Mbuti Community Essays - African Pygmies, Colin Turnbull

Mbuti Community In his book, The Forest People, Colin Turnbull achieves the taste and feel of life inside a Mbuti community, but in doing so offers a skewed anthropological look at the peoples of the African Congo. When reading the book, I did truly feel a part of the Mbuti world, but I also noticed a lack of anthropological accuracy when it came to portraying effect had on Pygmies by the lives and cultures of surrounding natives. Not only does Turnbull lack respect non-Pygmy culture, but he also doesn't much account for the possibility of change as he idealizes the Mbuti belief and living system in the state it currently exists. As illustrated quite early in the book when Cephu's daughter dies of dysentery, the Mbuti people copy some of the patterns of ritual grief used by their villager Negro neighbors. It is clear from their behavior that the Pygmies hold little stock in the cultural beliefs of the villagers, and play along simply to not upset the good food source they can use the Negroes as. However, the way that Turnbull portrays this relationship is extremely one-sided, often times not even giving the "Negroes" the dignity of a tribal name. His treatment of their beliefs is similar, and gives only the vaguest reasons for their behavior, citing belief in spirits and fear of the forest. Since Negro customs obviously affect pygmy behavior, it seems curious that Turnbull should come so close to completely ignoring cultural reasons driving it. Forces moving culture are much clearer and completely defined when Turnbull follows the pygmies into the forest and away from the influence of surrounding villages. Here, the ritual of the molimo is seen in its pure state, as are other rituals such as marriage and the elima. From the Mbuti (and therefore Turnbull's) point of view, it is there in the middle of the forest that everything is right with the world, and no polluting influence of the villagers or of change can approach them. However, this is a false view, because change is inevitable in any culture, and even though not always accepted, changes will occur. Turnbull sees the using of a length of pipe as the Molimo trumpet, a man-made material replacing the traditional bamboo, and in this at least he understands that is not so much the ritual that is important, but the idea behind the ritual. But even in the understanding of this concept, Turnbull still argues for the non-changing Pygmy way of life, which is really not possible. I will not call the older style of Pygmy culture "isolated", because no group of people is really cut off completely from surrounding groups. Because of his immersing style of writing, Turnbull captures the spirit and heart of the Mbuti Pygmies with just the basic knowledge of how changes from the outside world affect the cultural activities of the group. He assumes the Pygmies are impervious; they may try a new activity, like raising plantations, for a while, but in the end they will always return to the forest and the hunter-gatherer way of life, because that is what they have always done and what is right for them. Herein lies the biggest error made by Turnbull in The Forest People: he doesn't give the Pygmy culture enough credit for what it is. The Mbutis are changing, dynamic piece of humanity being fueled by not only age-old traditions and customs, but also the very real beliefs and values of the tribes that they share the Congo with.

