Martin L. King Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Martin L. King - Essay Example aged by the successes of the civil rights movement, activists worked to reverse the discriminatory laws restricting the influx of darker-skinned peoples into the western cultures. The movement’s struggle for civil rights and liberties was based on lawful civil rights and had its roots in moral motivations. The righteousness of the cause was personified by King whose character and courage was applauded and supported by an increasing number of American citizens of all colors. In 1955, Rosa Parks a black woman, refused to relinquish her seat on a bus to a white man in Montgomery Alabama, a violation of existing Jim Crow laws. This act of civil disobedience became the spark that ignited the masses during the 1950’s and 1960’s in protesting the racial inequalities. Segregation, during the Jim Crow era, was not limited to transportation mediums. In Alabama, hospitals, whether public or private, could not require a white nurse to care for blacks. (Sowell, 2005) In Mississippi, a law stifled freedom of the press by stating, â€Å"Any person who shall be guilty of printing, publishing or circulating printed, typewritten or written matter urging or presenting for public acceptance or general information, arguments or suggestions in favor of social equality or of intermarriage between whites and negroes, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and subject to fine not exceeding $500 or imprisonment not exceeding six months or both† (â€Å"Jim Crow L aws†, 1998). When Parks was arrested for refusing the driver’s request to give up her seat to the white man, a group of area ministers formed the Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA) which coordinated what would become a 382-day boycott of the bus company by the entire black community. The ministers took this non-violent action to avoid the possible rioting that was widely rumored to soon ensue and to organize their collective congregations into one, larger and stronger common voice. In addition, had they not elected

How do Senor Flores, Senora Flores and Dr. Jean View this Situation Essay

How do Senor Flores, Senora Flores and Dr. Jean View this Situation from Totally Different Perspectives - Essay Example He also does not want to listen to the advice of Dr. Jean. The Latino’s belief in machismo makes Senor Flores feel offended if he listens to Dr. Jean’s advice. He thinks that his male ego is insulted. The perspective of Senora Flores on Alejandro’s situation is very fatalistic, or what the Latino’s term as fatalism. She feels that she is being punished by God that is why Alejandro is sick. She is suffering from inferiority complex and feels that she is being discriminated at the hospital for being a Latino and not speaking much. She is afraid that Alejandro will be discriminated too in school because he is sickly. Senora Flores feels overburdened by the responsibility of taking care of Alejandro. But at the same time, she believes that her mother should help her take care of Alejandro. She respects her mother, so much so that when she suggested that Alejandro is taken to an espiritista, she blindly followed her although she probably disagrees with her. Dr. Jean’s perspective of Alejandro’s situation is exactly the opposite of the views of the Flores family. She does not totally understand the Latino culture and beliefs; thus, resulting in misunderstandings with them. The first conflict is with regards to time. She dislikes the Flores’ disregard of time. She also feels that just because she is a woman, Senor Flores does not like to listen to her advice. She does not understand why the Flores’ had to consult an espiritista instead of just following her medical advice and give him his medicines. Dr. Jean is an example of a doctor who is quite detached to the family of her patient. She does not realize that it is important for a Latino family that they see some simpatia from their medical provider. Senora Flores chose to consult an espiritista when Alejandro was not getting better probably through the prodding of her mother.

