Effects of Smoking essays

Effects of Smoking essays Cigarettes are perhaps the only legal product whose effects of intended use cause illness and even death in its users. Cigarette smoking kills more than 440,000 Americans a year making it more lethal than AIDS, automobile accidents, homicides, suicides, drug overdoses, and fires combined. Pregnant women that smoke, risk the health and lives of their unborn babies. They may pass genetic mutations that can increase great danger to their baby. It not only directly affects the health of cigarette smokers but non-smokers as well. All health risks aside, cigarette smoking also greatly impacts our economy costing more than 150 billion dollars each year in health related cost. In the United States, tobacco cause one in five deaths. The smoke contains tar which is made up of over 4,000 chemicals including 60 known to cause cancer. Smoking accounts for about 30% of all cancer deaths in the U.S. Cigarettes cause almost 90% of all lung cancer and can initiate cancers of the larynx (voice box), oral cavity, pharynx (throat) and esophagus. It can also lead to the development of colon and rectum cancer. Smoking has been linked to tripling the chance of skin cancer. People who smoke also have higher rates of leukemia and cancers of the kidney, stomach, pancreas and bladder. In female smokers, around 30% of cervical cancers have been attributed to smoking. Cervical cancer is just one effect of smoking for women. Cigarettes can also affect pregnant women and their unborn babies. When a pregnant women smokes, she is smoking for two. The nicotine, carbon monoxide and other harmful chemicals enter her bloodstream, pass directly into the babys body and prevent the baby from getting essential nutrients and oxygen for growth. Smoking in pregnant women has been linked to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). Stillbirth, pre-maturity, low birth weight, and asthma can also be a factor on the unborn fetus. Mothers who smoke can have an impact on th ...

Intact is One Word

Intact is One Word Intact is One Word Intact is One Word By Maeve Maddox Ive seen too many examples of intact written as two words to go on assuming that they are typographical errors. Photo caption: A couch that was left in tact after the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center. Question on medical forum: Is chest muscle left in tact after MastX? Question on aviation site: Why are there only 2 Stukas left in tact today? The adjective intact is written as one word. It means whole, entire, not affected by anything that injures. Ex. An animal that has not been spayed or neutered is said to be intact. The literal meaning of intact is untouched. The in prefix means not. The tact comes from a verb meaning to touch. The noun tact has the same origin. An obsolete use is sense of touch. Now the words main use is figurative: tact ready and delicate sense of what is fitting and proper in dealing with others, so as to avoid giving offence, or win good will; skill or judgement in dealing with men or negotiating difficult or delicate situations; the faculty of saying or doing the right thing at the right time. (OED) As for intact, lets keep it, well, intact. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Misused Words category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:16 Substitutes for â€Å"Because† or â€Å"Because Of†One Fell Swoop10 Tips About How to Write a Caption

Orientation program for new nurse managers Essay

Orientation program for new nurse managers - Essay Example â€Å"A motivated employee is a valuable asset which delivers immense value to the organization† according to http://www.masterstudies.net in their article, Employee Motivating in Private Organization. This is a statement that holds true, especially for our hospital. As you are well aware, the jobs your subordinates will be assigned to are not a walk in the park. These jobs require dedication and motivation. There will be unavoidable situations where in your subordinates are demotivated for some reason, whether it is job-related, co-worker related, or personal. These are that situations that need your input and guidance. Although the source of their demotivation must still be isolated, your immediate motivation is essential in maintaining an effective, hassle-free and conflict-free work zone. You must ensure that you isolate demotivated employees at some point and provide them insight in order to maintain their effectivity and avoid our patients being affected as well. You and your department are essentially a team and their team leader, and as with any team, whether in sports, music bands or otherwise, a good relationship and effective communication between the team and their team leader is important. The relationship between you and your â€Å"team members† will define how your â€Å"team† performs on a daily basis. This means that you as a â€Å"team leader† must promote good work relationships between your subordinates and with yourself. Ways, in order to do this, would include team building activities and team general assemblies.

