Web or Mobile Application Essay Example for Free

Web or Mobile Application Essay JP Morgan Chase Mobile Bank application is one of the most important applications I have in my iPhone. Chase has created a new way of banking with their application. It is user friendly, it offers amazing capabilities, it is a time and money saver, and it has room for improvement. Chase has brought banking into our hands. The purpose of the application is to make banking for their customers stress-free. With this application customers can deposit checks from their iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Android, Kindle Fire, and Windows Phone. All they do is input the amount of the check, take a front and back picture of the check and click submit. Customers can also view their banking and credit card balances and transaction history. Customers can transfer money between Chase and non-Chase accounts, in different ways. They offer Transfer Money, Wire Transfer, and Chase QuickPay. I just used the QuickPay feature today. My little sister bought my tickets to Lollapalooza so I paid her back through QuickPay. In order for the money to get deposit to her account, we both have to enrolled in the Person-to-Person QuickPay. Once we both signed up, I type her e-mail or phone number and the amount to transfer and submit it. Once sent, she approves the transaction, and it is complete. I am also able to pay bills with the application. This feature is truly helpful; I set up reminders on my phone to remind me of when my payments are due. When my reminder goes off, at that moment I log in to my Chase application and make the payment on the spot. I do not have to wait to get home because if I do I would forget to make it and I am charge with the late fees. Another capability is being able to find the closest branch or ATM near me. All this is possible with a smartphone and a tablet. The Chase bank application is a time and money saver. I was in the Army and I had been station in places where Chase branches or ATMs are not close to me. Right now, I live in Copenhagen, Upstate NY, which is about half an hour from Ft Drum. The closes Chase branch or ATM to me is in Syracuse, which is about an hour and a half away. Being able to have access to my account on the palm of my hand is amazing. Not having to set a foot on the bank has saved me time, gas and money. Time is very important to me and the way I pend it is written down in my planner. I do not have the time or the money to drive and wait in line. In the time it would take me to drive to the branch and back home, I could watch a movie with my family or do some homework. This application has really made my life a little easier In a likely future that I want to see added to this application would have to be like a check balance book. This feature would help me see where my money goes. Just by taping an icon I can see how much did I spend on Tuesday, how much money do I have left in my account, when do I get paid, am I getting closed to overdraft. I know this is my responsibility, but it would be nice to have my own personal accountant. Another possible addition could be being able to send and receive e-mails to and from Chase. I think these two features can help Chase improve and be ahead of other banks. ‘JPMorgan Chase has yet again won a ranking of mobile banking apps. In this one, Keynotes semiannual mobile banking scorecard, Chase came in first for the third time in a row’, ‘†¦its analysts score the apps according to 120 criteria in four categories functionality, ease of use, privacy and security, and quality and availability’ (Penny Crosman, 2013). I remember when every Saturday I will had to go to the bank to make a deposit of my checks, and having to fill up the deposit slip. Just the waiting in line used to irritate me. Being able to access my account, pay bills and make deposits without having to set a foot inside a bank is incredible. Chase Mobile definitely has changed the way their customers and I bank!

Japan: 1945 conflicts and internal politics Essay -- essays research p

Discuss the occupation of Japan from 1945 to 1952. What effects did the purges have on political and business leadership in Japan and to what degree did this action have on the continuity or discontinuity between pre-war and post-war elites? What actions led SCAP to â€Å"reverse† its policies from around 1948? What were the aims and goals of the occupation forces? The occupation of Japan began in August 1945 and ended in April 1952. General MacArthur was the first Supreme Commander. The entire operation was for the most part carried out by the United States. Japan in essence lost all the territory obtained after 1894. The remnants of Japan's war machine were gone, and war crime trials were held. Approximately 500 military officers committed suicide shortly after Japan surrendered, and hundreds more were executed for committing war crimes. The Emperor was not declared a war criminal. A new constitution went into effect in 1947: The emperor lost all political and military power, and was solely the symbol of the state. Universal suffrage was introduced and human rights were now guaranteed. Japan was also forbidden to lead a war again or to maintain an army. MacArthur also intended to break up power concentrations by dissolving the zaibatsu and other large companies, and by decentralizing the education system and the police. In a land reform, concentrations in land ownership were removed. During the first half of the occupation, Japan's media was subject to rigid censorship of any anti-American statements and controversial topics. The co-operation between the Japanese and the Allied powers worked relatively well. Critics began to grow when the United States acted according to self-interests in the Cold War. The United States reintroduced the persecution of the communists, stationed even more troops in Japan, and wanted Japan to establish its own self defense force despite the anti-war article in the constitution. Many aspects of the occupation's so called "reverse course" were welcomed by conservative Japanese politicians. With the peace treaty that went into effect in 1952, the occupation ended. Discuss the significant features of post-war Japan that has lead Japan to become on of the leading industrial nations of the world. Emphasize the economic activities of the 1960’s and 1970’s. After the end of World War II, Japan's economy was a disaster, ... ...opment priorities and scale down its commitments. However, the signing of this arrangement mirrored the desire on both sides to advance relations. In April 1978, a disagreement involving the incursion of armed Chinese fishing boats into the waters off the Senkaku Islands, a collection of barren islets north of Taiwan and south of the Ryukyu Islands, flared up and endangered the developing momentum toward a continuation of peace treaty talks. Self-control on both sides led to an agreeable solution. Talks on the peace treaty were resumed in July, and an arrangement was reached in August on a compromise version of the antihegemony clause. The Treaty of Peace and Friendship was signed on August 12 and came into effect October 23, 1978. Thus, common strategic concerns, as well as economic interests, held the two nations together. Until the late 1970s, China appeared more alarmed than Japan about the Soviet military buildup in Asia. But as the Soviet Union increasingly sought to impede strategic cooperation among Japan, the United States, and possibly China, in part by stepped-up intimidation of Japan, the Nakasone government became more concerned about the Soviet military buildup.

