Alsace essays

Alsace essays Alsace, one of the smallest French provinces (8, 200 km2)(Discover France, notecard #2), is located in the far north-east corner of the country, surrounded by the well-known Foret Noire (Black Forest) and the Vosges mountains. You can find there rich farmland, dense forests, vineyards, towns and villages. Population of Alsace is about 1,649,000(Discover France, notecard #2) . The density of population is 209 people per km2. Like any other French province, Alsace has a big variety of different foods. You may like to try pates de fois gras of Strasbourg and choucroute. Dont forget to appreciate the wonderful taste of porc au deux pommeswhich consists of porc served with potatoes and apples, delicious tarte Alsacienne (fruit- and custard-filled tart), and the original potato salad with sausage, which reveals the German influence on Alsatian cuisine. In case you want to try Alsatian beverages, choose wines, liqueurs, and famed Alsatian beer. Alsace is divided into the departments of Haut-Rhin and Bas-Rhin, together with its traditional capital Strasbourg, which is a major port on the river Rhine. Strasbourg is not only the capital of Alsace, but also the capital of the German-speaking France. The majority of local announcements are in both languages. Although Strasbourg is a small compact city, it is a modern European economic and administrative centre. It is a fast-developing city and is now home to the European Parliament, the European Court, and the European Commission of Human Rights. Many foreign companies and the French headquarters of international banks are located there. The quality of life is very high in Strasbourg. There are also high employment possibilities for well-educated people. A great number of architectural achievements and museums in Strasbourg represernt the citys formula of combining the old ith the contemporary. For instance, ...

Free Essays on Ready Made Garment (RMG)

VALUE ADDED HUMAN RESOURCE INITIATIVES FOR READY MADE GARMENT(RMG) SECTOR TO COMPETE IN POST-MFA ERA. ABSTRACT: RMG sector contributes 80% of our export earning. This vital sector developed in our country taking the advantages ensured by Multi-fiber agreement (MFA) done in 1974. But as part of the liberalization of trade and open-market economy, World Trade Organization set December 31, 2004 as phase-out of MFA on textile and apparel products. As a result, no quota & no more guaranteed access are available now. Market forces will determine who will survive, sustain. So, to have a competitive edges, RMG producers are trying to integrate ingredients like backward linkage facilities to reduce cost, lead-time, large production capacity to meet requirements of high-volume clients, highly-qualified management team to earn efficient & reliable production and better customer relationship. So it is necessary to have right technology, large investment, smart management and efficient & motivated workforce. Human resource management (HRM), therefore, is getting a heightened aura of importance in RMG sector which actually was not considered important previously. When order was determined by quota, the need for right person for right job in a right working condition was less. But No longer. The data we collected on leading and sound RMG exporters also support this idea. The message is simple: a proactive Human resource department is present and a basic requirement. Propelled by clients requirement, leading RMG firms’ HRM are getting more formalized, transparent and extensive to ensure productivity & quality, social accountability and ethical business practices. The results, as we found out by consulting HR personnel, are proactive HR department and fresh initiatives in areas ranging from recruitment to Human resource audit. Major initiatives includes inclusion of HRD in organizational hierarchy headed by a director/ administration & e... Free Essays on Ready Made Garment (RMG) Free Essays on Ready Made Garment (RMG) VALUE ADDED HUMAN RESOURCE INITIATIVES FOR READY MADE GARMENT(RMG) SECTOR TO COMPETE IN POST-MFA ERA. ABSTRACT: RMG sector contributes 80% of our export earning. This vital sector developed in our country taking the advantages ensured by Multi-fiber agreement (MFA) done in 1974. But as part of the liberalization of trade and open-market economy, World Trade Organization set December 31, 2004 as phase-out of MFA on textile and apparel products. As a result, no quota & no more guaranteed access are available now. Market forces will determine who will survive, sustain. So, to have a competitive edges, RMG producers are trying to integrate ingredients like backward linkage facilities to reduce cost, lead-time, large production capacity to meet requirements of high-volume clients, highly-qualified management team to earn efficient & reliable production and better customer relationship. So it is necessary to have right technology, large investment, smart management and efficient & motivated workforce. Human resource management (HRM), therefore, is getting a heightened aura of importance in RMG sector which actually was not considered important previously. When order was determined by quota, the need for right person for right job in a right working condition was less. But No longer. The data we collected on leading and sound RMG exporters also support this idea. The message is simple: a proactive Human resource department is present and a basic requirement. Propelled by clients requirement, leading RMG firms’ HRM are getting more formalized, transparent and extensive to ensure productivity & quality, social accountability and ethical business practices. The results, as we found out by consulting HR personnel, are proactive HR department and fresh initiatives in areas ranging from recruitment to Human resource audit. Major initiatives includes inclusion of HRD in organizational hierarchy headed by a director/ administration & e...

