Creative Overview of the Black Death essays

Creative Overview of the Black Death essays It is a year of our Lord 1352, on the twentieth day of the month of October. It was a sunny and steady day. Normally Genoa gets cold and miserable at this time of the year, but today, probably, God sends a pitch of mercy to our devastated land. It is quiet around. At any given moment I would have been grateful for this peace and tranquility, but today I feel just sad. No one is around. Mediterranean wind is playing with last leaves on my castano tree. They were the only spirit I could talk to these days, but looks like they are being taken away. Emptiness, darkness, misery Go, maybe you will find a better place to be. But who am I trying to deceive here? There is no better life around. Cruelty, hunger, hopelessness The curse has invaded and swallowed not only Holy Roman Empire, also Byzantine Empire, and even Constantinople. The death has touched everything from Cordoba, to Cairo, to Caffa (p.13). Everyone I have known is gone forever. Even all my animals got swept away by the plague: the dogs have died and the rats have run or hidden. It was exactly 5 years ago, when the Lord sent the curse on our land. Twelve slaves got harshly punished by God for being sinful (Michele da Piazza, p. 29). They ran away from our city all the way to Messina, but the infection had already pierced them to the bones. They left the infection spreading in Genoa before the run. The destruction has begun. The sickness was highly contagious, that anyone who spoke to them would bring an unavoidable death on himself. The consequences were terrifying in every case. Some people were losing the ability to speak; they were still alive and tried so hard to scream out for help, but their tongue just seemed incredibly heavy and out of control. I saw my neighbors family getting sick all at once, spitting their blood for three days until they were all done, all at once. In this case, the evil attacked not the head, but the lung which produced very ...

To what extent do markets pose a threat to democracy Essay - 1

To what extent do markets pose a threat to democracy - Essay Example (Barnhill 91-92) Moreover, a neglected side f democracy and growth is the question f what facilitates flexible, consensual responses to rapidly changing economic situations and the qualitative aspects f responses by governments to the day-to-day policy matters demanded by a democratic polity. More often than not, institutions are viewed as static and inanimate, devoid f political content. The standard views are that institutions provide security from intrusive government and insure the effective functioning f markets. Property rights are secure where institutions prevent arbitrary acts by government, providing a system f checks and balances, or a system f multiple veto points so that political power remains checked. Efficiency is a question f how well institutions perform and the extent to which rent seeking is prevented. Much f the discussion around differing forms f democracy has centered around presidentialism versus parliamentarism, focusing heavily on the developed countries. As some find, there is little heterogeneity among the richer countries where the presidential and parliamentary forms share many features in common and where outcomes may in fact be similar despite different organizational form. (Moltedo 30-31) Moreover, others have s... In other words, social norms, such as civic virtue and norms f reciprocity, and trust are also thought to be crucial. (Pierson 83-98) Globalization has become one f the biggest issues in the economic world today. In the past few years, the gradual processes that gave companies time to adjust have gone. The pace f globalization has increased dramatically, meaning that in probably less than twenty years; our economy will be virtually completely global. What exactly is "the common good" More recently, Velasquez et al (2005) cited the contemporary ethicist, john Rawls who defined the common good as "certain general conditions that are... equally to everyone's advantage". While the Catholic religious tradition, defines the common good as "the sum f those conditions f social life which allow social groups and their individual members relatively thorough and ready access to their own fulfillment". The concept f Globalization is frequently utilized but rarely defined. According to United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Globalization broadly refers to the explosion f global linkages, the organization f social life on a global scale, and the growth f global consciousness, hence the consolidation f world markets. (Seaton 110-115) The common good, consists primarily f the social systems, institutions, and environments on which MNCs operate, MNCs thereafter have liabilities to make commitment to develop the common good. Background information f economic globalization and Corporations will be discussed, followed by the context f the common good and its implications under the circumstance f globalization and MNCs' activities. Then the discussion will remain the present existence f both "positive" and "negative" outcomes, environmental