Indudtrialisation, Class & Culture: The Early Victorians Essay

Dorothy Thompson was born on 9 July 1893 in Lancaster, New York, to a Methodist pastor and his wife. Her mother died when she was eight years old. She was sent in 1908 to relatives in Chicago, as a result of her frequent disagreements with her stepmother. (â€Å"Dorothy Thompson (1893-1961)). † In 1914, Thompson graduated from Syracuse University, after which she joined the women’s suffrage movement. In 1917, she moved to New York and started a career as a journalist. (â€Å"Dorothy Thompson (1893-1961)). † She tried to exercise her career in Germany, beginning in 1920. After five years, she already â€Å"headed the Berlin bureau of the New York Post and the Public Ledger. † However, in 1934, she was forced to vacate Germany due to her negative writings about Adolph Hitler and the Nazis. Thereafter, she returned to America to write political editorials and commentaries. As a prominent journalist, she was considered one of the most influential women in America. She was also the â€Å"most syndicated woman journalist in the country. † She wrote many political articles, mainly relating to the Nazis, but she also wrote about women’s issues, since she wrote a monthly column for the Ladies Home Journal entitled â€Å"On the Record. † (â€Å"Dorothy Thompson (1893-1961)). † One of the commentaries Thompson wrote concerning women was her opinion about women in the Victorian age. According to her, women at that time were considered and treated as outsiders in society. This paper shall examine the validity of her conclusion by looking at the historical and societal events during the Victorian period, particularly those relating to the role of women in all aspects of Victorian life. Victorian Theory The starting point of this inquiry could be the perception of those who lived in the Victorian Age of matters relating to sex and sexuality. Scholars believe that theories relating to sex and sexuality were â€Å"unavoidable issues for the Victorians. † (Lee). The primary impression about men and women of the Victorian age is that they are pedantic and sexually repressed. However, this prevalent view has been constantly questioned and even challenged through historical accounts. (Lee). This matter, however, is not the most significant aspect of Victorian theory of sex and sexuality that is relevant to Thompson’s assertions. The more important question involves the determination of the treatment of men and women in Victorian society. More particularly, it is important to know the basis of such treatment. Victorian men and women were generally not regarded as equals. Men were seen as superior to women; and as a consequence of this perception, women were delegated roles of less importance in society while men took on the more important ones. Victorian Theorists Spencer and Geddes Herbert Spencer and Patrick Geddes were the leading theorists in the Victorian Age who probed the issue of sexuality and gender differentiation. They immediately took notice of the differences in physical and physiological aspects of men and women. Aside from this, they saw in men and women two different sets of attributes, which formed the basis of their stereotypical dyadic model based on the two sexes. (Lee). Led by these two, Victorian theorists divided the sphere of men and women into two, and delegated certain tasks to men and women, based on their perceived differences. It is believed that the differences in their attributes began form the earlier forms of life. (Lee). The foundation of this division of sphere was the belief that men and women had different energy levels. Men were considered as the â€Å"active agents,† while women were considered sedentary. To men were attributed the katabolic nature of temperament, which means they release energy, while to women were attributed the anabolic nature of temperament, which nurtured energy. (Lee). The Division of Spheres and its Biological Foundation The division of spheres between men and women in the Victorian Age is primarily based on biological grounds. It was believed that men’s role in the home is only fertilization, which leaves him free to do other, more energy-consuming activities, such as hunting or foraging. Moreover, it was believed that only men had the capacity for abstract reasoning, a sign of â€Å"highly-evolved life. † (Lee). On the other hand, women were constantly seen in the home beset by biological occurrences, such as pregnancy and menstruation. This led to the notion that women were passive and weak, that they can no longer pursue other activities outside the home. It should be noted that at this point in time, menstruation was believed to be a time of woman’s â€Å"illness, debilitation, and temporary insanity. † Thus, women were told to stay home to save her energy, while men were allowed to pursue other activities outside the home. Geddes’ theories were more sweeping. He claimed that not only did men possess greater intelligence and energy than women, they also had greater independence and courage. It was apparent that Geddes found this assertion unfair to women, and so he attributed certain characteristics to them. However, these attributes were still of a domestic nature; namely, â€Å"constancy of affection and sympathetic imagination. † While men were given the attribute of intelligence, women were limited to the gift of rapid intuition. In addition, women were given passive attributes such as great patience, open-mindedness, and a keen appreciation of subtle details. (Lee). The â€Å"Family Claim† Jane Addams discussed another, more degrading pattern found in the lives of