Journal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 70

Journal - Essay Example Foer concludes by saying that â€Å"Being attentive to the needs of others†¦ is the work of life† (Foer, 2013, p. 3) since attention can freely be given and obtained to prevent death. I liked the article very much and was pleased with Foer perception of technology on modern human values. I saw myself in Foer’s confusion as a human on whether or not to interject into the life of the crying girl or just forget and respect boundaries (Foer, 2013). I also saw myself in the girl’s shoes as she tries to, probably, make up with her mother but avoids a face-to-face conversation with her. in both cases, I imagine the input to human computing needed to come up with the best decision and realizes that modern day humans place more emphasis on speed while forfeiting the intensity of our actions. Consequently, the relationships developed based on speed are a misery since little or no attention is needed to keep in touch regardless of the distance without necessarily requiring immediate response like is the case with answering machines. I agree with Foer that by getting used to saying little, with the help of technology, humanity is tending towards feeling little, and the future does not promise otherwise given technological advancement and adoption in each generation (Foer,

Eassay Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Eassay - Essay Example He did this in one of his great works titled â€Å"An Answer to the Question: ‘What is Enlightenment?’† which was published in the l870s. This era is referred to as the enlightenment era since it was the period in which traditional ethics were being replaced by individualism and reason This paper will focus on the enlightenment philosophy of Emanuel Kant and how it has been applied in various works. Before doing this it is crucial to understand Emanuel Kant’s philosophy on enlightenment thus the paper will carefully examine the philosophy concepts put across by Emanuel Kant on enlightenment. It will then specifically explore on individual identity and free will specifically how they are related with enlightenment. This will be done by using characters in the class material Voltaire’s Candide; Kant’s â€Å"What is Enlightenment?†. By using characters in the material, the paper will stipulate how identity and free will impact the thinking , decision making, and actions of different people by showing how they negatively or positively impact the thinking of characters in the above class material. Kant’s Enlightenment Philosophy Introduction The enlightenment period is considered to have begun in the mid 17th century to the 18th century. The major characteristic of this period was the revolutions in politics, society, philosophy and science. This is where a different approach from that of the medieval times was taken. During this time, philosophies considered to have paved way to the modern western world were put forward. For instance, the French revolution is attributed from enlightenment philosophies and concepts that stressed for the change in social orders and political set ups that were traditional which oppressed the ordinary French citizen. According to Emanuel Kant, Enlightenment is the ability of a person to emerge from a nonage that is imposed by oneself (Kant). The inability of someone to use their own thinking or understanding without influence form others is referred to as nonage. It is considered to be imposed by ourselves since it results from the lack of courage and indecision to use ones reasoning. For instance, in the past countrymen always followed orders and laws set by the monarch despite the fact that these laws and orders were oppressing to the citizens. They refused to reject or act out due to various reasons one of them being the lack of courage to speak out on the wrongs they suffered from such monarchies. Kant stipulated that the reason behind the large number of people living as minors in the society is cowardice and laziness (Kant). By this he meant that people lacked enlightenment since they felt it was more comfortable to live as minors than to stand up and fight for their rights. Kant stipulated that nonage is very dangerous since people get accustomed to it over the years resulting in it being instilled as a way of life hence the difficulty that is presented when one tries to come out of nonage or being enlightened. Emanuel Kant argued that during his time people had not yet reached the enlightened error but were simply in the enlightenment age. This meant that enlightenment was a process that would take a long time since nonage was something that was instilled so deeply in people’s minds that it had become a way of life. He pointed out religion as the most harmful and dangerous form of

