Critique of Research Articles Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Critique of Articles - Research Paper Example Chavers, B.M., Solid, C.A., Daniels, F.X., Chen, S., Collins, A.J., Frankenfield, D.L., & Herzog, C. A. (2009). Hypertension in Pediatric Long term Hemodialysis Patients in the United States. American Society of Nephrology, 1363-1369. Sample Characteristics: For the USRDS CMS ESRD CPM special study, BP measurements were attained for the complete population of the US of pediatric long-term hemodialysis patients getting therapy during the fourth quarter of 2001. In other words, the researchers have been capable of adequately defining the samples. The theoretical framework that has been considered for the purpose of this study is that most of the clinical issues faced by the patients having haemodialysis are mainly related to their incapability to eat proper foods and restrict their fluid intake. Experimental research design has been used in this study. It can be stated that the research design that has been used is appropriate for such kind of studies. The study was randomized trial in which two teaching programs had been implemented such as video education and oral education. The sample size for this study has been sixty-three patients who have haemodialysis. Therefore, it can be stated that the sample population has been adequately described. The sample size is adequate for this kind of study and can adequately help to achieve the research objective. Sampling Method: The sampling method that has been used for this study is random sampling method. It has been found that the analyses have been successful at addressing each research question. The study makes use of linear mixed model. The study has tried to avoid Type I and Type II error. The slope related to intradialytic BP over dialysis was deliberated by the log of BP degenerated over time. By utilizing a linear mixed model, the slopes between control as well as ultrafiltration groups present at baseline and over a period of times were compared. The effect of dry weight

Fashion and Zara Essay Example for Free

Fashion and Zara Essay At the announcement of her engagement to Spains Crown Prince Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano wore a chic white pant suit. Within a few weeks, hundreds of European women sported the same look. Welcome to a fashion, a trend that sees clothing retailers frequently purchasing small quantities of merchandise to stay on top of emerging trends. In this world of hot today, gauche tomorrow, no company does fast fashion better than Zara international. Shoppers in over 70 countries are fans of Zara’s knack for bringing the latest styles from sketchbook to clothing rack at lightning speed and reasonable prices. ot replenished. Instead they are replaced with new designs to create scarcity value-shoppers cannot be sure that designs in store one day will be available the next. Store managers track sales data with handheld computers. They can reorder hot items in less than an hour. This lets Zara know what’s selling and what’s not; when look doesn’t pan out, designers promptly put together new products. According to Dilip Patel, U. K. commercial director for lnditex, new arrivals are rushed to store sales floors still on the black plastic hangers used in shipping. Shoppers who are in the know recognize these designs as the newest of the new; soon after, any items left over are rotated to Zaras standard wood hangers. Inside and out, Zaras stores are specially dressed to strengthen the brand. lnditex considers this to be of the greatest importance because that is where shoppers ultimately decide which fashions make the cut. In a faux shopping street in the basement of the companys headquarters, stylists craft and photograph eye-catching layouts that are e-mailed every two weeks to store managers for replication. Zara stores sit on some of the worlds glitziest shopping streets—including New Yorks Fifth Avenue, near the flagship stores of leading international fashion brands— which make its reasonable prices stand out. Inditex gives people the most up-to-date fashion at accessible prices, so it is a real alternative to high-end fashion lines, said Luca Solca, senior research analyst with Sanford C. Bernstein in London. That is good news for Zara as many shoppers trade down from higher-priced chains. Catfights on the Catwalk Zara is not the only player in fast fashion. Competition is fierce; but Zaras overwhelming success (recent sales were over $13 billion) has the competition scrambling to keep up. San Francisco-based Gap, which had been the largest independent clothing retailer by revenue until Zara bumped them to second place in 2009, recently posted a 23% decline in full-year sales and had plans to open a modest 50 new stores. Only time will tell if super-chic Topshops entry into the American market causes a wrinkle in Zaras success. Some fashion analysts are referring to all of this as the democratization of fashion: bringing high(eR) fashion to low(er) income shoppers. According to James Hurley, a senior research analyst with New York-based Telsey Advisory Group LLC, big-box discount stores such as Target and Wal-Mart are emulating Zaras ability to study emerging fashions and knock out look-a- likes in a matter of weeks. In general: Hurley said, the fashion cycle is becoming sharper and more immediately accessible. In Fast Fashion, Moments Matter Because style-savvy customers expect shorter and shorter delays from runway to store, Zara International employs a creative team of more than 200 professionals to help it keep up with the latest fashions. It takes just two weeks for the company to up-date existing garments and get them into its stores; new pieces hit the market twice a week. Defying the recession with its cheap-and-chic Zara clothing chain, Zaras parent company Inditex posted strong sales gains. Low prices and a rapid response to fashion trends are enabling it to challenge Gap, Inc. , for top ranking among global clothing vendors. The improved results highlight how Zaras formula continues to work even in the economic downturn. The chain specializes in lightning-quick turnarounds of the latest designer trends at prices tailored to the young—about $27 an item. Louis Vuitton fashion director Daniel Piette described Zara as possibly the most innovative and devastating retailer in the world. Inditex Group shortens the time from order to arrival by utilizing a complex system of just-in-time production and inventory reporting that keeps Zara ahead. Their distribution centers can have items in European stores within 24 hours of receiving an order, and in American and Asian stores in under 48hours. â€Å"Theyre a fantastic case study in terms of how they manage to get product to their stores so quick, said Stacey Cartwright, CFO of Burberry Group