women in the Victorian Age. She called it the â€Å"family claim. † (â€Å"Life for Women†). According to Addams, Victorian women were considered as mere possessions by their families. Men were initially given the same regard, but such treatment waned by the end of the 18th century. (â€Å"Life for Women†). This notion of the â€Å"family claim† was grounded on many reasons, the foremost of which is the role of Victorian women in the home. To women were delegated most, if not all, of the housework, such as cleaning, cooking and aiding ailing people. Another factor that underlies the â€Å"family claim† is the women’s role in birth and child rearing. She is the one seen as responsible for carrying a child in her womb, and the one responsible for caring for the infant after the latter was born. Women were also responsible for birth control, such that unplanned pregnancy can be blamed to tem and not to the men. (â€Å"Life for Women†). Finally, women at the time did not have money-making occupations, as their main activities were domestic. Hence, the control of the family over women, who were seen as dependents on the men for support, was considerably great. (â€Å"Life for Women†). Women’s Profession and Education As gleaned from the above discussion, women lived in a state that is only a tad better than slaves. Since only men were seen as capacitated to work for a living, most, if not all, women had no independent means of subsistence. This leaves women with no other better choice than to obey the men. Moreover, women were not allowed to follow any occupation, as such is not part of their duties, which all belong in the home. These situations are based on even more fundamental difference in treatment. Only boys were allowed access to universities; thus women received less education than boys. This aggravated the problem of women concerning employment and independent means of living. (â€Å"Women’s Status in Mid 19th Century England A Brief Overview†). Marriage The institution of marriage was another factor that contributed to the unpleasant treatment of women in the Victorian Age. The concept of marriage during the period was fraught with many notions and beliefs about women and their role and society. Most of these notions were negative and demeaning, and had no other function than to emphasize the higher position occupied by the husband in the home hierarchy. (â€Å"Women’s Status in Mid 19th Century England A Brief Overview†). Since women had no opportunity to earn a living independently during the Victorian Age, most had no choice but to marry someone who could provide such necessities for her. Moreover, women who expressed their desire to remain unmarried were not regarded favorably and were condemned to social disapproval. (â€Å"Women’s Status in Mid 19th Century England A Brief Overview†). This primary motivation for women to marry in the Victorian age was due to their lack of sufficient education. Women were only taught domestic duties and were left uneducated in other, more important aspects of life. Moreover, women were told at such a young age that they have to marry someday, as their future roles would only be as wives. (â€Å"Women’s Issues Then and Now†). The situation gets even worse after a woman gets married. Everything that she owns, including herself, becomes property of the husband. This means that the man can do anything to the woman without her express consent. The man is also authorized by law to exercise complete control and dominion over his wife’s body. The marriage contract contains â€Å"a vow to obey her husband. † Thus, a married woman has no choice but to obey her husband and allow him access to her body if he wants the same. (â€Å"Women’s Status in Mid 19th Century England A Brief Overview†). Marriage was an instrument by which women experienced great degradation. They were non-entities in all aspects of life, especially in law. â€Å"Women were, under the law, ‘legally incompetent and irresponsible. ’† Thus, they cannot act except where their husbands gave their consent thereto. In addition, they were afforded neither legal rights nor personal property. (â€Å"Women in the Victorian Age†). Marriage was also an instrument for the further strengthening of the notion that women were mere objects or chattels, owned by their husbands. Thus, under the law, â€Å"a husband and wife are one person, and the husband is that person. † Only husbands had the right to act, women were mere passive actors in Victorian society. (â€Å"Women in the Victorian Age†). The unfortunate existence of women during this period was dramatically described by Florence Fenwick Miller in 1890, thus: Under exclusively man-made laws women have been reduced to the most abject condition of legal slavery in which it is possible for human beings to be held†¦ under the arbitrary domination of another’s will, and dependent for decent treatment exclusively on the goodness of heart of the individual master. (â€Å"Women’s Status in Mid 19th Century England A Brief Overview†). The Deviant View of Victorian Women Amidst the prevalent view of women as slaves or property of men or their families, there is a rather atypical notion of women during the Victorian Age. This notion placed women on a pedestal and treated them as goddesses. They were even worshipped in some accounts. This concept of women was reflected primarily in Victorian novels, movies and television shows. (â€Å"Women’s Status in Mid 19th Century England A Brief Overview†). However, this notion is too much of a contradiction to the real state of affairs in the Victorian Age. The real situation consisted of the different treatment between men