Havanna Travel

Family Values in Ancient Times:

Many people of the present make some very grave and disturbing
assumptions about prior unethical behaviour by humans. My
theories may be biased and overly appreciative of a time before
Empire and there is less data due to the destructive power of
Empire and the hegemony to go on. However, that data is more
pure and less likely to have been promoted or propagandized for
the interests of power-mongers. Top scholars and those who are
regarded as great academics still debate whether women ever had
equal rights and some state there never were matriarchal
societies of great note. It would be a surprise for me if there
were not many different approaches used in various cultures and
millennia before the Ice Age we just experienced and thereafter,
leading up to what we call history. Much of history today has
all the markings of hegemony akin to the Middle Ages according
to John Ralston Saul who says it “has come to resemble the
obscure and controlling scholasticism of the Middle Ages.” (1)

Could it be that ethics and moral behaviour had higher
importance in the communal houses of the Kelts and North
American Indians, as well as other societies throughout this
awesome world? We now know it has been traversed by ancient
humans who loved and played all over the place for a far longer
period than we have been lead to believe even though many may
not be aware of these facts. Is it possible that basic
principles were easily communicated and respect was the goal of
people long ago? Why even debate the point about power and money
- they had little need of it. Western society still has much of
the ingrained misogyny of millennia of macho Mediterranean mores
and the rest of the world is far worse. What greater issue is
there than incest and family violence? It rots the fabric of
families and society as a whole. This quote from respected
anthropologist Carlton Coon about the ‘hunting societies’ of
prehistory sets a stage we need to appreciate and evaluate.

“While under certain circumstances, in some societies, a young
man may marry a woman past menopause, he may manage to have
sexual relations with other women, and may eventually get a
nubile second wife.” (2)

This seems a workable arrangement that includes education and
the planning of families to avoid unnecessary abortion or mouths
who aren’t truly cared for, doesn’t it? The older woman
presumably would be able to satisfy the early sexual energy of
the young man, without leading their social or tribal culture
into all the problems associated with children having children
such as often happens today. The young man might even develop
some sexual techniques and understand his urges better than pure
lustful infatuation or the need to run off to fight in order to
get rape and pillage payment for some Lord or Caesar. Then when
financially and emotionally prepared for parenting he might
actually do a decent job. Coon was able to observe this still
exists in some Neolithic societies of the present day. When the
second wife arrived it might present some problems but in most
cases the first wife would probably enjoy helping the new wife
to understand her opportunities better. Yes, I do overstate the
case, I suppose, but in the Keltic clandoms it was even better
than I am suggesting.

Kids were a resource and source of pride for the whole clan. In
the dynamic of raising a child this allowed for many things to
occur in a more mature environment with less emotional
blackmail. That does not lessen the aspirations parents have for
their children but it makes for a lot less vicarious pressure,
as parents have to spend all their waking hours attending to the
needs of kids; who see a way to get what they want by playing to
the unrealistic parents who have yet to learn what they need to
know. There are aspects of North American Indians tribes that
show a similar approach to child-raising. The Stadacona Indians
sent some of their children with Cartier, much as the Kelts
shared educational opportunities with trading partners. Aunts
and uncles do the disciplining of children among the Cree. The
extended family and communal living is very clannish and even
Gibbon noted there were heraldic Indian regalia that mirrored
those of British heraldry.

The Hurons and Iroquois are most like the Irish or Norse Kelts
in their social structure. Crimes committed by a member of a
family or clan (tribe) are paid for by the whole family. With
this kind of policing or morals bureaucracy would starve for
want of something to do. The compassion and behaviour
modification of a family is better than that of the police or
prisons, I think. The women of the Iroquois were the decision
makers in most cases except the daily running of a war once it
was approved. These women owned the assets or leaseholds. No one
owned land just as was true in the land use laws of the Kelts
which the English had to expunge along with all other just and
fair culture when they finally forced Ireland under their rule.
The Indians still practice Potlatch or the giving of respect and
assets despite the 1920s law against it in Canada. We can all
imagine the Tax collectors don’t like this kind of custom. It
was much more than mere taxes the government sought and the
Supreme Court has ruled the government and Catholic Church were
intent on the total destruction of Indian beliefs, in recent
rulings.

