Alberto Méndez’s *The Blind Sunflowers*: A Family’s Trauma During the Spanish Civil War
Alberto Méndez, The Blind Sunflowers
Key Ideas and Structure
1. Part of Content:
From “I now regret …” to “… they were not warned.”
Idea: The narrator currently regrets not having prevented his parents from exercising vigilance over his brother Salvador, as they did when he was a child.
1.1 His parents were alerted when the priest came by surprise to their home.
2. Part of Content:
From “kicking came …” (in the middle of the first paragraph) to “… with my mother” (end of the second paragraph).
Read MoreThe Russian, Habsburg, and Ottoman Empires: A 19th-Century Analysis
The Russian Empire
Ethnic Diversity
We find a vast empire with a will of expansion. The boundaries are marked by the Congress of Vienna, and there is great ethnic diversity:
- In the Baltic regions spanning Finland, Karelia, Estonia, and Livonia.
- In the center, much of Poland (the richest), including the capital Warsaw.
- In the South, there is a river, Prut, which delimits the Warsaw, which is Russian, and Moldova, which is of the Romanians.
They want to be bigger; the weather has defined its history. It
Read MoreTheories of the Origin of Life and Evolution
Early Theories About the Origin of Life
Creation
Religious texts, from the Bible or the Koran to the Hindu Vedas, each in its own way describes the origin of the world and living beings. Most of them describe creations made by a creator, God, or spirit, who acts on the matter or creates humans from the earth or rock.
Spontaneous Generation
Aristotle was the great synthesizer of ideas about spontaneous generation. He believed that certain beings could not only be engendered from their parents but also
Read MoreThe First World War: Causes and Alliances 1914-1918
The First World War, 1914-1918
International Relations Between 1870 and 1914
Bismarckian Systems, 1873-1890
In foreign policy, Bismarck, the German Chancellor, set the following objectives:
- Germany should achieve hegemony in Europe.
- Maintain cordial relations with the United Kingdom, which would show dominance outside of Europe.
- Internationally isolate France.
- Avoid confrontation between Austria-Hungary and Russia in the Balkans.
Bismarckian systems were threefold:
Bismarckian System 1, 1873
It was signed:
Read MorePolitical Law: Athens, Sparta, Plato’s Republic, and Justice
Final Exam Questions: Political Law
Athens and Sparta: Forms of Government in 5th Century BC Greece
Athens and Sparta were the two main city-states in 5th century BC Greece. Here are their different forms of government and relevant institutions:
Athens
The Constitution of Athens polarized all democratic states of Greece.
The Boule or Council of 500 was composed of 500 citizens over 30 years of age, with 50 from each tribe. It executed Assembly resolutions, governed finances, received ambassadors, and
ISO 9000:2000 Quality Management System Requirements
Focused Management Processes
The desired outcomes are achieved more efficiently when resources and related activities are managed as a process.
Towards Integrated Management Process
Identifying, understanding, and managing interrelated processes as a system contributes to the effectiveness and efficiency of an organization in achieving its goals.
Continuous Improvement
- Continuous improvement of the organization and its activities must become a priority and a permanent objective.
- The Deming Cycle, or PDCA
Java Programming Exercises: Solutions and Code
Java Programming Exercises
Exercise 1: Calculate the Average of N Numbers
Write a program that displays the average of a sequence of N numbers entered by the user. The program should ask for the value of N at startup.
import java.util.*;
public class PromedioN {
public static void main(String[] args) {
Scanner input = new Scanner(System.in);
System.out.print("Enter the number of digits: ");
int n = input.nextInt();
int sum = 0;
for (int i = 1; i <= n; Read More
International Economy and Technological Shifts: 1870-1945
Item 3: The Emergence of an International Economy (1870-1945)
1. Market, Trade, and Factors
a) The Integration of Markets
Trade in antiquity was based on traditional economies in which the movement of goods was limited due to inefficient transport. Modern economies are built to sell, and with them increases the movement of goods and factors. Trade grew faster than production in the nineteenth century: GDP increased by 2.5% and trade by 4%. Foreign trade multiplied by 25 due to the internationalization
Read MorePost-WWII World: Rise of Superpowers and Cold War Dynamics
Introduction
At the end of World War II, the world was dominated by two powers: the United States and the Soviet Union. Bloc politics led to the alignment of many countries in the world in one way or another. The Soviet Union became the strength of the field, exerting its influence over vast territories.
1. United States: Leader of the Capitalist World
1.1. The Assertion of American Power
The prevalence of the U.S. rested on three pillars:
- The technological and economic superiority.
- The political prestige.
European Union and International Organizations: A Glossary
Single European Act
1986. This was the first modification of the basic treaties of the European Communities. Among its major innovations, it sanctioned the existence of the European Council and strengthened the powers of the European Parliament with the aim of establishing the single market.
World Bank (WB)
An international economic institution born after the Bretton Woods Conference in 1944, with the role of providing credit worldwide, but especially to developing States. It is owned by 185 countries.
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