PLC. We are mindful of their techniques. lnditexs history in fabrics manufacturing made it good business sense to internalize as many points in the supply chain as possible. Inditex controls design, production, distribution, and retail sales to optimize the flow of goods, without having to share profits with wholesalers or intermediary partners. Customers win by having access to new fashions while theyre still fresh off the runway. During a Madonna concert tour in Spain, Zaras quick turnaround let young fans at the last show wear Madonnas outfit from the first one. Twice a week Zaras finished garments are shipped to logistical centers that all simultaneously distribute products to stores worldwide. These small production batches help the company avoid the risk of oversupply. Because batches always contain new products, Zara’s stores perpetually energize their inventories. Most clothing lines are A Single Fashion Culture With a network of over 1,600 stores around the world, Zara International is Indites’s largest and most profitable brand, bringing home 77% of international sales and nearly 67% of revenues. The first Zara outlet opened shop in 1975 in La. Coruna. It remained solely a Spanish chain until opening a store in Oporto, Portugal, in 1988. The brand reached the United States and France in 1989 and 1990 with outlets in New York and Paris, respectively. Zara went into mainland China in 2001 and expanded into India in 2009. Essential to Zaras growth and success are lnditexs 100 plus textile design, manufacturing, and distribution companies that employ more than 80,000 workers. The lnditex group began in 1963 when Amancio Ortega Gaona, chairman and founder of Inditex, got his start in textile manufacturing. After a period of growth, he assimilated Zara into a new holding company, Industria de Diseno TextiI. Inditex has a tried-andtrue strategy for entering new markets: start with a handful of stores and gain a critical mass of customers. Generally, Zara is the first lnditex chain to break ground in new countries, paving the way for the groups other brands, including Pull and Bear, Massimo Dutti, and Bershka. lnditex farms out much of its garment production to specialist companies, located on the Iberian Peninsula, which it often supplies with its own fabrics. Although some pieces and fabrics are purchased in Asia—many of them not dyed or only partly finished—the company manufactures about half of its clothing in its hometown of La Coruna, Spain. HM, one of Zaras top competitors, uses a slightly different strategy. Around one quarter of its stock is made up of fast-fashion items that are designed in-house and farmed out to independent factories. As at Zara, these items move quickly through the stores and are replaced often by fresh designs. But HM also keeps a large inventory of basic, everyday items sourced from cheap Asian factories. lnditex CEO Pablo Isla believes in cutting expenses wherever and whenever possible. Zara spends just 0. 3% of sales on ads, making the 3-4% typically spent by rivals seem excessive in comparison. Isla disdains markdowns and sales as well. Few can criticize the results of Islas frugality. Inditex recently opened 439 stores in a single year and was simultaneously named Retailer of the Year during the World Retailer Congress meeting, after raking in net profits of almost $2 billion. Perhaps most important in an industry based on image, Inditex secured bragging rights as Europes largest fashion retailer by overtaking HM. According to Jose Castellano, lnditexs deputy chairman, the group plans to double in size in the coming years while making sales of more than $15 billion. He envisions most of this growth taking place in Europe—especially in trend-savvy Italy. Fashion of the Moment Although Inditexs dominance of fast fashion seems virtually complete, it isnt without its challenges. For instance, keeping production so close to home becomes difficult when an ncreasing number of Zara stores are far-flung across the globe. The efficiency of the supply chain is coming under more pressure the farther abroad they go, notes Nirmalya Kumar, a professor at London Business Schoo1. Inditex plans to launch its Zara online store in the United States in 2011. There is every indication that it will do well. A Zara application for the iPhone has been downloaded by more pro spective clients in the United States than in any other market, according to chief executive Pablo Isla—more than a million iPhone users in just three months. In 2010 Zara rolled out its online store in six European countries and plans to progressively add the remaining countries where Zara operates. Analysts worry that lnditexs rapid expansion may bring undue pressure to its business. The rising number of overseas stores, they warn, adds cost and complexity and is straining its operations. Inditex may no longer be able to manage everything from Spain. But Inditex isnt worried. By closely managing costs, lnditex says its current logistics system can handle its growth until 2012. Jose Luis Nueno of IESE, a business school in Barcelona, agrees that Zara is here to stay. Consumers have become more demanding and more arbitrary, he says—and fast fashion is better suited to these changes. But does Zara International have what it takes to succeed in the hypercompetitive world of fast fashion? Or is the company trying to expand too quickly? 1. In what ways are elements of the classical management and behavioral management approaches evident at Zara International? Specify exactly which elements are evident and how they are evident. 2. How can the systems theory and the theory of contingency thinking explain the success of some of Zaras distinctive practices?  List specific points as to how these theories are directly or indirectly related to Zaras practices. 3. Zaras CEO has asked your management consulting firm for advice on how the firm can make immediate improvements to stay ahead of competition. You must choose one of the consultants mentioned in Chapter 2 for this job (ex: Frederick Taylor, Max Weber, Mary Parker Follett). Which one/s would you assign to Zara, and why? Explain your option in detail by discussing exactly what points of the consultant from his/her well-known theories are applicable to Zara and how these may be applied to the company in modern day. . Discuss each of your suggested improvements for Zara in detail. (More specific information, examples). 5. Gather the latest information on competitive trends in the apparel industry, and on Zaras latest actions and innovations. Then answer the following: a. Is the firm continuing to do well? What makes you say so? (List statistics of competition, reviews, etc. Cite sources. ) b. Is Zara adapting in ways needed to stay abreast of both its major competition and the pressures of a changing global economy? What makes you say so?

