The Yanomamo and the Fierce Anthropologist free essay sample

The controversy revolving the tribe of the Yanomamo and the professionals linked to anthropology has caught the world’s attention. Rapid and unforeseeable events have set the tone for the controversy. The study of these Amazonian Indians, who live in regions of the Venezuela and Brazil border, has turned in western exploitation. Accusations about of unethical anthropologist are abundant, but little facts about such accusations are evident. The grand attention that these events have attained has turned into a focus on larger issues in anthropological practices. By comparing the approach and relationships of other research projects, we can identify just ethical standards. Most of the controversy stems from the publications about the Yanomamo tribe by anthropologist Napoleon Chagnon. His 1968 volume Yanomamo: The Fierce People made the tribe famous due to good writing and extensive interaction with one of the most isolated people on the planet. But ultimately, the way that he portrayed them–violent and fierce–is what attracted wide audiences. We will write a custom essay sample on The Yanomamo and the Fierce Anthropologist or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Much of his books and his video productions are centralized around the theme that the Yanomamo have an immutable trait of violence. According to Chagnon, he collected data, interacted with opposing Yanomamo villages, and received testimony to arrive to his findings. His researched was very lucrative; his book sold more than 4 million copies, which is well beyond the average of other ethnographies. He not only gained financial benefits, he began to be praised and attacked by people around the globe. People accused Chagnon of exaggerating the fact that violence is a part of their culture. For instance, French anthropologist Jacques Lizot, who lived with the Yanomamo for more than twenty years, said that violence is periodic; it does not govern their social life for long periods of time. It is worth noting that Lizot was accused of homosexual acts with young Yanomamo and distributing guns. Others, like Kenneth Good, accused Chagnon of sensationalizing violence, which he elaborated in his book, New Yorkers: The Mugging and Murdering People. He explains that just because violence occurs within the Yanomamo, does not mean they should all be generalized as violent. Good also received backlash for his research because he married a young Yanomamo girl, whom he now has three children with. Another compelling argument came from the studies of Brian Ferguson. He identified Chagnon’s representation of violence as a historical situation. He states that there is a spike in violence during contact with Westerners. As it relates to Chagnon, because he brought western manufactured goods, such as steel and iron tools, he disrupted trading relationships, which lead to inter-village violence for the unequal access of those scarce and desired tools. Among all the accusers, journalist Patrick Tierney gave the controversy the most attention. Tierney’s book, Darkness in El Dorado: How Scientist and Journalist Devastated the Amazon, explored the affects of Yanomamo’s exposure to the outside world. Published in 2000, the book accuses Chagnon of misrepresenting the Yanomamo as fierce people, being responsible for warfare by interrupting trading relationships, staging film scenes, fabricating data, giving unsupported claims of being the first to contact with the Yanomamo, violating Venezuelan law, and overall unethical practices. The next set of accusations involves geneticist James Neel, who joined Chagnon in the fieldwork of the Yanomamo in 1968. He accuses Neel of helping the measles epidemic worsen because he provided outdated vaccines and misadvised the Yanomamo, which resulted in the deaths of thousands. Many of these accusations were prevalent since Chagnon’s work in the 1960’s, but Tierney’s publication brought them together for mainstream audiences. Subsequently, the American Anthropological Association (AAA) was compelled to launch an investigation on the controversy. After investigating the abundant accusations, the AAA exonerated Neel from worsening or causing the measles epidemic, found insufficient evidence to charge Chagnon with all of Tierney’s accusation, but did find that he did not have the Yanomamo’s best interest in mind. It is undisputed that this controversy is repelling. Even if all of the accusations were false, the mere accusations show that ethical standards were broken. Surprisingly, the controversy does reap some positive consequences; it encourages personnel–within and outside the field–to consider the appropriate standards that anthropologist should be held to. Ethical questions arise, such as: how an anthropologist explains and gains consent from the targeted group, what is just compensation, or the dynamics and limits of ‘doing no harm’ to the subjects. The unbalance of power between the anthropologist from developed societies and their isolated subjects is a relationship that needs to be treated with delicacy to avoid exploitation. We can compare the relationship that researcher and filmmaker John Marshall had with the Juhoansi people of the Kalahari Desert for ethical analysis. John Marshall first went to the Kalahari in 1950 and researched the Juhoansi for fifty years thereafter. His relationship with the Juhoansi was one of friendships. He, alike other anthropologist, compensated the Juhoansi for their cooperation with western goods, but he did not stop there. During one of Marshall’s visits, he found the Juhoansi living in government settlements, which provided food relief and low wage jobs, but also inflicted alcohol abuse, domestic violence, and the lack of independence. In the late 1970’s, Marshall began to advocate for more water access and agricultural opportunity from the government. Because there was such a significant interruption to the traditional way of Juhoansi life, desired changes beset different challenges. Marshall justly compensated the Juhoansi and kept their best interest in mind to avoid causing harm to them. The latter characteristic is one that is of greatest importance because harm can come in direct and indirect ways that are temporary or permanent. The American Anthropological Association standard, labeled the ‘do no harm’ rule, is one that anthropologist often have little ability to prevent. At bare minimum, anthropologists almost always interrupt a group’s way of life when doing research and compensating with goods that are scarce to their environments. Interruptions in general, require adjustment and adaption, and when dealing with groups that have customs and traditions that have not changed for possibly hundreds of years, those adjustments are problematic and often prove to be vitally harmful. For instance, Chagnon’s and other Yanomamo researchers brought western goods and weapons into their community, which created an interruption in trading and likely contributed to their state of warfare. Further, John Marshall also unintentionally created a significant interruption when his tire tracks that he created during his visits facilitated the contact with government entities, which ultimately changed most of the Juhoansi traditional ways of life. The difference between the two examples is that Marshall actually returned and improved their situation by advocating to their interests. Chagnon not only used more coercive techniques in gaining cooperation, there is also no trace of tangible efforts made to improve the harm he contributed to in the Yanomamo community. If the AAA standards were altered to ‘do not harm only while researching’ or compensate for cooperation, little ethical analysis would be needed, but that is not the case. Doing no harm to the group is indefinite and needs to be examined even after research is complete. Additionally, a â€Å"just† amount of compensation means that it needs to be fair, not just in the context of the region researched, but also that of the western entities benefiting from it; i. e. ten machetes given to the Yanomamo for an ethnography research is not equivalent $500k and advancement in the anthropologist respective career. Alike the Yanomamo, the Juhoansi continue to face challenges due to outside interference. However, their interference mostly comes form governmental entities, and the Juhoansi have been assisted by Marshall and treated ethically by other anthropologists, like Richard Lee. On the other hand, the Yanomamo face problems from miners camping in their territories, destruction of the environment by mining and other outside forces, along with other governmental issues, but it is also clear that the Yanomamo have been significantly exploited by the western world. This could be because of the lack of oversight and/or due to little ethical standards. In any case, these unfortunate chain of events should serve a greater purpose to the ethical standards of practicing anthropologist and aspiring students.

