Reflective journal Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Reflective journal - Assignment Example Before her, many women lost their lives while bring new lives in to the world. Nurses had to go through a basic nursing training before specializing in midwifery as a post-basic course, a process that was quite lengthy. The contributions of Gaskin towards safe motherhood initiatives sensitized Americans about the rising rates of maternal death. In my view, the project was a great success as there was a sharp decline in mortality rates. Teenage pregnancy rate in America is among the highest in the industrialized world. I however, find her initiatives narrow and one-sided because the focus is on safe delivery and not on safe sex behavior. Ina Gaskin’s contributions have transformed midwifery into a specialized field of nursing. We now have more midwives and midwifery training schools. The focus of midwifery is now on prenatal, peri-natal and postnatal health of the mother and child. More women are now seeking specialized midwifery services. Nurses can now manage shoulder dystocia competently giving them a greater role. Ian May Gaskin transformed midwifery into a specialized distinct field by starting the direct midwifery training. This taught me that nursing could specialize more as a profession to give the nurses a greater role in health care. Gaskin’s development of Gaskin’s maneuver made me realize that nurses can play a greater role in managing difficult labor because the nurses were viewed to be competent in managing normal labor alone. With a good foundation laid by Gaskin, I intend to broaden the focus of midwifery to deal with difficult labor. This will be achieved by introduction of training modules and workshops for pre-service and in-service midwives on the management of difficult labor. This will ensure that as the numbers of midwives rise, their competency in managing labor is also

Bussiness message Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Bussiness message - Essay Example This message is very critical to the success of the sending supplier but the manner of its formatting and structure fails to make it comprehensible and meaningful to the recipient. The design is out of context due to its poor organization while the content is vague with a number of meaningless remarks. The sentences are randomly written with total disregard to business message rubrics and this makes the connection of ideas in the letter incomprehensible. The message ought to take this format to be relevant in the business field for which it is meant â€Å"We would like to inform you that we have received you 6 DVDs order and promises to deliver them by March 25th, 2013 as per your request. We give you 100% surety that you will be satisfied with our products and kindly mail us to this effect once you have used our products. We believe the 6 DVD’s are going to meet your desires of achieving the best from your firm’s employee appraisal project, recruitment criteria, and subsequent improved performance.Take note that each DVD has slide show Tips and techniques that will make it easy when training the employees.Each DVD is accompanied by a booklet that will assist the trainers in maximizing the value of the procurement and achieve the goals of your organization.These booklets contain participants materials that can freely be copied for in-house seminars and workshops Enclosed with this order is our catalog of the latest training DVDs materials offer which are user-friendly and have a warranty of 30 days.

Financial Systems and audits Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Financial Systems and audits - Essay Example An income statement is composed of several items, including sales, costs, increase and decrease in intangible value, taxes, and outstanding shares. Another key accounting record is the balance sheet. A balance sheet categorizes a company’s resources such as assets, liabilities and owner’s equity. According to Pandey (2002), the components of a balance sheet are divided into current and long-term categories. Pandey (2002) further observes that these components are listed in order of liquidity. Besides a balance sheet and income of statement, a statement of cash flows is also very important in a business. A statement of cash flow provides one with information about a company’s cash receipts and cash payments during a period. According to Khan and Jain (2003), a statement of cash flow has several objectives. Firstly, it is effective in predicting the amounts timing and ascertaining of future cash flows. Secondly, it indicates how cash is used and generated. For thes e reasons, it also helps the creditors, stockholders and customers to determine the flow of cash in a business. Thirdly, it helps an entrepreneur to understand the differences between net income and net cash flow from operating activities. Finally, it helps an entrepreneur to examine a company’s investing activities and financing transactions. 