Thomas Batemans Ten Years Diggings :: Archaeology Archaeological Essays

Thomas Bateman's Ten Years' Diggings Thomas Bateman at Brushfield, Derbyshire, 1850 On the 3rd of August, we opened a finely shaped barrow near Brushfield, upon Lapwing Hill, overlooking Cressbrook valley, measuring seventeen yards across and four feet high in the centre, composed of earth, with a few stones in the middle, where a shallow grave, about a foot deep, was sunk in the rock. In it lay extended the remains of a human body, so very much decayed as to be almost undistinguishable, but which we ascertained to have been deposited with the head to the west. Beneath the remnants of bone were many traces of light-coloured hair, as if from a hide, resting upon a considerable quantity of decayed wood, indicating a plank of some thickness, or the bottom of a coffin. At the left of the body was a long and broad iron sword, enclosed in a sheath made of thin wood covered with ornamented leather. Under the hilt of the sword, which like most of ancient date is very small, was a short iron knife; and a little way above the right shoulder were tow small javelin heads, 4 1/2 inches long, of the same metal, which had lain so near each other as to become united by corrosion. Among the stones which filled the grave, and about a foot from the bottom were many objects of corroded iron, including nine loops of hoop iron about an inch broad, which had been fixed to thick wood by long nails; eight staples or eyes, which had been driven through plank and clenched; and one or two other objects of more uncertain application, all which were dispersed at intervals round the corpse throughout the length of the grave, and which may therefore have been attached to a bier or coffin in which the deceased was conveyed to the grave, possibly from some distant place. The only specimen of a Saxon sword, which was the weapon of the thegn, previously found in this part of Derbyshire, was singularly enough found with the umbo of a shield on the same farm in 1828; thus indication the connection of a noble Saxon family with Brushfield in the age of Heathendom, the name of which is perpetuated in a document of the 16th century, preserved in the British Museum. On the same afternoon, we examined a mutilated barrow nearer Brushfield, called the "Gospel