Accounting System Paper Essay Example for Free

Accounting System Paper Essay Kudler Fine Foods has done a wonderful job with its current accounting system by manually tracking data and not having a uniform system for providing information about that data. Data is the raw and unorganized version of information while information is categorized and decipherable data that correlates to the business. Kudler Fine Foods is making a transition from the less efficient and more labor intensive accounting methods to a technology based accounting system which saves money being that it is more efficient and more robust. The core features, benefits, and cost will be discussed as you continue to read this paper. As mentioned earlier, Kudler Fine Foods is making a transition to a computerized accounting system which will have the ability to communicate with all branches of the business. Kudler Fine foods will utilize an accounting system which is integral part of the Enterprise resource planning software that is being deployed in the Kudler Fine Foods environment. The ERP software will be able to capture real time data directly from the point of sale (cash registers) and automatically adjust inventory and profit data. See more:Â  Social Satire in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Essay The accounting software will also use a compliance management feature will provide complete transaction audit trails and rules-based controls and advanced reporting capabilities which are compliant with laws and regulations. More benefits are advanced financial forecasting the can accurately predict and estimate potential profits and pending losses, revenue and cash flow. This gives Kudler Fine Foods the ability to analyze past trends to help make better business decisions in the future. In addition, the accounting software will give Kudler Fine Foods the ability to deep dive into the cash management aspect of their business by more accurately assessing current and future cash needs and track all transactions that directly impact available cash levels. In an ERP environment, Kudler Fine Foods will adopt a client/server system. The Client/Server technology model is the model in which today’s softwares are developed. A Client/Server model is one in which the client computer is identified separately from the server computer. This will require servers with Windows serve 2008 and networking equipment which will allow all workstations to communicate to application servers, shared data drives and communicate with the outside world. With the added benefits of an ERP system in the Kudler Fine Food environment, comes an added expense of support of the system. Currently, Kudler Fine Foods can anticipate an expense of twenty-five thousand dollars with a potential ceiling of two hundred fifty thousand dollars. References Top 10 ERP. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.top10erp.org/sap-erp-software-comparison-technology-140 Technology required for Erp. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.vkinfotek.com/erp/erp-technologies.html

Kite Runner Essay Example for Free

Kite Runner Essay Human beings are morally ambiguous people. We are neither purely evil nor purely good, but often a mix. And maybe that’s why many of us are attracted to literature works with morally ambiguous characters such as The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. The Kite Runner was set in Kabul, Afghanistan, proceeds to United States during the Soviet Union invasion, and then the setting goes back to Kabul when the Taliban rises in power. In this novel, Amir, to whom the whole story of the book is centered around, is a morally ambiguous character. Amir is a Pashtun boy; he betrays his friendship with Hassan, a Hazara son of Amir’s father’s servant. Guilt haunts Amir for years even after he had left Kabul and moved to United States. Amir is a morally ambiguous character because he’s a coward, he’s selfish, he betrays his friend and lies, but he also finds courage to face what he had done wrong and finds salvation. The first part of the book The Kite Runner proves how Amir is not a purely good character. Amir often hangs out with the Hazara boy, Hassan and would tell Hassan that they are friends, but he still feels he’s above Hassan because Amir is Pashtun and Hazara people are considered below the Pashtun people. Amir wouldn’t hang out with Hassan when other Pashtun boys are with him, he also mocks the fact that Hassan can’t read, not considering the fact that Hassan doesn’t have the opportunity to get an education. Amir couldn’t stand Hassan’s intelligence: Amir had written a story about how a man’s tears turn into pearls when they fall into this magic cup, and the story ended with man’s wife dead in his arms on a mountain pile of pearls. When Hassan heard the story, he had enjoyed it, but he also raised a few questions that angered Amir, â€Å"Why did the man kill his wife? In fact, why did he ever have to be sad to shed tears? Couldn’t he have just smelled an onion? † (p. 34). Amir was angry because a mere Hazara boy who couldn’t read had taught Amir something he, an educated boy, didn’t figure out. These few examples that show how Amir is mean and arrogant are nothing compared to what he does to Hassan later on. Assef is a Pashtun boy that truly hates Hazaras and believes that Hazaras should all disappear. When Amir catches Assef raping Hassan, instead of stepping in, Amir runs away and pretends nothing had happened. When guilt started eating Amir up and he couldn’t stand facing Hassan because Hassan reminds him of his cowardly action, he pinned a crime of thievery on Hassan in order to have Hassan evicted from his house. The second part of the book shows that Amir isn’t purely evil despite what he has done. For a while, Amir’s life is filled with the guilt of not saving Hassan from the rape and it kept Amir from being completely happy, even though he found the love of his life in America and got married. Then one day, Amir’s father’s friend, Rhahim, called him to give him a chance to redeem himself. â€Å"There’s a way to be good again† (p. 226). Amir did find a way to be good again. Amir went back to Afghan to find Hassan’s son, Sohrab, to take him with Amir because Hassan and his wife had been shot to death on the street by the Taliban. Amir finds Sohrab with Assef and ends up getting into a physical fight with Assef. Amir basically lets Assef beat him up and while being beat up, Amir feels relieved. â€Å"My body was broken – just how badly I wouldn’t find out until later – but I felt healed. Healed at last† (p. 289). Amir felt that he was being healed from the guilt that has been crawling beneath his skin every single day. He had betrayed his one and only friend, Hassan, lied, and destroyed a chance where Hassan might have left to United States with him and would still be alive. Amir felt that he finally got what he deserved and he felt much better, he had found salvation. And he had afterwards taken in Sohrab as his own son. Amir had been a coward; he had made selfish decisions and ruined Hassan’s live, but if he had been purely evil then he would not have felt guilt, nor would he have risked his life to bring back a mere Hazara’s son. But he had been filled with guilt and he had gone to find Sohrab and redeemed himself. And thus, Amir is a perfect example of a morally ambiguous character.

