Towards An Understanding Of Self Esteem And Eating Disorders

Towards an Understanding of Self-Esteem and Eating Disorders By Melissa H. Smith, Ph.D. | Submitted On September 24, 2012 Recommend Article Article Comments Print Article Share this article on Facebook Share this article on Twitter Share this article on Google+ Share this article on Linkedin Share this article on StumbleUpon Share this article on Delicious Share this article on Digg Share this article on Reddit Share this article on Pinterest Expert Author Melissa H. Smith, Ph.D. During a session with a client who has long suffered with an eating disorder I was discussing what it would be like if she could feel positive about herself. I was shocked with the response she gave me. Instead of reporting a desire to feel better about herself, this client laughed at me and retorted, Self-esteem is laughable to me. I hope to be rid of the disturbing behaviors of the eating disorder, but I know it s asking too much to like myself. This encounter has been as intriguing as it has been disturbing. In this interaction I believe I came to understand, in small measure, what many women who suffer from eating disorders must feel about themselves. And, I better understand that when therapists, dietitians, and other helpers meet these women, survival is often the goal rather than happiness or feelings of self-worth. This interaction has come to symbolize for me the lie of the eating disorder in that it so efficiently creates such hopelessness, self-hate, and shame in women.Sho w MoreRelatedThe Media Responsible For Females Essay1679 Words   |  7 PagesDissertation – Chapter 2 Is the media responsible for females, especially youths, for having low self-esteem and lack of confidence? Is the media responsible for the development of eating behaviours and disorders? In a culture with saturated media, the powerful influence upon women and younger girls is a continuous debate. 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Recently, several studies have shown that eatingRead More Anorexia and Bulimia Essay1116 Words   |  5 Pages(Alexander-Mott, 4). Males are also afflicted by these eating disorders, but at a much lower rate, with a female to male ratio of six to one. Those with anorexia nervosa refuse to maintain a normal body weight by not eating and have an intense fear of gaining weight. People with bulimia nervosa go through periods of binge eating and then purging (vomiting), or sometimes not purging but instead refraining from eating at all for days. Both of these disorders wreak havoc on a person s body and mental stateRead MoreComparing Adolescents And Early Adulthood1432 Words   |  6 Pagesthese behaviors as being self- centered, be over dramatic, arguing for no reason, and jumping to conclusions (ReCAPP, 2017). After the adolescent’s stage, we move into a new stage called early adulthood where we profit in more cognitive changes. 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After research, we can conclude that social media has a negative effect on a woman’s body image. The media consumption can lead to dissatisfaction and even have a correlation with eating disorders. â€Å"Social Media effects on Young Women’s Body Image Concerns: Theoretical PerspectivesRead MoreShould Social Media Be The Increase Of Eating Disorders?1592 Words   |  7 Pagesbe the cause for the increase of Eating Disorders? In today’s world, the idea of the perfect body is displayed on an endless list of websites and on a variety of social media. The world is addicted to accessing social media every day and as a result we have been brainwashed into how a woman should look. When you consider those with eating disorders that are afraid to eat because they are concerned of becoming overweight. it is difficult not to feel hostile towards the media. There seems to be plenty

Defining Manhood Through Gender Stereotypes - 1183 Words

â€Å"Man Up†: Defining Manhood through Gender Stereotypes in Macbeth In The Tragedy of Macbeth, Shakespeare attempts to define manhood and explore the different perceptions held towards what it means to be a man. As William Liston notes in his essay, â€Å"Man appears more than 40 times, almost always with a conscious sense of defining the term—or rather, of defining a person by the term† (232). Lady Macbeth is used as a tool to not only convey this theme, but she instigates the plot as well. Without her consistent scorn and ridicule of Macbeth and his â€Å"femininity†, he would most likely have never killed King Duncan or performed any of the other murders that occur throughout the play. Specifically speaking, the word choice of Lady Macbeth as well as her actions are what propel her husband into acting himself. Eventually, Macbeth’s overall attitude changes as a result of his wife’s ridicule. While Lady Macbeth undoubtedly spurs her husba nd into action, it is important to note that by the end of the play, she