Otavalo Cultural Integrity and the Forces of Globalization :: Outsourcing, Offshoring, Free Trade

Despite common misconception, indigenous peoples the world over are remarkably free from the cultural immobility and permanence suggested of them by foreign travel brochures and â€Å"imperialist nostalgia† (87). The attitudes, perceptions and behaviors of modern Otavalos shift and grow members of the community travel overseas and sell native textiles and music in international markets. Thus, the concept of â€Å"maintaining cultural identity† must reflect the invigorating and active exchange of social, political and economic realities between people. Adaptability is an element of every human culture around the world. Handsome profits roll into Otavalo accounts through their extensive textile industries, a complex international music scene, and annual floods of tourists for the Otavalo Saturday market. Our politically â€Å"potent tropes† of progressive/backward societies, and modern/primitive cultures are frustrated by the reality of Otavalo wealth. Yet these indigenous Ecuadorian people are no less culturally â€Å"authentic† for their organized adaptability than any other affinity of people (96). Indeed, when indigenous societies do not meet the flowery, exotic ideal of a â€Å"forgotten paradise† exhibiting a quality of â€Å"timelessness,† â€Å"foreigners often react with outrage† (87). Yet from the Inuit of Nunavut, to the Himba of Namibia to the Hawai’ians of Hawai’i, no culture is an object ready for the taking. Culture cannot be â€Å"lost like car keys† (97). Change, however, is not without cost and the question of agency. The consequences of forced cultural subordinance, as demonstrated in by colonial era, are destructive, alienating, and endlessly residual. Cultural sovereignty and political autonomy must be vigorously defended for every people: the right to collectively determine the future of one’s own people is intrinsic to maintaining a cultural identity. Ironically, it is via interaction between people and places that we learn to fully define ourselves by our own culture among the many cultures on this Earth. Only through cultural opposition can we human beings determine who we are and the relevance of our own way of living. In the late 1980s, local civil registrars allowed Otavalo parents to officially enroll their newborns given Quichua, rather than Spanish, names. This liberating gesture of cultural sovereignty revived common names of the indigena and permitted the Otavalo to powerfully reject the mestizaje in an explicit statement of faith in their own identity (234). In another, more complex, affirmation of autonomy, Otavalos maintain â€Å"a chameleonlike ability to meet audience expectations while still identifying as Otavalos† in selling their goods and exotic appeal on the global capitalist market (170).

Joining the Navy Essay

It was a rainy, humid morning on Wednesday, October 8, 2008, a day I could never forget. I turned over calmly and realized it was 4:30am, time to get out of bed. It was the big day. All these thoughts were racing through my head. â€Å"What am I doing? Am I sure this is right for me? Will I succeed in this? † I was timid, excited, and fluttered all at the same time. It was the day I’d no longer be a civilian. Eight weeks from that day I’d be calling myself a United States Navvy Sailor. As I woke up and started to get ready, I could feel goose bumps Jitter up my spine. What occupied my mind was the thought of leaving my family. I was the last child still living at home. My brother’s were already gone. Would my parents be able to cope? I know my dogs would miss me terribly. It was time to depart to the recruiting office. From there, NCI Valencia had to drive me to the Military Entrance Processing Station. That day felt like a surreal blur. NCI Valencia would give me advice with a big grin on his face, and I would hear him, but not listen. My nerves were overpowering my body and I couldn’t manage them. I then pent the whole day in a building completing all these exams to make sure I was hearty and robust to leave. That day was the longest day of my life. Looking around, I felt at ease. All the other recruits were giving out the same body language I was giving. We were all feeling the same feelings and thinking the same thoughts. I wasn’t alone. It was time for the Oath of Enlistment Ceremony. A few men in sailor uniforms brought all the recruits into a room with a variety of flags. My family was the only family that attended to take pictures of the big event. I then elevated my right hand, hile standing in the position of attention, and reiterated after Chief, â€Å"l, Amanda Lazcos, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States of America and†¦ † Using my peripheral vision, I noticed my mother crying. Keeping my emotions intact was extremely arduous. Think about this: I was embarking on a new Journey and leaving the two most important people in my life at the age of 19. This was the first time I would be away from my parents for a long period of time. It was a life-defining moment. The event had come to a close. It was now time to say my farewells. At this point, it was nearly impossible to even glance at my family. Looking at them would make me realize how much they mean to me. I tried to make it quick and simple so I wouldn’t shed a flood of tears. The last scent I reminisced on my mother was her Sunflowers perfume. She adored (and still does) that perfume. My father had this truly glorious look in his eyes. I knew he was so delighted to see me doing something positive towards my future. At the same time, I knew he was going to miss me a lot. In an instant, I was on the bus, and off to the airport along with 37 other recruits.

Avoiding Plagiarism

What is plagiarism? It seems like everyone knows it, but not everyone tries to avoid it. Practically plagiarism is cheating. We can also consider it to be stealing because when we plagiarize the paper, we use someone elses ideas or thoughts and write them down as our own. As a result we steal these ideas and thoughts from the original author. That is why it is very important to avoid plagiarism while writing a term paper. If someone will find out that paper is plagiarized, you will get in trouble. It is very easy to avoid plagiarism in the writing; you just need to know few basic concepts. First of all, it is important to remember that you need to cite all the information that you searched or founded in the book, newspaper article, Web-source or in any other source. The information may include citations, statistics, diagrams, and some facts. Another thing that you need to remember is to cite used sources correctly. It happens a lot that person gets accused of plagiarism, because he/she didnt cite the paper correctly. In order to avoid such situations you need to remember basic citation rules and few citation styles, like MLA, APA etc. It is not very difficult, because basic rules of citation styles are available in students handbooks, in books and on Internet. When you quote someones words, put phrases like: according to, or Jones says, at the beginning of the sentence. In this way you will make it clear that following words belong to the person that you refer to. At the end of the quote dont forget to put parenthetical citation of the source where you took this quote from. It is also important to remember that the quote which you insert in the text should be put in the citation marks. A lot of people consider that the paraphrased information they took from another source is not considered to be plagiarism. But this opinion is a big mistake which can cause problems. When you paraphrase someone elses words, you do not use your own ides, you still use the information that was already given to you. That is why paraphrasing is also considered to be a plagiarism. In order to avoid it, put a parenthetical citation for the information that you paraphrased. Make sure that you put citation reference at the very end of the phrase you used, because after you paraphrased the quote you may forget where it ends. Paraphrased information after the reference will be considered plagiarism. If you write a big paragraph which contains few quotes from the same source cite each quote separately, dont just put one reference at the end of the paragraph. After you will cite all the sources in the text of your paper, list these references at the end of the paper on the reference page. Usually sources on the reference page are listed in alphabetical order. Reference page should be formed according to the requirements of the particular citation style that you use. If you want to avoid plagiarism while writing your paper, make sure to follow all of the basic rules and concepts of referencing which were given above. This is the way for you to protect yourself from unnecessary problems and stress.