Culture :: essays papers

Culture The people of Aruba come primarily from European, African, and Latin American countries and the culture of the island reflects these varied backgrounds. The language, food, religion, and celebrations on Aruba are composed of a healthy mix of these countries. Aruba is closely tied to Holland because of its long occupation and present partnership in the Netherlands kingdom. The official language is Dutch, which is seen on the street signs, official documents, and many local newspapers. However, many aspects of Aruba’s culture reveal strong influences of contributing cultures, such as the common language Papiamento. Papiamento dates back to the sixteenth century, as a means for African slaves to communicate with their owners. Papiamento reflects the mentality and culture of the many peoples who have inhabited the region, including the Arawak and Carib Indians, African slaves, South American traders, Spanish conquers, Dutch merchants, Portuguese missionaries, and French and English settlers. While grammar is basic, many non-Arubans find its syntax and intonation challenging. Much of Papiamento has been handed down verbally from generation to generation. Its proverbs contain a simply stated wealth of philosophy and insight. Through humor and metaphor, utilizing food, animals, and objects from everyday life, Papiamento lends universal guidance and wisdom. Some popular phrases are â€Å"Bon Dia† for good morning, and â€Å"Masha Danki† for thank you. Aruban food is simple in preparation and taste. Mostly grilled without a lot of grease or spice, chicken, fish and vegetables are often accompanied by local vegetables such as corn, broccoli, potatoes or rice. Johnnycakes are fried biscuits prepared with slat fish (bacalaw) from Canada and Norway, which are popular in Aruba. Also popular are stews of beef, chicken, and goat, with ingredients of a cucumber called concomber and rice with black beans. Stuffed cheese, called keeshi yena, is a traditional Aruban dish dating back to the days of the Dutch West India Company. It was originally made by hollowing out the round Dutch cheeses and stuffing them with a mixture of chicken, vegetables, and spices. More modern recipes include raisins, grated cheese, breadcrumbs, olives, capers, and gherkins, and beef, fish or shrimp is sometimes used in lieu of chicken. Often eaten in place of bread is a cornmeal pudding similar to polenta. Slaves brought this recipe to the Caribbean from Wes t Africa. Culture :: essays papers Culture The people of Aruba come primarily from European, African, and Latin American countries and the culture of the island reflects these varied backgrounds. The language, food, religion, and celebrations on Aruba are composed of a healthy mix of these countries. Aruba is closely tied to Holland because of its long occupation and present partnership in the Netherlands kingdom. The official language is Dutch, which is seen on the street signs, official documents, and many local newspapers. However, many aspects of Aruba’s culture reveal strong influences of contributing cultures, such as the common language Papiamento. Papiamento dates back to the sixteenth century, as a means for African slaves to communicate with their owners. Papiamento reflects the mentality and culture of the many peoples who have inhabited the region, including the Arawak and Carib Indians, African slaves, South American traders, Spanish conquers, Dutch merchants, Portuguese missionaries, and French and English settlers. While grammar is basic, many non-Arubans find its syntax and intonation challenging. Much of Papiamento has been handed down verbally from generation to generation. Its proverbs contain a simply stated wealth of philosophy and insight. Through humor and metaphor, utilizing food, animals, and objects from everyday life, Papiamento lends universal guidance and wisdom. Some popular phrases are â€Å"Bon Dia† for good morning, and â€Å"Masha Danki† for thank you. Aruban food is simple in preparation and taste. Mostly grilled without a lot of grease or spice, chicken, fish and vegetables are often accompanied by local vegetables such as corn, broccoli, potatoes or rice. Johnnycakes are fried biscuits prepared with slat fish (bacalaw) from Canada and Norway, which are popular in Aruba. Also popular are stews of beef, chicken, and goat, with ingredients of a cucumber called concomber and rice with black beans. Stuffed cheese, called keeshi yena, is a traditional Aruban dish dating back to the days of the Dutch West India Company. It was originally made by hollowing out the round Dutch cheeses and stuffing them with a mixture of chicken, vegetables, and spices. More modern recipes include raisins, grated cheese, breadcrumbs, olives, capers, and gherkins, and beef, fish or shrimp is sometimes used in lieu of chicken. Often eaten in place of bread is a cornmeal pudding similar to polenta. Slaves brought this recipe to the Caribbean from Wes t Africa.