and women, particularly as to their rights, duties, education and occupation. Personal Viewpoint This writer agrees with the assertion of Dorothy Thompson that women were treated as â€Å"outsiders† during the Victorian Age. Having seen the disadvantaged position of women from that period, such conclusion is inescapable. Women were not allowed to participate in relevant affairs because they were seen as the â€Å"weaker sex. † Despite proof that they are able to take on great responsibilities and that they possess intelligence as much as men, Victorian society did not see them fit to acquire sufficient education to equip them with skills to earn independent living. Women had been the pillars of the Victorian home, but they were degraded by placing them under the control and supervision of their husbands or their families. Worse, women had been treated inhumanely, as they were regarded as chattels or property for the longest time. Men and women were divided into two spheres, despite the lack of basis to do so aside from mere physical makeup and biased social conclusions. Men were seen as the active actors while women were seen as the passive actors. These attributes were ascribed to men and women, despite the fortitude manifested by women in performing all the duties assigned to her by society. Given all these, it is easy to agree to the proposition that men had been considered as mere outsiders in Victorian society, next only to men who were the ones who enjoyed preferential status, with all the benefits appurtenant thereto. Works Cited â€Å"Dorothy Thompson (1893-1961). † Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site. 11 Dec. 2006 . â€Å"Late Victorian England. † 10 Dec. 2006 . Lee, Elizabeth. â€Å"Victorian Theories of Sex and Sexuality. † 1997. 10 Dec. 2006 . â€Å"Life for Women. † 10 Dec. 2006 . â€Å"Queen Victoria and Victorian England – the Young Queen. † 10 Dec. 2006 . â€Å"Women in the Victorian Age. † 10 Dec. 2006 . â€Å"Women’s Issues Then and Now. † 11 Dec. 2006 . â€Å"Women’s Status in Mid 19th Century England A Brief Overview. † 11 Dec. 2006 .

Essay on Mass Medias Political Power - 967 Words

Mass Medias Political Power There are two main issues regarding media influence in politics 1. Does presentation and coverage affect voting behaviour and choices? 2. Do media have an impact on political struggle and decide nature of debates? Definitions of mass media Mass media are channels of communication through which messages flow, produced by a few for consumption by many people. As the messages go through the channels, they are distorted. When people receive mass-media messages, they have no opportunity for immediate feedback with the producers of the messages.( www.pbs.org) Specialist institutions such as books, magazines, adverts, newspapers, radio,†¦show more content†¦Ã¢â‚¬ËœTelevision has ceased to cover the campaign; it has become the campaign.’(Harrop: 2001) One of the ways the mass media is politically influential is through deciding what to cover and what not to cover, through deciding what counts as newsworthy. This is essentially cutting a full day’s news coverage of world events into a half hour show. News programs tend to focus on exceptional stories this leads coverage to be an unrepresentative sample of daily events. For example media will focus policy failure over success or scandal and corruption over stories of integrity. This is can help influence politics because it is directing attention away from ‘lesser important views’. The important point of thought is who decides this is news worthy. This selection of news stories centres around elite groups, nations and prominent political parties which reinforce images of relationships between power and order in society also where the power lies and how it should be used. According to Stewart hall these are not simply a reflection of the world as it is thatâ⠂¬â„¢s neutral or objective but an interpretation of the world given to us. 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Sodium Element (Na or Atomic Number 11)

Symbol: Na Atomic Number: 11 Atomic Weight: 22.989768 Element Classification: Alkali Metal CAS Number: 7440-23-5 Periodic Table Location Group: 1 Period: 3 Block: s Electron Configuration Short Form: [Ne]3s1 Long Form: 1s22s22p63s1 Shell Structure: 2 8 1 Discovery of Sodium Discovery Date: 1807 Discoverer: Sir Humphrey Davy [England] Name: Sodium derives its name from the Medieval Latin sodanum and the English name soda. The element symbol, Na, was shortened from the Latin name Natrium. Swedish chemist Berzelius was the first to use the symbol Na for sodium in his early periodic table. History: Sodium does not usually appear in nature on its own, but its compounds have been used by people for centuries. Elemental sodium was not discovered until 1808. Davy isolated sodium metal using electrolysis from caustic soda or sodium hydroxide (NaOH). Physical Data State at room temperature (300 K): Solid Appearance: soft, bright silvery-white metal Density: 0.966 g/cc Density at Melting Point: 0.927 g/cc Specific Gravity: 0.971 (20  °C) Melting Point: 370.944 K Boiling Point: 1156.09 K Critical Point: 2573 K at 35 MPa (extrapolated) Heat of Fusion: 2.64 kJ/mol Heat of Vaporization: 89.04 kJ/mol Molar Heat Capacity: 28.23 J/mol ·K Specific Heat: 0.647 J/g ·K (at 20  °C) Atomic Data Oxidation States: 1 (most common), -1 Electronegativity: 0.93 Electron Affinity: 52.848 kJ/mol Atomic Radius: 1.86 Ã… Atomic Volume: 23.7 cc/mol Ionic Radius: 97 (1e) Covalent Radius: 1.6 Ã… Van der Waals Radius: 2.27 Ã… First Ionization Energy: 495.845 kJ/mol Second Ionization Energy: 4562.440 kJ/mol