Taino Lifestyle Essay Example for Free

Taino Lifestyle Essay The Arawak/Taino society was basically a very gentle culture. It was characterized by happiness, friendliness and a highly organized hierarchical, paternal society, and a lack of guile. Each society was a small kingdom and the leader was called a cacique. The cacique’s function was to keep the welfare of the village by assigning daily work and making sure everyone got an equal share. The relatives of the caciques lived together in large houses in the center of the village. These houses reflect the warmth of the climate and simply used mud, straw and palm leaves. The houses did not contain much furniture. People slept in cotton hammocks or simply on mats of banana leaves. The general population lived in large circular buildings called bohios, constructed with wooden poles, woven straw, and palm leaves. At the time of Columbus there were five different kingdoms on the island of Hispaniola. The Indians practiced polygamy. Most men had 2 or 3 wives, but the caciques had as many as 30. It was a great honor for a woman to be married to a cacique. Not only did she enjoy a materially superior lifestyle, but her children were held in high esteem. HOUSING AND DRESS The Arawak/Taino used two primary architectural styles for their homes. The general population lived in circular buildings with poles providing the primary support and these were covered with woven straw and palm leaves. They were somewhat like North American teepees except rather than being covered with skins they needed to reflect the warmth of the climate and simply used straw and palm leaves. The caciques were singled out for unique housing. Their house were rectangular and even featured a small porch. Despite the difference in shape, and the considerably larger buildings, the same materials were used. When the Africans came beginning in 1507 they introduced mud and wattle as primary building materials. However, there is no record of the Arawak/Tainos having used these materials. The house of the cacique contained only his own family. However, given the number of wives he might have, this constituted a huge family. The round houses of the common people were also large. Each one had about 10-15 men and their whole families. Thus any Arawak/Taino home might house a hundred people. The houses did not contain much furniture. People slept in cotton hammocks or simply on mats of banana leaves. They also made wooden chairs with woven seats, couches and built cradles for their children. In addition to houses the typical Arawak/Taino village contained a flat court in the center of the village which was used for ball games and various festivals, both religious and secular. Houses were around this court. This was a hierarchical society, and while there was only one cacique who was paid a tribute (tax) to oversee the village, there were other levels of sub-caciques, who were not paid, but did hold positions of honor. They were liable for various services to the village and cacique. Stone making was especially developed among the Arawak/Tainos, but they seem not to have used it at all in building houses. It was primarily used for tools and especially religious artifacts. The men were generally naked, but the women sometimes wore short skirts. Men and women alike adorned their bodies with paint and shells and other decorations. FOOD AND AGRICULTURE The Arawak/Taino diet, like ours, centered around meat or fish as the primary source of protein. There never were many wild animals to hunt on Hispaniola, but there were some small mammals which were hunted and enjoyed. They also ate snakes, various rodents, bats, worms, birds, in general any living things they could find with the exception of humans. They were able to hunt ducks and turtles in the lakes and sea. The costal natives relied heavily on fishing, and tended to eat their fish either raw or only partially cooked. Since they did grow cotton on the island, the natives had fishing nets made of cotton. The natives of the interior relied more on agriculture and de-emphasized meat or fish in their diet. The Taino had a developed system of agriculture which was environmentally friendly and almost maintenance free. They raised their crops in a conuco, a large mound which was devised especially for farming. They packed the conuco with leaves which improved drainage and protected it from soil erosion. One of the primary crops cultivated by the Taino was cassava or yuca, which they ate as a flat bread. They also grew corn, squash, beans, peppers, sweet potatoes, yams, peanuts as well as tobacco. (As an aside I would like to comment that many people in the pre-Columbian Americas had virtually work free agriculture. This system meant that people living in these materially simple social systems had enormous amounts of free time and often developed elaborate religious rites which took a lot of their time, but also had highly developed systems of games and recreation. There are some nice advantages to very simple living and diet!) One of the Arawak/Taino’s primary crops was cassava. This is a root crop from which a poisonous juice must be squeezed. Then it is baked into a bread like slab. The current method of doing this in Haiti produces a flat bread, sort of like a stale burrito or pizza shell. The Arawak/Taino grew corn (maize), squash, beans, peppers, sweet potatoes, yams and peanuts. They not only had cotton, but they raised tobacco and enjoyed smoking very much. It was not only a part of their social life, but was used in religious ceremonies too. TRANSPORTATION The Arawak/Taino had no large animals like horses, oxen or mules to ride or use for work. But they did have river and sea transportation. They used dugout canoes which were cut from a single tree trunk and used with paddles. They could take 70-80 people in a single canoe and even used them for long travels on the sea. These dugouts allowed fishing the few lakes of Hispaniola as well as fishing out a bit off the coast. DEFENSE The Arawak/Taino themselves were quite peaceful people, but they did have to defend themselves from the Caribs who were cannibals. The Caribs of this area were centered at what is today Puerto Rico, but some did live in northeast Hispaniola, an area that today is the Dominican Republic. The Caribs were war-like cannibals. They often raided the more peaceful Arawak/Tainos, killing off the men, stealing and holding the women for breeding, and fattening the children to eat. Thus the Arawak/Taino had some weapons which they used in defense. They used the bow and arrow, and had developed some poisons for their arrow tips. They had cotton ropes for defensive purposes and some spears with fish hooks on the end. Since there were hardwoods on the island, they did have a war club made of macana. This was about 1†³ thick and reminds one very much of the cocomaque stick used in later Haitian days. They did not develop any armor or specifically defensive weapons (shields, etc.). RELIGION AND MYTH The Arawak/Taino were polytheists and their gods were called zemi. The zemi controlled various functions of the universe, very much like Greek gods did, or like later Haitian Voodoo lwa. However, they do not seem to have had particular personalities like the Greek and Haitian gods/spirits do. There were three primary religious practices: Religious worship and obeisance to the zemi themselves Dancing in the village court during special festivals of thanksgiving or petition Medicine men, or priests, consulting the zemi for advice and healing. This was done in public ceremonies with song and dance People had special dress for the ceremonies which included paint and feathers. From their knees on down they would be covered in shells. The shaman (medicine man or priests) presented the