography (Getis, Bjelland, Getis, 2014, p. 111). Population geography is a large branch in the geography tree. It contains quite a few different topics that relate to the worlds population issues. The first of these topics is called population distribution. Population distribution is described as the study of where people are choosing (or not choosing) to live. Our world’s population tends to be quite uneven. Some regions are considered to be rural and are thereby sparsely populated. Meanwhile, other locations that are more urban are consequently more densely populated. In order to learn more about population distribution population geographers often study past population distributions of that region’s people so that they can understand how and why certain spatial locations areas have blossomed into major urban centers we have today. Sparsely populated areas are usually harsh places to live such as areas in Alaska, Siberia, and Canadas northern territories. On the other hand, densely populated areas like Hong Kong, or cities such as New York City or Los Angeles, California are far more hospitable. A second topic in population geography is population density. While closely related to population distribution, population density however studies a region to determine the average number of people that live in an area. This is done by dividing the number of people that currently live that area by total area available. These numbers usually are noted as persons per square mile or persons per square kilometer. Population density are often affected by several factors which, coincidentally, are often subjects of population geographers study. These factors tend to relate to the population’s physical environment such as topography and climate. For example, regions with harsh climates such as Californias Death Valley are thereby sparsely populated. Other factors that affect population density can also be related to the region’s political environments as well as the social, economic culture of an area. For example, Singapore and Tokyo have mild climates with healthy political, social, and economic and are thereby densely populated. Another area of study for population geographers consists of overall population growth as well as changes in population. This topic is of great interest to population geographers because the population of the world has grown so dramatically since the 1800s. In order to properly study overall population growth, population geographers study the population’s areas natural increase birth rates as well as death rates. The number of infants born per 1000 people in the area’s population every year is considered the birth rate. Likewise the number of deaths per 1000 individuals every year is considered the death rate. Historically speaking, the increase rate of population used to naturally be near zero. This didn’t mean that no one being born nor that no one was dying. Actually, this meant that the area’s births roughly equaled the area’s deaths. However, many regions now host populations with that are living much longer because of access to better health care as well as higher standards of living. These factors have reduced the overall death rate. Birth rates are now known to either increase or decrease based on the wealth of the nation. For example, birth rates are actually lower in developed nations. However, in developing nations, the birth rate is still high. Therefore, the population of the world has grown tremendously. Along the same lines of natural increase, population geographers study population changes as it relates to a population’s net migration for an area (Briney, 2014). They compare and contrast data found in a population’s in-migration and out-migration patterns. Therefore, a region’s overall rate of growth or population change is the result of a population’s natural increase as well as their net migration. Finally, though certainly not exhaustively, an essential tool in population geography that is essential to the study of growth rates around the world as well as changes in population is called the demographic transition model. This model looks at the four stages of a country’s development and considers how population changes are thereby affected. The first stage of a country’s development takes place when the new country’s birth rates and death rates are both high, resulting in a small amount of natural increase and an equally small population. The second stage of a country’s development reveals an increase in birth rates and a decrease in death rates resulting in a high growth period in the population (surprisingly, this is normally the stage where least developed countries actually fail). The third stage of a country’s development show a change in trends with a decrease in birth rate as well as a decreasing death rate, thereby once again slowing d own the growth of that country’s population growth. The fourth and final stage of a country’s development shows a balance in birth and death rates both being low, resulting in a low natural increase (Briney, 2014). I can see how using a demographic transition model enables population geographers forecast the future health and wellbeing of a nation by studying the four stages of development that nation experienced. Conclusion: After reviewing the concepts of population geography, I have a better understanding of the actions of the Singapore’s prime minister in 1972. While I don’t agree with his extreme measures of limiting care for more than two children per family and legalizing abortions and sterilizations, I can see how charting a country’s birth and death rates and considering how those numbers affect his nation’s resources could lead him to believe his nation would be picked clean by an over-abundance of his own people and for the good of his nation, At the same time, I can see how population geography was at the heart of prime minister’s reversal of policy because he can now see how his policies were leaving his country vulnerable to constant poverty because there simply were not enough citizens avail to care for and protect their land. Therefore, I have a better appreciation of how population geography is used to study health and well-being of a population anywhere in the world. References Briney, A. (2014). Population Geography An Overview of Population Geography. Retrieved February 1, 2014, from Geography.About.com: http://geography.about.com/od/populationgeography/a/populationgeography.htm Getis, A., Bjelland, M., Getis, V. (2014). Chapter 5, Population Geography. In A. Getis, M. Bjelland, V. Getis, Introduction to Geography 14th Edition (p. 111). New York: McGraw Hil.

