Indian Contributions :: essays research papers

President Bush â€Å"The strength of our Nation comes from its people. As the early inhabitants of this great land, the native peoples of North America played a unique role in the shaping of our Nation's history and culture. During the month when we celebrate Thanksgiving, we especially celebrate their heritage and the contributions of American Indian and Alaska Native peoples to this Nation.† The contribution of the American Indian to the English language is something that is often overlooked. These words range from such common English words as "raccoon," "moose," "quahog" and "mackinaw" to literally thousands of place names: "Chicago," "Tallahassee," "Cheyenne," "Hackensack," "Keokuk," "Rockaway," and many others. Historians point out that the first settlers on American shores discovered many things they had never seen before and which appeared nowhere else in the world. To get the English words for an Indian objects the settlers simply spelled out as best they could in English their impression of the Indian sounds. Understandably there were often various spellings. An early spelling for skunk was "squuncke," a persimmon was first spelled "putchamins" and the Niagara was the "ongniaahra." One political word widely used today, "caucus,&quo t; appeared in several of the Indian languages. A case can be made that contact with American Indians actually served as one of the catalysts for the Scientific Revolution in Europe. In 1571 King Philip II of Spain commissioned physician Francisco Hernandez to document the medicinal seeds, plants, and herbs that the Aztec used. Spanish physicians exploring indigenous American cures soon published three textbooks based on this information including one on surgery. Although more than 200 of the plants that American Indians (from North, Meso-, and South America) used as remedies became part of the U.S. Pharmacopoeia, an official listing of all effective medicines, the originators of these remedies often remain unacknowledged. Freeze-dried food, syringes, rootbeer, rubberized clothing, beef jerky, and many of the tenets of the United States Constitution are only a few of the independent inventions and original discoveries that American Indian people gave to the world. American Indian agriculture has had a significant effect on worldwide agriculture and economy. Jack Weatherford, in his book Indian Givers: How the Indians of the Americas Transformed the World, pointed out that Indians cultivated over 300 food crops, and contributed to the world three- fifths of the crops now in cultivation. The Indian farmers of North and South America gave the world corn, potatoes, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, beans, pumpkins, squash, chocolate, vanilla, papayas, persimmons, jicama, pecans, chilies, hickory nuts, peanuts, cassava, sunflower seeds, maple syrup, tapioca, and avocados.