European Idea Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

European Idea - Essay Example United States had financed the European war effort through the lend lease agreement in which 50.1 billion US Dollars (almost 700 billion dollars at 2007 prices) worth of materiel was dispatched. However at the end of the Second World War, Europe was in no position to repay the mammoth debt. Also the tremendous rise in industrial effort in United States had led to a high level of production capacity whose only possible buyers could be the European states. Thus it was in American vested interests as well to finance the reconstruction of Europe through various instruments available, one of which was the European Recovery Plan or the Marshall Plan. But to American thinkers, the biggest hindrance to the reconstruction of Europe was the traditional strict protectionist trade structure of Europe. American thinkers rightly believed that quick recovery of European Continent could only be possible by the creation of a United Europe on the lines of United States where all the resources availabl e are synergized to achieve a faster reconstruction and growth. However this could not just be credited to United States as the promoter of European Idea as the entire continent was tired of the countless wars and long standing antagonism in the continent. Movements had started all over Europe for integration of Europe into one federal state or state like structure. However the Europeans wanted to stay away from American sphere of influence as well as the iron curtain of Europe and maintain a third European Pole. But the cold war ensured that this non alignment would be increasingly difficult to maintain and the Europe as on the border of expanding Soviet sphere of influence have to choose United States as its reliable partner and accept the American model of governance. The Marshall Plan was the first step in practically forcing the European idea into the real world. As per Marshall Plan, United States agreed to fund the reconstruction effort in post war Europe only on the condition that if the Europe act together and present a mutually agreed reconstruction plan. Indirectly United States dictated the European states to learn to negotiate towards a common European recovery goal rather than the narrow self interest they had hitherto been following. This had a remarkable effect on the integration of future Europe. The Marshall Plan itself and the institutional mechanism established to implement it became the training grounds for the bureaucrats who later on worked in institutional integration of Europe. The success of the plan demonstrated to all and sundry in Europe, the benefits of economic integration. The free trade and non protectionist environment generated due to Marshall Plan ensured continuous two decades of excellent Economic Growth. Thus Ma rshall Plan stands as one towering example of United States's influence in shaping up the European Idea into a practical reality. North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) became another fundamental effort by United States to shape up European thought into mutual coexistence in political and defence domains. What Marshal Plan achieved in economic domain was achieved by NATO in political / military domains. Though it can be argued that Marshal Plan started the economic integration process which culminated into one European Economy, while nothing of this sort is visible in military / political