Analysis Of The Treaty Of Versailles That Ended World War I Essays

Analysis Of The Treaty Of Versailles That Ended World War I Essays Analysis of the Treaty of Versailles that ended World War I In the peace settlement Germany was forced to accept sole responsibility for causing World War I. This was a totally justifiable demand on the part of the victorious powers. The Treaty of Versailles was enacted into history in June 1919 with Germany forced to accept sole responsibility for causing World War I. Since then there has been considerable debate concerning the war but even today historians still cannot fully agree upon the causes. Some support has been given to the theory that Germany was totally responsible for the war however subeztial evidence does not support that view. Therefore the insistence by the victorious powers to include in the Treaty that Germany accept total blame cannot be justified. This essay examines certain events and actions prior to the July crisis. These caused tension and hostility among nations but did not have a direct bearing upon the war. Also it has been determined that there were decisions and courses of action taken by several nations following the assassination of Franz Ferdinand heir to the Austrian-Hungarian throne which did have a direct bearing upon World War I. Development of political and military alliances caused tension and hostility among nations leading up to World War I. Two major alliance systems developed due to conflicting national interests which had been evident during the past two decades throughout Europe. These were the ?Triple Alliance? of Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy and the ?Triple Entente? of Britain, France and Russia. Also several smaller countries became indirectly involved in the alliances which effectively divided Europe into two ?Armed Camps?. Russia pledged to support Serbia in order to prevent further Austrian-Hungarian expansion into the Balkans. Germany stated its support for Austria-Hungary and Britain had given its support for Belgium?s 2. neutrality in 1839. However while these political and military alliances existed there is no direct evidence to indicate that any nation declared war on that basis. There had been several ?crisis? during the period 1905-1913. First the Moroccan crisis involving France and Germany during 1905 and 1911. No wars eventuated only tensions and fears regarding Germanys aggressive expansionist policies. Britain supported France being involved in Morocco and France conceded some territory in the Congo to Germany. Second the 1908 Balkans crisis eventuated because of the collapse of the Ottoman [Turkish] Empire. Austria-Hungary annexed the provinces of Bosnia-Herzegovina. Serbia was insensed and sought Russian assiezce. Germany became involved and Russia backed down. Finally two wars developed in the Balkans. The first Balkan war [1912] was between Turkey and the Balkan League [Serbia, Bulgaria and Greece] with Turkey being driven out of the Balkans. The second Balkan war [1913] occurred between Bulgaria and Serbia/Greece. Winning this war strengthened Serbs position and this gave Austria-Hungary concern regarding its influence in the Balkans. The main significance of the Balkan wars was the position of Britain and France placing restraint on Russia and Germany restraining Austria-Hungary. This did not happen with the July crisis of 1914 which resulted in World War I. [Condron - The Making of the Modern World] Also the two Balkan wars resulted in renewed antagonism between Bulgaria and the other Balkan states especially Serbia and caused general dissatisfaction because of the interference of the great powers in Balkan politics.[Grolier - World War I]. Evidence does support that while the various events discussed did not contribute directly to World War I they did indeed contribute to extreme tensions and suspicions between the great powers and certainly fueled the arms race which in effect prepared nations for the total disaster that was to follow the July crisis. The arms race which mainly involved Britain and Germany began in 1896 when Germany took the decision to significantly expand its navy. This intense competition which developed created significant tensions between nations. The intensity to expand was further fueled following each major crisis which developed during the period 1905-1913. Britain hardened its position towards Germany. The arms race also extended to other areas such as the expansion and modernization of armies. Evidence suggests that due to the large increase in expenditure on navies and armies together with 3. transport and equipment Britain and the European nations were in

