Anthropology Human and Natural Selection Free Essays

The chapter 2 in the textbook â€Å"Cultural Anthropology† mentions about the reflection in culture of nonhuman primates onto human’s one. In this chapter, I really impress about the idea â€Å"natural selection†. â€Å"Natural selection is the process by which organism better adapt to the environment reproduce more effectively compared with less well-adapted forms†(â€Å"The evolution of humanity and culture†) The â€Å"natural selection†, for me, is the best explanation for the difference between our modern humans and nonhuman primates. We will write a custom essay sample on Anthropology: Human and Natural Selection or any similar topic only for you Order Now From the beginning, every nonhuman species, including humans, had a common root. However, because of the difference sources of food, they changed their body structures (teeth, intestine) to adapt to their dietary needs. For example, frugivores eat fruits, so their big front teeth make them easily bite foods. On the other hand, folivores have the very strong chewing teeth to help them break leaves into small pieces, easily to digest because of their richness of cellulose chemical. In the article â€Å"Ancient Genes and Modern Health† written by S. Boyd Eaton and Melvin Konner, they also talk about the concept of â€Å"natural selection† in another way. They discuss about the change in height of ancient human compared to modern humans. According to them, the height of humans changed because of the decrease of protein intake in their dietary pattern. About 30,000 years ago, the average height of men is about 5’9 (177. 1cm), women 5’5 (166. 5cm); compared to modern human nowadays, men average 5’8 (174. 4cm), women 5’4 (163. 4cm). In my opinion, this decrease in height is also a kind of â€Å"natural selection†. Before, human food mostly obtained by foraging. All foods were absolutely savage. They contained higher protein. The more agriculture developed, the less the protein intake in the animal meat was. Therefore, humans obtained less daily protein than before. After generations, the human genes tend to â€Å"evolute† to adapt to the new daily protein needs. The new genes made human body structures get smaller. As the result, with smaller bodies, humans needed less protein to maintain the daily activities. In this case, â€Å"natural selection† represents as a primary role in human body form. Next, another idea which I really like is the female role in the ancient sociality. As I mentioned earlier, when human didn’t know anything about agriculture, their food were mostly obtained by foraging. Most women went garaging, while men went hunting. However, because of the limit of hunting weapons, the hunting foods were not enough for the whole sociality. Therefore, women, who the ones gave majority of food, had power in the community. I think by the time women got power, the world was more peaceful. No war, no death, no tear. I believe that the world would be much better in the future if women, again, have the power, have a strong influence in the politic manner on the world. How to cite Anthropology: Human and Natural Selection, Essay examples