has lost what influence she had over him as well as her ability to control her own emotions. Lady Macbeth has a clear notion of how a man is supposed to act and the qualities the must possess. Throughout the course of the play, the readers/viewers discover exactly what image she has in mind. In her viewpoint, a man is one who attains his goals violently as is exemplified by her insistence that Macbeth kill King Duncan. The gap between genders is made evident in one of LadyShow MoreRelatedWorld War I, A Devastating Clash Between The Central Powers And The Allied Powers1748 Words   |  7 PagesAllied powers played a significant role in the social shift across Western countries. Lasting from 1914 to 1918, the war had social consequences that greatly affected gender roles in Europe. 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Film Noir to Neo Noir Free Essays

Murphy 1 Rachel Murphy Professor Charlotte E. Howell Film 2700 12 November 2012 Word Count: 1411 Film Noir to Neo-Noir: A Shift in Cultural Tides Film noir of the 1940s captivated audiences through its distinct form of storytelling. Strongly influenced by German Expressionism, these films have a definitive look and style that still resonates with modern audiences today. We will write a custom essay sample on Film Noir to Neo Noir or any similar topic only for you Order Now Like other classical Hollywood genres, film noir sought to bring to light tensions felt within society, namely those that affected men following World War II. Neo-noir films pay a great deal less attention to social commentary. Like film noir of the past, neo-noir elevates style over narrative; however, the genre has seen significant changes in regards to narrative, the disappearance of the femme fatale, and the prevalence of onscreen violence due to shifting cultural tides. In observing examples of film noir and its contemporary version, neo-noir, it is clear several elements in regards to the style and overall â€Å"feel† of these films have virtually remained the same throughout the years. In Nicolas Winding Refn’s neo-noir, Drive, a sense of otherworldliness is portrayed through several night scenes, intense shadows, and an overall dark rather downtrodden mood to the film. The scenes in the film take place at night and invariably in an urban setting. All of these elements are Murphy 2 extremely typical of classic film noir as well as German Expressionism. Drive’s narrative unfolds with surprisingly little dialogue. Instead Refn focused scenes on the mood, further strengthening the style of the film. Similarly, Curtis Hanson’s L. A. Confidential keeps with traditional film noir in elevating the style of the movie above its narrative. This is done through the heavy emphasis of the urban cityscape. As the title suggests, Los Angeles, is a major component within the film. The peppy, orange-filled paradise portrayal of L. A. in the film’s opening scene sharply contrasts the corrupt, crime-ridden town shown throughout the rest of the film. In addition, voice-overs and flashbacks, typical elements of film noir, are extensively used. The genre has seen great changes in regards to its social commentary, however. Noir films of the 1940s strongly reflected the social climate of the time. In several respects, film noir can be seen as the male equivalent to melodrama. Just as women dealt with the crisis of femininity in post-war years, men also struggled with their masculinity as well as adjusting to their new roles in an ever-changing society. After World War II, many Americans, especially men who had experienced the atrocities of war firsthand, took on a more cynical outlook on the world. Film noir of the 1940s sought to bring these feelings of isolation and changing attitudes to light. Like many men returning from the war, the heroes were disenchanted and often very isolated. In many respects, their fate is predetermined. In Tay Garnett’s The Postman Always Rings Twice, the audience gains a sense that John Garfield’s character, Frank’s, fate is already sealed as soon as he first plots, and eventually carries out the murder of Cora’s husband. This action clearly serves as a marker in the downward spiral of Frank’s life. Similarly, in Billy Wilder’s Murphy 3 Double Indemnity, Fred MacMurray’s character, Walter, irrevocably alters the course of his life when he gives in to Phyllis’s pleas to murder her husband. In both of these instances, the motivation behind this clearly immoral acts is lust. Both protagonists seem somewhat helpless against these forces. Both films also end with little doubt as to the fate of the protagonists. In The Postman Always Rings Twice, the film ends with Frank awaiting his punishment on death row. Similarly, Wilder’s Double Indemnity ends with Walter, critically injured from a gunshot wound inflicted by Phyllis, confessing his role in her husband’s murder. This clearly reflects upon the attitudes of males