How to Write a Personal Narrative

How to Write a Personal Narrative The personal narrative essay can be the most enjoyable type of assignment to write because it  provides you with  an opportunity  to share a meaningful event from your life.  After all, how often do you get to tell funny stories or brag about a great experience and receive school credit for it? Think of a Memorable Event   A personal narrative can focus on any event, whether it is one that lasted  a few seconds or spanned  a few years. Your topic can reflect your personality, or it can reveal an event that shaped your outlook and opinions. Your story should have a clear point. If nothing comes to mind, try one of these examples:   A learning experience that challenged and changed you;A new discovery that came about in an interesting way;Something funny that happened to you  or your family;A lesson you learned the hard way. Planning Your Narrative Start this process with a brainstorming session,  taking a few moments to scribble  down several memorable events from your life. Remember, this doesn’t have to be high drama: Your event could be anything from blowing your first bubble gum bubble to getting lost in the woods. If you think your life doesnt have that many interesting events, try to come up with one or more examples for  each of the following: Times you laughed the hardestTimes you felt sorry for your actionsPainful memoriesTimes you were surprisedScariest moments Next, look over your  list of events and narrow your choices by selecting those that have a clear chronological pattern, and those that would enable you to use colorful, entertaining, or interesting details and descriptions.   Finally, decide if your topic has a point. A funny story might represent irony in life or a lesson learned in a comical way; a scary story might demonstrate how you learned from a mistake.  Decide on the point of your final topic and keep it in mind as you write. Show, Don’t Tell   Your story should be written in the first-person point of view. In a narrative, the writer is the storyteller, so you can write this through your own eyes and ears. Make the reader experience what you experienced- not just  read what you experienced. Do this by imagining that you are reliving your event. As you think about your story, describe on paper what you see, hear, smell, and feel, as follows: Describing Actions Dont say: My sister ran off. Instead, say: My sister jumped a foot in the air and disappeared behind the closest tree. Describing Moods Dont say: Everyone felt on edge. Instead, say: We were all afraid to breathe. Nobody made a sound. Elements to Include Write your story in chronological order. Make a brief outline showing the sequence of events before you begin to write the narrative. This will keep you on track. Your story should include the following: Characters: Who are the people involved in your story? What are their significant character traits? Tense: Your story already happened, so, generally, write in the past tense. Some writers are effective in telling stories in the present tense- but that usually isnt a good idea. Voice: Are you attempting to be funny, somber, or serious? Are you telling the story of your 5-year-old self? Conflict: Any good story should have a conflict, which can come in many forms. Conflict can be between you and your neighbor’s dog, or it can be two feelings you are experiencing at one time, like guilt versus the need to be popular. Descriptive language: Make an effort to broaden your vocabulary and use expressions, techniques, and words that you don’t normally use. This will make your paper more entertaining and interesting, and it will make you a better writer. Your main point: The story you write should come to a satisfying or interesting end. Do not attempt to describe an obvious lesson  directly- it should come from observations and discoveries. Dont say: I learned not to make judgments about people based on their appearances. Instead, say: Maybe the next time I bump into an elderly lady  with greenish skin and a large, crooked nose, Ill greet her with a smile. Even if she is clutching  a warped and twisted  broomstick.

Approaches to Combating Terrorism

Approaches to Combating Terrorism Discuss intelligence approaches to combating terrorism? In 2011, DOJ and FBI operate 104 Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) in the United States of America. Both the agencies includes 4,000 law interpreting officers and agents whose duty is to inquire the terrorism related events taking place in USA. To investigate terrorist plots their operations are highly tactual and focused on the investigation. Through investigation intelligence got constituted to restrict and defeat terrorist acts. JTTFs develop an important system to share intelligence news with FBI who further conveys it to other agencies to overpower terrorism. The other major work of these task forces is to develop harmony between low interpreting