The Discovery of Amerigo Vespucci Essay -- American America History

The Discovery of Amerigo Vespucci Who was Amerigo Vespucci? This is a question I asked myself as I was researching the man credited with the discovery of the new world. Much information has been written about Christopher Columbus and very little about Amerigo Vespucci. To understand who Amerigo Vespucci was is to look at his life and times in that time period. This paper is an attempt to look at his history and try to get a better understanding of his life in the â€Å"Age of Discovery†. To have an understanding of Vespucci is to remember that to the day of his death, Columbus persisted in claiming he was in parts of Asia. This is part of the old world mentality and shows that Columbus never fully comprehended the achievements of his voyages. Two continents are named after Amerigo Vespucci. A great achievement for a man who many feel is a charlatan of geography. Did he discover America or was this honor bestowed on the wrong man? â€Å"In the middle ages, Europe knew less about the earth than did some of the ancients, for the commercial decline of Rome brought about the contraction of geographical knowledge.† [Pohl 6]. During this time period, men began to disregard authority and learned to rely directly on their own investigations. This is the seed that brought about men like Columbus and Vespucci. The period of the Renaissance is the fertile ground that brought about changes in the world of inquiry and scientific achievement in Europe. â€Å"This new spirit of inquiry received its chief impetus from the invention of the printing press whose importance outweighed even the greatest political event of the time.†[Pohl 9]. Printing led to the overthrow of authority and allowed the men of the period to come into immediate contact with each ... ...e the intellect of the times to figure out how to navigate in the oceans is just as important if not more than his discovery of a new continent. Some would argue this point but from my research, Amerigo Vespucci was truly the founder of modern navigation that brought civilization out of the dark ages to the modern era. He was truly a man of his times. Works Cited Cohen, Jonathen. â€Å"The Naming of America: Vespucci’s Good Name†. Encounters 7:16-20 Pohl, Frederick, J. â€Å"America Vespucci†, Pilot Major. New York: Octagon Books, INc., 1966 Arciniegas, German. Amerigo and the New World: The life and Times Of Amerigo Vespucci. Knopf, NY, 1955 Lester, C. Edwards. The life and Voyages of Americus Vespucius, New York: New Amsterdam Publoishing, 1903. Wills, Garry.Forward. Letters From A New World. Ed. Luciano Formisano, New York, Marsilo Publishers, 1992

Organizational Development: Discussion Questions

Week Five Discussion Questions Deep-level abilities are closely related to job performance. As a manager, how could you use the knowledge that people differ to increase the likelihood an employee will perform his or her job well? What challenges does this pose when managing a diverse workforce? * As a supervisor it is my job to make a peaceful and productive atmosphere. I have many different types of employees that differ from age, knowledge, race and gender.Not all of my employees get along with each other but they each hold their own abilities and skills. I fit the abilities together where they are needed and match the best I can as if their personalities are like Legos. It is a constant tug of war as it never fits exactly. * Employees often see change as threatening. What are some of the sources of resistance to change, and what can you as a manager do to overcome that resistance? * There are numerous reasons why employees resist change. 1.Loss of Job is thought of, Bad communicat ion occurs normally (You may not get the entire story / Rumors occur); fear of the unknown; Lack of Competence; and poor timing. What role does diversity play in managing change? What are some possible strategies for managing diversity? What influence does diversity training have on organizations? * Diversity is a range of different things or a variety. I would believe that diversity and change would walk hand & hand. You can manage diversity through the hiring process and repeated education. Socratic Seminar QuestionsThe influence in education is a positive and will convey the message if only the education is enforced during normal business. Does the type of change being planned affect the strategy for managing the change? Explain and provide an example. * Change should always have a well-planned strategy before implementing. You should also monitor the situation so you can help employees adapt. If you walk into the office and just throw out changes without having proper answers Organizational Development: Discussion Questions Week Five Discussion Questions Deep-level abilities are closely related to job performance. As a manager, how could you use the knowledge that people differ to increase the likelihood an employee will perform his or her job well? What challenges does this pose when managing a diverse workforce? * As a supervisor it is my job to make a peaceful and productive atmosphere. I have many different types of employees that differ from age, knowledge, race and gender.Not all of my employees get along with each other but they each hold their own abilities and skills. I fit the abilities together where they are needed and match the best I can as if their personalities are like Legos. It is a constant tug of war as it never fits exactly. * Employees often see change as threatening. What are some of the sources of resistance to change, and what can you as a manager do to overcome that resistance? * There are numerous reasons why employees resist change. 1.Loss of Job is thought of, Bad communicat ion occurs normally (You may not get the entire story / Rumors occur); fear of the unknown; Lack of Competence; and poor timing. What role does diversity play in managing change? What are some possible strategies for managing diversity? What influence does diversity training have on organizations? * Diversity is a range of different things or a variety. I would believe that diversity and change would walk hand & hand. You can manage diversity through the hiring process and repeated education. Socratic Seminar QuestionsThe influence in education is a positive and will convey the message if only the education is enforced during normal business. Does the type of change being planned affect the strategy for managing the change? Explain and provide an example. * Change should always have a well-planned strategy before implementing. You should also monitor the situation so you can help employees adapt. If you walk into the office and just throw out changes without having proper answers