Leadership Communication Styles Inventory Essay

As a manager or leader of an organization of any kind, the power and ability to effectively lead others are in the choices made to build a healthy, motivational, and productive relationship with people on your team. We all influence others in some way, its Just that we seldom realize that we do or how we do it. Power in the workplace has traditionally been defined as force, dominance, assertiveness, strength, invincibility, and authority. In forward thinking corporations, power requires a commitment and a plan of action (Hale, 2010). Power and influence are somewhat interchangeable. Power is the capacity of a person, team, or organization to influence others. Power is not the act of changing someonws attitudes or behavior; it is only the potential to do so. You might feel powerful or think you have power over someone else, but this is not power unless you truly have the capacity to influence that person (McShane, Steven L, Mary Ann Von Glinow, 2010). One of the hardest lessons of management is that practically everything that has to be done must be done by others. Manager ¤Ã‚ ¬ws duties not only include directing employees ut controlling the budget, assets, and other Jobs within the organization as well. Leadership is the ability to get people to do what they don ¬wt want to do and like it. In other words, the core problem for leaders in any organization involves getting others to do what is required to accomplish the organization ¤es goals (Michelson). The concept of power and its application to leadership and management has gotten a bad reputation. Terms such as power hungry, abuse of power and corrupted by power have diluted powerws real use and meaning and deprived some leaders f the opportunity to understand and use various forms of power to good purposes (Wood, 2010). I like to believe people misuse their power simply because they have it and are unaware of it. When used in a positive, moral, and ethical manner, power is an excellent resource. It requires the perception of dependence, so people might gain power by convincing others that they have something of value, whether or not they actually control that resource. Consequently power exists when others believe that you control resources they want (McShane, Steven L, Mary Ann Von Glinow, 010). People rely on their emotion more frequently than they realize to make decisions, so to become a more powerful influencer, it is wise to consider othews values, personality, and intelligence and express confidence in the personws ability to accomplish the Job. The type of power applied affects the type of influence the power holder has over the other person or work unit. Everyone has power and I d believe that to be a bad thing. The issue becomes what kind of power a person has and how it is used. The most powerful source is based on one osition within an organization and the authority given in that position (Wood, 2010). An abusive boss can lose respect and influence from their team members. As a leader, your influence and power are not only about getting the Job done, itws about the relationships you develop in the workplace. A supervisor on my Job is retiring in a couple ot months and it seems ner whole attitude and demeanor nas changed. She seems to be on a quest to get all the people she wants out of the company and all that she wants promoted before she leaves. The influence and respect that she once possessed is no longer apparent or given to her and the orale in the office is very low. Her tactics to get the Job done are threatening, humiliating, and demeaning for some of the employees. They are afraid to go above her for the fear of retaliation, so they wait and hope that their Jobs are safe until she retires. French and Raven, social psychologists, identified five sources of power – legitimate, coercive, reward, expert, and referent – that help the dependent person directly or indirectly achieve his or her goals. Legitimate, reward and coercive are sources of power granted formally by the organization and informally by co-workers; hey are positional powers (McShane, Steven L, Mary Ann Von Glinow, 2010). Legitimate power is an agreement among organizational members that people in certain roles can request certain behaviors of others. It depends on mutual agreement from those expected to abide by this authority (McShane, Steven L, Mary Ann Von Glinow, 2010). True and lasting power comes from being a leader worthy of respect and admiration. If you treat people with dignity and respect, you will build a trusting relationship and people will look up to you, listen to what you say, and want to be like you. Reward power derived from the person ability to control the allocation of rewards valued by others and to remove negative sanctions. Managers have power over the distribution of organizational rewards such as pay, promotions, time off, vacation schedules, and work assignments (McShane, Steven L, Mary Ann Von Glinow, 2010). This power comes with the position and can be taken away if the position is removed. Coercive power is the ability to apply punishment. Employees also have coercive power to ensure that co-workers conform to team norms (McShane, Steven L, Mary Ann Von Glinow, 2010). You have this kind of power when youwre in a position to punish others if they don ¬wt do what you want. People fear the consequences of not doing what has been asked of them. Expert and referent powers are based on an individuws personal power. These powers are based on charisma, likeability, and positive feelings the leader generates among subordinates (Wood, 2010). There is research suggesting that charismatic leadership is negatively related to harmful behaviors in the workplace. For example, transformational leadership was negatively associated with safety accidents which harisma is a large component of (Hale, 2010). These powers originate from the power holders characteristics and are power bases brought to the organization. Expert power is an individualws or work uws capacity to influence others by possessing knowledge or skills that others value (McShane, Steven L, Mary Ann Von Glinow, 2010). This power is based on what you know and will quickly gain you respect and influence in the workplace. It is all about knowing your Job and doing it well and not being afraid in learning all that you can. It could potentially be the basis for a managerial role for an employee. Referent power is a function ofa perso ¬ws interpersonal skills which allows others to identify with them, like them, or respect them and is associated with charismatic leadership (McShane, Steven L, Mary Ann Von Glinow, 2010). People are well liked and are considered role models because of their connection and concern for other people. People who are well-liked and respected nave a tremendous amount ot reterent power. A wise leader knows now and when to apply the right amount of power to influence an individual, group, or situation to move an agenda forward (McShane, Steven L, Mary Ann Von Glinow, 2010). In order to be an effective leader, a person cannot rely solely on either of these positions of power. Leading by example, offering rewards, or threatening punishments all can be used as power tools to accomplish goals, however more power can be gained by sharing it among the team in a more subtle and counterintuitive way (Wood, 2010). If you want your team to be ethical and respectful of each other, I believe the example should start from the top. Using influence tactics well requires a healthy combination of interpersonal, communication, presentation, and assertiveness techniques, verbal skills such as asserting, probing, ersisting, speaking conversationally, and willingness to ask for favors ( (Selling and Persuaion Techniques ). Influence refers to any behavior that attempts to alter someonws attitudes or behaviors (McShane, Steven L, Mary Ann Von Glinow, 2010). You may try to exert your influence through coercion and manipulation and you might even get things done but that isn ¬wt really influencing. Thatws forcing people to do what you want them to do and often against their will. Effective leaders use combinations of various strategies for different purposes under different onditions which can be classified under three categories: retribution, reciprocation, and reason (Michelson).