Assignemt Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Assignemt - Essay Example The major challenge affecting prognosis, however, has been on the imaging of partial tears. Oblique imaging planes, including oblique axial, oblique coronal and oblique sagittal, would improve on the accuracy of diagnosis and detection of any partial tears in the ACL. It would also aid in assessing individual bundle tears. This approach has been noted to be more useful than the standard MRI in cases where ACL tear is anticipated. The protocol could also benefit from 3D sequences such as the 3D-DESS, known to be isotropic acquisition having the potential of reducing partial volume averaging through acquisition of thin and continuous slices from the joints. Additionally, this could be used to come up with multiplanar reformat images, MPR, which would make the evaluation of ACL possible from any orientation or oblique planes through a single acquisition. This creation of the MPR could be sourced as part of PACS system or through dependent workstations. The MPR images in this context would be useful for acquisition of the oblique planes, including the oblique axial, coronal and sagittal, to better assess the ACL tears. Finally, the 3D-DEES sequences play a crucial role of enhancing the image’s T2* weighting and also increases synovial fluid and cartilage signal intensities. This 3D-DEES technique is beneficial in the sense that it provides moderate accuracy with regards to early cartilage delineation and high accuracy when detecting advanced cartilage lesions. As such, this sequence can only be employed when dealing with cartilage structures. Replacing this ACL imaging sequence with subtraction-DESS technique would result in its optimisation. The MRI technology has been beneficial in supporting chronic and acute ligament injuries diagnosis and, even more importantly, in assessing problems that arise after the reconstruction of ligament. Even so, the short T2-relaxation time associated with tendon tissue (4), the standard MRI having echo times, TE,

Playing God in Todays World Essay Example for Free

Playing God in Todays World Essay The two fictional characters who â€Å"play God† in their own lives are two doctors, one of philosophy (Faustus) and one of medicine (Frankenstein) and, in real life, it is anyone who takes power over another’s and one’s own life and makes up his/her own rules which go against the commandments given to us by God as the athlete Lance Armstrong did during many years. First, there is Dr. Faustus, a very famous and successful scholar. He is a smart man who knows everything about almost all sciences in the world, including philosophy, theology, law, and medicine. Yet, this knowledge is not enough for him. He is greedy and obsessive about it and the more he learns, the more he desires. Soon, all that he knows makes him extremely bored; there is only one science that gives him excitement magic. â€Å"These books by magicians- lines, circles and mysterious drawings- Yes, these are the books that I enjoy the most. Oh, what a world of power and reward they promise the hard-working student! With this knowledge, I’ll be the master of everything that moves on Earth†¦ this is your answer Faustus. Use your brain to become a god† (Marlowe 22). Faustus is willing to do anything to be the greatest in this field, so he decides to sign an agreement with the Devil and give him his soul in exchange for 24 years of magical talents and power over life itself. After this agreement is set, Faustus gets all the unimaginable power in life; learns all that he wants about this forbidden science; brings people back to life, and earns worldwide admiration and recognition for his work. Nevertheless, none of these God-like powers and tricks of magic bring him happiness. Deep in his heart he knows he is doing wrong and he will be damned forever. At last, he ends his days being lonely and is punished forever in hell. Clearly, Faustus tries to play God, but at the end, the only thing he does is to bring God’s anger upon himself. â€Å"With paper wings he flew too near the sun and heaven planned his downfall† (epilogue). Secondly, there is Victor Frankenstein, a man who has everything he needs plus a very happy family. He is a great man, who is dedicated to his studies and very clever, but he makes the same mistake as Faustus did. He plays God by trying to discover the secrets of life, and when he does, he uses them the wrong way. When his mother dies, he has to leave his sad family and go to university to study medicine. There, he becomes obsessed with the idea of knowing â€Å"the secret of life† and how to help others not to feel the sorrow he and his family did because of the loss of a loved one. Soon, after much study about death and life, he finds the answer to all the questions in his head and starts to develop a horrible project. â€Å"He takes parts from dead people and builds a new ‘man’. But this monster is so big and frightening that everyone runs away from him – even Frankenstein himself! (Comment by editor). Victor is so terrified of his own creation that the only thing he wants is to escape from it so, irresponsibly; he abandons his laboratory and the monster, which has no idea of how to speak, survive, or live. †The monster is like an enormous baby who needs love. But nobody gives him love, and soon he learns to hate. And because he is so strong, the next thing he learns is how to kill† (Comment by editor). The monster is full of resentment and decides to make Frankenstein just an unhappy and lonely as he has been his entire life. He kills all people Frankenstein loves and makes Victor look forward only to the day that he can be dead and together with his family. Clearly, Frankenstein tries to play God, but at the end, the only thing he does is to bring unhappiness and misery to his life and his loved ones’. Finally, there is Lance Armstrong, a successful and rich cyclist who has won the Tour De France seven consecutive times. He has a lot of fans around the world and is considered a strong and admirable man by many people. However, after years of arduous denials and attacks on any person who has questioned his clams of competing clean, he has been proved to use performance-enhancing drugs since 1998. Now, he is disqualified from all his titles since that year and banned from professional cycling for life. Fans, friends, and family have gone away from him and now he is left only with the money that he has made, but today this does not seem to make him happy. He did a lot of mistakes through his career and personal life and used his cancer to justify them to himself. My cocktail, so to speak, was only EPO, not a lot, [blood] transfusions and testosterone, which I almost justified because of my history. Obviously, the testicular cancer and losing [a testicle], [I] thought, surely I’m running low. †(Armstrong’s interview with Oprah). The first mistake that he makes is to forget about his spiritual values and to start violating God’s law. Victory becomes his obsession and he is wi lling to obtain it at all costs. He is not only loosing his soul, but also damaging his body and reputation. Moreover, he has given false witness in front of millions of people and fooled everyone who believes in him. Again in this case, it is clearly illustrated how â€Å"playing God† can destroy someone’s life. Considering all the above, it is evident how obsessions can lead people to self-destruction. Armstrong, Frankenstein, and Dr. Faustus have made up their own rules and ways of living, according to what they want and not caring about how they are damaging themselves and the ones around them. They are all men of successes until God decides that it’s time to pay for the mistakes they have done; and at that point, it is too late to repent. The three of them have forgotten that life is not about what we accomplish, but about the way we do it.