Digital Communication in Business

Digital Communication in Business Introduction The aim of this report on â€Å"Digital Communication† is to summarise the broad concepts of a technology that has made rapid strides in all facets of our life. The objective is to understand the concept, analyse its relevance in the field of business and assess the current and future trends. Fundamentals of Digital communication The fundamentals of digital communication is stated as â€Å"in a digital communications system, data is transmitted from one location to another by mapping bit sequences to symbols, and symbols to sample functions of analog waveforms The analog waveform passes through a band limited (possibly time-varying) analog channel, where the signal is distorted and noise is added. In a conventional system the analog sample functions sent through the channel are weighted sums of one or more sinusoids; in a chaotic communications system, the sample functions are segments of chaotic waveforms. At the receiver, the symbol may be recovered by means of coherent detection, where all possible sample functions are known, or by non coherent detection, where one or more characteristics of the sample functions are estimated. (Kolumban, Kennedy Chua (1997).  Digital communication systems, by definition, are communication systems that use such a digital sequence as an interface between the source and t he channel input and similarly between the channel output and final destination The idea of converting an analog source output to a binary sequence was quite revolutionary in 1948, and the notion that this should be done before channel processing was even more revolutionary. By today, with digital cameras, digital video, digital voice, etc., the idea of digitizing any kind of source is commonplace even among the most technophobic. The notion of a binary interface before channel transmission is almost as commonplace. For example, we all refer to the speed of our internet connection in bits per second. (Gallager, 2006). Digital communication tries to convey the information from a source such as a computer to a receiver as effectively as possible. â€Å"Modulation† is a process where the digital information is mapped to a sequence of symbols which has varied properties of an analog electromagnetic wave called the carrier. At the receiver, the signal to be received is selected by a channel filter, demodulated, interpreted, and the information is recovered. Conversion of the digital information stream to an analog signal for transmission may be accompanied by encryption and coding to add end-to-end security, data compression, and error-correction capability. A channel encoder introduces algorithmic redundancy into the transmitted symbol sequence that can be used to reduce the probability of incorrect decisions at the receiver. Modulation is the process by which a symbol is transformed into an analog waveform that is suitable for transmission. Common digital modulation schemes include amplitude s hiftkeying (ASK), phase shift keying (PSK), frequency shift keying (FSK), continuous phase modulation (CPM), and amplitudephase keying (APK), where a one-to-one correspondence established between amplitudes, phases, frequencies, phase and phase transitions, and amplitudes and phases, respectively, of a sinusoidal carrier and the symbols. The channel is the physical medium through which the information-carrying analog waveform passes as it travels between the transmitter and receiver. The transmitted signal is invariably corrupted in the channel. Hence, the receiver never receives exactly what was transmitted. The role of the demodulator in the receiver is to produce from the received corrupted analog signal an estimate of the transmitted symbol sequence. The role of the channel decoder is to reconstruct the original bit stream, i.e., the information, from the estimated symbol sequence. Because of disturbances in real communications channels, error-free transmission is never possible . (Kolumban, Kennedy Chua (1997). Types of Digital communication The different types of digital communication are the internet and email, cell phones, high definition television and other electronic communication (Sarokin. D, 2015). He quotes â€Å"in 1962 the idea of the internet was born†. Relying on packet switching the digital transfer of short bursts of data globally connected computer networks quickly developed into sophisticated digital communication technologies. Email over the network was introduced in the 1970s and has since grown into one of the most widespread forms of digital communication. Agnelli (in Vanderbeeken 2004, p. 2; see also Agnelli et al. 2004) argues that mobile phones have led to the overlapping of digital and physical space, so that physical presence