Why did China not become a world power in 1500s Research Paper

Why did China not become a world power in 1500s - Research Paper Example The Qing Empire like its predecessor made landmark steps in the expansion of China’s territory by almost half from what the Ming had achieved. This came with a great increase in the population of China and a period of continued peace and prosperity. However, this was short lived and unlike the expectations that China may have competed with the rising powers in Europe, China vanished from the world all the sudden. The cause of this disappearance had begun during the reign of the Ming Empire but had remained unknown for centuries, and historians still debate over this myth. This paper delves into the subject of the history of China after 1500 and analyses possible reasons that might have led to the collapse of the once powerful nation during that period where the territory was under the Ming and the Qing empires. Key words: Dynasty, Ming Empire, Qing Empire, territory, decline. Introduction The decline of China during the period after 1500 can be attributed to the collapse of th e two main empires that ruled over China within the period; the Ming Empire that ruled between 1368 and 1644 and the last empire that was Qing Empire, which ruled over China between 1644 and the late nineteenth century. Both of these empires saw China through a period of massive growth and prosperity in the world stage, but their gradual decline had the impact of taking China down from its position on the world trade stage. The Ming Empire took over power in China in 1368, when the emperor Zhu Yuanzhang obtained â€Å"the mandate† of heaven. The rule lasted for close to 300 years between 1368 and 1644 with the main reason for its success being the growth of industry and the enhancement of free trade with western powers, specifically Europe (Spielvogel, 2008). Prior to the rule by the Ming Empire, China was under the rule of the Yuan Empire. During the last period of the Yuan empire rule that spanned over 40 years, China was struck by drought and famine, an overflow of the Yel low river that resulted in flooding, a severe pandemic of the plague among other natural disasters. This resulted in the death of millions of Chinese people leading to a feeling within the population that the Yuan Empire no longer had the â€Å"mandate of heaven† to rule over China (Willis, 2011). Naturally, this spurred feelings of rebellion among the people and culminated in revolts that began in the 1350s and continued for close to 20 years. The soldiers of the Yuan Empire were overwhelmed and subdued, as the rebel troops took over many Chinese cities and large portions of the country (Spielvogel, 2008). The most successful of these rebel armies was from the south of the Yangtze River and was under the commandeering of Zhu Yuanzhang. Zhu Yuanzhang led the troops in conquering major cities in China including Beijing, which resulted in the court of the Yuan Empire fleeing northwards. Zhu Yuanzhang then claimed the â€Å"mandate of heaven† and took over as the emperor of the Ming Empire (Willis, 2011). The beginning of the Qing Empire was marked in an almost similar fashion. Established in Beijing in 1644, the empire took over from the Ming Empire by expelling the remnants of rebels of the Ming Empire, who had occupied Beijing at the time. Like the Yuan Empire that had ruled China before the Ming, the Qing Empire was not Chinese (Thackeray & Findling, 2012). The Qing Empire was under the control of the Manchus; a group of nomadic and tribal folk which originated from the north-eastern frontier of China. While it was regarded as a weak and corrupt empire in comparison to its predecessors, the Qing Empire w

Similarities and differences of Domestic Human Resources and Essay

Similarities and differences of Domestic Human Resources and Multinational Human Resource policies and practices - Essay Example y The third step would entail the differences between the two The fourth step would comprise of the evaluating assessment The final will provide a conclusion and sum up of overall report and the learning outcome from the entire work. Defining the two concepts: Prior to defining the two major types, it is important understanding and defining the generic manner and purpose for which human resource operations are undertaken. Human resource practices have been in voyage ever since there crept in a realization for the rights of workers and improving the overall working environment that would facilitate more benefits to the organization in terms of profits, customers’ relationship and employees well being (Ehnert, et al., 2013, 119). While each associates to handling and manoeuvring of the manpower and the resources at hand, the two differ with regard to their scope, applicability, resources, practices and outputs desired. These differences may come up in a tangible or intangible ma nner. Differences between the two modes of Human Resource Management practices: Tangible Differentiating factors: Apart from the scope of each, there are certain specific and tangible differences between the two kinds of human resource practices (Regis, 2008, 163). Multinational practices entail involvement of more than two partners. These partners are most across different set of region and geographical locality. Extent of cluster: The level of subsidiaries between the two icons differ in number with multinational resources involving more complex outlook and more extended subsidized pattern. Geographical consideration: The geographical consideration and factor is of value and distinction between the two forms, for multinational human resource practices, it is vital to understand and implement... Trainings are an essential component of the global Human resource management processes. Without it any mission is bound to fail based on the lack of experience and firsthand knowledge. Training allows equipping one’s self and mind towards the upcoming challenges, new scenarios, and new circumstance and this in turn, enables successful operations. Investing more in the training domain and providing training on all fronts ranging from technical to non and physical to psychological will help to save a lot of time and money that is otherwise spent on processes that may not yield any substantial output. It is the key and secret to the success of productive global HRM strategies and outcomes. All the major organizations that are operating at mass level across multiple countries and continents have training techniques and procedures in practice that allow the accomplishment of goals in the most desired manner.

