Paradigm in Nursing Essay Example for Free

Paradigm in Nursing Essay Nursing as any science is a tentative, testable and falsifiable discipline. It undergoes: empirical observation, hypothesis development, experiment, results/finding and finally conclusion. Basing on the finding, one can accept or reject the hypothesis. Theory has been seen as the model of the ethics of conducting a set up and while forth is in position to predict future occurrences or observations of the same kind and capable of being tested through experiment or otherwise verified through observation. Each theory has set principles on how to verify it known as paradigm. Discussion Paradigms are a set of postulations; practices shared by a particular body, say a community of researchers and stems from a single theme. The paradigm seeks to regulate inquiry into the discipline that is concerned. It can therefore be viewed as the norm which the scientists or researchers can use as platform which they can agree of disagree depending on their findings. The various paradigms have one thing in common. They are characterized by ontological, epistemological and methodological differences in their approaches to conducting research (Demarest, et al 1993). This in return contributes to paradigm shift. Paradigm is seen to supersede mere interpretation of the tabulated finding or basic understanding in general. Superstition of paradigm consequently gives varied contribution in the area of disciplinary knowledge construction. Depending on the researchers sentiments/he may consider these differences so vast that one paradigm is inequivalent to another. Alternatively, these differences may be ignored or combined so as to conduct the research needed. To accomplish the task of developing nursing knowledge for use in practice, there is a need for a critical, integrated understanding of the paradigms used for nursing inquiry. This is arising due to the fact that each paradigm has a shift (Demarest, et al 1993). For instance, Child development defects will be viewed from various aspects and hence differing paradigm. A biologist my evaluate child development in perspective that children will naturally gain knowledge as they physically grow and become older, provided that they are healthy. Others may view that the child gains knowledge depending on its surrounding or what it interact with; while others view that a child is due for school after it starts interacting with environment and people as well. A nurse scholar can thus decide to combine the three theories or ignore all to achieve what s/he is researching on. Conclusion In conclusion the nurse researcher should weigh the pros and cons of a particular paradigm in his/her approach to assess of existing knowledge and thereby fill the informational gaps. This is because dominance of a particular paradigm is influenced by a number of factors. These may include: the source of finance for the research, government influence, biases from the journal and editors of the print, conferences and symposiums held, coverage by the media, educators who are responsible of spreading the paradigm to their students as well as the professional bodies which may favor a particular paradigm. However, paradigm should be natural and operational in all times.

Free Trade Between Bhutan and India

Free Trade Between Bhutan and India Analyze the impact of free trade with India on Bhutan by describing free trades impact on agriculture. Free trade is the term given to trade between nations that takes place without the imposition of barriers in the form of tariffs, quotas or other measures by governments or international organizations. Free trade is generally considered by economists to be beneficial to international trade by encouraging competition, innovation, efficient production and consumer choice (Just $ Antle, 1990). Free trade brings positive impacts to the particular country like international community by enabling countries to specialize in certain goods and services and increase their productivity. Free trade also brings problems or negative impacts like domestic industries by increasing competition and increasing business risk. Thus free trade is Trade is an essential part of the economy with high benefits as well as negative impact to the nation. With this I will be analyzing the impact of free trade with India on Bhutan describing free trades impact on agriculture. Agriculture has been realized as a source of livelihood of vast majority of people in developing countries, despite its declining share in many national economies during the past decades. For farmers and their families, agriculture is a source of food, medicines, housing, saving, etc. in which they can also convert farm outputs into income for their children’s education and to meet other needs (Bhandari, 2004). In social terms, agriculture can also be a source of freedom, knowledge, and social network and relationships. Therefore, unlike other sectors, agriculture is multifunctional. It is a source of income, self-employment and social safety net for rural population. It is fundamental to food security although it can be argued that not all people in food abundant countries were secured food access. In addition, the way agriculture is developed is closely linked to biodiversity, natural resources, local knowledge and cultures. The primary goals of agriculture in Bhutan are to raise the per capita income of the people living in rural areas, to enhance self-sufficiency in staple crops, and to increase the productivity per unit of farm labor and agricultural land. For countries that