Donne’s Poem Death Be Not Proud :: Death Be Not Proud Essays

Donne’s Poem Death Be Not Proud In the poem "Death Be Not Proud," written by John Donne death is personified. The personification of death creates a feeling that death is less powerful than we think. Donne creates and image of death that is not mysterious, not in control, and a slave of low status. He does this by undermining the idea of death as bound to the rules of "fate, chance, kings, and desperate men." He insists that death is no more powerful than any mortal is. Suggesting that death is not mysterious is the word slave. Directed to death, "thou art slave" forms an unthreatening stance of death because slaves are not threatening. This is due to the connections that go with the word slave. A slave is bound in submission to a master therefore having no say in what he or she can do. Death, in being personified into a slave that has many masters, is more extremely bound. This lack of freedom that death has in choosing its victims takes away any reason to be fearful of it. Power comes from being able to control something. Here death is the one being controlled by other outside forces that have power over how and when death can do its work. Death casts fear into mortals because it is unknown as to what happens in the afterworld. This poem creates a sense that we know who death is. For example we can see how death is a poor beggar on the street. This would make death a non-threatening person. He is a low class citizen that is just waiting for an opportunity to feast when his master allows. Donne produces this low-life death figure by associating him with "poison, war, and sickness." These are all things that less fortunate mortals deal with on a daily basis. These are dreadful things that are not good. Death personified is subject to these horrible circumstances therefore is very low in stature. If death can only reap his vengeance with such low standards governing him, then death is as low as what he works for. Death becomes less mysterious and something which we are not afraid of.