Leadership Action Plan Essay

Leadership Action Plan Essay This paper seeks to prepare a personal development plan in my objective to become a leader in an organization. I will analyze the requirements of the targeted job in relation to my inventory of skills including my strengths and weaknesses in relation to the requirement of a goal in mind for which I am willing to know my deficiencies in terms of skills. I will therefore have to make an action plan on how to correct my deficiencies and to improve on my weaknesses to take advantage of my strengths in attaining a target job that I want to have and quality of a person that I want to happen as a result. 2. The Goal, Requirements, Deficiencies and the Strategies 2.1 My goal and its requirements The goal of this plan is to be able to attain the position of Pricing analyst which requires the following: having strong analytical skills and ingenuity to provide logical solutions to nonstandard issues, having a strong mathematical aptitude as well as well developed communication skills (written and verbal), being computer literate (including working knowledge of Excel and Word) and possessing the values of resourcefulness, organizational skills and ability to coordinate activities across company function. It further requires having demonstrated ability to work well under pressure to meet critical deadlines, having the ability to adapt to changing priorities and handle multiple tasks and having an exceptional attention to detail and problem solving skills. 2.2 Determined deficiencies and the causes of their perceived causes of having them Using as basis the job requirements and compare the same with my present inventory of skills, I found out that the targeted job requires the need for demonstrated ability to work well under pressure to meet critical deadlines as well as at the ability to adapt to changing priorities and handle multiple tasks. I believe this requires utmost patience on the part of person to be hired for the job. A patient person will not be easily being cowed into giving up for pressure as the person would normally consider pressure as part of the job. A patient person will also find the need to adapt to changing priorities and handling multiple tasks to be part of the challenge. I definitely need to be more patient partly because of my attitude of perfectionism which is rather out of proportions sometimes. Further comparison of my inventory of skills with the requirement of the job revealed that my verbal communication skills are weak as may be proved from past experiences when I have delegated tasks to people that resulted to some misunderstandings. I have diagnosed the in many instances times about the reasons for these misunderstandings and I found them in failure to make my instructions in a way that may be fully and intelligently understood. In wrongly believing that my own understanding results to my teammates understanding, I really have made a short cut of effective communication which is creating inefficiency to my job. I find deficiency also in my organizational skills as evidenced by my having overlooked a lot of times important details in my job because of deficient communication skills, failure to delegate and ineffectiveness if making motivations to my people. 2.3 Strategies to address deficiencies with corresponding time table The way I am going to tackle these leadership deficiencies is to set up a plan where I can draw on personal and others feedback. I have talked to my manager, supervisor, and other coworkers and they have agreed to provide feedback to me on these three subjects. I am going to keep a journal, as well, so that I can track my own thoughts and feelings about how I am handling and improving in these tasks. Also, I plan to do some research on all there subjects so that I may obtain further information on these subjects. The following are the things that I plan to do within my time table. Improving Patience On the basis of the above, I found out that I really lacked patience; I have decided to increase my patience in more systematic manner. My high anxiety level, which causes me to get short with people, could really be bad if I will not improve my patience. I am planning to monitor my progress and evaluate myself weekly on my patience levels. In a year I want to get to a point where I can handle any situation, no matter what that entails. I want to get to the point where I dont let my anxiety interfere with my job duties and interactions with other. Having stated earlier that lack of patience may be caused by my attitude of perfectionism, I feel addressing the latter is crucial to my development as a person for the desired job. Perfectionism makes me feel that I should always be imposing to people the highest requirement for many work activities without may be considering their capacities. My strategies for improvement of correction of said perceived caused of lack of patience are to analyze the importance of having something perfect in relation to realistic goals of every activity. Since every activity may have its deadline, I would devised an improve schedule so that I will not push myself unnecessarily on things. But since I may never know if I am progressing on this activity, I would measure my progress and my criteria for measuring the same would be to have less frustration with progress while ensuring that work is still successfully accomplish. The time table for this is one month intervals Improving communication One of the requirements of the targeted job is having a strong mathematical aptitude as well as well developed communication skills (written and verbal). Finding my skills to be lacking in this respect, I have decided to effectively improve my verbal communications skills continually by relying on feedback from manager and supervisors in my present job as well as peers and family and friends. In my own analysis what is causing my poor communication is the spontaneous and impulsive comments to teammates as I perceived bad comments in return making such irresponsive comments which offend their feelings, hence I would really need to reflect on how my comments would affect others. This is in addition to developing of course and an effective communication plan verbally and in writing. To know whether I would be progressing I would be recording my observance of the absence of negative peer reactions as well as my observation of positive oral feedback from family and friends. I am also giving month intervals ask for feedback from peers and family/friends Improving organization skills Organization will be one of my other big hang-ups and I think this should be evaluated daily by keeping a journal of my tasks as well as a calendar to avoid mistakenly overlooking anything. I believe this will take time to improve, and with the help of my observations, research, and others feedback, I could o be proficient in the skills within the next three years. For the meantime I have short goals as explained below. One way to improve this is to through having the skill to improve delegation. My rather poor delegation is basically rooted in the fear of poor teammate contributions resulting in team failure. I believe this could be corrected by building on trust with my team mates by being first becoming a trust worthy person. Delegation entails trusting people to do it with confidence to their abilities under given circumstances. In the case of team mates, I would have to realize the extent also of my influence so that I would not be ending up delegating everything. In addition I should be developing a system of evaluations of teammates since it is only in giving them the proper feedback that they would have the chance to improve themselves. The time table for this of course, requires that at checkpoints of project, I will have to assess feelings of comfort of myself and my teammates and address any problems immediately as may be necessary. Another way of correcting this perceived weakness is to utilize an equal work policy. Under this arrangement, some my teammates would not necessarily be burdened with having more than expected and this will have a chance of reducing really the fear of poor teammate contributions resulting in team failure. Still another way of accomplishing this strategy is for me to build in checkpoints for making sure that projects are on time. This simply means that making a reliable schedule to monitor and follow through that projects are on in fact accomplished on time. As a way of measuring my progress in this strategy, I would have to be chance to measure my progress, with myself personally performing less work that would result to utilizing more time to proper and maximum functioning of my teammates. This development should also be seen in my new developed ability to trust teammates that would lead more to better relationships with them by having a confidence in the result of their work. Another way to improve organizational skills is to improve my forcefulness in motivating people. As a consequence of poor communication skills, my capacity to motivate or move people is just as limited to a great extent. My strategies for this target is includes attend additional classes on leadership (Erez, M. et. al, 2001), reading pertinent books on motivation (Maddock and Fulton, 1998) and utilizing an effective communication. Motivation on organization is a big deal since organization basically involves people who need to have the internal drive to what they need to do. Given the fact that organization may not provide every thing what workers may need, I can top a great potential from them by knowing each of my team mates and really find out what drives to excel of perform better in their job. I would only be able to verify the attainment of these targets if there are positive responses of others to my improved motivational skills. If small goals get accomplished I would be pretty sure that I making a great motivation job on my teammates more often Another way of measuring the accomplishment of this strategy is the reality of having an accomplished goals and positive team responses. The time table to evaluate others responses and behaviors would be to undertake each monthly. 