Alvar Nunez Cabeza De Vaca Essays - Slaves, Lvar Nez Cabeza De Vaca

Alvar Nunez Cabeza De Vaca Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca Most peoples' exposure to world history is limited to several classes in school and action films. This creates an aura of glamour and excitement, which is far from the reality that conquistadors such as Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca experienced. In light of the intolerable hardships that many of these early explorers were forced to endure, what motivated men like de Vaca to join such perilous adventures? Cabeza de Vaca's life and journey to North America are intriguing because through his extended encounters with the Native Americans he became known as the compassionate conquistador. Cabeza de Vaca was born in 1490 to Spanish nobility; his ancestors being warriors and explores. Cabeza joined the army in his teens and distinguished himself as a fine officer. He was a respected veteran and dedicated to his country and the King when he was appointed treasurer and second-in-command of the 1527 expedition to the New World (Bishop). De Vaca was a career military man and it was an honor to accept the King's appointment to conquer new lands (the whole Gulf Coast of North America) for his country, Spain. He had seen the hero's welcome and the great wealth received by the lucky ones returning victoriously. The governor of this expedition said? That he and his followers were going to fight and conquer nations and countries wholly unknown, and in subduing them he knew that many would be slain; nevertheless, that those who survived would be fortunate, since from what he had understood of the opulence of that land, they must become very rich. (Jameson) Besides heritage, patriotism, fame and fortune, de Vaca's devotion to God was another driving force in his life. In writing his narrative, de Vaca addressed the Sacred Catholic Majesty saying his writings would be important to those who in our name [Spain] go to subdue those countries and bring them to a knowledge of the true faith and true Lord, under the imperial dominion?.(Jameson) His ardent faith gave him great desire to convent to Christianity the inhabitants of the New World. The incredible hardships of these explorations are hard to believe. The fact that in 1527 a fleet of five ships and 600 men left Spain and ten years later de Vaca with three other survivors returned, speaks for itself. After landing in Cuba, the fleet continued to the coast of southwest Florida. For the next eight years de Vaca proceeded on foot and makeshift rafts along the Gulf Coast. (See map @ end) The details are gruesome, documenting potential death from many directions. Starvation was constantly battled. Weeks past where de Vaca had only a handful of corn for a day's ration. He tells of 18 months with one group of Indians where the greatest luxury I enjoyed was on the day they would give me a skin to scrape, because I scraped it very deep in order to eat the parings, which would last me two or three days. (De Vaca) Cannibalism was noted among some. Men died from drowning, thirst, murder, infection, and exposure. At one place where de Vaca was forced to stay for several seasons , he had no clothes and exposure to the sun and air covered his body with big sores making it very painful to pull heavy loads, with ropes cutting in to his arms. Sometimes, by the end of the day he would have lost so much blood he had no energy to drag the load out (Bishop). How could he persevere? To de Vaca's way of thinking, human suffering was the fate of all good Catholics (Sheppard). Time after time Cabeza de Vaca was given strength by his unquestioned faith in God and belief that he was there for God's divine purpose, that was guiding him to where he could better serve God. After weeks or often months of ongoing hardships, de Vaca would respond with, Thanks to our Lord, whose help to us never failed. He said that, In all that trouble my only relief or consolation was to remember the passion of our Savior, Jesus Christ, and the blood He shed for me, and to ponder how much greater His sufferings had

My Music Biography Essays

My Music Biography Essays My Music Biography Essay My Music Biography Essay My interest in music began when I was in elementary school. I stared playing violin in 5th grade and once I moved up to middle school I started entering talent shows and joined the Performing Arts Kids club at my school. Concurrently, I was a member of the Leaden Childrens Choir in which we performed world music at various locations and received a tremendous amount of exposure. Once I entered high school, I Joined the Instrumental Music Club in which I am currently a full time music student. I have been enrolled in my high school orchestra, jazz band, marching band, concert band and drum-line for the past 4 years. I am also the Jazz singer and occasionally get chosen to sing the National Anthem at Home football games and other school functions. I also had the honor to sing at last years high school graduation. Over the past 3 years, I have participated in the school musical as part of the pit orchestra in which I played violin for such performances as the Wiz, Grease, and Guys and Dolls. This years musical theater performance will be Hairspray. I have auditioned for a part and recently received my first call back. I am very excited and hope to be one of the chosen members for this years production. Prior to high school theater, I was involved in a private theater organization in which we performed the Wizard of Oz. As a mallet percussionist of Pasadena City Colleges Honor Band, I have been given the honor of being in this years Tournament of Roses Parade for 2013 as the only representative of my High School. I have been receiving private piano and voice lessons for the past 4 years. In addition, I am currently working on my Girl Scout Gold Award Project in which I would like to incorporate my musical abilities to promote music appreciation amongst youth.

