Drinks that Influenced History and Civilization Essay Example for Free

Drinks that Influenced History and Civilization Essay The author describes the origin of six drinks that greatly influenced history and civilization around the world: beer, wine, spirits, coffee, tea, and cola. He explains how each drink was the defining drink during a historical period from antiquity to present day. The fluids are vital because each had a role of shaping the modern world. They have been used as currencies, in religious rites, as a political symbol, sources of philosophical and artistic inspiration. Some have served to highlight the power of the elite, and appease the downtrodden. They connected world cultures by impacting trade, economy, religion, and politics. Beer was discovered through different methods of cooking and storing cereal grains. When the ice age ended, lands such as the Fertile Crescent provided abundant cereal grains. Such grains provided a reliable source of food, and the ability to store cereal grains began to encourage people to stay in one place. This resulted in permanent settlements as societies transitioned from hunting and gathering to farming. Although the residents of such villages continued to hunt, skeletal evidence suggests that they subsisted mostly on plant-based diets. Beer was shared, and it was symbol of hospitality and friendship. To Neolithic drinkers, beer’s ability to intoxicate and ferment seemed magical, and it was concluded that it was a gift from the gods. Beer-drinking cultures tell stories and myths of how it was discovered. Mesopotamians and Egyptians saw beer as an ancient, god-given drink that supported their existence, formed part of their cultural and religious identity, and had great social importance. It was consumed by anyone regardless of status, age, or gender. Beer impacted the growth and diffusion of the earliest civilizations greatly. The emergence of complex societies, the need to keep written records, and the popularity of beer all followed from the surplus of grain. It was also used as a form of currency and payment. Beer also had a direct link to health. Mesopotamians and Egyptians used it medicinally. The Egyptians used bread and beer in funerals. Without the discovery of beer, the earliest civilizations of Southwest Asia and Egypt would not have been as prosperous.

case summary of benefits of team work :: essays research papers

Benefits of teamwork: 1.http://nadabs.tripod.com/team/html Author: Nada AbiSamra. Teams outperform individuals because teams generate a special energy. This energy develops as team members work together fusing their personal energies and talents to deliver tangible performance results. There are number of benefits for team work. Among them are: a)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Distributing the workload b)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Reinforcing individual capabilities c)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Creating participation and involvement d)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Making better decisions e)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Feeling like we play a part in the work being done. f)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Generating a diversity of ideas, etc. 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Publisher: HRZone.com Author: Sue Campbell Work teams are essential to organization success. The following benefits are described briefly. a)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Job satisfaction: People who prefer group work are more satisfied with group work. b)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Higher work group productivity: People working in groups are more productive when tasks require working together and when rewards are related to group success. Groups that had both integrated work and members on their team who had a high preference for group work had high productivity even when rewards were not group based. c)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Brains and ability – higher GPAs Jason D. Shaw, Michelle K. Duffy and Eric Ms. Stark, Interdependence and Preference for Group Work: Main and Congruence Effects on the Satisfaction and Performance of Group Members, Journal of Management 2000 Vol. 26 No. 2 pp. 259-279 3.Aircraft Maintenance Technology / March 1998 Issue.http://www.greyowl.com/articles/teamwork_article.html This article talks about how teamwork is the foundation in the aircraft industry. How aircraft technicians have to depend on co-workers when a new aircraft is being developed and how important it is for them to get along as a team. The article talks about how to be a team player. How teamwork not only creates safety but efficiency.