3. Conclusion Based on the above plans I believe I would be able to attain the target of becoming a price analyst. The requirements of the targeted position are very clear and I was honest enough to use the requirements to gauge whether I could actually satisfy the same. Driven therefore by the realization that I needed some skills, I should have the courage to correct my deficiency by tracing what are the behaviors that are causing me not to have the much desired requirements of the targeted position in terms of skills. I have categorized the some major requirements of the job as requiring the value of patience from the need for demonstrated ability to work well under pressure to meet critical deadlines as well as at the ability to adapt to changing priorities and handle multiple tasks. So important is the value of patience in the job and which I have carefully analyzed could be acquired by training me to consider work pressures as normal consider s part of the job that would also help me to adapt to changing priorities and handle multiple tasks to be part of the challenge. Improving communication between me and the people in the organization was could be by addressing the behavioral cause, that is the spontaneous and impulsive comments to teammates that I commit sometimes based from perceived bad comments. I would just have to stop offending their feelings by my having an honest reflection on how my comments would affect others. This is in addition to developing of course and an effective communication plan (Thorson and Moore, 1996) verbally and in writing which may involved the applicable of basic principles of effective communication that would be read in theory and experience if the actual workplace. Getting the right feedback from peers and friends would accomplish much for this. Improving my communication skill is also closely related with improving organization skills which I will have to develop over time through my observations, research, and others feedback. Having targeted to be proficient in the skills within the next three years, I believe would be realistic enough considering my targeted developed skills for communication. To improve organization skill requires me to improve delegation which I found to having been restricted by my fear of poor teammate contributions resulting in team failure. Being correctible by building on trust with my teammates by being first becoming a trust worthy person, I believe that my decision to delegation put me in the very right path to fully attain an integrated organizational skill (Heller et. al., 1998). I am however cautioned by knowing some limits in my planned delegation by doing still what I need to do best under the circumstances in avoiding to delegating everything. By my honest development of a system of evaluations of teammates, that would give them the proper feedback, I am hoping for the best about the accomplishment of this plan. Appendix: Chart of Personal Development Plan Skill to Improve Causes of Behaviors Strategies Measurement Time table for Assessing Progress Patience Perfectionism Analyzing the bad effects of too much perfectionism Making a working schedule Effective delegation to team mates -reduced frustration -successful accomplishment of work without much stress Will be monitored monthly Delegation Fear of poor teammate performance Make a system of evaluation of teammates Make an à ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒâ€¹Ã…“equal work policy. Making sure that deadlines are followed Less work to be performed more time for the main requirement of the job Assess feeling of teammates if delegation is received with respect Effective Communication Irresponsible and impulsive comments Reflect on the effect of comments and reduce the same if necessary Design and effective communication plan Absence of negative peer reactions Positive feedback from friends, managers and supervisors Must be confirmed monthly Motivation Poor oral and written communication skills Read good books on communication skills. Attend seminars related to Office communications Willingness of others to have more responsibilities Attained output targets Evaluation should be done monthly or as often as possible

The Decline of Rome :: Ancient Rome Roman History

The Decline of Rome What were the most important reasons for the decline of the Roman Empire? Why? The seemingly unstoppable Roman Empire was bound to fall after the many aspects that made Rome such a dominant empire started to fade away. Rome was the center of the world and the thought that such a worldwide power could decline was unheard of. It was not built in a day; therefore it couldn't be destroyed in one day. The marvelous city declined for many reasons yet there are only a few major reasons that led to its diminish. Political, economic, religious, and outside forces were the major factors that led to the fall of the giant empire. Most of the problems came from within the city and were not caused by a major military defeat. Every decision that Rome made had a vast affect on city itself and the rest of the world. Many foolish decisions my terrible emperors weakened the city and eventually cause the many aspects of life to crumble. At one time a common religion was a huge factor that kept Romans united. Once the right of free worship was denied Rome became an empire of raging anger. Christianity a new religion appealed to the majority of the people of the Roman Empire. The message especially appealed to the poor and the slaves; it was also something new to put their faith in. Christianity was spread like wild fire. The Roman emperors felt that Christianity was so influential that it could be a possible threat. Around 100 AD. the first persecutions of the Christians occurred. Many of the Romans had already committed to the faith of Christianity and they refused to abandon it because it was the most important part of their life. This led to many social problems as well as a decline in the patriotism that had once lived in the hearts of all Romans. The People objected to Roman politics and became independent of the government. By the time that Constantine legalized Christianity it was much too late and the Empire was too deep in disunity to recover. The decision to outlaw Christianity was a terrible decision and caused the once united empire to crumble. Throughout much of the time that Rome existed, the Empire allowed the Germanic tribes to live peacefully within its territories. For many years the two groups lived harmoniously until the Huns pushed the tribes farther into Rome.

Censorship of the Internet is Wrong :: Argumentative Persuasive Essays

Censorship of the Internet is Wrong       The Internet can be a very disturbing and adult medium. There are parts of the Internet that should not be viewed by children. Explicit information can be found which is intended for an adult audience but children who have access to the Internet have become exposed to this material. The question at hand is who is responsible for preventing these children from viewing this material. Censoring the entire Internet would be one capable option. Though this option would be effective but it wouldn't be practical. Censoring the Internet would limit what adults could view and communicate. Owners of Internet servers should know of the possible information and people that can be found in this medium. Having the access to the vast information available on the Internet, a responsibility is needed. Censorship of the Internet is not needed as a whole, but the reasons for censorship are understandable. These reasons though, should be the responsibility of the individual user, not the gov ernment. Relying on the government is not the answer.    Prevention of children viewing and having access to elicit material can be achieved without banning the material from the Internet. I fully believe in censorship of the Internet: Censorship by the parents for their children. All is needed is responsibility by the parents of the children. If you are a parent willing to provide your child access to the Internet, then you need to take precaution. Most parents would prevent their child from looking at the adult section in a movie store, which in many cases they can get access to, then why would they allow their children access to such material on the internet?    The Internet is something that most of us must buy access to and which we then choose to surf on our own. And does the government really have the right to tell parents what books and magazines they can let their children read at home or what television programs or motion pictures they should let their children watch? (Ford Marrin Esposito Witmeyer & Gleser, L.L.P.)    It is the parent's responsibility to limit the access of the Internet for their children. There are many options, which can prevent children from the access to the illicit material, which can be found through the Internet.