“In any event, the incest tabus recognized in any given hunting
society bear some relationship to his choice (or to his and/or
her parents’ choice) of a marital partner. Of these prohibitions
there are three basic and quite different incest tabus,
prohibiting intercourse between father and daughter, mother and
son, and brother and sister. These prohibitions are not based on
instinct or the inductive experience of the genetic consequences
that sometimes result {Like the idiots and haemophiliacs or
sexual deviates who lead us as a result of ‘noble’ heritage - to
war and other great heroic endeavours.}. Some individuals
violate them, but if so the violations do not result in marriage.

To a considerable extent these primary incest tabus are based
on two kinds of antisocial results. Parent-child intercourse
would disrupt the lines of authority between generations, lines
that hold the family together. Brother-sister intercourse during
adolescence would inhibit intermarriage between families,
reducing their interdependence. Were a married woman to have
intercourse with her brother, it would create a state of serious
conflict between her husband and his brother-in-law, two kinsmen
by marriage who, in certain cultures, might need each other’s
confidence and help.” (3)

The ‘controlling scholasticism of the Middle Ages’ referred to
by Ralston Saul was part of the continuing effort to destroy
these real family values. The marriage laws of the Kelts had to
be eliminated because these laws were equitable and fair to
women and children. Bastards were not ever possible in Keltic
society and the idea of a single mother was totally different
than it is today. Of course, the payment of mercenaries
including the rape and pillage which enabled men to gradually
lose all decent tabus or constructs based on the ancient means
of care for each other that were part of all the systems
Brotherhood developed, through common sense. The elevation of
Gods from the state of hero (mere human) to Divine Rights and
separate from Nature, is at the root of a lot of it. Heyerdahl
thinks Odin was a Keltic king in southern Russia around the time
of Christ and I find that entirely likely. When man began to say
other men were unable to comprehend nature and needed an
interpreter for the collective soul of humanity and all life,
things began the downward drift to the hegemony that often even
denies man has a soul.

The extent of character assassination by academics that do not
delve into the reasons for Caesar’s propaganda or quote others
who did not employ due diligence is as evident today as it ever
was. The people who focus on Keltic sacrifices and trophy head
customs are telling a fact but not the whole truth. What is
abortion and capital punishment if not sacrificing the life of
people, perhaps for a common good? Victorian prudishness
developed the ’sins and demons’ fear-mongering of Jehovian greed
even further. In fact the Western Tradition has succeeded in the
destruction of all Ancient Knowledge if you were to believe what
is allowed to be disseminated through ‘official’ or educational
channels. The Temples of Saphos and Mesopotamia joined all
Mediterranean cultures in some form of forced prostitution for
women, while the Biblical ‘Devoted Ones’ were sacrificed when
the priest or his cronies were through with other obvious and
disgusting uses of them. Often the orphans and waifs caused by
the changing laws and racial unrest and prejudice fomented in
these times, led souls to a place worse than the Hell ruled by
the Catholic created Satan. The excellent book called The Golden
Bough by Sir James Frazer gives ample evidence from credible
sources about burning Red Heads and women of all classes being
forced to sell their bodies and give the money to the Temple. It
may have started with Abraham (and other Ur-Story proponents
with their harems) and his baby-factories but it was certainly
not the way of ancient Kelts even after his time. The Indians of
North America and the natives of Hawaii are ample testimony of
the diversity of Keltic egalitarian approaches.

The first step a writer must take before starting any work is
defining the audience; who he/she is writing to. At last count
there were an estimated billion Web users. Writing content for
the World Wide Web means writing for a vast, multilingual,
multicultural audience of varied educational background. The web
is spreading rapidly through the third world. Though English is
now the dominant language, it has been forecast that by the end
of 2007, there will be more Chinese than English screens. The
literacy rate of users is rising as the internet spreads and
education improves. Ever widening differences in cultures must
be taken into account as less developed countries gain increased
access. Though it is nearly impossible to define such a huge and
varied audience, let us start with what we know we can say about
users in the web audience.

Internet Users (aka Surfers)

The internet is a fast medium; hypertext allows users to travel
at light speed. One click and they’re gone. Think of users as
busy, impatient, petulant children with an attention span of
about ten seconds, who are on the web to find something or find
out something and find it fast.

Now, let’s attempt to define the most universal classification;
men, women and the kids.