All what you need to know about Down syndrome

All what you need to know about Down syndrome Down syndrome (also known as trisomy 21) is a genetic disorder in which a person is born with an extra copy of their 21st chromosome. This disorder causes the patient to go through physical development delays, mental disabilities and a variety of distinguishable facial features. The possibility of being affected by down syndrome occurs by chance, the parents of the infected persons are genetically normal. This disability is permanent, and it usually shortens life expectancy. Although the disease has no known cure, people infected with down syndrome can still live very healthy and fulfilling lives. Medical advances have created support for people and their families that have been affected by down syndrome, providing opportunities to help prevail over the challenges of this disorder. In a normal cell, there are 23 pairs of chromosomes, making it a total of 46. 23 of the chromosomes come from the mother’s egg and the other 23 comes from the father’s sperm. The XY chromosome includes the Y chromosome found in the sperm and the X chromosome found in the egg. In Down syndrome, there are three copies of chromosome 21 instead of two, this is called a chromosomal abnormality. The additional chromosome is either as a whole (trisomy 21) or parts of it (translocations). The effects of Down syndrome are different from person to person depending on how long the extra copy, the infected genetic background, and random possibilities. Down syndrome can affect all humans and similar effects have been found in other species (e.g chimpanzees and mice). Scientists have created transgenic mice with the human chromosome 21 and their own chromosomes. There are three chromosomal patterns that result in Down syndrome: trisomy 21, translocation and mosaicism. Trisomy 21 also known as nondisjunction is when a baby has 21 chromosomes instead of two. When a pair of 21 chromosomes fails to separate properly either in the egg or sperm. The extra chromosomes go on to be replicated into the cell in everybody. 95% of people with Down syndrome have trisomy 21. Translocation occurs in only 3% to 4% of all cases. In translocation, a part of chromosome 21 breaks off during cell division then attaches itself to another chromosome. The extra piece of the 21st chromosome causes the characteristics of down syndrome, translocation and may show that the infected person’s parents are carrying chromosomal material that is arranged in an unusual manner, genetic counselling can be sought to ascertain more information when these circumstances occur. Mosaicism is when disjunction of chromosome 21 takes place in one of the cell divisions after fertilization. After this happens there is a mixture of two types of cells, some contain 46 chromosomes and others 47. The cell that contains 47 chromosomes has an extra 21st chromosome. This type of Down syndrome only occurs in 1% to 2% of all cases of Down syndrome. There is a slight difference between trisomy 21 and Down syndrome. Nondisjunction is when the homologous chromosomes don’t separate properly during cell division. There are three types of nondisjunction, when the sister chromatids don’t separate during mitosis, when the sister chromatids don’t separate during meiosis II and when the homologous chromosomes don’t separate during meiosis I. Nondisjunction causes the daughter cells to have abnormal chromosome numbers. While trisomy 21 is when there is an extra copy of the chromosome. The average age that people with down syndrome live is increasing from 10 years in 2010 to 60 years now. However, their survivorship is determined by some heart problems by some factors; about 12% die in their first year, 60% of those with cognitive heart problems live to 10 years old and 50% live to 30 years old. 85% of those with no heart problems live to 10 years old and 80% live to 30 years old. Only 10% lives to 70 years of age. Down syndrome cannot be cured. During pregnancy, if the pregnant woman goes through prenatal scanning and the baby is found to have down syndrome 95% of those pregnancies are terminated. 20% to 50% of individuals with Down syndrome have problems of the thyroid gland, low thyroid is the most common form, occurring in half of all infected persons. These problems can be due to a poorly or totally non-functioning thyroid at birth also known as congenital hypothyroidism which happens very rarely or develops later due to an attack on the thyroid by the immune system. The rate of heart diseases in newborns with down syndrome is around 40 %, out of all the diseases only about 80%have a ventricular septal defect or atrioventricular septal defect (this one is more common). The mitral valve problems become common as people grow even in the people without heart problems at birth. People with Down syndrome have a lower risk of their arteries being hardened. Other problems that may include the art eries are tetralogy of Fallot and patent ductus arteriosus. The risk of having cancer in infected persons is not changed but the risk of leukaemia and testicular cancer is increased and risk of solid cancers is reduced. Solid cancers are less common because of the increased expression of tumour suppressor genes that are in the chromosome 21. Cancers of the blood are 10 times more common in children than with down syndrome. Specifically, acute lymphoblastic leukaemia is about 20 times more common and the megakaryoblastic form of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia is 500 times more popular. Transient myeloproliferative disease is a disorder of blood cell production that does not happen outside of Down syndrome, it affects about 7% of newly born babies. The disorder is not serious but can be sometimes can be deadly. Most times it is resolved without treatment but, those that have it are at risk of developing acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. The hypothalamic dysfunction is the primary cause of GH deficiency and growth retardation, although there has been minor research on how down syndrome affects our systems (excretory, nervous) there hasn’t been any major research with trustworthy results. People with Down’s syndrome usually tend to develop hypothyroidism but sometimes they can have hyperthyroidism although this is much less common. Hypothyroidism is hardly ever present at birth and it is more likely for people with down syndrome to develop it as they get older. This usually happens because of autoimmunity meaning when the body’s defence system attacks itself it is sometimes called hashimoto’s hypothyroidism (although there can be other causes). Trisomy pregnancies occur when the embryo has three copies of a chromosome rather than the normal two. The most common trisomy is Down’s syndrome or trisomy 21.

The Impact of Retail Distribution Review on Aviva Research Paper

The Impact of Retail Distribution Review on Aviva - Research Paper Example As the industry involves customers, financial advisors, and financial service providers, there can be conflicts of interest between customers and financial advisors or company and financial advisors. This is called agency problem which leads failure of customers’ trust on market. Financial regulatory bodies aim to employ certain regulations to resolve these issues. The Financial Services Act had been attempting to realize the retail market of investment and the reason for the failure of customers trust. In order to retain the public confidence and trust the FSA introduced the Retail Distribution Review (Personal Financial Society. 2010). This retail review was launched in June targeting the standard and quality of financial advisory services given to the customer in the financial services industry. Through the RDR, the FAS aims to develop a retail market where customers easily understand the information; the financial firms fairly treat their customers and the customers will have much confidence to invest in the market (CISI. n.d.). The approach has been quite influential to keep the resilience, efficiency and the productivity of the retail investment market. RDR is supposed to modernize the industry by bringing back customer confidence to the market by offering them the best choices to fulfill their pension and savings needs. RDR not only approaches to solve the significant issues influential behind some of the longtime problems, but it also considers the operating procedure of the overall market of retail investments. At the same time, the authority was concerned about the future operational procedures of the retail industry. To maintain a control and authority over the fair operation of the investment retail industry, RDR has considered and modified a number of previous policy initiatives. The modifications and introduction of some new policies have been carried out taking due consideration of all of  the stakeholders’ interests including the practitioners and the consumers’ representatives in this industry.