Importance of Physical Education in Schools Essay

Importance of Physical Education in Schools SPO3001 Learn to Swim Table of Contents Page Introduction3 Definition of Physical Education3 What is taught in Physical Education?4 Importance of Physical Education5 The Importance of Physical Education as it relates to Swimming7 Disadvantages of lack of Physical Education 9 Conclusion10 References11 Introduction Physical education plays a vital role in students’ development and growth. According to recent medical studies, physical well being of a student is directly related to his or her performance whether in class or in the office. The optimal physical education program will foster a lifetime commitment to physical activity as part of a healthy lifestyle. Ultimately, improved coordinated school health programs, of which physical education is a central component, will augment other prevention efforts and help to reverse the growing epidemic of childhood obesity which threatens to undo decades of progress in the fight against cardiovascular and other diseases. Effective efforts made now will help children avoid a lifetime of chronic disease and disability. Before further discussion of the importance of physical education, there first needs to a formal definition of what physical education is and what type of teachings occur in such a class. Definition of Physical Education People are often mistaken in defining physical education as they often assume that physical education is sport education. Simply put, physical education is defined as a process of education through physical activity. The goal is the development of individuals acquired through experience of motion. In a  broader context, physical education is defined as a process of learning through physical activities designed to improve physical fitness, develop motor skills, knowledge and behavior of healthy and active living, sportsmanship, and emotional intelligence. Thus, Physical Education is not only aimed at physical development but also includes the development of the individual as a whole. With Physical Education students will acquire a variety of expressions which are closely related with the personal impressions of fun as well as various expressions of a creative, innovative, and skilled, have the physical fitness, healthy habits and have the knowledge and understanding of human motion. What is taught in Physical Education? The health and physical education programs should be designed to teach students the skills, knowledge and attitudes essential to live a healthy lifestyle and select healthy and safe behaviors. Physical education is unique as it provides students with opportunities to learn motor skills, develop fitness, and gain understanding about the importance of physical activity. Students should be provided an individualized, developmentally appropriate, and personally challenging instructional program that will advance the knowledge, confidence, skills, and motivation needed to engage in a lifelong, healthy, active lifestyle. There are many branches to physical education and it does not just deal with the teaching of a sport of any kind whether basketball or track, etc. Some major topics include nutrition and health, which entails the teaching of proper eating habits. Sport science, which is the teachings of the rules and play of a specific sport and the necessary equipment that sport requires. Anatomy and physiology, which looks into the human body for e.g. skeletal, muscular, nervous, circulatory, and respiratory systems. Exercise physiology e.g. components of health related fitness; fitness guideline such as frequency, intensity, time/duration and type/mode; principles of exercise such as specificity, overload, and progression; roles of the body systems in exercise; short and long-term effects of physical training, nutrition as related to effects of physical training and nutrition as related to exercise, fitness, and metabolic response to exercise. Other topics include movement concepts such as body awareness and effects of substance abuse on  body performance, health and behavior. Importance of Physical Education Fitness Obesity is a very common problem faced, which if not taken care of in time, can lead to many lifestyle diseases such as heart disease, cancer and diabetes. Engaging in physical activities help to burn calories and lose fat. Regular exercising builds muscles, makes the immune system strong and improves upon stamina. This increases the fitness levels and keeps various diseases and health conditions in check. It Builds Self Esteem Students who are active in physical activities like basketball, volleyball, martial arts and running just to name a few are more confident with themselves according to most social school studies. It’s probably because of the self discipline and dedication to excel in a sport that brings out the best in students. In school, the physical education program introduces these sport activities to students allowing them to make choices to which sport areas they want to get involved in. Life Lessons By participating in various sports, a student gets to learn so many things about life. A student wins some games and loses some; this makes him understand that winning and losing are a part of life and should be accepted with grace. When a student participates in team games, he learns that co-operating with others is very important if goals are to be achieved. Likewise, sports can teach so many life lessons to students and thus, help them evolve mentally. Hygiene Physical education classes lay great emphasis on maintaining hygiene. They teach students how to remain clean and germ-free at all times. Sex education is sometimes part of this curriculum too. The safe practices taught in these classes, and if the lessons are followed throughout a persons’ life, will save them from many diseases. Stress Management Often times, students, particularly in their adolescent years, face various kinds of pressure and experience stress and anxiety. Participation in physical activities can act as a stress buster for them. Research has shown  that when a person exercises, the levels of cortisol, a stress hormone which increases blood sugar, get reduced. Moreover, a person who exercises every day is able to sleep better, thus giving enough time to his body to repair and restore. This proves that by making an exercise routine, a student can remain stress-free, relaxed and concentrate more on his studies and other important things. Productivity Researches show that students who participate in physical activities have high energy levels and are more alert than those who led sedentary lifestyles. Due to these very reasons, the productivity of such students in