Themes in Lord of the Flies Essay -- essays research papers

William Goldning’s Lord of the Flies is an allegorical novel where literary techniques are utilized to convey the main ideas and themes of the novel. Two important central themes of the novel includes loss of civilization and innocense which tie into the concept of innate human evil. Loss of civilization is simply the transition from civilization to savagery; order to chaos. The concept of loss of innocense is a key concept to innate human evil because childhood innocense is disrupted as the group hunted animals and even their own. Through the use of literary techniques these ideas are seen in the passage where Simon confronts the â€Å"Lord of the Flies.† The central concern of Lord of the Flies deals with the fall of civilization to the awakening of savagery. The conflict seen in this theme is explored through the dissolution of the young boys’ well mannered behavior as they accustomed themselves to a wild, barbaric life in the jungle. The concept of innate human evil takes an important role in this theme because as the boys grew more savage the beast that they feared grew within themselves. This innate human evil is the beast that destroys civilization as savagery claimed its position. In the passage the â€Å"Lord of the flies† indicates the presence of the beast within the boys. ‘Fancy thinking the Beast was something you could hunt and kill!’ said the head/You knew, didn’t you? I’m part of you? Close, close, close! I’m the reason why it’s no go? (Pg. 143). To make this point cl...

Cause and Effectof Joining the Military Essay

The U.S. Army is the oldest, most established branch of the military. â€Å"The U.S. Army traces it’s heritage back to the 1600’s and the period of colonization.†(Historcal Dictionary of the US Army) Since then, the Army has changed. The Army has a lot more to offer now than it did Two Hundred and Thirty eight years ago. There are many benefits to joining the Army from medical to bonus pays. College tuition costs are rising faster than ever. Not only do college students have to take out student loans after student loans, most have to work part time or even full time jobs to go to college, which delays their education, sometimes taking an associates four years to complete. Joining the Army, upon entry you are able to choose a GI Bill option. There are different versions of the GI Bill, but all allow you to attend college without having to worry about tuition costs. I am using my Post 9/11 GI Bill and for 36 months, my GI Bill pays full tuition, a book stipend, and a monthly housing allowance. Not only is there the GI Bill option, but while active duty or reserve, you can take advantage of their tuition assistance program. The program covers one hundred percent of tuition costs. As both of these programs are wonderful, there are effects to it. The GI Bill only covers everythign one hundred percent for thirty six months. If you are wanting to get a Bachelor’s Degree, you would need to take at least fifteen credit hours per semester, without taking any semesters off, in order to get your Bachelor’s using your GI Bill with no out of pocket expenses. If using the tuition assistance program, you are working full-time. You have your soldier-duties as well as going to school. There are days that you may need to miss class because you need to pull a twenty four hour watch, which may take a toll on your grade. The Army provides free healthcare to soldiers and their family. The cost of healthcare insurance is expensive, and you still have to pay out of pocket expenses from co-pays to half of a bill from the hospital. With the Army, everything is covered. Even though the healthcare is free, it is for soldiers and their families. There are a small amounts of doctors for a large amount of people. So even though the healthcare is free, you often have to wait longer periods of time for an appointment and when you really need an appointment fast, it doesn’t always work out. If you were to need to go to an urgent care clinic, you need to get permission from the military insurance company. When joining the military, you take a test in order to see what skills you are strongest. You are given a score and depending on your score, determines