Origins of Democracy in Paleolithic Hunter-Gatherer Groups

A paper by Doron Shultziner, PhD, referenced in Part I of this essay and entitled, “Evolution and Liberal Democracy,”  highlights the shortcomings of definitions of democracy in the 20th century that ignore and obscure the evolutionary nature of democratic ideals.  The discussion is found in a section labeled, “Setting Democracy in a Larger Evolutionary Context,” 

Democracy at the beginning of the 21st century is a term that denotes a variety of regimes that share similar main characteristics. Democracy has a thin procedural definition and thicker definitions. The thin definition of democracy is a political system with universal suffrage and “whose leaders are elected in competitive multi-party and multi-candidate processes in which opposition parties have a legitimate chance of attaining power or participating in power” [citation in original]….Thicker definitions of democracy require effective and enlightened participation as well as human rights and freedoms beyond what is necessary for a democratic process [citations in original]. Thicker standards of democracy usually relate to liberal-democracies, namely democratic countries which are free and respectable to human rights. The two categories, however, are not necessarily synonymous [citation in original].

Defined by these criteria, however, democracy is a very recent invention that appeared only in the 20th century after women gained voting rights. The merits of these definitions have been recognized by political scientists for providing a useful analytical tool and for distinguishing democracies from other types of regimes, at least since the 20th century [citation in original]. 

Unfortunately, 20th century definitions of democracy, useful as they may be to distinguish democracies from nondemocracies at present, are not applicable to democracies prior to the 20th century [citations in original].  The famous democracy of Athens (and other Greek cities) about 2500 years ago is not a democracy by today’s definitions because not all men, women or slaves were allowed to vote or have any say about matters that influenced their lives. For similar reasons, the American democracy was lacking significant characteristics prior to the 20th century. In Switzerland, men gained suffrage as early as 1848; women in Switzerland, however, began gaining suffrage only in 1971 and the Swiss canton Appenzell Innerrhoden was forced by the Supreme Court to give women voting rights as late as 1990.  Still, it would not make much sense to argue that Switzerland became a democracy only in 1971 or 1990. 20th century definitions of democracy detach democracy from its historical roots for reasons of analytical clarity. It is not that these historical roots are not unacknowledged; rather, they are perceived to be irrelevant for the purpose of analyzing the unprecedented number of democratic transitions in the 20th century. This logic, as I intend to show in the following pages, is flawed because it fails to recognize seminal historical democracies as forerunners of a much deeper and profound phenomenon….

Egalitarian Social Structures in the Paleolithic Era

I believe that much of our ability to understand the transition to democracy is impaired by the focus on 20th century standards of democracy. I argue that shared features exist between 20th century democracies, democracies prior to the 20th century, and ancient forms of human egalitarian societies.

Estimates for Homo sapiens appearance are between 200,000 and 100,000 years ago [citation in original].  We know that all human beings lived throughout this period, known as the Paleolithic era (2 million -10,000 B.C.E), in small nomadic societies of hunters and gatherers (i.e. foragers) who were usually of an average group size of 25 people, although at times of festivals group size could reach over one hundred [citations in original].  Human beings in the Paleolithic era have [sic] had the same physiological and psychological capabilities as us (“biologically they were us” [citation in original], although their cultures and ways of life were obviously different.  These forager bands sustained their ways of life and social structures into the 20th century. Forager bands, albeit influenced to different degrees by external factors, were extensively studied around the world by anthropologists, and these studies provide valuable information regarding behavior and social structures in the Paleolithic era. 

An important characteristic of forager bands, which has become a topic of interest especially since the 1990’s, is their egalitarian social structures.  Wide agreement exists that the social structure of small nomadic societies in the Paleolithic era was egalitarian [citations in original]. Even at the present, after a long period of environmental influences, only a few examples of nonegalitarian foraging societies exist, and these too are affected by high population density and large group size, sedentary life, and other specific characteristics [citation in original]. As Boehm [citation in original] puts it, “Indeed, this egalitarian approach appears to be universal for foragers who live in small bands that remain nomadic, suggesting considerable antiquity for political egalitarianism.”  No strict hierarchical structure existed in foraging bands: decisions had to be reached through consensus, leaders usually had little, if any, substantial power over other group members, and people could come and go as they pleased [Emphasis added].