Lecture on Race Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Lecture on Race - Essay Example However, in the Revisionist School of Thought during the 1950s and 1960s, these teachers were considered protagonists - heroes actually, who were active in fighting for education and for the right to vote. One of the early demands of the freed slaves after the war was the right to education. This was heard by the Northern commanders occupying the South - and this led to the Port Royal Experiment. Furthermore, one of these Freedmen teachers, Mary Peake put up a school in 1861 in Virginia. 2. What was the Supreme Court Decision concerning segregation in the case, Plessy V. Ferguson. What was the Supreme Court Decision concerning segregation in the case, Brown V. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas. The Supreme Court, accordingly after the Civil War, ruled in favor of the segregation policy in the South, where public places were segregated into different areas for blacks and whites. The rule being followed was "separate but equal" doctrine. In Plessy V. Ferguson, the Supreme Court ruled that Homer Plessy, who was colored yet by blood lineage, more white than black, was fallacious in his thinking by refusing to ride a train coach for colored people in Louisiana because in his view it rendered black people inferior. In its decision, the Supreme Court ruled implicitly that inferiority is a matter of feeling or point of view - "it is not by reason of anything found in the act, but solely because the colored race chooses to put the construction upon it". In Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas, the Supreme Court, on the other hand ruled against the segregation policy, when it said that segregation had no place in public education - "separate educational facilities are inherently unequal". The case arose as black children challenged the decision of the Topeka Board that put up separate facilities for black and white children. 3. What was the difference in their view of native Americans between men authors and women diarists Men and women authors differed when it came to the portrayal of native Americans. Men authors, who were white, were coming from a point of view on which American Indians were the enemies and white men who searched and fought for settlement areas in the West, were the heroes. Their source of information was their experience as white men and those of others who were also like them, white men. They of course emphasized that part of history when men had to conquer the lands, and in that way gave focus to the danger and treachery posed by the native Americans who were the enemies and of the heroic adventures of the settlers. This point of view became the basis for the hostile policy against native Americans. Women authors on the other hand, saw behind the wagon train tales of hostile action and adventure. American Indians, according to the diaries and recollection of women were recorded as friendly and of service. It was as not much of the danger posed by the native American that the women authors spoke of - but of other difficulties such as disease, drowning and death in the move towards the West. Moreover, the women authors portrayed men who were their husbands as not necessarily good hunters or providers. They humanized their men,

Socrates and Euthyphro Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 4

Socrates and Euthyphro - Essay Example The definition is erroneous as it fails to integrate the holistic description of holiness. Notably, other righteous deeds reveal a positive aspect of holiness than punishing offenders. On noticing this error, Socrates challenges him to elucidate a broader and better meaning of sanctity that is inclusive. After his realization of his mistake, lack of logical consistency, in the first definition, Euthyphro offers an updated version of his description that focuses on holiness from a godly point of view. In particular, he says that holiness is what the God approves. Therefore, â€Å"then  what is dear to the gods is holy,  and what is not dear to them is unholy†Ã‚  (pg.6, 5). Unfortunately, his explanation lacks clarity as it projects an assumption that gods agree on all things and disagree on nothing. Having noticed the fallacy, Socrates asks if the gods always agree on all things. At this point, Euthyphro realizes his mistakes and acknowledges that Gods offer a different opinion on various issues leading to quarrels amongst themselves. Consequently, Socrates gives him another him another chance to provide an improve definition of holiness. In his third attempt to define holiness, Euthyphro describes piety as what is loved by all the gods. Specifically, he asserts that the Holy is what all the gods love, and whatever the gods hate, is unholy. He states that  Ã¢â‚¬Å"the holy is what all the gods love,  and that the opposite,  what all the gods hate is unholy† (pg.10. 3). Similarly, the logical fallacy appears, as he does not offer a comprehensive explanation for defining the true nature of consecration. Notably, his description lacks an essential element of what makes something holy. Having noticed the logical inconsistency, Socrates challenged Euthyphro to substantiate if something is holy because the gods approve it, or the holiness of something makes the gods approve

