Discover The Adventure of a Lifetime in South Dakota Essay -- Tourism

Named for the Dakota branch of the Sioux Indian Nation, the State of South Dakota is a state that tells the story of America's westward expansion in a way that just can't be found elsewhere in the country. From gold strikes to battles with the Indians, South Dakota is one state that fulfills the typical Hollywood image of the Old West. However, visitors to this fascinating state will find that the story of South Dakota is much more interesting than any Hollywood western that they have ever seen. All in all, South Dakota offers visitors the adventure of a lifetime. South Dakota's Natural Attractions One of South Dakota's finest natural attractions is Badlands National Park near Rapid City. This national park comprises 244,000 acres of protected land that features wildlife like bison and antelope. In addition to this, there are numerous fossils that are found within the park that provide an interesting look into this land's geological past. With hundreds of miles of hiking trails and numerous other activities for visitors, Badlands National Park is one natural attraction that nature lovers will definitely enjoy. Another fantastic natural attraction in South Dakota is the Black Hills National Forest near Deadwood. This magnificent forest covers an area of 125 miles long and 65 miles wide and features some of the most majestic rock formations and canyons found anywhere in the United States. In addition to its rock formations, this forest offers some of the finest biking and hiking trails found anywhere in the United States. All in all, visitors to Black Hills National Forest leave with a deeper appreciation for the gorgeous natural beauty found in this region. South Dakota's Cultural Attractions Besides having numerous ... ...uth Dakota an adventure to remember for the rest of your life. Sources â€Å"Top 10 Vacation Attractions in South Dakota,† Choice Hotels http://centralus.choicehotels.com/south-dakota-hotels/top10attractions â€Å"Most Popular Attractions,† South Dakota.com http://www.southdakota.com/most-popular-attractions/328 â€Å"South Dakota,† Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Dakota â€Å"Badlands National Park,† National Park Service http://www.nps.gov/badl/index.htm â€Å"Black Hills National Forest,† South Dakota.com http://www.southdakota.com/black-hills-national-forest/103 â€Å"Black Hills National Forest,† US Forest Service http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:-ibL4Cz7AvIJ:fs.usda.gov/blackhills+black+hills+national+forest&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us&client=firefox-a â€Å"Wall Drug,† South Dakota.com http://www.southdakota.com/wall-drug/282

Jim Crow Laws Essay -- civil war, supremacy, black people

â€Å"Jim Crow Laws were statutes and ordinances established between 1874 and 1975 to separate the white and black races in the American South. In theory, it was to create "separate but equal" treatment, but in practice Jim Crow Laws condemned black citizens to inferior treatment and facilities.† The Jim Crows Laws created tensions and disrespect towards blacks from whites. These laws separated blacks and whites from each other and shows how race determines how an individual is treated. The Jim Crow laws are laws that are targeted towards black people. These laws determine how an individual is treated by limiting their education, having specific places where blacks and whites could or could not go, and the punishments for the â€Å"crime† committed. What are the Jim Crow Laws? They are a series of rules and precautions that are directed towards blacks and do not always mean that black people agree with the Jim Crow Laws. First passed in the North, long before the Civil War, such laws were based on the theory of white supremacy. In the depression-racked 1890s, racism appealed to whites who feared losing their jobs to blacks. (A Brief History of the Jim Crow Laws). The Supreme Court decided that public facilities would be separated by black and white soon to be called â€Å"separate but equal†, 1896. Then two years later the court would determine that black men could not vote, the Southern states began to limit the voting right to those who owned property or could read well, to those whose grandfathers had been able to vote, to those with â€Å"good characters,† to those who paid poll taxes. Guess what, this meant that only one percent could pass these new laws. These laws touched everyone. Blacks and whites co uld not work in the same ro... ...ks Cited â€Å"A Brief History of Jim Crow† 30 April 2014 http://www.crf-usa.org/black-history-month/a-brief-history-of-jim-crow â€Å"Jim Crow Laws† 1 May. 2014 http://www.gwu.edu/~erpapers/teachinger/glossary/jim-crow-laws.cfm â€Å"Jim Crow Laws.† 23 April. 2014. http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1559.html â€Å"Jim Crow Laws-Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site.† 22 April. 2014. http://www.nps.gov/malu/forteachers/jim_crow_laws.htm â€Å"National Council of Negro Women.† 28. April 2014 http://www.ncnw.org/about/bethune.htm â€Å"Separate is Not Equal.† 24 April. 2014. http://americanhistory.si.edu/brown/history/1-segregated/jim-crow.html â€Å"The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow.† 22 April. 2014 http://www.pbs.org/wnet/jimcrow â€Å"What was Jim Crow† 1 May. 2014 http://www.ferris.edu/jimcrow/what.htm

History of Babylonia Essay