have a competitive agricultural sector, the expansion of international trade in agricultural commodities can have a growth-enhancing effect and improve their trade balance. These benefits should be balanced against other potential impacts on the right to food. As Bhutan being developing country, people depends more on agricultures sectors rather than manufacturing sectors. However, free trade with India has a great advantage for Bhutan. As India [SD1]is not only Bhutans main development partner but also its leading trade partner. A free trade regime exists between India and Bhutan enables Bhutan to specialize in the production of those commodities in which they have a comparative advantage (Wangyal, 2000). For example, Production of cash crops such as apple, orange and cardamom have increased and have become profitable. This helps country to take advantage of efficiencies generated from economies of scale and increased output. International trade increases the size of a firm’s market, resulting in lower average costs and increased productivity, ultimately leading to increased production. It also benefits the consumers in the domestic economy as they can now obtain a greater variety of goods and services. The increased competitions ensure goods and services, as well as inputs, are supplied at the lowest prices. By concentrating on agricultures sectors, it may be possible for countries and the firms operating in their territory to build up economies of scale that lower their costs and boost productivity. Generally, larger organizations may compete more efficiently on the international market by keeping control over their costs of production and managing their supply chain to reduce transport and inventory costs. International trade increases competition as domestic industries must compete with foreign firms in the same industry as well as other firms in their own country[SD2]. This compels domestic industries to look for ways to keep costs down by operating more efficiently. This gives them an incentive to innovate and look for improved products, processes and marketing methods (Desia.1990). This constant search for new ideas and technology enables them to compete on the international market. When Bhutan involved in free trade with India, it experience rising living standards, increased real incomes and higher rates of economic growth. Employment will increase in exporting industries and workers will be displaced as import competing industries fold in the competitive environment. Wit h free trade many jobs have been created, which can absorb the unemployment created through restructuring as firms close down. When Bhutan sells exports overseas it receives foreign currency from the countries that is India that buys the goods. This money is then used to pay for imports such as electrical equipment and cars that are produced more cheaply overseas. However the development of global supply chains results in an increased dependency on international trade, for both net food-exporting countries and for net food-importing countries. This may lead to a loss of export revenues for agricultural exporters when the prices of export commodities go down, as well as to threats to local producers when low priced imports arrive on the domestic markets, against which these producers are unable to compete. Conversely, when prices rise, the dependency of low income net food importing countries on the food commodities they buy on the international markets can lead to balance of payments problems against which the mechanisms currently established within the WTO have failed to protect them. The expansion of global supply chains increases the role of large transnational corporations of the agro food sector, vis-à  -vis both producers and consumers. This creates a potential for abuses of market power in increasingly concentrated global food supply c hains. According to Rung (1993), the expansion of trade in agricultural commodities has potential impacts on the environment and on human health and nutrition, impacts that usually receive little attention in international trade discussions, despite their close relationship to the right to adequate food. Free trade can lead to pollution and other environmental problems as companies fail to include these costs in the price of goods in trying to compete with companies operating under weaker environmental legislation in some countries (Anderson, 1991). International markets are not a level playing field as countries with surplus products may dump them on world markets at below cost. Some efficient industries may find it difficult to compete for long periods under such conditions. Further, countries whose economies are largely agricultural face unfavorable terms of trade whereby their export income is much smaller than the import payments they make for high value added imports, leading to large CADs and subsequently large foreign debt levels. And other policy that government can adopt is to increase the import tariffs, which means charging price and imposing high taxes on import items. Free trade is an element of expanding economic growth and opportunity, since it broadens new markets. It also includes economic interaction among different nations involving the exchange of goods and services, that is, exports and imports. Free trade has both pros and cons for the country, since it involves the transaction of goods and services between different countries. There fore free trade may bring benefits to some countries for example, developed countries can have more benefits and it has also negative impacts epically for