Ecological Self Essays - Identity, Self, Personal Identity

Ecological Self Diversity is a whirlwind of color through a society. There are no two people in the world that are exactly alike. Individuality distinguishes one person or thing from others (Landau, 364 Ed). A person's environment as a whole: an interaction with others, experiences, and time, makes a collage of traits that distinguishes someone as an individual. David Sibley's theory of the "Ecological Self" or Identity is bound by his determents of social, cultural, and spatial context. Sibley believes that class, race, gender, and nation shapes our identity, it is a single concept that is molded by our experiences from the world. I do not agree with this claim because people are individuals, not a development of their surroundings. Identity is not a single concept, there are many factors that shape it, environment cannot just effect identity. Sibley is a British sociologist that has dedicated his life to the studies behind the "Ecological Self." Sibley claims that the "Ecological Self" is not internal, it cannot be separated from the physical. "The social positioning of the self means that the boundary between self and other is formed through a series of cultural representations of people and things which frequently elide so that the non-human world also provides a context for selfhood (Sibley, 250)." The "other," that is being spoken of, is also known as the "Generalized Other." This is when we cannot separate from the physical and consider it to be the norm. How do I know who I am? Where do I fit in? Internal and external forces mold our sense of self. Heredity and personal moral are examples of internal forces. Children are often most effected by this. "The forces of physical inheritance takes place mainly in childhood, though even as adults we have the possibility of dealing in our personal development (Grunewald, 2)." Environment also plays an important role in the formation of self-identity. The surroundings, which can include people, places, and experiences, mold an individual into whom they become. The past shapes our identities, and builds from our experiences. "It is our memories which help us make the connections, gives us the insights, and provides us with the sense of continuity, which is so important for our personal identity (http://ozcountry.com/life/tip5.html)." "When we go through times of crisis, massive changes, serious illness, deep conflicts or stress, our sense of self can be seriously challenged, particularly if we have not faced such experiences before. Rather than assuming that personal identity is permanent, static and secure we might see it better as our personalities are dynamic, evolving, fluid and changing. This will enable us to grow with life's changes as we develop new skills, insight, attitudes, beliefs and values. We are never the same person (http://ozcountry.com/life/tip5.html)." Identity is a lifelong, continual process of identification with contexts. The final point made by Sibley was to what extent do individuals alter their identity to conform to social roles. To most, fitting in and being liked is a very important part of life. The way that others look at us is a part of our social standing. Everyone conforms in some way to simply "fit in." College is an excellent example of the way that people conform. This is at a time that many begin to venture out and make decisions on their own. Many college students face the choice of whether or not they would join a fraternity or sorority. On college campuses being part of the in-crowd means that you are in a social organization. Students alter their identities and conform so that they are able to fit in and affiliate themselves with others. Individualism and Identity have many factors involved. There can not be just one cause that influences a person so greatly. I would like to see myself as a collection of interactions and experiences. The surroundings that I have encountered have had an impact on my life, but it is not the single determinate that makes the person that I am today. David Sibley's "Ecological Self" and the other related topics discussed, have some validity of defining the concept of self-identity. Social and Cultural expectations are not the only dominant forces that shape.