Comparative Essay - World Issu essays

Comparative Essay - World Issu essays If we were to take a moment to step back and look at the community that we are a part of, what would we see? We would see building after building making money and providing jobs, corporations contributing to our community. We would see people traveling to work everyday, which helps provide a stable income for the family so that they will be able to enjoy another month of meals and feel safe in the warm comforts of their homes. We would be privileged with the availability of health care and education. The luxuries that we can obtain and enjoy are well developed than other nations, so why, with war, do we want to limit the growth and development of other countries? Do we find thrill or satisfaction in achieving greater power and status? Our leaders must influence to better their nation with money, awareness of their people, justification and alertness for potential dangers. All we insist that Congress be wise with your money, were going to make sure we spend enough to win this war. (Bush: Saddam Throwing Last Chance Away) President George W. Bush insists that in order to allow the oppressed people of Iraq, whose lives we care about, to live in freedom and liberty, (Bush: Saddam Throwing Last Chance Away) the only resolution is to rid Iraq of Saddam Hussein. Bush also states, we dont believe freedom and liberty are Americas gift to the world. We believe theyre Almightys gift to mankind. (Bush: Saddam Throwing Last Chance Away) If this was the case why not direct more money to better build the world instead of using money for destruction. Pentagon estimates say that an invasion of Iraq could led to the deaths of 10 000 innocent civilians. (10 Reasons To Oppose The War With Iraq) There are greater contributions that one can offer in life, one that destroys this opportunity, ruins the chance of future development. CBO estimated that the...