Survival in solitude Essay -- Essays Papers

Survival in solitude After being stranded on an uninhabited island, Robinson Crusoe manages to discover his natural abilities that serve as indicators of his true character. At first glance the common adage, â€Å"Necessity is the mother of all inventions,† appears to account for the character of Robinson Crusoe; however, further analysis suggests that the intelligence, industriousness, and optimism are inherent to Crusoe’s personality. Sir Francis Bacon so aptly stated, â€Å"Prosperity doth best discover vice; but adversity doth best discover virtue.† From the moment that Crusoe was stranded on the island until the day he was rescued he exhibits these qualities. Crusoe’s innate intelligence serves him well throughout his solitary life on the island. After agonizing over his plight, he consoles himself, and collects himself in order to move on. His shrewdness and practicality help him to overcome the obstacles that the island presents. He has enough forethought to recognize that the ship might be swept away by the tides, and he works continuously in order to salvage everything he can from the ship. He loses no time to make a trip to the ship in order to unload the cargo, and when he is in need of a method to transport the cargo to the beach, he constructs a raft that will do the job. He protects the provisions from weather and potential wild beasts. Crusoe is intelligent and understands that by being alone he might go crazy, and to combat this he keeps himself busy for...

Edwards’ sermon Study Essay

1. To whom is the sermon addressed? The sermon is addressed to the congregation. 2. According to Edwards, why is God wrathful? People are wicked sinners, and God’s wrath is infinite and arbitrary. 3. Reread the sixth paragraph. What people, according to Edwards, are not in the hands of this angry God? How is this state achieved? Reading the sermon he claims that, â€Å"Thus all you that never passed under a great change of heart, by the mighty power of the Spirit of God upon your souls; all you that were never born again, and made new creatures, and raised from being dead in sin, to a state of new, and before altogether unexperienced light and life, are in the hands of an angry God,† therefore I infer that the individual whom have passed a great change by heart by, and was born and again and made into new creatures, are not in the hands of this angry god. I believe he conjectures this by isolating it and remaining on the topic of the individuals who are in the hands of the angry God. 4. Figurative language is language that cannot be taken literally since it was written to produce a certain effect. Edwards makes effective use of figurative language as he speaks of God’s wrath. Find three examples of his use of figurative language and explain why they are effective. To convey his sense of tone and attitude, he uses rhetorical techniques, imagery, repetition and metaphors to display his piercing tone. In his sermon he repeats the term â€Å"wrath†, which means intense fury, over and over again creating it vibrant how angry god is with his congregation/people. Edwards is essentially proposing that they are atrocious individuals and deserve to burn in hell. Edwards’ piercing tone is also elated by the metaphors he uses in his sermon. He associates several things to implement his tone. Edwards says â€Å"The wraths of God are great waters that are dammed for the present†¦Ã¢â‚¬  also he states â€Å" The bow of God’s wrath is bent and the arrow made ready on the string, and justice bends the arrow at your heart†¦Ã¢â‚¬  In his metaphors he does not use optimistic undertones, making them harsh and to the concept. In using these metaphors, Edwards is enabling the reader(s) to understand the tone by putting it in a situation and context, which is more easily correlated. Subsequently, he uses imagery in the opening paragraph stating  that when men are on Gods’ hands and they could descend to hell. Natural men are held in the hands of God, over the pit of hell knowing that you might descend into the abyss at any moment should scare you. God chose to save you until he wants to let you slope into an eternity of sweltering flames. 5. Using the list of Tone Words as a guide, make a list of 20 words in this selection that produce tone or attitude. Paragraph 1: dreadful, misery Paragraph 2: avail Paragraph 3: wickedness, prudence, contrivance, corruption, sovereign Paragraph 4: inconceivable, omnipotent, wrath, hitherto, fury, threshing, vengeance, stoutest, treasuring Paragraph 5: obligation Paragraph 6: everlasting Paragraph 7: Paragraph 8: abhors, ascribed, solemn, loathsome Paragraph 9: asunder, provoked 6. How does Edwards’ sermon reflect the ideals of this time period? It reflects on the Puritans’’ ideals and beliefs. Such as, they believed in salvation and that the fate of individual soul was predetermined by God. Also, that salvation was a private choice among God and the ‘Elect’. Elects or Saints were the ones who were saved and the ones who weren’t were ‘wicked’. 7. Explain how his sermon connects to a concept or theme in â€Å"The Crucible.† They both have a common theme of good vs. evil. Meaning, they mutually belief system into how they should act/live. Edwards leads his message to the Puritan people claiming that they are corrupt and must change their ways, he does this threatening method to attempt to scare them by the description of hell. Similarly, the characters in The Crucible convict each other of committing deeds against God and are very hostile about it, much like Edwards.