The feasibility of wind energy from strategic management perspective in Russia

1. INTRODUCTION This research proposal has been complied to outline how an investigation into one part of the feasibility studies for wind energy developments are undertaken. From a strategic management perspective the socio-economics aspects of this shall be examined. These shall be considered by examining a number of case studies in Russia (as an example see; POWER, 2013; BAREC, 1998). 2. INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY This study shall be undertaken by critically evaluating how these assessments are currently implemented in practice. The effectiveness of these shall then be assessed by comparing them to practices adopted by other countries (see as an example: Bell, Gray & Haggett, 2005; Bergmann, Hanley & Wright, 2006; Van der Horst & Toke, 2010). This could help to identify some opportunities, which may be utilised in Russia, to improve the undertaking of feasibility studies. 4. PROBLEM STATEMENT In Russia, feasibility studies are conducted to establish if wind turbine projects are viable (as an example see; POWER, 2013; BAREC, 1998). However, a variety of practices have been adopted to undertake these to date (Devine?Wright, 2005). This research seeks to ascertain if these practices could be improved, by establishing how these assessments have been undertaken in other countries. 5. RESEARCH AIMS AND OBJECTIVES In conjunction with the problem statement above, the following aims have been formulated: To use available and relevant data, to investigate how socio-economic assessments are managed by using various management strategies (during the feasibility investigation phase of wind farm developments). To use available and relevant data, to investigate how socio-economic assessments are implemented by using various management strategies (during the feasibility investigation phase of wind farm developments). To use the findings from the above two aims make recommendations for how practices may be improved in Russia. Additionally, the following objectives have been developed: To evaluate how socio-economic assessments are strategically managed and implemented (during the feasibility phases of wind farm projects in Russia and other countries). To evaluate if these assessments may be improved in Russia. 6. PROPOSAL STRUCTURE The proposed outline of the dissertation is described in the next section. 7.LITERATURE REVIEW To date, studies have been undertaken into the development of wind farms (see as an example: Bell, Gray & Haggett, 2005; Bergmann, Hanley & Wright, 2006; Van der Horst & Toke, 2010). The majority of these have been focused on developments in Europe or the United States of America. There are a few case studies, which are pertinent to these types projects in Russia (as an example see; POWER, 2013; BAREC, 1998). Mainly, these case studies show that a variety of techniques are used to seek to ascertain if these developments are feasible. To ensure that this is the case a number of assessments are undertaken (see as an example: Bell, Gray & Haggett, 2005; Bergmann, Hanley & Wright, 2006). This helps to ensure that each aspect of the development and its impacts are fully considered. One assessment, which is important, seeks to evaluate the socio -economic impacts of wind farm developments (Wolsink, 2007). It is the management and implementation of these in Russia, which this study s eeks to explore. This shall be achieved by examining the literature from Europe or the United States of America (see as an example: Bell, Gray & Haggett, 2005; Bergmann, Hanley & Wright, 2006; Van der Horst & Toke, 2010) and comparing this to the Russian case studies (as an example see; POWER, 2013; BAREC, 1998). This will enable the researcher to understand how these are undertaken in a number of countries and how practices may be improved in Russia. 7.3 LITERATURE REVIEW SUMMARY The findings from this review shall be detailed in a summary and the research questions shall be outlined. 