Myth as a Precursor to History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Myth as a Precursor to History - Essay Example History is something different altogether, history is not used to explain natural phenomenon's or uncover aspects of daily life. History is fact that typically cannot be augured. It has evidence, it is fact. Ken Dowden states "History is what myth isn't.What history tells is true or else it would not be history, only failed history. What myth tells us is in some way false or it would be history"2 Myths can be said to have graduations of credibility, Dowden uses the example of the myth of Athena being born from Zeus head and compares it to Agamemnon's expedition to Troy to show that there are different levels of credibility in myth. As obviously there was never a women born from a man's head. Yet it is suggested that there was a Trojan War and Agamemnon's expedition to Troy has a place in history. In the example of Dowdens, we can see that myth can be a herald to history, as many believed that Homer's epic poem, The Iliad, was based not on a historical reality, but on mythical heroes. Heinrich Schliemann held a different view, believing in Homers war, he combined studies of Homeric text and fieldwork and published observations about Mycenae and the location of Troy in 1869.Although Schlie mann's arcelogical techniques were brought under criticism by many, ("Schliemann's excavations at Troy were not a good model of archaeological technique. Only solid structures were noticed and recorded, and they were rapidly demolished to reveal earlier features."3) Schliemann's aim was to identify the geographic setting of Homers Iliad only from literature and he brought the Greek Bronze Age and its antecedents to light for the first time. Not content with his identification of Troy, he also dug at Mycenae and revealed an unknown prehistoric civilization. The Japanese creation myth started out with the earth being a formless void of nothing but muddy water. From that water a green shoot sprung and inside it was the first god, who made all the other gods. Out of all he created though, Izagami and Izanami were the most perfect. The islands of Japan were formed when Izagami poked his staff through the clouds to see what was on the surface of the earth. As he lifted the staff from the muddy water, clumps of mud fell on top of the water and formed into the islands of Japan. The pair went down to the earth, and everywhere they went, flowers and plants sprouted. They had four children. One was the sun, one was the moon, one lived in the water and created storms and such, and from the fourth, the line of the emperors of Japan was established. In the Egyptian creation myth, most of the details are very similar to the Japanese myth. The world starts out covered in water, from one god all the others are created, and two of the gods, Osiris and Isis, sort of led all the rest. From them came all the rulers of Egypt, just like how in the Japanese myth Izanami and Izagami had a child who eventually had a child who was the first emperor of Japan. In the African origin myth of how leopards became spotted, the leopard invites fire over for dinner.  