no longer implies attentiveness or availability, and distinctions between public and private space are eroded. Digital communications is mainly associated with telecomunications and electrical engineering. Pedrozo and Wilska (2004, p. 4), the adoption of mobile pho nes has been ‘one of the most conspicuous social changes to happen over the last ten years. HDTV (high definition television) is a television display technology that provides picture quality similar to 35 mm. movies with sound quality similar to that of todays compact disc. Some television stations have begun transmitting HDTV broadcasts to users on a limited number of channels. HDTV generally uses digital rather than analog signal transmission. HDTV and standard definition television (SDTV) are the two categories of display formats for digital television (DTV) transmissions, which are becoming the standard. (Techtarget.com, 2008). Digital communications have become ubiquitous in modern society and encompass a wide variety of technologies. Remote controls, keyless entry devices, walkie-talkies, Bluetooth earpieces, GPS satellites, cash registers and credit cards are among the many technologies that communicate digitally with people and with other devices. Futurists have coined the term The Internet of Things to refer to the trend of enabling thousands of types of devices, from light bulbs to washing machines, with digital communication capabilities. Given the sophistication of the instantaneous transmission of digital data, it can be easy to overlook the more mundane communication activities. We store digital data on many types of physical media, including CDs, DVDs, flash drives, tape and compact memory chips. Every time you hand a friend or colleague a file, whether you transfer it electronically or pass along a DVD, you are engaged in a form of digital communication. (Sarokin. D, 2015) Importance of Digital communications in business Long, Sarah M (2010) states social life in the United States today is changing rapidly with the growing use of Web 2.0 technologies. Many realms of social life are being reorganized in different ways by the spread of computers, the internet, cell and smart phones, Ipods, and similar communications and information technologies. More business is transacted by ecommerce and many jobs are being restructured by the centrality of computers and access to the Web. Many people participate in politics through the internet, clicking to donate to political causes, sending letters to Congress via email, and mobilizing people for protests through list serves. Education ranging from K-12 to college is increasingly reliant on computers and access to information through the Web. Even personal life, ranging from family life to friendship to intimate relationships are being affected by these new technologies as all kinds of social interactions are mediated by technology. In this context, Ernst Young (2 011) states that the real imperative in a world where ‘everything’ is digitised is that businesses need to pursue innovation to disrupt their own business model before the competition does. Without innovation strategies, companies will lose their competitive advantage in an increasingly commoditised world. There is no time to lose, as technology change accelerates and new digital platforms and devices are emerging. Furthermore, the expectations of the new ‘generation Y’ or ‘digital natives’ mean that companies must keep up with the pace of change or lose relevance. It further states that businesses must use digital channels to create seamless and consistent engagement in the view of the pace of technology change that is increasing exponentially. The challenge of most businesses would be to face loss of control over the customer relationship since the proliferation of digital channels and devices gives consumers greater access to information, an d the means for communication and collaboration. The physical world is being replicated in the digital world through digital communities, businesses and assets, fundamentally changing the way consumers engage with businesses and each other. It also states the need to engage digitally with suppliers and employees. Therefore the use of use digital technology to enhance traditional business models, transform existing business models digitally and Invent entirely new business models or different engagement models. There is an increased competition and the risk of commoditization. Digital channels lower barriers to entry and increase globalisation, leading to a spiral of intensifying competition and commoditisation. Innovative organisations are taking the opportunity to diversify, bringing cross-industry convergence and blurring of the boundaries between industries. Previously physically distinct products