during the 1940s as helpless against the imposing forces of an oppressive society. Neo-noir films differ from their film noir counterparts because they are no longer reflective on social and cultural tensions. This is simply because the tension is not as widespread or heavily felt in today’s society. In the ending of Refn’s Drive, the nameless driver, though stabbed in the abdomen, clearly lives. It left up to the viewer to decide what kind of life he will lead in the future. In Hanson’s L. A. Confidential, the future of the city is somewhat unclear, but both protagonists in the film are met with at least somewhat happy endings. The male protagonists in neo-noir films are also much more strong-willed. Their actions, though at times extreme, are seen as justified to the viewer and made by the protagonist alone. Unlike earlier noir films, the protagonists are at least somewhat in control of their future. This turn within the genre clearly reflects changing attitudes within society, as the helplessness and isolation men felt after the war is no longer felt on such a large scale. Murphy 4 The influence of culture on the content of noir films is especially evident in the disappearance of femme fatale in neo-noir films. The 1940s marked a major shift in gender roles with the start of World War II. As men left for war, women took up jobs in the workforce and in factories in order to help with the war effort. This brought about a new sense of independence for women. When men returned home from the war, however, this shift was not necessarily seen in a positive light. The emergence of the femme fatale in film noir clearly reflects that in the eyes of men, women’s changing roles in society often presented a threat to perceived masculinity as well as established gender roles of the day. The femme fatale of noir films is invariably portrayed in a negative light. She is in most cases seen as the major driving force behind the protagonist’s tragic end. Furthermore, the protagonist is usually helpless against the advances of these women. Femme fatales, such as Cora in The Postman Always Rings Twice and Phyllis in Double Indemnity, are almost always met with an end even more bleak than that of the protagonist. In these two films, the femme fatales are both killed with little thought. Neo-noir films, however, approach female characters in a much more favorable light. The relationships between protagonists and these women are based on love, rather than mere lust. Thus, the actions of the protagonists appear often more justified. This can be accredited to the changing cultural tides since the 1940s. Women’s independence is generally no longer seen as a threat to male masculinity and thus is virtually extinct thematically in neo noir films. This is especially evident in Drive as well. The nameless driver’s love interest, Irene, is characterized by her innocence rather than her sexuality. Murphy 5 Even in L. A. Confidential, Lynn, a prostitute, has a relationship with one of the protagonists, however, the relationship is based on love rather than lust. Film noir arguably would not translate well to modern audiences if not for its integration of onscreen violence. Like German Expressionism, 1940s film noir drew a definitive reaction of discomfort and psychological unease from its audiences. In Double Indemnity, the scene in which Phyllis’s husband is murdered is brief and little is shown. The audience is shown only Phyllis’s cold, detached expression while her husband is murdered next to her in the passenger seat. In the 1940s, filmmakers didn’t necessarily need to show Phyllis’s husband being murdered in order to elicit a strong psychological reaction from audiences. With the abrogation of the Hay’s Code, however, audiences have become somewhat desensitized to the mere implication of violence. L. A. Confidential and Drive both use violence as a means of eliciting this same reaction. Perhaps the most memorable scene in Drive occurs in an elevator where the driver, in order to protect himself and Irene, not only kills a man, but proceeds to unleash all of his anger by stomping the man’s head into a gruesome, bloody pulp. In L. A. Confidential, numerous murder scenes and uncomfortable police interrogations illustrate how violence is now used in neo noir to elicit the strong emotional and psychological discomfort that typified 1940s noir. Certainly the strongest influence on the evolution of film noir has been societal and cultural changes throughout time. These changes have served, however, to maintain film noir’s relevance with contemporary audiences while still keeping with specific attention to the overall â€Å"feel† of the film and high level of stylization. How to cite Film Noir to Neo Noir, Essay examples

Film Noir to Neo Noir Free Essays