Liberty and Equality in Political Theory

Liberty and Equality in Political Theory DISCUSSING IF LIBERTY AND EQUALITY CAN BE RECONCILED IN POLITICAL THEORY. Liberty and equality are the complex fundamental concepts that exist together as important themes of normative political theory that cannot be studied in isolation but need to be reconciled with other political values as they are the building blocks of knowledge that are often contested. These ideals are concerned with how people ought to collectively live together in a society or in a minimal state which is justified. Johari (2004) asserts that the possession and enjoyment of certain rights make the case of liberty and that their possession and enjoyment by all without any distinction on some artificial ground makes the case of equality.According to Heywood (2004) he agreed that the rights can only be enjoyed only if constraints are placed and that individuals are able to make the rational or moral choices. Bae (2002) regarded liberty and Equality as ideal principles that guide the conduct of man which stipulates that all men have the right to be free and ought to be equal as such l iberty and equality are necessary in the humane society. In a nutshell,Jonari(2004) describes the concept of equality as a concomitant of the principle of liberty where it has been treated by great thinkers as an integral part of their movement of liberty and social transformation. He further defined Liberty as a man`s right to do what he wants for the sake of making the best possible development and on the other hand Hoffman (2009)described Equality as a complex concept and its core idea is that people should be treated in the same way. Oxford dictionary defined equality as the fact of having equal rights, status advantages where equaltreatment for all is provided and further defines liberty as freedom to live as you choose without too many restrictions from government or authority. According to Mills (1977) liberty was meant to be a protection against the tyranny of the political rulers and at the time he developed this theory he acknowledged that individuals can infringe the libe rty of other individuals. This essay seeks to assert, discuss and argue if liberty and equality can be reconciled using the scholarly examples. Liberty as a contested ideal provides the rights with their due enforcement by the state that ensures freedom to a citizen which enables them to get the possible development. The question that is needed to be asked isto what extent does an individual need to have freedom? The old adage said that your liberty ends where my nose begins. This implies the willing of people to accept the difference between Liberty and Licence where by individual have a space of their own to exercise their liberty without abusing or infringing other people’s rights. Heywood (2004) stated that the French Liberal Benjamin distinguished liberty of the Ancients which he meant direct and collective participation in political life and Liberty of the moderns which he referred to independence as in the modern era they are used to measure equal justice as democratic principle. Isaiah Berlin (1969) in his essay on the concept of Liberty identified the positive Liberty and the Negative Liberty which has been u nderstood as being ‘free to’do something and being ‘free from’ something. This negative liberty is based on lack of physical restraints on an individual in the course of accomplishing his desires within the sphere of rights which implies that the role of the state is to prevent infringing ‘natural rights’ of others. This is in line with the Libertarianism view which believed on a society that focus heavilyon rights by maintaining that the most important political value is personal liberty. On the other hand positive liberty states that the requirement for an individual is to have equal opportunity for them to act on their choices as it is argued that it embraces some measures of socio economic equality which has been thought to be achieved through collectiveness.John Christman as cited in Bellamy argued that positive liberty or freedom is concerned with the way desires are formed and that the promotion of positive freedom need not to involve aq uestion of how a person should live.Knight (2011) suggested that when everyone has liberty to pursue their goals without the absence of constraint by others, there will be situations where the rich can satisfy their basic needs without others interfering but the poor often cannot. In that situation the poor would employ all the legitimate mean to secure their basic needs from the surplus of the rich by arguing that negative liberty suggest that the poor not be interfered when taking from the rich what they need to satisfy their basic needs and that does not obligate the rich to do anything but rather from doing something. Narveson as cited in Knight (2011) is aware that we cannot all have full liberty to engage in any behaviour without potential for clashes of liberties but suggests that in a contractarian framework negative liberty is the liberty to be left alone from aggression or coercion. MacCallum (1972) in negative and positive freedom proposed a single value free concept of freedom. He helped to clarify the thoughts about freedom suggesting that the question of`are we free?Is meaningless. As a result, this madesome individuals argue that freedom can be restricted only by physical or legal constraints while other still insist that a lack of material resources and social deprivation may be a cause of unfreedom since freedom suggests the absence of constraints or restrictions. This made Rawls tobelieve that if freedom includes absolute property rights then such freedom will be limited by the egalitarian measures though he was also criticised for including many of the underserving poor as the least advantaged and the idea of maximising the prospects of those who choose to be non-productive does not cohere with our moral sensibilities. Bellamy (2003) believed that the concept of liberty concentrates on the external sphere in which individuals interact as it promote the existence of a sphere of action within the sovereign of an individual to enable her pursue her own projects.The Belgian Political Philosopher Phillipe Van Parijs appealed to equality of resources to justify a citizen’s unconditional basic income which he termed as real freedom where individuals are free to choose various lives they might wish to live though the stance difference with Dworkin is on benefits conditional (Farrelly 2004). This made him to argue that liberal like Rawls and Dworkin are violating a central tenet of liberalism when they make willingness to work a precondition of receiving benefit which is known as liberal doctrine of neutrality where it stated that government should not favour certain conceptions of the good life of others. Subsequently,equality being the most complex concept has many definitions and it is defined as social economic equality which is an idea that all people should be entitled to an equal income and equal access to ways of spending it which at the same time implies social continuity and cohesion which is known as a formal equality (Heywood 2004).An egalitarian conception of justice considers the principle of justice that satisfy social economic equalities where inequalities must attach to offices and positions to all under conditions of fair equality where people who have equal talents must have equal chances to attain desirable positions (ocw. Mit.edu/courses). This made Dworkin to believe that people’s fates are determined by their choices and that this must remain a fundamental insight considering what constitutes a just distribution. Johari(2004) made an emphasis on the claim of the Declaration of Independence that all men are created equal in dignity and rights. We have to ask ourselves a question what it means to treat people asequals. How can this be achieved and possible? The idea of treating people as equals means live equally well and have equally desirable lives though some argued as stated by Mark le bar that institutions ought to be arranged to ensure equality of welfare though socialism believed that if equality is to be justified to justify political institution liberty is quickly extinguished. Farrelly (2004) argued that equality is a bench mark by which other possible distributive arrangements are judged such that an equal distribution of social primary goods is not necessary a good thing. In addition to this Dalton (2011)alludes that equality of opportunity is the slightly different concept that each individual should be given the same chances be it in employment, education and society. As suchthe r ight to equality has been defined as the most fundamental claim a citizen has against government and the right to be held in equal regard.This conforms the liberal equality conception that still has limits to solve inequality by natural contingencies though Gauthier rejected any appeal to the notion of moral equality. Equality like Liberty also has the positive and negative view. Egalitarians believed that resources and goods be equally distributed amongst the individuals (Johari 2004). This made Dworkin as stipulated in Farrelly (2004)to formulate