Men

Men continue to be the most important users of the web,
especially when spending enters the equation, and pursue
internet activities more extensively than women though not as
much as the hyper-kinetic youth. Assailed on all sides by the
latest gadgets and toys, pressured at work, diverted by the wife
and kids, mind on other things; it’s amazing he can find the
time.

Women

Women are fast catching up to men as internet users, though
their concerns are more focused on connections with people than
business and technology. They still hold the purse strings and
will ultimately dominate use of the web. Baby on her knee,
kids in the car, dinner not yet in the oven, the house a mess,
still plenty of shopping to do, needing the internet as much if
not more than anyone; she doesn’t have the time.

Kids

The younger generation have embraced the new technology
wholeheartedly, especially 12-28 year olds, and are by far the
largest users of the web. Cell phone in one ear, Ipod in the
other, parents on their case, friends at beck and call,
pretending to do schoolwork, exploring the hottest sites,
chatting on IM, listening to the latest tunes, downloading the
latest videos, playing online games - all at the same time;
so much to do, so little time.

What is the Web Audience

Despite their differences, they all have one thing in common;
they don’t have the time. They want it short, they want it
obvious and they want it right now. Hyper-impatient, they scan
and react; clicking and moving on. Users read only what catches
their eye. They look for headings, lists, tables, small
digestible bites of text and links.

How to Write for that Audience

Text is seen not necessarily read. Keep it short, simple and to
the point. Use simple words and simple sentences to describe
simple ideas. Keep it conversational without being overly
familiar and chatty. Avoid all lingo, slang and jargon and stay
away from the overly popular words that have crept into our
speech (really, like, basically). Minimize adjectives and
adverbs; they adorn, not tell. Though you may be writing to
millions, try to keep it personal and make it human.

Strict rules of grammar and punctuation do not necessarily
apply to the web. Keep punctuation to a minimum; periods and
commas are enough. The classic paragraph is obsolete; divide
text into chunks or blocks. The sentence, the basis of all
composition, is under attack as well; phrases and even fragments
serve. Use headings extensively and keep them as short as
possible. Lists (numbered and bulleted) organize information
visually and make it more accessible; use them often. Tables
convey enormous amounts of information quickly; use them
whenever feasible. Employ text graphically. Typography (font,
size, style, weight, leading) contains an enormous amount of
power. Readers will read more if they see it. Use it to get
their attention; even if it practically jumps out and bites
them. The web is a hypertext medium, use plenty of links.

And remember, no matter who you are or who you think you
are, and who you think they are, don’t ever talk down to your
readers. Treat them with care and respect.

PREPARING EMPLOYEES FOR THE PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL INTERVIEWS: Remind employees to give some thought to the purpose of performance appraisal: it is a means to learn from the past, plan for the future, and improve effectiveness and work satisfaction. The performance appraisal discussion is an opportunity to motivate, recognize, and reward your employee. It is a time for you and your employee to share perceptions about the employee’s accomplishments during the performance period. It is meant to be a culmination of all previous communications made during the performance period.

PREPERATORY QUESTIONS FOR EMPLOYEES BEFORE A PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL: 1. What is the overall purpose of your job? Think about what your contributions are to the operation of your work group, department, and the university as a whole. What is the output of your job, not just the specific tasks you perform? Why does your job exist? 2. What are your major areas of responsibility? Which are the most important? Why? 3. What are the performance expectations of your job? What is your understanding of how well each part of the job must be performed? 4. How can your performance be measured? How do you know when you succeed in each critical area? What happens when the job is well done?

QUESTIONS CONTINUED: 1. Which tasks or functions, if not completed, would make performance unacceptable in your job? 2. In which areas of the job have you done especially well during the time period to be reviewed? What helped you to do well? In which areas would you like to make improvements? How could this be done? 3. How has your supervisor influenced your effectiveness and job satisfaction? What could he/she do to provide more guidance and assistance for you? 4. What changes in your job, procedures, or interpersonal communications would you suggest to your supervisor to:

–improve your performance? –increase the effectiveness of your position?

– provide you with greater job satisfaction?