Prostitutes in Ancient Athens Essay -- History Greece Creek Females Es

Prostitutes in Ancient Athens Works Cited Missing Ancient Athens was a highly polarized society in which citizenship meant everything. Citizenship permitted individuals to not only participate in the democratic government but also gave them access to all the rights and splendors of the city. A citizen controlled influence over slaves, foreigners and most importantly women. Athenian women were relegated to the status of child bearers and keepers of the household. There was no room for personal expression or freedom and the strict moral code in many cases restricted these women from even leaving their homes. There was a select group of women however who overcame these obstacles to achieve greater sexual, economical, and social freedom. They were the prostitutes. The freedom which prostitutes enjoyed would be better understood only after first assessing the status of "respectable" women in Athens. Girls were raised from an early age to learn domestic affairs and were to be wed even as early as the age of fourteen (Just 1989: 40). Marriage was almost mandatory as single women were looked upon as shameful and might even be labeled as "whores". The wedding was almost always arranged by the father or kyrios and from this point on the woman's role was clear. Pericles gives a good explanation of the ideal wife in his famous Funeral Oration when reminding the women of Athens that: "Your great glory is not to be inferior in the way nature made you; and the greatest glory is hers who is least talked about by men, whether in praise or in blame (Thucydides: 2.45)." This implies that an Athenian's woman virtue lay in her absence from the public eye. Athenians made sure to protect their wives' virtue by excluding women f... ...culed on the stage and was later brought to trial on charges of "impiety (Cantarella 1987: 55)." Her individuality and intelligence not only angered but frightened the Athenian misogynists even though she was eventually acquitted. Aspasia clearly shows how much freedom was available to a prostitute in Athenian society. The life of the prostitute in Athens was clearly a more liberal lifestyle than most women enjoyed in which the woman could aspire to wealth, independence and even indirect political power. The only setback to these benefits was the scorn of women and the contempt of men when a prostitute became too prominent. Women like Aspasia helped introduce an early type of feminism in the unlikeliest of settings. The Athenian prostitutes were clearly women that refused to succumb to the male dominated society that saw women as inherently inferior beings.

Bulgarian Identity and Folklore

The tapestry of a Bulgarian’s life is interwoven with the country’s rich and colorful folklore, songs and dances, varied festivals and witty proverbs. The folk culture which has been preserved through the centuries is an intrinsic part of a Bulgarian’s daily activities. The spirit and identity of a Bulgarian is entwined with the folk traditions and customs, as it influences and shapes his way of thinking.Also, a history of suffering under the Ottoman rule and coming through it with their identity intact, adds a special dimension to the people of Bulgaria, packing power to the motto â€Å"unity makes strength. † The courage that the peasant community displayed in clinging to their cultural identity, under the â€Å"Turkish yoke,† united them to fight for their freedom. The determination that they displayed in preserving their identity under extremely oppressive conditions, tells us why the modern Bulgarian army never lost a flag.This essay will first learn what â€Å"identity† means to a Bulgarian and then move on to study the historical facts that shaped the Bulgarian identity as it is today. It will explore how Bulgarian identity has survived over the centuries and how the folklore traditions in its entirety, bonds Bulgarians scattered all over the world to their motherland. This essay will also provide a glimpse into the Bulgarian folk culture including festivals, rituals, proverbs mythology and music, which have kept the Bulgarian identity and spirit alive round the world even today.Shaping the identity In 19th century Eastern Europe, the emerging nation-states depended on their peasant traditions, which had survived foreign invasion and dominance, to form an definite idea of what they stood for. According to Herder, every nation is an organic entity with its own native cultural institutions and pure spirit which are best reflected in the folk poetry of the peasants. If a nation is to seek political sovereignty, it m ust find its pure spirit and build its future on the cultural traditions of the past.The native peasants were thus viewed as the soul of the nation, and folklore their legitimate expression. For the people of Bulgaria, their folk culture was also a weapon, which they used as an inspiration to unite and fight for their freedom. The Haidouk folk songs – about the heroes who hid in the mountains and formed a band of guerilla fighters – influenced the people of Bulgaria to join the bands and fight against the oppression of the turks, which tells us how powerful folklore is.Today, folk culture in Bulgaria is carefully preserved and taken forward with government-sponsorship, through various organizations and festivals. The government understands that folk culture, with its vital music and traditions, is what keeps Bulgarians together, no matter where they are. For the Bulgarian community, the traditions will always remain a part of life. The beliefs, knowledge, traditions an d value system still plays a major part in social and cultural interaction.This explains why ethnic discourse is so often â€Å"objectified† in folk culture events in Bulgaria, and why folk texts of various kinds are so widely used in it. In fact everyday life is dominated by the folklore traditions because they are regarded as a system of values, norms, texts, patterns and technologies. According to William R Bascom, ethnomusicologist, folklore serves to sanction and validate religious, social, political and economic institutions and plays an important role as an educative device in its transmission from one generation to another.He therefore suggests that folklore must be examined in better detail and care, because it gives us a clearer picture of the facts that shapes the destiny of a culture. Through the oral traditions of folklore, hundreds of songs, legends, rituals and tales are handed down to the present. Traditions that go back to Slavic antiquity are still alive tod ay, for example, the ritual sharing of sweetened wheat to commemorate the death of a loved one, forty days after his decease.Another tradition, this one peculiar to the Bulgarians, is the exchange of â€Å"martenici. † According to which, the year begins on March first (mart is Bulgarian for March). As part of the tradition, a red string, is attached to children’s wrists as well as animals’ necks and tails – to combat evil. This is one of the most popular custom among Bulgarians world-wide. On this day a string is offered to each member of the family and to all of one’s friends, in order to bring them health and happiness throughout the year.Another unique aspect of Bulgaria which differentiates it from the rest of the world is its special voice. It is said that there is nothing in this world to match the Bulgarian voice, which is why a Bulgarian folk song performed by Valya Balkanska was recorded on a gold CD and sent aboard the Voyager to be the earth’s ambassador in alien worlds. Bulgarian folksongs too are singular in nature.There might be a folk song for every occasion from field work to harvest, from