carved figures of the zemi. The cacique sat on wooden stool, a place of honor. (There are many surviving stone carvings of the cacique on his stool.) There was a ceremonial beating of drums. People induced vomiting with a swallowing stick. This was to purge the body of impurities, both a literal physical purging and a symbolic spiritual purging. This ceremonial purging and other rites were a symbolic changing before zemi. Women served bread (a communion rite), first to zemi, then to the cacique followed by the other people. The sacred bread was a powerful protector. (The interesting similarities between this ritual and the Christian practice of eucharist is obvious!) Finally came an oral history lesson — the singing of the village epic in honor of the cacique and his ancestors. As the poet recited he was accompanied by a maraca, a piece of hardwood which was beaten with pebbles. There was an afterlife where the good would be rewarded. They would meet up with dead relatives and friends. Since most of the people they would meet in this paradise were women, it is curious to speculate if it was mainly women who were considered good, or if some other reason accounted for this division of the sexes in the afterlife. There are many stone religious artifacts which have been found in Haiti. The zemi take on strange forms like toads, turtles, snakes, alligators and various distorted and hideous human faces. The zemi, as well as dead caciques, have certain powers over the natural world and must be dealt with. Thus these various services are ways of acknowledging their power (worship and thanksgiving) and at the same time seeking their aid. Because of these powers there are many Arawak/Tanio stories which account for the origins of some experienced phenomena in myth and or magic. Several myths had to do with caves. The sun and moon, for example, came out of caves. Another story tells that the people lived in caves and only came out at night. One guard was supposed to watch carefully over people to be sure they were well divided in the land. However, one day he was late in returning and the sun caught him and turned him into a stone pillar. Another Indian became angry at the sun for its various tricks and decided to leave. He convinced all the women to abandon their men and come with him along with their children. But, the children were deserted, and in their hunger they turned into frogs. The women simply disappeared. This left the men without women. But, they did find some sexless creatures roaming around and eventually captured them. (Actually they used people with a disease like mange since they had rough hands and could hold on to these elusive creatures.) However, they tied these creatures up and put woodpeckers on them. The birds, thinking these were trees started pecking on them and carved out the sex organs of women, thus re-establishing the possibility of survival. A different myth simply tells that once there were no women. Man brought woman from an island where there were only women. The origin of the oceans was in a huge flood which occurred when a father murdered his son (who was about to murder the father), and then put his bones in a calabash. The bones turned to fish and then the gourd broke and all the water of the world flowed from the broken gourd. GENOCIDE AGAINST THE ARAWAK/TAINO INDIANS There is a great debate as to just how many Arawak/Taino inhabited Hispaniola when Columbus landed in 1492. Some of the early Spanish historian/observers claimed there were as many as 3,000,000 to 4,000,000. These numbers seem to be based on very little reliable evidence and are thought to be gross exaggerations. However, since nothing like a census was done, the methods for estimating the numbers are extremely shaky, whether by these early historians or later critics. One long technical article on the population comes in the with the low estimate of 100,000. Several other modern scholars seem to lean more forcefully in the area of 300,000 to 400,000. Whatever the number, what happened to them is extremely tragic. They were not immune to European diseases, especially smallpox, and the Spanish worked them unmercifully in the mines and fields. By 1507 the Spanish were settled and able to do a more reliable job of counting the Arawak/Tainos. It is generally agreed that by 1507 their numbers had shrunk to 60,000. By 1531 the number was down to 600. Today there are no easily discerned traces of the Arawak/Tanio at all except for some of the archaeological remains that have been found. Not only on Hispaniola, but also across the Windward Passage in Cuba, complete genocide was practiced on these natives. Disease was a major cause of their demise. However, on Columbus’ 2nd voyage he began to require a tribute from the Arawak/Tainos. They were expected to yield a certain quantity of gold per capita. Failing that each adult of 14 was required to submit 25lbs. of cotton. For those who could not produce the cotton either, there was a service requirement for them to work for the Spanish. This set the stage for a system of assigning the Arawak/Taino to Spanish settlers as effective slave labor. This system contributed significantly to their genocide.

Missing in Action: The Female Work Force in Nazi Germany :: European History Research Papers

The Female Work Force in Nazi Germany Unlike the examples of the United States, Great Britain, Italy, and the Soviet Union, Nazi Germany refused to mobilize its female work force behind their war effort. Even as Germany was starving from attrition in a lack in war supplies as well as civilian essentials such as food, Nazi officials declined from enlisting the female force as laborers. All of Europe struggled to survive throughout the brutality of World War Two by using every resource available, except for Germany. Germany struggled as well, but stubbornly denied its full capacity in fighting the war by declaring the workplace unsuitable for women. Yet women around the world supplied munitions to the men at the front in order to succeed militarily as well as domestically. Germany did not have the luxury of maintaining a male dominated work force during the war, yet they tried to do so and found disaster. The reasons that Germany chose not to mobilize "racially acceptable" German women into the work force were complex and varied, but can be categorized into four primary categories. Firstly, Nazi expectation about World War II influenced not only how they dealt women, but also the entire German community. Nazi belief and behavior supported a "racially" superior nation inhabited by a war weary people. Subsequently, they feared losing support should Germany become involved in a protracted war or if the government asked too many sacrifices from its people. Secondly, German history paints a continuous prejudice toward women and their role in society. Nazis understood the prejudice, based their ideologies and policies on it, and then expanded from this base to more radical and limiting policies toward women. Thirdly, the enactment of Nazi policies and ideologies toward women were incompatible with including them in the war-stressed industrial force. Nazis had mapped out women's role in the Third Reich before the war, and were inflexible to altering it to include the necessary hardships of war. Finally, Germany used a pool of labor in their industry that was unique to Nazi Germany. Germany had the luxury of pulling from the populations of occupied Europe to fill its factories, and when even they were not enough, Nazis finally used the "inferior" forces of the inmates of concentration camps. Nazi Germany's failure to mobilize its female work force behind its war effort was a flaw that eventually became fatal. Germany is a country traditionally preoccupied with status and titles.