Third Ionization Energy: 6910.274 kJ/mol Nuclear Data Number of isotopes: 18 isotopes are known. Only two are naturally occurring. Isotopes and % abundance: 23Na (100), 22Na (trace) Crystal Data Lattice Structure: Body-Centered Cubic Lattice Constant: 4.230 Ã… Debye Temperature: 150.00 K Sodium Uses Sodium chloride is important for animal nutrition. Sodium compounds are used in the glass, soap, paper, textile, chemical, petroleum, and metal industries. Metallic sodium is used in manufacturing of sodium peroxide, sodium cyanide, sodamide, and sodium hydride. Sodium is used in preparing tetraethyl lead. It is used in the reduction of organic esters and preparation of organic compounds. Sodium metal may be used to improve the structure of some alloys, to descale metal, and to purify molten metals. Sodium, as well as NaK, an alloy of sodium with potassium, are important heat transfer agents. Miscellaneous Facts Sodium is the 6th most abundant element in the Earths crust, making up approximately 2.6% of the earth, air, and oceans.Sodium is not found free in nature, but sodium compounds are common. The most common compound is sodium chloride or salt.Sodium occurs in many minerals, such as cryolite, soda niter, zeolite, amphibole, and sodalite.The top three countries that produce sodium are China, United States,  and India. Sodium metal is mass produced by electrolysis of sodium chloride.The D lines of sodiums spectrum account for the dominant yellow color of the un.Sodium is the most abundant alkali metal.Sodium floats on water, which decomposes it to evolve hydrogen and form the hydroxide. Sodium may ignite spontaneously on water. It does not usually ignite in air at temperatures below 115 °CSodium burns with a bright yellow color in a flame test.Sodium is used in fireworks to make an intense yellow color. The color is sometimes so bright it overwhelms other colors in a firework. Sources CRC Handbook of Chemistry Physics, (89th Ed.).Holden, Norman E. History of the Origin of the Chemical Elements and Their Discoverers, 2001.â€Å"National Institute of Standards and Technology.†Ã‚  NIST.

Human And Bacterial Diversity With City Scale Metagenomics...

In a 2015 article, â€Å"Geospatial Resolution of Human and Bacterial Diversity with City-Scale Metagenomics† by Ebrahim Afshinnekoo, Cem Meydan, Shawn Levy, and Christopher E. Mason, they discussed how hundreds of species of bacteria and DNA are present in the subway, but most of them were either harmless or unknown. Studies were conducted in the metropolitan area of New York City, because it was an ideal place to undertake a large-scale metagenomic study and it is the largest and densest in terms of population, in the United States. The conducted study consisted of 1,457 collected samples, all across the entire NYC Metropolitan Transit Authority open subway stations, (466 stations) and 24 subway lines. The Staten Island Railway, 12 sites in the Gowanus Canal, four public parks, and one closed subway station that was submerged during the 2012 Hurricane Sandy were also included in the collected sample. In the summer of 2013, three samples were collected from each subway statio n. Two from the station, from areas such as: the station benches, garbage cans, rails and one from inside the train. There were additional samples taken for culturing and testing. The researchers used shot-gun sequencing which is a technique that uses smaller fragments of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) sequences that are reassembled into one sequence by looking for regions of overlap. All of the 3.6M reads, were first trimmed for 99% accuracy for all known organisms then characterized with Sequence-based

Native Americans and Aztecs Essay Example For Students

Native Americans and Aztecs Essay By: oscar perezTwo of the biggest and greatest civilization in the Americas were theAztecs and Incas. These two civilization were both said to be conquered bythe Spanish, but it wasnt just the Spanish who conquered them. These twocivilizations both fell from a combination of a weak government, lack oftechnology, new disease introduced by the invaders, and not being preparedfor the invaders. For many centuries the Aztec civilization revolved arounda ideological, social, and political system in which expansion was thecornerstone. Expansion was the cornerstone of their whole civilization,because their religion requested that a large number of human sacrificeswhere to be made to the gods. To get the sacrifices the Aztec went to warwith other tribes in Mexico to get these human sacrifices (Conrad ; Demmest47-49) . With each conquest more sacrifices and more land was added to theAztec kingdom. The Aztec were a strong civilization who were familiar withorganized large scale war, had special ized war chiefs, and a well organizedsystem of territorial levy in which large armies could be amassed in ashort time (Age of Reconnaissance 124-125). They may have been wellorganized for war, but they were not prepared for internal changes in therecivilization. When expansion was no longer an option there system crumbled. Without expansion they could no longer give human sacrifices in the sameamount in which they use too. Upon the arrival of the Spanish the Aztecgovernment was falling apart, and Moctezuma II programs of internalmilitary consolidation and administrative and social stabilization hadfailed (Conrad ; Demmest). When the Aztecs first met the Spanish theywere amazed by them. The Spanish used the Aztecs own legends to takeadvantage of them and gain the upper hand. Other disadvantages that theAztecs had was the need to take prisoner to sacrifice, they