sources and the state with United States of America on intelligence related matters. The threat of homegrown jihadists occurred and the several top most security clearance issued to local police working with JTTF. A significant dilemma for law enforcement and intelligence offi cials who straddle the public realm of ideas and the secretive realm of terrorist operations is how to sift the law-abiding, nonviolent radical attracted to jihadist rhetoric from the would-be terrorist who merits targeting. The vast amount of terrorist-related material available on the Internet in a relatively anonymous setting attracts homegrown individuals open to radicalization. Many of these individuals may show great interest in radical content, engage in radical discourse, but not become terrorists. A growing pool of those who view jihadist as â€Å"cool† and engage in online â€Å"talk† may make it harder for police to identify actual terrorists. After 9/11 attacks law interpreting got more focused and prioritized factor of intelligence got highlighted in the inquiry process. Deputy Attorney General, Paul McNulty, while working described the law abiding sector focused, proactive and intelligence attitude towards terrorist acts and to prevent it for the security of the nation. Intelligence gathering is one of the basics in inquiring and get rid of any other emergence of terrorist attack in future. Investigations require some level of factual predication, while an assessment does not.206 However; assessments are to follow a specifically articulated purpose. The guidelines have established six authorized purposes: Check leads on individuals or activities, Check leads on groups or organizations, Collect information to analyze potential threats and vulnerabilities, Gather information for intelligence analysis or planning, Vet and manage the agency’s confidential human sources (informants), and Collect foreign intelligence. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has criticized the FBI’s amassing of racial and ethnic data based on the new guidelines. It allows for the collection of information about ethnic or racial communities and justifies the gathering of such information for proactive purposes. The guidelines s tate that it should be done if it â€Å"will reasonably aid the analysis of potential threats and vulnerabilities, and, overall, assist domain awareness for the purpose of performing intelligence analysis. One ACLU official has described this as racial profiling of entire communities. Discuss the role of state and local law enforcement? Terrorist attacks take place in United States of America, whether from foreign or homegrown terrorists. The local and homegrown terrorist attacks and their propagation like weapons explosives and participants all take place in local territories. The whole plan of terrorist attack got prepared locally so, to prevent from these kind of attacks responsibility not only lies on central government it also the part of local and tribal government take action against it. On daily basis up to 17,000 officials gather investigation report suspicious individuals and incidents which as crime connect with any possible terrorism activity. The case of Oklahoma C ity bomber Timothy McVeigh. He was arrested after a traffic stop when Oklahoma State Trooper Charles J. Hanger noticed that McVeigh’s yellow 1977 Mercury Marquis had no license plate.233 Using his home state as an example, a former U.S. Attorney maintains that â€Å"evidence of a potential terrorist threat or organized criminal enterprise is far more likely to be found in the incidental contact with the 10,000 police officers in the state of Washington than by the less than 150 FBI agents assigned to the Seattle Field Division. The role of state tribal and local both are very important because any kind of intriguing act take place locally security agencies should be high alert to take action against it as soon as it occurs because it may be connected to any kind of terrorism activity which will harm the nation on high extent further to check and balance locally will help to detect brutal terrorists. The Nationwide Suspicious Activity Report Initiative (NSI) is a program to p ush terrorism-related information generated locally between and among federal, state, local, and tribal levels. Specifically, it is a framework to support the reporting of suspicious activity—from the point of initial observation to the point where the information is available in the information sharing environment.245 It is a standardized, integrated approach to gathering, documenting, processing, analyzing, and sharing information about suspicious activity that is potentially terrorism-related while protecting the privacy and civil liberties of Americans. The intent is for this locally generated suspicious activity reporting to be combined in a systematic way with other sources of intelligence at the federal level to uncover criminal activity, including terrorism.