A class trip to remember Essay Example

A class trip to remember Essay Example A class trip to remember Essay A class trip to remember Essay Lending nice exposure from our category trip would be the great challenge to finish an album, which is the photomontage and portion of package of our portfolio assignment. We planned beforehand the journey to Damai Puri Resort and came out with a list of interesting activities and equipment that we will hold to convey along. Out of outlook, it was merely the start of the catastrophe that we could neer conceive of. The category trip was merriment, memorable, and gratifying. The twenty-four hours of the trip began as usual but it was fun plenty for us. The cardinal issue of the trip was the transit to the location. We have deficient budget and could merely lease a mini new wave. Then, some of us had no pick and were forced to carpool in Bryan’s auto. We had a merriment siting trip with some card games and singing some swerving vocals in the auto. Then, Yasmin brought up a hot treatment subject and all of us had a truly fun clip debating over each other’s statement. Not long after that, the entryway of Damai Puri Resort is merely right in forepart of us. Once we arrived at the finish, we instantly settle down in the hotel room. The coach siting brought us an unforgettable memories and we had enjoyed the greatest minute, chew the fating, singing dad vocals and express joying together. I noticed that we were already bonded and literally grouped. We so took our first group exposure on the beach. By so, we were divided into groups to play around. Damai is so a merriment topographic point for out-of-door activities and the position is superb, one that we could neer bury. Nevertheless, the conditions was highly hot and was unsuitable for activities on the beach. So some of us have decided to soak into the pool and merely chilling around. Some other misss who were non interested to swim decided to hold their misss talk under the coconut trees. The scenes were memorable. After that, it was about flushing. We have decided to watch the sundown on the beac h, it was so beautiful. Likewise, we enjoyed the strong air current blows, the coconut torso up, I closed my eyes and listened to the loosen uping sound of sea moving ridges. It was such an gratifying minute. By six o’clock, all of us were exhausted. We were already hungering but it is still long to our barbecue dinner. Some of us insisted to take the early dinner at the cardinal nutrient tribunal. Those who struggled famishment went at that place for their early dinner while the commission were busy fixing the barbeque dark for the others. During the readying of the dinner, Celine, one of the commission, shouted. Apparently, she forgot to convey the necessary equipment and we could non lodge to our program without it. The misss were kicking and struggle arose. The commissions were faulting each other excessively. Meanwhile, another category were besides holding the barbeque dinner nearby. At that minute, the smartest cats in our category, Julius came out with an thought, which was to borrow the equipment from them after their dining. Fortunately, the thought worked truly good. Although the barbeque became our supper but we still bask of it. To sum up the trip experiences, I would utilize the words: memorable, unforgettable and merriment! However, our group leader was reasonably upset about the struggles. There are ever ups and downs in our life and I hope she is no longer sorrowing, I besides hope that we will hold another trip together and I will decidedly volunteer to be the leader to convey up the joy to everyone.