and sectors now compete with one another, over less clearly defined customer bases. Many companies are already developing responses to the challenge of digital by moving from a transactional to an ‘interactional’ relationship with their customers. They are inviting their customers to become part of the RD process, the design process and the go-to-market. They are also encouraging them to participate in the post-sale support process, and taking advantage of ‘prosumerism’ as a low-cost way to provide service. It is through differentiation and innovation that organisations can create the shift in mindset necessary to win in the digital game. Current future trends It is assumed that the future trends in digital communication will continue to be important and digital literacy will continue to develop distinct registers. Convergence refers to the capacity to integrate technological functions in a single device. Hence, the mobile phone doubles up as camera, MP3 player and so on – or the home media system deals with music, TV, telephonics and e-mail. The general direction of convergence is to allow for access to multiple media from a single source. Convergence pairs up with portability, because as devices become more compact and wireless connection becomes more affordable and more ubiquitous, the possibilities of being able to use all media, more or less at any time or place, increase. Pervasiveness suggests that digital technologies will feature in more and more areas of everyday life, becoming even more closely interwoven with the way we get things done. As this pervasiveness increases, it is also likely that technological innovation will focus on making devices and their interfaces more transparent – in ways that touch screens and desktop icons begin to suggest. (Kaul, 2012). Digital is changing the world, and progress is not linear. In a world where a smartphone is no longer just a smartphone, but a potential revolution. Not every digital initiative will work for every organisation, and it is important to assess capability and capacity for change before deploying a digital strategy. In general, the more holistic the initiative is, the greater the chance of success.  Ernst Young (2011). The next step in digital communication as reported by Reuters (2014) in the Times of India edition is the WebRTC. This free browser-based technology looks set to change the way we communicate and collaborate, up-ending telecoms firms, online chat services like Skype and WhatsApp and remote conferencing on WebEx. Web Real-Time Communication is a proposed internet standard that would make audio and video as seamless as brows ing text and images is now. Installed as part of the browser, video chatting is just a click away with no need to download an app or register for a service. WebRTC allows anyone to embed real-time voice, data and video communications into browsers, programs more or less anything with a chip inside. The use of a WebRTC-compatible browser like Mozillas Firefox can be made to start a video call just by sending someone a link. By the end of the decade, consultants Analysys Mason reckon there will be 7 billion devices supporting WebRTC, nearly 5 billion of them smartphones or tablets. Automatic voice and video encryption means web conversations should be safe from eavesdropping or external recording. Those championing WebRTC say the technology isnt so much about challenging whats available today, but more about creating opportunities for new products and services tomorrow. Conclusion In conclusion, Das (1998) states â€Å"most of the technological developments in digital communication has been very rapid and has taken place in the last two decades. As a result , the senior professionals and academics have not been able to keep pace with these developments and therefore there is an urgent need to update the knowledge in these areas.Moreover,it is very necessary that our electrical engineering students specializing in communications must have a strong base in digital communications systems as well. The reason being the rapidly advancing price/performance capability of computing, storage, and bandwidth is contributing to an adoption rate for the digital infrastructure that is two to five times faster than previous infrastructures, such as electricity and telephone networks. (Core Edges Blog, 2009). REFERENCES Core Edges Blog, (2009) ‘Core Digital Infrastructure Technologies improve exponentially without stabilizing. Das.J (1998): Review Of Digital Communication Ernst Young (2011):  http://www.ey.com/Publication/vwLUAssets/The_digitisation_of_everything_-_How_organisations_must_adapt_to_changing_consumer_behaviour/$FILE/EY_Digitisation_of_everything.pdf [Accessed:11 March 2015] Gallager, Robert (2006) course materials for 6.450 