The Effects of Alcohol on the Human Body Essay Example for Free

The Effects of Alcohol on the Human Body Essay Introduction Today, alcohol is one of the most common substances that people abuse. It is an addictive drink that has become a popular way of having a good time or relaxing in social gatherings. It is among the most commonly used psychoactive drugs. Alcohol is a popular social phenomenon, yet most societies forget its effects on their bodies. Research has carried out in the recent years on the effects that alcohol consumption is having on people. The resulting data has been extremely negative. The introduction of Alco pops, led to a substantial increase in the youth population drinking alcoholic beverages. On average, young people start drinking at approximately age thirteen. Parental and peer influences are a major factor in these early habits. Before the legal age of 21; almost seventy percent of people manage to get away with at least one alcoholic drink. This increases the probability of adolescent consumption in the future. Alcohol, specifically ethanol, depresses the central nervous system and it has many side-effects. Cell membranes in the human body have high permeability to alcohol, so alcohol diffuses into nearly every biological tissue of the body once it gets into the blood stream (Dasgupta 2011, pg.88). It starts affecting the body and mind from the second one sips it. After taking it for a while, one starts feeling more sociable, but drinking too much makes basic human functions like walking or talking harder. One might start saying things they don’t mean and behave out of character. Some of the effects of alcohol disappear overnight, while others stay longer or become permanent. Other effects are impaired judgment, addiction, poor mental health, hormonal change and withdraw as a result of deciding to quit. Alcohol affects most important organs within the human body. Alcohol interacts with the gamma amino butyric acid receptors located in the brain. These receptors are the center of inhibitory neurotransmission in the human body and is synthesized from glutamic acid (Miller 2006, pg. 23). First and foremost, it depresses the brain tissue, the nervous system and destroys brain cells. The problem with destroying brain cells is that, once lost they cannot be regenerated. Excessive drinking over a long period of time may cause severe problems to one’s memory and cognition. Alcohol affects parts of the brain like the cerebral cortex; limbic system; cerebellum and the hypothalamus. The cerebral cortex is the center of voluntary muscle movement and it processes one’s thoughts and senses. Once inhabited by alcohol, it slows down our bodies on reaction time and impairs judgment. This makes an intoxicated person more talkative and confident. Also in the cerebral cortex, alcohol increases the pain threshold. It affects the hippocampus as it impairs memory and causes inflated feelings (Miller 2006, pg. 48). The limbic system controls emotions and memory. Alcoholic effects on the limbic system occur when the intoxicated person endures memory loss and uncontrolled emotional outbursts. The cerebellum controls the body’s muscular movements. When it is affected by alcohol there is involuntary muscle movement and incoordination. The hypothalamus controls the body’s automatic functions and release of hormones. Alcohol affects the hypothalamus through sexual performance and arousal (Brigg 2010, pg. 71). An intoxicated person is more sexually aroused, though the performance is not as normal. The liver can fairly process alcohol safely when the drinking is moderate. Heavy drinking however, overtaxes the liver causing serious damage. A fatty liver is one of the first stages of liver destruction among heavy drinkers. It interferes with oxygen distribution and nutrition of the liver’s cells (Horsley 2008, pg. 94). Persistence of this condition causes the liver cells to die and form fibrous scar tissues. This is the second stage of the deterioration of the liver. Part of the liver cells may regenerate with proper nutrition and abstinence. However during the last stages of deterioration the damage to the liver cells is irreversible. Alcohol abuse is a major contributing factor in cancers, including mouth cancer and liver cancer, which are both on the increase. Alcohol comes second to smoking as risk factors for digestive tract and oral cancers. Research suggests that this happens since alcohol breaks down into a substance called acetaldehyde. This substance then binds to proteins in the mouth triggering an inflammatory response from the body. In severe cases, cancerous cells eventually develop. Alcohol alters the chemistry within the brain and increases depression risk. It is associated with various mental health problems. People suffering from either anxiety or depression are twice likely to be heavy or addicted drinkers. Extreme drinking levels may often cause psychosis. This is a severe mental illness that causes development of hallucinations and delusions of persecution. Psychotic symptoms may also occur when heavy drinkers suddenly decide to stop drinking and as a result develop a condition referred to as ‘delirium tremens’. Moderate drinking does not suppress food intake. It may actually increase appetite. Heavy alcohol consumption has an opposite effect. It causes euphoria, which leads to lack of appetite. As a result, heavy drinkers often eat poorly and get malnourished. Alcohol contains seven calories per gram thus is rich in energy. However, just like fat or pure sugar, these calories lack nutrients. The more calories consumed in alcohol make it hard for the drinker to eat enough food to get enough nutrients. Worse still, alcohol abuse displaces calories from required nutrients and interferes with metabolism of nutrients in the body. This damages the liver, the digestive system and most every bodily organ. Alcohol irritates and disturbs the stomach. Therefore, heavy drinking may easily cause nausea, diarrhea and also sickness. Alcohol also has a dehydrating effect (Newell 2004, pg. 39). This is one reason why heavy drinking may lead to a severe pounding headache the next morning. Hydration also determines the extent of a hangover. After drinking heavily, unconsciousness may occur and extreme consumption levels often lead to alcohol poisoning. Death can also occur in a situation where alcohol concentration within the blood stream is more than the blood. Alcohol may also cause death when there is asphyxiation from vomit (Haven 2001, pg.43). Drinking too much alcohol is not good for your skin either. It causes dark circles under a person’s eyes and bloating. It also dries out the human skin and may lead to premature aging and wrinkling. Drinking heavily may cause acne rosacea (Taylor 2000, pg. 70). This is a skin disorder which starts with likelihood to blush and flush and eventually progresses to facial disfiguration known as rhinophyma. Conclusion Use of alcohol is a great, enjoyable and safe experience if used moderately and with caution. If one does decide to drink they should drink slowly and responsibly. A drinking person should always consume alcohol with food. A person should drink no more than one drink in an hour. Consuming plenty of water in between drinks is also very important and helpful. Pregnant women should not drink and also one should not drive under any alcoholic influence whatsoever. Mild and moderate alcohol use benefits the coronary system (Newell 2004, pg. 98). Generally, for healthy people, moderate alcohol is considered as one drink a day for women and around less than three drinks a day for men. This is considered the maximum advised amount of alcohol consumption. Healthy people refer to those women who are not pregnant, people who are not addicted to alcohol and without any pre-existing medical conditions. However, the quantity of alcohol safely consumed by an individual is highly personal and dependent on genetics, family history, sex, weight and age (Taylor 2000, pg. 79). References Brigg, J. 2010. The Practitioner, Volume 5. California: University of California. Dasgupta, A. 2011. The Science of Drinking: How Alcohol Affects Your Body and Mind. Boston: Rowman Littlefield. Haven Emerson, G. N. 2001. Alcohol and Man. New York: Ayer Publishing. Henry Newell Martin, H. C. 2004. The human body: a beginners text-book of anatomy, physiology and hygiene : with directions for illustrating important facts of mans anatomy from that of the lower animals, and with special references to the effects of alcoholic and other stimulants, and. New York: Henry Holt and Company. Horsley, S. V. 2008. Alcohol and the human body . London: Macmillan. Miller, M. W. 2006. Brain Development: Normal Processes And the Effects of Alcohol And Nicotine. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Taylor, B. 2000. Everything You Need to Know About Alcohol. New York: The Rosen Publishing Group.