Fall Webworm, Hyphantria cunea

Fall Webworm, Hyphantria cunea The fall webworm, Hyphantria cunea, builds impressive silk tents that sometimes enclose entire branches. The tents appear in late summer or fall - hence the name fall webworm. Its a common pest of hardwood trees in its native North America. The fall webworm also presents a problem in Asia and Europe, where it was introduced. Description The fall webworm is often confused with eastern tent caterpillars, and sometimes with gypsy moths. Unlike eastern tent caterpillars, the fall webworm feeds within its tent, which encloses foliage at the end of branches. Defoliation by fall webworm caterpillars does not usually cause damage to the tree, since they feed in late summer or fall, just before leaf drop. Control of fall webworm is usually for aesthetic benefit. The hairy caterpillars vary in color and come in two forms: red-headed and black-headed. They tend to be pale yellow or green in color, though some may be darker. Each segment of the caterpillars body has a pair of spots on the back. At maturity, the larvae may reach one inch in length. The adult fall webworm moth is bright white, with a hairy body. Like most moths, the fall webworm is nocturnal and attracted to light. Classification Kingdom - Animalia Phylum - Arthropoda Class - Insecta Order - Lepidoptera Family - Arctiidae Genus - Hyphantria Species - cunea Diet Fall webworm caterpillars will feed on any one of over 100 tree and shrub species. Preferred host plants include hickory, pecan, walnut, elm, alder, willow, mulberry, oak, sweetgum, and poplar. Life Cycle The number of generations per year depends greatly on latitude. Southern populations may complete four generations in one year, while in the north the fall webworm completes only one life cycle. Like other moths, the fall webworm undergoes complete metamorphosis, with four stages: Egg – The female moth deposits several hundred eggs on the undersides of leaves in spring. She covers the mass of eggs with hairs from her abdomen.Larva – In one to two weeks, the larvae hatch and immediately begin spinning their silken tent. Caterpillars feed for up to two months, molting as many as eleven times.Pupa – Once larvae reach their final instar, they leave the web to pupate in leaf litter or bark crevices. Fall webworm overwinters in the pupal stage.Adult – Adults emerge as early as March in the south, but dont fly until late spring or early summer in northern areas. Special Adaptations and Defenses Fall webworm caterpillars develop and feed within the shelter of their tent. When disturbed, they may convulse to dissuade possible predators. Habitat The fall webworm lives in areas where host trees occur, namely hardwood forests and landscapes. Range The fall webworm lives throughout the U.S., northern Mexico, and southern Canada – its native range. Since its accidental introduction into Yugoslavia in the 1940s, Hyphantria cunea has invaded most of Europe, too. The fall webworm also inhabits parts of China and North Korea, again due to the accidental introduction. Other Common Names: Fall Webworm Moth Sources Garden Insects of North America, by Whitney CranshawFall Webworm, G. Keith Douce, Bugwood.orgSpecies Hyphantria cunea - Fall Webworm Moth, Bugguide.net

Dell Inspiron 700m Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Dell Inspiron 700m - Essay Example Dell Inspiron 700m is one of the most popular laptops in the market today which is used by students. When its features are compared with the needs of students, it can be deduced that Dell Inspiron 700m's popularity among this circle is justified. The Dell Inspiron 700m is released in the market during 2004. Recognizing the fast obsolescence of computer equipments in the information technology industry, it is notable how this model retains its popularity amidst the proliferation of more advanced varieties in the market. It is reported that students and other low end markets keep the demand high for Dell Inspiron 700m. Compared with other notebooks, this model is sold at an affordable price of $489 and is available in stylish black, silver, and white designs. The competitive pricing makes it very attractive to students who are often with a limited budget. The model is also dependable in terms of functionality. Being bundled with a Pentium 4 processor, it makes computing really convenient. Dell Inspiron 700, also features a 512mb of RAM and 60 gig hard drive which is huge enough for a typical student for saving programs and other files. The notebook also has wireless capability that enable sthe user to connect to the internet.