Aphasia; an impairment of language function Essay Example

Aphasia; an impairment of language function Essay Example Aphasia; an impairment of language function Essay Aphasia; an impairment of language function Essay The ability to comprehend words processed non-auditory, suggests that the entrap semantic representation of words is intact, but the auditory lexicon input is detached from previous semantic knowledge. This results in a patients ability to process speech sounds, and reproduce them both orally and to dictation but have no comprehension of the words meaning. Laptop and Funnel (1981 ) argued this selective impairment to be of great theoretical significance because it indicates that there must be separate processes for written language and phonological encoding, otherwise written comprehension would be just as impaired as auditory comprehension, in all asses of aphasia. This essay will explore a case study of abstract word meaning deafness, firstly by describing how the case study was conducted and what pattern of results was found. The text will then evaluate whether the findings reliably imply a separate proves for phonological input and written abstract word processing through orthographic analysis, therefore providing evidence for Patterson Shells (1987) argument for auditory and visual processes in their lexical processing model. Finally this discussion will weigh the strength of the experiments findings and claimed implications, against issues of method, alternative implications and additional research to form a developed conclusion on how far abstract word meaning deafness can reliably illuminate functions of healthy language. Franklin S, Howard D, Patterson K (1994) ran extensive tests over a two year period on a patient that exhibited damaged auditory comprehension of abstract but not concrete words to test how the patients performance could reflect Patterson Shells 1987 processing model of lexical organization, by identifying a specific phonological semantic processing fault. The patient (DRY) suffered a stroke aged 54 causing a left middle coverall infract, Drys hearing and IQ was undamaged and was found to be normal. The patient underwent TV0 years speech therapy three times a week before the experimenters began a through 2 yearlong examination of Drys impairment. Franklin et el ran multiple tests aiming to establish the patients impairment at an auditory- semantic level. Key experiments tested auditory lexical decisions by getting ORB to match words with pictures. Analysis Of ORBs errors indicated whether e was making phonological errors (such as selecting a picture of an iron for the word lion,) or semantic errors (such as selecting a picture of a cat for the word lion. Further tests were conducted to test auditory, written, and speed( sound interpretation abilities of semantic proves through word repetition AR written dictation. The experimenters established DRY had an impaired auditory understanding of abstract words (such as love) but not concrete words, (e. G. Chair) with a full comprehension of all types of written words. The as shown in Drys ability to match abstract words with pictures, suggesting access to semantic lexical information was intact through the visual proves. However DRY made semantic errors when the same words were presented through auditory information. The lower the instability and more abstractness of the word resulted in more semantic errors. Furthermore the lack of phonological errors in correct auditory lexical decisions implies the impairment of comprehension is semantic rather that phonological. Word frequency and familiarity had no significant effect on correct phonological 01 mantic decisions. This pattern of impairment of auditory semantic comprehension and preserved phonological abilitys and written word comprehension matches the symptoms of pure word meaning deafness specified in the introduction. However the patient Was unable to write or repeat non-words indicating an impairment of the process of speech sound! Which would not be expected in a perfect case of abstract word meaning deafness as full phonological encoding should be completely intact with only) semantic comprehension impaired. That said the majority of these findings purport an abstract word meaning deafness diagnosis providing evidence FCC a word meaning deficit. This condition establishes an argument for separate; auditory and written systems within models of language, thus supporting Patterson Shells 1987 processing model of lexical information. This model defines the process of auditory comprehension of words in a three part system. There is an initial auditory analysis of speech sounds, which the provides access to correct word forms in auditory input, allowing aces to word meaning within the cognitive system. The model identifies an process for written word comprehension begging in orthographic rather that auditory analysis. Franklin et al argues Drys pattern of impairment could BC explained in terms of damage to the second stage of auditory input, consequently denying access to word meaning through the auditory process ± but allowing access to the same words meaning through the preserved written word process. Conversely Drabs inability to reproduce non words could indicate an issue with the early phonological encoding that the experiments tests were too insensitive to find. This would suggest a potential overlap between phonological and semantic encoding, disproving Patterson et alls model. The experimenters counterbalance this argument bi suggesting that this impairment is a separate deficit resulting from the stroke which could be reasonably expected as stoke induced aphasia patients often suffer multiple language deficits. Caber, Tare A. -Z. K. Parsons, Fay Augusta Vides 2011) However although this suggestion could be consider viable HTH F-rankling et al accepts no empirical evidence can be offered to prove the explanation of the patients inability to process speech sound within the context of Patterson model, and consequently the theory requires further case studies of word meaning deafness to provide a reasonable argument fool word meaning deafness. Supporting evidence can be found in Hall and Riddances (1997) case study of an aphasia patient (K) with impaired auditor) comprehension with intact written comprehension mimics Drys pattern of symptoms and supports Franklins findings. Unlike DRY the patient was able to repeat and correctly write both real and non-words regardless of impression, demonstrating an isolated impairment of auditory semantic aces. These findings strengthen Freidmans argument for DRY having a separate language deficit which would account for his inability to reproduce non words. However due to the rare nature of word deafness research into this field is not large enough to be conclusive as external variables could be skewing the results. One potential issue in methodology is the assumption 0 full patient motivation when recording the results. DRY underwent extensive amounts Of language tests which would be hugely demanding on a covering aphasia patient. Most of the failed comprehension tests were responded to by dont know, stating he cant hear the word. But the experimenter acknowledges it is unlikely his comprehension is all or nothing. This contradiction between the experimenters expectation and the patients direct reports indicate that DRY s results may not completely reflect his abilitys as he could have lacked the motivation to try and access more difficult processing information. Nevertheless the study was incredibly thorough, a very detailed analysis of Drabs abilitys in over fifteen different sets in over two years is likely to accommodate for most i ssues of low motivation, as the pattern of abilitys was established across a great wealth ii texts. Furthermore this experiment was one of the first language studies not to only focus on the correct or incorrect answer but test how difficult DRY found responding by tests of word fluency in comparison with a healthy control group, thus proving a far more accurate representation of the patients impairment than previous research. As the study was began two years after the stroke occurred it would have been of interest to complete a allow up study 5-10 years later to review what impairments have been recovered.