2. Importance of accounting concepts It is important for an entrepreneur to understand different accounting concepts the common of which are business entity, matching concept, money measurement, going concern, accounting period, cost concept, realization concept and accrual concept. To understand the importance of each of these concepts it is instructive to examine their roles. To start with, the business entity treats business and owner as two different entities. In other words, a business entity is the very basis of accounting concepts, conventions and principles. The money measurement concept allows an entrepreneur to distinguish bet ween transactions that can be expressed in terms of money and those that cannot. The going-concern concept assumes a business entity can carry out its activities for an indefinite period of time. This concept is important as it facilitates the preparation of financial statements. The accounting period concept is important in calculating tax, predicting future prospects of a business and helping an entrepreneur to procure credit from financial institutions. The accounting cost concept requires all assets to be recorded in the books of account at their purchase price. This requirement is helpful in the sense that it allows an entrepreneur to calculate depreciation of fixed assets. Another key concept is the dual aspect concept which allows an entrepreneur to detect errors. Another key concept is the realization concept which makes accounting information more objective. Equally important is the accrual concept which helps an entrepreneur to know the actual expenses and income during a particular period of time. In addition, using this concept an entrepreneur should be able to calculate the net profit of his or her business. Finally, there is the matching concept which states that revenue and expenses should be recorded in the same accounting period. This concept should help an entrepreneur to ascertain the exact amount of profit or loss of the business. 3. Factors influencing the structure of accounting systems In order to effectively business it is also important for an

Everything you Need to Know About Human papillomavirus Essay Example for Free

Everything you Need to Know About Human papillomavirus Essay Chances are you have at least came into contact with the human papilliomavirus and had no clue you did. Most adults have whom are sexually active have been exposed to HPV, with as many as 20 million estimated Americans to be infected with the strains that cause genital warts. The good news, most cases have no symptoms of health problems. Now for the bad news, it causes nearly all cases of cervical cancer . In many ways, you can compare HPV to genital herpes. Both are incurable and rarely have symptoms. However, both are capable of causing medical problems and are both widespread in this country. Luckily, HPV only causes cancer in a small percentage of those infected. Besides cervical cancer, which is usually all that ever gets mentioned when discussing this infection, HPV can also cause cancer of the vulva, penis, head, neck, and anus, but these are extremely rare. These viruses are called papillomavirus because they tend to cause warts, or papillomas. Which are benign tumors. Warts caused from HPV can appear in the hands, feet or on/around the genital area. The strains of HPV that cause warts on the hands and feet are rarely the same as the ones that cause genital warts. There are about two hundred different types of HPV. Only about forty strains are caused from some form of sexual contact and only a handful are associated with cervical cancer. More than ninety-five percent of HPV viruses cause no symptoms and problems. The Gardasil vaccine, a serious of three shots over a period of six months, was approved for women between the ages of thirteen and twenty-six. This vaccine was shown to prevent HPV strains sixteen and eighteen, strains causing seventy percent of cervical cancer. Gardisil does not cure or prevent all strains of HPV. Researchers dont know if patients who show no symptoms are as contagious as the ones who are.

Iberian Landscape In Jamon Jamon Film Studies Essay

Iberian Landscape In Jamon Jamon Film Studies Essay Explain how Bigas Lunas use of the Iberian landscape in Jamà ³n, jamà ³n contributes to our perception of the films themes. Arguably one of the main concerns of the early 1990s cinematic work of Spanish-Catalan director Bigas Luna is that of place or space (Smith, 2000, 89), and it is within this context that the following discussion of Jamà ³n, jamà ³n (1992), the first film belonging to his Iberian Trilogy, will be placed. If location is key in setting up expectation with regard to theme in Spanish cinema (Jordan Allinson, 2005, 36), the way in which Bigas Luna utilizes the rural locale of Los Monegros is therefore central to the audiences ability to engage with the thematic discourse. In relation to Jamà ³n, jamà ³n, Deleyto (1999, 