Babylon is Akkadian â€Å"babilani† which means â€Å"the Gate of God(s)† and it became the capital of the land of Babylonia. The etymology of the name Babel in the Bible means â€Å"confused† (Gen 11:9) and throughout the Bible, Babylon was a symbol of the confusion caused by godlessness. The name Babylon is the Greek form of the Hebrew name Babel. The Early Growth of Babylon There is evidence that man has lived in this area of Mesopotamia since the beginning of civilization. The first records indicate that Babylon was established as a city around the 23rd century BC. Before this it was a provincial capital ruled by the kings of the city of Ur. Then came the migration of the Amorites. Quick Overview of Babylonian History Babylonia (pronounced babilahnia) was an ancient empire that existed in the Near East in southern Mesopotamia between the Tigris and the Euphrates Rivers. Throughout much of their history their main rival for supremacy were their neighbors, the Assyrians. It was the Babylonians, under King Nebuchadnezzar II, who destroyed Jerusalem, the capital of the Kingdom of Judah, and carried God’s covenant people into captivity in 587 BC. The Bible reveals much about the Babylonians all the way back from the time of Hammurapi (2000 BC) to the fall of Babylon (about 500 BC). Throughout the Old Testament there are references to the Babylonians, their people, culture, religion, military power, etc. Babylonia was a long, narrow country about 40 miles wide at its widest point and having an area of about 8,000 square miles. It was bordered on the north by Assyria, on the east by Elam, on the south and west by the Arabian desert, and on the southeast by the Persian Gulf. The earliest known inhabitants of Mesopotamia were the Sumerians, whom the Bible refers to as the people of the â€Å"land of Shinar† (Gen 10:10). Sargon, from one of the Sumerian cities, united the people of Babylonia under his rule about 2300 B.C. Many scholars believe that Sargon might have been the  same person as Nimrod (Gen 10:8). Artists Depiction of the Ziggurat at Ur Around 2000 BC Hammurapi emerged as the ruler of Babylonia. He expanded the borders of the Empire and organized its laws into a written system, also known as the Code of Hammurapi. About this time Abraham left Ur, an ancient city located in lower Babylon, and moved to Haran, a city in the north. Later, Abraham left Haran and migrated into the land of Canaan under God’s promise that he would become the father of a great nation (Gen 12). Alongside of Babylonia there must also be a mention of Assyria, which bordered Babylonia on the north. Assyria’s development was often intertwined with the course of Babylonian history. About 1270 BC, the Assyrians overpowered Babylonia. For the next 700 years, Babylonia was a lesser power as the Assyrians dominated the ancient world. Around 626 BC, Babylonian independence was finally won from Assyria by a leader named Nabopolassar. Under his leadership, Babylonia again became the dominant imperial power in the Near East and thus entered into her â€Å"golden age.† In 605 BC, Nebuchadnezzar II, the son of Nabopolassar, became ruler and reigned for 44 years. Under him the Babylonian Empire reached its greatest strength. Using the treasures which he took from other nations, Nebuchadnezzar built Babylon, the capital city of Babylonia, into one of the leading cities of the world. The famous hanging gardens of Babylon were known to the Greeks as one of the seven wonders of the world. As previously mentioned, in 587 BC, the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem and carried the leading citizens of the Kingdom of Judah as prisoners to Babylon. The Hebrew prophet Jeremiah had foretold that the Jews would be free to return home to Jerusalem after 70 years. The Lord had encouraged His people through Ezekiel and Daniel who were also captives in Babylon. During this 70 year period of captivity, the Persians conquered Babylonia, and the Babylonians passed from the scene as a world power. Throughout the long period of Babylonia history, the Babylonians achieved a  high level of civilization that made an impact on the whole known world. Sumerian culture was its basis, which later Babylonians regarded as traditional. In the area of religion, the Sumerians already had a system of gods, each with a main temple in each city. The chief gods were Anu, god of heaven; Enlil, god of the air; and Enki or Ea, god of the sea. Others were Shamash, the sungod; Sin, the moon-god; Ishtar, goddess of love and war; and Adad, the storm-god. The Amorites promoted the god Marduk at the city of Babylon, so that he became the chief god of the Babylonian religion, starting around 1100 BC. Babylonian religion was temple-centered, with elaborate festivals and many different types of priests, especially the exorcist and the diviner, who mainly were trained to drive away evil spirits. Babylonian literature was mainly dominated by mythology and legends. Among these was a creation myth written to glorify their god Marduk. According to this myth, Marduk created heaven and earth from the corpse of the goddess Tiamat. Another work was the Gilgamesh Epic, a flood story written about 2000 BC. Scientific literature of the Babylonians included treatises on astronomy, mathematics, medicine, chemistry, botany, and nature. One of the main aspects of Babylonian culture was a codified system of law. Hammurapi’s famous code was the successor of earlier collections of laws going back to about 2050 BC. The Babylonians used art for the national celebration of great events and glorification of the gods. It was marked by stylized and symbolic representations, but it expressed realism and spontaneity in the depiction of animals. The Old Testament contains many references to Babylonia. Gen 10:10 mentions four Babylonian cities, Babel (Babylon), Erech (Uruk), Accad (Agade) and Calneh. These, along with Assyria, were ruled by Nimrod. Ancient Babylonia – Monarchy The Babylonian political structure was a monarchy. The king ruled through a number of officials who were directly under and responsible to him but he could intervene personally at any level of government and administration. Thus Hammurapi (1792-1750 BC) took a direct hand in dealing with property claims in Larsa after he had captured that city-state. The monarchy  was hereditary and maleprimogeniture seems to have been the guiding principle. Babylonian historians designated a continuous line of kings a â€Å"dynasty†. The king was an absolute monarch and in the very early period there were a few checks to his authority in that