Murphy 1 Rachel Murphy Professor Charlotte E. Howell Film 2700 12 November 2012 Word Count: 1411 Film Noir to Neo-Noir: A Shift in Cultural Tides Film noir of the 1940s captivated audiences through its distinct form of storytelling. Strongly influenced by German Expressionism, these films have a definitive look and style that still resonates with modern audiences today. We will write a custom essay sample on Film Noir to Neo Noir or any similar topic only for you Order Now Like other classical Hollywood genres, film noir sought to bring to light tensions felt within society, namely those that affected men following World War II. Neo-noir films pay a great deal less attention to social commentary. Like film noir of the past, neo-noir elevates style over narrative; however, the genre has seen significant changes in regards to narrative, the disappearance of the femme fatale, and the prevalence of onscreen violence due to shifting cultural tides. In observing examples of film noir and its contemporary version, neo-noir, it is clear several elements in regards to the style and overall â€Å"feel† of these films have virtually remained the same throughout the years. In Nicolas Winding Refn’s neo-noir, Drive, a sense of otherworldliness is portrayed through several night scenes, intense shadows, and an overall dark rather downtrodden mood to the film. The scenes in the film take place at night and invariably in an urban setting. All of these elements are Murphy 2 extremely typical of classic film noir as well as German Expressionism. Drive’s narrative unfolds with surprisingly little dialogue. Instead Refn focused scenes on the mood, further strengthening the style of the film. Similarly, Curtis Hanson’s L. A. Confidential keeps with traditional film noir in elevating the style of the movie above its narrative. This is done through the heavy emphasis of the urban cityscape. As the title suggests, Los Angeles, is a major component within the film. The peppy, orange-filled paradise portrayal of L. A. in the film’s opening scene sharply contrasts the corrupt, crime-ridden town shown throughout the rest of the film. In addition, voice-overs and flashbacks, typical elements of film noir, are extensively used. The genre has seen great changes in regards to its social commentary, however. Noir films of the 1940s strongly reflected the social climate of the time. In several respects, film noir can be seen as the male equivalent to melodrama. Just as women dealt with the crisis of femininity in post-war years, men also struggled with their masculinity as well as adjusting to their new roles in an ever-changing society. After World War II, many Americans, especially men who had experienced the atrocities of war firsthand, took on a more cynical outlook on the world. Film noir of the 1940s sought to bring these feelings of isolation and changing attitudes to light. Like many men returning from the war, the heroes were disenchanted and often very isolated. In many respects, their fate is predetermined. In Tay Garnett’s The Postman Always Rings Twice, the audience gains a sense that John Garfield’s character, Frank’s, fate is already sealed as soon as he first plots, and eventually carries out the murder of Cora’s husband. This action clearly serves as a marker in the downward spiral of Frank’s life. Similarly, in Billy Wilder’s Murphy 3 Double Indemnity, Fred MacMurray’s character, Walter, irrevocably alters the course of his life when he gives in to Phyllis’s pleas to murder her husband. In both of these instances, the motivation behind this clearly immoral acts is lust. Both protagonists seem somewhat helpless against these forces. Both films also end with little doubt as to the fate of the protagonists. In The Postman Always Rings Twice, the film ends with Frank awaiting his punishment on death row. Similarly, Wilder’s Double Indemnity ends with Walter, critically injured from a gunshot wound inflicted by Phyllis, confessing his role in her husband’s murder. This clearly reflects upon the attitudes of males during the 1940s as helpless against the imposing forces of an oppressive society. Neo-noir films differ from their film noir counterparts because they are no longer reflective on social and cultural tensions. This is simply because the tension is not as widespread or heavily felt in today’s society. In the ending of Refn’s Drive, the nameless driver, though stabbed in the abdomen, clearly lives. It left up to the viewer to decide what kind of life he will lead in the future. In Hanson’s L. A. Confidential, the future of the city is somewhat unclear, but both protagonists in the film are met with at least somewhat happy endings. The male protagonists in neo-noir films are also much more strong-willed. Their actions, though at times extreme, are seen as justified to the viewer and made by the protagonist alone. Unlike earlier noir films, the protagonists are at least somewhat in control of their future. This turn within the genre clearly reflects changing attitudes within society, as the helplessness