What is meant by Project Planning and why we need a detailed project Essay

What is meant by Project Planning and why we need a detailed project plan for every project - Essay Example The present study would focus on project planning as an essential part of project management. It refers to the use of specialised tools such as Gantt Charts in order to plan and monitor the progress of a project. The use of project planning ensures that the project environment is stewarded continuously so that any known and unknown risks are monitored and dealt with in order to optimise the project cost and schedule. Typically, project planning begins with the definition of project scope. This ensures that fitting methods are determined in order to take the project to completion. Once project scope is well defined, the next step is to define activity structure. The various tasks required to execute the project are listed down as activities and the estimated time for these activities is listed down. These activities are grouped together and the resulting structure is known as the work breakdown structure (WBS). The WBS provides a fitting insight to how various tasks and activities are fitted together in terms of their dependencies on each other. Generally, the WBS tasks and activities are defined through the use of an activity network diagram. This tool allows the determination of the critical path which in turn provides information regarding: - all activities and tasks needed to complete the project that are arranged within a WBS; - the duration of time required to complete these activities and tasks; - the various kinds of dependencies between various tasks and activities. ... This optimisation is carried out in order to comply with the overall project goals and objectives. This process is known as resource levelling and it is carried out to ensure that all activities and tasks are carried out with the optimal use of resources and time. When resource levelling is carried out, the formed plan is known as the baseline. As the project proceeds, the baseline is used to compare the status of physical activities on ground with the agreed objectives. Generally, the baseline is used throughout the entire project life to both monitor and steward progress. The process used to compare actual progress to the baseline is better known as earned value management (Fleming, 2005). The major inputs required for the project-planning phase include the concept proposal as well as the project charter while the outputs are the project requirements, the project management plan and the project schedule. These inputs and outputs are used in tandem and may be revised as the project proceeds. Most projects that are executed are unique in nature and so entail unique requirements. This requires that projects are planned individually and executed accordingly including any changes that may be required as the project proceeds. 2. Need for Project Planning Planning is required for all sorts of processes that have economic value in order to ensure that these processes are competitive. The lack of planning lends credence to the fact that execution would be inefficient and would cost more than usual. In addition, projects are generally unique by their intrinsic design so that the tasks and activities are differentiated from one project to the other. When projects are being