Copyright AE Schwartz & Associates All rights reserved. For additional presentation materials and resources: ReadySetPresent and for a Free listing as a Trainer, Consultant, Speaker, Vendor/Organization: TrainingConsortium

CEO, A.E. Schwartz & Associates, Boston, MA., a comprehensive organization which offers over 40 skills based management training programs. Mr. Schwartz conducts over 150 programs annually for clients in industry, research, technology, government, Fortune 100/500 companies, and nonprofit organizations worldwide. He is often found at conferences as a key note presenter and/or facilitator. His style is fast-paced, participatory, practical, and humorous. He has authored over 65 books and products, and taught/lectured at over a dozen colleges and universities throughout the United States.

Americans need to get used to the idea that, no matter what The United States Of America does, the rest of the world will never like us.

Ours is a unique society. We are made up of people from almost every other nationality in the world. We were originaly formed by immigrants seeking religious and other freedoms. Our ethics and moral codes were formed mainly from Judeo-Christian ideals, ie: The Old And New Testaments, The Ten Commandments and the teachings of Jesus Christ. Our form of government is mainly secular but our way of living, our body of law and our way of thinking is, for the most part, Judeo-Christian.

Ours is not an insular society. All Americans, with the possible exception of Native American Indians, are decended from immigrants. These immigrants have come from all over the world. These immigrants brought, with them, differing ideas, customs and ways of doing things. Many of these ideas, customs and ways of doing things have been melded into our way of life. The foregoing has made us completely different than any other country in the world and people, due to the nature of humans, don’t always like other people who are different.

Ours is a wealthy country, not only in resources and land but also in our varied citizenry and our freedoms. This makes other people jealous or envious. They don’t have what we have, so they say that they don’t like us or that they hate us. Some of those same people, however, can’t wait to immigrate to this country, in order to have what we have.

Our people, for the most part, are loving, caring and generous. This may very well be one of our biggest problems. We want to give to and help others. Many people think of our giving and help as pure interference while others feel that no one would give or help without expecting something in return. No other country in the world is guided by Judeo-Christain principles so no other country in the world thinks or believes as we do. We can’t understand how they think and they can’t understand how we think.

We deal with other countries and their people as we deal with each other. We don’t understand that, in most parts of the world, fear and hatered are more powerful than love, greed and envy are more powerful than kindness and generosity, wanting to win is more powerful than a sense of fair play and that all of the foregoing are considered by many people to be weaknesses.

When France helped us during the Revolutionary War, the facts that the were already at war with England in the Caribbean, that we had to pay them for their help and that they did not come to our assistance untill they were sure that we had already won the war, did not stop us from being grateful. When During the Civil War and The War of 1812 a few French helped the Union, again for pay and again after they believed that the Union had won or would win the war, we were grateful. We we helped the French during their Civil War and in the First and Second World Wars, a few French were grateful but many more hated us. After all, we had humiliated them by helping them. We had shown them that they could not succeed with out our assistance. When the French believed that, Saddam Hussein did have weapons of mass destruction and was a threat to the world, they refused to help us or to join with us because their profits were more important than the live’s of others. They believed that they were safe because they were trading partners with Hussein. In addition, they feel that we have too much power so, they oppose us every chance they get (Don’t tell me about Desert Storm, the French did and contributed very little. The main thing they did was to help talk us out of going into Bagdad and ending the problem in Iraq, thereby saving their trading partner Saddam Hussein.). On the other hand, they want our money from tourism and trade so they invite our citizens to visit and to buy their goods. The French do not do anything unless it is in their own best intrest (By the way, I hate to admit this, but I have been told that, much to my regret, I am part French.). I know that the foregoing paragraph makes it sound as if I am a biggot. I am not a biggot, I just do not like being used, abused and lied to and I feel that that is what has been happening ever since the French Indian War or as it is also called, The Seven Years War, which took place before we were even a country.

Russia hates us for causing the breakup of the Soviet Union. The governments of Russia, Mainland China, North Korea, most Moslim countries, many African countries, some Central and South American countries and certain other countries hate us because they are afraid that their citizens might try to emulate us and rise up and take away their power over those citizens. Additionally, most Moslim countries hate us because our country does not follow Islam, ‘the one true religion’. According to them we are Satanists for not following the ‘one true God’. Since all of these governments control, in large part, the information sources in those countries, the majority of the people of those countries believe the lies and propaganda that are reported about us. Notice, however, how when many, not all, of those citizens make it into this country, they learn about us and they become, not only good citizens but, assets to our country. Some of our most contributing citizens came from countries that hated or fought against us at one time or another.