Free Essays on Wordsworth And Writing His Defense

worth's ability to create these poems depends upon actually possessing maternal instinct along with various other female qualities. This brings me to the topic of â€Å"Bodily existence.† Let me begin by explaining my perception of this phrase. When making a judgment, or determining an opinion, you must place your self in the subjects’ mind and consider the situation from their point of view. For example: You hear a story about a woman with cancer and her sixteen-year-old daughte... Free Essays on Wordsworth And Writing His Defense Free Essays on Wordsworth And Writing His Defense Wordsworth and Writing his Defense What is love? Is it a word, an emotion, a physical sensation maybe? Love ironically, if defined tends to lose it’s meaning. I searched everywhere for an acceptable definition, yet, only one seemed to serve any justice at all to the word; it was a quote from Francesco Petrarca: â€Å"To be able to say how much you love is to love but little.† Most consider â€Å"love† to be the emotional tie between people (and of course their animals), and the term is frequently tossed around with carelessness and lack of thought as to it’s meaning. The frequent misuse of the word causes it to often represent nothing more than an expression of deep like. William Wordsworth clearly expresses in his works that love is much more than a deep feeling of like; rather, it is an overwhelming force that mesmerizes every part of you, physically, emotionally and spiritually. Wordsworth found â€Å"love† in many things including: relationships and self-awareness, however, after reading Lyrical Ballads, I found that he appeared to be particularly interested in that of nature and maternal passion, especially for mothers who have been abandoned. Perhaps this theme recurs because he has taken nature to act as his surrogate mother. Wordsworth's gendered poetics clearly manifests itself in his poems The Idiot Boy, and The Thorn. Each poem depict the literal female body, as well as the emotional aspects of the mother, and illustrates that Wordsworth's ability to create these poems depends upon actually possessing maternal instinct along with various other female qualities. This brings me to the topic of â€Å"Bodily existence.† Let me begin by explaining my perception of this phrase. When making a judgment, or determining an opinion, you must place your self in the subjects’ mind and consider the situation from their point of view. For example: You hear a story about a woman with cancer and her sixteen-year-old daughte...

Managing work life balance and wellness Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Managing work life balance and wellness - Essay Example The recent economic crisis is thinning and with that, HR managers are scheduling interviews. Companies have started viewing their employees as an important and noteworthy fraction within the stakeholders’ list. Hence, now the scenario calls for improvement in working conditions; job stress, work-life balance and employee wellness are factors that are taken very seriously by HR managers. This change was primarily inspired by studies that show the correlation amongst mental fitness and organizational performance (Hancock & Szalma, 2008, pp.32-34). Research shows that (Cassidy et al., 2009, p.262) while a poor work-life balance has a long lasting negative effect on an employee’s productivity, it is much more harmful for his/her creativity. Therefore, it is more so essential for HR managers in creative firms to maintain equilibrium within an employee’s timetable. People Management Challenges faced by HR Professionals I. Change Management While ‘change managemen t’ is vastly a broad term, therefore the focus here would lie upon three major changes: 1. Economic Change: Change brought about by variations (mostly negative) within economic conditions drastically affects an employee’s work-life balance, this is because adverse economic conditions point towards job losses and this possible ‘loss-of-secure-income’ position drastically affects an employee’s performance as the employee loses sight of his goals and concentrates more towards keeping his job intact. This situation according to CIPD (2010) creates stress, which would result in behavioural changes such as lack of focus, failures of commitments, increased time on work (due to reduced work speed and lack of commitment). 2. Technological Change: While it is commonly believed that adapting newer technology would result in job-cuts, researches have proved otherwise (Hayter, 2000, p.267). But this too does not hold true for some industries, as while apparatus might not necessarily cut jobs, but they definitely bring about a change by drastically increasing the level of skill required to conduct an operation, this increase in mental pressure is responsible for stress which disrupts work-life balance. 3. Strategic or Operational changes: While operational changes are a must for every organization owing to changes in consumer behaviour and technological enhancements, such changes many have many effects on an employee’s performance, as operational behaviour sometimes become compulsive. The overall wellness and work-life balance is largely based upon the HR department’s ability to handle and promote change within an organization. In order to avoid complications, the HR team must prepare a theoretical training module based upon the proposed changes and initiate training procedures to prepare the staff for the upcoming change. II. Time Management Time management is a crucial challenge for HR professionals, as time is the basis of the work-life balance. While some might disagree that time management is concerned with HR, it is not true as under most professional work environments the revenues are high enough to sustain explicit staff members for each type of job, then it is the responsibility of the HR department to allot work to the best suited employee or department. A recent initiative by the HR department ofR depatym,ent DS Norden a Dutch