The Linkage Between Technology and Democracy

As Shultziner points out:

The Paleolithic era, however, ended with the invention of agriculture 10,000 years ago, human beings began to settle permanently in one place and to grow plants and animals for their subsistence. This period in human history is known as the Neolithic era. Gradually, sedentary agriculture became the dominant mode of life in most areas of the world inhabited by humans (but not in all areas). The invention of agriculture revolutionized the environmental conditions human beings once lived under, and consequently remarkably changed social structures. Small egalitarian foraging societies were replaced by larger scale sedentary settlements, some of which later became empires. As these sedentary settlements developed and grew, central authoritative power of large scale societies came into being. Put differently, the invention of agriculture resulted in far-reaching consequences on the social structures of human beings.

Shultziner aids understanding by putting the “entire time-span of human history, into an intriguing, one-day, temporal scale.

In order to put the emergence of democracy, and the transitions to democracy, in the right context, then, it would be helpful to compare the scope of this phenomenon to the entire time-span of human history, namely at least 102,000 years (if not 200,000) since Homo sapience began to dwell on the earth. A helpful perceptual scale and illustration would be to compare the relative portion of historical periods to their equivalent in a one-day scale. For more than 21.5 hours of the day (more than 90% of human history), human beings lived in small egalitarian societies of foragers. The emergence of agriculture and the beginning of the Neolithic era occurred in the last 2.5 hours of the day. The Athenian democracy briefly emerged and disappeared 36 minutes before midnight. The modern territorial sovereign state system that began to crystallize after the Peace of Westphalia (1648) was created in the last 8 seconds of that day. Democracy, as a type of regime that qualifies to 20th century definitions, emerged barely 2 seconds ago! In this context, and by 20th century standards of the term, democracy is a very recent development in human history [Emphasis added].

Shultziner goes on to state:

Although democracy by 20th century definition may be a very new phenomenon, I argue that its historical roots and causes lie in ancient times, long before the Athenian democracy came into being [citation in original].  In order to gain a better understanding of why we witness a fast rate of transitions to democracy in recent history we are required to look more closely at the egalitarian social structures under which human beings lived through the Paleolithic era.

In Part III of this essay, I shall discuss the development of these egalitarian social structures as they relate to the culture of early man and their linkage with what is known about social behavior in other species.

Noun 1. etiquette  – rules governing socially acceptable behavior

Since there are so many religions, cultures, and customs in the world today it is hard to keep track of what is deemed appropriate behavior at any social function. Weddings in particular have their own set of rules, mix that with the different customer, cultures and religions, and weddings all of a sudden become a complex event to attend.

Etiquette comes into play right away during the planning process from the invitations all the way to handling the gifts at the end of the day. For example the wording of the invitation can be tricky to figure out; usually the first names to appear on an invitation should be those of the people paying for the wedding. The only abbreviations allowed on an invitation are Mr., Mrs., and Dr., Nicknames are not appropriate. All names, the date, and the time should be written out in full on the invitation. Keeping track of the responses for your big day also requires some form of etiquette. For instance, you must keep track of your responses and their requirements for their meals properly, as it can appear disorganized the day of.

For the gifts, both monetary and non-monetary ensure that there are proper receiving instructions to those ‘manning’ that station. For monetary gifts, you want to ensure that you have a proper, decorative, container to hold the envelopes that your guests bring. Going to a wedding where your card is shoved and folded and creased into a small container never appears polite. You want to ensure that their gifts, big and small are both appreciated to ensure a pleasurable experience for all.

What is considered proper etiquette in one custom may not be the same in another. Traditionally in a Chinese wedding the bride wears a red wedding dress as red is the colour of love and joy. If a bride were to wear a red wedding dress in a traditional Italian wedding, this would be deemed inappropriate. In traditional Russian culture the bride and groom throw their champagne glasses onto the floor after toasting. If the glasses break, the couple can expect happiness. Now if this were to happen at a quite English ceremony it would seem inappropriate.