were not untiedwith other tribes (Spanish were able to unite with other tribes to helpfight the Aztecs), had primitive weapons, and couldnt stay on the battlefield for long, because they ran out of supplies quickly (Age ofReconnaissance 167). The Spaniards didnt destroy the Aztec civilizationall by their self another factor which helped the Spanish were the diseasethat they brought over to the Americas from Europe and Africa. Theintroduction of d iseases like syphilis, measles, smallpox, malaria, mumpsand yellow fever are just some sickness that plagued the Budhu 2 Aztecs. Also the introduction of different species of animals and plants caused aecological imbalance (Plagues and Peoples 176-199). All these are somereasons to why the Aztec civilization was destroyed. With the arrival ofthe Spanish in Mexico rumors started to reach the ears of Spaniards about agreat civilization to the south. This civilization was the Inca. The Incacivilization was inland so it made it harder on the Spanish to reach them. Unlike the Aztecs the Inca empire was held together by a tight socialdiscipline based on commercial land holding and a system of forced labor. Discipline was enjoined by an elaborate cult of ruler-worship and enforcedby a military organization which maintained fortresses and stores atstrategic points (Age of Reconnaissance 170-171). The Incas government wasmore organized then the Aztecs. One of their strengths soon became a greatweakness. The system that was set up to chose a emperor. The system triedto keep the purity of the royal families bloodline by incestuous marriage. The emperor would have to marry one of his full sisters and have a childwho would then become the emperor upon his fathers death. It was also setup to prevent civil war in the kingdom (Inca Decline 134). Huascar becameemperor just as the Inca empires problems became critical. The governmentneed reforms, and Huascar believed that the royal mummies were the centerof all the problems. Huascar decided that the royal mummies had to beremoved, because they stood in the way of his reforms and wealth. Thisdecision became a political disaster. His assault against the royal mummiescaused the high nobility of the empire to turn against him. In 1529 a civilwar broke out between the crowned emperor Huascar and his half brotherAtauhualpa. This civil war lasted for about 3 years ending in 1532 withAtauhualpa emerging as the victor. Unfortunately his reign as emperor wascut short by Francisco Pizarro and his men who fought and kill Atauhualpaand his men when they were heading back to Cuzco (Inca Dec line 134-139). The Spanish invaders of the Americas came for wealth, settlement, and tospread their faith. The storys of the wealth that could be found in theAmericas lured many men looking to get rich quick. The governments of theEuropean countries saw the Americas as two things a place to make money anda way to extend their boarders. The Catholic church came to the Americas,because they wanted to convert these savages and give them salvation. These are some of the reason to why Europeans ventured in this greatunknown called the Americas. When the Spaniards first arrived in LatinAmerica they were not well Budhu 3 organized armies. Most of the men weregroups of adventures, arming them self, or hooking up with a leader whowould provide them with weapons. While they may not have had the most welltrained men they did have unity and leadership to guide them. The Spaniardshad the upper hand over the Incas and Aztecs in both technology and unity. The Spanish had gunpowder, but couldnt use it frequently because most ofit was heavy artillery. They did have a few muskets, and steal weapons. TheIncas and the Aztecs were still using Stone age technology. They dependedon weapons made of stone and wood and leather armor. The invaders had stealswords and armor (Age of Reconnaissance). These advantages along with theinternal problems of the Aztecs and the Incas made it very easy for theSpaniards to conquer them. Two of the greatest civilization to ever live inthe Americas were destroyed in a few years. The Spanish are credited forthe destruction of these two civilization, but did they really destroythem. By looking back on all the problems that these two civilization hadon the eve of the arrival of the Spanish one would say that they destroyedthem self and the Spanish was just there to do a little work and claim thecredit for the destruction of the Aztecs and Incas. Aztec Empire HistoryThe Aztec civilization revolved around an ideological, social and political system in which expansion was the cornerstone. By Angela SalatinoThe Aztec Empire History The center of the Aztec civilization was theValley of Mexico, a huge,oval basin about 7,500 feet above sea level. TheAztecs were formed afterthe Toltec civilization occurred when hundreds ofcivilians came towards Lake Texcoco. In the swamplands there was only onepiece of land to farm on and it was totally surrounded by more marshes. TheAztec families somehow converted these disadvantages to a mighty empireknown as the Aztec Empire. People say the empire was partially formed by adeeply believed legend. As the legend went, it said that Aztec people wouldcreate an empire in a swampy place where they would see an eagle eating asnake, while perched on a cactus, which was growing out of a rock in theswamplands. This is what priests claimed they saw when entering the newland. In addition, The mother of the Aztec creation story was calledCoatlique, the Lady of the Skirt of Snakes. She was created in the imageof the unknown, decorated with skulls, sn akes, and lacerated hands. Thereare