Ethical problems Essay

What is ethics?The most common way of defining â€Å"ethics†: they are norms for conduct that distinguish between or acceptable or unacceptable behavior. (http://www.apa.org/ethics/)Most people learn ethical norms at home, in school, in church, or in other social settings. Human rights: The basic rights and freedoms, to which all humans are entitled, often held to include the right to life and liberty, freedom of thought and expression, and equality before the law. I would like to talk to you about privacy and confidentiality. Privacy: the quality or condition of being secluded from the presence or view of others. (http://www.answers.com/topic ) Confidentiality: Containing information whose unauthorized disclosure could be injurious to either or both parties. Not all the ethical issues have clear answers; some hinge on researcher’s judgment and scruples. Need for respect. Privacy and confidentiality should be fairly self explanatory. We need to be sensible as medical practitioners and respect the need for the protection of personal privacy in data, and need to facilitate access to data for research purposes. Respect: The state of being regarded with honor or esteem. Respect has great importance in everyday life, as children we are taught (one hopes) to respect our parents, other people’s feelings and rights. Dramatic events of World War II. Respect for patients as individuals prior to, during and after the research is one of the key issues of dramatic and horrifying events of World War II and the Nuremberg military tribunals highlight the degrading and inhuman consequences of research without respect for the individual. History: When dignity was taken away from people. History has played a large factor in the way people are treated and respected in present day. One particular incident is the Nuremberg military tribunals which played a major part in how human research is viewed concerning peoples rights. This code was formed in 1947 and still plays a big roll in research today. (Genocide. First relating to the Holocaust. It was not listed as a crime in the Nuremberg court’s charter, but after pressure from Raphael Lempkin the scholar who had actually coined the term â€Å"genocide† prosecutors included it in indictments against some of the major Nazis on trial, and their closing remarks. http://iwpr.net/pdf/reporting_justice_p1_w.pdf ). This was one scenario that took away, the rights and dignity of human beings. Another example of history that has disrespected human kind, was UNIT 731, this was biological warfare research on humans by the Japanese army. It is events like these that have shaped how ethics have come about in today’s society. Making decisions that wouldn’t be damaging. How’s people’s respect and dignity protected today? What if during the course of research, an investigator notices that a person seems to have a learning disability or some other treatable condition? The decision to share this information with guardians or other services that could help shouldn’t be made lightly, since sharing information of uncertain validity may create damaging misconceptions about that person. On the other hand researchers need to know and inform participants of their legal responsibility to report abuse or neglect or any other illegal activity of which they become aware (Papalia, Olds, Feldman; Human Development p.56). Privacy questions are also raised when employers expand the depth of their searches, sometimes including psychological, polygraph and even medical record checks. The privacy of medical records is of growing concern. Our medical history contains extremely sensitive information, and access to it should therefore be limited. However insurance providers, researchers, have an interest in obtaining and using our information. Example from national nine news. There was a story on the news about how private our personal details can be? (http:/aca.ninemsn.com.au/article, Fri 07/07/06). Victorian MP Anna Bourke says there are numerous ways in which our personal information is traded. â€Å"There are cases of doctors giving out patient information to drug companies, private schools selling off old student lists, it goes on and on. Even Centerlink has been caught out passing on personal information. You don’t realize how often you give away your details†, she says. We all value our individual personal privacy, trouble is many other people put a price on it to making your personal affairs their business, information that you think is confidential now been bought and sold without your knowledge and without your consent. In one case, being investigated by the Privacy Commission, data was outsourced to and Indian Phone Company called Bricks and Click. Somehow that information ended up on the black market- the names, addresses, driver’s license numbers and even Medicare numbers of 1000 Australians. The challenge is to create policy or legislation that can balance the legitimate needs of health care and insurance providers with individual rights to privacy. The idea of privacy is ancient. The idea that medical records should be kept private is ancient, going back to Hippocratic Oath. The oath stated, â€Å"whatever, in connection with my professional practice or not in connection with it, I see or hear, in the life of men, which ought not to be spoken of abroad, I will not divulge, as reckoning that all such should be kept secret†. http://www.srcd.org/ethicalstandards.htmlThis idea has become one of the keystones of medical ethics; doctors should not reveal confidential information about their patients. However, there are certain times when it appropriate to share medical information. In today’s medical world, it is common for a person to have  multiple doctors, and to seek treatment from specialists. If medical records are not readily available to doctors, than the patient’s care ultimately suffers, as information about past treatments and conditions could be unavailable. Some questions remain though, how much information should an insurer be privy to? Should they be allowed to check and individual’s genetic record? Should they know if an individual has ever taken an HIV/AIDS test? How really available should our medical information be, and what steps should be taken to protect it? These important questions are currently unanswered. Questions:Why are there so many ethical disputes and issues in our society?How would you feel if your privacy was invaded and information spread around to people who we didn’t want to have that info?References:Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (2002). Australia’s health 2002. Canberra: AIHW. Barnsteiner, J., & Prevost, S. (2002). How to implement evidence based practice. Reflections in Nursing Leadership, 28 (2), 18-21. Draper G, Turrell G, & Oldenburg B (2004). Health inequalities in Australia: Mortality. Health Inequalities Monitoring Series No 1. Canberra: Queensland University of Technology and the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Hamric, A. B., Spross, J.A., Hanson, C.M., (2005) Advanced Practice Nursing. An Interactive Approach (3d ed.). Elsevier Saunders. Lynch, J. W. & Kaplan, G. (2000). Socioeconomic position. In Berkman, L.F. & Kawachi, I (Eds) Social epidemiology, (pp13-35) New York: Oxford University Press. Papalia, D.E., Wenkos Olds, S., Feldman, R., (2004) Human Development (9th ed.). Boston: McGraw Hill. Polit, D. F., Beck, C.T., & Hungler, B.P. (2001) Essentials of Nursing Research (5th ed.). Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