As you can see the traditions and customs of each culture and religion can vary the rules of etiquette. The best practice is to find out what it suitable in both your side and your brides/grooms side and find out how to reach a happy medium between the two if they are very different.

About traditions and cultural practices that hurt women. Forced, arranged marriages & genital mutilation among the list.

“GENDER EQUALITY TAKING A STAND AGAINST PRACTICES THAT HARM WOMEN” FROM http://www.unfpa.org/

Throughout the world, practices that undermine the well-being of women endure. But like slavery and foot-binding, they constitute egregious violations of basic human rights.

• At least 130 million women have been forced to undergo female genital mutilation/cutting. Another 2 million are at risk each year from this degrading and dangerous practice.
• Killings in the name of ‘honour’  take the lives of thousands of young women every year, mainly in Western Asia, North Africa and parts of South Asia.
• Forced early marriage of young girls or adolescents is another practice that can cause lifelong psychological as well as physical problems, especially those resulting from early childbearing.

In most industrialized societies, although gender-based violence is officially condemned, it persists, implicitly sanctioned by messages in mass media.

In some developing countries, practices that subjugate and harm women – such as wife-beating, killings in the name of honour, female genital mutilation/cutting and dowry deaths – are condoned as being part of the natural order of things. Throughout much of Asia, a preference for male children results in the neglect and sometimes infanticide of girls, or their elimination by abortion in places where prenatal tests are available to determine the sex of the foetus.

And as conflicts among ethnic groups rage, women and girls have increasingly become pawns of war, and face rape and forced pregnancies. FGM/FGC, coerced sex and early marriage are also factors in the spread of HIV to women.

Eradicating long-standing traditional practices does not happen overnight. One way to begin, though, is by information and advocacy that raises public awareness and changes the climate of public opinion.

“Consensus-building around social issues is extremely difficult, because it touches the identity of nations, communities and individuals. Discussion of social questions polarizes viewpoints and may seem to widen the gap between cultures. But in the end, the overriding social purpose concentrates our minds and enables us to bridge all cultural gaps-not because we want to go home with an agreed form of words, but because all of us, each in our own way, want to save people’s lives.”

—UNFPA Executive Director Thoraya Ahmed Obaid

THE TITTLE OF THIS KOREAN MOVIE IS “THE CHILD BRIDE” About a family that is to wed their children in order to keep a promise to their grandfather.

Last saturday, I followed my Japanese Language School, which is ABK to the hiking trip to Takao-San (高尾山). This trip is well known by Japanese and almost all Japanese went there for hiking when it’s their holiday during primary school.^^

From what I saw from the Weather Broadcast, it will be really sunny that day and so I asked one of my classmate to go together with me, which He become the main Cameraman for that day’s Hiking. ^^

My cameraman that day. He got a Awesome Camera… Hope to own one too…

We reached at the Takao-san Station (高尾山駅) at around 10.00 a.m. and started to go up the hill with more than fifty thousand people. It’s really cramped that day since it was a 3-days holiday for all those Japanese. And the days after that saturday will not be sunny anymore so it’s harder to be able to see those beautiful Kouyou（紅葉）.

This is what we chinese called “People Mountain People Sea” ?

This beautiful shot is taken at before we walking up the hill. It’s over the river.

On our way up the hill. We got through lots of Temples and Shrine. At these temples and shrine, we got to see lots of Kouyou and I really found it’s beautiful especially it’s so sunny that day.

Taken at the place called 薬王院.

Yes, It’s me. You all got to see my face again. LOL

We started to climb up the hill and taken 3 Rest on the way up there. Compared to Hiking at Malaysia, Japan’s Hill is harder to go up. Even for me who often go Hiking at Penang Hill before also getting quite tired from walking up this hill. The first Rest station is as you seen from the above pictures of me. From that point, we can see view of Shinjuku (新宿).