the underdeveloped or developing countries. What policy should Bhutan adopt to take advantage of free trade with India? Trade is an essential part of the economy and has great potential to create employment. The policy on trade shall focus on creating an enabling environment for more robust trade (Rostow, 1916). This will encompass simplifying administrative procedures and deregulating activities wherever feasible. The successful implementation of the free trade Policy would lead to growth in the trade sector both at the import and export fronts. This will invariably require improvement in domestic laws, rules and regulations that would boost investor confidence. The Royal Government shall facilitate trade between Bhutan and India in order to have economic development of the country and shall be the guiding document for all ministries and agencies to stimulate the economy growth and more importantly, to ensure that growth takes place in consonance with the principles of GNH. This Policy provides the basis for government intervention to enhance productivity of the economy as a whole. Wherever necessary , policies, laws, rules and regulations shall be harmonized or amended in line with the provisions of the Economic Development Policy. The Royal Government of Bhutan to have an advantage of free trade with India, the government should have secure transit rights for traffic in transit to facilitate international trade. Transport agreements with neighboring countries to avoid transshipment at the border should be negotiated. The Royal Government should ensure the establishment of a sound distribution system in the country through a network of dealers/wholesalers and retailers with priority accorded towards ensuring the flow and availability of essential commodities and goods in all parts of the country. And also efforts should be made to harmonize customs documentation, procedures and formalities through bilateral and regional initiatives. The Royal Government shall develop the required policy framework that will encompass anti-dumping measures, anti-subsidies and safeguards legislations. The reasons or policy to have trade advantage from India is through export of goods and services. Bhutan should use all tools of export and market promotion, including diplomacy, market studies, market information, branding, advertisements, product launches, trade fairs, expositions and trade missions to assist the private sector to establish markets for their products. Nation branding by leveraging the positive attributes of the country shall be a key instrument harnessed for creating Brand Bhutan in export markets. Exporting more goods and services helps country to generate more income and this income and revenue can be use for the growth and development of the country. The theory of comparative advantage first put forward by David Ricardo in the first part of the nineteenth century demonstrated that countries may boost their production by specializing in those industries for which their opportunity cost is lower than for their competitors. By engaging in international trade, count ries may then export those goods or services that they are most efficient in producing and import the items which other countries may produce more efficiently. Incase of Bhutan, the major items of exports from Bhutan to India are electricity (from Tala, Chukha and Kurichhu Hydroelectric Projects), base metals and articles, minerals, vegetable fat and oils, alcoholic beverages, chemicals, cement, timber and wood products, cardamom, fruit products, potatoes, oranges and apples, raw silk, plastic and rubber products Gyeltshen, ( 1998). So in this case Bhutan can specialize on those product which has comparative advantage cost. The Agreement on Trade and Commerce also provides for duty free transit of Bhutanese merchandise for trade with third countries. According to Anderson Tyers (1991), the entry and exit point for bilateral trade is given in the Trade Agreement. There fore government should encourage country to exports more of goods as it is the source income. Exports of goods and services to other countries, helps in providing foreign currency which help in importing the advanced technologies for the benefits of the country. So royal gove rnment should develop and adopt the export promotion strategy to have an advantage of free trade with India. Free trade involves exchange of goods and services that is exports and imports of goods. Exporting more goods is helpful for the country but importing more goods is not goods. This is because when Bhutan imports more goods and services from India, our country may become too dependent, this leaves the economy vulnerable to fluctuations in the price of that commodity. A particular industry in a country can fall into decline, resulting in factory closures and unemployment. The labor market is not fully flexible, and workers may have difficulty retraining for other industries or moving to other locations to find work. Structural unemployment may therefore cause problems for a country’s economy (Huntington, 1968). There fore Bhutan should adopt a policy known as import restriction to reduce the number of imports from India and other countries. Import restriction helps in specialization of goods in the particular country. Major exports from India to Bhutan are high speed diesel, fer rous products, motor spirit including aviation spirit (petrol), rice, ferrous waste and scraps, wood charcoal, hydraulic turbines, coal, briquette and similar solid fuel of coal, coke and semi coke of coal, bar and rods of iron and non alloy