The Man In The Iron Mask Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

The Man In The Iron Mask - Essay Example The one constant in the history of the myth seems to be the fact that he was indeed a prisoner in the Bastille and that his name was never revealed. Even upon his death the true name of the prisoner was left in question. The only reality of this particular prisoner's situation, is that he became the most famous and mysterious historical prisoner of his era thanks to the literary works of both Voltaire and Alexander Dumas who both christened him the â€Å"Man in the Iron Mask†. The historical records of the era within which the masked man was supposed to have been imprisoned in the Bastille seem to indicate that the man in question was of a noble status in life. Reports indicate that he arrived at the Bastille on a Thursday, September 18, 1698 under the protection of the newly assigned governor of the Bastille, Benigne d'Auvergne de Saint-Mars who described the prisoner as a long time prisoner who went with him to his various assignments. The man was to remain masked and his na me was never to be recorded in the official records. i According to Saint Mars' official records the man without a name or face was imprisoned in Pignerol at the start. He had been a prisoner for 18 years by the time he arrived at the Bastille, having been earlier 2 imprisoned from 1665 to 1681. There is a supposition that he had already been a prisoner for about 33 years at this point. It was during this time of his arrival at the Bastille that the first mention of a velvet, not iron mask was made in reference to the prisoner's face being covered. One of the wilder theories regarding the Man in the Iron mask is that he was the descendant of Napoleon Bonaparte. This was a claim that was made by Napoleon himself during his many military quests. Claiming that his father was the elder half brother of the king and therefore the rightful heir to the throne. Thus his imprisonment behind the mask. He propagated the theory that the man behind the mask was allowed to marry while in prison an d the union begot a son who was sent off to be raised in Corsica, that child was to become Napoleon Bonaparte. This however, is a theory that does not have any evidence to back it up as anything more than the claim of a mad man to a throne he wished to call his own. ii In order to understand the propagation of the myth, one has to first understand the kind of sociopolitical situation that was existing in France in the 1660's. The so-called â€Å"Sun King† Louis XIV had an absolute hold on political power and government at a time when his people were being ravaged by high taxes, food shortage, and a lack of guidance from their king. The war and religious unrest was also taking its toll on the economic situation of the country. The people were starved for hope of a better life in the hands of a king who once stated "L'etat, c'est moi!" ("I am the state!"). With such control over state affairs in the hands of one man, it is believed that anybody who fell out of favor with the ki ng ended up imprisoned for the rest of his life. Could the man in the mask be one of those people? What error could he have committed to have earned him such damnation in the eyes of the king? One of the 3 many theories about the masked stranger is that he was most likely one of the many nobles who had fallen out of favor with