Backbiting in Islam free essay sample

Backbiting, according to Oxford Dictionary is â€Å"Malicious talk about someone who is not present. † It originated from the improper attack from the back in the sport of bearbaiting(1). The word in Arabic is pronounced as â€Å"Ghibah. † Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) defined Gibah as â€Å"Your mentioning your brother with something about him that he dislikes. † Islam considers backbiting as one of the major sins that a muslim person must not commit (2). This paper will cover reasons why it is prohibited, causes, backbiting non muslims, cure, and cases in which backbiting is permissible. Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) once said, to signify the wrongfulness of backbiting: â€Å"Whoever backbites a Muslim spoils his fasts and breaks his wudu, and shall come on the Day of Resurrection with his mouths stench more putrid than a carcass If he dies before repenting, his death is like that of one who dies while considering permissible that which is prohibited by God (3). We will write a custom essay sample on Backbiting in Islam or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page † There are two main reasons why Islam prohibits backbiting: 1. Islam prohibits backbiting because it emphasizes on protecting peoples rights and feelings. Gibah could violates peoples rights and hurt their feelings; therefore, it is a serious sin. 2. Because of the fact that it is easy to commit, people usually disregard it and might feel that it is insignificant (2). Listening to backbiting is also considered a sin and sometimes the listener might be considered as a sinner a well, being in the same position of the backbiter. The messenger (PBUH) said in regards to that that â€Å"the listener is one of the two backbiters. † A person could be more sinful if he expresses his interest in the backbiter’s talk. In other words, saying something like â€Å"wow,† â€Å"Astaghfirullah† or â€Å"I didn’t know he would do such a thing† means that the listener is encouraging the backbiter to add something more (3). Causes People backbite each other for plenty of reasons. Imam Abu Hamid Al-Ghazali mentions in his book â€Å"Revival of Religious Sciences† several reasons why a person would backbite. One of the reasons is revenge, a person will gain satisfaction when he/she backbites someone since he avenged him or herself. Another reason is the influence of the people around the person. People sometimes feel pressured by their friends and sometimes the only way to fit in with the group is through participating in whatever that group is. Al-Ghazali also stated that some people have a desire to praise themselves through belittling others. In the same way, someone might bad-mouth another person out of jealousy (4). Joking and mockery is also a reason why people would backbite,and in regards to that Allah says in the Quran â€Å"O you who have believed, neither should men mock other men, it may be that these are better than they; nor should women mock other women, it may be that these are better than they It is an evil thing to be called by a bad name after faith. Those who fail to avoid this are wrongdoers.. † (Surah Al-Hujurat 49:11). Backbiting Non-Muslims It is generally discouraged in Islam because one characteristic of a good muslim is not to speak rudely or bad-mouth people. The prophet (PBUH) said: â€Å"The Muslim does not slander, curse, speak obscenely or speak rudely. †. However, Islam has a detailed ruling on backbiting the non-muslims. It can be divided into two cases or scenarios. The first type of backbiting non-muslims is one in which a person mentions the physical flaws of a another person such as having big ears or long nose. This is type is prohibited because your mockery of someone’s appearance is considered as if you’re making fun of Allah’s creation. The second of type of backbiting non-muslims is when you talk about his bad habits or behavior such as drinking alcohol or adultery. A lot of muslim scholars agree that there is nothing wrong with that if your intention is to warn people against him (5). Some muslim scholars talked about more specific cases regarding the backbiting of non-muslims. Zakaryia Al-Ansari, a leading Islamic scholar of the 15th century, said that it is prohibited backbite the non-muslim if he is dhimmi. 1 His reasoning is that it will put him off from accepting jizyah. 2 He backs up his reasoning by mentioning the Hadith of the prophet (PBUH) in which he said â€Å"Whoever makes a snide comment to a dhimmi has earned Hell. † Imam Al-Ghazali said that backbiting the dhimmi is forbidden because he is like the muslim â€Å"as far as not harming him is concerned. If the non-muslim is a harbi3, Al-Ansari said that it is permissible to backbite a harbi and he backs it by mentioning what happened when the messenger (PBUH) used to command one of his companions to satirize the mushrikeen4(5). Cases Where Backbiting is Permissible For every rule in Islam, there are exceptions and there are many cases where Islam allows backbiting(4). These Cases are: 1. unjustness. A person who suffered from injustice is allowed to mention the name of the person who committed injustice to someone who is capable of restoring his rights to him like a judge or a ruler of a city. If your intention is to change evil things or to prevent a person from committing a sin. If the intention is not to change evil, then ghibah is not permissible. 3. If you’re asking about a ruling on a point in Islam(Fatwa), then you may say that your brother, father, or wife has done such and such and you would like to know the ruling on that action. However, Islam encourages people to avoid mentioning names. The question can formulated as What is the verdict regarding a person who has done such-and-such? 4. If your intention is to warn people about the wrongdoing of a person. For example, it is permissible to warn people about a merchant who cheat people by selling them defective products. It is also permissible to reveal the faults of a person to someone who is asking you to evaluate that person whom the former is thinking of marrying. A legitimate evidence for is when Fatimah bint Qays when the prophet (PBUH) and asked him about two men who had proposed to her. He said As for Mu`awiyah, he is a poor man with no money, and as for Abu Jahm, his stick never leaves his shoulder. [Bukhari, Muslim, Malik]. It is permissible to perform ghibah if a person commits sins in front of people and does not have any qualms about his sins. However, It is prohibited to mention any of his secret sins. There can be no backbiting of one who casts off the mantle of modesty. 5 [Suyuti, Al-Jami` As-Saghir, 2/519, from Bayhaqi. ] Expiation A backbiter violates two infringements in Islam. One is the limits of Allah which must expiated by sincere regret and seeking forgiveness from Allah. A number of fatwas say that the backbiter must praise the person whom he backbit in his absence. The second infringement is in regards to people’s rights. The sin can only be expiated if person affected by ghibah forgives and pardons the backbiter. The messenger (PBUH) said that â€Å"Whoever has wronged his brother with regard to his honour or something, let him ask him for forgiveness before the time when there will be neither dinar nor dirham, and if he has any good deeds it will be taken from him in proportion to the wrong he did, and if he does not have any hasanat (good deeds), some of the other persons sayyiat (evil deeds) will be taken and given to him to bear. †