steels, corrugated iron and non alloy steel sheet, soybean oil, milk powder etc. So imports should reduce imports by import substitution and import restriction policy. The main purpose of Bhutan keeping relation with India through free trade is to promote economic development of the country. To have economic growth and development in the country, Bhutan should frame certain policy which helps in taking free trade advantage from other countries. Lack of policy may has a negative effects to country as Bhutan being a developing nation, there is chances of domination, loss of countries sovereignty, unemployment’s, inequalities and many problems. So overcome those problems in the country, governments should frame and adopt different policies in taking advantage from India through free trade. References Anderson, K. Tyers, R. (1991). Global Effects of Liberalizing Trade in Farm Products. New York: Harvester Wheat sheaf.pp.113 Anderson, K. (1991). Agricultural trade liberalization and the environment: A global perspective. The World Economy, Vol. 15, pp. 153-171. Bhandari, S., (2004). TRIPS Related Legislation Multilateral Trade Integration. Human Development in Nepal† prepared for Multilateral Trade Integration. Desia, G. (1990). Fertilizer policy issues and sustainable agricultural growth in developing countries. IFPRI Policy Briefs. Washington. Gyeltshen, T. (1998). India-Bhutan Trade Relation. Economics Association Papers and Proceedings, Vol. 80, No. 20, pp. 197-202. Huntington, S.P (1968). Political Order in Changing Societies. New Haven: Yale University Press. Just, R. J. Antile. (1990). Interactions between agricultural and environmental policies: A conceptual framework. American Economics Association Papers and Proceedings, Vol. 80, No. 20, pp. 197-202. Rostow, W. W. (1916). The World free trade; History and prospect. United States of America; London. Rung, C.F. (1993). Trade liberalization and environmental quality in agriculture.International Environ-mental Affairs, Vol. 5, No. 2, pp. 95-128. Wangyal, T., (2003). Reconciling Rhetoric and Reality: An Assessment of the Impact of WTO.pp.112 [SD1]http://library.fes.de/pdf-files/bueros/genf/06819.pdf [SD2]http://www.brighthub.com/office/finance/articles/122806.aspx

Emily Bronte Essay -- essays papers

Emily Bronte Emily Bronte was one of three sisters who became famous novelists. Emily's only novel is Wuthering Heights, which was published in December of 1847. Emily was from the Yorkshire village of Haworth. Emily was born on July 30, 1818 to Reverend Patrick Bront? and Marie Branwell Bront?. She was the fifth child of six. The village of Haworth was very isolated. Two years after they moved to Haworth, Mrs. Bront? died of cancer. In 1824 the four eldest girls were sent to Cowan Bridge School, a school for the daughters of improvised clergymen. The conditions there were very unhealthy, and as a result Emily's eldest sisters, Maria and Elizabeth died and Charlotte became very ill. Mr. Bront? had Charlotte and Emily brought home. As children Charlotte, Emily, Branwell, and Anne w...

Essay --

For over twenty years, gun control has been a major topic in the United states. With countless amounts of public shootings taken place, our country is starting to question our second amendment which states â€Å" a well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed†. It was adopted into the United States Constitution on December 15, 1790. It stated basically that people have the right to keep and bear arms. These rights were thought of as â€Å"natural rights† or â€Å"God given rights†. Written as a reminder to the government that they should not try to stop the people from having this right. Should a person have the right to own a gun for protection? Should we completely take away this right to prevent mass murder shootings in public places? A lot of citizens feel uncomfortable to the fact of not having protection and having their privilege’s taken away due to other people and cruel decisions. Although times have changed from when the amendment was passed on December 15th, 1791, U.S. Citizens still feel it is a mandatory thing to have ownership of guns and have them in their daily lives. Public shootings came about in the early 1700’s when the first shooting took place at Pontiac’s Rebellion school on July 26, 1764. Four Lenape American Indians entered the schoolhouse near what today is Greencastle, Pennsylvania, shot and shilled the schoolmaster, and killed nine or ten children. Shootings such as the ones taken place in Virginia Tech, Colombine High School, Sandy Hook Elementary, the movie theater shooting in Aurora, Colorado; all have effected the country in a drastic sense and really impacted us Americans to take change and mak... ...ll waiting to be passed explaining that expanded background checks on gun owners or potential gun owners was to be done. Turns out the senate squashed that bill. President Obama has pushed for gun restrictions after the devastating shootings that have been happening and blames the senate for the failure to expand background checks. Without the full cooperations from both sides of this debate nothing will ever be solved. Banning weapons is not going to completely stop crime. This has just turned into a war against the rights of the individual stated in the constitution. Stricter gun regulations is not the solution but tougher punishments might be. Gun control is not the answer to this problem and that just needs to be accepted so that crime rate can finally be decreased and everyone can live happy with the fact that something is being done in this situation.