Well, can’t really see it through… ^^”

Well, Guess I will leave the rest of the pictures for you all to see it for yourself. ^^

Spotted this Stupid Bird. LOL

Especially Liked this one.

Please dress up like a monkey and pose yourself like the above poster. You will be rewarded some Peanuts and some garbage for you to bring back home.

For your Info, This temple have two Tengu (天狗) like Shameimaru　(射命丸), Which called 大小天狗 this one is the 大 one. Only the 大 one hold the 扇子 like Shameimaru’s. The other one hold on a sword.

Liked traditional Japanese Structures.

This seemed like the staircase to the heaven.

Posing this double Scissor Pose and press ↑↑↓↓←→△＋〇 then you will activate the Super Saiya Jin Mode.

Me and a friend from Hong Kong. He owned an Iphone too. ^^

Good morning Sir.

I came here Twice. How about you?

Around 5.00 P.M. back down from the mountain and are ready to go back home.

I personally enjoyed this trip to Takao-San and the Kouyou is really great! We meet with lots of Chinese people from China just to take a flight here to see the Kouyou. How rich them are…

Anyway, If you planned to come to Japan’s Takao-San to see Kouyou. I would recommened you middle of November. It’s the Best season to see Kouyou at Takao-San.

This is the true story of what it means to attempt an illegal border crossing. At each page, I could nod and agree, as I have heard the stories personally. I recommend the book to all people prejudiced against undocumented workers; the story details why they come, how they suffer and the odds they face. Some of the descriptions of death in the desert are horrible; everyone needs to understand the struggle, the betrayal by “coyotes” and their leaders, and the bravery of men and women who attempt again and again to enter the U.S.

Gandhi

Gandhi is a 1982 biographical film based on the life of Mohandas Gandhi, who led the nonviolent resistance movement against British colonial rule in India during the first half of the 20th century. The film was directed by Richard Attenborough and stars Ben Kingsley as Gandhi. They both won Academy Awards for their work on the film. The film was also given the Academy Award for Best Picture and won eight Academy Awards in total.

The Great Debaters

Based on a true story, the plot revolves around the efforts of debate coach Melvin B. Tolson  at historically black Wiley College to place his team on equal footing with whites in the American South during the 1930s, when Jim Crow laws were common and lynch mobs were a pervasive fear for blacks. In the movie, the Wiley team eventually succeeds to the point where they are able to debate Harvard University.

The movie also explores the social milieu of Texas during the Great Depression including not only the day-to-day insults and slights African Americans endured, but also a lynching. Also depicted is James L. Farmer, Jr. who, at 14 years old, was on Wiley’s debate team after completing high school (and who later went on to co-found C.O.R.E., the Congress of Racial Equality). According to the Houston Chronicle, another character depicted on the team, Samantha Booke, is based on the real individual Henrietta Bell Wells, “the only female member of the 1930 debate team from Wiley College who participated in the first collegiate interracial debate in the United States.”^[3] Melvin B. Tolson also happens to be a major African American poet whose papers are housed at the Library of Congress.

فديو, فيديو كليب انا بيه ورومانسى من فلم, فيلم البيه الرومانسىافلام لك تحميل من

شاهد فديو, فيديو كليب انا بيه ورومانسى من فلم, فيلم البيه رومانسى – سعد الصغير 2009
تحمل وتنزيل فديو, فيديو كليب سعد الصغير من فلم, فيلم البيه رومانسى انا بيه ورومانسى

لمشاهدة وتحميل الفديو, فيديو كليب …

شاهد فديو, فيديو كليب اغنية سعد الصغير انا بيه ورومانسى من فلم, فيلم البيه رومانسى
يو, فيديو كليب سعد الصغير من فلم, فيلم البية الرومانسى – انا بيه ورومانسى