and isolation men felt after the war is no longer felt on such a large scale. Murphy 4 The influence of culture on the content of noir films is especially evident in the disappearance of femme fatale in neo-noir films. The 1940s marked a major shift in gender roles with the start of World War II. As men left for war, women took up jobs in the workforce and in factories in order to help with the war effort. This brought about a new sense of independence for women. When men returned home from the war, however, this shift was not necessarily seen in a positive light. The emergence of the femme fatale in film noir clearly reflects that in the eyes of men, women’s changing roles in society often presented a threat to perceived masculinity as well as established gender roles of the day. The femme fatale of noir films is invariably portrayed in a negative light. She is in most cases seen as the major driving force behind the protagonist’s tragic end. Furthermore, the protagonist is usually helpless against the advances of these women. Femme fatales, such as Cora in The Postman Always Rings Twice and Phyllis in Double Indemnity, are almost always met with an end even more bleak than that of the protagonist. In these two films, the femme fatales are both killed with little thought. Neo-noir films, however, approach female characters in a much more favorable light. The relationships between protagonists and these women are based on love, rather than mere lust. Thus, the actions of the protagonists appear often more justified. This can be accredited to the changing cultural tides since the 1940s. Women’s independence is generally no longer seen as a threat to male masculinity and thus is virtually extinct thematically in neo noir films. This is especially evident in Drive as well. The nameless driver’s love interest, Irene, is characterized by her innocence rather than her sexuality. Murphy 5 Even in L. A. Confidential, Lynn, a prostitute, has a relationship with one of the protagonists, however, the relationship is based on love rather than lust. Film noir arguably would not translate well to modern audiences if not for its integration of onscreen violence. Like German Expressionism, 1940s film noir drew a definitive reaction of discomfort and psychological unease from its audiences. In Double Indemnity, the scene in which Phyllis’s husband is murdered is brief and little is shown. The audience is shown only Phyllis’s cold, detached expression while her husband is murdered next to her in the passenger seat. In the 1940s, filmmakers didn’t necessarily need to show Phyllis’s husband being murdered in order to elicit a strong psychological reaction from audiences. With the abrogation of the Hay’s Code, however, audiences have become somewhat desensitized to the mere implication of violence. L. A. Confidential and Drive both use violence as a means of eliciting this same reaction. Perhaps the most memorable scene in Drive occurs in an elevator where the driver, in order to protect himself and Irene, not only kills a man, but proceeds to unleash all of his anger by stomping the man’s head into a gruesome, bloody pulp. In L. A. Confidential, numerous murder scenes and uncomfortable police interrogations illustrate how violence is now used in neo noir to elicit the strong emotional and psychological discomfort that typified 1940s noir. Certainly the strongest influence on the evolution of film noir has been societal and cultural changes throughout time. These changes have served, however, to maintain film noir’s relevance with contemporary audiences while still keeping with specific attention to the overall â€Å"feel† of the film and high level of stylization. How to cite Film Noir to Neo Noir, Essay examples

Sea Pollution and the Great Pacific Garbage Patch free essay sample

Sea Pollution and The Great Pacific Garbage Patch Water is the most abused and wasted natural resource. Clean water is very precious. There are about 1 billion or more people who do not have access to clean drinking water in the world today. We must be very careful with our water and take the proper steps necessary to conserve it. Pollution is the introduction of harmful substances, particularly a contaminant or toxin, which produces some kind of harmful impact on the environment or living organisms. When we talk about pollution, 3 types of pollution usually come to mind: air pollution, water pollution, and land pollution. There are numerous types of water pollution and pollutants that contaminate it. I would like to focus specifically on sea pollution by using the Great Pacific Garbage Patch as an example. Sea pollution is a major problem. What people may not realize is that sea pollution affects not only the seas and oceans, but it also affects the entire earth. We will write a custom essay sample on Sea Pollution and the Great Pacific Garbage Patch or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page