Night World : Black Dawn Chapter 16

I'msorry. Was I interrupting something?† he said, Maggie had to struggle not to draw in her breath sharply. It was always a little bit of a shock seeing him. And even in a room with Hunter Redfern and thepale and dazzling Sylvia, he stood out. Like a coldwind blowing through the door, he seemed to bringcoiled energy in with him, to slap everyone awakewith the chilly smell of snow. And of course he was gorgeous, too. And not awed by Hunter, Maggie thought. Hefaced his greatgrandfather with those fearless yellow eyes level, and a measuring look on his fineboned face. â€Å"Nothing at all,† Hunter Redfern said amiably.†We were waiting for you. And planningthecelebrations.† â€Å"Celebrations?† â€Å"To honor our agreement. I'm so pleased that we've come to an understanding at last. Aren'tyou?† â€Å"Of course,† Delos said, pulling off his gloveswithout any change in expression. â€Å"When we docome to an understanding, I'll be very pleased.† Maggie had to bite her lip on a snicker. At thatmoment, looking at Hunter's facile smile and Sylvia's pinned-on simper, she had never liked Delos'sdour, cold grimness better. Idiot, she told herself. When did you ever like itat all? The guy's an icicle. But there was something clean and sharp-edgedabout his iciness, and she couldn't help admiring the way he faced Hunter. There was a little aching knot in her chest as she watched himstandingthere, tense and elegant, with his dark hair tousled from riding. Which wasn't to say she wasn't scared. That auraof power Delos carried along with him was veryreal. He had sensed her before, even with Aradiablockingthe signs of her lifeforce. And now here he was, maybe twelve feet away, with only a pieceof linen between them. There was nothing Maggie could do but sit asstillas possible. â€Å"Sylvia has taken the liberty of beginning thepreparations,† Hunter said. â€Å"I hope you don't mind.I think we can work out any little details that areleft before tomorrow, don't you?† Suddenly Delos looked tired. He tossed his gloveson the bed and nodded, conceding a point. â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"Essentially,† Hunter Redfern said,†we are agreed. This time Delos just nodded without speaking. â€Å"I can't wait to show you off to the world outside,† Hunter said, and this time Maggie thought the note of pride and eagerness in his voice was sincere. â€Å"My great-grandson. And to think that ayear ago I didn't know of your existence.† Hecrossed to slap Delos on the back. It was a gestureso much like the old king's that Maggie's eyeswidened. â€Å"I'm going to make some preparations of myown,† he said. â€Å"I think the last hunt before youleave should be special, don't you?† He was smilingashe left. Delos stared moodily at the fur coverlet. â€Å"Well,† Sylvia said, sounding almost chirpy.†How's the arm?† Delos glanced down at it. He was still wearingthe complicated brace thing Maggie had seen him in yesterday. â€Å"It's allriot.† â€Å"Hurts?† â€Å"A little.† Sylvia sighed and shook her head. â€Å"That's because you used it for practice. I did warn you,you know.† â€Å"Can you make it better or not?† Delos saidbrusquely. Sylvia was already opening the basket. â€Å"I toldyou, it'll take time. But it should improve with each treatment as longas you don't use it.† She was fiddling with the brace, doing thingsthat Maggie couldn't see. And Maggie's heart wasbeating hard with anger and an unreasonableprotectiveness. I can't let her do that to Delosbut how can istop her? There's no way. If she sees me, it's allover†¦ . â€Å"There,† Sylvia said. â€Å"That should hold you fora while.† Maggie ground her teeth. But at least maybe she'll go now, she thought. Itfeels like about a century I've been sitting in herelistening to her. And this stool isn't getting anymore comfortable. â€Å"Now,† Sylvia said briskly, tidying. â€Å"Just let meput your gloves away-â€Å" Oh, no,Maggie thought, horrified. On the shelf beside her was a pile of gloves. â€Å"No,†Delos said, so quickly it was almost anecho. â€Å"I need them.† â€Å"Don't be silly. You're not going out again-â€Å" â€Å"I'll take them.† Delos had wonderful reflexes. Heput himself between Sylvia and the wardrobe, andan instant later he was holding on to the gloves,almost tugging them from her hands. Sylvia looked up at him wonderingly for a longmoment. Maggie could see her face, the creamy skin delicately flushed, and her eyes, the color of r-drenched violets. She could see the shimmerof her pale blondhairas Sylvia shook her head slightly. Delos stared down at her implacably. Then Sylvia shrugged her ft-agile shoulders andletgo of the gloves. â€Å"I'll go see to the feast,† she said lightly andsmiled. She picked up her basket and moved gracefully to the door. Delos watched her go. Maggiesimply sat, speechless and paralyzed.When Delos followed Sylvia and closed the door firmly behind her, she made herself get slowly offthe stool. She backed away from the curtainsslightly, but she could still see a strip of thebedroom. Delos walked unerringly straight to the wardrobe.†You can come out now,† he said, his voice flatand hard. Maggie shut her eyes. Great. Well, I should have known. But he hadn't let Sylvia come in and discoverher, and he hadn't simply turned her over to his guards. Those were very good signs, she told herself stoutly. In fact, maybe she wasn't going to haveto persuade him of anything at all; maybe he wasalready going to be reasonable. â€Å"Or do I have to come in?