various spheres of life, including their studies, improves considerably. As can be seen, physical education contributes so much towards making a child grow into a healthy, intelligent, confident and level-headed adult. It can be rightly said that it’s not just for individual growth, but for the improvement of the whole society, physical education should be made an important part of the school curriculum. Academic Performance Though a lack of attention on PE is often justified as an opportunity to spend more time in the classroom, studies show that physical activity contributes to improved academic performance. Regular activity during the school day is strongly associated with higher concentration levels as well as more directed, composed behavior. A statewide policy in North Carolina required that children from kindergarten to eighth grade participate in 30 minutes of physical activity each day. A survey of school representatives from 106 of the state’s school districts reported that the most recognizable benefit of the mandate was â€Å"improved academic focus.† Importance of Physical Education as it relates to Swimming In an article about â€Å"How to Learn† by Swim Smooth written in 2009, it speaks about the brain in two parts, our conscious and our subconscious. When we perform a familiar movement pattern such as walking or riding a bike we perform the movements on auto-pilot. The same goes for swimming stroke. Freestyle is such a complex set of movements that nearly every action is controlled by our subconscious. It may be thought that you are concentrating very hard on your stroke but in reality you can only make small changes through pure ‘conscious thought power’ or concentration. The subconscious mind is very fast, can do complicated things in a fraction of a second, and can react before you have time to think. The conscious mind on the other hand is very much slower and could never react or co-ordinate things this quickly. It can only co-ordinate one thing at a time and often very clumsily. With proper physical education, a swim coach can teach about the muscle groups used in each different form of swim stroke, the proper nutrition required in order to keep the body fit for doing swimming on a regular basis and give proper instruction on swimming techniques so that as the individual practices and it starts to move from conscious thought to subconscious forms of movement, the actions being carried out are correct and precise. It can also be of benefit where the physical education is concerned because with technique again, focus will be made on single aspects of a stroke and gradually everything at once in order to give the body a full feel and more susceptible to get it done correctly than a person teaching themselves and trying to do everything at once. Since the conscious mind can only do one thing at a time, focus should only be on one part of the swimming technique at a time and the subconscious gets a feel for things most quickly by doing the action. Many swimmers believe they have to concentrate very hard when they swim or their stroke technique will ‘fall apart’. They’re vastly over-estimating the influence of their conscious mind as they’re swimming! If they mentally switched off they would swim almost identically – sometimes better because they’d be more relaxed. Disadvantages of a lack of Physical Education Physical activity is defined as any bodily movement produced by skeletal muscles that require energy expenditure. Physical inactivity (lack of physical activity) has been identified as the fourth leading risk factor for global mortality (6% of deaths globally). Moreover, physical inactivity is estimated to be the main cause for approximately 21–25% of breast and colon cancers, 27% of diabetes and approximately 30% of ischemic heart disease burden. Being inactive increases the risk of developing depression or dementia, according to studies presented at a conference of the British Nutrition Foundation. According to Nannette Mutrie of the University of Strathclyde, researchers are coming to understand how important physical activity is for psychological health. She said that recent research suggests that exercise can be successfully used to treat depression. Conversely, people who do live inactive lifestyles are twice as likely to become depressed. â€Å"It’s only recently that people have begun to see the link between physical activity and mental health,† Mutrie said. â€Å"It’s important for increasing people’s self esteem, general mood, coping with stress and even sleeping better. And we now have very strong evidence that physical activity can prevent depression.† As it relates to the theory aspect of physical education, a person wanting to be in better shape would not know the proper steps to take in order to make it happen. They would be ignorant about how the body works and how to eat healthy and so thought exercise is carried out often, may not see the results for all the work put in. Technique and precision is necessary for anyone to become good at whatever sport or activity they take part in and this can be more easily achieved if guidance through physical education is given. Conclusion In conclusion, physical education is very important as it helps with teaching of a healthy lifestyle, keeps the body active and promotes long life. Lack of physical education too has its disadvantages as it can promote various diseases, lead to obesity and more susceptible to mental issues such as depression or dementia. When relating to swimming specifically, physical education can help better with technique and necessary stretches and eating habits required to more develop on that skill. References Internet Sources American Diabetes Association (2008). Physical Education in Schools – Both Quality and Quantity are Important. Retrieved from http://www.everydaychoices.org/082008/PE%20in%20Schools%20Statement%20ACS%20ADA%20AHA%205.27.08%20_final_.pdf Greenlaw, E. (2012). What Do You Know About PE for Kids? Retrieved from http://www.webmd.com/parenting/raising-fit-kids/move/parents-pe-questions Datka, A. (2011). What Are the Benefits of Physical Education in School? Retrieved from http://www.livestrong.com/article/529108-what-are-the-benefits-of-physical-education-in-school/ Dogra, A. (2011). Importance of Physical Education in Schools. Retrieved from http://www.buzzle.com/articles/importance-of-physical-education-in-schools.html Newspaper Articles Blair, L. (2003, May 11). Could PE fight the fat attack? Jamaica Gleaner Burke, D. (2012, September 3). The importance of play. Jamaica Observer Book Source Ayers, S. & Sariscsany, M. (2011). The Physical Best Teachers Guide: Physical Education For Lifelong Fitness, Third Edition. United States