7.4. RESEARCH QUESTIONS Provisionally, the following research questions have been developed. How have socio-economic assessments been strategically managed (during the feasibility studies of wind farms in different countries) How have the socio-economic assessments been implemented (during the feasibility phases of wind farm developments in Russia and other countries) To date, what lessons have been learnt from one and two, and how may these be applied in Russia 7.5 METHODOLOGY Due to the nature of this study, the research shall be based on an extensive review of the literature and case studies. Once all of these have been examined and collated a number of recommendations shall be made. 7.6 RESEARCH PHILOSOPHY The research philosophy, which has been adopted for this study is positivism. This will allow the investigation to be a critical and objective base method (Sundars, 2003). 7.7 RESEARCH APPROACH The research approach, which has chosen for this study is qualitative in nature, as it will be based on a literature review (Sundars, 2003). This will allow the research to explore the problem, which was outlined above, to see if any improvements may be made. 7.8 RESEARCH STRATEGY The research strategy, which has been chosen for this study is a literature review (Sundars, 2003). 7.9 DATA COLLECTION The literature review shall be conducted by searching websites electronic journals, case studies and relevant books. Once a number of relevant sources have been identified these shall be used to collect information to investigate the research problem. 7.10 DATA ANALYSIS All analyses shall be based on the literature, which is identified during the data collection phase of this study (Sundars, 2003). 7.11 ACCESS Access to this literature shall be established through searching library resources, electronic journals and websites. 7.12 RELIABILITY, VALIDITY, AND GENERALISABILITY The reliability and validity of this research shall be ensured by only using sources of information, which are deemed to be suitable for this study. The generalizability of the findings from this study shall be limited as it will be based on secondary sources and the study findings will only be valid whilst these sources of information remain current (Sundars, 2003). 7.11 ETHICAL ISSUES There are no ethical issues which need to be considered whilst this research is being conducted. 7.12 RESEARCH LIMITATIONS As this research is based on secondary sources, the data, which is available, may limit the findings from this and as already stated as the study is based on the current situation in Russia, its findings may only be valid for a limited time. 8 CONCLUSION In conclusion, this study shall be undertaken by seeking to identify and critically evaluate a number of secondary sources. This will enable the strategic management and implementation of socio –economic analyses to be critically evaluated. The effectiveness of these in Russia shall then be assessed by comparing them to practices adopted by other countries. Then a number of recommendations may be made where this is appropriate. 9 TIME CHART TasksTask LeadStartEndDuration (Days) DissertationResearcher7/06/137/15/1310 Write Up Results 7/06/137/20/1315 Write up analysis 7/21/138/01/1312 Write Recommendations 1/08/1313/08/201310 Draw Conclusions 13/08/201318/08/20135 REFERENCES BAREC (1998) Conditions for the development of Wind Power in the Baltic Sea Region. Available from http://www.basrec.net/files/basrecdocs/Projects/BASREC-wind%201_enabling%20studies_120424.pdf (Accessed 03/07/2013) Bell, D., Gray, T., & Haggett, C. (2005). The ‘social gap’ in wind farm siting decisions: explanations and policy responses. Environmental politics, 14(4), 460-477. Bergmann, A., Hanley, N., & Wright, R. (2006). Valuing the attributes of renewable energy investments. Energy Policy, 34(9), 1004-1014. Devine?Wright, P. (2005). Beyond NIMBYism: towards an integrated framework for understanding public perceptions of wind energy. Wind energy, 8(2), 125-139. POWER (2013) Perspectives of Offshore Wind Development. Available from http://www.corpi.ku.lt/power/ (Accessed 03/07/2013). Saunders, M. (2003) Research Methods for Business Students. South Africa: Pearson Education. Van der Horst, D. (2007). NIMBY or not Exploring the relevance of location and the politics of voiced opinions in renewable energy siting controversies. Energy policy, 35(5), 2705-2714. Van der Horst, D., & Toke, D. (2010). Exploring the landscape of wind farm developments: local area characteristics and planning process outcomes in rural England. Land Use Policy, 27(2), 214-221. Wolsink, M. (2007). Planning of renewables schemes: Deliberative and fair decision-making on landscape issues instead of reproachful accusations of non-cooperation. Energy policy, 35(5), 2692-2704.