270) emphasizes the complex use of filmic and real space as the main device with which the principal themes of gender roles and national identity are communicated, themes which form part of what Fouz-Hernà ¡ndez (2005, 189) argues is an overall strategy to scrutinize Spanish stereotypes, or Spanishness (ibid., 189), from the viewpoint of both an outsider and insider. Consequently, by focusing specifically on the two aforementioned themes, the analysis in-hand will examine the Iberian landscape in terms of its allegorical function, whereby it continually negotiates the binary oppositions of femininity and masculinity, nature and manufacture, as well as geography and culture. Ultimately, as the concept of theme corresponds to the focus which unifies the central concerns of a film (Boggs, 1996, 10), I aim to show that it is this dynamic and ubiquitous integration of setting which, by aiding audience perception of the themes of gender and national identity, facilitates a more comprehensive understanding of the filmic work as a whole. Hochbergs (2007, 57) analysis of perception indicates that as film constitutes a communicative process, initiating an early connection with the audience is key to cinematic understanding; a type of engagement which is immediately evident in Jamà ³n, jamà ³n. In the opening sequence, the camera pans down from behind the silhouette of a bull hoarding to reveal a sparse panorama of Los Monegros, however as its bareness gives limited indication as to the location other than that of rural Spain, the setting is instantly set up as a symbolic mar de tierra, donde la aridez hace que todos los elementos destaquen (Alegre, 1991, 10. Consequently, the geographical landscape functions as an allegorical space against which stereotypes can be constructed, in turn alluding to the thematic treatment of characters, rather than as individuals, as symbols of certain kinds of Spanishness (Deleyto, 1999, 270). In highlighting its starkness as the means by which the audience is steered towards acknowledging the representative function of the characters, the geographical setting is performing an active role in the thematic narrative and can be viewed as a protagonist itself. A traditional reading of the earth as a signifier of fertility and motherhood, whilst rendering this seventh character inherently feminine (Deleyto, 1999, 273), is juxtaposed with the historical as well as visually apparent reality of Los Monegros as a terreno [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] de secano (Madoz, 1850, 193). As a result, the landscape evokes an opposition between nurture and destruction which is subsequently mirrored in Carmen and Conchita; the former, an embodiment of mother-earth who uses her sexuality to provide for her daughters whilst the latter is a signifier of the arid land, given her excessive displays of voracious motherhood (Deleyto, 1999, 285). As Hochberg (2007, 26) states that symbolisation makes possible pe rception at a distance, the allegorical use of the natural surroundings can be understood as a way of drawing audience attention to the problematic representations of motherhood and femininity that thread throughout the film. The imagery connected with Silvia further demonstrates how the landscape is used to communicate a thematic narrative on gender roles. In her first joint appearance with Josà © Luis, the visual association between the hills and Silvias curvaceous breasts (Fouz-Hernà ¡ndez, 2005, 193) reinforces the link between the land and femininity, with the backdrop of the naked feminine surroundings figuratively mirroring Silvias nude upper body and thus affirming female spatial dominance in the scene. Equally, Silvia occupies a more central and superior physical position in the frame, as Josà © Luis is seen crouching down in order to taste her breasts. As Monaco (2009, 160) argues that the power of film lies in its capacity to state rather than suggest, the use of the Iberian locale to emphasise femininity can be understood as a direct attempt by Bigas Luna to thematically undermine dominant machismo in Spain, and in doing so is calling for the audience to rethink the overall relevance of Spa nish stereotypes. By describing his Iberia as a space in which [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] locality is lived with uniquely sensual vividness (Smith, 2000, 107), Bigas Luna acknowledges a sexualised interpretation of the filmic setting. Hence, with sex central to the macho ibà ©rico stereotype (Holder, 1998, 35), the landscapes relation to male virility must be examined, specifically the films thematic portrayal of a stereotypical, almost grotesque version of Spanish masculinity (Jordan Allinson, 2005, 168). Given that our analysis considers the question of spectator perception, it can be proposed that it is precisely by Bigas Luna using the landscape to play with audience expectation that our focus is drawn to the thematic relevance of exaggerated