People that can recieve or hear news about our country, listen to our loudest and most strident voices. Voices from people like Howard Dean, Ted Kennedy, Nancy Pelosi, Alec Baldwin, Susan Sarandon, Jane Fonda, Whoopi Goldberg, Al Sharpton, etc.. Since many people, in other countries, don’t understand the true meaning of freedom of speech, they think that these people are speaking for all of us. They think that all of us hate President Bush, they think that our country is filled with prejudice and hatred, they think that crime is out of controll and they think that every one of us carries guns and shoot each other for no reason, they think that we all feel that the war in Iraq is immoral or already lost, they think that all Republicans and most whites hate minorities and all non Jewish or Christian religions.

These people in other countries don’t understand that the voices that they are hearing come from a very loud and vocal minority of hard line left wing zealots and that those voices do not speak for all of us. These people also hear from a few loud and vocal far right wing zealots, however the right wing zealots are not celebrities so these people don’t pay as much attention to them. What the people in other countries don’t understand is that the majority of people in this country are moderate to slightly left or right wing and don’t really agree with either the far left or the far right. The majority of people in this country are hard working, kind, caring and generous people. However, moderate views are not exciting and therefore do not sell a lot of newspapers or garner a lot of television viewers, so moderate views do not get much coverage here or in any of the free or fairly free foriegn press.

Finally, most of the people in the world don’t like each other, many Chinese consider anyone not Chinese to be a barbarian and less than human, Indians and Pakastanis hate each other, Russia and all of the old Soviet Union members fight or feud with each other, many Muslims hate Jews and Christians, most Arab countries seem to hate Isreal, Muslim sects hate and kill each other, the French think that everyone else is beneath them, some Irish hate the British, in Ireland Catholics and Protestants fight each other, many Chinese and Koreans hate the Japanese and many Japanese hate the Chinese and the Koreans, Africans hate and kill other Africans, Argentines feel superior to citizens of other South American contries, etc, etc.. If so many people in the world hate or dislike each other, how can we expect them to like or love us?

Isn’t it about time that we quite worrying about being liked and instead started worrying about being respected or even a little feared. Fear usually generates a certain amount of respect. I’m not suggesting that we become another Soviet Union or a China. I am saying that perhaps we should stop worrying what the world thinks of us and instead stand up for ourselves. Use our financial clout, sacrifice a little, or a lot by not buying oil and goods from our enemies, cancell free trade agreements with our detractors, etc.. Sure many things will cost us more, but aren’t our way of life and our dignity worth something. And, if we do need to use military force, maybe we should use it without first trying to get everyone else’s permission. Help from countries like France, Germany, Russia and China would cost us more than it would help us. Help from the United Nations always seems to cost us more, in money and problems, than it helps us. There are a few countries, Australia, England, Israel, Taipei and a few others that usually stick by us, however, we may not always be able to count on them. Even now many people in England are trying to have Tony Blair removed from office and if we don’t start doing a better job of helping our friend and ally Israel, they may, someday, cease to exist.

David G. Hallstrom, Sr. is a retired private investigator and currently publishes several internet directories including http://www.resourcesforattorneys.com a legal and lifestyle resources directory for attorneys, lawyers and the internet public. For more lifestyle information see http://lifestyle.resourcesforattorneys.com, the Lifestyle directory from Resources For Attorneys.

Fashion design vocational schools offer two-year programs that teach the fundamentals of fashion design; students are able to earn certificates and an Associate of Arts degree. Some industry leaders suggest the vocational training schools as being better forms of preparation when compared to four-year institutions or many others colleges.

Vocational facilities usually teach fashion design in a two-tiered certificate program that is part of an Associate of Arts degree. For quick access to the field, you should consider going for the first level certificate. You will be a Design Room Assistant once you earn this short certificate. Gaining employment as an assistant in a bustling design room will provide the opportunity to engage in an exciting variety of tasks and duties, gain more experience and develop as a fashion professional designer.

You will have a greater chance for an Assistant Designer position, if you further your education and earn a 2nd level proficiency certificate, after gaining more experience. This job would require you to prepare flat sketches of garments together with details required for production. You’ll need to comprehend the make up of fabrics and their performances. You will need to be reliable and flexible and carry out several duties.