theories known as equality of welfare and equality of resources to be used in distribution equality and thus made the equality of welfare fares well with respect to the principle of equal importance because it requires that the needy receive more resources though this failed to accommodate the principle of responsibility.Johari (2004) stated that the positive equality means the provision of adequate opportunities for all though it does not provide for identical treatment on the other hand negative equality means no discrimination on some artificial ground that it can be made only when the reason behind it is valid. According to the Liberals the most value to them is Liberty as such they cannot harmonise equality since Liberty has an upper hand against equality though they are both used as the principles of justice. Rawls as cited in Bae (2002) regarded Liberty as for classical Liberalism and that equality as an ideology of socialism. These two values needed to be compromised as social inequality can cause social unrest conflict and disorder, so that even Liberty cannot be guaranteed.Like all normative principles the ideals of Liberty and Equality are subjective at heart as they are a matter of opinion where by the notions of justice vary from individual, group and societyDalvies (2011).The tension between equality and liberty as the main cause of crisis of modern society still exists in normative political theory.Nozick as a libertarian argued that Liberty and equality are incompatible because if one is truly committed to the value of freedom then any attempt to enforce through the coercive mea ns of the state,be it egalitarian will violate the freedom of individualsand thus be unjust since his argument is premised on absolute property rights. Rawls principles of justice help to realise the values of liberty and equality where by one of them is Justice as fairness. This implies that individuals have an indefensible claim to a fully adequate scheme of equal basic liberties which is compatible with liberties for allan alternative to utiliarinism. Bellamy (2003) further agreed that the right to equal basic liberties and distributive fairness take priority over maximising general welfare even thoughRawls and Nozickrejected utilitarianism as they believe that a public philosophy that permits the loss of freedom is a deficient theory. He further called for an initial original position which is the starting point of people that can be different due to economic conditions hence creating inequality which contributed to the need of having an equal and fair starting point. Rawls further assumed that people create asocial contract in the original position where there is an agreement to contract the state of nature. Conversely, this made Kant to believe that when a personis acting autonomously the principles of his action are chosen by him as the most adequate possible expression of his nature as a free and equal rational being. As such each person is assumed to be a rational being who seeks to maximise his well-being by being self-interested and self-actualisation and this is because when an individual is maximising the resources they also maximise the minimum value of liberty. Davies (2011)in complementingto that stated that there is need for basic liberties to equally apply to all and that absolute liberty should be restricted to ensure equal liberty.Rawls further said that there is need for justifications of limiting a basic liberty by showing the proposed limit which helps in the protection of basic liberties by restricting the well-off and improve the better-off. In every society equality can exist which implies that it is impossible to distribute social and economic goods to everyone that needs justification for doing that though Rawls believed that all people can obtain a favourable result by inequality(Farrelly 2004). He further stated that in unequal distribution good positions should be opened to all in the system of natural liberty where people can participate and compete freely; as such liberty and equality can be guaranteed.According to Nozick as cited in Farelly (2004) believes that liberty and equality are incompatible values ifby equality one means that some patterned distributive principle should be maintained and established. Certainly because people are rational and selfish they can attain access justice by choosing the safest choices since individuals are mostly concerned with basic liberties, rights and opportunities whilst equality is claimed. According to Rawls the just society is the one that protects the basic liberties and arranges the social economic inequalities so that the greatest benefit of the least advantaged are attached to positions and offices under the conditions of fair equality of opportunity as complimented inFarrely (2004) on the principle of social and economic inequalities.In agreeing to the above statement Nozick rules out the kind of redistribution that Rawls envisions and he defended the minimal state. Nozick as a libertarian holds that a minimal state is the only justified state unlike Rawls attempt to combine considerations of liberty with those of equality. Bae (2002) further stated that in the capitalist approach the relationship between equality and Liberty is not harmonised because the continuous accumulation of capital of ‘haves’ cannot be limited to guarantee equality of ‘have nots’ and because of that in a capitalist society economic equality is believed to be inev itable and need not to be just. From a common sense perspective, it seems difficult to reach the values of equality and liberty at the same time, because people think that the principles of equality and liberty are much opposed to each other and they require one another because the notions are regarded to have incompatible characters Bae (2002). It is easy to see the outcome equalisation of equality and liberty as the two conflicts. As such equality tends to make up for individual deficiencies with external help. Libertarians claim that this impedes the exercise of liberty and that certainly from the liberal perspective equality conflicts with liberty. Davies (2011) agreed that the concepts are not as simple as the liberals assume such that liberty stands to simply mean freedom to do whatever one wants to do, just as equality is not also taken to simply mean a total levelling or uniformity of treatment and for that we cannot just say that equality and liberty are incompatible or irreconcilable though they are often at tension. More over equality and liberty are the values that correspond to individual claims and problems. To answer the demand of claims we should consider the values of equality and liberty. This we can say that basic liberties have an absolute weight in regard to other values as such liberty is given a priority over other primary social goods. Why liberty does then takes priority over equality. This is like that because the right to liberty is the necessary condition for the gain of social cooperation. The tension between equality and liberty occurs not by itself but by the arguments philosophical and moral conception of the good as well as the conflicts of social economic interests (Farrelly 2004). Rawls does not concede the egalitarian position a she claims he supports democratic equality thussome people believe that Rawls theory can be compatible with socialism and capitalism. However the discussions of Liberty and Equality have proved to be complex ideals, values and notions as their relationship is also complex because their reconciliation will depend on both the negative and their positive view depending on whose view be it the egalitarian and Libertarian point view. As such the negative view is that liberty and Equality are incompatible whilst the negative view takes liberty and equality as compatible. They are still thought to be in tension because to achieve and maintain equal wealth amongst citizens seem to require violations on liberty and that maintaining of equality of wealth will also require the redistribution of resource.This essay because of the complexibility of the terms it has observed that the notions can reconcile depending on the values believed as for the libertarians they can be compatible and for the libertarian view cannot reconcile. BIBLIOGRAPHY Bae Young soon (2002) Balancing Equality and Liberty in Rawls Theory of Justice Masters Thesis Univesity of tennesse.http//trace tennesse.edu Accessed on 19th May 2014. Bellany R. Mason A. (2003) Political Concepts Manchester University Press UK Berlin I. (1969) Four essays on Liberty: two concepts of Liberty, New york Oxford University Press. Davies L. Dalton M (2011) Entry for Lloyds prize (http// ocw.mit.edu./courses Farrelly C (2004) An Introduction To Contemporary Political Theory Sage Publications London Heywood A. (2004) An Introduction to Political Theory 3rd Edition Palgrave Macmillan Hoffman J. and Paul Graham (2009) Introduction to Political Theory 2ndEdition Pearson Johari J.C (2004) Principles of Modern Political Science New Delhi; Sterling Publisher Knight K.C (2011) Review of NarvesonStebas Are Liberty Equality Compartible Libertarian papers (libertarian papers. Org.) Mill J.S (1977) On liberty. Ed Illinois: Harlan Davidson, Inc 1