Native American Essay Essay

?From as early as before the time of the arrival of the European settlers, Native Americans have suffered tremendously. The establishment of the early English colonies and the future creation of the American nation impacted the lives and destiny of the Native American people extremely. One example of this is the Trail of Tears, an event which brought lots of people sadness and grief. Another example is the loss of their land, something which exceptionally changed the lives and destiny of the Native Americans. The last example is diseases, something that the Native Americans caught very often. In summary, the creation of the early English colonies and the future formation of the American nation impacted the lives of Native American people more than one will ever know everything about. To begin with, the English colonies and the American nation at the time forced the Native Americans through something everyone now knows as â€Å"The Trail of Tears. † This â€Å"trail† was a forced relocation of the Native Americans to another land the U. S. had provided. Although they were forced to make the agreement, some thought it was a good opportunity to start a new life and grow new crops. It was nothing like that at all. The majority of the Native Americans died of starvation, diseases, and because many did not have any shoes on their feet and were walking through snow, they also died of the cold. The Trail of Tears took place due to the Indian Removal Act passed by President Andrew Jackson in 1830. For years prior to the act, many disputes had taken place over land the Native Americans resided on. A previous law made it impossible for Native Americans to technically own land in the United States, then giving Jackson the ability to force them to relocate. Overall, the â€Å"Trail of Tears† is one of the many examples of how the English colonies and the American nation impacted the lives of the Native Americans greatly. Second, the creation of the early English colonies and the future formation of the American nation caused loss of Native American land. Even after the Indian Removal Act and the â€Å"Trail of Tears† caused the Native Americans to relocate to another land, the English colonies and the American nation took their relocated land too. Also, before that, a little after the Indian Removal Act, a law that authorized him to negotiate with the Native Americans for their removal in exchange for their homelands. All in all, the Native Americans suffered lots of land loss due to the American nation taking it away for them as they did not want Native Americans on their land. Lastly, the creation of the early English colonies and the future formation of the American nation caused the Native Americans to catch many diseases. This resulted in many deaths and a great amount of suffering, not only for themselves, but for their family members as well. Many of the diseases, such as smallpox, measles, and mumps, were of European origin, and Native Americans exhibited little immunity because they had no previous exposure to those diseases. Even though the European settlers caused these diseases, the Americans were also to blame because they came after the Europeans â€Å"discovered† the land. Many deaths occurred because of smallpox in particular but other diseases as well. In summation, the creation of the early English colonies and the future formation of the American nation caused the Native Americans to catch diseases, resulting in many deaths and losses. In conclusion, the creation of the early English colonies and the future formation of the American nation caused the Native American people great losses and many deaths in their tribes. One example is the Trail of Tears, an event which made the Native Americans relocate to another land. Another example is the loss of their land, something which the American nation could just not stop doing to them. The last example is diseases, something that the Native Americans caught very often, causing many deaths and lots of suffering. The creation of the early English colonies and the future formation of the American nation impacted the lives of Native American people to extreme measures.