† Delos said dangerously. Or maybe not, Maggie thought. She felt a sudden idiotic desire to get the dust out of her hair. She shook her head a few times, brushing at it, then gave up. Terribly conscious of her smudged face and slaveclothing, she parted the linen hangings andwalked out. â€Å"I warned you,† Delos said. He was facing her squarely, his jaw set and hismouth as grimas she had ever seen it. His eyeswere hooded, a dull and eerie gold in the shadows.He looked every inch the dark and mysterious vam pire prince. And here I am, Maggie thought. Looking like†¦well, like vermin, I bet. Like something fished outof the gutter. Not much of a representative forhumanity. She had never cared about clothes or hairstylesor things like that, but just now she wished thatshe could at least look presentable. Since the fateof the world might just depend on her. Even so, there was something in the air betweenDelos and herself. A sort of quivering aliveness that quickened the blood in Maggie's veins. That stirredsomething in her chest, and started her heartpounding with an odd mixture of fear and hope. She faced Delos just assquarelyashe was facing her. â€Å"I know some things that I think you need toknow,† she said quietly. He ignored that. â€Å"I told you what would happenif you came here. I told you I wouldn't protectyou again.† â€Å"I remember. But you didprotect me again. AndI thank you-but I really think I'd better tell youwhat's going on. Sylvia is the suspicious type, andif she's gone to Hunter Redfern to say that youdon't want people looking in your closet-â€Å" â€Å"Don't you understand?†he said with such sudden violence that Maggie's throat closed, chokingoff her words. She stared at him. â€Å"You're so closeto dying, but you don't seem to care. Are you toostupid to grasp it, or do you just have a deathwish?† The thumping in Maggie's chest now was definitelyfear. â€Å"I do understand,† she began slowly, when shecould get her voice to work. â€Å"No, you don't, â€Å"he said. `But I'll make you.† All at once his eyes were blazing. Not just theirnormal brilliant yellow, but a dazzling and unnatural gold that seemed to hold its own light. Even though Maggie had seen it before, it wasstill a shock to watch his features change. His face going paler, even more beautiful and clearly defined, chiseled in ice. His pupils widening like a predator's, holding a darkness that a human coulddrown in. And that proud and willful mouth twist ing in anger. It all happened in a second or so. And then hewas advancing on her, with dark fire in his eyes,and his lips pulling back from his teeth. Maggie stared at the fangs, helplessly horrifiedall over again. They were even sharper than she remembered them looking. They indented hislower lip on either side, even with his mouth partly .open. And, yes, they were definitely scary. â€Å"This is what I am,† Delos said, speaking easily around the fangs. â€Å"A hunting animal. Part of a world of darkness that you couldn't survive for aminute in. I've told you over and over to stay awayfrom it, but you won't listen. You turn up in my own castle, and you just won't believe your danger.So now I'm going to show you.† Maggie took a step backward. She wasn't in agood position; the wall was behind her and thehuge bed was on her left. Delos was between her and the door. And she had already seen how fasthis reflexes were. Her legs felt unsteady; her pulse was beating erratically. Her breath was coming fast. He doesn't really mean ithe won't really do it. He isn't serious†¦. But for all her mind's desperate chanting, panicwas beginning to riot inside her. The instincts of forgotten ancestors, long buried, were surfacing.Some ancient part of her remembered being chased by hunting animals, being prey. She backed up until she came in contact with the tapestry-hung wall behind her. And then therewas nowhere else to go. â€Å"Now,† Delos said and closed the distance between them with the grace of a tiger. He was right in front of her. Maggie couldn't helplooking up at him, looking directly into that alienand beautiful face. She could smell a scent like autumn leaves and fresh snow, but she could feel theheat from his body. He's nothing dead or undead, some very distantpart of her mind thought. He's ruthless, he's beenraised to be a weapon, but he's definitely alivemaybe the most alive thing I've ever seen. When he moved, there was nowhere she couldgo to avoid him. His hands closed on her shoulderslike implacable bands of steel. And then he waspulling her forward, not roughly but not gently either, pulling her until her body rested lightlyagainst his. And he was looking down at her withgolden eyes that burned like twin flames. Looking at my throat, Maggie thought. She couldfeel the pulse beating there, and with her chin tiltedup to look at him and her upper body arched away from him, she knew he could see it. His eyes werefixed on it with a different kind of hunger than shehad ever seen in a human face. For just one instant the panic overwhelmed her,flooding up blackly to engulf everything else. Shecouldn't think; she was nothing but a terrified massof instinct, and all she wanted to do was to run,toget away. Then, slowly at first, the panic receded. It simplypoured off her, draining away. She feltasif she were rising from deep water into air clear ascrystal. She looked straight into the golden eyes aboveher and said, â€Å"Go ahead.† She had the pleasure of seeing the golden eyeslook startled. â€Å"What?† â€Å"Go ahead,† Maggie said distinctly. â€Å"It doesn'tmatter. You're stronger than me; we both knowthat. But whatever you do, you can't make me yourprey. You don't have that power. You can't control me.† Delos hissed in fury, a reptilian sound. â€Å"You are â€Å". so â€Å"You wanted me scared; I'm scared. But, then, Iwas scared before. And it doesn't matter. There's something more important than me at stake here.Prove whatever you've got to prove and then I'll tell you about it. â€Å"So completely stupid,† Delos raged. But Maggiehad the odd feeling that his anger was more against himself than her. â€Å"You don't think I'll hurt you,†he said. â€Å"You're wrong there.† â€Å"I willhurt you. I'll show you-â€Å" â€Å"You can kill me,† Maggie said clearly. â€Å"But that'sall you can do. I told you, you can't control me. And you cant change what's between us.