Endangered Species Study: Jaguars :: essays research papers fc

Endangered Species Study: Jaguars I. The jaguars of Central and South America have been being killed for game and protection. This cat used to have homes around the United States to Uruguay, but ever since the fears of extinction the jaguars have moved to the undeveloped rain forests in Latin America. Jaguars are being killed due to many people fearing for their own lives and many are also being killed to protect cattle. Jaguars do stalk and ambush their prey, however, they rarely ever attack man. One of the main reasons that jaguars are still living is that they can adapt to many habitats, from tropical rain forests and swampy areas to scrub lands and grasslands. II. Jaguars are part of the life cycle of many species. Killing jaguars for protection and furs are ruining other species that live in the same range as them. These cats are of no harm to human life, most deaths that jaguars have had a part in were to protect themselves from being killed. Many jaguars just disappear from the pressures of being killed. While the animal is trying to change habitats they have died. The rain forests that the jaguars inhabit are being torn down to open up lumbering, farming, livestock raising, and other activities carried out by humans. Killing a jaguar is taking away a life that is doing no harm to the eco-system. A jaguars' way of living is much like that of a human, you don't see jaguars killing humans for their skin. III. Any endangered specie, including the jaguar, has many different alternatives in which the government or a national group would have to be involved. There are several organizations that help the breeding and life of many species. One way of breeding a specific species would be to freeze sperm and embryos so that scientists may breed more of the species when they are close to extinction. IV. I feel that the jaguar can be saved by forcing contractors to move their construction to a different place rather than a rain forest so that the jaguars

Lord Of The Flies Essay :: essays research papers

The book, Lord of the Flys, can be interpreted in many different ways. Depending on the point of view of the reader, William Golding has opinions on man and society. Golding is inaccurate for making the assumption that all people are born with evil within them and are not affected by their surroundings. In the book, the author uses a being called â€Å"the beast† to simulate the fear and evil people have inside. The boys on the island apparently see a beast in the forest, which scares them and gives them nightmares. Phil says at a meeting, â€Å"Last night I had a dream, a horrid dream, fighting with things. I was outside the shelter by myself, fighting with things, those twisty things in the trees.† Phil had heard things about he beast from other boys, which caused him to have the nightmare. He is a young boy, on an island with no supervision and is afraid of what’s is happening to him and where he is. Without thoughts of the beast, provoked from the other boys, Phil would never have experienced this nightmare. Not only the thoughts that the boys think affect them, but the things they see cause them to have evil intentions.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Golding used a pig’s head on a stick called â€Å" the lord of the flys â€Å" as another animation to substitute the thoughts of evil and fear within the boys. Seeing the head causes Simon to have hallucinations of this head talking to him. The Lord of the Flys says â€Å"   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   .† After hearing this, Simon returns to the other boys, who are rallying around a fire, indulged in a victorious chant, and is soon trampled to death by the preoccupied boys. Being away from civilization has driven the boys to near delirium and as any person does, they easily got wrapped up in their success. These kids are too young and inexperienced to be alone in the world without any kind of

