Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe

Icon of Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe is also known as Our Lady of Guadalupe or the Virgin of Guadalupe. It is a most famous and most popular Roman Catholic image of a Virgin Mary in Mexico. The legend says that Virgin appeared to Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin, an Indian convert, in 1531 and the witness of that miracle required commemorating it by erection of a church, known as a Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe.  There were two apparitions of the Virgin Mary and after the second an icon was painted which is, actually, now one of the most famous in Mexico.This event was historically significant as following it a great number of Indians of Mexico converted into Christianity. According to the information provided in encyclopedia Britannica â€Å"in 1754 a papal bull made the Virgin of Guadalupe the patroness and protector of New Spain, and in 1810 she became the symbol of the Mexican independence movement when the patriot-priest Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla raised her picture to his banner .† (Encyclopedia Britannica)The story of Virgin’s apparition is derived from the Nican mopohua which is thought to be the original source of that event.   Nican mopohua, written in the indigenous Nahuatl language gives an account of the encounter between Virgin Maria and Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin in 1531 on Tepeyac. It says that a widowed convert Juan Diego was traveling to â€Å"attend to divine things† the woman in a bright shine appeared in front of him and said that she was a mother of God and asked Diego to tell the Bishop about her request to build a temple on this hill. She promised to come to those people who, would pray in this temple, and help them.The Nican mopohua is not the only work related to the apparition but it is considered to be the most explicit and most trusted. There is another work relating this story, but this time it is the first Spanish-language apparition account written by Miguel Sanchez. It is this document that for the first time refers to Our Lady of Guadalupe as to a symbol of Mexico. He mentions it in the context that â€Å"this New World has been won and conquered by the hand of the Virgin Mary†¦[who had] prepared, disposed, and contrived her exquisite likeness in this her Mexican land, which was conquered for such a glorious purpose, won that there should appear so Mexican an image† (Brading 2001).When in 1810 Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla and his army fought for the independence of Mexico they used the image of Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe as a sign on their clothes and also as an insignia of their campaign. After Hidalgo’s death a mestizo priest led the army during revolution. He also relied on the holy image and as Krauze in his book states he was confirmed that â€Å"New Spain puts less faith in its own efforts than in the power of God and the intercession of its Blessed Mother, who appeared within the precincts of Tepeyac as the miraculous image of Guadalupe that had come to comfort us, defend us, visibly be our protection† (Krauze, 1997).The Mexican calendar even contains the holiday to honor the Virgin, that is December 12, inscribed by the priest-revolutionary. (Matovina, 2001) Thus during the independence struggle people treated Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe as the symbol and patroness of patriots. They offered up numerous prayers at moments of difficulties and used her image on their ensigns. In this way, Brading observes, political exaltation intervened with religious faith â€Å"to produce a vehement fervor in favor of the sacred cause of liberty. The veneration for this image in Mexico far exceeds the greatest reverence that the shrewdest prophet might inspire† (Brading, 2001). In this way the icon of Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe became not only the sacred symbol of Mexico but also it acquired a profound political implication, the embodiment of the struggle for the independence, so desired by the Mexican people.Though there are still a lot of disputes as regards the verity of the legend about Our Lady of Guadalupe’s apparition its authority still remains very strong in Mexico. In addition to the reputation of the image which inspired people to fight for independence the Virgin is also the symbol of Catholicism in Mexico. As it was stated before the temple was build on the place were Saint Mary was met by Juan Diego, and it was the starting point of active conversion of indigenous people, Aztecs, to Christianity. Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe is still a sound support to the Catholics in Mexico and in other parts of Latin America.Starting from 1737 Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe was recognized to be a saint protectress of Mexico City and then almost two centuries later her protection spread all over the South America. Nowadays, hundreds of people pilgrimage to the church of Our Lady of Guadalupe located on the Cerro of Tepeyac. There are even cases when people do not just walk but crawl on their knees to the church to p ray to Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe, as it is believed that in this way they can merit the cure for their sickness or gain help in the hardship. The image of Our Lady of Guadalupe said to have been miraculously imprinted upon Juan Diego's cloak is displayed there.The woman depicted in this image dresses and looks like an Aztec maiden of the early 16th century. She has brown skin; Meso-American features, and is clothed in a turquoise tunic and a rose colored robe. In short, Our Lady of Guadalupe looks like the Aztecs and not like their European oppressors. The iconic resemblance between themselves and the woman depicted in that image was frequently noted by the contemporary Mexican pilgrims. Many Mexicans love their protectress and often call her with diminutive Virgencita. Pilgrims visit the basilica not only because of where it is, but also because of what it has. The Mexicans often feel admired that she is just like them dark-skinned with black hair and brown eyes.The image of Our Lady of Guadalupe is much more than a mere depiction of the woman Juan Diego claimed to have seen in his visions. It is also a complex collection of floral symbols, astronomical imagery, and other signs that are distinctively Aztec (Barber, 1997; Castillo, 1995). These symbols reinforce the indexical and iconic connections between Our Lady of Guadalupe and the non-Christian religious traditions of the Aztecs. The floral designs that adorn Our Lady of Guadalupe's tunic are symbolic as well as decorative (Barber, 1997).In accordance with the conventions of Aztec glyphs (standardized pictographic designs used by the Aztecs to convey symbolic meanings) the flowers are rendered with a flatness that allows viewers to see them in full. One of the flowers included in the image, the quincunx, appears only once. It is positioned over the Virgin's womb. According to Barber, this flower represented: the four compass directions of the world, with heaven and the underworld vertically encountering earth in the canter, in the â€Å"navel† of the world, or, to use the metaphor, in the navel of the moon, as they call the Valley of Mexico. (p. 72)The placement of this flower over the woman's womb signifies that she bears an important child. That the Virgin is pregnant is also indicated by the black sash she wears around her waste, an Aztec symbol of pregnancy (Castillo, 1995). Located just below the sash is another floral symbol, the nagvioli. According to Castillo, this flower â€Å"represented Huitzilopochtli, the great ferocious sun god of the Aztecs† (p. xix). Our Lady of Guadalupe is thus symbolically linked to Coatlicue, an aspect of the goddess Tonantzin, who was the mother of Huitzilopochtli. This link acknowledges her connection with the goddess she is supposed to have replaced.Also included among the image's floral imagery are nine large, triangular, heart-shaped flowers–the Mexican magnolia–which were traditionally used to represent the nin e levels of the Aztec underworld. In Nahuatl, the language of the Aztecs, the name for these flowers is yolloxochitl. As explained by Barber, â€Å"Yollotl, is `heart' in Nahuatl, and xochitl, `flower'† (p. 76). According to Barber, â€Å"Yolloxochitl was an Aztec metaphor for the palpitating heart torn from the body of sacrificial victims† (p.76).Human sacrifice played a prominent role in the pre-Christian Aztec religion. Barber goes on to state that yolloxochitl can also be â€Å"read as another glyph, too: tepetl, hill, and precisely, Tepeyac Hill† (p. 76), the hill upon which Our Lady of Guadalupe appeared to Juan Diego and the location of the shrine of Tonantzin that had been appropriated by the Spanish missionaries. This flower, then, ties the Virgin to Tepeyac, the hill's previous pre-Christian tenant, and to ritual practices valued by the Aztecs. Some of the flowers that adorn the tunic of Our Lady of Guadalupe are connected with the Aztecs' rich astrono mical symbolism.According to Barber the eight-petaled flowers: can be identified with a Nahuatl glyph for Venus, the Morning and Evening Star. Venus as Morning Star was associated with their god and culture-hero, Quetzalcoatl, who after his self-immolation was taken up into heaven as the  morning star. (p. 73) The image's astronomical symbolism is not limited to flowers that adorn the Virgin's tunic. There are also solar, lunar, and stellar symbols. The most significant of these is the crescent moon upon which the Virgin is situated. To the Aztecs, this symbol represented the Valley of Mexico, their geographical, cultural, and spiritual center.Once it officially affirmed Our Lady of Guadalupe, the Church embraced her with a great show of public enthusiasm. Over the years, the Church has assigned to her such honorific titles as Patroness of Latin America and Empress of All the Americas.Works Cited ListBarber, J. â€Å"The sacred image is a divine codex.† In A handbook on Gua dalupe (pp. 68-73). New Bedford, MA: Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate, 1997Brading, D.A. Mexican Phoenix. Our Lady of Guadalupe: Image and Tradition Across Five Centuries. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2001.Castillo, A. â€Å"Introduction†. Goddess of the Americas/La Diosa de las Americas: Writings on the Virgin of Guadalupe Ed. A. Castillo (pp. xv-xxiii). New York: Riverhead Books, 1995.Krauze, Enrique. Mexico, Biography of Power. A History of Modern Mexico 1810-1996. New York: HarperCollins, 1997Matovina, Timothy â€Å"Hispanic Catholics: ‘El Futuro' Is Here† Commonweal. 128. 15. September 14, 2001â€Å"Guadalupe, Basilica of.† Encyclopaedia Britannica. 2006. Encyclopaedia Britannica Online.   22  Mar.   2006  ;http://academic.eb.com/;