displays of male sexuality. The shots of the Osborne bull hoarding, in both the opening sequence and the scene where Josà © Luis forces himself on Silvia, present a unique perspective from which to view Aragons paisaje desolado (Santabria, 2007, 16); expressly, via the rear outline of the bulls genitals. Whereas from the roadside the observer could straightforwardly identify the image and, in the case of a Spanish audience, its meaning as a famous brandy advert (Vilarà ³s, 1998, 235), viewing the bull hoarding from behind renders its significance difficult to decipher. Furthermore, the cameras focus on the bulls paquete, whilst rendering the perspective oversexed, also shows it to be fractured and so, as it sways unsteadily before the inherently feminine landscape, the shot captures a symbolic destabilization of stereotypical Spanish machismo. Consequently the manipulation of point of view in relation to the landscape (Deleyto, 1999, 273) is a way of asking the audience to take similarly critical view of Jamà ³n, jamà ³ns representation of excessive masculinity. Paradoxically, the relationship between men and the rural landscape contributes to the thematic commentary on gender roles and stereotypes, in turn highlighting the binary complexities associated with Bigas Lunas use of setting. In Raà ºls opening sequence, the use of a travelling shot across the dry land followed by an extreme long shot stresses the framing of him in these arid surroundings, with the distance blurring the boundaries between land and men (Fouz-Hernà ¡ndez Martà ­nez-Expà ³sito, 2007, 21). Given that Monacos (2009, 197) treatment of the diachronic shot indicates that unlike close-ups which deprive us of setting, long shots serve to emphasise context over drama and dialectic over personality, Jamà ³n, jamà ³ns thematic concern for stereotypes over individuals is thus resonated in Bigas Lunas negotiation of the geographic space. Furthermore, as the role of cinematography, and in particular camera movement, is key to how we perceive film by revealing the ideas and images that characters represent (Jordan Allinson, 2005, 46), Raà ºls engagement in a mock bullfight, a stereotypically Spanish and male activity (Jordan Morgan, 1994, 59), illustrates how the use of cinematographic conventions that incorporate the dynamics of setting serve, in effect, to define Raà ºl as the quintessential macho incarnate. Nevertheless, it can be argued that any masculine association of the landscape is merely established in order for it to be interrupted by femininity, as the opening sequence then cuts to Conchitas underwear factory where a female employee, Silvia, runs a sewing machine across a pair of mens briefs, then to another eating a ham sandwich. Given that psychologically the cut is the truer approximation of our natural perception (Monaco, 2009, 172), Bigas Lunas use of it here thus encourages the audience to make an instinctive association between both the preceding and subsequent image; the dramatic interruption by these feminine images figuratively implying male castration and the undermining of the machismo image which precedes it and thus reverting back to a reading of the landscape as inextricably feminine. The encounter in the cinematic space of femininity and masculinity reveals a further allegorical use of the rural landscape as a vehicle for thematic communication. The way in which both the huge bull hoardings and the Sansà ³n advertisement image of Raà ºls crotch penetrate the feminine soil as well as Raà ºls use of this poster to demonstrate his worthiness to Silvia, suggest a bold masculine invasion of the feminine panoramic. Yet, no matter how imposing these symbols of masculinity initially seem against the female landscape, they will never match the vast physical scale of Los Monegros given the immenses à ©tendues de terrain quon y trouve (Berthier, 2001, 30). Subsequently, the central position which appears to be given to the male is shown to be no more than an illusion (DLugo, 1995, 71), as it can be suggested that it is the female terrain which in fact enables these emblems of masculinity to be erect in the first place and therefore holds the power to castrate. Rob Stone (2002, 195) proposes that by flailing so dramatically at machismo Jamà ³n, jamà ³n destroys audience identification with the characters, nevertheless it is this exaggeration, maintained via Bigas Lunas allegorical use of the landscape, which contributes to the films thematic treatment of national identity. In the night-time bullfighting scene Rauls genitals are obscured by the darkness of the physical environment, with the sole light emanating from the moonlight of Mother Nature. Yet, instead of her glow framing the naked male body it delicately highlights the bulls horns and so this gentle treatment of the bull, a phallic emblem and symbolic representation of masculinity in Spain (Jordan Morgan, 1994, 59), combined with a refusal to reveal Raà ºls paquete, weakens