Nature vs. Nurture in Language Development

What is Language? Language is a tool we have been using to understand and develop our thinking. We have been: Learning about the thinking of others by reading Expressing our own thinking through writing Exchanging ideas with others by speaking and listening Thought and language can contribute to clear, effective thinking and communication. Language is a system of symbols for thinking and communicating. At 5 years of age human is expected to have; Articulated speech, Vocabulary of more than 6000 words and Observe grammar rules.An Average speaker is expected to have; 150 words per minute, 20,000 and 40,000 alternatives and error rates below 0. 1%. There are two theories concerning Nature or Rationalism in Language and these are the Nativism and Child Talk model of Chapman et al. (1992). In the child talk theory the child’s needs will enable him to formulate speech based on his past experiences. Nature or rationalist theory is based on the following study by prominent people in h uman history: 1. PLATO knowledge and understanding: * innate * biological * genetically * common nature . Rene Descartes (1596 – 1650) Ideas existed within human beings prior to experience. * God * ability of the environment and the mind to influence and initiate behavior * reflex action (unintended behaviors) 3. Kant (1724-1804) â€Å"A priori† knowledge as illustrated below. 4. CHOMSKY The Nativist Perspective: Human beings are born with an innate capacity for language. Universal Grammar * An innate property of the human mind * Growth of language is analogous to the development of a bodily organ * Abstract that it could not be learned at allPrinciples of UG: 1. Language is innate 2. Our brains contain a dedicated special-purpose learning device that has evolved for language alone. * domain specificity, autonomy or modularity Nurture states that knowledge originates in the environment and comes in through the senses. This theory is called Empiricism defines as the imp ortance of sensory experience as the basis of all knowledge. Empiricism is otherwise known as the doctrine that says sense experience is the only source of knowledge, a belief that experience alone is the source of all knowledge.Empiricism is essentially a theory of knowledge which asserts that all knowledge is derived from sense experience. It rejects the notion that the mind is furnished with a range of concepts or ideas prior to experience. Three principal British philosophers who are associated with empiricism are John Locke (1632-1704), George Berkeley (1685-1753), and David Hume (1711-76). in philosophy, a doctrine that affirms that all knowledge is based on experience, and denies the possibility of spontaneous ideas or a priori thought. Empiricism (greek from empirical, latin experientia – the experience) is generally regarded as being at the heart of the modern scientific method, that our theories should be based on our observations of the world rather than on intuit ion or faith; that is, empirical research and a posteriori inductive reasoning rather than purely deductive logic. Other basis of empiricism are: 1. ARISTOTLE * Truth and knowledge to be found outside of ourselves by using our senses. 2. Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712 – 1778) * Emile: the hero learns about life through his experiences in life 3.John Dewey (1859 – 1952) * Structured experience matters and disciplinary modes of inquiry could allow the development of the mind. 4. Edward Thorndike (1874 – 1949) STIMULUS – RESPONSE * people learned through a trial-and-error approach * mental connections are formed through positive responses to particular stimuli * learning was based on an association between sense impressions and an impulse to action * structure the environment to ensure certain stimuli that would ‘produce’ learning 5. Psychologist B. F.Skinner (behaviorism or associationism) 3 needs for language formation: * time * opportunity * com puting power Skinner further explains that learning is the production of desired behaviors without any influence of mental processes. Programmed learning is positive reinforcement for â€Å"correct† responses Let us now bridge the gap between nature and nurture. Learning is a developmental cognitive process, human create/construct knowledge. There are three theories involved in this process; constructivism, progressivism and language acquisition theory.We will discuss first constructivism , the following diagrams will show us. Diagram 1: Psychologist Jean Piaget proposed two kind of interaction: * Simple interactions: putting together * Emergentism: adding more to what was put together The first box shows simple interaction while the second box shows emergentism. Diagram 2 shows us how the brain is constructed with interaction to the environment. Diagram 2: Vygotsky (1896 – 1934) states that all learning occurs in a cultural context and involves social interactions.The zone of proximal development (ZPD)learn subjects best just beyond their range of existing experience with assistance from the teacher or another peer to bridge the distance from what they know or can do independently and what they can know or do with assistance (Schunk, 1996) â€Å"scaffolding† that help students learn in systematic ways. This is illustrated further illustrated in diagram 3. To Piaget there are three element involved in interaction the structured environment, the senses and the brain. Vygotsky added one more