While marine plants and animals are the most immediate victims of sea pollution, animals higher up the food chain that feed on marine life, including humans, are not spared. Once the toxins are concentrated in the tissue of one animal they can magnify across the food chain very similar to the pesticide DDT. In addition, toxic substances are washed up shores and destroy beaches. Toxic substances that get washed upstream destroy valuable drinking water. There are three major types of pollution in the sea: dumping of waste sewage, dumping of refuse and toxic industrial waste, and oil spills. Sewage dumping is the dumping of untreated or under-treated sewage into the seas and oceans. According to Waterencyclopedia. com, about 80% of urban sewage released into the Mediterranean Sea is untreated. This is because there are still many cities around the world that have ineffective, little or no sewage treatment. Sewage discharged from ships and other large vessels sailing the seas also contribute. Human sewage largely consists of excrement from toilet flushing, and wastewater from bathing, laundry, dishwashing and kitchen garbage disposals. The discharge of sewage sludge into the sea has devastating effects on the marine environment. Firstly, this sewage serves as food for algae and bacteria, which flourish in the presence of the sewage food. These organisms then overpopulate the seas and oceans, use up most of the dissolved oxygen naturally found in water, and upset the ecological balance in the water bodies. The shortage of oxygen in the water makes it difficult for other organisms in the water to survive. The overgrown population of bacteria and algae is basically strangling the other marine organisms. In serious cases, dead zones may be formed in the seas or oceans, for example, the Gulf of Mexico and the Baltic Sea, where no marine life could be supported. Sewage dumping also introduces harmful bacteria and other microorganisms that spread water-born diseases (i. e. cholera, typhoid fever and salmonellas) into our water. In a report by the World Health Organization in 2008 titled â€Å"Safer Water, Better Health†, it is estimated that 1. 4 million children die in a year as a result of diarrhea from drinking unsafe water or inadequate sanitation. Refuse and toxic waste dumping is another one of the major 3 type s of pollution in the sea. Rubbish dumping in the ocean was actually an accepted practice for centuries until the 1970’s! Almost any type of rubbish generated on land, including household waste, industrial chemical waste, or even radioactive waste, had a chance of making its way to the ocean. While the dumping of toxic waste into the ocean is being restricted today, the ocean is still suffering from the impact of past dumping practices. The garbage that ends up in the seas are swept by oceanic currents and winds into what are known as oceanic gyres. A gyre is a large system of rotating ocean currents, often accompanied by large winds. The gyre is actually a vortex, or a spinning flow of oceanic waters around an epicenter. The rotating flow of water within the gyre draws in garbage from the surrounding waters and prevents the garbage debris from leaving the vortex. At the same time, the surface water currents, driven by winds in the gyre, gradually moves the suspended or floating debris toward the relatively low-energy center of the gyre. It is at this epicenter that the various garbage patches are found. There are 5 main gyres in our oceans. For example, the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is located in the middle of the North Pacific Gyre, while the North Atlantic Garbage-Patch is found in the North Atlantic Gyre and the Indian Ocean Garbage-Patch is found in the Indian Ocean Gyre. Today, the Great Pacific Ocean Garbage Patch is known as the world’s largest rubbish dump in the ocean. The patch is found to contain extremely high levels of pelagic (near the water’s surface) plastic debris, chemical sludge, and other debris such as Styrofoam, plastic bags, toothbrushes, lighters, fishing nets, balloons, you name it. But unlike the garbage dumps on land, the garbage debris in these oceanic patches does not form a solid, compact or continuous garbage pile. Instead, the debris are diffused over large distances of water surface, as well as suspended throughout the water columns (with higher concentrations in the upper column). As described by Michael J. Moore, racing boat captain and oceanographer who â€Å"discovered† the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, the patch is like a â€Å"plastic soup†. According to Moore, garbage coming from Asia would take about one year to reach the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, while garbage from the United States would take several years. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch was actually predicted in a 1988 paper published by the U. S.