† He was very, very angry now. The fathomless pupils of his eyes were like black holes, and Maggie suddenly remembered that he wasn't just a vampire, or just a weapon, but some doomsday creature with powers meant for the end of the world.He hovered over her with his fangs showing. â€Å"I willhurt you,† he said. â€Å"Watch me hurt you.†He bent to her angrily, and she could see his intent in his eyes. He meant to frighten and disillusion †¦ †¦ and he kissed her mouth like raindrops falling on cool water. Maggie clung to him desperately and kissed back. Where they touched they dissolved into each other.Then she felt him tremble in her arms and they were both lost. It was like the first time when their minds had joined. Maggie felt a pulsing thrill that enveloped her entire body. She could feel the pure line ofcommunication open between them, she could feelherself lifted into that wonderful still place whereonly the two of them existed and nothing else mattered. Dimly, she knew that her physical self was fallingforward, that they were both falling, still clasped in each other's arms. But in the hushed place of crystalline beauty where she really was, they werefacing each other in a white light. It was like being inside his mind again, but thistime he was there opposite her, gazing at her directly. He didn't look like a doomsday weapon anymore, or even like a vampire. His black-lashedgolden eyes were large, like a solemn child's. Therewas a terrible wistfulness in his face. He swallowed, and then she heard his mentalvoice. It was just the barest breath of sound. Idon'twant this Yes, you do, she interrupted, indignant. The normal barriers that existed between two people had melted; she knew what he was feeling, and shedidn't like being lied to. -to end,he finished. Oh. Maggie's eyes filled with sudden hot tears. She did what was instinctive to her. She reachedout to him. And then they were embracing in their minds, justastheir physical bodies embraced, andthere was that feeling of invisible wings allaround them. Maggie could catch fragments of his thoughts,not just the surface ones, but things so deep shewasn't sure he even knew he was thinking them. So lonely †¦ always been lonely. Meant to be that way. Always alone †¦ No, you're not,she told him, trying to communicate it to the deepest part of him. Iwon't let you be alone. And wewere meant to be like this; can't you feel it? What she could feel was his powerful longing.But he couldn't be convinced all at once. She heard something like Destiny †¦ And shesaw images of his past. His father. His teachers.The nobles. Even the slaves who had heard theprophecies. They all believed he had only one purpose, and it had to do with the end of the world. You canchange your destiny, she said. Youdon't have to go along with it. I don't know what's going to happen with the world, but you don't have to be what they say. You have the power to fight them! For one heartbeat the image of his father seemed to loom closer, tall and terrible, a father seen through the eyes of childhood. Then the featuresblurred, changing just enough to become HunterRedfern with the same cruel and accusing light in his yellow eyes. And then the picture was swept away by a tidalwave of anger from Delos. I am not a weapon. I know that,Maggie told him. I can choose what I am from now on. I can choose what path to follow. Yes,Maggie said. Delos said simply, Ichoose to go with you. His anger was gone. Just briefly, she got theflicker of another image from him, as she had once before seeing herself through his eyes. He didn't see her as a slave girl with dusty hairand a smudged face and coarse sacking for clothes.He saw her as the girl with autumn-colored hairand endlessly deep sorrel eyes-the kind of eyesthat never wavered, but looked straight into his soul. He saw her as warm and real and vibrant,melting the black ice of his heart and setting him free. And then this image was gone, too, and they weresimply holding on to each other, lapped in peace. They stayed like that for a while, their spiritsflowing in and out of each other. Delos didn't seeminclined to move. And Maggie wanted it to last, too. She wanted tostay here for a long time, exploring all the deepestand most secret places of the mind that was nowopen to her. To touch him in ways he'd never beentouched before, this person who, beyond all logic,was the other half of her. Who belonged to her.Who was her soulmate. But there was something nagging at her consciousness. She couldn't ignore it, and when shefinally allowed herself to look at it, she remembered everything. And she was swept with a wave of alarm sostrong it snapped her right out of Delos's mind. She could feel the shock of separation reverberate in him as she sat up, aware of her own bodyagain. They were still linked enough that ithurther just as it hurt him. But she was too frightenedto care. â€Å"Delos,† she said urgently. â€Å"We've got to do something. There's going to be trouble.† He blinked at her,asif he were coming fromvery far away. â€Å"It will be all right,† he said. â€Å"No. It won't. You don't understand.† He sighed, very nearly his old exasperated snort.†If it's Hunter Redfern you're worried about-â€Å" â€Å"It's him-and Sylvia. Delos, I heard them talkingwhen I was in the wardrobe. You don't know what they've got planned.† â€Å"It doesn't matter what they've got planned. I cantake care of them.† He straightened a little, looked down at his left arm. â€Å"No, you can't,†Maggie said fiercely. â€Å"And that'sthe problem. Sylvia put a spell on you, a bindingspell, she called it. You can't use your power.†

The Literary And Pop Culture Vampire Of The 1950s

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Comparing Orwells 1984 and Machiavellis The Prince...