no cracks in her body and she is a perfect monolith (a totality ofintensity and self-containment, yet her features were sqaure anddecapitated). Coatlique was first impregnated by an obsidian knife and gavebirth to Coyolxanuhqui, goddess of the moon, and to a group of maleoffspring, who became the stars. Then one day Coatlique found a ball offeathers, which she tucked into her bosom. Whe she looked for it later, itwas gone, at which time she realized that she was again pregnant. Herchildren, the moon and stars did not believe her story. Ashamed of theirmother, they resolved to kill her. A goddess could only give birth once, tothe original litter of divinity and no more. During the time that they wereplotting her demise, Coatlicue gave birth to the fiery god of war,Huitzilopochtli. With the help of a fire serpent, he destroyed his brothersand sister, murdering them in a rage. He beheaded Coyolxauhqui and threwher body into a deep gorge in a mountain , where it lies dismemberedforever. By the year 1325 their capital city was finished. They called itTenochtitlan. At its height, the Aztec Empire included millions ofpeople. Even though no one knows exactly how many people there were, itseems clear that the Aztec Empire had a population equal to the largeEuropean countries at the time! Tenochtitlfin alone, which may have had asmany as 200,000 people, was larger than any European city. Along the shoresof Lake Texcoco were other cities. These cities were connected toTenochtitlfin by a system of causeways, or raised earthen roads, builtacross the lake. Bridges on the causeways allowed canoes to go from onepart of the lake to another. In the capital city, aqueducts wereconstructed, bridges were built, and chinapas were made. Chinapas werelittle islands formed by pilled up mud. On these chinapas Aztecs grew theirfood. The Aztec Empire included many cities and towns, especially in theValley of Mexico. The early settlers built log rafts, then covered themwith mud and planted seeds to create roots and develop more solid land forbuilding homes in this marshy land. Canals were also cut out through themarsh so that a typical Aztec home had its back to a canal with a canoetied at the door. In the early 1400s, Tenochtitlan joined with Texcoco andTlacopan, two other major cities in the Valley of Mexico. Good farmingpractices helped to support the large population of Tenochtitln. Forexample, the Aztecs built irrigation systems, constructed terraces onnearby hillsides, and enriched the soil with fertilizer. They developed acompletely new agricultural technique for making more farmland out of theswampy land around the city by creating artificial islands, calledchinampas, or floating gardens. The chinampas were made by piling richearth from the bottom of Lake Texcoco onto rafts made of weeds. Afterawhile, the roots of plants and trees grew down to the lake bottom,anchoring the rafts. These island gardens covered most of the so uthern partof the lake and were planted with crops that produced large amounts offood. Their crops included corn, which was their principal crop, variouskinds of vegetables (such as beans, squash, tomatoes, and peppers), andflowers. The Aztecs also planted corn and other crops in the irrigatedfields around Lake Texcoco. They raised ducks, geese and turkeys, whichwere eaten by the rich nobles and merchants. They had dogs, but did not usework animals or plows. Instead, they used pointed sticks to poke holes forplanting seeds in the soft soil Tenochtitlan became the most powerfulmember of the alliance. The Aztec Conquerors The Aztecs carried onconstant wars with neighboring peoples. They fought with wooden swords thathad sharp stone blades. They also used bows and arrows as well as spears. Evaluation of 12 Angry Men Using the Seven Step Me EssayUltimately, they believed their world would again end in disaster. TheAztecs thought that their special purpose in life was to delay thatdestruction. They sacrificed to the god of war and the sun to keep the sunin the sky and avoid destruction for as long as possible. Many other Aztecgods controlled natural forces. For example, there was a god of rain and agod of wind. These gods also required attention, although they might nothave demanded human sacrifice. Life was very insecure, since the gods couldcause all sorts of problems if they became unhappy. It was important,therefore, to know what the gods wanted. The priests supposedly had theability to interpret signs of the gods pleasure or unhappiness. Priestshad enormous power in the Aztec society.The priests also understood thegreat ceremonial calendar. It told of holy days that called for happycelebrations with song and dance. It also told of other days that weresolemn and re quired fasting. The Aztecs believed that the calendar, ifproperly understood, could foretell the future. Like all the Mexicanpeoples, the Aztecs worshipped a multitude of gods, each of whom demandedofferings and sacrifices. Above all, the Aztecs considered themselves thechosen people of HUITZILOPOCHTLI, the sun and war god, in whose name theywere destined to conquer all rival nations. Huitzilopochtli shared the maintemple at Tenochtitlan with TIaloc, the rain god, important to the farmersin a land where drought was a constant threat Another important god wasQUETZALCOATL, the feathered serpent, patron of arts and crafts and the godof self-sacrifice. The Aztec held many religious ceremonies to ensure goodcrops by winning the favor of the gods and then to thank them for theharvest. Every 52 years, the Aztec held a great celebration called theBinding up of the Years. Prior to the celebration, the