element nother human being that makes now the elements of interaction four namely structured environment, the senses, another human being and the brain. Diagram 3: Second theory in bridging the gap is Progressivism which emphases on both experience and thinking or reflection as a basis for learning explore, discover, construct, and create. Emergentist (Tomasello & Call, 1997) said that there is something innate in the human brain that makes language poss ible, something that we do with a large and complex brain that evolved to serve the many complex goals of human society and culture.A new machine built out of old parts, reconstructed from those parts by every human child. ( contrast to domain specificity ). Diagram 4 will show us people cannot create something from nothing. People can create but from something already there. The picture on the left is the nurtured face while the picture on the right is the natural face. Diagram 4: LAD THEORY ( Language Acquisition Device ) Chomsky regards linguistics as a subfield of psychology, more especially the cognitive psychology.The Language Acquisition Device: Chomsky argues that language is so complex that it is almost incredible that it can be acquired by a child in so short a time. He further says that a child is born with some innate mental capacity which helps the child to process all the language which he hears. This is called the quot;Language Acquisition Devicequot; (LAD). Chomsky a nd his followers claim that language is governed by rules, and is not a haphazard thing, as Skinner and his followers would claim. We must remember that when Chomsky talks about rules, he means the unconscious rules in a child's mind.A child constructs his own mental grammar which is a part of his cognitive framework. These rules enable him to produce grammatical sentences in his own language. Chomsky does not mean that child can describe these rules explicitly. For instance, a four or five year old child can produce a sentence like, I have taken meal, he can do that because he has a ‘mental grammar' which enables him to form correct present perfect structures and also to use such structures in the right or appropriate situation. Language learning Input Mental grammar Is an (own rules) Innate ability LADGrammatical Output sentencesChomsky suggests that the learner of any language has an inbuilt learning capacity for language that enables each learner to construct a kind of per sonal theory or set of rules about the language based on very limited exposure to language. John Watson / Behaviorism A branch of psychology that bases its observations and conclusions on definable and measurable behavior and on experimental methods, rather than on concept of ;quot;mind. â€Å" Behaviorism is a psychological theory first put forth by John Watson (1925), and then expounded upon by BF Skinner.Attempting to answer the question of human behavior, proponents of this theory essentially hold that all human behavior is learned from one's surrounding context and environment. Diagram 5 shows the imitation process * Children start out as clean slates and language learning is process of getting linguistic habits printed on these slates * Language Acquisition is a process of experience * Language is a ‘conditioned behavior’: the stimulus response process * Stimulus – Response, Feedback – Reinforcement Diagram 5:SUMMARY Rationalism ( Bloomfield & Noam Chomsky ) states the nativist or innateness where children must be born with an innate capacity for language development. Children are born with an innate propensity for language acquisition, and that this ability makes the task of learning a first language easier than it would otherwise be. The human brain is ready naturally for language in the sense when children are exposed to speech, certain general principles for discovering or structuring language automatically begin to operate.Constructivism ( Jean Piaget ) proponent of cognitive theory which introduced that language Acquisition must be viewed within the context of a child’s intellectual development. Linguistic structures will emerge only if there is an already established cognitive foundation. The earliest period of language learning (up to 18 months), relating to the development of what Piaget called ‘sensory motor’ intelligence, in which children construct a mental picture of a world of objects that hav e independent existence.During the later part of this period, children develop a sense of object permanence and will begin to search for the objects that they have seen hidden. This is further emphasized by Vygotsky in his socio-cultural approach to knowledge. Another theory by C. A. Ferguson (1977) known as the Input Theory claiming that parents do not talk to their children in the same way as they talk to other adults and seem to be capable of adapting their language to give the child maximum opportunity to interact and learn. REFERENCES:Pinel, JJ (2011) Biopsychology; Eighth Edition, Allyn& Bacon. Nature versus nurture – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved from http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Nature_versus_nurturePowell, K. (n. d. ). Nature vs Nurture – How heredity and environment shape who we are. Retrieved from http://genealogy. about. com/cs/geneticgenealogy/a/nature_nurture. htmPowell, K. (). Nature vs Nurture – how heredity and environment shape who we are. Retrieved from http://genealogy. about. com/cs/geneticgenealogy/a/nature_nurture_2. htm