Victory in the Civil War

African Americans have had a long and painful encounter with subjugation, oppression and brutality. Their history is undeniably plagued with inhumane treatment and violence simply on the basis of their skin color. Man stooped to its lowest possible status when he began discriminating against people on color and race. No single race has had as unfortunate a history as African Americans who were rudely denied their rights during slavery era and were arrogantly kept away from the same after emancipation.Many blacks were hopeful of a better life when Abraham Lincoln declared emancipation for every black slave in the country. However since he himself died soon after, Blacks faced an uphill task getting their due share of public place during Reconstruction and prior to the Civil Rights Movement in 1960s. Victory in the Civil War of 1860s had assured African-Americans that they would get equal rights in the United States which however was one promise that did not materialize for very long. African-Americans were looked down upon in the South and they did not even have the right to sit next to white people in public buses.In the South black people were required to sit at the back as front seats were reserved for whites. This was a highly unfair law, which caused humiliation to many blacks especially a professor named Jo Ann Robinson. Blacks who were desirous of equal rights started the civil rights movement in 1950s to uphold Thomas Jefferson’s democratic ideals, â€Å"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights; that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.â€Å"[1]) Reconstruction should have been a time to rejoice and celebrate for blacks in the South. But that was not the case. Blacks suffered immensely at the hands of severe racial differences that plagued the country and had sharpened with the proclamation. The administration did little or nothing to ease the transition process. Frederick Douglass expressed his disappointment in these words: â€Å"You say you have emancipated us. You have; and I thank you for it. But what is your emancipation?When the Israelites were emancipated they were told to go and borrow of their neighbors—borrow their coin, borrow their jewels, load themselves down with the means of subsistence; after, they should go free in the land which the Lord God gave them†¦But when You turned us loose, you gave us no acres. You turned us loose to the sky, to the storm, to the whirlwind, and, worst, of all you turned us loose to the wrath of our infuriated masters. † A long series of struggles began when reconstruction failed to make the dream of liberty come true.Voting rights were not yet granted to blacks and to make matters worse racial segregation had not been abolished in schools and other departments. Racial segregation in schools was a major sign of discrimination because yo ung generation of blacks who were born free was forced to encounter unfair treatment without their being any legal support for the same. Slavery was no longer there in practice but it could still be felt in such actions of the people.Discrimination on the basis of race was reflected by things such as black people riding at the back of the bus, racial segregation in school, equal and separate principle and no voting rights or job opportunities for blacks. Before 1950s, things were not even moving in the right direction. Everything was intensely unequal for blacks including access to education and jobs. But 1950s and following decades changed the fate of black community as more than a century after initial emancipation, they were finally given some of the civil rights they had dreamt of.But these rights were not offered on a silver platter. Blacks had to consistently fight for their rights and there were a series of court cases that upheld the democratic ideals and opened doors to mor e freedom and equality for blacks. One such prominent and irreplaceable in significance was the Brown vs. Board of Education case of 1954. There is no case in education board’s history that has played a more important role or has served as a bigger judicial turning point than this case. In the history of important cases, Brown vs.Board of Education occupies a top slot because of its impact not only on education system in the country but on the fate of African Americans in United States. It just changed the way Americans handled issue of human rights. In 1950s, racial segregation in schools was a norm. While schools were required to be equal in quality of education, they were also meant to be separate. It was found that even equality principle was not followed in spirit since most black schools offered education which inferior in quality. In 1849, a similar case Roberts vs.City of Boston surfaced to challenge the education system of racial segregation but nothing concrete came out of this. In fact Benjamin Roberts and other African American parents were denied the right to enroll their children in selected Boston schools. In other words, this case upheld racial segregation. A few years later, in 1855 segregation in schools was abolished by Massachusetts legislature. However it was more in theory than practice. In 1896 came the important case of Plessy v. Ferguson where United States Supreme Court called for separate but equal access to various facilities to African Americans.This landmark case however denied blacks a chance to achieve complete equality because based on this declaration; blacks were offered separate facilities in restaurants, public transport, hotels and education. Several other cases surfaced since the Roberts case in 1849 and by 1949 court had made little or no effort to strike down racial segregation. Brown vs. Board of Education case was filed from Kansas. Before this case, some eleven school cases had emerged between 1881 and 1949 in Kansas. None however managed to bring about any real change in school segregation system.In 1908, The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) was founded and this organization helped black people achieve equality by providing them with legal counsel and funding whenever needed. Linda Brown was a third grade student whose father Oliver Brown wanted to admit her to a white school in the neighborhood since Linda had to walk miles everyday to reach her black school. She was denied admission in the white school and this resulted in Brown seeking help from McKinley Burnett, the head of Topeka's branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).NAACP was more than willing to assist since they finally had the â€Å"the right plaintiff at the right time. â€Å"[2] In his testimony, Dr. Hugh W. Speer, an expert witness explained that segregation was unhealthy and unfair to black students: â€Å"†¦ if the colored children are d enied the experience in school of associating with white children, who represent 90 percent of our national society in which these colored children must live, then the colored child's curriculum is being greatly curtailed. The Topeka curriculum or any school curriculum cannot be equal under segregation. â€Å"[3]The case continued for several months and in May 1954, the court in its landmark decision struck down separate but equal clause and called for school integration. In his ruling Chief Justice Earl Warren said: â€Å"We conclude that in the field of public education the doctrine of ‘separate but equal' has no place. Separate educational facilities are inherently unequal. Therefore, we hold that the plaintiffs and others similarly situated for whom the actions have been brought are, by reason of the segregation complained of, deprived of the equal protection of the laws guaranteed by the Fourteenth Amendment†.[4] The case was seen as a colossal step in the right d irection as it gave more encouragement to civil rights movement which ultimately resulted in a much better world for the blacks.REFERENCES[1] Dr. Howard O. Lindsey, â€Å"A History of Black America†, pg. 34-35 [2] Edward W. Knappman, ed. , Great American Trials (Detroit: Visible Ink, 1994) 467. [3] Knappman 467. [4] Benjamin Munn Ziegler, ed. , Desegregation and the Supreme Court (Boston: D. C. Heath and Company, 1958) 78-79