Management Accounting & Activity Based Costing Essay

Management Accounting & Activity Based Costing - Essay Example production process encompasses various activities such as operation of machines, maintaining the machinery, as well as supervising the production process. Operators operate the machines; maintenance mechanics perform the machine set ups and maintain machines when molding and the supervisors provide supervision for the maintenance mechanics and machine operators. Other activities include building, administration and sales. The resources used include energy for the set-up and molding process by the molding machines. Machines consume 6.3KW of energy on an hourly basis. Also, other consumable shop supplies like lubricants and hoses form the major resources within the company. A cost driver refers to characteristics of events or activities which results in business incurring costs. Activity based costing have the products consuming activities and the activities consume the resources (Kallunki& Hanna 2008, p. 62-79). In the case study above, the production process has the number of orders and number of set up machines as the cost drivers.The Cost drivers for machine operation include the number of the operators and machines available. Machine maintenance cost drivers include the number of machines to be maintained and the number of technicians. The supervision cost drivers include the number of supervisors and number of people to supervise. Cost drivers for the building include insurance and rent costs. Number of machine hour in production may be used in calculating the rate of machine hour relating to repair, depreciation and maintenance processes. Also, the production process will have the number of inspections as the cost drivers. In making of the product, inspection for quality evaluation requires the appointment of experts who consume money in terms of salary, travel, electricity, as well as the depreciation of the equipment. The overheads may be calculated based on the number of tests. Each batch requires 4 tests, and suppose the available batches are 200,