African Americans Essay

In the beginning of 20-th century African Americans were already free from slavery, but their rights differed significantly with the rights of â€Å"white† people. Politics of segregation was still in place, and African Americans, especially in Southern states, were forced to live in separate parts of cities. Special institutions like schools, churches, cemeteries, even special transport units existed for the African American part of the population to separate â€Å"blacks† and â€Å"whites†. Needless to say, these special organizations and units for the African Americans were of low quality. African Americans lacked good education and though were forced to work as unqualified personnel. Political activity for the African American was a dream. But between the African American people some activists appeared that called upon peaceful improvement of their status and establishment of equality of the races. A number of public organizations appeared that were objected to attain the equal rights for the African Americans, among them were even educational organizations like the institute of Booker Washington. 2. USA entered the conflict in the Korean peninsula with the intention to lead the UN forces and to give support to the South Korea armies in confrontation with the Northern aggressors. United States could not let the communists in Korea win shortly after the communists’ victory in China, and tried to keep this sphere of influence on the events in the Far East. In the third phase of the war, general Douglas MacArthur strived for the complete destruction of North Korea troops and insisted on the â€Å"total war† with the communists of China and Korea even to the extents of nuclear bombing. These ideas weren’t welcomed by the President Truman and were the cause of MacArthur’s resignation. After the Korean War the â€Å"cold war† had spread from the Far East into the other regions. USA had expanded their military presence in Europe and in the Middle East; also the politics of neutrality in the Indo-China became obsolete. Military-industrial complex of the United States rapidly recovered from the recession that followed the World War II 3. Eighteenth century was the time of revolutionary changes in almost every aspect of life. Ideas of the Age of Enlightenment claimed the universal equality, and women started to understand that they may possess an active position in social life. This tendency reached the point of culmination at the end of the century, when the Declaration of the Rights of Women was created in 1791 by Olympe De Gouges during the times of the Great French Revolution. This declaration demanded for women equal rights in the family, the rights of active and passive voting, right of possession, right for education and right to take up any posts. Declaration was the embodiment of ideas of feminism that were born in the beginning of 18-th century, and appeared to be the starting point for the active movements for the equal rights of women in the future. 4. Philadelphia System was based on the idea that the prisoner, left alone with his thoughts, with God and the Holy Bible as the only book for reading, would aspire to his inner perfection and inevitably reaches remorse for his deeds. â€Å"Philadelphian† prisoners were kept in solitude and silence. They had to wear masks while leaving their cells, no entertainments and relations with other prisoners were allowed, and work was a reward for the good behavior of the prisoner. This type of keeping the prisoners was very expensive; moreover, silence, solitude and forced idleness often caused insanity, flatness of mind or suicidal tendencies among the imprisoned. So the Auburn System was developed to change the situation. According to this system, criminal should be reformed by regular obligatory work, accuracy and discipline. During the day prisoners work in general workrooms with the only short breaks for the rest and walk, and for the night they are separately locked in one-man cells. Several hours in a week are for education. In an early Auburn System prisoners were prohibited to speak on the penalty of corporal punishment, but later on they were allowed to socialize during the rest. This system is more psychologically comfortablew for the prisoners, and is not such a heavy financial load for the government, as the Philadelphia System is.