Chinas Economy and Environmental Issues Term Paper

Chinas Economy and Environmental Issues - Term Paper Example The Chinese economic transformation has mainly been dependent on the gross domestic product (GDP). As the development has continuously been achieved, various social conflicts have been emerging requiring urgent intervention to be solved. The first challenge is on institutional innovation; a good example is the transformation from planned to modern market economy. The second one is economic development where the success reaped should simultaneously be reflected in the social aspect. From researches conducted, the economy of china has been dependent on cash inflows, input of natural resources and cheap labor. This has had negative effects on the economy, and society as is reflected through income inequality, environmental degradation, and social injustice. The importance of the environment to all living things cannot be neglected; in fact, the main reason for its degradation is too much exploitation and industrial activities. The industrial activities in china have been on the increase. This has constantly polluted the environment through smoke, noise, and industrial wastes. Using current technology, some of these challenges have been addressed although not effectively. Modern machine used in china produces less noise and smoke. Despite this, the fact that the number of industries is high, the overall negative impact is high. In addition, greenhouse gasses and Sulphur-dioxide particulates from reliance on coal leads to the country receiving acid rain. The acid rains adversely affect trees at high elevation due to being exposed to acidic clouds and fog, which usually has high levels of acid than the rain. When the rain waters seeps into the soil, it dissolves some of the nutrients required by the trees for their survival. Why the past successful export?led growth model cannot continue Past successful export-led growth ended during the1990s, when Chinese cities underwent a rapid economic transition due to the phenomenon of rapidly growing low income and poor groups. The transitions also affected the social security that had existed for a long period in relation to employment, housing, education, income, and pension. The reforms made the transitional gap continue expanding resulting to growth in the urban low income and a population with high levels of poverty. There was a significant variance with in the scale of urban poor, in the middle of 1990, and according to a study conducted by National Bureau of Statistic, there were poverty incidences rate for urban population and household ranging from 4.4% to 3.84% in the year 1995 (Meng, 557). Moreover, the urban poverty line was setting per capita annual income of 1500, which was based on the calculations of urban absolute poverty in families and populati on ranging from 12.42 and 3.33 million (Chen and Fleisher, 141). According to Development Bank, in 2002 there was a report that indicated the incidence rate of urban poverty in China in 1998 amounted to 4.7% and with the inclusion of the immigrants; the rate would reach 7.4% by 1999. The incidence of urban poverty rate in 2000 in thirteen cities was identified to be higher ten percent than higher, compared to 1995, as it was indicated by a sample survey conducted on the same cites (Chen and Fleisher, 141). The increase in the population lay off, unemployed, migrated from rural areas, dropped out, or retired is contributing to the diversification of the urban

Compare two texts listed below Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Compare two texts listed below - Essay Example However, there are important differences. In Oedipus the King, Oedipus and Jocasta's marriage is one that is marked by more than immoderate affection. There appears to be love in it. For Capellanus, this breaks the rules of courtly love. The medieval Capellanus's rules regarding marriage are more formal than those belonging to the ancient Greeks. Life in the olden times was much more difficult than it is today. Relationships were not convenient and they were rarely the type of relationships that people wanted to be a part of because of desire. In fact, marriage was often performed between two people of differing tribes with the aim of bringing these people together. Tribes were united through marriage. Similarly, marriage was used for political purposes. Marrying into a family might give an individual more power. As Capellanus wrote in his book, Marriage should not be a deterrent to love. If love was what you were after, then you should find it outside of a marriage as it was not the purpose of marriage in the first place. Real love is not public and marriage is a public institution. Everywhere in a court one might expect, according to Capellanus, to find examples of hidden love. This was his contribution to mens' idea of married love. He believed there was little love in real marriage, but a lot outside of it. Sophocles' play tells a different story.