he had to respect custom and tradition, private property, the sensibilities of the nobles, religion and divination. The king was the ultimate authority in all areas except religion where he was subject to the dictates of the chief god as represented by his chief priest. Thus in the New Year’s festival the king’s role included being slapped in the face by the chief priest and pulled by the ears as a sign of his subservience to the god. Ancient Babylonia – Communication, Roads and Scribes Efficient administration of the country depended upon good communications through a system of roads and relay stations for messengers. Written communications passed back and forth in great number and required a large body of trained scribes. Most people, including the king and his officials, were illiterate so that they were heavily dependent upon the scribes both to write and interpret their commands and reports in an appropriate manner. Many of these letters have been discovered in modern times and they provide a fascinating glimpse of the real events and human relationships of the day, in contrast to the official versions found in royal inscriptions. Ancient Babylonia – Nebuchadnezzar II Nebuchadnezzar II marched back to Babylon and was crowned king, which inaugurated one of the most powerful periods in Babylonian history. Nebuchadnezzar continued his brilliant campaigns focusing his military maneuvers on the west, which he effectively brought under his control. It was the kingdom of Judah who had called upon Egypt to assist them against the Babylonians. King Nebuchadnezzar continued his attacks and on his second conquest the conquered Jerusalem in 586 BC taking the survivors as prisoners back to Babylon. This was known in Jewish history has â€Å"the Babylonian captivity†and â€Å"the exile†. After he destroyed Jerusalem, Nebuchadnezzar focused his attacks upon Egypt and he conquered it in 568 BC though there  has been no detailed account of this invasion ever discovered, it remains a tremendous success for the king of Babylon and the first time any Chaldean king had ever conquered Egypt. After Nebuchadnezzar’s death his successors remained obscure untilNabonidus (555-539 BC), the last of the dynasty, ascended the throne. According to history Nabonidus, for some reason, lived throughout 10 of the 17 years that he ruled, at an Arab desert oasis called Tema, which was a vast distance from Babylon. In Babylon he left his son Belshazzar, to rule on his behalf. Nabonidus and his mother were from Harran and claimed to have been a loyal subject to the last of the Assyrian kings. Both he and his mother were zealous worshipers of the moon-god Sin, the tutelary deity of Harran, but when Nabonidus tried to promote this cult in Babylonia, the native priests, especially those who followed Marduk, became enraged. This religious controversy split Babylonia in two. Some of this literary propaganda of the time has been recovered. Babylonian culture flourished during the pax Assyriaca of the 7th century BC and again under the Chaldean dynasty of the sixth century BC. Their god Nabu, son of Marduk and god of writing and learning became very popular throughout that period. The practice of astrology permeated the Babylonian society to the point that there were nightly watches by the astrologers throughout the kingdom. Archeologists have recently recovered massive detailed records of the movements of heavenly bodies. Literature was copied and studied and many new compositions were created. In art and architecture the most impressive remains that have been unearthed by archeologists are in Nebuchadnezzar’s Babylon. The city apparently had not changed much when the Greek historianHerodotus wrote about it less than a century later and called its Hanging Gardens one of the 7 wonders of the world. In 539 BC Cyrus the Great of Persia conquered Babylon. Ancient Babylonia – Houses and Farms Around the temple were clusters of houses made of sun-dried brickand inhabited by farmers and artisans. The populations of the Babylonian cities cannot be estimated with any reasonable degree of accuracy, because the  authorities, so far as extant documents reveal, took no census. The number of inhabitants of a city probably ranged from 10,000 to 50,000. The city streets were narrow, winding, and quite irregular, with high, windowless walls of houses on both sides. The streets were unpaved and undrained. The average house was a small, one-story, mud-brick structure, consisting of several rooms grouped around a court. The house of a well-to-do Babylonian, on the other hand, was probably a two-story brick dwelling of about a dozen rooms and was plastered and whitewashed both inside and out. The ground floor consisted of a reception room, kitchen, lavatory, servants’ quarters, and, sometimes, even a private chapel. Furnitureconsisted of low tables, high-backed chairs, and beds with wooden frames. Household vessels were made of clay, stone, copper, and bronze, and baskets and chests of reed and wood. Floors and walls were adorned with reed mats, skin rugs, and woolen hangings. Below the house was often located a mausoleum in which the family dead were buried. The Babylonians believed that the souls of the dead traveled to the nether world, and that, at least to some extent, life continued there as on earth. For this reason, pots, tools, weapons, and jewels were buried with the dead. Agriculture formed the economic base of Babylonian civilization with production of barley, wheat, fruits, vegetables, with cattle and sheep predominating. The main crop in the time of the ancient Babylonians was barley. The farmer would sow his seed with a tool known as a â€Å"seeder plough† The plough would create a furrow into which a seed would be dropped using a funnel. A man would have to walk beside the seeder plough and drop the seeds in at regular intervals. This would mean that all the seeds would be at exactly the correct depth. It would have taken considerable skill to achieve tasks such as