اضغط هنا لمشاهدة الكليب

|اغانى|فديو, فيديو كليب|مقطع|هدف|مسلسل|اعلان|فلم, فيلم|برنامج|حلقة|شاهد|مشاهدة|اون لاين|سرعة عالية |بدون
تحميل|اغانى|عربى|اجنبى|MP3, mp3, ام بي ثري|البوم|
2009|سينجل|نغمات|تنزيل|نزل|شعبي|راب|حمل|موسيقى|MP3, mp3, ام بي ثري

|افراح|فديو, فيديو كليب|راديو||اون لاين|بدون تحميل|مجانا|بدون اشتراك|2010

فديو, فيديو كليب انا بيه ورومانسى من فلم, فيلم البيه الرومانسىافلام لك تحميل من

شاهد فديو, فيديو كليب انا بيه ورومانسى من فلم, فيلم البيه رومانسى – سعد الصغير 2009
تحمل وتنزيل فديو, فيديو كليب سعد الصغير من فلم, فيلم البيه رومانسى انا بيه ورومانسى

لمشاهدة وتحميل الفديو, فيديو كليب …

شاهد فديو, فيديو كليب اغنية سعد الصغير انا بيه ورومانسى من فلم, فيلم البيه رومانسى
يو, فيديو كليب سعد الصغير من فلم, فيلم البية الرومانسى – انا بيه ورومانسى

اضغط هنا لمشاهدة الكليب

|اغانى|فديو, فيديو كليب|مقطع|هدف|مسلسل|اعلان|فلم, فيلم|برنامج|حلقة|شاهد|مشاهدة|اون لاين|سرعة عالية |بدون
تحميل|اغانى|عربى|اجنبى|MP3, mp3, ام بي ثري|البوم|
2009|سينجل|نغمات|تنزيل|نزل|شعبي|راب|حمل|موسيقى|MP3, mp3, ام بي ثري

|افراح|فديو, فيديو كليب|راديو||اون لاين|بدون تحميل|مجانا|بدون اشتراك|2010

It’s time for a  ”Coplas” battle!  A couplet back & forth between the two men that were the epitome and embodiment of the Charro way of life. The  legendary Jorge Negrette & Pedro Infante. The kings of the silver screen during what is called Mexico’s “Golden Cinema” era. Pedro was knows as the charming and delightful, playful, playboy of sorts, while Jorge who once had sung opera was known for his grand, deep & velvety voice,  along with his overall gallant & chivalrous, romantic, sophisticated demeanor. Coplas are very much  like rap battles in that the singers talk back & forth to each other during a song.  The famous coplas were very common in  Mexican  films  dealing with Charros.

TRANSLATION OF THE SONG

PEDRO: People state sincerely every time that wedlock is going take place. “The groom should love her always or else prepare him a wake(he’s dead).”

But for this bride there is no worries for she’ll have a good husband.  Good Jorge, he’s a good thing.  Well, a least him last name is.

Good Jorge, he’s so good. Son of  a good man, and his grandpa oh soo good too.  Oh to be named like him!

JORGE: I will procure to be as good as my name states.  Let he who asks for a wake, down his own poison.  Pedro is bad down to his last name, backing out is his forte. He’s just a show off , because he knows he’s not just bad, he’s really bad.(bad as in  poor quality, faulty, weak). Bad Pedro, he’s so bad. Bad by obligation, and his grandpa oh so bad! We must buy him his lion.

PEDRO: On a golden morning someone darkened the landscape. It was a crow and a  parrot tearing each others feathers out.  Let us forget the past if  fate is the true culprit. Don’t you know that if  you mix good and bad, it turns to regular. (* He’s hinting at that fact that he’s been wooing George’s sister.)

Yes I’m bad.  I don’t deny it, but I want to try mixing, and see if I  can get something regular as a  the result.

JORGE: A certain poisonous scorpion visited a beehive. He want to see if he could get rid of his venomous condition with honey, but what is good & pure does not lend it self for the pleasure of the wicked. With the mix of honey & poison he is now purged.  Let it be understood by who ever can understand. If, he can understand it. I he does not, then we obligate him to we must.

PEDRO: You know very well that I am not foolish like you…. have boasted.

JORGE: Dumb may be not, but a meddler….  due to hunger… for friendship.

PEDRO: My hunger, I always quell with a friend’s feast.