the Spanish stereotype of potent machismo. Given the existence of a stereotypical notion of national identity in which male virility in particular is central (Morgan-Tamosunas Jordan, 1994, 60), the landscap es role here in challenging the validity of masculine phallic dominance can be understood as a way of highlighting the issue of problematic national identity in post-transition Spain. The juxtaposition of the rural landscape with the manufactured setting, a space of non-Spanish, globalizing [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] capitalism (Fouz-Hernà ¡ndez Martà ­nez-Expà ³sito, 2007, 21), further evokes the ambivalence of national identity; an opposition which is reflected in the male protagonists association with setting. Whilst Raà ºls establishing shot sustains his visual association with the natural surroundings, Josà © Luis is situated within the artificial setting of his family home, a space highly reliant on external symbols of purchasing power (Fouz-Hernà ¡ndez, 2005, 192). Consequently, the initial relationship the males hold with their environment renders them personifications of the tensions between the old (Raul) and the new (Josà © Luis) in postmodern Spain (Fouz-Hernà ¡ndez Martà ­nez-Expà ³sito, 2007, 20). Subsequently, the clash between the manufactured and natural setting in the filmic space reinforces the discord of national identity, including frequent shots of lorries as symbols of consumerism crossing Aragà ³ns barren terrain and the underwear factory drawing Raà ºl away from his traditional ham warehouse, a space which is a showcase of hyper-Spanish and hyper-masculine associations (Jordan Allinson, 2005, 167). In addition, the use of Raà ºl body as a vehicle for commercial consumption via the underwear advertisements which litter the rural panoramic, helps undercut his strength as the physical embodiment of the prototypical macho ibà ©rico (Morgan-Tamosunas Jordan, 1998, 78) and therefore the waning relevance of this image in 1992 Spain. The binary opposition between manufacture and nature can be interpreted as a way of highlighting the national [Spanish] struggle between traditional and contemporary definitions of economic culture and identity (DLugo, 1995, 69). The infiltration of modernity is not simply presented as oppressive, as both Raà ºl and Silvia actively want to occupy the commercial space, with Raà ºl aspiring to own a Mercedes and Silvia desiring a shoe cupboard, both in parallel with Conchita as a representation of consumerism. As such, rural Aragon as an allegory of traditional Spain, is shown to be a place where the only possible escape is via materialistic transactions, reflecting late twentieth century capitalism (Holder, 1998, 33). The characters participation in both the manufactured and natural space thus alludes to a definition of national identity which is no longer based on static traditions, but one that is changing through globalisation, as the postmodernist deconstruction of identity [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] means recognition of the fact that Spanishness is a shifting concept, encompassing plurality and contradiction (Labanyi, 1995, 397). The final perspective from which the Iberian landscape will be examined is revealed by Freixas (1992, 36) interpretation of its resonance not only in geographical but also cultural terms. Consequently, the barren space of Aragon can be seen as a canvas on which cultural references are painted in order to reinforce the themes of gender roles and national identity. The binary conflict of the physical landscape, as both manufactured and natural, nurturing yet destructive, is characteristic of Dalis painting Naturaleza Muerta, Viva. Likewise, the positioning of the factory, cars and coke can as symbolic dashes of globalisation against the natural space brings to mind the paintings primary interpretation of an erasure of boundaries (DLugo, 1995, 72), thus echoing the theme of problematic Spanish national identity in relation to globalised post-modern context. Bigas Lunas omnipresent allegorical use of the bull and the pig, two animals closely related to Spanish gastronomy and culture (Fouz-Hernà ¡ndez, 2005, 193), equally reinforces a cultural reading of the landscape. The Osborne bull itself, by historically transcending its original commercial connotations, became an integral part of Spains cultural landscape (Fouz-Hernà ¡ndez Martà ­nez-Expà ³sito, 2007, 22). Likewise, the geographical setting and the cultural significance of the pig are fused in the final sequence in a reworking of Goyas Duelo a garrotazos; la rà ©fà ©rence au peintre aragonais [Goya] dont le tournage sest prà ©cisà ©ment effectuà © dans la rà ©gion natale de ce dernier [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] signalant une filiation artistique (Berthier, 2001, 60). Consequently, Bigas Lunas parodic choice of a fight with hams instead of cudgels renders el famoso jamà ³n [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] a ser arma no del macho excelente y excesivo, sino de su opuesto (Vilarà ³s, 1998, 235). F urthermore, the aftermath of the duel sees the women return as a central focus to simultaneously bring together the thematic discourse in a parting pieta; the shot panning out to reveal the vastness of Los Monegros, its aridness evoking the power of mother earth which has drained the life from the men which stand before it and thus undercutting the myth of Spanish machismo in a culturally prestigious environment (Deleyto, 1999, 281). Monaco (2009, 172) affirms that we are seldom interested in the intervening filmic space, yet the cinematographic pan draws our attention to just that, therefore its use in the final sequence can be seen as a way of emphasising the resonance of both the geographic setting and its cultural implications. In conclusion, as film corresponds to a one-way system of communication which is composed with the intention of relaying a desired message (Monaco, 2009, 162), the discursive use of setting to reflect the dualities of gender and national identity constitutes a conscious attempt by Bigas Luna to thematically engage with the audience. By rendering femininity dominant and so subverting Spanish machismo, the Iberian landscape acts as the platform on which a critique of Spanish stereotypes is constructed. Furthermore, the juxtaposition of the natural versus the manufactured setting acts as a means of connecting with a Spanish audience through self-referential reflections on the process through which their identity has been reshaped by multinational capitalism (DLugo, 1995, 69). Hochberg (2007, 26) argues that our perception of a films themes comes not only from what we see but from what we do not see, therefore it is both the recurrent visual presence of the geographic landscape alongside its symbolic and cultural associations which renders it an effective device in aiding our understanding of the thematic discourse of a film which contempla irà ³nicamente los ritos de una cultura que [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] està ¡ intentando desojarse de lo negativo del pasado pero tratando de no sustituir lo bueno tradicional por lo malo moderno (Evans, 2004, 41).

International Institutions and Nuclear Proliferation: The Dependence on

The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) that took effect in 1968 was the landmark of international cooperation during the Cold War. As of 2015, there are 190 nations as parties to the treaty with four abstentions and one withdrawal. While the cooperative importance of this treaty cannot be understated, it is not the only International Institution that has a prominent place in the non-proliferation, disarmament and nuclear safety realm. The question isn’t whether these institutions are necessary in the international community, but how effective these Non-Governmental Organizations and institutions are in an international community dominated by sovereign nations. These institutions may have member states or they may be a transnational cooperative based on private/public funding and have obtained authority by its actions and/or the support of sovereign states. In order to argue the merits of this diverse range of NGOs and international institutio ns in nuclear non-proliferation, disarmament and safety, I will look at the NPT and briefly at its custodial body, the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA), the EU Non-Proliferation Consortium and finally the IAEA, or the International Atomic Energy Agency. In order to judge the effectiveness of these organizations, I will analyze their mandate, their operational flexibility and their authority in certain cases, such as the ongoing Syrian Crisis, the nuclear situation in Iran, and finally recent pressures in the Middle East with regards to the NPT, namely the relationship between Israel and nearby Arab states. The NPT has been the called the most binding non-proliferation agreement in existence and has influenced all national and interna... ...-547. â€Å"About ISIS,† Institute for Science and International Security, accessed November 5, 2013, http://isis-online.org/about/. Patrick Migliorini et al., â€Å"Iranian Breakout Estimates, Updated September 2013,† Institute for Science and International Security, October 24, 2013, accessed November 5, 2013, http://isis-online.org/uploads/isis-reports/documents/Breakout_Study_Summary_24October2013.pdf: 1. Richard Engel and Robert Windrem, â€Å"Israel teams with terror group to kill Iran’s nuclear scientists, US officials tell NBC News,† NBC News, accessed November 4, 2013, http://rockcenter.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/02/09/10354553-israel-teams-with-terror-group-to-kill-irans-nuclear-scientists-us-officials-tell-nbc-news. Ian Johnstone, â€Å"US-UN Relations after Iraq: The End of the World (Order) As We Know It?† European Journal of International Law, 15(4) (2004): 814.

