Catholic Areas of Europe before 1570 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Catholic Areas of Europe before 1570 - Essay Example The process is still viewed by many European observers as favourable.4 Aside from increasing wealth through world trade and bartered products, ties between the Old World and the new world were discovered. They also believed it introduced Christianity. The conquest of the Americas and expansion to the rest of the world were said to have brought about the best as well as the worst of European civilization. Resources were greedily plundered and the natives were brutally repressed and enslaved in attempts to create news institutions and convert the natives to Christianity. In any case, the Europeans had begun to change the face of the world in an effort to export their religion, culture, and language to all corners of the earth.5 "Christianising" brought in wealth for Spain's new colonies in Latin America mainly from silver. In 1545 silver was discovered at Potos, in modern Bolivia. After delivering European goods needed in the colonies, convoys of Spanish caravels would carry back to Sp ain gold and silver together with a 20% share of the Spanish crown.6 But the rise of the Reformation (1517) had inflicted serious wounds on the Church, when so many priests defected.7 II. Religious allegiance Massive campaign to Christianise. Catholic Europe had been confined to one geographical area for almost a thousand years. The Crusades which saw them beyond frontiers had largely failed.8 The religious orders early on, had obtained broad powers in the colonies so that the Franciscans, the Dominicans and the Augustinians carried out a massive campaign to Christianize the natives, especially in New Spain. Lands outside Europe provided a strong attraction, and desire for wealth was the main motivation of the early explorers, though spreading Christianity was also an important factor.9 Mixed motives. All with "God, glory, and gold" as the primary motives of the voyages, several were carried out in the first two decades of the sixteenth century exploring the eastern coasts of both North and South America. Vasco Nuez de Balboa, a Spanish explorer, led an expedition across the Isthmus of Panam, reaching the Pacific Ocean in 1513, and Ferdinand Magellan in 1519 sailed through the Pacific Ocean and reached the Philippines, where he was killed by the natives.10 III. Economic Development Beginning a new era. European adventurers like Magellan were hardly aware that they were beginning a new era, not only for Europe but for the peoples of Asia, Africa, and the Americas. They marked the beginning of a process leading to radical changes in the political, economic and cultural life of the entire world.11 More wars. The imperial age saw that the population of the lands of the united monarchy amounted to 8,500,000 in the 1590s, a level which was not surpassed for two hundred years. Emigration to the Indies averaged to about 2,000 people a year. The European wars were fought almost entirely outside Spanish soil, and the proportion of European mercenaries in 50,000 to 70,000 troops being maintained by the crown increased steadily, especially in the closing decades of the

Why is China Called the Sleeping Giant?

Why is China Called the Sleeping Giant? China is a huge nation that has been experiencing unprecedented growth over the past few decades an average annual GDP of well over 10 percent. While Chinas actual per capita income is still classified in the lower-middle category in global statistics, at about $3,200, it is still the third largest economy in the world after the United States and Japan with a nominal DFP of $4.3 trillion (Chinese Government, 2010). Contemporary China now participates in the global private sector. Her companies play a major role in the global economy, and companies in the developed world take Chinese manufacturing trends quite serious. Chinas view of her economy is Socialism with Chinese Characteristics, which is defined variantaely by scholars. Over 1/3 of the economy is state owned and controlled, and there is significant new foreign investment in the country. Key government industries are utilities, heavy industry and energy resources. China is the worlds largest producer of rice, and is among the top producers of cotton, corn, tobacco, soybeans, and peanuts. Industrially, it is also a world producer in cotton products, coal, crude oil, and its mineral resources are among the richest in the world, albeit only partially developed. All this developed has resulted in Chinas populace seeing a gradual improvement in their living standard, even in the rural areas, but it is the cities in which the most vital and burgeoning growth occurs. Like any developing country, though, China has growing pains. It remains more concerned with State economic development that per capita improvement. Chinas growth may not, in fact, remain sustainable unless there is a dramatic change in the infrastructure and a redevelopment of natural resources that matches the needs of the global environment (e.g. human rights, pollution control, trade imbalances, etc.). Even with the new face, china still has severe corruption issues in the government, huge environmental issues, and a rapidly aging population w ith limited capital resources to sustain an older, non-working, population (CIA Factbook, 2010; National Bureau of Statistics of China, 2010). One very telling example is the way China has merged the political with global economic independence, and its ability to negotiate environmental issues. For the past fifty years, the country has spent considerable resource