birth to a funeral, for any stage of life that you can think of, but they are not repetitive and Bulgarian music remains exceptional. The folk songs and the dances afford a rich background for the understanding of the spirit, that kept alive, the spark of national feeling for over five hundred years under foreign occupation.The unconscious pictures that people create of themselves are more authentic and more accurate than any other source that we can secure and the Bulgarian peasant through the medium of folklore has painted a picture of what he considers important. Folklore customs aside, in Bulgaria the official historic pillars of identity are three, chosen by the government, for their various positive and shining qualities. First of all the Protobulgarians – warriors, who defeated the superpower Byzantium and established a state on its land in the 7th century.Secondly the Slavs – industrious, egalitarian, freedom-loving people, useful in times of pro-Russian orientation and finally the Thracian ancestors – ancient, wise, peaceful. It was the Thracians who contributed the Kukeri traditions and the ever-popular day of Baba Marta. The Slavs are said to have created the traditional circular Bulgarian folk dances and the lucky number three. Without knowing it, these centuries-old civilizations worked together to create a modern culture for their descendants.Today, Bulgarians consider both the Slavs and the Thracians to be their ancestors. However, history proves that the more primitive Thracians were here first. If we look into the symbols that can be associated with the Bulgarian identity, the Balkan mountains and the Balkan lion stand out, both for obvious reasons. The Balkans appear as symbols of shelter in many folk songs for the haidouks, the venerated resistance-fighte rs, who in turn were the symbol of Bulgaria's urge for national liberty.The â€Å"Balkan lion† as the epitome of Bulgaria's victorious spirit too appeared in the first national hymn of the country, composed by Nikola Zhivkov . Despite decades of oppression or maybe because of it, the Bulgarians have an identity that is rich and vital. The concept of this identity stands on the stable foundation of a folk culture which incorporates strength, humor, wisdom, music as well as a unique and varied mythology.But, there is another school of thought which begs to differ in the matter of Balkan stability and provides a different point of view. Always traumatic and unstable, Balkan reality invites discourses of domination. Within this asymmetrical system of antagonisms and co-operation, stereotypes of Balkan character emerge as identities. It is said that the Balkan identity has been a potent channeling tool in the cultural exorcism of civilized Europe.The challenge for Balkan scholars, though they desire a modern non-ethnic identity, is to resist the lure of globalization. But, since the Balkan countries lack what it takes, the region’s best resistance to globalization is to foster an alliance of cultural critics across ethnic and professional lines. A window to the Bulgarian history History tells us that the Bulgarians are Asiatic in origin. Kinsmen of the Huns and Avars whose earlier raids had greatly disturbed the peace-loving Slavs.The Bulgarians were the first Asiatic people who established a permanent home in Balkania. They effected the conquest of the Slavs, but in the course of about two centuries were absorbed by the more numerous race, and largely lost their identity. Intermarriage and mixture of blood modified the physical type of the Bulgars. They lost their language and were converted to the same type of Greek Orthodox Christianity as the Slavs. They adopted the same Cyrillic alphabet and became thoroughly Slavicized.Nothing but the name Bulga rian remains to associate them with their Asiatic forebears. In the tenth century, Bulgaria came under the direct control of Byzantium, but recovered its independence in 1197 after a long struggle. The Bulgarian ruler at the time, Kalojan, set the seal on this victory in 1204 by having himself crowned the King of Bulgaria by a papal envoy. The second Bulgarian state thus inaugurated lasted until the Ottoman conquest, which took place in 1393. After that, the country ceasedto exist as a separate entity until the nineteenth century. Whatever Bulgarian culture survived through this period did so ‘behind the protective walls of monasteries. ’ Turkish rule lasted five centuries and is viewed by Bulgarian scholars as â€Å"the darkest period in the history of the Bulgarian people. † The Bulgarians were the last of the Balkan peninsula to attain their liberation. Perhaps because of the proximity to Constantinople, the hand of the Turk was felt more heavily in Bulgaria t han elsewhere.The only thing that continued was the village system in which the peasants were allowed to handle their own affairs. Oppressive, too, was the domination of the Phanariote clergy. This was even worse than the civil oppression of the Turks, because the clergy pursued a systematic policy of obliterating all evidences of Bulgarian culture and literature. In 1825, Illarion, the Greek Metropolitan of Tirnovo, made a bonfire of the old library of the Bulgarian Patriarchate, which till then had survived all the vicissitudes of the Turkish era.So thoroughly was this accomplished that the Bulgarians had actually passed out of the consciousness of Europe till the beginning of the nineteenth century. Bulgarian schools were closed, manuscripts were destroyed, and with the extinction of the Bulgarian archbishopric of Ochrida, the last stronghold of the old national Church, to which the Bulgarians had clung tenaciously, disappeared. It seemed that nothing could save the Bulgarians fr om complete Hellenization.Early in the nineteenth century, however, signs of a literary and cultural renaissance, the invariable prelude to a revival of nationalism, began to appear in Bulgaria. From the study of their past, the Bulgarians discovered their true identity and then went on to fight for it. Bulgaria’s chequered history, the points where it differs from the rest of the Europe and the fact that it serves to protect Europe from the imminent Islamic invasion also shapes its identity.Bulgarian historians, who also serve as national ideologists, always point out that it shields and protects Europe – a role that Europe is expected to understand and appreciate. Also the point here is to prove that Bulgaria was a cradle of European culture and that its history is intrinsically connected with Europe's development. Interestingly enough, at the same time historians take pride in matters that actually separate Bulgaria from the West European cultural tradition – the fact that it adopted the Cyrillic alphabet, and did not accept Roman Catholicism.The history of the country, which was conquered by the Turks in 1396, but managed to preserve its specific Slavic cultural and national identity throughout the five centuries, until 1878, when its European identity re-emerged, is stressed repeatedly. Folk culture In the field of culture, a long hard battle had to be waged against the Greeks, who by reason of their domination of the Church, gained a stranglehold on Bulgarian culture and even on the Bulgarian language.There was thus very little cultural advance until the end of eighteenth century, and it is small wonder that until recently Bulgaria was regarded as a very backward country. After the collapse of the Bulgarian Empire and its subsequent absorption into the Ottoman lands, the cultural level of Bulgaria reached an impasse. But soon a striking development of folk songs was noticed throughout the region. In the western part of the country th ese were largely