JORGE: Not a beggar, but a scoundrel,  he who steals from friends.

PEDRO: So you say.

JORGE: I sustain it!

PEDRO: Don’t get tired.

JORGE: Don’t  elude this!

PEDRO: I think I will!

JORGE: Then this ballad is over!

Image via Wikipedia

Fingerprint ridges are formed during the third to fourth month of fetal development. The ridges begin to develop on the skin of the thumbs and fingers.

Source

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The earliest dated prints of the ridged skin on human hands were made about 4,000 years ago during the pyramid building era in Egypt.  In addition, one small portion of palm print, not known to be human, has been found impressed in hardened mud at a 10,000-year old site in Egypt.

It was common practice for the Chinese to use inked fingerprints on official documents, land sales, contracts, loans and acknowledgements of debts.  The oldest existing documents so endorsed date from the 3rd century BC, and it was still an effective practice until recent times.  Even though it is recorded that the Chinese used their fingerprints to establish identity in courts in litigation over disputed business dealings, researchers fail to agree as to whether the Chinese were fully aware of the uniqueness of a fingerprint or whether the physical contact with documents had some spiritual significance.

Source

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Source

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The Federal Bureau of Investigation established its first fingerprint identification division in the year 1924, with a collection of 810,188 fingerprint files taken mostly from the Leavenworth Penitentiary. These files became more and more important with the emergence of an increasing number of intellectual criminals who crossed all legal and state lines.  Today, the FBI has in possession more than 250 millions different sets of fingerprint records. This collection is enormous and is composed of both civil as well as criminal prints. The civil file includes prints of government employees and candidates for federal jobs.

Source

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• Touchless 3-D Fingerprinting (technologyreview.com)

موالى كل الجديد فى عالم النت

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Sombre dimanche…

En ce dimanche d’automne gris et pluvieux, une chanson me vient à l’esprit. Elle n’est pas très joyeuse mais profondément intense.
Szomorú Vasárnap (titre original hongrois) est un morceau de jazz écrit par un artiste hongrois, au début des années 30, en mémoire de ses proches disparus. A l’origine donc, ce n’est pas un air qui invite à la liesse mais bien au recueillement.
La tristesse et la mélancolie sont telles que le morceau a d’abord été interdit dans les établissements de Budapest : ils craignaient que la gravité de l’air ne pousse les gens au suicide. Il a ensuite été entouré de légendes urbaines, qui le surnommaient “le morceau suicidaire hongrois”. En 1941, la version interprétée par Billie Holiday fut censurée par la BBC. En période de guerre mondiale, il n’était pas nécessaire de conduire la population vers la dépression. Finalement, le morceau est devenu une musique de fond dans de nombreux bars aux Etats-Unis pendant la grande Dépression (!). Aussi ironique que cela puisse paraître, la légende veut que le compositeur lui même se soit suicidé…

En ce dimanche d’automne gris et pluvieux, j’écoute une chanson. Gloomy sunday. Profonde résonance d’un air qui m’évoque le jazz, dans tout ce qu’il a de plus intense, de plus sentimental, de plus vrai.

Une interprétation de Billie Holiday, juste boulversante.

Small countries CAN & DO have a big impact on our lives! With all that good & bad rep this country has around the world (in some cases it can be worse..some people haven’t heard of it at all lol), I’m proud to be a Romanian!

P.S. You people got 2hrs left to vote for a better future! Stop eating, drinking, partying, watching soccer: move your ass and make a difference!

You have to take a look at this vid!  This performance is freaking amazing! Super speed, super passion, Love this performance!!♥♥♥♥, Mad crazy skills both instrumentally & vocally.  Everyone really put their all into this piece, & played like there was no tomorrow! The violinists, trumpeters, the singer the guitarist everyone! So proud to be Mexican =D
So sad that Mariachi music is so underrated, it has the power to rival more well known & hyped music such as opera & classical.

THIS IS WHAT MARIACHI IS ALL ABOUT!