10 Essay Topics on History What Is Known About Aztec Culture

10 Essay Topics on History What Is Known About Aztec Culture The Aztecs are undoubtedly one of the most unusual cultures that ever existed. For centuries people have been thinking with horrified fascination about these people that combined complicated social structure, educational system and impressive scientific and cultural development with human sacrifice on massive scale, cannibalism and constant wars of conquest. Here are some Aztec culture facts that can make an awesome essay. Human Sacrifice Was the Basis of Aztec Culture and Religion Probably the first thing everybody thinks hearing about the Aztecs is human sacrifice – and for a good reason. All pre-Columbian Mesoamerican cultures practiced it to this or that extent, but the Aztecs took it to a completely new level. Gods Sacrificed Themselves for Humans’ Sake According to Aztec mythology, gods sacrificed their lives to sustain the fading sun and save humankind, and this made humans indebted to them for all eternity. Moreover, the sacrifice of gods was not a single act, but more of a continuous process, which required constant reenactment. The power of gods kept the sun alive, and to give gods this power, they had to give them blood and hearts, which were considered to be fragments of the sun’s heat. The Purpose of Wars Was to Get More Captives Aztecs divided time into 52-year cycles and fearfully ended the end of each – if the gods didn’t receive enough sacrifices throughout the cycle, the sun would go out and the world would end. The main reason for Flower Wars the Aztecs constantly waged on their neighbors was to provide enough captives to fill the sacrifice quota. Even Aztec war strategy and tactics were mainly devised to wound and capture rather than kill as many enemies as possible. The Aztecs Sacrificed 20 000 People per Year Human sacrifice was an extremely important part of everyday life in Aztec society – it was carried out during each of their many festivals and for special occasions and was accompanied by elaborate rituals and done by various methods according to which god it was intended for. The most popular method was the extraction of the heart, but victims were often burned, flayed, drowned, starved and decapitated. Afterwards priests would often wear their skins (they were considered holy relics and symbolized rebirth) and cannibalize their corpses. And there were a lot of them – during the opening ceremony of one particularly big temple, as reported in their codices, they slaughtered between 10,000 and 80,400 people in the course of four days, while normally settling for about 20,000 per year. The Aztecs Capital Was among the Biggest Cities of Europe Despite their extremely warlike nature and penchant for torture and human sacrifice, the Aztecs were far from being uncultured, which probably made them a great deal more disturbing and frightening. At the zenith of its glory their capital, Tenochtitlan, housed between 200,000 and 300,000 people, by far eclipsing most European cities of the time, with possible exceptions of Constantinople and Venice. The Aztecs Were the First to Introduce Universal Education The Aztecs were also probably the first nation in the world to ever establish the system of universal mandatory education – it took place before the age of 14 and was carried out by parents under supervision of authorities. Among other things, children had to learn the so-called â€Å"sayings of the old† – a collection of statements that embodied the Aztec ideals and conditioned them for future service. After 14 children attended more advanced schools, divided into two types: the ones dedicated to theoretical sciences like astronomy, writing, mathematics etc., and the ones dealing with military and practical education. All Aztecs Were Warriors Aztec civilization was based on domination over the surrounding peoples and aggressive expansion, and the Aztecs themselves were a nation of warriors from the outset. Being initially a small and insignificant migratory tribe, the Aztecs managed to conquer almost the entire Mesoamerican region in a little more than a century, and warfare occupied one of the central positions in their lifestyle and social arrangement. Aztec empire had a relatively small standing army for its size – only the members of elite warrior societies which were extremely hard to get into, served as full-time military forces. However, military training was an integral part of basic education, and every male Aztec was prepared to the role of a soldier since childhood. Therefore, during military campaigns large numbers of warriors were drafted from commoners. They Took Prisoners to Climb the Social Ladder Warfare was also the only way for a man of low birth to improve his station in life – through showing bravery on the field of battle and, in particular, through capturing enemy warriors alive for the further use as sacrifices. After taking four prisoners, one was accepted into one of elite warrior societies, like Eagle and Jaguar warriors. Taking six prisoners and more led to the greatest possible honor – to be accepted into the most prestigious society, Cuachicqueh, or the Shorn Ones (called so because they shaved their heads except for one braid over the left ear), who served as elite shock troops and swore to kill any of their number who makes a step back during a battle. The Aztecs Used Cacao Beans as Currency Trade was an important component of Aztec everyday life: their merchants travelled all across Mesoamerica and beyond and were united into exclusive guilds, and every large settlement had regular market days on which all kinds of merchandise exchanged hands. Basic currency for all transactions was cacao beans which had to be exported from lowlands. They were used mostly for small purchases; for large transactions the Aztecs used standardized lengths of cotton cloth of varying quality and value (from 65 to 300 beans). The Aztecs Had Some Rather Unusual Laws Aztec empire had a code of laws that regulated everyday life and meted out punishments. However, by our standards these regulations and punishments sometimes look rather bizarre. For example, death penalty (usually through strangulation) was common for serious crimes, which included murder, theft and public drunkenness (unless you were over 70 years old). The most usual punishment for less serious offences was to have your house demolished. These included, for example, petit larceny and wearing of clothes too lavish for your social status. The Aztecs will undoubtedly continue to intrigue us for many years to come. Fortunately, the body of evidence telling us about them is rather large compared with other Mesoamerican cultures, which means that you will have a lot of material for your history essay! References: A. Caso, The Aztecs, People of the Sun (tr. 1958, repr. 1967). Berdan, Frances F., Richard E. Blanton, Elizabeth H. Boone, Mary G. Hodge, Michael E. Smith and Emily Umberger (1996) Aztec Imperial Strategies. Dumbarton Oaks, Washington, DC. Brumfiel, Elizabeth M. (1998) Huitzilopochtlis Conquest: Aztec Ideology in the Archaeological Record. Cambridge Archaeological Journal. Durn, Fray Diego (1964) The Aztecs: The History of the Indians of New Spain. Translated by Fernando Horcasitas and Doris Heyden. Orion Press, New York. Kellogg, Susan (1995) Law and the Transformation of Aztec Culture, 1500-1700. University of Oklahoma Press, Norman. Leà ³n-Portilla, Miguel (1963) Aztec Thought and Culture: A Study of the Ancient Nhuatl Mind. Univ. Oklahoma Press, Norman. Smith, Michael E. (2003) The Aztecs. 2nd ed. Blackwell Publishers, Oxford.