modernizing, coalescing power, investing in other countries, and changing the way it utilizes its greatest resource its population. Indeed, much of Chinas current strategic and tactical foreign policy surrounds its rapid growth over the last several decades and the way it has extended itself in so many directions. China is still dependent upon Middle Eastern oil importing up to 8 million barrels a day. The vulnerability also extends past oil dependence into fears of an energy insecurity peak. The emerging trends in China are that its energy needs are going to continue to exponentially increase, while if something is not done, there will not be the rate worker base to handle this segment of the market. And, to top it off, such rapid development coupled with global warming and pollution issues threatens to damage Chinas agricultural markets some areas must pollinate their trees and fields by hand (Shirk, 2007). Indeed, what seems to be happening with China is understandable the Developed World had their Industrial Revolutions and decades of pollution without control. Now the developing world is trying for rapid industrialization but has the added conundrum of restrictions, issues with global warming, pollution, and world opinion. Citing both qualitative and quantitative governmental data, authors Chung, Fryxell and Lo (2006) maintain that while China is overtly committed to promote programs that have environmental conservation as part of their template, the stark reality is that the country falls quite short of even its own basic standards. This revelation is based on the number of permits authorized for construction versus the number of ISO 14001-4 permits and requirements met (473-6). We must also take into consideration both the vastness of Chinas geography and the complexity of their bureaucracy. Governmental regulations are not always translated into actualities at the local level, largely due to enforcement and logistical issues, all politically based. Chinas Path Towards Modernization China did not experience an Industrial Revolution and modernization in the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries as did many European countries and even Japan, to some extent. Instead, throughout even the 19th century, China remained largely rural and controlled by a series of warlord governments. In fact, it was a series of civil wars, internal bureaucratic corruption, and imperialism that damaged the country and economy to the point that China was ripe for dramatic social and political change (China Country Profile, 2010). Once Japan had been defeated in 1945 another civil war erupted, this time between the Nationalists and the Communists. In 1949, the Communist regime, with the assistance of the Soviet Union, garnered victory and established The Peoples Republic of China on the mainland, with the Chinese Nationalist Party relegated to the island of Taiwan. Soviet influence was heavy, as it was in the conflict over the Korean peninsula in the early 1950s. Chinese leadership counted on Soviet aid for, even with a huge population they were in the midst of a serious economic decline. The Soviet political leadership had a vested interest in supporting the Maoist revolutionary group, not simply to export world communism, but to establish a communist state in Asia (Garver, 1988, 1-34). What followed were a series of rather disruptive socioeconomic movements designed to rapidly industrialize, collectivize, and change the landscape of China called The Great Leap Forward. Like the Soviet Union, peasant resistence and economic ineptitude resulted in an estimated 30-36 million deaths (Smil, 1999). Once the so-called old guard of the Communist Revolution died, though, it was time to rethink economic and political progress. By 1978 there was some relaxation of control, but the PRC still had iron-clad control over politics and society. Economic reforms were politicized and put into effect by Den Xiaoping decollectivization of the countryside, some political decentralization of control in the industrial sector and an amazing public pronouncement that the past few decades had been an appalling catastropheà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ the most severe setback to the socialist cause since 1949 (Poon, 2006). Politically, it was important to quickly develop the consumer and export sectors of the economy, and create and buttress an urban middle class, increase living standards, and deal with such issues as literacy, life expectancy, personal rights, and most especially, agricultural output. Knowing that things move slow politically and socially in China, we can now trace an important step in opening up China to the West both politically and economically. In 1972, while Mao was still alive but Deng controlling most of the upper echelons of political power, U.S. President Richard Nixon visited China, The results of the week long visit, most of it orchestrated by Henry Kissinger, were vast: a political agreement that there was only one China and an agreement to settle the Taiwanese situation; to open trade and commerce between China and the West; and to reduce tensions between the two countries. Nixon himself commented, This was the week that changed the world, as what we have said in that Communiquà © is not nearly as important as what we will do in the years ahead to build a bridge across 16,000 miles and 22 years of hostilities which have divided us in the past. And what we have said today is that we shall build that bridge (1972 in Review, 1973). The Way of the Sleeping Giant- Unlike the West, which had 150-200 years to accomplish the technological and social