Prominent advices from Steve Jobs that can change your life

Prominent advices from Steve Jobs that can change your life Top 10 Steve Jobs rules for success What made Steve Jobs so successful and outstanding man? Is this luck, hard work or talent? Perhaps, there is no obvious and decisive answer for the questions of such kind. All these things and a lot of other factors can be the componential part of success, but we can hardly determine all details and algorithms. Anyhow, we know for sure some rules that were followed by Steve Jobs and think that they can be the things we all need to learn. Don’t live a limited life Do not let other people’s needs and opinions to become your goals in the life. Very often we depend on what people say and what they want, instead of doing what we want to do. For sure, it does not mean to be careless to people, whom you love, or to be selfish, but set boundaries and follow your goals instead of living the life of other people. Have a passion To become successful within the sphere or activity, one should be obsessive about it. Only those people, who take care and gun for it with all one’s heart, can understand what is relevant for the market and for the customers. Design yourself Be the master of your life and design it in the way you like. You live once and there will be no other opportunity to repeat all these things. Never forget that the most of chances, which you receive, are the unique opportunity, which should be used here and now. Sell nice products Selling of some sorts of crap can hardly make you the top businessman. Even if you manage to earn some money, remember that it is the short term luck. If the quality of the product is low, the customer will not come to you twice and the reputation will be corresponding. Just think how Steve Jobs refined Apple and how it is appreciated by the buyers. Do it not for money There can be the goals of innovation and enrichment of people’s life, but not the financial benefit. Purposes of becoming rich are very limited and they can hardly lead to outstanding achievements. Be proud of your products   It is great if you produce something what you can offer your friends and family without hesitation and be sure in the positive result. Create something with the high-quality and pride yourself on what you do. Build a great team   Your team is your allies on the way to success and the result depends on each of them. It is very important to find someone, who thinks the same way as you think and does his or her best for the company. Passionate and concerned people embody the strength of your undertaking. Consider needs of your customer Customers represent the group of people, who determine a lot of your business actions and the way you perform them. No matter what your customers deal with, you need to show your interest and respect to this activity. You are obliged to understand demands, gain trust and respect; these things will make your customers pleased to partner with you. Marketing is about Values   The correct marketing message enables your customers to understand who you are and what you do. Sometimes it is really important to announce to public what are you standing for. Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish   Never stop and never give up. Having made some breakthrough with your business or having faced the failure, one should go forward. Research, think, imagine and create, the more your deep yourself into the business you do, the better is the reward. Follow the wisdom of the person, who has left the prominent trace in the life of our society, and search your own success factors and rules.

Sacbe, the Ancient Maya Road System

Sacbe, the Ancient Maya Road System A sacbe (sometimes spelled zac be and pluralized as sacbeob or zac beob) is the Mayan word for the linear architectural features connecting communities throughout the Maya world. Sacbeob functioned as roads, walkways, causeways, property lines, and dikes. The word sacbe translates to stone road or white road but clearly sacbeob had layers of additional meanings to the Maya, as mythological routes, pilgrimage pathways, and concrete markers of political or symbolic connections between city centers. Some sacbeob are mythological, subterranean routes and some trace celestial pathways; evidence for these roadways are reported in Maya myths and colonial records. Finding the Sacbeob Identifying the routes of the sacbe on the ground has been extremely difficult until recently  when techniques such as radar imaging, remote sensing, and GIS became widely available. Of course,  Maya historians remain an important source of information for these ancient roadways. The issue is complex, ironically enough, because there are written