In Buried Secrets: Truth and Human Rights in Guatemala Virginia Sanford

In Buried Secrets: Truth and Human Rights in Guatemala Virginia Sanford goes into the heart of Guatemala to six different locations of clandestine cemeteries to interview survivors of mass suicides that occurred during the period that is now known as La Violencia. Sanford strives to give voice to the Maya, who have been silenced all these years, and chose to have them write their own history of what happened during those dark years.By uncovering the dark secrets of the Guatemalan National Revolutionary Union as well as those of the Guerilla Army of the poor, the Guatemalan people were able to begin to heal, to find justice, to become inspired to organize again for social change and to ultimately take control back over their own lives and participate in the democracy that they paid so dearly for (p. 73). Sanford constructs a â€Å"phenomenology of terror† through a forensic anthropological study of the clandestine grave sites at six different locations across Guatemala that the crimes against the Maya ultimately resulted in attempted genocide.These massacres occurred during a period known as La Violencia (1978-1982) under the regime of General Lucas Garcia (1978-1982) and General Rios Montt (March 1982-Aug 1983) (p. 14). According to Sanford, La Violencia went from selective terror into mass terror culminating in the â€Å"scorched earth† campaign and ultimately the violence did not cease until the disarming of the last civil patrols and the signing of the 1996 Peace Accords (p. 15).The Maya were the weak common people caught in the middle of a vicious war between the communist guerilla and the Guatemalan National Revolutionary Union (GNRU); where both sides took advantage of the Maya using them for food and shelter and killing them with little thought if they got in the way for any reason (p. 101). The Maya were simple farming people for the most part and their rights were easily stripped away and they were treated like slaves for years and after La Violencia, they were left maimed, poor and powerless.The phenomenology of terror that Sanford constructed from the death records, bone analysis, testimonio and other public records/media consists of seven escalating phases of violence and domination (p. 32). . Through analysis of these phases Sanford proves the depth of the GNRU’s crimes and therefore brings them out in public for the Maya people to begin their process of healing. The phemomenology of terror starts with the â€Å"pre-massacre community organizing† which amounted to the Maya’s attempt to better their own community often through the local churches to build infrastructure for clean water etc.Because this organizing sometimes included guerilla organizing (which Sanford indicates was often brought about by fear tactics on the guerilla’s part), it attracted violent repercussions from the GNRU (p. 127). The phase two, â€Å"the modus operandi of army massacres,† Sanford describes as th e beginning of genocide because the GNRU felt they could not prevent the guerilla from organizing and they used this as an excuse to kill innocent civilians who might or might not have been involved, in order to scare everyone else away from the idea of helping the guerilla (p.129). In the â€Å"post-massacre life in flight,† or phase three, the Guatemalans fled the killing fields of their own villages and took refuge in the mountains with little or no supplies or protection against the elements and many of them died of illness or exposure. The guerilla found them here too and sometimes forced them to kill their own children in order to survive (p. 132). In phase four the â€Å"army captures a community† and the Maya were basically treated like prisoners of war: they were tortured, raped, punished, and were forced to work for their food (p.135). In phase five, â€Å"model villages,† the Guatemalans experienced something similar to German concentration camps wher e they lived under constant military control and were forced to work under fear of being tortured or killed (p. 138). In phase six, â€Å"the ongoing militarization of community life,† the civil patrollers, or police, were handed over control from the army but the struggle was still the same, the Maya continued to experience torture and abuse of power(p. 141).In Sanford’s last denoted phase titled â€Å"living memory of terror,† the Maya struggle to put their lives back together while living in terror and with diminished rights. The police continued to control their lives and prevent them from bettering their communities in any way (p. 143). The uncovering of the phenomenology of terror is precisely how the healing process was instigating. The Maya people realized their need for healing when the bodies of their loved ones were being uncovered and when they heard the stories of their peers being told and realized that their own story needed to be revealed as well .Sanford chose multiple excavation sites in order to have a variety of communities but also so that she could generalize. The communities she chose included: Ixil, K’iche’, Kaqchikel, Q’eqchi’ and Achi villages from the northwest highlands to the central lowlands to the eastern mountains (p. 17). Uncovering these clandestine grave sites amounted to taking back their villages, taking back their loved ones and giving them the respectful burial that they deserved. In doing this it created a political space that was stolen from the Maya in the reign of terror (p.73). This political space allowed the people to come together and gain power in numbers; they never allowed themselves to be separated off so that no one person could be sacrificed for the cause of bringing out the truth of these massacres. Even those who still believed that the GNRU were telling the truth about