Check Point Personal Philosophy of Education

I share the same opinion. I trust that there are certain talents that all people should have. The talents are basic talents however they are the starting point. Talents are building blocks that let children to continue stepping up to the next higher level of education that an individual should have. Instructional Philosophy I would have a behaviorist style in my class. The hypothesis of behaviorist is an educational and psychological hypothesis that states that one’s attitude is revealed by surroundings, not some one’s heredity. I believe that this is very significant because if an individual is in a bad surrounding, then their learning is slowed down by that bad surrounding. If a child is in a good surrounding they are more willing to learn and they absorb the teachings better. Behaviorist or Constructive approach to instruction I personally love the opinion of having Essentialism and Behaviorist merged together. Those two are my personal philosophy in education. Essentialism philosophy and the behaviorist style combined bring out the reality that there are definitely talents required and that the surroundings must be precise for a child’s learning. These opinions will help me supervise my classroom better and assist with my instructional technique. When the four are combined, they will work fine with each other and make me a better teacher. Check Point Personal Philosophy of Education I share the same opinion. I trust that there are certain talents that all people should have. The talents are basic talents however they are the starting point. Talents are building blocks that let children to continue stepping up to the next higher level of education that an individual should have. Instructional Philosophy I would have a behaviorist style in my class. The hypothesis of behaviorist is an educational and psychological hypothesis that states that one’s attitude is revealed by surroundings, not some one’s heredity. I believe that this is very significant because if an individual is in a bad surrounding, then their learning is slowed down by that bad surrounding. If a child is in a good surrounding they are more willing to learn and they absorb the teachings better. Behaviorist or Constructive approach to instruction I personally love the opinion of having Essentialism and Behaviorist merged together. Those two are my personal philosophy in education. Essentialism philosophy and the behaviorist style combined bring out the reality that there are definitely talents required and that the surroundings must be precise for a child’s learning. These opinions will help me supervise my classroom better and assist with my instructional technique. When the four are combined, they will work fine with each other and make me a better teacher.

Sexually transmitted disease in Miami 2011-2012 Essay

Sexually transmitted disease in Miami 2011-2012 - Essay Example In addition, married-couple family type also comprised as much as 64.4% of the total population in 2012; while there were a total 48.8% households with one or more people under the age of 18 (Dept. of Regulatory and Economic Resources; Economic Analysis and Policy, 2013). The map of Miami Dade County is presented as Appendix 1; while the Dade Population Characteristics as of 2011 is presented as Appendix 2. Sexually Transmitted Disease Statistics Statistics on sexually transmitted disease in Miami Dade have revealed that the health dilemma is a growing concern for health officials in Florida and in the country. As published in the Huffington Post, â€Å"statistics from the Florida Department of Health show which of the state's 67 counties have had the most and least number of new cases of sexually transmitted diseases gonorrhea, chlamydia, and infectious syphilis over the three-year-period between 2009 and 2011† (Florida STD Rates: Best And Worst Counties For Gonorrhea, Chlamy dia And Syphilis , 2013). It was also revealed that Miami Dade actually ranks among the highest in terms of exhibiting the new AIDS cases in the country. The HIV/Aids Surveillance Report published by the Miami-Dade County Health Department shows the number of cases by gender and year from 2000 to 2012, and shown as Appendix 3. The statistics show that there is an average number of AIDS cases does not go below the 600 cases per annum level; and exhibits an erratic pattern where there are evident increases and decreases over the last few years. Likewise, Appendix 4 shows Total Gonorrhea, Chlamydia, and Infectious Syphilis over the Period 2009 to 2011, for Miami Dade with comparative data for the whole of Florida. This figure shows that the rates had been increasing for gonorrhea, chlamydia, and infectious syphilis since 2004 and the Miami Dade rates parallel the rates shown for the whole of Florida. Concurrently, the report published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention r egarding the survey conducted among the youth of Miami Dade to monitor Youth Risk Behavior has revealed the following important results: â€Å"47% ever had sexual intercourse. 8% had sexual intercourse for the first time before age 13 years. 16% had sexual intercourse with four or more persons during their life 33% had sexual intercourse with at least one person during the 3 months before the survey. 32% did not use a condom during last sexual intercourse. 93% did not use birth control pills or Depo-Provera (or any injectable birth control), Nuva Ring (or any birth control ring), implanon (or any implant), or any IUD before last sexual intercourse. 22% were never taught in school about AIDS or HIV infection† (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, n.d., p. 1). Nursing Diagnosis, Planning, and Interventions From the information and statistics that were provided, obviously, the rate of sexually transmitted diseases in Miami Dade have been on an increasing trend. Using the r esults from the Youth Risk Behavior Survey, it could likewise be deduced that unprotected sex accounts for contracting these diseases; as well as the lack of formal knowledge taught in school about AIDS or HIV. The report from the CDC indicated that â€Å"

