Wisdom Sits In Places Essays - Native American Tribes In Arizona

Wisdom Sits In Places There is a deep relationship between the environment and Western Apache people. The bonds between the two are so strong that it is embedded in their culture and history. Keith Basso, author of Wisdom Sits in Places expanded on this theory and did so by divulging himself into Western Apaches life. He spent fifteen years with the Apache people studying their relationship with the environment, specifically concentrating on Place-names. When Basso first began to work with the Apache people, one of his Apache friends told him to learn the names, because they held a special meaning with the community. (Cruikshank 1990: 54) Place-names are special names given to a specific locality where an event took place that was significant in history and crucial in shaping morals and beliefs. Through the use of place-names, the environment became a teaching tool for Apache people. Red Lake, the small town where I grew up, is an Ojibwa place-name. The area dates back 9000 yeas ago when the Stone Age peoples first inhabited the region that is now known as northwestern Ontario. These aboriginals were indigenous people familiar with the properties of the surrounding plants and wild animals. They lived along the waterways and treated their environment with respect and celebrated its bounties through their spirituality. (Web Site #1) According to Ojibwa legend, thousands of years ago, two hunters came across a very large moose standing beside a beautiful clear blue lake. The Hunters thought the moose was an evil spirit named Matchee Manitou and they tried to kill it. One of the hunters shot the animal with an arrow just wounding it. The grand and majestic animal escaped by diving into the water and disappearing forever. A large pool of blood colored the water red, masking the once beautiful blue lake. A creature so huge was never to be seen again. The hunters named the lake Misque Sakigon meaning Color of Blood Lake. Years later it became known as Red Lake. (Web Site #1) When I heard this story, 12 years ago, it came from the mouth of my fathers good friend, an Ojibwa man, named Henry Meekis. I still remember everyone sitting in front of him while he told the story. His passion for the story permeated the room and we were all captivated by it. The importance of place-name study lies in the light it sheds on the cultural history and heritage of the indigenous people. Many place-names in are drawn from Indigenous languages such as Apache Cree, Ojibwa etc. Researching place-names of Indigenous origin requires an understanding of Indigenous principles of naming places, of the application of names to geographic areas, and for each name the historical circumstances that have taken place there. Basso came to realize this can all become very challenging due to language barriers, he writes, I foreseen that my failure to pronounce the stubborn Apache place name would be interpreted by him as a lack of respect. And never had I suspected that using an Apache place-name might be heard by those who used them as repeating verbatimactually quotingthe speech of the early ancestors. (Basso 1999: 10) Basso describes place-names as a universal tool of the historical imagination and in some societies, if not the great majority, it is surely among the basic of all. (5) The Apache people associate places with events that have taken place in history. Basso describes many of these place-names in his book and each of the stories tells a tale of history and morality in connection with the environment. I found it extremely interesting that no dates were attached to the stories. I believe this is because time frames take away from the meaning of the story. Old narratives, in a sense, become less important because we think of them as old and out-dated. The Apache people gave places-names in order to inform people of there past, as well as to show respect for the land in which they lived on for so many years. Charles Henry, Bassos friends and Apache informant, describes his ancestors naming process, this place may help us survive. If we settle this country we must be able to speak about this place and remember it clearly and

Defining Moment in a Prayer for Owen Meany essays

Defining Moment in a Prayer for Owen Meany essays In some cases, one event or revelation has the power to change a story or even a life. In A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving, there is an incredible series of many defining events. Due to the supernatural and spiritual nature of the novel, turning points and incredible events are nearly commonplace. Many ideas and concepts conveyed by Owen are crucial to the heart of the story and the meaning contained within. Of all the insightful realizations and defining moments that confront the reader while progressing through story, one of the most outstanding is Owen"'"s vision during a play in the winter of 1953. Owen had always believed in the strong presence of fate in every aspect of life. He repeatedly preached that every action and decision has a divine purpose. Everything is carefully coordinated and planned to intertwine precisely. According to Owen, '"'There were no accidents'"' (p. 102) He claimed that if something were thrown off course or disrupted, it would find a way to occur anyway. An example of this is when Own '"'scares away'"' the angle of death from the bedside of Tabby. He had '"'DISTURBED AN ANGEL AT WORK, he had UPSET THE SCHEME OF THINGS'"'(p. 102). In return, the angel assigned the death of Tabby Wheelwright to Owen himself, later being accomplished by an '"'accidental'"' baseball. Based on these events, we realize, as a reader, that Owen has spiritual views on life and his faith is strong. He is a fatalist who can convince himself that everything has a purpose. This though, is the extent of our insight into Owen"'"s divine predestination. It takes upcoming events for us to begin to realize that Owen Meany is so much more than a mere boy with strong beliefs. As the featured role in two holiday performances, Owen Meany receives great recognition in December of 1953. About six months earlier, he was used as '"'God"'"s instrument'"' to take the life of Tabby. One of his esteemed roles, the Ghost ...