revolution of transforming from rural to urbanized-industrial economies, China has had less than 50 years. However, a combination of traditional Chinese Values, the Maoist push, and post-Maoist political expertise has positioned the country to become the next global superpower. Since 1949, there have been 3-4 major shifts in overall philosophy within the elite; as globalism continues to develop, China wishes to be part of the global economic push with import/export and fiscal rewards, so small concessions have been made over the past decade to allow greater autonomy in business ownership and purchasing decisions. There is high political, economic, societal, and military cohesion since all are central controlled and there is no evidence of a lapse in the power base. Most recently, China has been under international pressure for its continued censorship program (television, motion pictures, and the Internet) (World Bank, 2010). This paradigm shift can best be understood by looking at a Chinese tradition dating back centuries. However, to understand modern China, we must also understand the basis for Chinese culture Confucianism. It was Confucianism, though, that dominated ancient Chinese history as a socio-religious philosophy. The trend towards philosophical underpinnings, too, was part of Ancient Chinas view of law, order, and state control. Confucianism is a Chinese ethical and philosophical system based on the teachings of Confucius. It is a system that focuses on social, moral, political, and philosophical through, and stresses the important of education and the actualization of the individual. In combination, individuals then are able to govern the state by morality and virtue, rather than extreme coercion or violence (Sprunger). Unlike many religions, Confucianism expects to be part of the political/legal process and governance is part of the expectations of service by the populace. A basic sense of duty, honor, and bureaucratic hierarchy is part of the philosophy, as was a general view that people were generally good, wanted to exist within an orderly society, and only needed structure to remind them of the way of being good: This legalistic tradition is actually more of a political mindset that has been part of the way of Chinese politics for centuries. If we look at basic Maoism, we see that there are indeed some similarities, albeit with a Marxist bias. Maoism of course emphasizes the revolutionary struggle of the masses against exploiters, or a Peoples War. However, Maoism departs from Marxism because it is based on reforming an agrarian economy as opposed to an urban, industrialized state. The new communist leaders abandoned most Maoist practices by 1978, calling the new China which is a combination of ancient legalism, Maoism, and socialism, as Socialism with Chinese characteristics (Chung-Yueh Hsu, 1990, 168-72). Thus, the character and flavor of Chinese politics is shaped by a number of rubrics, all of which now combine to produce a country that may appear contradictory, but is in fact completely within character. This is illuminated given an overview of Chinas recent national goals and issues as they relate to both internal political stability and growth, and Chinas emerging position within the overall geopolitical landscape of the 21st century. These goals are broken down into three major parts; political, social, and economic, all interrelated to a political culture based on the past and moving forward. Political Harness nationalism in moderate and appropriate ways to retain control over divergent and large population. Political/Military Increase military spending and size of military structure -eventual goal is to field the most sophisticated Army in the world Political Cannot provide enough of its own energy needs, must use geopolitics to ensure development continues Political/Vulnerability Avoid, at all costs, a hostile world in which China is boxed in by USA/Japan/India/South Korea and Australia. Ensure Russian neutrality or support. Social Continue to support large domestic market and rising foreign investment. Social Manage rapid aging issues (32 years median age in 2010 to 45 in 2040) they will have the social burden of a rich country and the income of a poor country. Economic Manage Chinas vulnerability in production of goods to West in line with current economic crisis (e.g. smaller than needed orders for Holidays, etc.) Economic Diversify industry and become more self-sufficient in high-tech and other needed technological and industrial segments Economic/Political Improve infrastructure to ensure safety of population (e.g. earthquake proof buildings, higher building standards, etc.) Economic China shows no sign of slowing, and its overall strategic objectives were clearly stated in the Three Step Development Strategy of 1978: Step 1 -To double the 1980 SNP and ensure that the people had enough food and clothing to meet basic needs (attained prior to 1989). Step 2 To quadruple the 1980 GNP by the end of the 20th century (attained by 1995) Step 3 To increase per-capita GNP to the level of the medium developed countries by 2050, at which time modernization goals will be met (Mengin, 2002; Dahlman and Aubert, 2001). The trend that emerges, then, is a new China with clear ties to the old. With the aggressive nature of China in the global environment, many scholars, in fact, believe it will be China that dominates the 21st century the power base shifting from West to East. With 20 percent of all humanity, and a civilization with thousands of years of history and tradition, the new China is clearly poised to be the next global super-power (Jacques, 2009).