My Good Friend, Willy Shakes free essay sample

I am a literature nerd – were like math geeks but without the lucrative career options. I collect books like North Korea collects nuclear weapons, like the United States collects debt, like Tiger Woods collects women. I am the bookworm to whom English teachers automatically look during awkward lulls in class discussions. My literature addiction is the primary reason for my messy room: J.D. Salinger and Herman Melville have taken up residence in my dresser drawers, forcing my clothes onto the floor. I am the girl bookstore employees greet by name, the girl who will trade her lunch money for the newest David Sedaris book, and the girl who is ineffably excited about spending the next four years studying English. But, unlike your typical bookworm, I have been hiding a secret shame: I abhor William Shakespeare, the beef of literature stew. I realize that saying you want to major in English but hate Shakespeare is as blasphemous as saying you are a Christian but hate Jesus. We will write a custom essay sample on My Good Friend, Willy Shakes or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page But, you see, I do not understand the Bard and his language. Frankly, he makes me feel stupid. And to further my feelings of inferiority, there are Shakespeare proselytes everywhere spewing quotes with elitism so thick, they are one Othello reference away from choking on their own egos. I think its the footnotes that really kill me. Open any edition of â€Å"Romeo and Juliet,† and you are inundated with footnote after footnote. And theyre all necessary for understanding the text. Every pun, turn of phrase, and reference must be explained or I will completely misinterpret it, which is aggravating, since I like to consider myself literate. I was hesitant when I discovered my AP literature teacher is a quintessential Shakespeare groupie who believes that asking students to name the act, scene, importance, and speaker of a multitude of insignificant quotes is a perfect assessment for understanding Shakespeares plays. My apprehension should have been relieved when I received the highest grade on the â€Å"Macbeth† test, but my joy was tempered by the fact that I had scored a 64. My entire class failed; I had just failed the least. Thanks to high grades on essays and an extra-credit project, my hard-earned GPA was not in danger. My pride, however, was. Throughout high school, I have struggled with William Shakespeare. He has been a cloud looming over my head, constantly haunting me and threatening my future collegiate career. Honestly, his â€Å"thees† and â€Å"thous† and â€Å"wherefores† doth make me want to punch him in thy face. But assuming punching a skeleton in the face is neither socially acceptable nor particularly satisfying, I decided I was finally going to conquer Shakespeare and his perplexing puns in time for the upcoming â€Å"Hamlet† test. In true nerd fashion, I immersed myself in Shakespeare. I read between classes, in the bathtub, and at stop lights. I made flash cards and scribbled annotations. Im not sure precisely how this metamorphosis came about – perhaps it was due to the delirium of lack of sleep and human contact – but I found myself enjoying Shakespeares most heralded play. I became enamored with iambic pentameter. I found that beneath the dense language, â€Å"Hamlet† actually has all of the  ­elements of literature I covet: teen angst, metaphysical struggles, potential for psychoanalytic and feminist analyses, and drama. But, perhaps most importantly, I was beginning to appreciate the style. I have always been more concerned with the themes and the messages underlying literature, but â€Å"Hamlet† was making me laugh at previously indecipherable puns, call my friends â€Å"fishmongers,† melt over eloquent soliloquies, and fall in love with words and wordplay. I received a hard-earned 92 on the â€Å"Hamlet† test, and my ego was saved. I am now a devoted Shakespeare fanatic. I revere his sonnets, his plays, and his genius. I am as excited about studying him and other literary greats as Republicans would be over legislation banning universal health care. Having such challenging tests and a literature teacher who refused to spoon-feed us Shakespeare has reaffirmed my work ethic. I am glad I did not quit or concede to a failure that seemed inevitable, but instead rose to the challenge and conquered one of my long-standing obstacles. I know that college will be filled with much more trying challenges, both academically and personally, but I know I will not back down from them either. Plus, I now have my good friend Willy Shakes to turn to when I need a laugh.