Megalania - Facts and Figures

Megalania - Facts and Figures Name: Megalania (Greek for giant roamer); pronounced MEG-ah-LANE-ee-ah Habitat: Plains of Australia Historical Epoch: Pleistocene-Modern (2 million-40,000 years ago) Size and Weight: Up to 25 feet long and 2 tons Diet: Meat Distinguishing Characteristics: Large size; powerful jaws; splayed legs About Megalania Aside from crocodiles, very few prehistoric reptiles after the age of dinosaurs achieved enormous sizesone notable exception being Megalania, also known as the Giant Monitor Lizard. Depending on whose reconstruction you believe, Megalania measured anywhere from 12 to 25 feet from head to tail and weighed in the neighborhood of 500 to 4,000 poundsa wide discrepancy, to be sure, but one that would still put it in a heftier weight class than the largest lizard alive today, the Komodo Dragon (a relative lightweight at only 150 pounds). Even though it was discovered in southern Australia, Megalania was described by the famous English naturalist Richard Owen, who in 1859 also created its genus and species name (Megalania prisca, Greek for great ancient roamer). However, modern paleontologists believe that the Giant Monitor Lizard should properly be classified under the same genus umbrella as modern monitor lizards, Varanus. The result is that professionals refer to this giant lizard as Varanus priscus, leaving it to the public to wield the nickname Megalania. Paleontologists speculate that Megalania was the apex predator of Pleistocene Australia, feasting at leisure on mammalian megafauna like Diprotodon (better known as the Giant Wombat) and Procoptodon (the Giant Short-Faced Kangaroo). The Giant Monitor Lizard would have been relatively immune from predation itself unless it happened to spar with two other predators that shared its late Pleistocene territory: Thylacoleo, the Marsupial Lion, or the Quinkana, a 10-foot-long, 500-pound crocodile. (Given its splay-legged posture, it seems unlikely that Megalania could have outrun more fleet-footed mammalian predators, especially if these furry assassins decided to gang up for the hunt.) One interesting fact about Megalania is that its the largest identified lizard ever to have lived on our planet. If that makes you do a double-take, remember that Megalania technically belongs to the order Squamata, placing it on an entirely different branch of evolution than plus-sized prehistoric reptiles like dinosaurs, archosaurs, and therapsids. Today, Squamata is represented by close to 10,000 species of lizards and snakes, including Megalanias modern descendants, the monitor lizards. Megalania is one of the few giant Pleistocene animals the demise of which cant be traced directly to early humans; the Giant Monitor Lizard was probably doomed to extinction by the disappearance of the gentle, herbivorous, oversized mammals that early Australians preferred to hunt instead. (The first human settlers arrived on Australia about 50,000 years ago.) Since Australia is such a huge and uncharted landmass, there are some people who believe that Megalania still lurks in the interior of the continent, but there isnt a shred of evidence to support this view!