Skills of a leader of a public health organization Term Paper - 1

Skills of a leader of a public health organization - Term Paper Example A leader in a public health organization ought to be able to classify and manage all activities within the organization each and every day. Coles and Porter (2008) asserts that "Organizing a normal days activities either at work or at home involves basic elements of project management such as meeting time deadlines and utilizing resources" (p. 238). There are instances during public health interventions when activities appear intricate, and instances where diverse activities require to be conducted at dissimilar periods hence a mix-up or confusion may occur. Having effective project management skills hence is important in such cases as it helps a public health leader prepare and arrange activities methodically and at the same time spot or recognize key areas that need perfection. These skills also enable a public health manager or leader to allocate resources according to precedence. It is important to point out that organizational skills enables public health leaders to conclude hea lth interventions as well as other activities aimed at improving public health timely and also account for allocated resources (Coles and Porter, 2008). Loue (2006) defines advocacy as instigating activities or manners of conduct in a bid to manipulate a course of action. A leader in a public health organization should be able to speak out and influence positive change within the community in terms of health. He should also have the ability and courage to speak against negative behaviours and activities within the community that can risk the health of community members. It is important to posit that a public health leader also ought to be able to incorporate technology in advocacy. There are various platforms through which advocacy within the community can be conducted such as through the social media, television, and news papers or magazines. In other words, comprehending the role of the social

Five Types of Customers in the Retail Setting Essay

Five Types of Customers in the Retail Setting - Essay Example In fact, grabbing customer attention is not a big deal but retaining customer loyalty requires strategy and sound thinking at the top. A satisfied customer often takes pride in becoming a goodwill ambassador for the company. Companies admit that the loyal customer base is often not more than 20 percent, but it is widely believed that often this segment constitutes more than 50 percent of sales for the company1. The loyal customers buy because they simply prefer the shop, feel a sense of belonging to the shop, and find it hard or even impossible to source their goods from other retailers. These loyal customers visit the stores at a specific interval and often buy everything that they need in the outlet. Discount customers form another very important customer segment. A retail store in particular needs to take into account the changing needs and requirements of the customers, depending upon the changing environment, food habits, time management, availability of alternates in the market, increasing awareness about environmentally friendly goods and services etc. This certainly proves to be a dependable strategy for the store to earn the loyalty of the customer while successfully attracting more customers. In addition, providing discounts on different occasions also proves to be a big attraction. Christmas time is one of those occasions when every store puts up billboards announcing the sale and another bonanza for their customers. The sale happens to be a favorite word for customers in general. Then a search starts to look for best bargains which could fetch the customer more value for their money. Though loyalty counts on such occasions as well, because first of all the customers wou ld look towards their favorite store for such announcements, they don’t mind visiting another store delivering quality products at attractive prices.  