*Ladies tell me these  gentlemen don’t look incrediably sexy! Those strong resonant voices the gallant attire, the passionate playing. Whoo! That’s way hot! Testosterone overload!  In a majorly good way =P

Ceviche is a dish that can consist of:  raw fish, shrimp, and other shellfish or sea food,   marinated/ cooked lime juice. It is very popular in coastal parts of Mexico knows for their ports and fishing industry.The marinated fish ,  is further flavored with the addition of chopped: chiles(serranos), tomatoes, avocado, onion & cilantro.  Then the mixture is served a top golden tostadas.

Now if you’ve ever tasted REAL ceviche, then you know that there is no substitute for such a rich, yet simple & refreshingly satisfying delicacy. The problem is that making Ceviche is like making sushi, you must be able to start with the absolute freshest fish due to the whole raw factor. Finding fish sometimes can be a hassle, you need it to be  fresh, cheap can and sometimes you just don’t get lucky. More often than not, we are way to put on our chef hats. During those times we are just looking for a quick yet yummy bite to eat.That’s where our “Faux Ceviche” comes in. Of course it’s no where near the real deal, but it’s an interesting concoction that taste pretty good.

PREP-

Chop your ingredients into bite size equal dices, make sure that you have enough ingredient to flavor your tuna, but  too many, so as to out number or overpower. Make sure to finely  ingredients such as onion & chile. The smaller the dices, the more even &  mellow the flavor will be. Trust me in the middle of enjoying your tostada you don’t wan’t to bite into a big ol fragrant onion piece or a spicy chunk of chile.

After your done with your ingredients, open your can of tuna & drain. * I recommend tuna in water, because this is a dish that should taste fresh & light. Tuna in oil can have a more of  deeper complex flavor, we want simple & clean. Drain your tuna & add your chopped ingredients, don’t forget your salt & pepper . Then add your lime juice & mix up evenly. Refrigerate & let sit & chill for as long as you wish, there’s no need for waiting too long since it’s cooked all the way.

* One word of caution about lime juice make sure that you add enough lime juice so that your tuna won’t be too dry & so that it will be flavorful, but taste it as you go along so it won’t become too bitter. Some people like to add cucumber to the mix, but I think that works better with fresh fish, on the other hand I’ve never tried it on tuna. If you’re intrepid enough go ahead & try.  That’s simple enough isn’t it?? Cheat your way to a cool, fun, Mexican food inspired meal.

AS ALWAYS, BUEN PROVECHO(Bon appetite, enjoy your meal.)

WHAT YOU WILL NEED*

(Amount will vary according to portions, remember you need enough to top tostadas with a moderate amount not to heavily.)

Tomatoes = any kind will do, but try going for a firm variety, we are using them raw not cooked like in spaghetti sauce or anything so a bit of firmness is ideal.

Limes= because the tuna is not raw, you will only need enough to flavor the Tuna.

Onions = Red or white will do. You just need enough to sprinkle into the mix not a whole bunch. If you are making very little, you probably won’t even use up a whole one.

Chiles= This recipe calls for Serranos.

Avocados= A good avacado will not be to green or to dark. Make sure if you squeeze it, that it is not too firm or  inversely give in too much. These are indications of a  flavorless unripe one or one that is bitter, mushy and past its prime.

Tostadas= find them in the internationals foods isle, or next to the tortillas which are sometimes in the displays at the end of isles.

Don’t forget the Cilantro!  It really is one of the ingredients that makes the dish.

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During my childhood, I did not have choices. I had things forced upon on my little childlike body. The word “no” did not exist in my vocabulary. I had never heard the word boundaries. Let alone know I could have them.

However, within the past year I have figured out that now, I can choose things. I have chosen to return to school. I have chosen not fight therapy and to just let professionals help me. I am starting to choose who I show love to.

The most important thing that I did choose was to start my journey of healing. I could have picked a very different path than I did. I could have become an addict, or a criminal. I could have chosen to stay a victim but I decided to call myself a survivor.

Recently my mother told me “I am self-centered and selfish for not giving someone a hug”.

I thought about what she said, I realized something. The first 22 years of my life, it was about everyone else.