Eurocentrism Essay

Eurocentrism can be defined as the idea that the Roman and Greek cultures gave rise to the modern explosion of ideas and learning. Within this idea is contained the notion that the origins of Greek culture lie strictly within the borders of what is currently considered Western Europe, making the ancestors of Western Europeans responsible for all the progress of the modern world (Dussel, 465). This idea is considered by modern historians to be false and based not on factual accounts but rather on the distortion of history by colonizers (Blaut, 10). This distortion of history is based on the Inside-Outside or Center-Periphery models of civilization which pinpoint an area of the world as the peak of civilization, and the areas outside of it as barbaric. This model depicts Greater Europe as the insider area which contained the civilized culture, and it posits a gradual diffusion of that culture to the other parts of the world surrounding it. Yet this model presents an erroneous view of the world’s process of civilization. The ideas that are based on the models above tend to identify Europe on the one hand as being civilized and making strides in scientific and technological advancement. On the other hand, this view places the world outside of Europe in a position of stagnancy, with knowledge remaining static unless ideas were learned from Europe. This idea also gives rise to an ethnocentric idea of â€Å"European† intellectualism as being the reason for the centralization of knowledge within that area. It also gives rise to the antipathetic idea of non-West European culture as necessarily consisting of inferior ideas which might be described as â€Å"savage, atavistic, uncivilized [and] evil† (Blaut, 16). The truth is very different, however, as the Greek and Roman cultures that contributed to the â€Å"civilization† of Europe must give attribution for its ideas to a wide array of cultural influences whose origins span areas as far as Africa and Asia (Dussel, 465-468). According to Dussel, Europe cannot claim Greece as a part of its earliest origins. Furthermore, during the height of Greek cultural dominance, awareness existed in the Greek world of the progressive nature of the Egyptian (African) and Turkish (Asian) civilizations (Dussel, 465; Yurco, 1). Yet, while this Greek center civilization was aware of the existence of civilized Africans and Asians, their knowledge of what is now Modern Europe was minimal and the area considered to be populated by â€Å"the uncivilized, the non-political and the non-human† (465). The idea that Greece bequeathed civilization to Rome and to Europe is false. Rather, a dichotomy existed between the Latin (West) and Greek (East) cultures, and this configuration did not include a strict conception of Europe. The Greek culture was dominated in classical times as much by the Arab (Muslim) culture as it was by the Byzantine (Christian) culture. Therefore, the Aristotelian basis of civilization was historically strongly connected to the Middle Eastern and even Asian (Turk) civilizations (466). What actually occurred to lead to the development of civilization in Europe is based on an interplay of cultures from all over the continents of Africa and Eurasia. Such thinkers as Thomas Aquinas and Albertus Magnus relied heavily on the ideas that came from the Turkish-derived Aristotelian ideas (Dussel, 466). The ideas generated by Aristotle were actually studied in what is now modern-day Iraq (Baghdad) before Aquinas became exposed to them. Indeed, Aquinas’ exposure came only after the Muslims in Spain translated these works into the Latin vernacular. The arrival of these works in Paris during the late 1100s B. C. marks the initial period in which differentiation occurs between Europe and Africa/Asia (466). The Crusades, which followed during this era, therefore may be seen as the first attempt made by Europe to become dominant in the newly differentiated territories of Africa and the East—and these campaigns might be considered failures (466). Eurocentric ideas concerning the Old World can therefore be seen to be a myth based on the colonially driven histories that have been passed down in the recent past. The failure of the Crusades might be seen as a way in which Europe itself was kept out of the civilization encompassed by the Turkish and Muslim regions, which spread their dominance from Morocco to India and even to the Philippine island of Mindanao. Even the Roman Empire, which dominated Europe for centuries, never penetrated to become the center of civilization in the African and Asian worlds (Dussel, 466). Before this time, the only empire that came close to being dominant and of Eurasian origin are the Hellenistic empires. Yet these empires are not one and the same as Europe, and never gained as large a dominance as the Muslims had after them (467). In contrast to the Eurocentric model of civilization is the strong Turkish (Muslim) civilization—historically represented by the term â€Å"Asia† (Blaut, 20). This area, which later became known as