Aspects Of A Good Translation English Language Essay

Aspects Of A Good Translation English Language Essay Culture and its meaning in translations. Culture may be defined in many ways. When the study of translation is taken into account, it must be defined with an understanding of the correlation involving language, culture and religion. In view of the fact that culture is a useful device while dealing with problems of translation, numerous translation theorists make efforts to identify the expression Culture. A good illustration of this is the work Primitive Culture and Religion in Primitive Culture by Sir Edward Burnett Tylor. Tylors work is divided into two volumes. In his first work, Primitive Culture (1871) forms well-known definition concerning the basis of modern understanding of the term culture in which he states that:Cultureà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ taken in its widest ethnographic sense, is that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, morals, law, custom, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society.  In second volume, Religion in Primitive Culture, Taylor deals largely with his analysis of animism. Animism isà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦( I tried to think of something and connect it but Ill have to leave it for now, maybe later on Ill use it) Others researchers who perceive translation through culture are Kroeber and Kluckhohn (1952:167) for whom culture is a product; is historical; includes ideas, patterns, and values; is selective; is learned; is based upon symbols; and is an abstraction from behaviour and objects of behavior; Lee McKay (2002:86) adds that culture is said to be embedded in the semantics of a language; while Danial Bates and Fred Plog (1990:7) consider culture to be a system of shared beliefs, values, customs, behaviours, and artefacts that the members of society use to cope with their world and with one another, and that are transmitted from generation to generationà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. Danial Bates and Fred Plog as a stepping-stone to language acquisition consider artifacts of culture such as cinema and television programming, these two types are viewed as the windows into the target culture along with target language. It is tempting to suggest that the means of communication that passes on any culture is inevitably language. In the view of Karamanian (IS3), three different aspects of human activity are expressed by the term culture and these are: the personal, the collective, and the expressive. First aspect implies that individuals think and function as such; the collective describe the social context in which people function, the expressive in which society expresses itself. We need to bear in mind that the process of translating cultural factor is a very demanding task as it covers concepts like history, religion, tradition, social life or everyday customs. It is widely acknowledged that these aspects are the main components of the translators work which leads to the flawless translation. A good translator need to have an excellent comprehension of the real nature of the original message being brought over to the target language receptors. A good understanding of a hidden message in a given text is crucial in the process of translation and depends on the background knowledge of the translator whose main aim is to convert it into target language. Conveying the original message meaning in the given source culture is the true aim of the good translator. Cultural differences between languages and the ways of dealing with them. Traditional translation theories focus on verbal comparison between the source texts and their translations. As Mary Snell-Hornby puts it: The text cannot be considered as a static specimen of language (an idea still dominant in practical translation classes), but essentially as the verbalized expression of an authors intention as understood by the translator as reader, who then recreates this whole for another readership in another culture. (Mary Snell-Hornby 1988: 1-2) Cultural Gaps. It is widely acknowledged that specific cultural references and elements can cause problems a for the translators. When two cultures differ immensely, there is high probability that numerous concepts and words which may occur in one culture and in the language may not be found in the other. This will lead to the cultural gaps between the source and the target texts, which can only be solved to a certain point. Dagut (1978: 49) says that cultural gaps are caused by community-specific referents in one community and their absence in the other culture. Cultural objects, beliefs, customs and institutions are determined by the cultural history and traditions of the specific language community. A language community creates designators to symbolise referents which do not occur in the other language community. The resulting gaps are then (a) more, (b) more language specific, and (c) more translation-resistant than the environmental type (Dagut 1981: 52). Type of the translation Another aspect of a good translation is the type of translation. In regard to the formal boundaries of poetry, there is lesser focus on form than in mangas, however that does not denote the role of the content as an more important aspect. In fact, conveying the most subtle shades of meaning such as form and content in translation is a extremely difficult task. Generally, there is a tendency while translating mangas, to sacrifice the form for the sake of the content. According to Gutt there is a problem of how far can translators progress with the interpretation of the source text and how vivid the description should be. Gutt states that translation should be à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¾clear and natural in expression in the sense that it should not be unnecessarily difficult to understand (Gutt 1991: 188) Newmark (1988) compiles some guiding principles how to cope with different types of translation, which apply to the principle of relevance concerning audience with particular kinds of interests. These are: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¾A technical translator has no right to create neologisms whilst an advertiser or propaganda writer can use any linguistic resources he requires. Conventional metaphors and sayings should always be conventionally translated but unusual metaphors and comparisons should be reduced to their sense if the text has a mainly informative function The appropriate equivalents for keywords should be scrupulously repeated throughout a text in a philosophical text In a non-literary text, there is a case for transcribing as well as translating any key-word of linguistic significance (Newmark 1988: 15) Chapter 2 Principles of translation. 