Principles of Digital Communications I, Fall 2006. MIT OpenCourseWare (http://ocw.mit.edu/), Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Downloaded on [9/03/2015] Kaul.V( 2012): The Digital Communications Revolution Online Journal of Communication and Media Technologies Volume: 2 – Issue: 3 – July – 2012 [Accessed:11 March 2015] Kolumb ´an.G, Kennedy. M.P Chua.Leon.O (1997): The Role of Synchronization in Digital Communications Using Chaos—Part I: Fundamentals of Digital Communications Long, Sarah M., Exploring Web 2.0: The Impact of Digital Communications Technologies on Youth Relationships and Sociability (2010). Sociology Student  Scholarship.http://scholar.oxy.edu/sociology_student/2 [Accessed:10 March 2015] Pedrozo, S. Wilska, T.-A. (2004) Mobile phones and young people’s consumer identities: a comparison study between Finland and Brazil. Proceedings of Digital Generation: Children, Youth and Media. London: Institute of Education, University of London, 26–29 July. Reuters (2014) http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tech/tech-news/WebRTC-the-next-step-in-digital-communication/articleshow/45493950.cms [Accessed: 9th March 2015] Sarokin. D (2015): Types of Digital communication http://www.ehow.com/info_7999188_types-digital-communication.html [Accessed: 9th March 2015] Techtarget (2015) http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/HDTV-high-definition-television [Accessed: 9th March 2015]

Types and Stages of Observational Learning and Memory

Types and Stages of Observational Learning and Memory Jurgita Kairiukstiene This  essay will address aspects of psychology by exploring different types and stages of Observational learning and Memory. A Observational Learning Learning is define as the process of acquiring knowledge through experience which leads to a lasting change in behaviour (Huczynski Buchanan (2013), p.154) There are two different types of learning Observational and Associative learning. The concept of observational learning was developed by Albert Bandura (1977, 1986 2000) to exclude trial-and-error method in learning. To compere both learnings, Associative learning is more tedious and more hazardous than Observational learning. Observes by observing may develop new behaviour and may have impact to previously learned behaviour. Learning by Observation contains four stages and processes: Attention. Observers can only learn if they pay attention to a mentor or teacher. For example dancing classes. Attendants must observe and pay attention to teacher to learn how to dance. Retention. Observers must memorise information and store in to memory. In order to take next step must recall what was memorised before. For example learn how to use computer programs. Reproduction. Observes must replicate another behaviour. But there is a limitation factor of physical abilities. Example may be that humans cant fly. Reinforcement. Observers will go through different stages and will be motivated to learn. According to Banduras (e.g. 1977) Social learning theory, experiment on children by letting them watch television and later motivate aggressive behaviour. This study has important implications for the effects of media violence on children. (http://www.simplypsychology.org/bobo-doll.html 24/02/2017, 15:31) Memory is the faculty of the mind by which information is encoded, stored, and retrieved (Atkinson Shiffrin, 1968). Memory is the process of maintaining information over time. (Matlin, 2005) There is three Memory stages: Encode: Visual (picture), Acoustic (sound), Semantic (meaning) Store: Short-term memory or Long -term memory Retrieve: context-dependent (similar situation) or state-dependent (similar emotional state) (Diagram 1 source: https://www.psychestudy.com/cognitive/memory/stages 24/02/2017 22:44) Different Memory types: (Diagram 2 source: http://www.human-memory.net/types.html 24/02/2017, 17:30) Sensory memory. Very short, if its not passed to Short-term memory its lost. For example the memory of sound/picture/word is held for a second only. Interference may prevent of memory recall. Sensory memory can be Iconic or Echoic. Short-term/working memory is a step to a Long -term memory. It holds small amount of information up to seven (+-2) units at once by a limited time, encodes information. By repeating an information we can hold it in the working memory. For example to memorise phone number we repeat it several times. But also it can be easily forgotten. People surroundings and environment have an influence on working memory. Long-term memory is more complicated. It holds information for a long time or for life-span and have unlimited capacity. There is three long-term memory systems: Episodic (e.g. experience, specific events like 5th birthday party), Semantic (facts, concepts, e.g. knowing that birds can fly) Procedural (e.g. skills, how to walk). Procedural is subcategory of Implicit memory (unconscious) and it uses past experience (e.g. musicians, in language development). Episodic and Semantic are subset of Declarative memory, which is a subset of Explicit memory (conscious) and it holds facts and events that can be stored and consciously recalled(e.g. Learning to swim) In conclusion, Learning without Memory does not exist.      