Guiliani vs Clinton :: essays papers

Guiliani vs Clinton The U.S. senate elections are right around the corner. All across the nation politicians from all parties are starting to lobby to gain support for various Senate seats. Who can run to be a Senator is outlined in the U.S. Constitution, which was written more than 200 years ago. The candidate must be over the age of 25 and must be a resident of the state he wishes to run for the Senate in. A promising candidate is Mayor Guliani. He has lived in New York most, if not all, of his life. During his 2 terms he has lowered the number of street vendors in Manhattan, has implemented stricter laws on cab drivers and increased fines for breaking certain laws; he has also decreased the sale and use of illegal fireworks by more than 95%. These are just a few of his accomplishments that have contributed to a safer and happier NYC. A "candidate" that is not as appropriate for the job of NY Senator is the First Lady, Hilary Clinton. She has lived in NY for only the past few days and has only one child that goes to college in California. During her husband's political career, she has been a strong supporter of her husband politically and personally, at least in the public’s eye. Over the past year rumors have spread of Hilary beginning an active political career, with her husband's winding to an end. During the past year the rumors have been more or less confirmed with Hilary buying a house in NY and her sudden "love" for the Yankees. Guliani's response has been to visit Hilary's former home, Arkansas, and gaining the support of its governor, who happens to be of an opposing party. The only benefit of this tactic was to mock Hilary's sudden conversions. Hilary can and probably will run for the Senate.

Hannibal Barca and the Carthaginian Campaign Essay

Hannibal Barca is the famous Carthaginian general, who is especially renowned for his successful campaign against Rome during the Second Punic War in 218 BC. Hannibal won some of the most famous victories against a numerically superior Roman army in Roman battlefields, notably the Battle of Cannae, which is universally considered as a masterpiece of military strategy and ranks among greatest military achievements in history (Gabriel, 2001). The innovative use of strategy and resources and capitalizing on enemy’s slightest weakness to turn into decisive victory for himself had been unique characteristics of Hannibal’s leadership that has earned him place in annals of great military leaders of history. Even today, many military schools still teach Hannibal’s military strategy, specially his placement of forces and improvisation in attack maneuvers. Hannibal Barca (247 BC-183 BC) Hannibal rose to his fame during the Second Punic War (218-201 BC) during which he established himself as one of the most brilliant strategists and tactician of the war seen by ancient world. If analyzed from the overall view of leadership, there are very few generals even in modern times who can compete with Hannibal. Hannibal was not only extremely proficient in military techniques and innovations but he was also excellent in understanding the delicate balance between military and political power. He was also very apt in exercising directed will and personal leadership-indeed, it was his sheer personal presence and force that motivated soldiers under him for 16 years in a foreign land. A study of Hannibal’s style of campaign is highly relevant even from modern perspective. Further, the Second Punic War introduced the concept of strategic endurance and tactical engagement, which still form the basis of military strategy. In these senses, the Hannibal’s campaign in the Second Punic War is watershed event in the military history of the West (Gabriel, 2001) . Historians still debate about the exact causes that inspired Hannibal to muster Carthaginian Ships and lead the army to Italy on an inordinately long and, in the end, deliberately unaccomplished campaign. While in more than one ways, Hannibal continued to injure, wound and dent the Roman pride to the degree where Romans were afraid to send an army against him, Hannibal never did actually sack the Rome or take control of the Empire (Gabriel, 2001). It is suggested that Hannibal’s chief motivation was to neither to humiliate Rome for their victory in first Punic war, nor to settle any personal score, but rather a more prudent vision of checking the expansionist ambition of Rome and keep Carthage secure in the only feasibly way-by attacking the Rome itself. Rome of the third century B. C.  E. was still on the way to power and glory that it would acquire a century later. At this time Rome was largely a land power while Carthage had emerged as the richest and most powerful trading nation due to its control over sea and its access to market of Sicily, Corsica and Spain. But the expanding Roman interests soon brought Sicily in their purview, leading to direct conflict with Carthage (Gabriel, 2001). The strategic position of Sicily had placed it in such position that while it marked as a check over Roman expansion, its loss would translate into a direct threat over Carthage. This conflict of interests led to the first Punic War in 261 BC where Rome and Carthage were locked in a 20 years long war, bitterly fought by each side. Despite suffering huge casualties, Rome won by 241 BC and Carthage suffered heavy losses. Its major markets were annexed by Rome, its trading