epic, connected with the Serb epic cycles.These songs have a greater connection with the historical events that they purport to recount. The songs of the western region were less poetic, sober and realistic. In the east, however lyrical songs predominated. It was in such a condition, where traces of the popular language were slowly making their way into the written forms of Church Slavonic, that modern literature came into being and inspired national resurgence. Bulgarian folklore, mythology and festivals Bulgarian folklore exhibits a certain duality in nature.On the one hand, folklore is displayed as a spiritual expression of an agrarian type of society, where the central point is to recreate the annual farming cycle and the human life cycle in a tradition, based on folklore ritualism. On the other hand, it is permeated by the historical time of the Bulgarians. The interpretation of this time has found its most imposing expression in the Bulgarian heroic epic, simi lar to the epical sagas of other cultures.Furthermore, mythology too pops out from every nook and cranny in Bulgaria, in seemingly unlikeliest of places. Bulgarian mythology, with its in vampires and goblins, samodivi and dragons, endless tales with fantastic plots, for example in – A Lad Outruns the Sun, A Maiden Outshines the Sun – makes the Bulgarian culture such a rich and interesting one. It is amazing the way in which the Bulgarian folklore, mythology and festivals along with dance, music and assorted rituals come together in a holistic manner.They connect the spiritual growth of the Bulgarians with the cultural traditions of the other Balkan nations, irrespective of their religious identification and independent ethnic history. It could be said that when all these three elements come together, it reveals, a profound relationship with the Bulgarian daily experience and historical destiny. Somewhere the smaller events of life fall together in harmony to make the b ig picture.Among rituals and ceremonies, marriage and the continuity of the community is arguably the most important theme in the Bulgarian calendar, along with farm-related rituals. All festivals stress on these two points one way or the other. The most popular marriage-related ritual is the contrasting mid-winter and spring- time ceremonies for males and females respectively. For example, unmarried young lads, on 24 December, after midnight, visit each and every house, forming bands called ‘koledari or survakari’ and sing songs with an intricate mythical content.Similarly in the springtime, the maidens form ritual groups of girls, known as lazarki , perform a specific repertory full of tragic themes. In this context, the Bulgarian masquerade ritualism is very rich. The lazarki and koledari rituals are female and male life cycle initiations respectively. They prepare the males and females for the stage of matrimony. To elaborate on the theme, let us list a few festival s and rituals that allows us a glimpse into the two big wheels of folk life – life and farm cycle.The festivals in Bulgaria are innumerous and definitely merit a section of their own. According to ethnographers, the overall number of Bulgarian festive rites exceeds 11,000 – a plentitude of customs accompanying Bulgarian people's lives from the cradle to the grave. Here are a few popular festivals celebrated in Bulgaria. The Martenitsa Tradition – Baba Marta, Grandma Marta This is by far the most popular festival of Bulgarians and is celebrated world-wide by Bulgarians. This is a unique Bulgarian custom which originates from the ancient Thracians.The earliest martenitsas were made of white and red woolen threads to which a silver or gold coin was occasionally tied. Other rituals observed on March 1 include women dressing all over in red and in North-eastern Bulgaria, the lady of the house would toss a red cloth over a fruit tree or spread red wool onto a field to secure fertility. In stock-breeding areas, a white-and-red thread was commonly tied to the livestock. The tradition is still alive and widely respected.Every year on March 1, Bulgarians all over the world present each other with martenitsas, thus introducing and spreading this very Bulgarian custom, to a broader canvas of people. New year celebrations The most colorful set of winter calendar customs is that of New Year's celebration. From time immemorial, the fireplace and the table spread have been symbols of generosity and abundance. The richer the spread, the more fruitful the coming year is expected to be. It is a custom observed nation-wide.The koledari would go from house to house singing carols and wishing health and prosperity to the family. The koledari's dress and costume ornaments differ from region to region. This custom is characterized by extremely colorful rituality involving songs, blessings, and dances. The koledari perform on Christmas Eve as well. Having to do wi th the Julian and the Gregorian calendar, the customs have preserved their original vitality and are related to the anticipation of fertility. Ladouvane or Singing to RingsThis is another New Year's custom, expressing an young girls' eagerness to get married and enjoy a happy family life. Ladouvane or koumichene is a maidens' rite performed on the day before New Year only in the areas of Western Bulgaria, Central Balkan Range and in some regions along the Danube River. In the rest of the country, it is celebrated on Midsummer’s Day. Koukeri – the mummers tradition Koukerovden marks the beginning of the spring calendar. Everybody makes his own mask competing to show greater personal skill and craftsmanship.Therefore, no two ritual masks are alike and the men take great pride in displaying their masks. Young men in masks, visit houses and distribute gifts as part of the tradition. Todorovden – St Theodore's Day St Theodore's Day is celebrated six days after Shrove tide. It is also known as â€Å"Horses' Easter† because of the horse races commonly held on that day. According to folk tradition, newly married women would make a ritual Theodore's round loaf of bread decorated with a dough-modelled image of a horse's head.The ancient roots of this folk festival lie in Thracian mythology. The horse is a sun symbol, while the horseman is known in the Bulgarian lands through the cult of the Thracian Horseman. Trypon Zarezan – Vinegrower's Day Trypon Zarezan is celebrated during the first half of February. It is an old occupation-related custom. On this day, observed throughout the country, the vines are pruned and sprinkled with wine. In some areas, a Vine King is chosen and he is crowned with a wreath of wine twigs.Blagovets – Annunciation Day The festival of Blagovets, celebrated on March 25, symbolizes the beginning of spring – swallows returning from the southern lands. Popular Christian mythology associates the day wi th the story of Virgin Mary sitting in the garden and sewing, then leaning and smelling a sprig of basil and thus getting pregnant. Being an ancient festival, Blagovets is laden with old-time rites shrouded in popular Christianity. Easter Easter is the most revered festival in the Church calendar of Orthodox Christians.Making Easter cakes was introduced in Bulgaria as late as the 1920’s, but nowadays it has a very important place in the Bulgarian people's customs. Typical of the festival is the dying of eggs, a custom much enjoyed by all. St George’s Day St George’s Day is among the most important folk festivals. It is observed on May 6 and marks the beginning of trading activity and stock-breeding for the year. Its expressive rituality has been preserved to date.On the night before St George's Day, young boys would pick blossoming willow twigs to decorate the house, the