The Persian Immortals

The Persian Immortals The Achaemenid Empire of Persia (550 - 330 BCE) had an elite corps of heavy infantry that was so effective, it helped them to conquer much of the known world.  These troops also served as the imperial guard.  We have beautiful depictions of them from the walls of the Achaemenid capital city of Susa, Iran, but unfortunately, our historical documentation about them comes from the Persians enemies not really an unbiased source.  Ã¢â‚¬â€¹Ã¢â‚¬â€¹Ã¢â‚¬â€¹Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬â€¹ Herodotus, Chronicler of the Persian Immortals Chief among the chroniclers of the Persian Immortals is the Greek historian Herodotus (c. 484 - 425).  He is the source of their name, in fact, and it may be a mistranslation.  Many scholars believe that the actual Persian name for this imperial guard was anusiya, meaning companions, rather than anausa, or non-dying.   Herodotus also informs us that the Immortals were maintained at a troop strength of exactly 10,000 at all times.  If an infantryman was killed, sick, or wounded, a reservist would immediately be called up to take his place.  This gave the illusion that they were truly immortal, and could not be injured or slain.  We do not have any independent confirmation that Herodotuss information on this is accurate; nevertheless, the elite corps is often referred to as the Ten Thousand Immortals to this day. The Immortals were armed with short stabbing spears, bows and arrows, and swords.  They wore fish scale armor covered by robes, and a headdress often called a tiara that reportedly could be used to shield the face from wind-driven sand or dust.  Their shields were woven out of wicker.  Achaemenid artwork shows the Immortals decked out in gold jewelry and hoop earrings, and Herodotus asserts that they wore their bling into battle.   The Immortals came from elite, aristocratic families.  The top 1,000 had gold pomegranates on the ends of their spears, designating them as officers and as the kings personal bodyguard.  The remaining 9,000 had silver pomegranates.  As the best of the best in the Persian army, the Immortals received certain perks.  While on the campaign, they had a supply train of mule-drawn carts and camels that brought along special foods reserved only for them.  The mule train also brought along their concubines and servants to tend to them.   Like most things in the Achaemenid Empire, the Immortals were equal opportunity at least for elites from other ethnic groups.  Although the majority of the members were Persian, the corps also included aristocratic men from the previously-conquered Elamite and Median Empires.   The Immortals at War Cyrus the Great, who founded the Achaemenid Empire, seems to have originated the idea of having an elite corps of imperial guards.  He used them as heavy infantry in his campaigns to conquer the Medes, the Lydians, and even the Babylonians.  With his last victory over the new Babylonian Empire, at the Battle of Opis in 539 BCE, Cyrus was able to name himself king of the four corners of the world thanks in part to the efforts of his Immortals. In 525 BCE, Cyruss son Cambyses II defeated the Egyptian Pharaoh Psamtik IIIs army at the Battle of Pelusium, extending Persian control across Egypt.  Again, the Immortals likely served as the shock troops; they were so feared after their campaign against Babylon that the Phoenicians, the Cypriots, and the Arabs of Judea and the Sinai Peninsula all decided to ally themselves with Persians rather than fighting them.  This left the door to Egypt wide open, in a manner of speaking, and Cambyses took full advantage of it. The third Achaemenid emperor, Darius the Great, likewise deployed the Immortals in his conquests of Sindh and parts of the Punjab (now in Pakistan).  This expansion gave the Persians access to the rich trading routes through India, as well as the gold and other wealth of that land.  At that time, the Iranian and Indian languages were probably still similar enough to be mutually intelligible, and the Persians took advantage of this to employ Indian troops in their fights against the Greeks.  Darius also fought the fierce, nomadic Scythian people, whom he defeated in 513 BCE.  He would likely have kept a guard of Immortals for his own protection, but cavalry would have been much more effective than heavy infantry against a highly mobile foe like the Scythians. It is most difficult to evaluate our Greek sources when they recount battles between the Immortals and Greek armies.  The ancient historians make no attempt to be unbiased in their descriptions.  According to the Greeks, the Immortals and the other Persian soldiers were vain, effeminate, and not very effective compared with their Greek counterparts.  If that is the case, however, it is difficult to see how the Persians defeated the Greeks in numerous battles and held on to so much land adjacent to Greek territory. It is a shame that we do not have Persian sources to balance the Greek point of view. In any case, the story of the Persian Immortals may have been distorted over time, but it is obvious even at this distance in time and space that they were a fighting force to be reckoned with.

Fast plant lab report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Fast plant - Lab Report Example The experiment was based on the general procedure as that of monohybrid activity. In this case the P1 and p2 plants are homozygous for two traits that include one dominant and one recessive. Four phenotypes were considered in this investigation of dihybrid genetics that include the following; Firstly, non-purple entails no expression of purple anthocyanin pigment in the plants (anthocyaninless) and the genotype of this mutant that is recessive is anl/anl. Secondly, Purple entails a pigment referred to as purple anthocyanin is visible on the hypocotyls. This trait is known to be wild type (dominant).The genotype is ANL/ANL Thirdly, the yellow Green; in this case, the homozygous (ygr/ygr) produces a plant that is light green than the normal green fast plant. Fourthly, normal green genotype is wild type (dominant) for yellow green and it is known as YGR. Purple stem Wilscon fast plants consists of anthocyanin which is purple pigment found in several plants that include Wisconsin fast pl ant used in the experiment (Williams, 1986). The pigment can be observed best at 4-7 days. This could be observed at the plant hypocotyls and stems under the leaf tips and cotyledons. It is well known that the single gene (anl) regulates whether the anthocyanin will be expressed or not. The (anl/anl) homozygous form is seen to be completely suppressed. In this case, the plant will appear bright green (non-purple).Yellow green gene (ygr) determines whether the leaves will be either green or yellow green in colour. The leaves will appear pale (yellow green in colour for recessive (ygr/ygr).But for YGR/YGR genotype the leaves will appear green and in this case, this genotype is the wild type. The test that is normally applied to show how well the observed ratios fit the expected statistical ratios is referred to as chi-square test. In this case, the observed number deviations is calculated from the