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The True Value of Loyalty Essay - 794 Words

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Human Resource Management Assignment Free Essays

ASSIGNMENT ACKNOWLEDGEMENT SHEET FOR SUBMISSION OF ASSESSMENT Serial No: 40074724 Please note: 1. Assignments must be submitted on or before the date due. 2. We will write a custom essay sample on Human Resource Management Assignment or any similar topic only for you Order Now Students must ensure that they are not guilty of plagiarism which is, essentially, referring to the words/ideas of others without acknowledgment. Students must comply with the statement below. | Students Declaration The attached assignment is my own work, and has never been submitted for assessment on any other course before. Proper referencing has been made to all sources: published or unpublished works and the ideas of other persons. (Student’s Signature) Yasas Kalubowila Full Name of Student Mr. Kalubowila Prathibha YasasDate submitted _14 Jan 2012_ Programme _BA (Hons) – Business Management (Singapore) Course Code _39604BH______ Name of Module/subject _Human Resource Management Class ____1__________ ————————————————- Assignment Title/Reference no. (if applicable) _HRM 08701 (Part 2) ————————————————- Teacher – Dr Allen / Mr Jeffrey Tan___ ___________________________________________________________________________ For Office Use| You are required to develop a two-day induction training course for Baristas (Day 1 should focus on company induction and Day 2 on job specific induction). The course is designed for all new baristas, and will be delivered to groups of 12-16 people. Write a report which includes a) The overall aim and specific learning objectives for the course. Aim of the Course According to Armstrong (2009), employees are far more likely to resign during the initial months after joining the organization. The main aim of this induction program is to welcome our new colleagues in to Cafe Co. family and to get them to understand their role within the organization. This will help them to settle into their jobs more easily and at the same time this will aid the staff to add value to the company which will help the management to align with the company goals and achieve competitive advantage in the long run. In any training program, the learning objective has to be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Timely (Armstrong, 2006, p506) in order to archive the training goals 1. Understanding the organization and t * History * Understanding Vision, Mission Value Statement * Basic conditions of Employment ( Working hours, leaves, holidays, insurance schemes, ) * Organizational Structure 2. Working Culture * Effective team Management * Improve leadership qualities * Getting to know the line managers 3. Product Knowledge * Varieties of coffee and preparation methods Food Menu Beverage Menu 4. Customer service * Importance of customer service * Standard operation procedures (SOP) * Handling a customer complain * Customer appreciation Word Count 170 b) An explanation of how this training program will improve the performance of employees. * Give an understanding about the company history, short term and long term goals * Company’s vision, mission and value statement * Allow the tr ainees to embrace company culture and understand the rules and regulations * Get to know the management staff and the environment so he trainees will not feel cornered * Understand the food and beverages which will be sold together with coffee * Learning the coffee mixtures and varieties of coffee beans in order to give a good impression to the customers * Build a friendly attitude toward work and improve on customer service to attract new customers * Understand the sequence of service to give a smooth operation in service and decrease time lags Word Count 110 Day| Time| Venue| Description| Media| Remarks| 1| 8. 30 am– 9. 5am| Training Room Foyer | Breakfast Registration | N/A| The participant will be given with course materials, Employee Handbook and other necessary documentation. | | 9. 15am -9. 30am| Training Room`| Welcome speech| N/A| The managing Director of Cafe Co will deliver the welcome speech. | | 9. 30 am- 10. 15 am | Training Room`| Introduction to Cafe Co. | P rojectorVideo on Cafe Co. | The video will show and elaborate on Cafe. Co History and the current standing. -History -Current Standing in the market| | 10. 15am – 10. 0 am| Training Room Foyer| Morning Coffee Break | N/A| Buffet Spread with refreshments| | 10. 30 am-11. 30 am| Training Room | Our Business and Our Goals| Video, PowerPoint Presentation Speech| With aid of the Employee Handbook, the trainer will go through ,Company vision ,Mission,Value statement ,Goals – Long term and Short term| | 11. 30 am- 12. 00 Noon| Open area | Leadership icebreaker game| N/A| Trainees are divided into two groups to play the game â€Å"Magic Shoes†. Refer Appendix 1| | 12 Noon – 1. 30pm| Restaurant | Lunch| N/A| The Group will be taken for the lunch at a restaurant nearby| | 1. 0pm – 2. 30pm| Training Room | Employment Conditions| Presentation Speech| The HR manager will brief on the Employment Condition and benefits given by the company * Annual Leave * Abse nt Reporting * Hours of work * Overtime payments * Contract| | 2. 30pm -2. 45pm| Training Room| Q A| 2 wireless microphone, Facilitator| The Employees are to ask questions to clarify any doubts they have regarding the contract and the conditions| | 2. 45pm -3. 15 pm| Training Room | Organizational Structure and Career advancement opportunities | PowerPoint presentation| The HR Manager will ntroduce the top management and the company hierarchy. Job advancement opportunities and examples of the individuals who started as baristas which had advancements in their careers | | 3. 30pm – 3. 45pm | Training Room Foyer| Afternoon Coffee Break | N/A| Buffet Spread with refreshments| | 3. 45pm – 5. 00pm| Training Room| Introduction to Cafe Co. Products | PowerPoint Presentation,Video Clips | The Employees will get to see the line of products which Cafe Co. offering. | | 5. 00pm | End of Day 1| Day| Time| Venue| Description| Media| Remarks| 2| 8. 30 am– 9. 0am| Cafe Co. Ou tlet| Breakfast| N/A| Buffet Spread with refreshments| | 9. 00am -10. 30am| Cafe Co. Outlet| Food Hygiene and Safety Requirements | PowerPoint Presentation, Demonstration| The trainer will go through the food hygiene safety requirements. -Food preparation -Handling of equipments -Fire safety-Fire Extinguishers-Fire Drill | | 10. 30 am –11. 00am| Cafe Co. Outlet| Customer Service | PowerPoint Presentation| Trainer will give a presentation,-Importance of the customers-How to attract new customers -Customer appreciation -Customer Loyalty| | 11. 0am-12. 