Rap and Hip-Hop Culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Rap and Hip-Hop Culture - Essay Example The conclusion section summarizes the main ideas of the paper and further confirms that the rap/hip-hop culture tends to contain adolescent themes of autonomy and rebellion. Rap music has particularly been known to make provocative remarks towards women. Rap and hip-hop refers to a cultural movement and genre of music developed in the 1970s in New York. This was mainly among Latino Americans and African Americans. Hip-hop has four major elements namely break-dancing, graffiti writing, and rapping. Other elements are slang, hip-hop fashion and beat-boxing. Since its first emergence in the Bronx in the 1970s, rap/hip-hop culture has spread to many parts of the world. When hip-hop first emerged, its basis was around disc jockeys creating rhythmic beats through looping breaks on two turn tables, and was later followed by rapping. Then there arose particular dress styles and form of dancing among the new music followers. The emergence of rap and hip-hop music in the 1970s came with a lot of fear. This was because many parents and other stakeholders thought that this new rhythms and lyrics would negatively affect the listeners, most of whom were adolescents. This fear was carried on into the 21st century. Many critics of this genre of mu... This fear was carried on into the 21st century. Many critics of this genre of music are of the view that it promotes homicide, drug use, violence, suicide, deviant sexual activity, bigotry and aggression (Ballard and Dodson, 1999, pp 476). This is a significant topic since this issue has sparked a lot of debate among parent groups, censorship supporters, artists, record companies and even the United States federal government. The same issue also crops up in the medical arena, with the American Pediatrics Association expressing fear that rap and hip-hop lyrics threaten the well-being and health of adolescents. According to Mendelson (1989, pp 314-315), the greatest concerns include suicide, accidents, sexually transmitted diseases, drug use and pregnancy. Many physicians perceive the adolescent period as a very difficult period due to the rapid psychological and biological changes occurring during this period. Furthermore, the society expects these young people sound moral values through the way they perceive adult behaviors and standards. A number of physicians use their adolescent patients' music preferences to get a clue to their mental and emotional health. Music that contains explicit lyrics is capable of skewing and misrepresenting the world's realities. Rap and hip-hop music tends to represent adolescent themes of autonomy and rebellion. Rap music has particularly been known to make provocative remarks towards women. Hence the most popular music forms for adolescents must revolve around such themes as sexual imagery and disrespect (Brown and Hendee, 1989, pp 1659-1663). Moreover, many have questioned what effects music lyrics have on stereotyping, aggression, suicidal ideation and mood. According to a study conducted on the

Speech: Accepting and Dealing with Change :: essays research papers

Change can have many meanings. It is going from â€Å"same† to â€Å"different†. Change can be defined as an event that occurs when something passes from one state or phase to another and as a process of transition. The forces of change affect attitudes, beliefs and behavior. Not a single moment goes by when everything in our lives will remain the same. When you become adjusted to your surroundings, something changes again. Changes can affect both individuals and groups. Throughout our lives we go through many changes, especially in adolescence. This is shown in the song Graduation by Vitamin C. Graduation is about the change of leaving high school and moving on to adulthood. It shows the many questions young people have about leaving school, and uncertainty of the future. At the same time, it shows the constant of friendship that people can rely on, when many other things in their life are changing. Some people who have dealt with changes in their lives have become inspirational to others because of their courage, determination and optimism. Examples of such people are the Biggest Loser contestants and also Bethany Hamilton. The television program the Biggest Loser shows people changing their lives physically and emotionally through diet and exercise. People watching the show could relate to these people, which could give them inspiration and motivation to make changes of their own. Bethany Hamilton is an example of dealing with change in an optimistic way. In October 2003, Bethany was attacked by a shark while out surfing in Tunnels beach, Hawaii. Without warning, a Tiger shark attacked her surfboard, dragging her back and forth and then disappearing into the ocean. Bethany was able to compose herself to use her right arm to swim back to the shore. She was later taken to hospital with severe injuries, where her left arm was amputated. She came through her recovery with things that were important to her, such as her family and her Christian faith. Despite the trauma of the incident, Hamilton was determined to return to surfing. Just 10 weeks after the accident, she returned to the ocean and went surfing again. She adjusted to the change by using a custom made surfboard and changing her surfing style. Bethany taught herself to surf with only one arm and she also began surfing competitively in competitions again. Hamilton claims that the loss of her arm was a bles sing in disguise.

Why are Geographers interested in Marston Vale?