the massacres, that the only people killed were communist guerillas, were brought to see t he truth about La Violencia because â€Å"the bones don’t lie† (p. 47).Even military officials came to give public recognition of the murders but gave many justifications for their ruthless actions (p. 16). After Sanford herself uncovered a woman’s corpse face down in a mass grave holding a small baby, it became clear that civilians, including women, children and the elderly were a large part of the sacrifice made at mass executions made by the GNRU (p. 43). Records indicate that most of the bodies at the Plan de Sanchez site were women, children and elderly (p. 47).The Maya went to the Ministerio Publico (prosecutor) as a group and said, â€Å"We want a Christian burial for our families because they aren’t dogs, and we don’t want them piled up in those graves like dogs† (p. 39). They were not put down by the Rabinal when they were ordered to attend a meeting that amounted to them trying to control the Maya and prevent them from colluding wi th the foreigners to uncover the truth. â€Å"Leave the dead in peace† the sub-commander told them, but the Maya already knew that the dead were not in peace and stopped at nothing to uncover the rest of the truth so that they could be (p.44). By pushing forward and sticking together the Maya was able to strip the power from the â€Å"memory of terror† to hold them down and instead used it to drive them forward for change and justice (p. 230). Sanford shows that the excavation process gave healing through several different avenues, besides giving the Maya strength in coming together and publicly revealing the truth, the excavation also brought healing through religious ritual and public consecration of the burial sites.The rituals at burial sites â€Å"implicate the enactment of deeply held beliefs about the individual and community identity and reckoning in the past as well as the present† which Sanford believed was the powerful key to opening a future for the Maya in their own broken land (p. 40). Long after the confession and re-burial, the temples built on the sites allowed the Maya to continue their grief process and to continue to heal and have a place where they could go for remembrance of their loved ones and the pain they experienced (p. 245).In addition, the exhumation inspired the local people to organize once again to try to better their communities and used the memory of terror as inspiration to work hard for change rather than allowing it to hold them down in fear (p. 211). These local initiatives included things such as support groups and groups advocating yet more exhumations. (p. 243). Sanford describes another type of healing that took place because of the exhumations and resulting testimonies that amounts to the clinical treatment for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder: testimonial therapy (p. 239).By giving survivors the chance to â€Å"understand the impossible nature of the situation to which they had been exposed† and to transfer â€Å"the burden of responsibility to the perpetrators of violence and to the repressive structures that fomented their traumas† they were able to heal the emotional wounds of those experiences (p. 241). The final step in healing is providing the people with justice through charging those guilty of leading the massacres. Ultimately the confessions and the exhumations helped to bring those guilty of these horrible crimes to light for the sake of justice.The Maya faced the obstacle of â€Å"auto-limpieza,† which was the act of killing those who were in charge of giving orders for the military on behalf of the men who were in the upper echelons of the military power structure—in other words, the men who could tell the truth about who was ultimately responsible for these massacres were killed (p. 211). In addition to this obstacle, the government attributed any challenge to their authority to equate to a national security threat. So when the Maya be gan to search for those guilty of these war crimes, they faced the old threat of terror (p.251). According to Sanford, â€Å"justice, rule of law, and truth commission are now seen as a critical step for societies experiencing the transition from military rule,† therefore it was of utmost importance to the Maya to pursue justice and bring closure on the dark La Violencia era (p. 249). With the help of other Central American countries and international organizations such as the Human Rights Watch and the United Nations, the Maya people were given the added strength to bring justice to at least a few war criminals.Without their help the Maya may never have been able to overcome the memory of terror which stood in the way of them being able to participate in the democracy that they paid so dearly for (p. 253). Ultimately the trials of the authors of this violence helped to construct, â€Å"a viable democracy by demonstration that the rule of law extends to the powerful as well as to the poor† (p. 270). In conclusion, Virginia Sanford shows through a forensic anthropological study of the massacre sites that genocide did indeed occur against the Mayan people and she lays out the timeline of violence in seven phases that she calls the phenomenology of terror.Through the process of constructing this phenomenology the Maya are brought together again and inspired to better their community and fight for justice. They experience healing through testimonio (of their PTSD) and through public recognition of their loved one’s sacrifices in religious ritual and the consecration of the burial sites. By consecrating those public spaces and bringing to justice those who were responsible, the Maya were able to break fear of the memory of terror and take their rightful place in the democracy that they paid so dearly for.