Hunter S. Thompson and American Counter culture Essay

Hunter S. Thompson and American Counter culture - Essay Example Thompson a representative of the American counter culture. This question is answered and information and current literature is presented to support the answer. Hunter Stockton Thompson was born in Louisville Kentucky in 1937. Thompson grew up in the Cherokee Triangle neighborhood. and attended Louisville Male High School there and lived with his parents, Jack and Virginia and two brothers, Dawson and James. His father's death left the three boys to be brought up by their mother. Thompson's mother was a heavy drinker and Thompson experienced a troubled youth. He was a troubled boy and even had problems with the law at any early age. "Thompson's difficult youth, and its influence on his behavior and the development of his misanthropic worldview, has not received significant literary exploration." (Wikipedia 2005) It has been said of Hunter S. Thompson that he was a 'bad' influence of the best kind. Ernest Hemingway said a writer needs a BS detector and Thompson had one of the most finely tuned BS detectors of all time. Hunter continued to write until he took his own life in February of 2005. 193. He had several nicknames including Doctor, Gonzo and Raoul Duke. The name Raul Duke spawned from the character of Duke in Gary Trudeau's comic strip Doonesbury that was modeled after Thompson. Thompson changed the world of journalism and his unique and subjective style of writing was coined Gonzo journalism. In fact he is routinely mentioned with the age of new journalism due to his unique and abrasive style of writing. It is also extremely rare to see Thompson's name and not see it credited with American counterculture. There I nary an instance where you will see Thompson's name and not see Gonzo or counterculture. That is how influential and powerful his writing style was and how strong his messag es were conveyed in his writing through his writing style. Thompson had more than a unique and one of a kind writing style. His persona was eccentric and his trademark look was that he always had a cigarette holder in his mouth, with yellow/orange aviator glasses and Hawaiian shirts with khaki or camo pants. Everything about Thompson from his writing style to his character set him apart from everyone else. His biography describes him as "The American journalist". This is due largely to his contribution t American counterculture He was known as one of the best examples of "Gonzo" journalism because of His political and cultural criticism of the United States in the 1970s was largely a series of tales flowing from his eccentric personality and adventures. (Bookragsd.com 2005)It was after his troubled youth that he joined the Air Force, where the two major tendencies in his life were soon revealed: writing and outrageous behavior. (Bookrags.com 2005) Stationed in Florida, he became a sports reporter for the base newspaper. In 1958 he received a dishonorable discharge after an officer claimed his disregard for military dress and authority was having a bad influence on other airmen. After being fired from jobs with a small New York newspaper and TIME magazine, Thompson went to Puerto Rico and wrote briefly for a bowling magazine." (Wikipedia 2005) Thompson and everything he wrote epitomized American counterculture. "Thompson lived, wrote, and ultimately died of his own terms. " (Gaudette February

Why Caledonia Has to Adopt Free Cash Flows Approach and not Accounting Math Problem