Profile of Serial Killer John Eric Armstrong

Profile of Serial Killer John Eric Armstrong John Eric Armstrong was a 300-pound, former U.S. Navy sailor, who was known for being mild-mannered and who had an innocent child-like look, so much so, that while in the Navy he was nicknamed Opie by his mates. Armstrong joined the Navy in 1992 when he was 18 years old. He served seven years on the Nimitz aircraft carrier. During his time in the Navy he received four promotions and earned two Good Conduct medals. When he left the Navy in 1999, he and his wife moved to Deaborn Heights, a working-class neighborhood in Michigan. He got a job with Target retail stores and later with the Detroit Metropolitan Airport refueling airplanes.   Those who lived around the Armstrongs thought of John as a good neighbor and stand-up guy who was a committed husband and devoted father to his 14-month-old son.   A Call to the Police Detroit investigators became suspicious of Armstrong after he contacted them in regards to a body he saw floating in the Rouge River. He told the police that he was walking on the bridge when suddenly he felt ill and leaned over the bridge and saw the body. Police pulled the body of 39-year-old Wendy Joran out of the river. Joran was known to the police. She was an active drug user and prostitute. Investigators noted that Jorans murder was very similar to a string of murders of prostitutes which had recently occurred. Police Suspect Armstrong Investigators looking into the possibility that a serial killer was murdering local prostitutes found Armstrongs walking along the bridge story to be highly suspicious. They decided to place him under surveillance. Once they had Jorans DNA and other evidence collected they went to Armstrongs home and requested a blood sample and asked if they could collect fibers from around his home and from the inside of his car. Armstrong agreed and allowed the investigative inside his home. Through DNA testing the investigators were able to link Armstrong to one of the murdered prostitutes, but they wanted to wait to get a full report from the testing lab before they arrested Armstrong. Then on April 10, three more bodies were discovered is various stages of decomposition.   Investigators set up a task force and began interviewing local prostitutes. Three of the prostitutes admitted to having sex with Armstrong. All three of women described his baby-like face and   the 1998 black Jeep Wrangler that Armstrong drove. They also said that after having sex, Armstrong appeared to go crazy and tried to strangle them. Arrest On April 12, police arrested Armstrong for the murder of Wendy Joran. It did not take long for Armstrong to crack under pressure. He told investigators that he hated prostitutes and that he was 17 years old when he first committed murder. He also confessed to killing other prostitutes in the area and to 12 other murders that he committed around the world while he was in the Navy. The list included murders in Hawaii, Hong Kong, Thailand, and Singapore, and Israel.   He later recanted his confessions Trial and Conviction In March 2001, Armstrong went on trial for the murder of Wendy Joran. His lawyers tried to prove that Armstrong was insane, but their efforts were unsuccessful. On July 4, 2001, Armstrong bargained down to a plea of second-degree murder, and as a result he was sentenced to 31 years of life in prison for the murders of Brown, Felt and Johnson. All together he received two life sentences plus 31 years as punishment for his killings. Armstrong later said that he began killing prostitutes after his high school girlfriend broke up with him for another man, who he claimed seduced her with gifts. He viewed it as a form of prostitution and began his killing spree as an act of revenge. FBI Launches an International Investigation The FBI continued to try to connect Armstrong to similar unsolved murders in countries such as Thailand, and all other places Armstrong was based while in the Navy.