Ethical Leader

An ethical leader is a leader who has good virtue characteristics as a human being that displays good quality leadership that is thoughtful of others that shows caring and kindness and believes in fairness to others. A good ethical leader encourages others to do the right thing and lead others in the right directions of making the right decisions. This paper contains virtues and vice on Bill Gates charity organization and business affairs. The evidence is shown that Bill Gates is a man of many virtues proven by a charity organization called Bill and Melinda Foundation. However, Gates has proven to be a strong ethical leader there are some who believe otherwise when it comes to unethical practice as a businessman of some of the top largest company. The goal of this paper is to focus on effective leadership of Bill Gates should be handled in an ethical manner on managing business and employees with consideration and respect. Virtues of Bill GatesThere are two virtues about Bill Gates that best describes as an effective ethical leader of Bill and Melinda Foundation. The first virtue is sincerity is one of the characteristic traits of Gates. According to Oxford Dictionary, the definition of sincerity is the quality of being free from pretense, deceit, or hypocrisy (oxforddictionary.com). Sincerity meant as being generous and kind and caring to others such as individuals who in need of help in all lives. The Bill and Melinda foundation is a charity foundation that helps and improves poverty, education, children well-being, and health. Gates donated billions of dollars towards foundation charity that contributes to people around the world. The foundation has helped proven the sincerity virtue of Gates moral characteristic traits in the most critical issues that needed the most. There are many evidences that Gates invested into healthcare of 4.2billion dollars and 1.5billion for the homeless Lancet, (2007). Gates has well proven to help save and change world by creating Bill and Melinda foundation which is the world's largest charity foundation.The second virtue is wisdom that Gates has proven to be good moral character by building a successful foundation of charity by organizing, gathering information, and demonstrating knowledge of what are critical issues that needed to be addressed to make the world a better place. The Oxford dictionary gives the definition of wisdom as the quality of having experience, knowledge, and good judgment; the quality of being wise (oxforddictionary.com). Wisdom is meant as having the knowledge and good decision making for an effective benefit. There are two types of wisdom such as theoretical and practical. The theoretical wisdom is explained as to understanding and comprehending. According to Brusseau (2012), describes practical or sometimes called prudence as the learned knowledge that being able to apply it in real life. Bill Gates of Vice as InsensibilitySome believe that Gates has another side that made Gates one of the richest entrepreneurs in the world. Bill Gates has a number of successful businesses. One of the companies, in particular, is a waste management company called Republic Service. Republic Service that Gates own is one of the world's second-largest companies in America. Accusations have been made against Gates has mistreated the employees of Republic Service with unethical practice and standards. The three major concerns that workers are disputing over retirement funds being taken, unpaid overtime, and illegal abandoning contracts employee already agreed that was with the union. This caused employees to protest and being lockout Republic Service.The term insensibility is one of example that applies to Gates on this matter. Assuming that Gates is guilty of this unethical behavior, this is an act of no consideration for the employees if employees' benefits were taken that employee had worked for many years at the waste management company. The dictionary gives the definition of insensibility as incapable of feeling or perceiving; deprived of sensation; unconscious, as a person after a violent blow (dictionary.com). Assuming that allegations are true this unkindly act of unethical practice, then evidence has shown that Gates should show more of effective ethical practice and standards towards employees with consideration and respect. Conclusion Bill Gates is believed to be a good example of an ethical leader. Bill Gates is a self-made billionaire who was the creator of Microsoft and other software. Gates had changed the lives of people all over the world with the innovation of Microsoft. Bill Gates has a very successful resume and continues to pursuing on helping save the world which is an inspiration to everyone. Bill Gates has a way of touching people hearts because of the concerns of many critical issues that the world is faced with. Gates has a way of tackling major issues that no one wants to deal with let alone donate an unlimited amount of funding so give thanks to Gates.Despite what others are saying, many have an issue with Gates the billionaire money which shouldn't matter. After all, there are always some allegations or accusations that are being made about someone especially like Bill Gates that is rich and famous can't expect to have enemies. Overall, what should matter if Gates behaving unethical manner. The value of employees should be held to the highest standards of ethical behavior with the utmost respect? Let's concentrate on what all said to be practiced and what all is said to be preached. That is, being an ethical leader who shows, believes, and live by values, beliefs, and morals in life at all times.