Current Scale, Scope and Diversity of the Hospitality Industry Assignment

Current Scale, Scope and Diversity of the Hospitality Industry - Assignment Example The scope of the hospitality industry consists of businesses, like entertainment, food and accommodation. Under hospitality industry, a tourist is facilitated, as they are taken to theme parks, they are provided with transportation, and event planning services. The reason why hospitality industry is called a diverse industry is that they offer diverse services, for example, accommodation and entertainment are diverse fields. Moreover, the hotel industry offers diversification, because of the different types of job opportunities it creates. In a hotel industry, there are caterers working to provide food and beverages for the hotel guests. Then there is the management of the hotel, which consists of a human resource manager, operations manager, staff manager, kitchen workers, porters, bartenders and housekeepers. There are people who are responsible for managing entertainment for the guests, which can be in shape of a karaoke night, gaming arena, or a concert. Another important aspect of this diversity is the marketing manager of the hotel, which looks after attracting tourists towards their hotel and making sure that they reach a wide audience. There are different management roles in a hospitality industry, which are compulsory to run an effective hotel. The management functions of a hospitality industry include asset management, staff management, risk management, business management, logistics, financial management and statutory compliance. To train for these roles, the skills set needs to be strong and the qualifications need to be well integrated. If an employee is in business management, then he would need an MBA degree, to better understand his department; MBA is also known to be a benchmark, for management roles at a senior level. Moreover, if an employee is applying for Chief Financial Officer, then they need to have knowledge of preparing budgets for the hotel, making financial statements, managing the payroll of employees, making invoices and payments to suppliers and doing bank reconciliations, because these are the responsibilities of a CFO.  Ã‚  

Business Plan Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Business Plan - Term Paper Example The business is to be set on rented premises within the University. The current target market has no serious competition basing on a study that clearly indicated that no individual or institution had seriously considered kitting fans (Kurtz, MacKenzie, & Snow, 60). This is with respect to their sports with the aim of encouraging them to actually participate in the events at leisurely levels as opposed to watching and cheering from the sidelines. The niche is cut by the fact that fans only put on new replica outfits meant to identify with their teams but majority rarely try out their respective sports of interest. Provision of cheaper outfit should encourage participation hence a new market. This can also be seen as a way of offering excellence personal training kit for the very active and lively sportsmen at the expediency of their training grounds (Kennedy 2000). Through provision of carefully sourced used equipment not easily found within the city, Brave hearts intends to command personalized customer attention at an affordable price hence a great business opportunity (Hiebing & Cooper, 89). The Student has secured a central location in the city for easier correspondence with external customers. This should provide a collection point easily accessible from any part of the city through all available means of transport. Proper shop layout combined with Student’s knowledge and interest should make Brave hearts Sportswear Investment a worthwhile and profitable venture. Four years from now, Brave hearts Sportswear Investments will be one of the best suppliers of used but quality sports gear within the country with a fully satisfied customer base. This should translate to annual revenues of over two million by being consistent in timely delivery, reasonably priced products and organizing sports events for both professional and regular sports enthusiasts.