Articls Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Articls - Essay Example The expectancy levels have also been questioned on their validity on assessing the quality of healthcare. The piece wraps up by arguing that it is not warranted to argue that the US healthcare system is not quality (Docteur & Berenson, 10). Dickson’s article indicates that the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission’s move to ensure that the congress narrows the variations in the payments made to the service providers in relation to the services provided (Dickson 1). MedPAC also advocated that the cover also caters for hospice services for its clients. If these recommendations were to be adhered to Dickson argues that the expenses incurred by Medicare would indeed reduce, and the services offered to the clients would improve to a great extent (1). Dent’s article indicates that cultural competency has been defined in various contexts (1). The article emphasizes that quality healthcare cannot be alienated from cultural competency. When the heath service providers are able to relate to the cultural background of their patients, quality service can be achieved (Dent 1). The policies made in regard to healthcare must relate to cross-cultural contexts. Dent, Lowanda. â€Å"The Role of Cultural Competency in Eliminating Health Disparities†. Minority Nurse, MN 2005 Winter. Web. 23 Mar. 2014. http://www.minoritynurse.com/article/role-cultural-competency-eliminating-health-disparities Docteur, Elizabeth & Berenson, Robert A. How Does the Quality of U.S. Health Care Compare Internationally? Timely Analysis of Immediate Health Policy Issues August 2009. Web. 23 Mar. 2014.

WORKING IN THE LAW Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

WORKING IN THE LAW - Essay Example Those who advocate for the abandoning of this doctrine recommend comparative negligence, which is considered more equitable than this.2 When applying contributory negligence, the person who is injured ends up being forced to bear all the losses despite the losses having been caused by a second party’s misconduct.3 The person who is injured in this case assumes the collective burden while the defendant is given a chance to avoid taking personal responsibility for having caused the injury in question4. Spencer Dalyan Vs. Samson Singer This case involved two friends Mr Singer (who is my client, the defendant) and Mr Spencer (the plaintiff). Mr Spencer used to go visit Singer, his friend who was a contractor in Los Angeles. Spencer liked seeing new buildings under construction and would go visit the construction sites even when his friend Singer was absent. At times, Singer would even call Spencer to go and check whether his casual labourers had done the work assigned to them in c ase Singer was not able to make it to the site. One Friday evening, Spencer went visiting the construction site near some posh neighbourhood he was interested in settling there some day. During this visit, he happened not to inform Singer since it was sort of a routine when he was free and did not see the need to call his friend to inform him of this. Spencer climbed up to the second floor of this new unfinished building to have a clear view of the ocean. Unfortunately, while standing on the edge of the balcony, he happened to step on a wet blast that had been placed some few minutes ago before the workers had closed the work. This happened because he was so curious of the view and forgot to look at where he was stepping. Spencer slid and fell down the building but was lucky to have sustained fractures on his jaw and hand with some bruises on the lower part of the limbs. Court case for contributory negligence Various contributory negligence issues were presented by both parties: Pla intiff Spencer sued his friend Singer for damages since there was no sign indicated that the place should not be accessed until it dries and no wet floor warnings had been put and therefore Singer should foot the bills and pay for contributory negligence by paying damages to injuries sustained by him. The plaintiff Mr Spencer argued that Singer should have put signs to show that the concrete was wet and warn anyone to be careful not to access the floor. Alternatively, he argued that the entrance to the floor with wet concrete should have been sealed. He therefore demanded that Singer takes full responsibility for contributory negligence which led to the injuries. Defendant (my argument) When presenting the case to court against the suit, I argued that the plaintiff was fully responsible for his injuries since they occurred out of personal negligence. I raised various issues to defend my case. First, the claimant was not an employee to my client Mr Singer and therefore not authorized to visit the construction site. This meant that the building was only accessible to the workers of Singer and no other person unless it was completed and opened to the public. Second, the plaintiff neglected the fact that this was a building under construction and therefore wet concrete was inevitable and should have taken time to look at where he stepped first before he made the move. He was hence not concerned with his safety and this negligence led to his slide. Thirdly, the claimant did not even inform the defendant that he was visiting the site in his