Walmart the functions of an organisation Marketing Essay

Walmart the functions of an organisation Marketing Essay Marketing is one the functions of an organisation that most connects an organisation to its environment. It maintains relations with the customers. It also involves satisfying needs of the customers. It incorporates hoe a business should be conducted and a set of values and processes that are put into practice(Naylor, 2004, p.525). According to Kotler Marketing can be defined as a nodal and managerial process by which individuals and groups obtain what they need and want through creating and exchanging products and value with others (Kotler et al., 1999, p.10).The key ideas in this definition are needs, wants and demands, value and satisfaction, exchange, transactions and relationships and markets. The American marketing association defines marketing as a process of planning and executing the conception, pricing, promotion and distribution of ideas, goods and services to create changes that satisfy individual and organisational goals (Kotler, 2002, p.4). There are numerous theories t hat are part of marketing as a subject. This essay aims at identifying the key concepts of marketing and how are these concepts can be studied and applied to a functioning of an organisation which is Walmart in this case. Walmart is an American public corporation that operates a chain of large discount department stores and a chain of warehouse stores.. The company was founded by Sam Walton in 1962. It is publically traded on New York Stock Exchange. The company is the largest private employer with approximately 2.1 million employees. It operates in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, China, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Japan, Mexico, Nicaragua, Puerto Rico and the United Kingdom and, through a joint venture, in India. Walmart became an international company in 1991 when it opened its first Sams Club near Mexico City. Two major concepts of marketing are the market orientation a firm has and the marketing mix it follows. Wal-Mart has its own market orientation and a marketing mix that it has adopted. Market orientation is an approach that a business has to run its operations and achieve its organisational objectives. These are the different ways that a business approaches its customers and determines how an organisation carries out its marketing activities. They guide the marketing efforts of an organisation. The different marketing orientations are as follows: 1.Production: Production oriented firm focuses on large scale production of goods that can be made widely available. It also focuses on efficiency issues. There is little focus on customer needs and their wants. It is based on the Says law which says Supply creates its own demand. 2.Product: A product oriented firm focuses on the quality and features of the product. It assumes that the customers want the best quality products for their money. Continuous improvement and refinement of products is also a very important factor. 3.Selling : In this market orientation the main focus is on selling and promotion of the products. It is assumed that good marketing efforts will persuade enough customers to buy the product. It tends to ignore what the customers really want or need. 4.Marketing : It is an approach which keeps customers at the centre. It involves doing a market research and identifying the needs of the consumers and thus making products that satisfy the consumer needs in the best and most efficient way. It is assumed that identifying the customer needs gives a firm a sustainable competitive advantage. 5. Socially Responsible Marketing: It involves responding to the ethical issues in a society. It is related to the corporate social responsibility of a business. It informs consumers of the various contributions that the business is making towards the society and makes a good image of the business as a whole. Different businesses have different market orientations. The two most important aspects of Wal-Marts market orientation are product and market. Wal-Mart offers a huge variety of products. Their aim is to satisfy almost every possible need that might arise. Wal-Mart is not a store for people from a specific age group or income group. In fact it serves people from every age group and income level. Wal-Mart also works with its suppliers and uses a testing laboratory called a consumers testing lab. It runs test on food items, clothing ,electronics etc. By doing this it ensures that the goods it delivers to its customers are of highest quality. The second aspect of its market orientation is Marketing. Wal-Mart uses detailed market research and customer segmentation to better deliver against the customer needs. Wal-Marts ability to recognise changes in the retailing industry has given it a huge advantage over its competitors. This has only been possible because of the intensive market research it undertakes before making any strategic decision. Before making any promotional strategy they measure the return on investment. They evaluate everything such as how many customers will see the advertisement, how many will react to it, how many will actually buy the product. They have huge customer data and sales data. They even share the sales data with their suppliers in order to keep the most popular items stocked and to persuade its suppliers to supply goods which are most popular among the consumers. So it changes itself according to the customer needs and sell products which customers want and not what it has to sell. It also pr omotes relationship marketing and uses one to one relationship marketing tactics. For e.g. a person greeted every customer who came in and said goodbye to each person who left. Wal-Mart has always closely observed its market using different research methods and has always successfully anticipated the change in consumer tastes and preferences and changed itself accordingly so it always keeps its customers at the centre. Another important theory of marketing management is the marketing mix. Marketing mix is the set of marketing tools that a firm uses to achieve its marketing objectives in a specific target market. The tools can be classified into four categories namely Price, Place Promotion and Product and are referred to as the 4 Ps. Price and advertising costs etc. can be altered in the short run but elements such as product and the distribution channel can only be changed in the long run. .( Kotler, 2002, p.9 )These variables affect the level of demand for a firms products. It is a combination of these tools that are used to satisfy consumer and company objectives. The four variables can be explained as follows: 1. Price: Price is an important factor in the marketing mix when the products are not bad. People want to use money thoughtfully and want maximum utility out of their income. Discounts, allowances, payment terms and credit are some of the tools used to attract customers. 2.Product: Product is the top priority in the marketing mix. Some of the strategies that firms may use are quality, design , features, packaging and warranties etc. Using these tools a company can differentiate its products from its competitors. 3.Place: The place element is becoming more important these days. Big retailers make it more convenient for people to buy everything. Locations, inventory and transport etc are areas that are important for a business. 4.Promotion: People should know about the products of a company. Effective way to advertise the products necessary. Sales promotion, sales force ,direct marketing and public relations are some examples that come under promotion aspect of the marketing mix. We can relate these 4 Ps with different strategies that Wal-Mart adopts. Price is the most important factor for Wal-Marts marketing mix and is the winning formula for the company. The company has build an image over the years that its name has become a synonym to low prices. The mission of the company is to provide cheapest prices in the market. It is because of its such low prices that it has been able to serve and fulfil the needs of millions of customers. Wal-Mart has the best and the most convenient store locations which its competitors find difficult to beat. This is due to the extensive market research it does before expanding into a new area. Also the stores are strategically located to gain efficiency in storage and transportation of its goods. However the company has saturated the local markets and now has plans to extend its operations in many foreign countries. As Wal-Mart offers variety of products for every segment of the market it ensures that its customers get the high est quality products. Some products are sold under its own brand whereas some other from other companies. Wal-Mart often comes up with packaging techniques that help reduce the cost of the goods sold. Now the company is trying to attract more affluent customers by launching new Metro 7 Stalls which offer jewellery and other expensive items in 1500 different stores. (source: http://walmartstores.com/pressroom/news/5721.aspx). Coming to promotion the most notable strategy that the company uses is public relations by taking parts in charitable events. It started health plans starting from $23 and also advertised itself as the largest employer. All these strategies have helped Wal-Mart emerge as the market leader in the retail sector and the key factors being low prices, more customer service and constant innovation in the business.

Religious Concerns during Colonial Period Essay -- essays research pap

â€Å"Throughout the colonial period, economic concerns had more to do with the settling of British North America than did religious concerns.† According to this statement, both economic and religious reasons contributed to the founding of the thirteen colonies by the British in North America. The many people who settled in New England came there in search of religious freedom. Their hope was to escape the religious persecution they were facing in England, worship freely, and have the opportunity to choose which religion they wanted to take part in. The Southern colonies were developed for economic motives. They had goals for mercantilism and increasing the prosperity of England. Finally, the Middle colonies were founded upon diverse religions because their primary focus and purpose was to make money or to populate the country. Overall, every colony was colonized due to specific reasons or concerns. However, England’s religious conflicts had grown full-blown, resulting in the colonization of nearly all the American colonies. During the religious upheavals of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, one group of radical Protestants was known as Puritans because they wanted to â€Å"purify† the established Church of England. Essentially, their program called for a more complete protestantization of the national church, particularly insofar as church responsibility for individual conduct was concerned. Their reformist ideas threatened to divide the people and to undermine royal authorit...