irrigationand the winnowing. If the farmer got the irrigation wrong he could flood the field or let it get too dry to allow the plants to grow. Similarly if the farmer did the winnowing in too strong a wind the grain would also blow away but if he did in too weak a wind there would be chaff and dirt still mixed in. The farmer would have probably followed his father in his trade and would have been taught by him. The farmer would almost certainly have been â€Å"apprenticed† by his father. Ancient Babylonia – Social Hierarchy There were several levels in the social hierarchy with the king at the top and the slaves at the bottom. In between, in descending order, were the nobles, the free citizens and those in military and civil service. The class structure was generally rigid although some mobility from one level to another was possible. The debt slave had the possibility of paying his debts and regaining his freedom but the only hope for the foreign captive was escape or death. Thus in Babylonian society there were mainly three classes in society, theawilu, a free person of the upper class; the wardu, or slave; and themushkenu, a free person of low estate, who ranked legally between the awilu and the wardu. Most slaves were prisoners of war, but some were recruited from the Babylonian citizenry as well. For example, free persons might be reduced to slavery as punishment for certain offenses; parents could sell their children as slaves in time of need; or a man might even turn over his entire family to creditors in payment of a debt, but for no longer than three years. Ancient Babylonia – Schools For the most part the only education that a young Babylonian might have received would have been of a scribal type. Those who were sent to school to train as a scribe had to be children of wealthy or influential parents. Boys were admitted and possibly girls as well. There is no doubt that rich women often had a lot of freedom and influence. By the time of Hammurapi (1792-60) the language of Sumerian had been replaced by Akkadian as the commonly spoken language in Babylonia but Sumerian was  still used for nearly all religious texts. It was therefore necessary to train students, not only in the script, cuneiform, but in the language as well. The students’ education would begin when he was eight or nine years old. Each day he would get up at sunrise and go to school, which was commonly known as the tablet house. At the tablet house there would be a man like a schoolmaster. His title literally meant â€Å"the Expert.† There would be a number of other teachers who would each specialize in a different aspects of Sumerian and its writing. To keep order some of the senior students would be appointed as a helper. A student’s work would consist of copying tablets using a slab of wet clay. Also he would learn various texts by heart. If he successfully passed an examination the student became a scribe. Ancient Babylonia – Astronomy and the Calendar The observations of the astrologers, which were meticulously recorded on a nightly basis over many centuries, led to accurate predictions of various astronomical phenomena and the correct calculation of the solar and lunar year. The Babylonian calendar was based upon the lunar year but, thanks to the astrologer’s knowledge, could be reconciled with the solar year by means of intercalary months. We owe much of our calendar system to the Babylonians. They were probably the first people after the Sumerians to have a calendar. This calendar was very important because without it agriculture could not be planned properly. There were twelve lunar months in the year but as the months were shorter than our months often an extra month would have to be added. This was called the second Elul. Each week was divided into seven days. The day was divided into six parts each of two hours duration and containing thirty parts. The Babylonians measured time with a water or sun clock. One can see from this that the Babylonian calendar has markedsimilarities with our own: for instance the twelve months in the year and seven days in a week. Ancient Babylonia – Medicine Medicine was practiced by two kinds of experts: the physician(asu), and the exorcist (dsipu), and the talents of either or both might be demanded at the sick bed. There was a whole set of diagnostic texts in which a multitude of possible symptoms was listed and the diagnosis, prognosis and treatment given. Surgery was known and even delicate operations on the eye were performed. The Babylonians had a superb knowledge of human and animal anatomy and physiology and were aware, for example, of the circulation of the blood and the pulse. Ancient Babylonia – Cuneiform The script of the Sumerians and all the other inhabitants of Mesopotamia employed to write their language, up to the first century BC was cuneiform. The name cuneiform comes from theLatin word â€Å"cuneus†, meaning wedge. According to Babylonian beliefs Nabu, the god of scribal arts, who was also the city god of Borsippa, gave cuneiform to them. When the Akkadians, Semite invaders from the desert, adopted the Sumerian civilization and part of the Sumerian Territory they also adopted cuneiform. They adapted the script to fit their own. The next wave of Semite invaders, the Amorites, did likewise, but they continued to speak the Akkadian tongue. Thus we find Hammurapi (1792-1760 BC) who was an Amorite, speaking Akkadian and writing cuneiform. Since the time of Hammurapi, successive Mesopotamian empires controlled huge empires in the Near East. Because of this cuneiform, Akkadian became the lingua franca of the Near East, as Latin was of Medieval Europe. This of course ended when Mesopotamian civilization declined so that cuneiform was no longer being used by about the first century BC. When the Sumerians first brought cuneiform into being it was nothing like the script that it was to become. It was an ideogramatical script (a symbol represented by a word). For example a picture of sheep would mean sheep. When the Sumerians came into contact with the Akkadians they needed to adapt their script to fit. This was necessary even to write Akkadian names. Obviously it was far more important for the Akkadians because they needed to write their language in it. Cuneiform then underwent a transformation. It became a syllogramatical script where each symbol represented a sound.  