2.1. Linguistic versus Cultural aspects in translation. According to Savory different guidelines sometimes may deny each other in terms of rules and exceptions. This leaded Savory to create his own pair-wise contradictory principles of translation: A translation must give the words of the original. A translation must give the ideas of the original. A translation should read like an original work. A translation should read like a translation. A translation should reflect the style of the original. A translation should possess the style of the translator. A translation should read as contemporary of te original. A translation should read as a contemporary of the translator. A translation may add to or omit from the original. A translation may never add to or omit from the original. A translation of verse should be in prose. A translation of verse should be in verse. (Savory 1968: 54) Savoy claims that these paradoxes can be resolved through à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¾reader-analysis, Different things are considered to be relevant for different readers. On the other hand Victor Khairullin (1992: 155) implies that linguistic aspects are not the only one that are involved in the process of translation but also is culture. Victor Khairullin (1992: 155) states that: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¾The process of translation is a creative kind of activity, based on both linguistic and culturological rules. Every language is unique. The language pattern of the world is accounted for by culturological peculiarities, i.e. peculiarities of ethnic, [and] social, norms and economic achievements of a nation in a certain stage of development. Culturology in a language pattern is essential, so some specialists tend to believe that in effect one does not translate language, one translates cultures. (Khairullin 1992: 155) Stylistic preferences. The next aspect on the list is the time in which given work has been created. This statement leads to the assumption that the constant changes that languages undergo call for continuous modifications in stylistic preferences. No two languages are identical, either in the meanings given to corresponding symbols or in the ways in which such symbols are arrangedà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (Nida 1964: 156). Hence, a translation from one epoch can be rather objectionable at a present time. The matter of how accurate a translation should be to the original was and always will be arguable. Ernst-August Gutt (1991) tries to give an answer to that problem by using the concept of optimal resemblance in interpretive translation. In his theory of relevance, he maintains his opinion that translation ought to express the significance of the source language in a manner that is à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¾clear and natural in expression to the target culture, but avoids à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¾unnecessary processing effort (Gutt 1991: 188). Therefore, the interpretation of the original text should give resemblance to guarantee sufficiently appropriate context to the audience. The way it is presented should not involve any further processing effort from the recipients. When we think of translation in terms of making it as accurate to the source text as possible, we have to ask ourselves is it possible to preserve all the features of the original if not what qualities are consequential. Levy (1969:103) states that if this kind of situation occurs à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¾the translator has to decide which qualities of the original are the most important and which ones one could miss out.. As far as poetry is concerned, preservation of both the form and the content may be very difficult task, depending on the extent of similarities of translated languages. This situation may take place if the target language has ways of expressing the same denotations of words and of rhyming, but may not have words or expressions that carry out both conditions. Therefore, the decision is to be made by the translator, which properties to preserve. These major aspects of a culture are crucial for translators. The good translation depends not only on the knowledge about the target culture but also on the translators understanding of religious background of translated item. Translators should identify the translation throughout culture. They ought to realize that each language contains elements which are originated in its culture. Moreover, every text is anchored in a specific culture, and that it has its own proprieties of production and reception which may vary from culture to culture. Finding appropriate equivalence of a text while translating manga may depend on deep understanding/ knowledge of target culture. Translator who attempts to translate an original text from Japanese into English may not be able to satisfy the target audience. It is tempting to suggest that finding proper word is the key to achieve good translation. However if the translation from Japanese into English is taken into account it must be mentioned that some problems may occur due to cultural ambiguities. Aimai. Aimai Ambiguities in Japanese Culture are of the greatest importance, because they may lead to mistranslation. Further reflections shows that Japanese are generally ambiguous, shockingly vague in their works such as mangas. The word aimai can be translated as: ambiguous, murky, vague, double-edged or foggy. The other meanings are: questionable, doubtful, shady or non-committal. It may look like Japanese may have some problems with expressing their feelings even in comics as it can be seen in many mangas, but on the other hand it can convey more than one idea which will only make it more attractive to the reader. When two similar terms such as ambiguity and vagueness appear we should distinct them according to their usage. Ambiguity is different from vagueness, which arises when the boundaries of meaning are indistinct. Ambiguity is context-dependent: the same linguistic item (be it a word, phrase, or sentence) may be ambiguous in one context and unambiguous in another context. For a word, ambiguity typically refers to an unclear choice between different definitions as may be found in a dictionary. The use of ambiguities happen that one would offer totally different idea. 1.5. Religion and its influence in mangas. Religion is the second aspect leading to mistranslations. The main dilemma in this field is the fact that translators often do not have any certainty of source text producer knowledge or intentions. Therefore, anything to do with biblical translations involve interpretation processes based on receivers assumptions, rather than simple translation. What is more, dealing with religion aspects often involves rendering through old anonymous documents. Moreover, it is important to consider the functions of both the source text and target text or reason for their creation. A useful tool at this point is Reiss and Vermeer Skopos Theory from 1984. Its main focus is aimed at the translation purpose which determines the translation methods and strategies. Because of the cultural aspect of religion, one cannot ignore target culture customs or knowledge connected with translation topics that incorporate religious elements especially due to its delicate character which means that any translation may easily offend the audience by means of incompetence or ignorance. The main advantage of this theory is the possibility of translating one text in different ways, depending on the need (Reiss and Vermeer, 1984). All in all, encountering any religious elements in the aspect of translation involves a deep insight in th culture environment of the subject so as to eliminate the possibility of misunderstanding. Furthermore, it is necessary to state the purpose of translation in order to fulfill requirements of source translation receivers. To conclude what is essential for the translator is not learning the literal meaning of the words, how to put them together but their meaning in the cultural context. Understanding of the cultural and religious norms is needed, that is why native translators are better than foreigner ones. If we take into consideration capabilities and the knowledge of cultural context while translating from Japanese to English Japanese translators are more suitable. A foreign person may learn almost every aspect of a given language but still it will not be the same as in the case of being born as a native. This statement can be easily illustrated by the quotation of Janet Holmes. As Holmes points out in her book titled: An introduction to sociolinguistics: Learning another language usually involves a great deal more than learning the literal meaning of the words, how to put them together, how to pronounce them. We need to know what they mean in the cultural context in which they are normally used. And that involves some understanding of the cultural and social norms of their users (Holmes 2001: 275).