fleet was reduced and it was subjected to heavy indemnity. Faced with prospects of financial ruin, the state stood at the verge of civil war when it was rescued by its most able general Hamilcar Barca, father of Hannibal Barca. Hannibal was born in 247 BC and he grew up while closely watching his father’s style of leadership and military tactics (Gabriel, 2001). It can be said that defeat of first Punic War was one of the motivating factors for young Hannibal Barca, who quickly rose through military ranks to command the forces of Carthage. At this time, most of the fighting units were primarily composed of tribal mercenaries who only valued chieftains who could lead them to victory and subsequent plunder. Therefore, Hannibal’s rise among these soldiers in itself is a testimony to his formidable reputation as a brilliant young tactician, competent to deliver victory even in most adverse of the situations (Gabriel, 2001). The Second Punic War (218BC-201 BC) The Punic Wars are recognized as the harbinger of modern style of warfare, which is dependent more on strategy, skill and technique than numerical supremacy. They marked an important shift from the earlier one-day affairs where the fates of empires were often settled in a single engagement. The Second Punic War lasted for 16 years, during which Rome hardly ever won a single engagement; however, it maintained its tenacious grip over the empire without collapsing until it gathered sufficient strength to achieve victory (Gabriel, 2001). The war also established the important of political will and social organization as decisive elements towards victory. Eventually, Rome’s victory started the era of political and strategic resource gathering that ultimately led to creation of the Roman Empire. However, these results came much later on. At the time of Hannibal’s campaign, Rome was still a very strong nation-state with ample economic resources, manpower and competent generals with large legions of armies under their command. On the other hand, when Hannibal started his campaign his resources were severely restrained. After discounting all the forces required to secure Carthaginian mainland, Hannibal was left with only 40,000 men and 8–10,000 horse, mostly Africans and Numidians, from Carthage itself. The rest would have to be raised from friendly Iberian tribes. By comparison, Rome had a reservoir of 250,000 foot and 23,000 horses, which it could gather in any instant of war. Including the forces of its allies, the Roman swelled to Drawing swelled to 700,000 foot and 70,000 horse, an army that was even larger than Napoleon’s Grand Army that invaded Russia in 1812 (Gabriel, 2001). With these difficulties in sight, Hannibal was well aware that he could not win a war of attrition or a direct battle against Rome. His only route to success lied through a prolonged campaign where he hoped to defeat Roman army in separate encounters and thus alienate Roman allies, who would no longer see Rome as a significant power. This strategy was dangerous because Hannibal would be directly leading his army to play against Roman strength in ground war. Further, with Roman control over sea routes, the campaign would be required to be self sustaining for its entire period as no help could be reached from Carthage if the troops were entrapped by Roman army (Gabriel, 2001). Added to this multiplicity of difficulties was the fact that the entire campaign was to take place on Italian lands, where Roman generals had better advantage in understanding the weather and terrain. By 218 BC, Rome was itself preparing for a double assault under its two generals, Publius Cornelius Scipio and Sempronius Longus. Scipio was to attack Spain with a force of 24000 thousand soldiers and 1500 horses while Sempronius was preparing to invade Africa with 36000 men and 1800 horses. He started his invasion in May 218 BC, with strength of 50,000 men 9000 horses, and 37 elephants, hoping to recruit the Celtic and Gallic tribes en route during the campaign (Gabriel, 2001). He had to face some hostility from local tribes but after crushing them ruthlessly in a six week campaign he led his forces through Alps. Records show that Hannibal started his crossing with almost 60,000 men and 37 elephants and by the time he crossed the Alps, only 23000 men and horses and 10 elephants were left alive, though barely in fighting condition. This was a terrible setback to his campaign plans, but he did not let despair sink in (Morris. 1937). His sudden and completely unexpected descent by Alps had indeed taken the Roman Senate by surprise and thrown many of their military plans into haywire. Both Scipio and Longus were called from their planned invasion to counter impending threat of Hannibal. The Roman generals were indeed somewhat overconfident, having to operate within their own country lands. Further, they had remarkable degree of vanity, anger, impetuousness and ego-elements which Hannibal used dexterously to his advantage in drawing them to battle (Tony.  1992). Battles of Trebia, Lake Trasimene and Cannae. Hannibal’s forces had won a number of small skirmishes and minor battles against the pursuing army of Scipio which had given them confidence and also support of a large number of native tribes. Even some of the Celtic contingents within Scipio army revolted, killed Roman soldiers and joined Hannibal’s forces. This alerted the Roman general who then stationed his army over a hill near river