Assyrian Art Essay -- essays research papers

Assyrian Art The reliefs from the palace of King Assurnasirpal II at Nimrud play an important role in portraying the power and importance of the Assyrian king. These reliefs are similar to other Assyrian reliefs in terms of their purpose; however, there is a contrast in the methods used to glorify the king. By examining such factors as style, iconography and historical significance, we find many similarities and differences between the "ceremonial" reliefs and the more common reliefs depicting war and hunting. The reliefs belonging to the sacred or"ceremonial" category consist of panels depicting a sacred tree, a human headed genius fertilizing a sacred tree, a griffin fertilizing a sacred tree, and a scene of King Assurnasirpal (whose name comes from the god "Assur") followed by a winged genius. Dating to about 870 B.C., these reliefs were originally located in the antechamber to the royal throne hall and in the living room where it would have been viewed by distinguished guests. Because of their location and larger than life size, the reliefs "...instill in the beholder a sense of awe and reverence for the king...." (Art History Anthology 28). Moreover, the reliefs overwhelm the viewer by depicting the king's power and god-like divinity through propagandistic iconography and stylization. To portray the king's god-like divinity, the reliefs represent the deities and Assurnasirpal in a similar manner. First of all, hierarchic scale is almost absent since all the figures are closely related in size, with Assurnasirpal being only slightly shorter than the deities. In historical context, this shows that Assyrian kings were closely associated with deities, but were not considered gods themselves. This lack of hierarchic scale is also seen in the Lion Hunt of Assurbanipal, where king Assurbanipal is shown slightly larger than his servants. Secondly, the deities and Assurnasirpal are similar in stance and stylization. All the figures have their head and legs shown in profile, while the torso is shown halfway frontal. In addition, the figures maintain a stiff vertical stance with their arms extended in either straight lines or are stiffly bent into a ninety-degree angle. In the third panel, both a winged deity and Assurnasirpal are depicted facing towards the right with their left feet forward; however, in contrast, the human headed genius and the griffin ... ...a symmetrical manner with intertwining branches, stylized leaves, and a fan of leaves above the trunk. The winged geniuses are fertilizing the sacred tree with a date blossom in their right hand and holding a sacred bucket in their left. In addition, panel three shows a winged deity following Assurnasirpal with his right hand raised over the king "in a gesture of benediction and divine protection" (Art History Anthology 28). By placing these reliefs in his antechamber and living room, Assurnasirpal "emphasizes the sacred character of the Assyrian king, elected by the gods, although not himself of divine substance" (Frankfort 87). In conclusion, we find that the reliefs from the palace of King Assurnasirpal II play an important role in exhibiting the power and importance of the king. While an Assyrian king's power can be depicted is a war-like manner by his military might, we learn that"ceremonial" reliefs are also effective by placing the king in relation to gods. The power and importance of the king is shown through a peaceful manner that highly contrasts the scenes of death and fighting found in such reliefs as the lion hunt of Assurbanipal and the battle scene of Assurnasirpal.

Math 213 Reflective Paper

Reflective Paper – Math 213 Math 213 is a class packed full of information valuable to the development of a professional math teacher. There were several major mathematical concepts addressed in the class ranging from problem solving, numeration systems and sets, whole numbers and their operations, to algebraic thinking, integers and number theory, rational numbers as fractions, decimals and real numbers, and proportional reasoning, percents, and applications. This class enhanced my understanding of math in general, as well as enabled me to explore strategies on how to best present mathematical concepts in an elementary classroom setting.Since children learn differently than adults do, and do not have prior knowledge to draw meaning from, an important characteristic of a professional math teacher is to have the ability to create a classroom environment where students are encouraged to take risks and explore problems while learning problem solving strategies. According to the c lass textbook, A Problem Solving Approach to Mathematics for Elementary School Teachers, â€Å"If problems are approached in only one way, a mind-set may be formed. † (Billstein, R. , Libeskind, S. , & Lott, J. 2010) Teachers need to give students a tool box of strategies, such as, look for a pattern, examine a related problem, identify a subgoal, make a diagram, or work backwards. While developing student’s problem solving skills, professional math teachers must begin to teach students to understand the meanings of whole numbers. This step will serve as scaffolding for students as they encounter more advanced concepts. Teachers should encourage the use of manipulatives, such as base-ten blocks, as they will help students relate whole numbers to something real.Teachers can also use Venn diagrams as they allow students to graphically organize material, which aids in the development of their analytical skills and teaches them to draw conclusions based on specific criteri a. Once mathematics teachers are able to create a solid base of knowledge, they can encourage their students to explore algebraic thinking, and