The Australian Aboriginal People: Dating the Colonization of Australia :: Biology Biological Colony Essays

The Australian Aboriginal People: Dating the Colonization of Australia Abstract The colonization of each continent by modern human populations remains an important question in our history as a species. Studies of variations in mitochondrial genomes, Y-chromosomes, satellite DNA, and other genetic markers can be used to estimate the time of divergence of one population from another. Recent advancements in technology have advanced our capabilities in genetic analysis. In particular, PCR can be used to amplify, study, and sequence DNA from long-deceased specimens. Ingman and Gyllensten studied 101 complete mitochondrial genomes from contemporary populations in Australia and many other regions. The mitochondrial genetic diversity of Aboriginals is remarkably high, similar to that found in Asia. Ingman and Gyllesten estimated colonization of Australia at 40,000-70,000 years ago and supported multiple waves of migration. Another study by Adcock and others indicates that anatomically modern humans were present in Australia before complete fixation of the mtDNA lineage, but does not establish a colonization date. A study of Y-chromosome variation by Vandenburg and others in 1999 revealed two haplotypes unique to Australian Aboriginals. Most (78%) of Aboriginal haplotypes fell into two clusters, possibly indicating two original, separate lineages of founding Aboriginal Australians. As recently as the 1960’s, anthropologists predicted the colonization of Australia at less than 10,000 years ago. Advancments in thermoluminescence dating pushed back the estimated colonization time to 50,000-60,000 years ago in the early 1990’s. Improvements in thermoluminescence and carbon dating techniques adjusted previous colonization dates of 50,000-60,000 years to approximately 45,000 years. The results of morphological dating best-support the multiregional evolution hypothesis of modern humans, and further complicate the possible ancestry of modern Australian Aboriginals. Mitochondrial DNA analysis, recent thermoluminescence dates, and the history of ocean levels coincide roughly to indicate a colonization of Australia at approximately 50,000 years ago. Introduction Throughout recorded history, humans have been defined by a desire to know ourselves: Where did we come from? How did we get here? Where are we going? Many questions are directed towards our appearance as a species and subsequent populating of the earth, -- piece by piece. One particularly large piece of the earth is Australia: a continent, a country, and a mystery in human history. Though the major events in Australian natural history have been revealed, for the most part, human history remains a great topic of debate.