Trebia, awaiting Longus and his army, to jointly take upon the Hannibal’s army that was resting across other side of the River (Tony. 1992). When Longus joined Scipio, the Roman contingent swelled to an impressive degree, far outnumbering Hannibal’s troops. However, even under these circumstances, Scipio urged caution and asked Longus to wait for winters and further reinforcement before beginning the battle. Semponius Longus was instead in favor of a quick action and quick glory. Hannibal provided further provocation to him as small part of his troops attacked Roman legions repeatedly, challenging them for war. Longus took the bait and ordered his troops to cross the Trebia river for a direct showdown against Hannibal’s army(Tony. 1992). However, unknown to him, Hannibal had concealed an elite force of 2000 cavalry under the banks of river, who were ready to spring a trap to Roman army. Further, Hannibal’s forces were well rested and had a definite action plan against their enemies. A 40000 strong Roman and allied army crossed the river Trebia to engage with Hannibal’s 30000 troops on a cold December morning. As the battle started, the hidden units of Hannibal attacked, taking them completely unawares and causing great disarray and confusion in the Roman columns. This confusion, along with strategic marshalling of Hannibal, cost Romans heavily (Tony.  1992). More than 30,000 of their soldiers died and rest fled to safety, handing Hannibal his first great victory of the campaign. His losses were minimal in comparison, which boosted the spirit of his army and drew more native tribes to him. Battle of Lake Trasimene The defeat prompted a change in of command in Roman army and senate appointed Cnaeus Servilius and Gaius Flaminius as counsel of wars to block Hannibal’s invasion to Rome. Hannibal found Flaminius not much different from Longus and therefore decided to lure him to battle using the same strategy that he used at Trebia. Hannibal ordered his troops to burn countryside, towns, villages and slaughter livestocks, but prevented them from taking directly on the Roman armies. The tactics was to enrage the generals, trick them into making a mistake and then destroy the Roman army at the place that offered Hannibal’s troop maximum advantage.. Flaminius fell for the these tricks and he decided to pursue Hannibal’s army through the valley besides lake Trasimene. He mistook 6000 of Hannibal’s troop as his entire army and entered the valley with 15000 of his force to defeat the Roman tormentor. But the full strength of Hannibal’s 30000 strong army was hiding in forest, under the veil of a thick fog, so that the entire Roman army went past them without taking any cognizance of their presence! At the right moment, Hannibal ordered the attack, which completely routed the Roman army. The battle lasted two hours during which 15000 Roman soldiers were killed at cost of 1500 men in Hannibal’s army (Gabriel, 2001). Battle of Cannae Hannibal’s victory in battle of lake Tresimene sent waves of fear through Roman empire. In just two years he had defeat four of the best Roman counsels and caused more than 50,000 casualties. Rome realized for the first time that it was up against one of its most formidable foe and to counter the challenge, it placed the command of battle in hands of Quintus Fabius, who was a very competent commander with acute understanding of military as well as political affairs (Daly. 2002). Fabius made a correct strategic assessment of the situation and concluded that in the end of war, Rome’s domestic advantage, its superior alliance relation and its vast resources would lead to its victory against Hannibal. Therefore, he did not show any hurry in marching to the battlefield and apprehending the culprit. He very well knew that time was working in Rome’s favor (Daly. 2002) The military policy he started was in accordance with this understanding and it was aimed at containing Hannibal rather than defeating him. For more than a year, Fabius policy paid dividends as he strengthened defenses, retained the alliances and by refusing to engage Hannibal in a direct conflict, denied him any opportunity of a victory. Fabius was fighting the true war of attrition, which would have destroyed Hannibal’s army (Gabriel, 2001). But the mood in Rome was favoring war and they viewed Fabius working style as too cautionary. The senate replaced Fabius by L. Aemilius Paulus and C. Terentius Varro as generals of war. These generals immediately fell for the bait of war that Fabius was deliberately avoiding in summer of 216 BC a 86000 strong Roman army under generalship of Varro took to field against Hannibal’s 45000 strong force near the village of Cannae (Daly. 2002). Varro made two crucial errors. First he positioned the river Aufidus on his right flank, which denied his soldiers any space of maneuver and secondly he completely ignored the strong Carthaginian cavalry. Hannibal, in his usual display of brilliance kept his strongest units at flanks and weakest at the center. Varro took the bait and his army pushed deep inside the Carthaginian formation, where they were trapped in a pincer movement by Hannibal’s superior strong force (Daly. 2002). It was akin that they were trapped in a V shaped formation with no route to escape. The battle was over within few hours and its end, 52000 Roman soldiers were laying dead, and 5000 were taken prisoner. Hannibal’s forces had suffered 8000 losses. The combined