african american history essays

african american history essays African Americans are and have always been a vital aspect to American society. They were brought here in bondage, and eventually received their so called freedom. It would be many years later before they would attain their freedom. Years of struggling to get the rights that this country had denied them. Years before a grown black man would be considered as a man and not a boy. There are so many hardships to be recognized for their founding contributions to make society what it is today. If the youth of today aren't taught what their ancestors went through, a certain value is decreasing among the following generations. It is very important to let the black community know of the past so they have a distinguished dignity about themselves. Knowing the history of African Americans will intern help us from repeating the same mistakes, and make us a prouder society. African American History should be taught in schools African American History should be expressed in public and private schools. We teach of the founders of the vast nation, and we only take one month out of twelve to acknowledge outstanding Black People. At times it seems as if they do not receive the honor that is due, and someone else gets the credit. It is a sad connotation that during this month you hear: "I didn't know a Black man/woman invented that". The majority of black children don't even know half of the accomplishments achieved by African American legends. Thus, they will never really know why they are in the position that they are in today. Black History should be taught in schools, as well as in the homes. Parents should also know their history and pass it on to their children. This will instill a legacy in a child's mind better than any instructor could achieve. In most schools, Black history does not consume the whole month. Teachers might read a few facts, or ask their students to chose a historical ...