The Three Important Benefits That IBM Will Receive From Outsourcing Essay

The Three Important Benefits That IBM Will Receive From Outsourcing Their HR Functions To Fidelity - Essay Example This is called outsourcing. Many large companies now outsource jobs such as call center services, e-mail services, and payroll. These jobs are handled by separate companies that specialize in each of the services by means of contracts. Today more and more companies are resorting to outsourcing. This is attributed mainly to the increased efficiency and cost cuts. Earlier small companies and companies which were newly established would resort to outsourcing, but today even giants like IBM are making use of it. In July 2002, a deal was negotiated between International Business Machines Corp. and Fidelity's Employer Service Co. According to the deal, Fidelity's Employer Services Co. unit was to take over key human-resources functions for 260,000 IBM employees and retirees. Fidelity was to hire 450 of IBM's 1,200 U.S. human-resources employees. Among the jobs Fidelity would handle for IBM were health-plan administration, career services and pension administration. IBM would continue to provide other functions in house, including payroll (Johannes L. and Armstrong D. 2002). According to the article "The benefits of outsourcing for small businesses (n. d)", "Though reducing expenditure is not the prime reason for outsourcing, it is certainly a major factor. Outsourcing converts fixed costs into variable costs and releases capital for investment elsewhere in the business. Outsourcing makes the firm more attractive to investors, since of the ability to pump more capital directly into revenue-producing activities." Though true for small companies, it applies equally well for giants like IBM. In the case of IBM this is exemplified by the fact that the human resource functions of 260,000 workers and retirees have been taken over by Fidelity which has specialization in the field. If the former were to do the same job, it would certainly prove more costly than that of the latter. The funds saved, if invested elsewhere in the company would improve revenues. Also this would make IBM more attractive to investors, as the saved capital can be invested in the revenue generating areas and core fields. Increase in efficiency: As IBM is a research oriented company specializing in manufacturing computers, it has a high research and development expenditure. Fidelity's cost structure and economy of scale can give IBM Corp an important and strategic advantage. This would help in decreasing the labor costs. The success of IBM depends upon short term projects that it undertakes. Hiring and training workers for short-term projects can be very expensive and short term employees don't always live up to the desired expectations (The benefits of outsourcing for small businesses). IBM's deal with fidelity will play a leading role in improving overall efficiency by decreasing labor costs. About 450 workers in IBM Corp.'s Raleigh employee service center will transfer to Fidelity Investments beginning Aug. 1, as part of an agreement that allows Boston-based Fidelity to administer IBM's pension plan, the 12th largest in the United States (450 IBM employees to transfer to Fidelity. July 2002). The transfer of 450 out of 12 00 members in the human resource division would certainly decrease the labor costs by more than one third in that particular division. Also as the number of employees is decreased, it increases the scope for other employees to make their jobs secure. More security means more productivity which in turn means more efficiency. Focus on core businesses. IBM, too, like any other company has

Management Essay -- Training and Development, Change, Innovation

Training and Development is said to be beneficial for both firms and employees. Why then are some organisations and individuals reluctant to invest in training? The question appears to make assumptions that some organisations and individuals are reluctant to invest in training despite the fact that there are some obvious benefits for both firms and employees with training and development. This essay will explain the meaning of training and development, highlight the positive impacts that training and development have on the performance of employees and organisations, as well as the reason both employees and firms are reluctant to investing in it. Some authors have argued that there is little or no difference between training and development as they are intertwined overlap a lot and can be used interchangeably. Training is a single event which is skills specific, while development is an on-going process which enhances people’s capability from a present state to a future state where higher skills are needed (Armstrong 2006). According to Laird (1978), Training can be defined as â€Å"an experience, a discipline, or a regimen which causes people to acquire new, predetermined behaviours† (p.9). Alternatively, Laird in his book (1978:9) referred to the work of Nadler (1970), who defined development as being concerned with â€Å"preparing the employees so that they can move with the organization as it develops, changes and grows†. Development can be on-the-job and through work experience. The on-the-job method which includes; training, coaching, and mentoring (trying to encourage the person doing the job to do it better) is for the purpose of personal growth. Also, development through work experience is when individuals learn through rotation o... ... more strategically when it can be seen directly to solve major operational issues†. Hence, it should be concentrated more on how to identify and satisfy customer desires, developing skills, enabling individuals to take extra responsibilities, providing success for management and increasing all-round competence. I could argue for or against the implementation of training and development in an organisation. Based on academic studies carried out so far, I would suggest that in as much as training and development is an important aspect of Human resources management which is principal to the realisation of organisations goal and objectives, training and development on its own without ‘employee motivation’ and ‘effective organisational communication’ would render the whole process a failure and lead to high employee turnover and increased cost for the organisation.