expand their ability to think critically by the use of estimation and mental math. It is up to teachers to give students the skills to set up and solve algorithms that will help to build their math confidence and motivate them to expand on what they have learned.Teaching the concept of integers and number theory is a fundamental part of math curriculum. The ability of a professional mathematics teacher to tie in real world experiences, using hand on activities and manipulatives is essential in enabling students to build on mathematic ideas and understand how they interconnect. Also important is the concept of rational numbers as fractions, decimals, and real numbers. Teachers need to help ease the transition from whole numbers by clearly explaining the new rules and definitions students are unfamiliar with.By teaching the importance of ratio s, proportions, proportional reasoning, percents, and their real life applications, teachers are giving students the skills they need to become productive members of society. Proportional reasoning is one of the big ideas in math and if students are able to grasp this concept, they will be able to apply it in many instances in their lives. Teachers can assist students with this by providing interesting, well thought out problems that represent situations students will encounter in the future.This course influenced my philosophy on teaching math by helping me realize how important it is to facilitate mathematical learning through a variety of different learning experiences. I realized that there are often many ways to come up with the same answer, therefore problems should be presented in many in different contexts, as a means of seeing the same thing in a different light. This class also influenced my realization of the important role a math teacher plays not only in presenting info rmation, but in determining where a student went wrong when they do not grasp that information.I realized that for a teacher to be able to do this they must acquire a deep amount of pedagogical content knowledge and need to promote more than just procedural understanding when teaching math to their students. They need to present the â€Å"why†, and they need to be able to teach their students to make sense of mathematics by using reasoning and proof. This conceptual understanding comes from time and practice in a variety of contexts. Providing students with a multitude of mathematical experiences will help them understand math both inside and outside of the classroom.Most importantly, I realized that professional math teachers need to be good motivators. There were times in this class that I felt confused and wanted to give up. It was as if I were walking in my student’s shoes. This experience taught me that I will need to give my students positive encouragement and pl enty of feedback along the way. I will aim to challenge them mentally while providing the support they need to become successful learners. References Billstein, R. , Lineskind, S. and Lott, J. (2010). A Problem Solving Approach to Mathematics for Elementary School Teachers (10th ed. ). Boston: Pearson Education, Inc.

Good Times or Bad Essay

The issue of dark leadership, which is characterized by an enduring inclination to selfishness, wrong intentions, and self-deception, is a potentially harmful phenomenon to business organizations. This is because leaders who exhibit such attributes usually have negative effects on the business organizations which they lead (Dubrin, 2009). Organizational performance is thus reduced or completely stalled. Owing to this phenomenon, the genesis of such dark leadership is an important consideration for modern business organizations. On the one hand, some commentators argue that dark leadership requires crisis situations to evolve. On the other hand, other people hold that such dark leadership can even develop in comparatively good social and economic conditions. A careful scrutiny however indicates that dark leadership does not necessarily require crises to emerge, rather inherent human imperfections make it arise on comparatively pleasant social and economic situations. For example, bearing in mind that one of the causative factors for dark leadership is humanity’s negative trait of selfishness, the concept that crisis situations precipitate dark leadership is effectively eliminated (Khoo & Burch, 2008). It thus follows that humans are naturally selfish, a situation that leads to them depicting dark leadership qualities. In addition, dark readership attributes can emanate from the leaders’ self-deception and wrong intentions, a fact that excludes the issue of unpleasant social and economic conditions. According to this argument, human beings are depicted to have the natural habit of deceiving themselves besides having wrong intentions (Sankar, 2003). In conclusion, dark leadership is an important concept in business organizations because it has the potential of ruining business performance. The factors that make leaders exhibit dark traits are however debatable. Some people cite crises while others point to humanity’s inherent negative qualities. A proper examination however demonstrates that humanity’s negative traits, such as selfishness, having mistaken intentions, and self-deception lead to dark leadership. References Dubrin, A. J. (2009). Leadership: Research findings, practice, and skills. Woodbridge, CT: Cengage Learning. Khoo, H. S. ; & Burch, G. S. T. (2008). The ‘dark side’ of leadership personality and transformational leadership: An exploratory study. Personality and Individual Differences, 44 (1), 86-97. Sankar, Y. (2003). Character not charisma is the critical measure of leadership excellence. Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, 9 (4), 45-55.