what job in the Army you can choose. Jobs in the Army range from infantryman to LPN’s. (http://www.goarmy.com/careers-and-jobs/browse-career-and-job-categories/combat.html) The higher the score, the more options of jobs there are available to you. Right now there are roughly one hundred and ninety jobs in the Army. Some jobs are in higher demand than others. When joining the Army, if you choose one of the high demand jobs, you might get a bonus for choosing the job. After receiving the bonus money, usually given in a lump sum, if you were to have to get out of the Army during a certain time period after receiving the bonus, you would have to pay the bonus money back. Sometimes the bonus could be up to teh thousand dollars. Even though the Army offers the benefits mentioned, plus many more, you also have to think of the toll it takes on your family. In the Army, you move around roughly every three years. If you were to deploy, you would be gone for 9 months plus, without seeing your family. Some deployments are easier than others, as some let you skype with your family daily to a few times weekly, and others maybe once a month. For children is is hard moving around, making friends and then leaving them, making new friends all over again, and it takesa a toll on them academically. Some children may even have to stay back a year depending on the time of the year they move. With all the benefits available to you and that the military offers, there are many effects to consider. They are all great, but the effects don’t only effect you, but also your family and loved ones. You would have to consider what you choose, how it effects others lives as well. From personal experience, the Army is wonderful and offers a lot to not only myself, but my family as well. It allowed me to provide for my family and also set me up for my future. Flow & Rhythm (Sentence Fluency) All sentences sound natural and are easy-on-the-ear when read aloud. Each sentence is clear and has an obvious emphasis. Almost all sentences sound natural and are easy-on-the-ear when read aloud, but 1 or 2 are stiff and awkward or difficult to understand. Most sentences sound natural and are easy-on-the-ear when read aloud, but several are stiff and awkward or are difficult to understand. The sentences are difficult to read aloud because they sound awkward, are distractingly repetitive, or difficult to  understand. Sequencing (Organization) Details are placed in a logical order and the way they are presented effectively keeps the interest of the reader. Details are placed in a logical order, but the way in which they are presented/introduced sometimes makes the writing less interesting. Some details are not in a logical or expected order, and this distracts the reader. Many details are not in a logical or expected order. There is little sense that the writing is organized. Introduction (Organization) The introduction is inviting, states the main topic and previews the structure of the paper. The introduction clearly states the main topic and previews the structure of the paper, but is not particularly inviting to the reader. The introduction states the main topic, but does not adequately preview the structure of the paper nor is it particularly inviting to the reader. There is no clear introduction of the main topic or structure of the paper. Commitment (Voice) The writer successfully uses several reasons/appeals to try to show why the reader should care or want to know more about the topic. The writer successfully uses one or two reasons/appeals to try to show why the reader should care or want to know more about the topic. The writer attempts to make the reader care about the topic, but is not really successful. The writer made no attempt to make the reader care about the topic. Transitions (Organization) A variety of thoughtful transitions are used. They clearly show how ideas are connected. Transitions clearly show how ideas are connected, but there is little variety. Some transitions work well; but connections between other ideas are fuzzy. The transitions between ideas are unclear or nonexistent. Works Cited Brown, Jerold E. Historical Dictionary of the US Army. Westport, CT, USA : Greenwood Press, Dec 2000. 15 Nov 2004. 4 Nov 2013 .