Sex in College †Is there Love after Hookups

Sex in College – Is there Love after Hookups What’s happening to college kids and their sex lives? Sex is everywhere, as is pornography, but actually getting in a mature relationship seems almost impossible these days. Has romance perished? What’s up with that? In this post we’re going to look at five reasons why all college kid seems to desire is meaningless unattached sexual promiscuity over love. 1. There’s Little Time for Relationships Seriously, in case you missed that memo, the 21st century is moving at an incredible rate. There’s too much pressure, economic and otherwise. Too many classes to take and too many career moves to make. Ladies that go to college today aren’t trying to find Mr. Perfect anymore. Guys are more interested in becoming the next tech-icon than being a father. No one has time for a family anymore. Somewhere in the neighborhood of 6-7/10 kids are born to unwed younger parents and dad typically leaves the picture. That’s the reality off-campus. College kids know it and are trying to avoid it altogether. Sex, sure. Kids and marriage, no way. 2. The Hook-Up with No-Strings Culture Monogamy is so 1999. Gone is the pressure on young women to marry young. Then, from nearly every angle the entertainment culture is telling us monogamy has faded. It’s been replaced by hook-ups and a mindset that’s more bent on cost-benefit analysis than notions of romance. In his article entitled, â€Å"Who Will Save College Students from the Scourge of Doomed Campus Relationships?† Matthew Yglesias puts it this way: â€Å"One sound option is casual sex. The other option is to engage in doomed serious romances that will be shortly scuttled on the rocks of reality as it turns out that two smart ambitious people figuring out what they want to do with their lives probably dont want to make the kind of serious compromises that come with a real relationship.† This is college, and it’s expensive. More expensive than it’s ever been. Students know this and want to extract as much value as possible in the hopes that they’ll get into graduate programs. No one has the time for mature relationships or compromises. 3. The â€Å"Later† Approach to Marriage Monogamy We’ll find someone and get married later. And, the socio-economic environment is absolutely not conducive to the nuclear family anymore. 1 in 5 men have a decent job right now in America and can take care of a family. An abysmal number. Only 1 in 20 men in the old manufacturing world were unemployed. Men are finding it almost impossible to carry their weight because in this brave new world more feminine characteristics are valuable. Both men and women are forced to push marriage back because it’s not economically viable anymore. To live a middle class lifestyle both the mother and father need good jobs, and these jobs are increasingly hard to get. Marriage and monogamy are being pushed way into the future. 4. Technology Replaced Courtship In early 2013 Alex Williams published â€Å"The End of Courtship?† in the Fashion Style section of The New York Times. According to the experts he consulted technology is locking college students into the hook-up culture and then making it so they have no clue how to actually court one another and get into a relationship†¦even if they wanted to. â€Å"Traditional courtship - picking up the telephone and asking someone on a date - required courage, strategic planning and a considerable investment of ego (by telephone, rejection stings). Not so with texting, e-mail, Twitter or other forms of â€Å"asynchronous communication,† as techies call it. In the context of dating, it removes much of the need for charm; it’s more like dropping a line in the water and hoping for a nibble.† College kids these days are more likely to meet on an internet dating site than class, or a bar. A text conversation is the new first date. Social media platforms are the new singles bars. Orthodox courtship is nearly non-existent. No one mature relationships are hard to find. 5. Economic Maturity Comes Later For a large variety of reasons it takes longer for Americans these days to grow up and mature economically. For baby boomers, you didn’t really even need a high school diploma to get a decent job that you can live on. Now, kids feel pressured to get advanced and extremely expensive technical degrees. A Bachelors is the new HS diploma. A Masters is the new B.A. These are the realities. What about you? Do you find it impossible to date or to take â€Å"love† in college seriously? Do you feel pressured to ditch all conventional notions of romance and monogamy? It’s hard to say where this is all heading, but it doesn’t look all that great so far. The best thing we can do is talk to one another. Let’s hear what you have to say about the issue.

Compare the book and the movie of all the kings men Essay

Compare the book and the movie of all the kings men - Essay Example Movie had in it not only a strong and finest cast but a bit of philosophy, narration, great American prose and most excellent dialogues. Whenever a popular novel is converted into a movie, that too with a huge star cast the expectations of people with the movie rise and with that it is a popular phenomena that people compare novel and the movie. Where words and the feel of the novel attract readers, huge star cast with great dialogues attracts audience in the cinema. Where the novel â€Å"All the King’s men† is not a linear novel, reader can easily get confused at various points as the nature of the novel is anti-chronological. Time Travelling is an important factor in the novel and it often confuses the reader regarding realizing which time period they are in (New York Times,2006). The novel start with the setup in year 1936 where protagonist, Jack Burden remembering a road trip in the year 1933 to Mason city with Willie Stark, Tom Stark who is Willie’s son and Willie’s wife Lucy Stark. They talk about political pressure which Jack’s mentor Judge Irwin was facing. In the novel the conflict between Jack, Willie holds importance as it is the initial stage of the novel and the readers are in good grip of the characters. The readers can now well judge the shady elements in the characters. Judge Irwin is old so the readers can symthatise with him as well. The question which comes in the minds is why all this is happening because they are good friends and they share such a close relationship, what went wrong. The novel is very impactful at this stage and leaves the reader with a question of why this is happening. Movie captures the scene well too but the words expressed in the novel and the feelings which are expressed are more effective in the novel compared to the book. Jack goes in the year 1922, there is a lot of time travelling in the novel which sometimes confuses the reader as well. The Film however is set during early 1950s in Louisiana except for the flashbacks, where the well dressed and popular amongst all and also witty Willie Start is made the governor through the support given to him by the lower social classess.( Movie: All the King’s men) His supporters are his bodyguard friend Sugar boy, the journalist Jack Burden, Tiny Duffy and Stark’s mistress Sadie Burke who will help him against the upper class. Apart from the time setup in the novel and the movie there are some other prominent differences in both as well, from the character development of the Sugar boy who in the book is totally following Willie’s every move however in the movie he plays a silent bodyguard. (Empire Magazine,2006). Another important factor or the dissimilarity is the character development of Jack. Jack’s character in the book is a very complex. He is cynic and indifferent towards life. Jack’s excessive love towards character of Anna Stanton is clearly seen in the book, also Jack’ s anger in the book is far more impactful when he figured out that Willie has taken Anne as a mistress. The movie however was just partially successful in capturing the emotional side of Jack’s character. Particularly, his philosophical discussion in the novel about what he calls "The Great Twitch" is missing in the film. In keeping with the era of the 1930s, Jack is also fairly racist by standards of a later era, an aspect that is not portrayed in the film.   One major setback of the movie was removing Tom Stark’