00 Noon| Cafe Co. Outlet| Handling Customer Complains| N/A| Role Play in groups of 3 to 4 -Each group is given a scenario -The trainer will assess them in handling the situation -Remarks from the trainer | | 12. 00 Noon- 1. 30pm| Cafe Co. Outlet| Lunch Meeting with the Line managers | N/A| Buffet Lunch-The Line Managers will go around and talk with the Trainees during the Lunch | | 1. 30pm-3. 00pm| Cafe Co. Outlet| Standard Opera tional Procedure of Cafe Co. | Demonstration and PracticalCutleries, Cutleries | The Trainer will Demonstrate the service sequence. Welcoming the Guest-Locating a table-Offering the Menu-Taking Orders-Serving -Attending to various requests from the guest -Table Settings (Cutleries)| | 3. 00pm -4. 45pm| Cafe Co. Outlet| Coffee Preparation Methods followed by Coffee Break| Coffee Machine, Coffee Cups, Sample Food in the Menu,| The Trainer will Demonstrate how to make Different Coffee Mixtures-Each Group will try to make their own Coffee-All the food items in the menu will be served during this session. -The trainer will emphasize on the importance of product knowledge. | | 4. 45 pm – 5. 5pm| Cafe Co. Outlet| Course Summery, Evaluation and Closing Address | PowerPoint Presentation, Evaluation Forms, Facilitator| The Trainer will give the Closing address and will leave the premises where the facilitator will conduct the Evaluations | | 5. 15pm| End of the Induction Program| Word Count 613 a) Explain the training methods and media you would suggest for delivering each part of the program, justifying your choices. (1000 words) Learning Styles Before planning a training program it is impotent for the trainers to understand different styles of learners. According to Honey Mumford, there are four styles of learning; they are activists, reflectors, theorists and pragmatists (Gray, Cundell, Hay and O’neill, 2004) Honey and Mumford also suggested that the use of the senses (hear, see, feel, smell taste) can enhance the learners learning experience. Figure 1 -They need models, facts and concepts to engage in learning -like to understand theories behind actions -Involves themselves in new experiences. -Willingness to take Risks -Have an open mind -people who learn by Doing Practical approach -like to put what they learn in to practice -Experimenting -like to try out new ideas -Learn by observing and thinking -takes time to come to conclusion -they avoid leaping in like to watch in the side lines Training Methods Choosing the correct training method to deliver the training is very important for both the trainer and the trainee. There are lots of factors to consider when choosing a method. Some of them are: Audience age, level of e ducation, learning style of the trainees, budget, trainer’s skills and training style. Training Method | Description| Advantages | Drawbacks | Where did we use? | Why did we use? | Lesson/Instructions| The trainer will deliver the lesson to a group of people | Ideal for smaller groups. Can archive transfer of information easilyCan make the learning experience more interesting with the use of the right media. | Cannot handle Larger groupsVery trainer centered Standard of the training depends too much on the trainer| Most of the activities on the first day was more based on this method of training -Our Business and Our Goals -Employment Conditions Organizational Structures and Career Advancement Opportunities-Food hygiene and Safety requirements | This is the most common method of transferring the information out to an audience. Even though this can be bit monotonous, using of a mixture of media like videos can make the learning experience more effective. The topics like business and our goals, employment conditions and etc are very straight forwards topics which can use lessons to deliver. Seeing, Hearing | Demonstration | The trainer will demonstrate a task in front of the trainees. How to Fold a NapkinHow to prepare an espresso | Aids understanding and retention Stimulates learners interest Can give learners a model to follow| Must be accurate and relevant to learnersExamples require lengthy prep timeMay be difficult for all to see| Standard Operational Procedure of Cafe Co. Coffee Preparation Methods| By Looking at the demonstration they will get an idea on how things are carried out. Also by giving them an opportunity to practice the above demonstrations will increase the effectiveness of the training Researches suggests, by using kinesthetic learning will increase the results in learning outcomes (teaching Mineralogy, 2011) Seeing, Feeling and tasting | Training video| These videos can be specially designed for training purposes or it can be normal media which can be taken from the web| Easier to understandImages and motion pictures can be recalled easily than words and phrases | Production cost can be high for training videos| Our business and our goals. Introduction to cafe. o| It is interesting to see something than listening to someone for few hours. Easier to capture the attention of the trainees. Seeing,| Role play| Trainees act out characters assigned to them. Information regarding the situation is provided to the trainees by the trainer. | Focus on interpersonal responses The more meaningful the exercise, the higher the level of participant focus and int ensity | Outcomes depend on the emotional (and subjective) reactions of the other trainees. | Handling Customer Complains| Role playing can be a very interesting way to see how a person reacts to a certain situation. But the scenarios has to be well prepared and the trainer must always facilitate to keep the trainees from derailing away from the desired learning objectives We used this method in order to prepare the trainees or the future employees to handle difficult situations with no hesitation. Furthermore they will be well prepared to face different types of customers with different attitudes and to handle the complains well. Feeling| Games| This is to improve the decision making and sense making capabilities of the trainees. | Build a fun and enthusiastic atmosphere in the training program. Improve the critical thinking skills of the learnersTime management and team building skillsBring out the leadership qualities of the participants. | Time consuming. Competition might arouse the conflict among the participants| Leadership Icebreaker Game| The game â€Å"Magic shoe† is used to choose a leader within the group. This will improve the team dynamics and at the same time it will build a unity among the team members. This will benefit the participants in enhancing their decision making skills and consequently improve their time management skills as well. Word Count 904| e) Outline your evaluation strategy for the course. (250 words) Evaluation can be defined as a way of assessing or judging the value