Therefore the symbol for a word such as ‘dig’, if we took an English equivalent would be correctly used in the second syllable of ‘indignant’. This transformation enabled cuneiform to be used with other languages. As cuneiform changed from an ideogramatical to a syllogramatical scriptits symbols were simplified. The original pictograms were complicated and hard to write on clay tablets. The symbols developed, losing many of their lines and the remaining lines were wedge shaped and straight. Cuneiform was originally written with a reed or stick stylus but this was quickly developed into a precision tool. We have derived virtually all our knowledge of the Babylonians from texts written in cuneiform on clay tablets. From these tablets we have been able to learn their law, business, administration, religion and all other aspects of Babylonian civilization. Without these texts we would know little about the Babylonians. http://www.bible-history.com/babylonia/BabyloniaBabylonia00000023.htm HISTORY OF THE HITTITES The first Indo-European empire: 17th century BC A group of tribes, speaking Indo-European languages and collectively known as the Hittites, establish themselves as the dominant power in Anatolia. Their capital is at Bogazkoy, a dramatically fortified city on a steep slope among ravines; its walls and towers enclose no fewer than five great temples. The priest-king who makes this place his capital in the 17th century BC is Hattusilis I. He has ambitions for his people. Moving south and east with his army, he reaches the Mediterranean and continues into northern Syria. Eager to give his empire full credentials, Hattusilis brings back from Syria a team of scribes, expert in cuneiform. They adapt the cuneiform script to a new purpose, the recording of an Indo-European language, and they lay the foundation for an important state archive at Bogazkoy. When the clay tablets of this archive are discovered, in the 20th century, they provide the basis for our knowledge of the Hittites. The magic of iron: from 1500 BC The Hittites are the first people to work iron, in Anatolia from about 1500 BC. In its simple form iron is less hard than bronze, and therefore of less use as a weapon, but it seems to have had an immediate appeal – perhaps as the latest achievement of technology (with the mysterious quality of being changeable, through heating and hammering), or from a certain intrinsic magic (it is the metal in meteorites, which fall from the sky). Quite how much value is attached to iron can be judged from a famous letter of about 1250 BC, written by a Hittite king to accompany an iron dagger-blade which he is sending to a fellow monarch The furthest extent of the empire: 16th – 12th century BC In about 1600 the Hittites reach and destroy Babylon, before retreating again to their Anatolian heartland. In the 14th century they march again to establish an empire which reaches into northern Syria, east of the Euphrates, and extends down the Mediterranean coast to confront the Egyptians. A hard-fought but inconclusive engagement at Kadesh in 1275 stablizes the frontier between the two power blocs. It is followed some years later by a treaty and the marriage of the daughter of the Hittite king (Hattusilis III) to the Egyptian pharaoh Ramses II.   In the 12th century the Hittite empire suddenly collapses – overwhelmed, it is thought, by the onrush of the Sea Peoples. These terrifying intruders are described in Egyptian chronicles as raging down the coast to threaten the frontiers of Egypt in about 1218 and again in 1182 BC http://www.historyworld.net/wrldhis/plaintexthistories.asp?historyid=ab66#ixzz2HIAKxOZL The Hittites were an Ancient Anatolian people who spoke a language of the Anatolian branch of the Indo-European language family and established a kingdom centered at Hattusa in on the central Anatolian plateau in the 18th century BC. The HittiteEmpire reached its height around 1285 BC,  encompassing a large part of Anatolia, north-westernSyria about as far south as the mouth of the Litani River, and eastward into upper Mesopotamia. After ca. 1180 BC, the empire d isintegrated into several independent â€Å"Neo-Hittite† city-states, some surviving until as late as the 8th century BC. The term â€Å"Hittites† was taken from the King James translation of the Hebrew Bible, translating ×â€"× ªÃ—â„¢ HTY, or ב×  Ã—â„¢-×â€"× ª BNY-HT â€Å"Children of Heth† (Heth is a son of Canaan). The archaeologists who discovered the Anatolian Hittites in the 19th century initially identified them with these Biblical Hittites. Today the identification of the Biblical peoples with either the Hattusa-based empire or the Neo-Hittite kingdoms is a matter of dispute. The Hittite kingdom was commonly called the Land of Hatti by the Hittites themselves. The fullest expression is â€Å"The Land of the City of Hattusa.† This description could be applied to either the entire empire, or more narrowly just to the core territory, depending on context. The word â€Å"Hatti† is actually an Akkadogram, rather than Hittite; it is never declined according to Hittite grammatical rules. Despite the use of â€Å"Hatti†, the Hittites should be distinguished from the Hattians, an earlier people who inhabited the same region until the beginning of the 2nd millennium BC, and spoke a non-Indo-European language called Hattic. The Hittites themselves referred to their language as Nesili (or in one case, Kanesili), an adverbial form meaning â€Å"in the manner of (Ka)nesa†, presumably reflecting a high concentration of Hittite speakers in the ancient city of Kanesh (modern Kà ¼ltepe, Turkey). Many modern city names in Turkey are first recorded under their Hittite names, such as Sinop and Adana, reflecting the contiguity of modernAnatolia with its ancient past. Although belonging to the Bronze Age, the Hittites were forerunners of the Iron Age, developing the manufacture of Iron artifacts from as early as the 14th century BC, when letters to foreign rulers reveal the demand for their iron goods. Recent excavations, however, have discovered evidence of iron tool production dating back at least as far as the 20th century BC. Hittite weapons were made from Bronzethough; iron was so rare and precious