Why Caledonia Has to Adopt Free Cash Flows Approach and not Accounting Profit Approach - Math Problem Example Moreover, it involves financial instruments such as inventory, which the corporation can easily convert into money. The cash flow statement can highlight the economic position of the firm and its solvency capacity within that financial period. Alternatively, the accounting profits refer to the gain or loss of the investment of the entrepreneur after the accumulative revenues are subtracted from the expenses (Profit ? = Revenues – Expenses). In addition, the net income is for the whole year (Wayman, 2010). For most corporations, revenues are realized when the money is earned but not received. This means some items can be sold on credit and recorded on the Income Statement as sales even if the money is not actually received. Why Caledonia has to adopt free Cash flows approach and not Accounting profit approach According to Mulford & Comiskey (2005), both the cash flow methods and accounting profits are methods that corporations use to assess their economic performance. However, the concepts of computing these two formulas are different and constitutes of different elements. Cash flows have several qualities that make it preferable than the accounting profits. First, cash flows consider the time value of transactions and money, which is important for the business. It considers the money value in a particular period has a different purchasing power than in a future period. Clearly, numerous economic conditions influence the fluctuation of prices and the accounting profits do not consider this. They assume the price remains constant for a particular economic period. For example, oil prices are affected by global factors such as depletion of oil wells, shortages or regulations, which cause the frequent alteration of the prices to meet the contemporary financial situations. In this instance, the cash flow approach will realize the inflows and expenditures of the new prices of the commodity according to the time of occurrence. Whereas the accounting profit model ignores this and uses the average price of the year in computing its revenues. Therefore, the corporation will be able to measure their liquidity situation more efficiently and thus this will help them in planning their operational functions better. Besides the cash flow model emphasizes real time payment unlike accounting profit is realized later ((Mulford & Comiskey, 2005)). If the corporation acquires finances directly after sales, they can use it when a great opportunity arises. They will not have to postpone their prospects since they have sold items on credit and do not have the actual money. Secondly, the accounting profit approach considers depreciation as an expense item and this is not an actual expense item (Mulford & Comiskey, 2005). Therefore, if the depreciation increases this will mean that the expenses will increase but this is not reflective of the true expense of the business. It is a non-cash amount that the corporation assumes it affects the profitability of the business. However, the cash flows ignore depreciation as cash expense since it does not have a monetary value. If Caledonia utilizes the cash flow approach, its profits will be higher and reflect the true cash position of the business, unlike a net profit figure which will be lower since it comprises of depreciation. Finally, the cash flow method is essential for capital budgeting which requires comparison of the benefits and costs (outflows) of the investment they are taking (Wayman, 2010). Since the cash flow method considers the cash values of the projects, it can be an appropriate basis to calculate the financial progress of the investment. Consequently, the accounting method disregards the cost at the time of initiation of the project. The

Political Parties Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Political Parties - Essay Example (Bogdanor, 2006) Figures have however been more dismal in the past 30 years. In 2005, membership of the Conservative Party had fallen to an abysmal 250,000. Thus from 1975 to 2005, the Conservative Party has lost more than four out of five of its members. (Bogdanor, 2006) Interestingly, within that same period, the Conservative Party has been in power for a total of more than 15 years. Consequently, though it has been in power for more than half the total time between 1975 and 2005, the Conservative Party has lost more than four fifths of individual membership. The situation of the Labour Party is also very dismal. Though membership drive in 1996 had witnessed an increase of individual membership to 400,000, by 2006, membership of the Labour Party had dropped to 200,000, half its number in a space of 10 years and one fifth in the space of about 50 years. (Bogdanor, 2006) "Fifty years ago, 1 in 11 of the electorate belonged to a political party; today just 1 in 88 do. Moreover, voters feel less attached to parties than they did. In 1966, 42 per cent professed a "very strong" attachment to the party of their choice; today only 13 per cent do. That, no doubt, is one of the reasons for the increasing volatility of voters and low turnout in general elections - 59 per cent in 2001, 62 per cent in 2005." (para. 1) The high lev The high level of passivity to political party membership may also account for the volatility in voter turnout during elections. The loss of interest in political parties and its concomitant effect on electoral turnouts can be contrasted with public participation in other political issues. According to the Electoral Commission and the Hansard Society (2004), whereas the 2001 general elections witnessed a significant decline in voter turnouts, there was a greater willingness by the public to participate in demonstrations in 2003 on issues like the Iraq war, the funding of higher education, and the visit of President Bush. Many reasons can be given for the steady loss of interest in political parties over the years in the UK and other EU countries. The locus of political engagement has been diversified in the UK and EU over the years and this has had a great influence on the dwindling membership of political parties. The Electoral Commission and the Hansard Society (2004) have argued that: "Recent years have seen an increase in pressure group and 'protest' politics, indicating a more complex picture of political engagement than voting figures alone might suggest." (p. 5) The diversification of political engagement thus connotes a movement from the political party as the central organisation for effecting change in society. Traditionally, political parties, especially in the first half of the 20th century were seen as the means of achieving social change. Issues of social concern like social justice, the environment, democracy, and equality were advanced at the political party front. (Wainwright, 2008) The formation of the Labour Party in the UK in 1900 epitomises the role of agents of change that political parties enjoyed. The coming together of trade unions, workers and socialists, with the aim of changing the way the interests of the public were represented in Parliament became the bedrock for the founding of the Labour Part