While I experienced long-term sadistic abuse as a child. I kept my abuse a secret unconsciously because I was worried about how it would ruin the family image. My family stole my childhood away from me because of the unrealistic image they choose to show others.  They enabled my abusers for years until one of them died.

Selfish actually means caring only about oneself and I do not see anything wrong with that. At this point in my journey, I need to work on self-care. I am learning that it is ok and very healthy to establish boundaries.

I will not let others control my life. I will not do anything that I do not feel comfortable doing. If someone gets offended by not getting a hug, too bad. I am an adult now and a survivor. I make decisions for myself based on what makes me feel safe.

Therefore, “Self-centered” and “selfish”…damn right I am!

Do you consider yourself to be an excellent sales manager?  I imagine you do, it’s difficult to imagine that any manager would continue to perform any task in a way that wasn’t working well.

But if you’re ever lucky enough to experience a formal upward feedback process fasten your seatbelt because you’re going to get some shocking results.

In my first sales manager roll I was ready to become that perfect manager.  I tried my hardest to be fair, treat everyone similarly, give clear direction and begin to build a high performance culture.  When I got my first feedback I got a lot of compliments, great scores compared to my peers…but I also read some shocking comments and saw that I had a lot of room for improvement! 

Let me share some of the shock.  “Greg plays favorites”, “he doesn’t make it clear what is expected of me” and “he doesn’t give me the freedom to do my job.”

How is this possible?  Me?  But my overall scores were some of the best in a very large company!  How could I still get these kinds of comments?  Since my upward feedback came from direct reports and from another level down I began to investigate.  But first a little secret.  If you want to know more about what you are doing that will drive people’s impression of your leadership you’re going to have to share some of the information about your feedback.  In other words, you’re going to have to admit that you’re not perfect, but you care enough to want to change.  Once I decided that I was willing to do whatever it took to become a better leader the rest became a little easier.

So I began to call a few of my direct reports.  I shared with them where I was doing well but also shared my lowest scores.  And even though those lowest scores were not a disaster they were still my lowest scores and they needed improvement.  I shared a few of the comments made and asked them what I was doing that was damaging my credibility as a leader.  Once you’ve opened that door get ready for some very interesting information.  I remember asking one of my direct reports, Bob Yakominich (still a close friend today) what I was doing that would cause people to believe I played favorites.  Bob told me that when he held meetings that people would comment “Greg called me about that subject last week and he said…”  Well after several weeks of hearing this one sales rep nearly broke down and blurted out “Greg never calls me about anything”.  That was really interesting!  I thought it was a very good trait to always be reaching out and getting information about what was going on in the field, but was totally unaware that the way I did it was making some people feel left out.  You can say they’re too sensitive, but what I learned was that my intentions are irrelevant!  People will form opinions about your actions, not your intentions.  Bob gave me another example; he told me that some people commented that I always sat by the same people at meetings or team meals and this may be leading people to believe I had favorites.  From my perspective I was flying around the country nearly every week, sometimes visiting four cities…that’s four meetings, four half days of joint calls and four team dinners.  I was sometimes exhausted and probably did look for a seat near people I knew.  But if you put yourself in a sales reps shoes and think that Greg has come to town four or five times and always sits by the same people you’re probably feeling very left out.  Both of these were pretty easy to fix.  I continued to make calls to reps to get their input, but I kept a roster by the phone and put checks by people I called so that I wasn’t calling the same people all the time.  And I continued to fly around the country attending meetings, making joint sales calls and going to team dinners.  I just made one little change, I looked for a seat next to someone I didn’t know very well.  You know what?  Very small changes, very big changes in my leadership credibility.

So what’s the learning?  For me it was that I do not own my leadership credibility.  My credibility as a leader is owned by the members of my team and they will give me credibility when I earn it, not just because I want it.

So I think that you probably are a good manager…at least in your mind anyway.  Are you brave enough to find out if you’re as good as you think you are?  If you have the courage to open yourself up, then you have the potential to move from a good manager to a great leader.