Introduction to Communication Skills Essay

Doing this involves effort from both the sender of the message and the receiver. And it’s a process that can be fraught with error, with messages often misinterpreted by the recipient. When this isn’t detected, it can cause tremendous confusion, wasted effort and missed opportunity. In fact, communication is only successful when both the sender and the receiver understand the same information as a result of the communication. By successfully getting your message across, you convey your thoughts and ideas effectively. When not successful, the thoughts and ideas that you convey do not necessarily reflect your own, causing a communications breakdown and creating roadblocks that stand in the way of your goals – both personally and professionally. In a recent survey of recruiters from companies with more than 50,000 employees, communication skills were cited as the single more important decisive factor in choosing managers. The survey, conducted by the University of Pittsburgh’s Katz Business School, points out that communication skills, including written and oral presentations, as well as an ability to work with others, are the main factor contributing to job success. In spite of the increasing importance placed on communication skills, many individuals continue to struggle with this, unable to communicate their thoughts and ideas effectively – whether in verbal or written format. This inability makes it nearly impossible for them to compete effectively in the workplace, and stands in the way of career progression. Getting your message across is paramount to progressing. To do this, you must understand what your message is, what audience you are sending it to, and how it will be perceived. You must also weigh-in the circumstances surrounding your communications, such as situational and cultural context.

Lowering the Drinking Age to 18

It’s your 18th birthday and your finally a legal adult. Immediately you can smoke cigarettes, vote, be a jury member, even join the military and fight for your country. But don’t think about a having a beer at your going away party the night before you depart for the Middle East. No, you will have to wait until your 21. As an American citizens we are given many responsibilities at the age of 18. One of them not being the ability to consume alcohol. So I believe that at the age of 18 should come the responsibility of legally partaking of alcohol. If we are considered adults and expected to act like one at the age of 18, it isn’t right to restrict us to a drinking age of 21. At 18 you can get married, vote, pay taxes, take out loans or risk your life as a member of the U. S. military. But the law in our country says that no alcoholic beverages may be sold to anyone until the age of 21. Who says that 21 is the magical age that makes one intelligent and mature enough to consume alcohol. Sure some adults abuse alcohol and some teenagers would be able to drink responsibly. While 21 may be the legal drinking age in the U. S. no scientific evidence exists proving this is the age at which young people can safely begin drinking alcohol. (Bryan Knowles). By lowering the drinking age it would take away some of the temptation involved with alcohol. It’s not as much fun when its allowed! The most common reason for underage drinking is because alcohol is seen as â€Å"the forbidden fruit. In a study by Dr. Engs, professor of applied health and science, found that by increasing the legal drinking age, young people tend to abuse alcohol more. In actuality raising the drinking age was much worse than doing nothing. Drinking is more exciting when it is illegal. So many people go out and get drunk simply because they know that it’s illegal (Dr Engs). If we do away with this concept then we are left we people partaking in less booze filled nights. Leaving the decision of alcohol mostly to the family is the best scheme if the aim is to reduce underage drinking. We should also focus on safe drinking instead of age restrictions. Educating on the power of alcohol instead of just telling them not to drink it would create a better understanding for our young ones Other countries like France, have a much lower rate of alcohol abuse. This comes from educated and gradual drinking. American teens have not learned to drink gradually or in moderation. We need to focus on educating our young people on safe drinking and as a social activity, instead of a type of escape. Why is there still a problem if alcohol education currently exists? Because current alcohol education in high school and college teaches the following: This is how you drink responsibly, now don't drink because you are too young. How does anyone expect students to listen to a teacher when this gibberish is coming from their mouth? First you need to properly educate young adults. Second, you need trust them. If you treat young adults like children they will act like children. If you treat young adults as responsible adults they will act maturely. While most parents agree that serving alcohol to groups of minors should be prohibited, many also reserve the right to introduce their teenage children to alcohol. Supervised, moderate exposure to alcohol in the home with family lays the foundation for a healthy respect for alcohol and its associated responsibilities. Bryan Knowles) In conclusion, is 21 really the prestigious age we all can’t wait to reach. At 21, does all the maturity and intelligence we need to navigate this earth finally dawn on us! Well, our country seem to think so. So at the end of the day when you are deployed to Iraq to serve your country, don’t even think about having an adult beverage. Because you’re not an adult until 21, you must wait three more years. But look on the b right side, there will always be a beer waiting for you when you are of age.