pens, and the livestock for health. During the night, the sheep were turned out to feed beca use that night's dew on the grass is believed to have a curative powers. Bulgaria could easily be called the land of festivals, with almost every other day in the calendar being a festival of sorts. But it is the very same festivals, in all their abundance and glory, which prove to be at the core of the Bulgarian identity.Festivals are as a rule, a time when people socialize and bond, thus the plentiful festivals may explain the strong ties that Bulgarians world-wide share with their motherland. Story telling in Bulgarian culture Humor mixed with huge dollops of wit and a fine appreciation for life is what endears the native Bulgarian story-telling to the world. Bulgaria’s Nasreddin Hodja is a name everybody recognizes. This witty character is always getting the better of his rival comical character Hitar Petar.In fact Hodja can be termed the classic Bulgarian who endures hardship with loads of humor, wit and resourcefulness. As regards story-telling, the Bulgarian folk tale is characterized by its interest in the magical, its commitment with various everyday life events, confronting the rich and the poor, the clever and the fool, as well as by its abundance of candid and natural humor. The Bulgarian has a feeling for the legendary, most often associated with an old-testament imagery, and a live sense of historical narrative.Storytelling in Bulgaria is particularly enticing because the folklore memory travels into the realm of magical creatures, buried treasures, heroes who save the world, vampires, angels and healing spells†¦all fantastic and captivating. It also reminds us of the remote roots of the Bulgarian folk culture. Chase two rabbits and you catch none†¦ Classic proverbs like this one are as much a part of the everyday experience of the Bulgarian peasant as are his folk verse, song and tale.The proverb plays a more important role in the life of the Bulgarian than it does in the peasant civilizations of other European countries. As wit nessed in many other cultures of the world, the proverb is a focal point in conversation, argument or rhetoric. It is widely used to express compactly an idea or to create a mental image. It is a true mirror on the inner life of the people, of the conditions which prevail in their lives, of their morals and of their manners.Many Bulgarian proverbs are crudely expressed, internal evidence that they stem from the folk and are thus authentic. The proverbs also help in understanding the psyche of the man who uses a particular proverb. Here is a good one – An idle man makes a good prophet. Bulgarian music, folk songs and theater A Bulgarian can never be separated from his music. A character shared by the rest of the world you could say, but it is not all who share the fine appreciation for music that Bulgarians instinctively have.For a Bulgarian, life is a musical, with all its accompaniment. For him there is no plateau in life – joy, sorrow, loneliness or death that exists without music and suitable lyrics. Internationally, the Bulgarian music fascinates both the general public and the experts. At the turn of the century, the Bulgarian folklore tradition was given some new impulses, mainly in Macedonia and Thrace. Influenced by the revolutionary reality, a considerable number of songs were created.The musical expression of this cultural system has its regional and general characteristics for example, the Rhodope song, Thracian song, Shopp song, Macedonian song, among others. But the specific Bulgarian two-voice songs, and the phenomenon of irregular beats are unique. Regional variations are not strictly delineated, but certain typical characteristics have formed several musical dialects: North-Bulgarian, Dobroudjanian, Thracian, Shopp, the Pirin Mountains area, the Sredna Gora region, and Rhodopian.The distinguishing features of the Bulgarian folk song can be traced along three lines – homophonic, rhythm and vocal wealth. Today the Bulgarian f olk tradition is revived in the context of the specific new phenomena in music, where various styles and forms of genre meet as is witnessed in all parts of the world, in almost all cultures. In Bulgaria at the same time, there is a growing presence of performers coming from different ethnic groups, chiefly Gypsies, whose musical art has been exerting its influence on the Bulgarian folklore for a good while.What makes the Bulgarian folk song special is its rhythm and vocal wealth. They are of a caliber described by the experts as ranging from fantastic richness to primitive monotony. The extended time inherent in the folksongs are its distinguishing feature, as it is non-existent in the rest of the European music. Theater too is part of the Bulgarian love for expression. Once Bulgaria was free, its natural aptitude and love for music, drama, song and dance came to the fore.It is a fact that the musical theater in its informal form has always played a major role in Bulgarian culture. But after independence, classical operettas, revues, vaudeville, children's plays, and modern musical comedies flourished under the indulgent eyes of the Bulgarians. In a deliberate move to bring professionals together to explore this genre, the government established the State Musical Theater in 1948. The Bulgarian involvement with operetta, goes back to about seventy-five years.The State Musical Theater is the heir to a tradition that reached its high point during the 1930s. At that same time, private ensembles such as the Free Theater of the Renaissance, the Cooperative Theater, and the Odeon performed numerous works for enthusiastic audiences. An impressive standard was established which is appreciated all over the world today. The Bulgarian talent in the area of music, voice and opera is legendary, with people flocking to enjoy what the masters have in store for them.Bulgarians Abroad While there were no Bulgarian political institutions during the Ottoman era, the Bulgarian cu lture and language were well preserved as a result of Ottoman policy, which made no real attempt at cultural, religious, or linguistic assimilation. Gradually, both the formation of crafts guilds called esnafs, whose members underwrote the promotion of Bulgarian culture, and through the medium of education, Bulgarian cultural and ethnic consciousness spread.By the 1870s, there were thousands of Bulgarians living outside of their homeland in such places as Vienna, Bucharest, Odessa, Bessarabia and Constantinople and were to be a major influence on the Bulgarian Revival. The interest toward Bulgarian folk songs and dance has been sustained in the past two decades by a number of highly professional and amateur groups – American, Japanese, Dutch, Danish, among others and has culminated in the success of the Swiss recording of â€Å"Le mystere des voix bulgares,† followed by a worldwide tour of the Bulgarian vocal ensemble.The craving for Bulgarian folklore in the West is a basically urban phenomenon. For the foreigners, the representations of Bulgarian folklore music – the sound icon of Bulgarians is a fascinating one. During the 1970s, interest in Bulgarian female polyphony exploded in the wake of the American folk revival and the women's liberation movement.Groups began springing up all over, at colleges and community centers, often incorporating dance as well as singing. Although in the early years, instructors were mostly Americans, in the past decade, since the fall of the Bulgarian communist government in 1989, more and more Bulgarian instructors have been able to come to the United States to teach vocal and instrumental skills. Bulgarian folk songs and performers are liked and praised ar