General Mills Motivational Profile

General Mills has been making food products for 150 years and is the 6th largest food producer in the world. Consumers recognize General Mills as the makers of Gold Medal flour, Cheerios cereal, and Betty Crocker cake mixes. But General Mills also produces Progresso soups and even the organic lines, Muir Glen and Cascadian Farms. Internationally, General Mills provides other products to 130 countries. Employees recognize General Mills as a positive place to work because of the company’s commitment to a strong ethic of service, achievement, and integrity. General Mills encourages its employees to volunteer and gives five percent of every pre-tax dollar to charitable organizations. While taking care of communities, General Mills also takes care of its employees with benefits ranging from corporate childcare to a generous vacation package and flexible hours. Because employees feel valued and inspired, General Mills enjoys a very low rate of employee turnover. For more than 100 years, General Mills has been dedicated to enriching people’s lives. General Mills stands by its commitment to championship brands, championship people, championship innovation, and championship performance. The company develops superior products designed to make consumers’ lives â€Å"easier, healthier, and more fun,† (General Mills, Values, n. d. ) General Mills endorses a philosophy of community action, corporate social responsibility, and integrity. Since 2000, the company has donated five percent of its pre-tax profits to charitable organizations. In 2009, General Mills gave more than $90. million dollars to support education, food banks, and overseas development. For example, through General Mill’s ‘African Women and Children’s Hunger Project, experts share food growing technologies with villagers in Africa. 15,000 villagers now have access to grain processing equipment and 20,000 villagers have improved access to water for crop irrigation. General Mills’ culture of philanthropy extends to its employees. Over 82% of the company’s volunteers report volunteering to their organization of choice or one supported by General Mills. Additionally, General Mills encourages charitable contributions by matching employees’ donations, dollar for dollar, to nonprofit groups. They have given millions of dollars to support education, food banks, and the arts. In 2009, Forbes magazine ranked General Mills as the 4th most respected company in the United States and the 11th most respected company in the world. General Mills uses innovative strategies worldwide to reduce its environmental footprint, starting with its product packaging. The paperboard used for General Mills’ cereal is made from 100 % recycled paper, and has been for decades. The company is working toward reducing energy use by 15% and greenhouse emissions by 20% in the next year. General Mills has also set tough goals for creating healthier food products. Almost every product line is undergoing research and redevelopment to produce products that include more whole grains and less salt and sugar. General Mills believes in conducting business with integrity. The code of conduct report outlines the company’s belief in maintaining the highest standards of quality in relationships, products, and conduct. The report states that the company will treat people fairly, keep its promises, and maintain the trust of consumers and investors. General Mills requires employee adherence to careful management of finances and assets, compliance with all local, national, and international laws, and the avoidance of conflicts of interest. General Mills has 30,000 employees worldwide and is the 6th largest food company in the world. With operations in over thirty countries, General Mills values a diverse workforce and has a strict no-discrimination policy. The company seeks talented, bright employees from many backgrounds. Additionally, General Mills places value on creating community partnerships throughout the world. Through respectful communication and an appreciation for different customs and cultural practices, the company has forged positive business and community relationships worldwide. General Mills is publicly held and includes a board, stockholders, and managers. The Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board, Kendall J. Powell joined the company in 1979 as a marketing assistant. Over the years, he took on increasingly responsible positions and is an example of the company’s commitment to developing its employees. Additional employees come from a variety of backgrounds, including marketing, health and nutrition, finance, production, research, and communications. General Mills ranked 155 on the Fortune 500 list of the best companies to work for and holds position 90 on Fortunes 1000 best companies to work for in 2010. This is up nine positions from 2009. The average annual pay in the most common professional job is approx $46,200. Not only is General Mills recognized by respected financial reporting businesses such as Fortune, but is highly regarded as a great place to work by its employees. One fact that supports the idea that General Mills is a great place to work is the company is named on Fortunes â€Å"Top Company: Low Turnover† list that includes companies with a 3% voluntary leave during the past 12-month period. With such a low turnover rate, the first question that comes to mind is â€Å"What makes this company so great? † One important factor may be that the company has several attractive family-friendly benefits. Recently the infant-care center at headquarters was expanded by 43 percent, and the company subsidizes 25 percent of infant care costs. This fact alone would certainly make this company an attractive choice to many family oriented workers. General Mills employs approximately 17,000 workers in the United States. General Mills reports that â€Å"employees who lead healthy, fulfilling lives are more likely to make a strong contribution in the work place. † There are a multitude of factors that support this believe and contribute to the low turnover rate recognized and reported in Fortune. Some of the supporting factors include: generous vacation time, paid holiday, and summer hour benefits. For example, from Memorial Day to Labor Day, headquarter