of a piece of work (Tufo, 2002). It is the systematic assessment of the worth or merit of some object (Trochim, 2006). The evaluation of this induction program is based on kirkpatrick’s 4 levels of evaluation model. Figure 2 shows the 4 levels of learning and the how it effect the participants. Figure 2 Level 1 (Reaction) – This is used to understand how the trainees or the participants felt about the program. Happy sheets’ and feedback forms will be given to the trainees soon after the induction program is over in order to identify the effectiveness of course delivering methods. For long term evaluation, customer satisfaction surveys and employee performance evaluations will be conducted every three months. Level 2 (Learning) – Learning evaluation can be identified as the measurement of the increase in knowle dge before and after the program (Chapman, 2009). Observations will be conducted after the induction program on how the new employees handle the coffee machines and equipment. Furthermore a questioner will be given to the new employees to identify the improvement regarding the product knowledge. Level 3 (Behavior) – In one month time follow up surveys will be conducted to both employees and managers in order to identify whether the employees are applying the things which they have learned during the induction program. Also customer service feedback forms will be given to the customers after one month time to find the improvement and the application of knowledge. Level 4 (Results) – Measuring the performance of the company in increase or decrease of sales. Daily sales level followed by monthly sales level. In period of 3- months’ time measure the increase or decrease in product quality and the customer feedback. Consequently by evaluating the effect on company profit will give a broad description on how the induction program has an impact on the business in long run. Word count 311 Reference 1. Armstrong, M. (2006). Handbook of HRM practices, 10th Edition, London, Kogen Page. 2. Armstrong, M. (2009). Handbook of HRM practices, 11th Edition, London, Kogen Page 3. Chapman, A. (2009). Kirkpatrick’s learning and training evaluation theory. Business balls. [Online]. Available at: http://www. businessballs. com/kirkpatricklearningevaluationmodel. htm . [Accessed: 12th Jan 2012] 4. Fleming,N. ,and Mills,C. ,(1992). Kinesthetic Learning. Teaching Mineralogy. [Online]. Available at:http://serc. carleton. edu/NAGTWorkshops/mineralogy/xtlsymmetry/kinesthetics. html [Accessed: 14th Jan 2012] 5. Gray,D. Cundell,S. Hay, D. O’neil, J. (2004) Learning through the Workplace 7th Edition, Cheltenhan, Nelson Thornes LTD. . Leadership games. (2012). Leadership games for groups. Leadership games. [Online]. Available at: http://leadershipgames. org/ . [Accessed: 14th Jan 2012] 7. Trochim,M. K. W. ,(2006). Introduction to Evaluation. Research methods Knowledge base. [Online]. Available at: http://www. socialresearchmethods. net/kb/intreval. php . [Accessed: 15th Jan 2012] 8. Tufo,S. (2002). What is evaluation?. Evaluation trust. [Online]. Available at: http://www. evalua tiontrust. org/ . [Accessed: 15th Jan 2012] Appendix 1 Magic Shoes Make 2 lines on the ground at least 8 feet apart and have the participants break into 2 groups, with each team having one pair of â€Å"magic shoes. † Instruct the team to gather behind one of the lines and have them cross the lava (the ground they are crossing) with only one person at a time using the â€Å"magic shoes† to be able to walk across the lava safely. Each team will be challenged to select a leader who would plan the strategy on how to have the entire team cross without being burned (Leadership games,2012). Section D – Student reflective statement Please complete the questions below and submit with you assessment on Friday 15th January 2012. Please note that this is worth 5% of your assessment mark and should be approximately 500 words. What have you learnt in the process of completing your assignment? Human Resource Management (HRM) can use as a powerful force to archive organizational goals. But I feel that in the Singapore Context these practices are not carried out effectively. Especially local firms, they name the department as HR department but they only do administrative work. Basic things like Recruiting and selection. I feel that they need to focus more on things like HR Development and training in a strategic level. This will give the company an edge in the competition. All in all it gave me lot of insights on to the role of a HR manager and the importance of him or her in the top management to make decision making easier. What helped or hindered you progress? My work experience as a manager helped me in doing this assignment. Lot of the things mentioned in this module is similar to what I do at work. But the tough part is searching for relevant materials and resources and giving references was slowing down my progress. Nevertheless by reading the course materials and the lecture slides gave me a broad understanding regarding Human resource management and also how to build the induction program effectively. But time management was a difficult task for me as I have work during week days and weekends as well. Therefore it hindered my progress and resulted in rushing through the assignment. For each section please reflect on whether you are satisfied with you submission and if not, why not? Considering the overall work, I am contended and happy because with all the time barriers I managed to finish it on time. But because of the given word counts I had to limit my thoughts and findings which was not satisfactory. Furthermore I have doubts in my referencing method and the amount of references I used because I was unable to attend to the special class where the lecturer conducted in regarding referencing. What actions will you take as a result of what you have learnt while doing this assessment? I am working in a small company which has close to 25 employees in the whole Singapore branch which is the head office for all the other branches in Malaysia, Indonesia, India and Thailand. Last week I was in Indonesia for one of the training sessions which they were conducting for some of their trainers (We are dealing with Schools). And I was very happy how they conducted their training. It was a well detailed and well structured. After the training they had the training program I took some feedback from the trainees and they were very good. On the other hand the training which we conduct here in Singapore is very informal sessions which don’t really follow any standard. So with the help of my knowledge I am going to change the training structure of our company and standardize for all the other countries as well. How to cite Human Resource Management Assignment, Papers