Balboa, a Spanish conqueror and explorer :: History

Balboa, a Spanish conqueror and explorer. Vasco Nuà ±ez de Balboa, a Spanish conqueror and explorer, was the first to see the coast of the Pacific Ocean. He saw the ocean in September of 1513, from the top of a mountain of what is now Panama. On September 29, 1523, Balboa claimed it and all its shores for Spain. His findings opened Spanish explorations and conquests along the western coast of South America began. The Spanish called the ocean the South Sea because it lay south of the isthmus of Panama. In 1520 a Portuguese explorer named Ferdinand Magellan sailed through it and named it the Pacific, meaning peaceful, which until this day the name remains the same. Balboa ´s early life was a normal one. He was born in Jerez de los Caballeros, Spain. His father, whom we know little about, did not have influence or wealth. When he was young, Vasco served in the household of a rich nobleman in Moguer, one of Spain’s main ports. After Christopher Columbus ´ voyage in 1492, more sailors were taken to the New World, and many sailor stories could be heard throughout Spain about the new lands across the ocean. The opportunities attracted Balboa, who in 1501 joined a Spanish voyage to South America. They explored the north coast of what is now Colombia. There were not enough people to attempt a settlement. In 1502 they sailed to the Hispanola, the main Spanish base in America. Vasco had a very rough time making a living on the island. For a time he even raised pigs there. Balboa ´s rise to fame was one that happened little by little. In 1509, the first expedition to colonize the mainland of South America left Hispanola. Balboa wanted to join this expedition, but he had fallen heavily into debt, and he was prevented from leaving Hispanola. On the mainland, the Spaniards established the settlement of San Sebastian along the eastern coast of Uraba. In 1510, Vasco stowed away on a ship that carried some supplies and new settlers to the colony. When they reached the mainland, they met some of the San Sebastian settlers who had abandoned the settlement because they lacked food and the Indians were very dangerous there. The two groups united and went back to San Sebastian. Balboa, who had more experience on the continent than the rest, suggested moving to the western side of the gulf.