Ã‚   References Atkinson, R. C., Shiffrin, R. M. (1968). Human memory: A proposed system and its control processes. In The psychology of learning and motivation: II Oxford, England: Academic Press. doi:10.1016/S0079-7421(08)60422-3 David A. Buchanan, Andrzej A. Huczynski. Organizational behaviour. 8th edition. Harlow, England Pearson (2013) p.154. Matlin, M. W. (2005). Cognition. Crawfordsville: John Wiley Sons, Inc. http://www.simplypsychology.org/bobo-doll.html 24/02/2017, 15:31 Diagram 1 source: https://www.psychestudy.com/cognitive/memory/stages 24/02/2017 22:44 Diagram 2 source: http://www.human-memory.net/types.html 24/02/2017 17:30

The Black Death Essay -- History European Plague Plagues Essays

The Black Death   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It is impossible to discuss Europe’s history without mentioning the Plague of 1348, also known as the Black Death. The Black Death reached Italian shores in the spring of 1348. The presence of such a plague was enormously devastating making its mark in unprecedented numbers in recorded history. According to records, it is estimated to have killed a third of Europe’s population. The Black Death was caused by bacteria named Yersinia Pestis. This germ was transferred from rats to fleas and then to humans. This disease spread quickly due to the infestation of rats. Also, sanitary conditions were very poor which did not help the problem at all. When a human was infected, the bacteria moved from the bloodstream traveling to the lymph nodes. The plague occurred in three forms, however, the most commonly seen form was the bubonic plague. The bubonic plague refers to the painful swelling of the lymph nodes also known as buboes. Victims were subject to bodily aches, headaches, vo miting, and nausea. Plague victims underwent severe damage to skin leading to bleeding under the skin which transformed to dark blotches, hence the term â€Å"black† death. The forming of these dark blotches was a sign of sure death within four to seven days. The consequences of this plague were tragic. The consequences included depopulation, economics and religious effects, and social change. The great population loss only served to worsen the economy. This massive plague also caused many people to lose faith in their religion, weakening the power of the church. After 1350, European culture in general turned extremely melancholic. The general mood was a depressing one. Once vivacious art was now dark with representation of death. It is easy to see how overcoming this era could force man to believe he is Great, maybe even invincible. It could also force humans to believe they have a lot to be grateful for and this quality of mind allowed them to take advantage of everything that is useful. Man is now at the center of the Universe and all men should seek for an ideal life. We call this rebirth era the Renaissance. Could something so morbid give way to something as beautiful as the Renaissance? Perhaps we owe a substantial portion of the Re naissance to the Black Death. The Renaissance is everything the Black Death wasn’t, as its survivors felt compelled to thrive in... ...Black Death passed, new advancements in architecture also became present. Small towns grew to prospering cities. This is clear evidence of Renaissance culture. Many Renaissance scholars perfected the art of educating. Many factors that emerged from the plague, consequently, paved the way for the Renaissance to emerge. The constant reforms in religion, art, medicine and science provided the basis for the Renaissance. Major Renaissance figures such as Boccaccio devoted many of their writings to the Black Death. The Renaissance was given its sense of renewal and rebirth after experiencing something as horrid as the Black Death. The Black Death allowed people of the Renaissance to realize all they were grateful for. The Black Death was the inspiration for the newly educated people to prosper in arts and new ideas about their world. Bibliography : Books and Journal Articles M.W. Dols, The Black Death in the Middle East (Princeton, 1970); American Historical Review, June 2002 v107 i3 p703(36) Bondanella . Musa, The Italian Renaissance Reader,First Printing,1987 U.S. News & World Report, April 29, 2002 p63 Monkeyshines on Health and Science: Biology, Jan 2002 p8(1)