Women and Work Annotated Bibliography Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Women and Work - Annotated Bibliography Example This article demonstrates the implementation of a successful Quality Management System (QMS) by written and controlled procedures. A QMS prevents failures involving the supply chain, the brand, and customers, since it forms a basis for major company audits. The authors discuss four main steps involved in development of an effective QMS. First, statistical tools, and preferably a flow chart or a process map, is vital as it provides information on the path a product follows from the manufacturing stage. This becomes a control plan after its approval by quality assurance department. Secondly, a Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FEMEA), is an advanced stage of product quality planning, which helps in identifying possible failures, and a FEMEA team may oversee the process. Systems validation protocols work to eliminate defects and lower the level of variation in the process of manufacturing. Finally, current good manufacturing practices (cGMP) is necessary for manufacturing companies to ensure their products meet the market requirements, as this will develop their product identity and quality. Therefore, companies must be develop and sustain a cGMP. Nonetheless, an effective QMS may fail or succeed, depending on the level of commitment of employees and management of a company.  This article demonstrates the implementation of a successful Quality Management System (QMS) by written and controlled procedures. A QMS prevents failures involving the supply chain, the brand, and customers, since it forms a basis for major company audits.

Logical Fallacies Summary and Application Essay -- English Writing Fal

Logical Fallacies Summary and Application What do you see when you look at Begging the Question, Hasty Generalization, and Appealing to Emotion? When you initially look at these three categories they may not seem to have too much in common. However, when you look deeper you will see that in fact, they are all different types of logical fallacies. Logical fallacies are errors of reasoning, errors that may be recognized and corrected by prudent thinkers (Downes, 1995). The following quote helps explain why logic is important to us in today’s society. â€Å"Logic is not everything. But it is something—something which can be taught, something which can be learned, something which can help us in some degree to think more sensibly about the dangerous world in which we live (Fischer, 1970, p. 306).† Begging the Question is a type of fallacy that is used quite a bit. It is considered to be a fallacy of assuming when trying to prove something. One of the main things to remember with the use of this fallacy is that the term â€Å"Begging the Question† has a very specific meaning. This means that if someone was trying to prove something to us but they are not being specific and leave room for there to be more questions asked then there is a good chance this is an example of a begging the question fallacy. According to Whitman, "The fact that we believe pornography should be legal means that it is a valid form of free expression. And since it's free expression, it shouldn't be banned (Whitman, 2001)" is an example of begging the question. When you are confronted with something that could be a question of Begging the Question you need to think it through and see if what you are seeing or hearing is actually true. Or if it is just an interpretation of what the artist, speaker, or author wants you to believe when exposed to the form of media. An example of Begging the Question is an ad where there are a lot of arms with fingers pointing to a bottle of Pepcid Complete and the arms are clothed in what appears to be medical jackets. Under the picture are the words â€Å"Pepcid’s the #1 choice of pharmacists. Get the point?† This ad is implying that we get the point that Pepcid is the #1 choice of pharmacists because there are a bunch of pharmacists pointing at it. However, another bigger question could be are these people really pharmacists or just a bunch of models since a... ...the first line on the form is â€Å"Yes, my heart is broken by the needs of a child.† This ad is implying that if you do not send money to help these children not only will your heart be broken but also these children will die. As you can see logical fallacies are all around us. They are in most advertisements that you pick up, in most debates you hear, in many political arenas. Fallacies are not something that will just go away. However, if you know that they exist perhaps you can be wiser than the advertisers and not fall into their marketing traps. Just think before you act – and that is advice you can always use! References Downes, S. (1995). Stephen's Guide to the Logical Fallacies. Retrieved January 19, 2005, from http://www.datanation.com/fallacies/ Fischer, D. H. (1970). Historians' Fallacies: Toward a Logic of Historical Thought. : Harper & Row. Labossiere, M. C. (1995). Fallacy Tutorial Pro 3.0. Retrieved January 21, 2005, from http://www.nizkor.org/features/fallacies/ Whitman, G. (2001). Logical Fallacies and the Art of Debate. Retrieved January 20, 2005, from http://www.csun.edu/~dgw61315/fallacies.html#Committing%20your%20very%20own%20logical%20fallacies