employees are offered an option to work longer days Monday through Thursday and work a half day on Friday. Flexible work schedules and telecommuting when business conditions allow are available. The company also offers paid leave for new fathers and parents who are adopting children. General Mills has received many corporate recognition awards. A few notable recognitions include: Fortune’s â€Å"America’s Most Admired Companies† and â€Å"100 Best Companies to Work for. † General Mills has also received recognition by Working Mother magazine as â€Å"Best Companies for Woman of Color,† Business Week â€Å"America’s Top Givers† and Business Ethics â€Å"100 Best Corporate Citizens. † Another important note is General Mill’s commitment to diversity may also play a major role in retaining employees for a longer period. General Mills published that they see diversity as a strategy rather than a policy. The company believes that his strategy gives them a global advantage as well as a competitive advantage when drafting and marketing products. Their commitment to this strategy is supported by the fact that they aggressively seek minority suppliers to provide the services that make their products possible. As part of this focus, they set minority business entrepreneur purchasing goals. They also develop relationships with national minority organizations and build employee support and development. With this in mind, I think it is clear that this company strives to stay focused on people. They understand reinforcing values that are important to people through happy employees, good brands, innovation and performance, will result in long term commitments from their employees and long term profits from their customers. On May 16, 2007, before the Joint Economic Committee, Scott A. Weisberg, Vice President, Compensation, Benefits, and Staffing for General Mills Incorporated stated, â€Å"we strive to be a â€Å"cradle-to-grave† employer, which means we hire many of our employees at the entry level and hope they spend their entire career with General Mills. We believe this continuity translates into performance and a competitive advantage in the marketplace. Our benefits package reflects this core philosophy – our benefits are imbued with incentives to encourage people to stay. Our defined benefit pension program is one of our principal vehicles to reinforce employee retention. † This is the philosophy that drives General Mills motivational strategies, which have resulted in an employee retention rate doubled that of their competitors. Their recruiting approach is to attract top candidates with the intention of keeping them for their entire working tenure to draw on their expertise as they evolve into mentors (Ziegler, 2009). General Mills acknowledges the success of the company is strongly connected to their employees. For these reasons, General Mills is one of the top companies to work for. When employees leave, especially long time employees, a significant loss of knowledge and experience leaves with them. The cost to search for and train new people is substantial. According to Kelly Baker, vice president of Corporate Diversity for General Mills, â€Å"to attract and retain and keep those people very, very focused and productive we need to offer a place where they want to be (WCCO, 2008). † General Mills achieves this by offering some of the most comprehensive benefit and incentive programs in the country. According to one employee, it was the benefits and incentives that attracted them to the company and has definitely keep them there (WCCO, 2008). Another employee commented about being more productive because of the on-site conveniences and concierge service (WCCO, 2008). The benefits and incentives offered by General Mills create a workplace that motivates employees intrinsically and extrinsically. These benefits and incentives are designed to help employees achieve a balance between work and home life. The motivational techniques applied by General Mills gives the company the ability to create a flexible, inclusive, and challenging workplace, which in turn drives productivity and innovation. If General Mills has one area in which they can improve, it would be how long employees have to wait for promotions. Low voluntary turnover is a double edged sword. The benefit of retaining employees is the knowledge base, work experience, reduced recruiting and training costs. The consequence is promotions are harder to come by because employees stay in the workforce longer. The risk to General Mills, they may see more voluntary turnover as younger workers decide to move on to companies in which the chance for promotion is more attainable. One approach General Mills could take is asking employees if there is a particular area of the company they are interested in learning. For example, a person in human resources may be interested in learning about strategic planning. The human resources employee is matched to a mentor in the strategic planning department and begins training. Now the human resources employee has the opportunity to promote in either department. As General Mills continues to grow and expand internationally, their strong vision of community partnerships and service will help them adapt to economic and cultural changes. General Mills will continue to provide high quality foods to consumers while fostering a work environment that elicits high performance from every employee.ReferencesGeneral Mills Corporate Website (2010) Careers. Why work at General Mills. A great place to work. Retrieved May 4, 2010, from http://www.generalmills.com/corporate/careers/basic_benefits.aspx General Mills (n.d.) General Mills Social Responsibility. Retrieved May 7, 2010 from http://www.generalmills.com/corporate/commitment/2010_CSR.pdf WCCO. (2008, May 29). Go inside 1 of the best places to work. Retrieved from http://wcco.com/business/best.work.places.2.736220.html Weisberg, S. (2007, May 16). Testimony to the joint economic committee. The economic impact of elder care. The employer perspective. Retrieved from http://jec.senate.gov/archive/Hearings/05.16.07%20Elder%20Care/Testimony%20-%20Weisberg.pdf Ziegler, S. (2009, May 21). General Mills is a place employees come to say. Star Tribune. Retrieved from http://www.startribune.com/business/44610022.html