Aig Bailout & Stakeholder Analysis

AIG Bailout & Stakeholder Analysis In September 2008, the American International Group, AIG, the largest insurance company in the United States, suffered from the bad debts incurred insuring mortgage-backed securities. As a result, within a matter of three months, AIG reported a startling quarterly loss of $61. 7 billion, largest in the U. S corporate history. Instead of watching this global insurance giant fall on its keens, the U. S. government has decided to lend a helping hand by bailing out AIG. However, this generosity isn’t without a cost.Seven months and four bailout programs later, the American taxpayers are stuck with a bill for the amount of $182 billion, in return for 79. 9% equity stake of the failing company. Soon after the bailout fund was received, the board of directors at AIG announced that the company will continue to reward its senior management and traders with the contractual $165 million bonus, the same group of people that caused the AIG collapse and gl obal credit crisis in the first place. Personal, I am completely disgusted with this particular decision.How can any of the executives and traders be able to spend a penny from this bonus pool knowing what their action have caused. Just like Cousin Robin, millions had lost their life time savings due to someone else’s greed and irresponsibility. However, at the same time I have no choice but to agree with the government’s decision on bailing out AIG and indirectly looking out for its employees and shareholders. The following is my argument based on the impact from several stakeholders if the government had not done so. Investors:The first immediate impact of the AIG bankruptcy will be its investors. Although AIG is widely regarded as world’s No. 1 insurance corporation, many had not realized that AIG is also the world’s largest credit insurer for many major corporations as well as the largest issuers on credit related derivative products such as Credit De fault Swap or CDS. During the second and third quarter of 2008, the credit rating on many mortgage security firms were downgraded when mortgage default rating reached its all time peak and firms were failing to meet their debt obligations.Consequently, as a credit insurer, AIG were obligated to pay investors the contractual swap payment. However, since firms were defaulting at an astonish rate, it was almost impossible for AIG to come up with any of the payments. Without any payment, most of the investors weren’t able to meet their own legal obligation and this transcended down to a vicious cycle and eventually turned into a global crisis. Now, when AIG received the government bailout package, its immediate action was to pay its clients and alleviated the pressure of any firm that was involved before things got worse.Goldman Sachs for one was the biggest beneficiary from this bailout as the firm was facing many uncertainties of its own. Average Consumers/General Public: The a verage consumers may not realize this, but AIG cannot fail. Not only does it play a major role in the U. S. economy, it plays a crucial role in our daily lives. It impacts anyone who owns a home, car, insurance, or even a student loan. The AIG statistics are overwhelming. The company has 74 million customers around the globe. 0 million of those clients are American based. AIG operates in more than 130 countries. Prior to the current market conditions, the company backed more than $298 billion in assets globally. Just its quarterly loss along had sent the world market into an abyss, the Dow lost 300 points and Asian market toppled to a new low. The answer is fairly simple, the average consumers like myself have so much invested in AIG that we cannot see it fail.The implication on it defaulting will be far worse than losing 75% of our retirement fund. Employees & Shareholders: I will need to bring employees and shareholders into the same category here since most of the AIG employees a re its shareholders. These two groups are probably on the worse end of the deal than anyone else. The bailout package is a very good indication that the government is nationalizing AIG as it holds 80% of its shares, a move that wiped out most of the shareholder’s value.On the other hand, many had yet to realize that before the bailout, AIG was on the blink of â€Å"extinction†, which will result unemployment and an empty retirement portfolio. With the bailout, employees like Robin can safely say â€Å"I am still employed. † And to those who are optimistic can even say, if the bailout does workout in the years to come and AIG is successfully restructured under the economy reforming, their portfolio will be back to its fair market value, maybe even more. It is reasonable to assume that anyone who is on the same boat as Cousin Robin will be disgruntled.On the other hand, when we dissect the situation in further depth, one will realize that the AIG bailout will rest ore economic stability, prevent future collapse of large institutional investors, support the financial community, not to mention restore consumer confidence. Thus, as one of the millions U. S. taxpayers, I will have to disagree with Robin and certainly applaud the government’s decision on handing out the AIG bailout. ——————————————– [ 1 ]. http://www. onlineforextrading. com/blog/aig-bailout-again/ [ 2 ]. http://www. onlineforextrading. com/blog/aig-bailout-again/