Owning Feelings

The purpose of this paper is to explain to you the skills I have used in communicating in relationships. I realized how I have been applying skills like owning feelings, sending clear messages, and describing feelings. Also other skills like coming from an â€Å"adult, child, or parent† places and using assertive behavior instead aggressive and passive behaviors. When I communicate mainly with my boyfriend, family, and friends, I see how the skills in communication in relationships really work. From learning how to own my feelings, I have learned to let people make me feel something. When I communicate with my boyfriend, I see how much we don’t own our feelings. It’s always â€Å"you make upset†, â€Å"you make me sick†, instead of â€Å"when you are frequently late to pick me up, I feel upset, and I would appreciate it when you pick me up at the time I ask. † I would always judge his behavior; like when he is laughing at the top of his lungs, I would call him inconsiderate because I feel to be so loud while I’m on the phone, is rude. When I say those things, I don’t see that he doesn’t realize that I find he is being inconsiderate because he is not trying to be. That is just how he is. After looking back in the way my boyfriend and I handle situations, we both come from different places communication-wise. I always come from a â€Å"parent† place, and he comes from a â€Å"child† place. I realized this because in my nature, always wanting to help people, I tend to tell them what to do (I can admit). It works when I’m the leader of a group in class, but not on my boyfriend. I tend to tell him to clean up his mess & what he should do-just being on his case. I feel like he won’t do certain things unless someone is on him. I am this way because he doesn’t own up to his actions sometimes. He likes to blame me when something happens to him, like if I say something to his about doing him looking for a job and his mom over hears and then speaks about it to him, he blames me. Instead of owning the fact that if he was already doing looking for a job, no one would bother him. I realize I need to let him make his mistakes and not act like his mother. In this paper I have discussed, how communication skills such as owning feelings, describing feelings, and sending clear messages affect communication in my relationships. I see that the things I say and my behavior can affect the climate of my relationship with my boyfriend. I tend his mother and he acts like my child.

First Internet Reliable Bank Discussion Questions Essay

1. Even though the complete survey is not included in the case, summarize how the closed-ended and open-ended questions provided valuable customer insight for FIR. The valuable customer insight for FIR is – Convenience: Online banking is very convenient since it is web based, customers can access it anytime. Based on the surveys the respondents FIR is simple and easy to when viewing and paying bills. – Inconvenience: There is also downsides to FIR. One of them being mail deposits, another is no access to a local ATM. The big concern is the lack of security with the customers receiving phishing-type emails from hackers which can lead to identity theft. This is also a concern to small businesses who do not have a big enough protection policy when it comes to identity theft/hackers. 2. What customer segments are targeted by FIR? On what issues should FIR focus in order to build relationships with its varied customer segments? The customer segments that are targeted by FIR are Customers who are innovation-minded, busy and technologically advanced After 9/11, some key characteristics of online bank customers were the experience of using the internet, the rise of GenX, gender and socioeconomic status. The issues FIR should focus on to build relation ships with customer segments are – Security – Customer Service: One of the respondents loved how FIR’s CSR solved the customer’s problem in a short time. Which of course leads to customer satisfaction. – Customer Loyalty: The more customers use online banking, the more they will rely on it. (i.e. I have a specific Credit Union account thats based in Sacramento due to my parents setting me up an account, I live in SD so there aren’t many branches where I can deposit a physical check. The closest one is Ontario which is a drive. Yeah I should look into signing up for another bank, but it’s not many times where I need to go to the bank. The convenience of online banking for me is that I can make instant transfer payments from my savings to checking if i need an emergency with my funds especially with my dreaded car payments.) 3. Can you recommend specific activities and practices that they might engage in order to improve customers such as Respondents 3 and 137? Similar to all your answers, FIR should invest money on engineers who can help with encrypting their website. With some credit card companies you would need a login ID and password, then to select an image at the time of your registration, then they would ask the pin number or a question you answered (color of car, favorite animal, fav team etc). In a nutshell its like a combination lock. FIR should also contact all major email providers (gmail, yahoo, aol, hotmail etc) to collaborate developing phishing filters. Another activity FIR should focus on is customer feedback. FIR could contact their customers by phone or have directly contact with them.