Go To Hell In Italian - Va AllInferno

Go To Hell In Italian - Va AllInferno While the sentiment isnt simpatico, sometimes youre forced to proclaim it: Go to Hell! It could be in response to a perceived insult, a misdeed, or an instance of road rage on the autostrada. Whatever the reason, if you find yourself in such a situation, there are a number of nuanced ways, ranging from mild to blasphemous and ironic to literal to express your wrath in Italian. Your Own Personal Hell One thing to keep in mind when considering the insult Go to Hell! are the cultural differences between the United States  and Italy. American English speakers, for instance, should take notice that mentioning Hell is not blasphemous in Italy, where â€Å"Va allinferno! - Go to Hell!† is a milder phrase than Vaffanculo! (Mildly translated as â€Å"Up yours!†). If you want to learn more parolacce, or bad words, read this article: 8 Swear Words to Add Sass to Your Vocabulary in Italian.   TIP: The word parolaccia is formed from parola - word and the suffix -accio, which is used to talk about things that are considered bad or unfavorable. Click here to learn more suffixes like this.   As a native Italian points out with regard to similar terms, Gesà ¹! (Jesus!) is more an elderly ladys pious interjection than a blasphemous one. Cristo!, on the other hand, is not exactly blasphemous, but some people might resent the use of the word as an interjection. Hellish Vocabulary Whenever using any of these Italian expletives- whether mild or harsh- be aware that context is critical. While muttering Va a quel Paese! to your friends wont even lift an eyebrow, some of the more creative turns of phrase listed below should only be used if youre absolutely certain that those within earshot wont be offended. Here are some ways, then, to tell someone to Go to Hell! in Italian: Mild expressions: Va a quel PaeseVa’ a fare un giroVa’... Va a ranare (this is dialect)Va al diavoloVa allinfernoVa in mona (regional Venetian)Va un po...Vaffambagno Less mild expression: Vaffantasca Harsh expressions: Va a farti fottereVa a dar via l culo (regional Northern Italian and is really harsh)Vaffanculo Road Sign For Literary Fame So the next time someone provokes you, youll have a number of ways to express how upset you are. And if for some reason, someone tells you to Go to Hell! in Italian, consider it a directive for success. After all, Dante Alighieri figuratively went to Hell in order to write LInferno, the first volume of his three-part epic La Divina Commedia,  and he became famous for it.

Regrouping and Carrying Over in Mathematics

Regrouping and Carrying Over in Mathematics When kids are learning two-digit addition and subtraction, one of the concepts theyll encounter is regrouping, which is also known as borrowing and carrying, carry-over, or column math. This is an important mathematics concept to learn, because it makes working with large numbers manageable when calculating math problems by hand. Getting Started Before tackling carry-over math, its important to know about place  value, sometimes called base-10. Base-10 is the means by which numerals are assigned place value, depending on where a digit is in relation to the decimal. Each numeric position is 10 times greater than its neighbor. Place value determines a digits numerical value.   For example, 9 has a greater numerical value than 2. They are also both single whole numbers less than 10, meaning their place value is the same as their numerical value. Add them together, and the result has a numerical value of 11. Each of the 1s in 11 has a different place value, however. The first 1 occupies the tens position, meaning it has a place value of 10. The second 1 is in the ones position. It has a place value of 1. Place value will come in handy when adding and subtracting, especially with double-digit numbers and larger figures. Addition Addition is where the carry-over principle of math comes into play. Lets take a simple addition question like 34 17.   Begin by lining up the two figures vertically, or on top of one another. This is called column  addition because 34 and 17 are stacked like a column.Next, some mental math. Start by adding the two digits that occupy the ones place, 4 and 7. The result is 11.  Look at that number. The 1 in the ones place will be the first numeral of your final sum. The digit in the tens position, which is 1, must be then placed on top of the other two digits in the tens position and added together. In other words, you must carry over or regroup the place value as you add.  More mental math. Add the 1 you carried over to digits already lined up in the tens positions, 3 and 1. The result is 5. Place that figure in the tens column of the final sum. Written out horizontally, the equation should look like this: 34 17 51. Subtraction Place value comes into place in subtraction as well. Instead of carrying over values as you do in addition,  you will be taking them away or borrowing them. For example, lets use 34 - 17. As you did in the first example, line up the two numbers in a column, with 34 on top of 17.Again, time for mental math, beginning with the digits in the ones position, 4 and 7. You cant subtract a larger number from a smaller one or youd wind up with a negative. In order to avoid this, we must borrow value from the tens place to make the equation work. In other words, youre taking a numerical value of 10 away from the 3, which has a place value of 30, in order to add it to the 4, giving it a value of 14.  14 - 7 equals 7, which will occupy the ones place in our final sum.  Now, move to the tens position. Because we took away 10 from the place value of 30, it now has a numerical value of 20. Subtract the place value of 2 from the place value of the other figure, 1, and you get 1. Written out horizontally, the final equation looks like this: 34 - 17 17. This can be a hard concept to grasp without visual helpers, but the good news is that there are ​many resources for learning base-10 and regrouping in math, including teacher lesson plans and student worksheets.