casualty was around 60000, making it one of the bloodiest battles fought (Gabriel, 2001). Further Campaigns Cannae was a great victory for Hannibal, and it marked culmination of his three years of war efforts where he had incapacitated more than 20 percent of entire Roman population that was capable of entering military. However, it is said, that the terrible sight after battle of Cannae had affected Hannibal deeply and despite the fact that there was no hindrance to his journey to Rome, he refused to take the coveted road, earning him censure and criticism from his own generals (Gabriel, 2001). Post the defeat of Cannae, Rome re-mobilized its army and within two years, it numbers had swelled back to 200,000 men under arms. However, it had learned from the mistakes and instead of attacking Hannibal directly, it played on Fabian strategy of tiring him, denying him an opportunity of waging a direct battle. This tactics worked successfully and by 210 BC, was Hannibal had been contained in southern Italy, while Roman armies won victories in Greece and Spain. True, Hannibal was still out of their reach and every effort to touch him resulted in a defeat for the Roman troops, but overall the Roman grip had greatly strengthened (Gabriel, 2001). By 204 B. C. E. Scipio launched a campaign against Africa, which threatened Carthage itself. This prompted the state politicians to negotiate with Rome which led to recall of Hannibal and his armies from Italy. Hannibal’s last battle was with Scipio on the African plain near the small village of Zama where he was as defeated, and thus ended the military career of one of the greatest generals of the ancient world/ Conclusion Of all the adversaries that Rome faced in its long history, Hannibal Barca is indelibly etched as its greatest foe and for very concrete reasons. In the entire history of Rome, no other general had single handed ravaged the empire to the degree that Hannibal managed, staying virtually undefeated through his 16 years long campaign, while outsmarting best of the Roman generals and strategist. It’s the testimony of Hannibal’s enterprise however, that his most authentic biography is given by none other than Roman historians. . His campaign against Rome produced some of the finest military strategy and thinking that ancient world had seen, or for that matter even the modern world has seen. Like all military leaders he was cruel and ruthless, but only to the degree where these traits served to meet the objective of his campaign. His very decision to abandon the route of Rome in wake of the slaughter at the Battle of Cannae shows the finer elements of his character.

Early Civilizations

Early Civilizations HUMA215-1205A-32 Topics in Cultural Studies Unit 1 Discussion Board Shannon Sullivan There were many different forces that have contributed to the cultural makeup of early civilization. The beginning of human culture predates back to thousands of years which can be seen through evidence that has been discovered. This evidence that was left behind by the earliest of humans is found by cave paintings that helped to understand how these prehistoric individuals lived and survived in their everyday life.One aspect that contributed to the cultural makeup is from geographical areas from where these early humans lived. The geographical region determined what their main focus was when it came to agriculture, hunting, trade and religion. The availability of these natural resources would affect the kinds of houses they lived in, the types of weapons and tools they used, the food they ate and the type of containers they used to store food and supplies (Trigger, 2003). A numbe r of social issues occurred because of this cultural makeup. These issues were the cause of war and conflicts between many of these early humans.One of the factors that caused social problems was a result of different spiritual and religious beliefs. Others factors were political, economic and the development of one’s social class. Since early civilization started, humans lived successfully in small hunting and gathering tribes. This was the dominant way of life until agriculture began to gradually replace hunting and gathering of necessities such as food, clothing and homes which was some of the main cultural influences on early civilizations (All World History for Us, n. d. ). Revisionist history can be bad.The problem with revisionist history is that it usually is written by someone who has a curriculum that they want to publicize. Most of this comes from inaccurate information from an unbiased viewpoint. Their minds tend to be made up prior to looking at the facts. This r esults in choosing facts that support their viewpoint and ignoring facts that disprove their predetermined ideas. Another problem with revisionist history is that it tends to judge people, cultures and experiences in the past by the values, ethics and morals of today's society.People in the past lived with the knowledge, superstitions, values and ethics of their day and should be studied to find the correct information. The only good thing about revisionist history is when the correct information has been given. All World History for Us. (n. d. ). Farming and the Emergence of Complex Societies. Retrieved from http://worldhistoryforusall. sdsu. edu/eras/era3. php Trigger, B. G. (2003). Understanding Early Cilivizations. Retrieved from http://catdir. loc. gov/catdir/samples/cam034/2002074052. pdf