Compare and Contrast between Arranged Marriage and Love Marriage Essay

Comparison and Contrast between Arranged Marriage and Love Marriage It is believed that marriages are made in heaven. It might be true while in reality the couples who are married are either in love with one another or the marriages are finalized or arranged by their family members. Debate about whether love marriage or arranged marriage is better is never ending as both sides have their experience and testimony to support the system which suits them. The purpose of this passage is to compare the arranged marriage with love marriage from the aspect of mutual understanding and love; and contrast the two types of marriages from the aspects of differences in expectations and mutual attitudes after the wedding, different reactions from the family. We should be aware that modern arranged marriage isn’t equal to forced marriage. Today parents are more realistic and becoming broad minded enough to accept the choice of their kids in marriage. Arranged marriages are also successful when the parents don’t force their children to marry whom they don’t want to and when the parents support and help their children to find their respective spouses as per their desires and likings. It is definitely wonderful when children are given the right to take a decision themselves on their marriage and also there should be proper arrangements for the first time—this is also called a period of courtship when both of them decide to date and decide to get married. Therefore, love can also be generated between the arranged ones during this period. Since it is true love, it has nothing to do with time. Whether it is a love or arranged wedding, it should be based on love, empathy, responsibility, concern, and commitment. The similarity also exists in the life after the wedding. It calls for a lot of dedication and efforts to carry on the relation. And to support and live happily with each other, both of them need patience, perseverance, and mutual affection and care. Despite the similarities, there are also some obvious differences. The first difference appears in the different expectations and mutual attitudes after the wedding. In the case of arranged marriages, the first few years are spent to know and understand much more deeply about each other’s likes and dislikes. The thrill and excitement of knowing each other, always keeps the couple motivated and positive towards each other. Whereas in the case of love marriages, the bride and the groom have already gotten along with each other for a long time and there are no more space left for the interest or curiosity of knowing more about each other. In the case of arranged marriages, even a small deed of care and forgiveness, leads to the strengthening of the marriage as a bond and the feeling of adjustment and compromise is more compared to the love marriages. While in love ones, the bride and the groom are always in a situation to compromise and the feelings may be no longer fresh and there are a lot of expectations from the life partner, which when left unfulfilled, will lead to quarrels and misunderstandings. For instance, sometimes discords may arise between couples having love marriages. It has come to the fore that after spending a long time together, many couples in love marriages are found to be repenting on their decisions. They find it hard to keep up the nuptial life and at last break the bond to get free. That is why it is reported that the divorce rate for arranged marriages in the traditional countries is much lower than those in the United States, where marriages out of love rule. Moreover, arranged marriages enjoy a clear edge over the love ones also because most parents think that only they are competent in finding the most suitable match for their beloved sons or daughters. Marriage is not just two people coming together but two families uniting to bring two souls together in holy matrimony. In arranged marriages the family or the matchmaker first scrutinizes the possible brides, their family and background and leaves the final decision with the groom or vice versa. The whole family support the matrimony during high and low times. They see to it that the couple is happy with one another at all times. Minor misunderstandings are cleared by advice from seniors who act as relationship managers and marriage councilors. With such an expert team around the couple thrive joyously. Contrarily in arranged marriages, there is a lot of pressure on the couples to meet parental expectations. Apart from the fact that couples in love have to face the challenges of the community and pacify their family members to accept the partner chosen by them, they have to make great efforts if they found their characteristics and family values didn’t fit into the new family. There can also be disputes emerging frequently in love marriages such as producing offspring, taking participation in family rituals, developing great rapport with sisters-in-laws, contributing to family expenses, and so on. As for myself, I’m kind of neutral. Being a girl with unpredictable future, I don’t think I have to depend on my family to find my life-long partner for me. But I do think an arranged marriage isn’t a bad choice when I’m at the marriage age without finding my Mr. Right. At that time an arranged marriage is undoubtedly a choice to widen my social circle as well as introduce me more people and to make both my parents and I happy. In conclusion, arranged marriage and love marriage are different when it comes to the mutual expectations and attitudes as well as family reactions. However, they also share similarities in the vital existence of love and understanding. We should remember that love is a vital element in a marriage, no matter what type or form we follow. It should happen and then bliss will subsequently follow.