the Ottoman Empire, was dominant within its region. It even began conquering territory into south-eastern Europe, and this idea falsifies the theory of all civilization issuing from Europe. Even in the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries, European presence in the African and Asian continents was merely a matter of trade rather than dominance. The idea of a Eurocentric world actually found root only during the nineteenth century when colonization occurred in areas of the Old World (India, Asia, African and China). During this period, the multifaceted Greek culture was adopted and re-classified as European. The Greek culture is then identified with that of the Romans and then the two are placed at the center of the world’s historical civilization. It is at this point that Europe is able to emerge as the world’s intellectual benefactor. However, the fact that at this point no united â€Å"world history† existed and their location made it impossible for them to be central in providing for the surrounding territories an impetus toward civilization (468). Colonization in the nineteenth century can be seen as the chief mechanism through which Eurocentrism has been able to become dominant in global thinking. In order to maintain the colonial thrust, European colonizers were prompted to create ideologies that support the dominance that European countries had gained in their respective colonies. Religious, social, and scientific ideas that were spawned during that time gave rise to the Eurocentric ideas that are extant even in modernity. According to Blaut, â€Å"A [Christian] missionary might have great love and respect for the people among whom he or she worked, but could not be expected to believe that the culture and mind of these non-Christians was on par with that of Christian Europeans† (24). The social and legal theories being fashioned at the time were created by those who were in charge of making the policies that the theories should support. Therefore, intellectual history became biased in its outlook regarding the comparative worth of the cultures that stand alongside the European culture. However, in the disciplines of economics and anthropology ideas and truths were discovered which did not fit well with the tendency toward Eurocentrism. Such ideas as equilibrium and stasis developed in Keynesian economics. In geography, stasis was found to be a natural occurrence in regionalism. Theories of equilibrium and stability were embodied in such anthropological ideas as functionalism, while cultural relativism â€Å"declared in essence that each culture has intrinsic worth† (Blaut, 27). However, within the discipline of Anthropology, political motives can be found for publicizing the fact of cultural relativism, though tempered with a Eurocentric overtone. The notion of the intrinsic worth of the culture would have the effect of discouraging unrest, while the Eurocentric overtones would have the complementary effect of evoking gratitude in the heart of the colonists toward the colonizers (27). Overall, however, colonial indoctrination has been characterized by a teleological view of the West’s advancement, which is responsible for the benefits accorded Latin American, Asian, and African nations. Many other cultures outside of Europe experienced great progress and civilization throughout history. Yet, the result of inattention to the civilization status of Europe and other regions at other time periods has given rise to contemporary confusion surrounding these cultures. One such problem can be found in the misunderstood racial composition of Egyptians. In fact, the analysis of the racial composition of the Egyptian royalty gives credence to the idea that multiculturalism existed in the Egyptian civilizations of the past. Peoples from lands traditionally connected with Europe became traders and settlers in Egypt—and this underscores the centrality of this civilization during the ancient times. Such centrality naturally rebuts the idea behind Eurocentrism. However, the fact that interbreeding led to the Europeanized features of many of the Egyptian drawings and mummies has helped fuel the myth that European cultures played all the dominant roles in the civilizations of the past (Yurco, 2). Eurocentrism involves the idea that civilization was generated from a European center and somehow diffused to the other areas of the world. This idea finds its strength in the recent dominance that Europeans have had in the several continents of the world. Colonialism needed justification, and the method by which this was done involved the creation of ideas and systems that placed Europeans at the forefront of history. It involved the Europeanization of the Greek cultures and the oversimplification of the factors leading up to the current socio-political state of the world. Furthermore, the fact that world history has been written down and propagated mainly during the period European dominance has facilitated the Eurocentrism that can now be seen in the historical understanding of the world.