The Start of the Contamination in Man’s Environment

In the late 1960s to 1970s, Americans realized that industry was doing serious damage to air, water, and the earth itself, the most essential natural resources. The whole awareness of the damage being done to the environment stemmed out from the energy crisis of the 1970s. The energy crisis was a ‘slap-in-the-face' for America. They needed to realize the harm that was being done to the natural resources and their decreasing availability as a result. With the decreasing availability and increasing prices of oil, new energy sources had to be discovered. Although scientists found nuclear power to be a clean, cheap, and unlimited source of power at first, the environmentalists fought to minimize its usage for fear of nuclear meltdowns, which could spread nuclear waste. Alternative energy sources were possible, and what appeared to be the most effective were tidal energy and solar energy. These environmentally safe methods of harnessing energy were just what the environmentalists had aimed for, and a new movement had been started – environmentalism. If you read this circle it. The environmentalists also tried to advocate the conservation of energy, so that the cleaner but less effective ways could be manipulated to produce more energy. Despite many efforts to keep the environment clean, some 200 million tons of pollutants were filling the air each year, and clean air in many cities had been replaced by smog. The earth, air, and water were deteriorating as construction of highways, malls, and housing developments caused the destruction of fertile, irreplaceable farmland. Disposal of wastes was another dilemma to be dealt with. Burning could release poisonous gases into the air, and burial could cause harmful decay. By the mid-1960s, people began to really realize the need to conserve the nation's resources. Much credit for arousing public concern belonged to Rachel Carson for her book Silent Spring. This book warned of the central problem of our age being the contamination of man's environment. During the next few years, growing numbers of ecologists, biologists, and other scientists showed their concern about the reckless abuse of the environment. In 1970, Congress created the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which helped set laws regulating use of pesticides, insecticides, and other potentially dangerous sprays. They protected endangered wildlife, and ordered that car manufacturers had to provide pollution control devices on exhausts of their vehicles. New waste disposal and sewage treatment plants were being built to prevent further pollution of the land and water and to clean up the rivers and lakes. Government also regulated unsightly junkyards and dumps to restore the natural beauty of the countryside. Federal government set aside more areas as national parks, not to be tampered with, and considerable progress had been made in the management and conservation of America's forests, soil, and water. However, many people felt that it was not necessary for the government to take all this action. President Reagan gave in and allowed the search for minerals on federal lands and oil exploration off the coast of California, which some felt was very risky, because of the chance of an oil spill, which would devastate all ocean life in the area. Environmental decisions were important in the sixties era, as many other nations followed them with concern. With the world's population increasing so rapidly, the earth's natural resources will be heavily taxed, and many people, the environmentalists, believed that resource conservation was extremely important in maintaining the living conditions of the world population.