Integrity, Confidentiality and Professional Behavior of Internal Auditors

Integrity According to The Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA), â€Å"The integrity of internal auditors established trust and thus provides the basis for reliance on their judgement†. IIA further added that to be integrity, internal auditors: * Shall perform their work with honestly, diligence, and responsibility. * Shall observe the law and make disclosures expected by the law and the profession. * Shall not knowingly be a party to any illegal activity, or engage in acts that are discreditable to the profession * Shall respect and contribute to the legitimate and ethical objectives of the organization.According to the 2009 Global Integrity Survey conducted by Compliance Week and Integrity Interactive, polled more than 150 ethics and compliance executives at global companies worldwide. The survey shown that nearly two-third (64 percent) of respondents use risk assessment specifically to review their integrity risks and to modify their programs as necessary. It also shown tha t 57 percent said their internal auditors have periodically audit their integrity programs and functions.Besides that, the survey shown that nearly 80 percent of respondents commented they use the internal audit function to some extent. Melissa Klein Aguilar (2009) further added that internal audit departments play an important role in ensuring the effectiveness of the company's integrity function. IIA do also issue a guidance says that internal auditors should â€Å"evaluate the design, implementation, and effectiveness of the organization's ethics-related objectives, programs, and activities. Confidentiality According to Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA), confidentiality is one of the four principles that internal auditors are expected to apply and uphold. IIA further explain that under confidentiality's principle, internal auditors respect the value and ownership of information they receive and do not disclose information without appropriate authority unless there is a legal or professional obligation to do so.IIA had also outlined the rules of conduct for confidentiality, in which internal auditors: * Shall be prudent in the use and protection of information acquired in the course of their duties. * Shall not use information for any personal gain or in any manner that would be contrary to the law or detrimental to the legitimate and ethical objectives of the organization. Office of Internal Audit of Wayne State University further elaborates the rules of conduct that internal auditors are expected to follow in compliance with confidentiality's principle.It stated that internal auditors shall: * Not participate in any activity or relationship that may impair or be presumed to impair their unbiased assessment. This participation includes those activities or relationships that may be in conflict with the interest of the organization. * Not accept anything that may impair or be presumed to impair their professional judgment. * Disclose all material facts kn own to them that, if not disclosed, may distort the reporting of activities under review. Be prudent in the use and protection of information acquired in the course of their duties. * Not use information for any personal gain or in any manner that would be contrary to the law or detrimental to the legitimate and ethical objectives of the organization. According to Chartered Institute of Internal Auditors, this principle is pertinent to internal auditors as they have access to a wide range of information and the employing organization needs to be assured that accessed information will be treated confidentially.Internal auditors also gather information through interviews, and interviewees need to feel assured that the information provided will be treated appropriately. Numerous corporate fraud cases happen in recent century such as Enron and WorldCom have triggered not only extensive academic whistleblowing studies, but also have caused legal ramifications that have led to the passage of Sarbanes-Oxley Act in 2002 (Eaton & Akers, 2007; Lacavo & Ripley, 2003). Before this, there are limited studies that have used internal auditors as subjects.This could be because to the argument that the reporting make by internal auditors on corporate wrongdoings is not an act of whistleblowing, but is the role on internal auditor within the ambit of their profession (Jubb, 2000). Xu and Ziegenfuss counter-argue that what Cynthia Cooper (an internal auditor) did in the WorldCom was considered as whistleblowing, this shown that public may perceive that the internal auditor as a whistleblower. Another possibility is because of misperception that whistleblowing only relates to reporting parties outside of the organization (Keenan & Krueger, 1992).According to Eaton & Akers, 2007; Figg, 2000; Keenan & Krueger, 1992; Near & Miceli, 2008, whistleblowing can in fact occur internally or externally. Near and Miceli (1995) argue that internal auditors have higher credibility and power as whistleblower than other organizational members as they are more likely to influence management to terminate wrongdoing. According to The Global Economic Crime Survey conducted by PricewaterhouseCooper (PricewaterhouseCoopers, 2009), internal auditing profession is indeed an important role in organizations as most frauds were detected by internal audit.It was supported by Miceli et al. (2008) states compared to other professions, the highest reported observation of wrongdoing was reported by internal auditors. Because of the nature of their works, internal auditors have directly or indirectly seen or confronted many opportunities for corporate wrongdoing and unethical acts to occurs, and the responsibility of disclosure of any wrongdoing is embedded in their job description (Near & Miceli, 1985). Another issue is on whether or not internal auditors should whistleblow when they discover organizational wrongdoings.Internal auditors always face situations that involve conflict of inte rest while executing their dual-role duties (Armold & Ponemon, 1991; E. Z. Taylor & Curtis, 2010). The dual-role duties mentioned here are the role of internal auditors as employed by the organization, which subject to the needs and requirements of their employment, and the role as members of a professional body, they are required to adhere to the profession's ethical requirements.Ahmad and Taylor support the view and assert that the role of internal auditors in providing auditing tasks for their organizational may cause ongoing conflicts. Zhang, Chiu and Wei (2009) argue that the â€Å"disclosing insider information to outsider's breaches obligation to the organization, violates the written or unspoken contract, and elicits damaging publicity†. However, ethically, internal whistleblowing, as opposed to external whistleblowing, is preferred.This is due to severe damage caused by external whistleblowing as compared to internal whistleblowing (Park & Blenkinsopp, 2009). In orde r to avoid the severe damages caused by whistleblowing, Vinten (1996) has suggested that an organization may minimize the risk by internalizing the whistleblowing procedure as part of the corporate communications. By having a proper whistleblowing procedure, organizations stand to benefit from actions of whistleblowers that may cause further substantial adverse consequences such as loss of sales, costly lawsuits and negative publicity.Professional Behaviour The general public demand professional accountants maintain a high ethical standard in order to maintain public confidence in the accountancy profession (Gordon Kiernander, 2009). The ethical principles that guide the work of auditors are listed as follows: * Integrity * Objectivity * Professional Competence and Due Care * Confidentiality * Professional Behavior (Farid Kerimov, 2011)Then, the professional behavior has been defined as high expectations for the auditing profession include compliance with laws and regulations and av oidance of any conduct that might bring discredit to auditors' work, including actions that would cause an objective third party with knowledge of the relevant information to conclude that the auditors' work was professionally deficient. Professional behavior includes auditors' putting forth an honest effort in performance of their duties and professional services in accordance with the relevant technical and professional standards (Government Auditing Standards, 2010).The main objective of an auditor is to purvey services at the highest standards of performance to satisfy public interest (Michael C. Knapp, 2009). However, frequently, users don’t have the needful ability to appreciate if the services offered by the auditor are or are not in accordance qualitatively with their requests, reason of which they are forced to accept till the contrary test that the auditors act in a competent and professional way.The guarantee of integrity and professional competency of an auditor c an be assured by the adhesion of them at an ethical code of the profession to which they belong (R. A. Kishore Nadkarni, 2000). If internal auditors or the internal audit activity is prohibited by law or regulation from conformance with certain parts of the Standards, conformance with all other parts of the Standards and appropriate disclosures are needed.Then, IIA’s International Standards for the Professional Practice of Internal Auditing (Standards) is essential in meeting the responsibilities of internal auditors and the internal audit activity (The Institute of Internal Auditors, 2010). According to IIA’s International Standards for the Professional Practice of Internal Auditing (Standards) Internal auditing is conducted in diverse legal and cultural environments; within organizations that vary in purpose, size, complexity, and structure; and by persons within or outside the organization.While differences may affect the practice of internal auditing in each enviro nment, conformance with The IIA’s International Standards for the Professional Practice of Internal Auditing (Standards) is essential in meeting the responsibilities of internal auditors and the internal audit activity (The Institute of Internal Auditors, 2010). Standards for the Professional Practice of Internal Auditing differentiate among the varied responsibilities of the entity, the internal audit department, the director of internal auditing, and internal auditors.The responsibilities as a consultant or internal auditor are listed as follows: I. Internal auditors should be independent of the activities they audit. II. Internal audits should be performed with proficiency and due professional care. III. The scope of internal auditing should encompass the examination and evaluation of the adequacy and effectiveness of the organization’s system of internal control and the quality of performance in carrying out assigned responsibilities. IV.Audit work should include p lanning the audit, examining and evaluating information, communication results, and follow up. V. The Director of Internal Auditing Should Properly Manage the Internal Audit Department. (IIA Standards, 2010) The Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998 (the Act) amended the Employment Rights Act 1996 and created a right to redress, enforceable by tribunal, in the event of unfair discrimination or dismissal by one’s employer as a result of â€Å"whistleblowing† – making a disclosure in the public interest.The Act sets conditions as to the subject matter of the disclosure, the motivation and beliefs of the worker, and the person(s) to whom the disclosure is made (Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998). According to Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998, the purposes of the act are: I. It aims to help prevent such disasters and corporate malpractice in general by encouraging workers with relevant information to come forward responsibly. II.The Act seeks to achieve this by o ffering a right to redress in the event of victimization if workers raise their concerns in the ways specified in the legislation. III. It is also hoped that the Act will promote a change in culture amongst employers, and encourage them to establish procedures to receive disclosures in good faith and act on them appropriately. The scope of the Act includes disclosures which, in the reasonable belief of the worker, show one or more of the following, taking place either in the past, the present, or likely to take place in the future: * A crime; Breach of a legal obligation (regulatory, administrative, contract law or common law); * Miscarriage of justice; (for which the appropriate prescribed person in England and Wales is the Chief Executive of the Criminal Cases Review Commission); * Danger to health and safety; (for which the appropriate prescribed person is the Health and Safety Executive, or the relevant local authority); * Damage to the environment; (for which the appropriate pr escribed person in England and Wales is the Environment Agency); or * Attempts to cover up such malpractice.Apart from that, whistleblowers making an external disclosure to a prescribed person, instead of to their employer or via internal procedures, will be entitled to redress under the Act in the event that they suffer unfair discrimination or dismissal provided they: * make the disclosure in good faith; * reasonably believe that the information, and any allegation it contains, are substantially true; and * reasonably believe that the matter falls within the description of matters for which the person is prescribed.

Judicial System in Mexico Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Judicial System in Mexico - Research Paper Example The Mexican court handles its procedures having been guided by the Mexican Constitution just like in other countries (Baker & Mckenzie, 2008). Whenever a dispute occurs between two parties that needs judicial intervention, the dispute is presented to the state court. The state court then goes ahead to verify the claim, after which the court serves the other party in dispute with the claim. The other party who is the defendant then has an obligation to give a response within nine days. This period is based on the nature of the claim that has been presented to the defendant. After both parties are familiar with the nature of the claim, the presentation of evidence begins immediately and this happens within a period of approximately forty days. For the evidence to be accepted for questioning it has to be very specific to the dispute as in Mexico, indirect or vague evidence is rendered as inacceptable in a court of law (Rolando, 2013). The components of valid evidence include documents, witnesses, confessions and technical evidence too that includes audio and visual evidence i.e. photographs, video clips and also sound recordings. The aspect of the technological evidence acceptance as evidence is relative depending on which country it is. Some states do not accept such kind of evidence. After the evidence has been received and rendered acceptable, the disputing parties are granted a chance to make their final presentation in accordance to the evidence that has been presented. This normally happens in a period of three days. After the conclusions have been presented, the court then gives a final resolution to the disputing parties. This happens in a period of approximately fifteen days. The judge then goes ahead to give a judgment after examining the available evidence (Timothy, 2013). The disputing parties can now go ahead and file an appeal or a complaint in case they are not contented with the judgment. In case of an