Definition of modeling terms Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Definition of modeling terms - Essay Example Spreadsheet engineering is the study of modeling that enables us to plan and develop more complex and detailed business models. The study also facilitates business communication especially performing modeling tasks and accounting statements in effective and efficient manner. Model formulation is to removing needless details and abstracting critical features of the real world. It is a development for making the actual situation understandable, easier and capturing a core objective of solving a real world problem. Decisions are to make up your mind for selecting a way forward keeping in view the possible alternatives. The decision can be taken on the number of items to buy/sell, quantity of items to be manufactured Problem Context is an activity of modeling that explains the fundamental causes and the current situation of the problem raised by the modeler. It should be structured considering the client’s view of the problem so that they can guide to a solution. Model structure is an activity of modeling in which a modeler builds a model by selecting/ inserting items, values and their relationship in the spreadsheets considering options of using model types, breaking the problem into sub-problems. Model assessment is an activity of modeling in which the developed models are evaluated to find out either they are viable, suitable and satisfactoriness keeping in view the problem of the client and objective of their

Company analysis needs to be on is HITACHI CONSTRUCTION MACHINERY Essay

Company analysis needs to be on is HITACHI CONSTRUCTION MACHINERY AUSTRALIA Pty Ltd risk management - Essay Example Scope To be efficient and effective the unit provides the range of machinery best known to miners of Australia as the best. Mining takes turns from extracting underground resources to the point of processing. The unit provides and caters for lumbering trucks, excavators, bulldozers, and drilling in the manual and electric version. The company also ensures that all spare parts are availed at the stores, a factor that ensures that the customers business does not alt because of mechanical breakdowns (Thakur et al, 1997). With the technological revolution in the mining sector taking tremendous advances, the unit provides upto date equipment and customer support on the use of such. Pricing and negotiation deals within the unit stimulate the competitiveness in the market. Hitachi ensures communication in the various channels, which entirely stimulates performance on output, realization of change in the dynamic environment and customer satisfaction via direct responses. Risks are borne by a ssumptions that the prevailing factors are not crucial. The company understands clearly that different people have different perceptions. Demographically, age separates tastes and thus the approach in construction to cater for their needs takes a deeper dimension. Hitachi meets competition from Denver, Caterpillar, Center Rock, Komatsu, P&H Mining, and Joy Mining machineries among others. However, these companies may pose threats; Hitachi strategically frames a proper layout and execution exercise that secures its bid in reaching the market. (Thakur, (2007:04). The plan of availing the equipment on time drives other competitors away bearing that the selective channel of distribution and scrutiny enables the company to determine the performing and non-performing ones. Tailored communication among all the subsidiary outlets enables it to note changes and advances in industry before matters get out of hand. Holistic approach In the present marketing environment, competition takes charg e on every market and failure to retaliate often steers loss of the market share, lesser profits, and exit from the market. Hitachi Company limited ensures fast adaptation to changes in the industry. In the event of competition from other key players in the market, for example, Caterpillar, Denver, Robinson Thwaites, and Bucyrus international, Hitachi resolves to higher advances that include technological advances, customer satisfaction through efficiency and closer supervision. Since Hitachi Construction Company is mainly concerned with improving and delivering services in the mining industry, it builds the best and conducive machinery for both customers the entire ecology. The company’s advancements in the provision of electric trains and steam drilling equipment among others steers economic growth to all users. The production and delivery unit ensures that all output suits the needs of the various markets and that environmental destruction is least expected. Each market se gment adopt distinctive cultures, beliefs and norms which affect the business widely, thus the company should poses an outlook on factors of the kind as ignorance may pave way for competitors.(Desheng, (2010:03). As a strong strategy, holistic approach, and entirely a definite tool to production, the company appreciates all of the key players in its market, understanding fully that they are equally

Summary Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 169

Summary - Essay Example When going through an essay, it is always advisable to draft how you understand the essay. These may be in terms of questions regarding why the author selected the subject and the essays thesis, what we can tell about the author based on the language and tone of the essay, and what about the work has contributed to its success, the target audience and the strategy used by author to organize the ideas. Analyzing a sample essay is the best way to gain in-depth understanding and appreciation of an essay or any reading material. This enhances writers’ skills as it goes along way into teaching how to go through their work as authors. This also helps to enhance the scope of strategies that the author may use as well as proposing subjects upon which his or her essay may be based. When writing, first draft the thesis statement in a few paragraphs. This refers to the main idea the author wishes to address. The author may identify the thesis before writing or during the writing process. It helps to guide the author in sourcing for information and to have a sense of direction with respect to the contents of the paper and their organization. The thesis expounds on the essays’ subject based on the author’s comprehension of the same. Prepare the outline of the contents of the essay with regard to the thesis statement and write them down. This is essential as it helps in organizing and planning the flow of the essay into the introduction, body, and