Substance Abuse A Social Problem - 1608 Words

When discussing social problems, some common issues that come up relate to the environment, discrimination, poverty, healthcare, and more. While these issues are important and must be addressed, we must also take substance abuse into consideration because it is all too often neglected. According to the World Health Organization, substance abuse â€Å"refers to the harmful or hazardous use of psychoactive substances, including alcohol and illicit drugs† (Substance). Individuals who become victims of substance abuse become dependent on and overindulge in substances such as drugs and alcohol. The outside forces in our world today influence behaviors including substance abuse, ultimately displaying the connection between social structure and an†¦show more content†¦A lot of the time, people born into a particular social class typically stay in the same social class for the rest of their life. The National Council on Drug Abuse reports that if an individual comes from an i mpoverished background, they are more likely to â€Å"abuse drugs or alcohol as a way to cope with the dangerous environment she lives in, [as] a way to deal with her financial stresses or a way to cope with physical or emotional abuse.† (Smith). Furthermore, in impoverished neighborhoods, it is easier for people to access substances such as drugs and alcohol. This is typically because people sell substances with the goal that someday they will overcome poverty (Smith). In addition to growing up in impoverished areas, the household one grows up in is also a sociological cause of substance abuse. HealthyPlace.com, a mental health site, states that parental abuse and neglect are large contributions to substance abuse (Tracy). These factors are out of the individual’s control and as a result, adolescents and preadolescents may attempt to gain their attention or escape the reality they live in by using drugs or alcohol. The environment one is raised in plays a significant role in the sociological causes of substance abuse. While those from a lower socioeconomic background may turn to substances to escape the neglect and abuse they face, teenagers from higher socioeconomic backgrounds abuse substances as a solution orShow MoreRelatedDetrimental Social Problems: Substance Abuse Essays1197 Words   |  5 PagesSubstance abuse is one of the most detrimental social problems found in all societies. It has been the leading cause for generational breakdowns of families and communities, and is probably the most controversial social problem when developing corrective solutions. 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People find themselves depressed and anxious so they ultimately try to use these drugs to mask the pain instead of getting help for theirRead MorePreventing Substance Abuse940 Words   |  4 Pagesï » ¿ Preventing substance abuse involves developing numerous strategic partnerships. Substance abuse is a multidisciplinary issue, and requires a correspondingly multifaceted and multidisciplinary approach. The strategy for drug abuse prevention must begin with segmenting the market, or analyzing the needs of the community. Is the greatest proportion of abusers in the community youth? If so, what kinds of drugs are most commonly used in the community? Are seniors in the community abusing prescriptionRead MoreSubstance Abuse - Social Pandemic1653 Words   |  7 Pagescontinues, substance abuse across America has become a very serious social problem. It is mental illness that has an effect on different races, classes and genders. The affects of substance abuse has caused countless of people to feel heartache and develop feelings of hopelessness. With alcohol and drugs readily available through prescription or on the streets (Butler,2010), it is obvious why many are acquiring addictive p atterns to these accessible substances, and that the continual abuse of theseRead MoreSubstance Abuse Is An Addiction1626 Words   |  7 PagesIntroduction Substance abuse is an addiction and it is the addition, which is referred to a chronic disease. It is this chronic disease that is a significant and growing issue, especially among family units where either one or two parents and/or parental guardians suffer from. Despite the various and complex reasons that cause the parents or parental guardians to abuse substances, it is their children who suffer thus, significantly affecting the parent/parental guardian and child bonding relationshipRead MoreEffects Of Parental Addiction On Children1457 Words   |  6 PagesON CHILDREN Alexis Holcomb The cost of alcohol and substance abuse in the United States reaches heights of four hundred eighty four billion dollars per year (â€Å"Magnitude†). That’s about seven hundred eighty times the amount it cost to diagnose and treat sexually transmitted diseases in the year 2000 (Chesson). The sole purpose of this is not to persuade you one way or the other on this topic. Nor is the purpose to apologize for this social issue. The purpose of this writing is to employ data showingRead MoreSubstance Abuse : An Individual s Life1608 Words   |  7 PagesSubstance abuse can be very detrimental to an individual’s life. According to the World Health Organization, substance abuse is defined as, â€Å"the harmful or hazardous use of psychoactive substances, including alcohol and illicit drugs† (2015). It does not matter what type of substance a person abuses, any one of them can alter one’s perception, judgement, and physical control, which leads a person bei ng destructive in the future. If a person is fully dependent on a substance, by the time they withdrawRead MoreSubstance Abuse Among Older Adults Essay1317 Words   |  6 PagesI was surprised to hear that substance abuse is a growing epidemic among our elderly because when I think of the elderly I don’t think falling over on the floor drunk or sitting at a bar knocking drinks back. It really is an â€Å"invisible epidemic†. It was shocking to hear that because of insufficient knowledge, health care providers often overlook substance abuse among older adults and fail to diagnose them correctly. â€Å"Symptoms of substance abuse in older individuals sometimes mimic symptoms of other