Joyce carol oates whereare you going where have you been essays

Joyce carol oates whereare you going where have you been essays Joyce Carol Oates short story Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been takes up many troubling issues. Connie, the main charcter, who is fifteen exhibits the confusing, often superficial behavior typical of a teenage girl facing the difficult transition from girlhood to womanhood. She is rebellious, vain, self-centered, and deceitful. She is caught between her roles as a daughter, friend, sister, and object of sexual desire, uncertain of which one represents the real her; Everything about her had two sides to it, one for home and one for anywhere that was not home(426). She is deeply romantic, as shown by her awareness of popular song lyrics, but she is interested more in the concept of having a boyfriend than the boyfriend himself. Arnold Friend, young Connie's abductor and probable rapist-murderer, displays a satanic identity. Arnold is the incarnation of Connie's unconscious erotic desires and dreams, but in an uncontrollable nightmare form. The whole terrifying episode involving Arnold Friend is itself a dream, a fantasy that Connie falls into on a sleepy Sunday afternoon when she is left alone in the house and decides to spend the entire day drying her hair. First of all, Oates has made the willing suspension of disbelief somewhat easier by imparting to her story a dreamlike, unreal atmosphere that makes it possible for the reader to view Connie's scary encounter with Arnold as a dream-vision or daymare, one in which Connie's intense desire for total sexual experience runs headlong into her fear of such experience. For all the talk of sex and boys in the story, we have no clear evidence that Connie is not still a virgin. Sophisticated, yes but only in the most superficial ways, involving the heightening of her physical charms triple-x sex. Connies horror at Arnold Friend's direct solicitation I'll come inside you where it's all secret and you'll give in to me and you'll love me(433...

9 Great Excuses for Missing Work

9 Great Excuses for Missing Work There are tons of valid excuses  for missing work. But it’s not foolproof†¦there are also tons of reasons that are totally not valid, and will likely earn you a trip to the professional dog house. 1. Valid excuse: You’re sick.Invalid excuse: You’re sick with a fever whose only cure is more cowbell.2. Valid excuse: There’s been a death in your family.Invalid excuse: There’s been a death on your favorite TV show.3. Valid excuse: You’re having a personal emergency.Invalid excuse: You’re having a fashion emergency.4. Valid excuse: You fell and injured yourself.Invalid excuse: †¦Running for the ice cream truck. (Just leave that part out.)5. Valid excuse: You’re celebrating a religious holiday.Invalid excuse: Your â€Å"religious holiday† is corroborated only by a weirdly sparse Wiki page that was updated last by someone with your usual screen name.6. Valid excuse: You’re having a childcare crunch.Invalid exc use: You’re having drama because you’re out of Cap’n Crunch.7. Valid excuse: You’re getting married.Invalid excuse: A royal is marrying that beautiful commoner who totally could have been you if only you’d been able to afford that spring break in Luxembourg.8. Valid excuse: The weather is bad, and so are the roads you’d be commuting on.Invalid excuse: Your psychic told you it might snow this afternoon. (And it’s June.)9. Valid excuse: You need a mental health day.Invalid excuse: Your pet needs you at home while he works through some personal issues.

Management info Systems Individual work wk9 Essay

Management info Systems Individual work wk9 - Essay Example This information can be quickly disseminated if the appropriate information-sharing technologies are put in place. These technologies also need support from networks that are capable of global communication (Hossein,2013). Global Information systems are defined in two ways; control and coordination. A control centered global information system is characterized by a centralized data architecture that is used across the organization. This structure is characterized by standard report formats, and the system is designed to track the performance of the organization. The coordination centered global information system is characterized by decentralized data architecture. Each department in the organization has an element of standardization within it and is capable of communicating these standards to other departments. The technologies used support informal communication and the encouraged socialization (Hossein, 2013). There are numerous factors that are crucial to any global information system. These are the operational and strategic requirements. Operational requirements entail the ability of a global information system to provide support for daily activities within the organization. It should also provide consolidated global reporting, ease of communication between the head organization and its branches across the world and management of short –term foreign exchange risks. Strategic requirements entail the ability of the information system to provide support for long-term goals. These include management of long-term foreign exchange risks, global risks, and political risks. The design and execution of global information systems face various obstacles. Lack of standardization across the countries in the world is one major factor. The differences in time zones, language barriers, taxation policies, and language barriers pose an enormous challenge in the development of global information systems. The lack of