Marston Vale lies upon the Oxford clay, between Bedford and Milton Keynes in UK. The soils in this area are very fertile. Because the majority of English houses are built in bricks, and the location of Marston Vale is also near London, many brickwork industries were set in this area over last hundred years. Most of the clay extracted here is sent to London to build houses. Today, the extraction of clay and the brick making is still busy, and the Stewartby brickwork industry is one of the biggest industries formed in Marston Vale. Millions of tonnes of clay are extracted from the clay pit everyday, then the clays are transported by conveyor belt to the brickwork, where the clays are drained, moulded and then fired in kilns to make the red bricks that are used to build houses. After all the clay that is valuable to mine has been extracted, huge holes are left on the ground. The topsoil has been removed from the ground during clay extraction, and so no plants will be able to grow in such areas. The area turn to worse if there is rain, the whole area will turn muddy and dirty. A chain of pits stretches along the A421 from Bedford to the M1 near Milton Keynes. This was one of the worst areas of rural derelict land and damaged Ecosystem. The noise, pollution, traffic and bad view that has been produced by the extraction pit and brick making factory affect local residents badly. What can be done to improve the situation? In 1989, 12 National Community Forest project were launched. These Forest will cover 470,000 hectares , which take over 3.6% of all land area in England and Wales, nearly equal to half the total land area used by the National Parks. The Community Forests is a national programme of improving the environment, which affects half of the people in England. Improving the countryside around towns and cities by planting woodland is the main aim of the Community Forests, especially in the areas of the derelict land. This will improve the environment and benefits the local people. In theory, the land must be made to contribute the local communities, e.g.: Creating jobs, Creating farmlands, Creating an attractive environment, Creating a variety of different landscapes, Creating sports facilities, Creating settlements. The Marston Vale Community Forests. Marston Community forests is one of12 National community forests projects which introduced in 1989. The Marston vale community forests cover a total area which more than 150kmà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½. About 25,000 people are living inside the forest area, about 145,000 people are living on the edge of the area, most of them are in Bedford and Kempston, about 500,000 people are living within 20 minutes' drive. (These figures are from GeoActive) In order to succeed in this project, local people should put efforts in planning, planting and looking after the woods that are planted. The past experience has shown us that most environmental management, which involved local people, are more likely to succeed. Local people are encouraged by the Forest team to grow their own seeds in Marston Vale Community Forest project. The results of that are small woodland have begun to grow in their villages. Forest team also need to encourage landowners to allow their land to be planted with trees and organise seed collection and planting days. (This information is from GeoActive.) From this act, we know that the Marston Vale Community Forest project does not just involve the restoration of the clay extraction pits, but also allows local people to get in. It encourages people to plant trees, to protect the woodland created, to take a part in the development of the forest. The most important thing is people will love what they have planted, in order to love the whole nature. The restoration of the clay extraction pits in Maston Vale community Forest. There are three possible ways to restore the clay extraction pit: 1) The main restoration for the clay extraction pits is by changing them to an artificial forest. The way of doing so is to spread 3-4 metres of topsoil over the top. Then trees may be able to be planted in. The local people are involved in the development of the Marston Vale community forest. The plan is for local people to plant 100 ha of woodland each year and 5 Km of hedgerow each year. Farmers can apply for grants from the Forestry Commission for planting woodland. 2) The huge hole left on the ground can also be turned into an artificial lake by pouring water into the pit, or just leave them until the rain season comes. Separate clay extraction holes may be joined together by digging out the soil between them. The Stewarby Lake is an example of this restoration. 3) There's also another restoration, which is making it into a landfill site. I personally think this is a fantastic restoration, because this is also a waste solution. Million tonnes of waste can be buried in the clay extraction every day. This solved the crisis of waste in London. After the waste is filled in, plants can also be planted on top. After a long time, a chemical reaction will be happen when the waste decays and the methane gas is produced in this process. We went to an L-field landfill site, which is run by Shanks company; more information on landfill site will be in the back. *Questions On my coursework. 1) How brickwork, clay extraction and landfill sites effects local people ‘s life 2) What's local people's knowledge on Marston Vale Community Forest Project? 3) How successful is the Marston Vale community forest project? Both in attempting to solve the problems of pits left on ground after the clay extraction, and to create the better environment for local people. These are three questions that I set through my coursework. The answers for these questions will be in the end of my coursework in details. For first data collecting, the school organised a day fieldtrip to the Marston Vale area. On the day of the fieldtrip, we visited the following places: *Community forest centre, the artificial forest that has been restored from pits. *Stewartby lake, an artificial lake in the forest, also a different landscape created from clay extraction pit. *The Quest pit, one of the present clay extractions pits run by Hanson Company. *Wootton village for the questionnaire, to ask a few questions on how the brickwork and the landfill site affects local residents. *Randalls Farm, to do some water tests on the Elstow Brook River located there. *Landfill, to see what is the landfill site is like. Issues in the Maston Vale to look at. A Geographer will particularly look at the environmental issues in this area, such as how clay extraction damages the area's Ecosystem, how this affects local people, and what can be done to solve the problems, and finally are these attempts successful or not, and what can be improved? To answer all these doubts, I will first introduce the area to the readers, give them the exact location of the Marston Vale area and what transportation is available to get there. To let readers understand more about my coursework, especially on the day we went to the Marston Vale. I'll explain clearly what we've done on the fieldtrip; where we did them; why we did them; and what are the data can tell us.