Careers in Psychology Essay

In Psychology there are so many different careers that have gained my interest because I love learning how people function, behave, and how the brain works. The first career that truly gained my full interest is Neuropsychologist. Neuropsychologists are the ones that explore not only the brain system but they also explore behavior and the relationship between the two. This is something that interests me more than I can put into words. One of the reasons I have so much interest in this type of career is because I myself have fetal alcohol syndrome, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder as well as learning disorder. Being able to study the cognitive functions of the brain such as attention, language and memory I believe will eventually help me to understand more of my disabilities and how to work past them. A  Neuropsychologist is also able to evaluate people who have various types of nervous system disorders. They work closely with doctors including neurologists. Illnesses, injuries, and diseases of the brain and nervous system can affect the way a person feels, thinks, and behaves and some of the symptoms may call for a neuropsychologist. Those symptoms are memory difficulties, mood disturbances, learning difficulties as well as nervous system dysfunction. If other doctors are unable to identify the cause of a condition then they bring a neuropsychologist into help determine the diagnosis. In order to become a Neuropsychologist you have to obtain many different skills such as reading comprehension, active listening, critical thinking, social perceptiveness, complex problem solving, writing, speaking, science, active learning, judgement and decision making, instructing, service orientation, learning strategies, monitoring, system analysis, systems evaluation, time management, coordination and persuasion. Each and every one of these skills is just as important as one or the other. By having all these skills it will help To become successful in helping your clients. There is a lot of education involved in becoming an aspiring neuropsychologist. The first step is to earn a bachelors degree which is four years long, after that you complete a masters degree of another two years, then the last and final step is to earn a PHD or PsyD which can take another two to four years. So overall you are looking at spending 8-10 years in college if your heart is truly set on becoming a neuropsychologist. The duties and responsibilities of a neuropsychologist may vary depending on their specialties. Some Neuropsychologists, for instance work primarily as researchers. This might involve studying both healthy humans as well as animals, and those with brain injuries and or illnesses. Neuropsychologists might also work in clinical settings as well. This typically involves assessing and diagnosing patients. This can be done by observing symptoms and using sophisticated technology, such as brain scans. After successfully diagnosing a neurological problem, they can then often recommend a course of treatment which can include therapy, medication or even surgery. The neuropsychologists that are primarily concerned with research might work in private or government research facilities. Some universities might also hire  these professionals to conduct research as well as teac h a class or two. Clinical neuropsychologists might work in a number of different healthcare settings. This can include hospitals, clinics, and physicians offices. Some neuropsychologists might also choose to open private practices and treat patients in their offices or work as consultants. The second career in Psychology which really grabbed my attention more and more as I researched it and read what they do is Rehabilitation Psychologists. Rehabilitation psychologists work with stroke and accident victims and people with mental retardation and those with developmental disabilities caused by conditions such as cerebral palsy, epilepsy and autism. I once worked with a gentleman who had a severe case of cerebral palsy and could not do anything for himself. I was always helping him from the time he woke up in the morning to the time he laid down in bed at night. The sad thing is that from one day to the next I wasn’t sure if he was going to remember me or not. If he didn’t remember me then he would lock me out of his house and he wouldn’t let me back in so most of the time I had to crawl through a tiny window. I believe I would be very good as a Rehabilitation Psychologist for many different reasons. The first reason is that those with disabilities have a soft spot in my heart because I know what its like to be looked at differently for one and for two the willingness to work past the disability is outrageous. Some people with disabilities you cannot even tell they have one because they have learned how to work past it and not let it show. This type of career works closely with public health programs to prevent disabilities including those caused by violence and substance abuse. Rehabilitiation Psychologists testify in court as expert witnesses about the causes and effects of a disability and a persons rehabilitation needs. Rehabilitation Psychologists are uniquely trained and specialized to engage in a broad range of activities including clinical practice, consultation, program development, service provision, and teaching and education training, amongst many others. I am always looking out for everyone else and trying to figure out how I can help them or do something for them to make their lives a little easier on them. In order to become a Rehabilitation Psychologist  you need to have to same type of skills as you would if you were a Neuropsychologist as well as the same path of education. This goes for many of the careers in Psychology. As for where a Rehabilitation Psychologist can work, they can open up their ow n practices, work in healthcare facilities, or in government buildings.