records that contradict one another. Several of the sacbe have been identified archaeologically, many others are still unknown but have been reported in colonial period documents such as the Books of Chilam Balam. In my research for this article, I did not discover any explicit discussions on how old the sacbeob are  but based on the ages of the connecting cities, they were functioning at least as early as the Classic period (AD 250-900). Functions In addition to simply roadways that facilitated movement between places, researchers Folan and Hutson argue that sacbeob were visual representations of economic and political connections between centers and their satellites, conveying the concepts of power and inclusion. Causeways may have been used in processions that emphasized this idea of community. One function described in recent scholarly literature is the role of the sacbe road system in the Maya market network. The exchange system of the Maya kept the far-flung (and very loosely connected) communities in touch  and made it possible both to trade goods and make and sustain political connections. Market centers with central locations and associated causeways include Coba, Maax Na, Sayil, and Xunantunich. Deities and Sacbeob Maya deities associated with roadways include Ix Chel in several of her manifestations. One is Ix Zac Beeliz or she who walks the white road. In a mural at Tulum, Ix Chel is shown carrying two small images of the Chaac god as she is walking along a mythological or real roadway. The deity Chiribias (Ix Chebel Yax or the Virgin of Guadalupe) and her husband Itzam Na are sometimes associated with roads, and the legend of the Hero Twins includes a journey through the underworld along several sacbeob. From Cob to Yaxuna The longest known sacbe is the one that stretches 100 kilometers (62 miles) between the Maya centers of Cob and Yaxuna on the Yucatn Peninsula of Mexico, called the Yaxuna-Cob causeway or Sacbe 1. Along Sacbe 1s east-west course are water holes (dzonot), steles with inscriptions and several small Maya communities. Its roadbed measures approximately 8 meters (26 feet) wide and typically 50 centimeters (20 inches) high, with various ramps and platforms alongside. Sacbe 1 was stumbled into by early twentieth century explorers, and rumors of the road became known to the Carnegie Institution archaeologists working at  Cob  by the early 1930s. Its entire length was mapped by Alfonso Villa Rojas and Robert Redfield in the mid-1930s. Recent investigations by Loya Gonzalez and Stanton (2013) suggest that the sacbes main purpose may have been to connect Cob to the large market centers of Yaxuna and, later,  Chichà ©n Itz, in order to better control trade throughout the peninsula. Other Sacbe Examples The Tzacauil sacbe is a solid rock causeway, which starts at the Late Preclassic acropolis of Tzacauil and ends just short of the large center of Yaxuna. Varying in width between 6 and 10 meters, and in height between 30 and 80 centimeters, this sacbes roadbed includes some crudely cut facing stones. From Cob to Ixil, 20 kilometers in length, is a noh be followed and described in the 1970s by Jacinto May Hau, Nicolas Caamal Canche, Teoberto May Chimal, Lynda Florey Folan and William J. Folan. This 6-meter wide sacbe crosses a marshy area and includes numerous small and large ramps. Close to Coba was a fairly large platform next to a vaulted building, which the Maya guides referred to as a customs house or  way station. This road may have defined the boundaries of Cobas urban area and region of power. From Ich Caan Ziho through  Akà ©Ã‚  to Itzmal, is a sacbe approximately 60 km in length, of which only a portion is in evidence. Described by Ruben Maldonado Cardenas in the 1990s, a network of roads still used today leads from Ake to Itzmal. Sources Bolles D, and Folan WJ. 2001.  An analysis of roads listed in colonial dictionaries and their relevance to pre-hispanic linear features in the Yucatan peninsula.  Ancient Mesoamerica  12(02):299-314. Folan WJ, Hernandez AA, Kintz ER, Fletcher LA, Heredia RG, Hau JM, and Canche N. 2009.  Coba, Quintana Roo, Mexico: A Recent Analysis of the Social, Economic and Political Organization of a Major Maya Urban Center.  Ancient Mesoamerica  20(1):59-70. Hutson SR, Magnoni A, and Stanton TW. 2012.  Ã¢â‚¬Å"All that is solid†¦Ã¢â‚¬ : Sacbes, settlement, and semiotics at Tzacauil, Yucatan.  Ancient Mesoamerica  23(02):297-311. Loya Gonzlez T, and Stanton TW. 2013.  Impacts of politics on material culture: evaluating the Yaxuna-Coba sacbe.  Ancient Mesoamerica  24(1):25-42. Shaw LC. 2012.  The elusive Maya marketplace: An archaeological consideration of the evidence.  Journal of Archaeological Research  20:117-155.