Groupware Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Groupware - Essay Example Today, it is undeniable that technological innovation brings the convenience of many previous laborious works. It is also responsible for the massive growth and fast traffic of the flow of information.Collaborative Software also known as Groupware is a computer supported cooperative work (CSCW). This study will nullify the downbeat notion towards the groupware that it is more of trouble than worthy to the organizational functions.According to Tom Blinck along with fellow authors in their online work Introduction to Groupware (1998), said that one of the major problems of this software is the complexity of the technologies needed that will be compatible for its function. However, hardware technologies are never seizing in development in order to comply with the best means suited for the need of the particular task.Another serious issue that Blinck and his company have been citing is the affordability of the available groupware for the company. It is undeniable the high price amount of the software, including the budget for the consultant of the software, and the trainings for the utilization. Blinck quoted Larson, stating that:"Economic recessions and restrictions of small to medium sized businesses produce decreasing budgets and therefore many firms perceive that they cannot afford to invest in GroupWare. This leads to a lack of support from top-level management. Usually the cost of implementation, hiring a consultant and training programs all add up to significant sums of money, that most firms do not see as a wise investment" Blinck and his party have been probably just looking at the financial security of the company so as not advising to invest in groupware. But they failed to see the potentiality of reimbursement of the expenses for the groupware package, or even beyond the expected price of reimbursement, due to its convenience of the function and production of the result a company could benefit of using groupware. The worthiness of groupware in financial aspect is the solutions it could give to the company and to its very user. The various components or collaboration tools of groupware surely make the various jobs in an organization a lot easier, and that is already worth of the investment (Lank, 2005). Components of collaboration tools such as electronic communication tools (synchronous conferencing, Web publishing), Electronic conferencing tools (electronic meeting system, application sharing), and Collaborative management tools (electronic calendars, workflow system) are the features of the groupware that could be very useful at the same time do not limiting the mobility of the employees within the workforce (Fjeld et al., 2002). Some of these features are common to the labels such as Lotus notes and Microsoft Exchange (Search Domino.Com, 2005). Another advantage of groupware is the wide scopes of areas of concern it can encompass as it understand the many tasks it needed to support in a company. The traditional interface only focuses on one person usability alone (Nielsen, 2008). Groupware is designed for the ease of the consumer and to assist regarding the productivity of the work in terms of quality and quantity that could be limited in the conventional interface of outdated systems. Some groupware even vary its design as the creators are considering along the size of the company, and the distinctive roles of the users playing in a team (Nielsen, 2008). Mobility is also a big factor to consider for a working company. Its limitation can hinder the production and the continuum