people would lettheir hearth fires go out and then re-light them from the new fire of thece lebration and feast. A partial list of the Aztec gods: CENTEOTL, The corngod. COATLICUE,She of the Serpent Skirt. EHECATL, The god of wind. HUEHUETEOTL, The fire god. HUITZILOPOCHTLI, The war/sun god and specialguardian of Tenochtitlan. MICTLANTECUHTLE, The god of the dead. OMETECUHLTIand his wife OMECIHUATL, They created all life in the world. QUETZALCOATL,The god of civilization and learning. TEZCATLIPOCA, The god of Night andSorcery. TLALOC, The rain god. TONATIUH, The sun god. TONANTZIN, Thehonored grand mother. XILONEN, Young maize ear, Maize represents a chiefstaple of the Aztecs.XIPE TOTEC, The god of springtime and re-growth. Aztecdances: The Aztec Dance is known for its special way of expressingreverence and prayer to the supernatural gods of the sun, earth, sky, andwater. Originally, the resources accessible to the native Indians werelimited, yet they were able to create lively music with the howling of thesea conch, and with rhythms produced by drums and by dried seeds which wereusually tied to the feet of the dancers. Archeologists have learned aboutthe Aztec gods and religious ceremonies from the artwork fou nd in the ruinsof their cities. The images of the gods are represented in stone sculpturesand carved wall scuptures on the walls of the temples. The inside walls ofthe buildings have remains of brilliantly colored paintings showingceremonial events, such as the human sacrifices. An especially famous Aztecsculpture is the enormous calendar stone, a carved stone circle 12 ft. indiameter. The calendar represents the Aztec universe with the face of thesun god in the center. He is surrounded by designs that symbolize the daysand months and the locations of heavenly bodies at different times of theyear. The Aztec developed a writing and counting system based onpictographs in which each picture represented an object or the sound of asyllable. Their counting system was based on the number 20, in which onepicture represented 20 items, another 20 x 20 ( = 400) items and so on. Archaelogists have learned to decode some of their writings, which talkabout historical events and provide records of supplies and items fortrade. The Aztecs produced a variety of goods, some for the ruler and hisnoblemen, and some that were sold in markets. Gold ornaments, brightlycolored woven cloth and salt harvested from the lake bed were luxury itemsthat were traded with distant peoples to the south. They were traded forother luxury items, such as tropical bird feathers and jaguar skins (usedfor ceremonial garments), cotton, rubber, and cacao beans (for makingchocolate). Trading goods were carried by canoe and by long caravans ofporters, since the Aztecs had no wheeled vehicles or pack animals. Aztecwarriors traveled with the caravans and the merchants who led them toprotect them in dangerous areas. Aztec culter had a very complex structurein which there were lower class, middle class and upper class peoples. Theyhad a good system of transportation and irrigation through the use ofcanals. They had a strong warfare system, which was seen by theirconquering of many lands. They also had their own language, and their ownmathematical system. Their scholars were also very intelligent, they haddeveloped their own system of time measurement and a calendar system thatwas very accurate. The Spanish invaders of the Americas came for wealth, settlement, andto spread their faith. The storys of the wealth that could be found in theAmericas lured many men looking to get rich quick. The governments of theEuropean countries saw the Americas as two things a place to make money anda way to extend their boarders. The Catholic church came to the Americas,because they wanted to convert these savages and give them salvation. These are some of the reason to why Europeans ventured in this greatunknown called the Americas. When the Spaniards first arrived in LatinAmerica they were not well Budhu 3 organized armies. Most of the men weregroups of adventures, arming them self, or hooking up with a leader whowould provide them with weapons. While they may not have had the most welltrained men they did have unity and leadership to guide them. The Spaniardshad the upper hand over the Incas and Aztecs in both technology and unity. The Spanish had gunpowder, but couldnt use it frequently because most ofit was heavy artillery. They did have a few muskets, and steal weapons. TheIncas and the Aztecs were still using Stone age technology. They dependedon weapons made of stone and wood and leather armor. The invaders had stealswords and armor (Age of Reconnaissance). These advantages along with theinternal problems of the Aztecs and the Incas made it very easy for theSpaniards to conquer them. Two of the greatest civilization to ever live inthe Americas were destroyed in a few years. The Spanish are credited forthe destruction of these two civilization, but did they really destroythem. By looking back on all the problems that these two civilization hadon the eve of the arrival of the Spanish one would say that they destroyedthem self and the Spanish was just there to do a little work and claim thecredit for the destruction of the Aztecs and Incas. Work Cited 1) Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia Version 7.0.5 CD-ROM GrolierInc.1995 2) Microsoft Encarta 96 CD-ROM Microsoft, 1996 3) InternetAddresses: I)http://www.mexicana.com/english/community/29nf-aztec.shtmlII)http://udgftp.cencar.udg.mx/ingles/Precolombina/Azteca/mexintro.htmlIII)http://www.rmplc.co.uk/eduweb/sites/wickham/topics/aztecs/aztecs.html