Diabetes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Diabetes - Essay Example Glucose is the main source of fuel for the body. The pancreas, an exocrine gland automatically produces the right amount of insulin to move glucose from blood into the cells. In diabetes, the blood glucose level increases beyond the optimum level which results in a cascade of pathologies in the body. The blood glucose level is normally controlled by the hormone Insulin secreted from the Pancreas. Diabetes has been broadly classified into two categories: Diabetes Type I & II. In Type I diabetes, the body is unable to synthesize enough Insulin hormone and in Type II diabetes, which is more common in occurrence than the former, the body either does not produce enough Insulin or is unable to properly utilize the available Insulin There is a third type known as gestational diabetes which occurs during pregnancy in women. Pancreas is a large elongated exocrine gland located behind the stomach and secretes pancreatic juice as well as insulin. Pancreatic juice plays an important role in the digestion of food while the insulin controls the glucose levels of the body. The discovery of insulin was a dramatic event in the history of medicine (Kahn C.R.& Sechter Yoram). In 1869, Paul Langerhans, a German medical student discovered that the pancreas contains two distinct groups of cells. The acinar cells secrete the digestive enzymes while cells clustered in islets had a secondary function. A hint to the functioning of these islets, which were later labeled as ‘Islets of Langerhans’ became somewhat clear when Oskar Minkowski and Joseph von Mering (1889) showed that dogs in whom pancreas was removed suffered from a syndrome similar to diabetes mellitus in man (Kahn C.R.& Sechter Yoram). Banting and Best, two Canadians were successful in extracting insulin from the pancreas in 1922 and treating a patient successfully. The ß cells of pancreatic islets synthesize insulin from a precursor molecule called proinsulin which is

Cell Biology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Cell Biology - Essay Example downregulate the expression of the histidine biosynthetic enzymes in the presence of ample histidine, since the cell does not need to synthesis histidine under those conditions. If HisP functions as a gene activator, I would expect it to bind more tightly to the regulatory sequences under conditions with low levels of histidine. As a gene activator, HisP would function to increase the expression of genes necessary for the biosynthesis of histidine. This would be more necessary and beneficial to the cell under conditions of low histidine. 2. In class we talked about how bacterial cells can take up the amino acid tryptophan from their surroundings, or if the external supply is insufficient, they can synthesize trytophan by using enzymes in the cell. In some bacteria, the control of glutamine synthesis is similar to that of tryptophan synthesis, such that the glutamine repressor is used to inhibit the transcription of the glutamine operon, which contains the genes that code for the enzymes required for glutamine synthesis. Upon binding to cellular glutamine, the glutamine repressor binds to the site of the promoter of the operon. By repressing the expression of the glutamine operon in the abundance of glutamine, as when the repressor molecule is bound to glutamine, the cell can conserve energy by not synthesizing a molecule that is already in abundance in its environment. When the supply of glutamine drops, the number of repressor molecules bound to glutamine, and hence repressing the expression of the glutamine operon, drops as well. This allows the cell to express the glutamine operon in order to raise levels of glutamine through its own biosynthetic pathway. The regulatory mechanism would fail because no allosteric (or other) changes induced by glutamine binding to the repressor molecule would allow it to bind to the glutamine operon promoter and cease synthesis of it. As a result, assuming no other regulatory mechanisms prevented it, the cell would

The Development of International Managers Assignment

The Development of International Managers - Assignment Example In the present-day organization, because any discussion about how an organization succeeds or fails ultimately comes back to the way individuals are managed, Academics and Practitioners agree that as the dynamics of competition accelerates, people are perhaps the only true source of competitive advantage4. According to, Turner, Keegan & Human (2006:317), for an organization to be effective and successful, the human resource management functions must be integrated into the various organizational strategy. According to this model, the HRM functions its goals and aims, need to be aligned with the strategy of the organization. Here the emphasis is both on the on projects and routine products and services and where the job requirements are well defined and stable. This paper has been initiated to support to examine an ideal training package for an international manager. Using the work of prominent researchers in the field issues taken into consideration when developing training packages for an international manager will be presented. The field of human resource (HR) management is one of the many interesting areas of research that has witnessed a paradigm shift within the last few decades5. Within this area of research, an increasing body of literature contains the argument that high-performance work practices, including comprehensive employee's recruitment, selection procedures, incentives compensation, and performance management systems, and extensive employee's involvement and training can improve the knowledge, skills, and abilities of firms6. Today, with the increasing researchers desires to demonstrate the importance of an effective human resource policy on organization performance research has shifted from a micro level that previously dominated research interest to a more general, strategic macro level7. The term human resource management is not new. It has been widely used by scholars and managers to refer to the set of policies designed to maximize organizational integration, employee commitment, flexibility and quality of work8.