Monday, December 23, 2019

Fundamentals Of Macroeconomics And Economic Performance Essay

Fundamentals of Macroeconomics David Smith Eco 372 September 29, 2014 JOSEPH COMPTON Fundamentals of Macroeconomics Every country produces various goods and services. Gross domestic product (GDP) is one of the indicators that display the country’s economic performance. Three approaches are used in the determination of GDP. They include: income approach, expenditure approach, and the product approach. GDP can be referred to as real or nominal GDP (Colander, 2010). When GDP is calculated without putting into consideration inflation factor, then it is referred to as nominal GDP. Adjusting the GDP by taking into consideration the inflation factor, real GDP is arrived at. As a result of the inflation factor, nominal GDP appears higher than real GDP. Unemployment is an indicator of a falling economy. At any given period of time, any economy has a number of people who are unemployed and are actively seeking a paid job. This percentage of the workforce is what is known as unemployment rate. A rising unemployment rate is a cause for alarm because it signifies no promising signs for the economy. The effect is that interest rates decrease as well as inflation rate. A general rise in the average price of goods and services in an economy is referred to as inflation. It is measured as a percentage. A high rate of inflation is an indicator that the economy is growing. There is an increase in GDP and a decrease in unemployment rate. On the other hand, aShow MoreRelatedScience Of Economics By Neuroscientist Marco Iacaboni1074 Words   |  5 Pages4. Mirror neurons are a major component in brain functioning, and thus it gives them a primary role in pscyho-economic reasoning. Their integral nature in decision-making produces various outlying effects like contagion and feeds into instinctual behaviors such as confidence. The neurons, which were popularized within the field of economics by neuroscientist Marco Iacaboni, have since played a big role in discerning group dynamics. Mirror neurons themselves are a pivotal factor in bridgingRead MoreNarrative Interview : The Global Economic Climate During The 2008 Global Financial Crisis ( Gfc )1083 Words   |  5 Pagesassignment_45181403 For this in-depth interview, I have selected my father, James Trainor as the ideal candidate to provide a comprehensive recount of the global economic climate during the 2008 Global Financial Crisis (GFC). And how his experiences of economic fluctuations and policies during the GFC changed his perspectives and understandings of macroeconomic decisions, as well as their effects on the modern world. At the time of the Global Financial Crisis, James was the Global Head of Employment Tax for theRead MoreEconomy of Singapore 1077 Words   |  5 PagesIntroduction In this essay we look in-depth on how government strategies and economic policy play a crucial role in the success of High Performance Asian Economies (HPAEs) during 1960 to 1990 (World Bank 1993).There are eight countries within HPAEs: South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and Japan. Its economic development has significantly rise that it was name ‘East Asia Miracle’ (World Bank, 1993). Out of the eight country, Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan and SouthRead MoreOpen-Economy Macroeconomics Notes1092 Words   |  5 PagesCh28 â€Å"Open-Economy Macroeconomics† FOREIGN TRADE AND ECONOMIC ACTIVITY Imports ïÆ'   goods and services produced abroad and consumed domestically Exports ïÆ'   goods and services produced domestically and purchased by foreigners Net exports ïÆ'   defined as exports of goods and services minus imports of goods and services Net foreign investment ïÆ'   counterpart of net exports Denotes net US savings abroad and is approximately equal to the value of net exports ï‚ · ï‚ · ï‚ · appreciation in the exchange rate andRead MoreThe Government ´s Role in the Success of Singapore Essay1445 Words   |  6 PagesYes, I agree that a huge part of Singapore’s economic success has been built on the government’s ability to ensure macroeconomic stability as well as build long-term growth. To ensure macroeconomic stability, fiscal policy, which is the usage of government expenditures and taxes, and monetary policy, which is the changing of interest rates and quantity of money in the economy, and supply-side policies, that look into the strengthening the production capabilities of companies, have to be implementedRead MoreHedge Funds : Hedge Fund1628 Words   |  7 Pagesanalysed the performance of hedge funds from different perspectives and implied the necessity of further researches on hedge funds’ capital adequacy. In 2000, Fung and Hsieh used a mean-variance approach to study hedge fund exposures in some major market events. They analysed hedge fund performance during turbulent market times. But due to limitations of their research methodology, they found no obvious evidence that hedge funds would cause market prices to deviate from economic fundamentals. JorionRead MorePersonal Finance959 Words   |  4 Pagessolutions manual and test bank labor relations: striking a balance 4th edition by john budd solutions manual and test bank Machine elements in mechanical design, 4/e robert l. Mott solutions manual Macroeconomics 10e - slavin – solutions manual and test bank for 9780073511429, mcgraw-hill Macroeconomics, 8/e solutions manual and test bank by andrew b. Abel, Management a practical introduction 5e angelo kinicki solutions manual Management information systems - ken laudon (13th ed) solutions manualRead MoreRelationship Between Gold, Oil and Us Stock Market1600 Words   |  7 Pagesstock market. I chose gold because gold is considered as the universal commodity and an investment tool. Gold is a global currency and hedge against inflation and other currencies because it is a stable commodity so it has a direct impact on the performance of the stock market. The relationship between gold prices and stock market is expected to be positive which means as gold prices increase the stock prices are expected to be increase as well. Oil is also a factor that affect the stock market andRead MoreThe Monetary Policy Is The Rule Of The Interest Rate And Money Supply Of A Country957 Words   |  4 Pagesthe Central Bank or Federal Reserve, it is the regulation of the interest rate and money supply of a country. â€Å"The Bank’s monetary policy objective is to deliver price stability – low inflation – and, subject to that, to support the Government’s economic objectives including those for growth and employment. Price stability is defined by the Government’s inflation target of 2%† (Bank of England). One of the most influential econometrics tools to define monetary policy is the Taylor rule. â€Å"This ruleRead MoreThe Best Economic Environment for Inflation Targeting1113 Words   |  5 Pagesof the economic crisis. It goes a step further to aggravate the intricacy of the conduct of IT (Mishkin, 2008). Two distinctive categories of countries have been incorporated in this paper, industrialized countries and emerging-market countries. With the aim of illustrating the best economic environment for IT, I will resort to methods of analysis, definition, exemplification, comparison contrast, etc. In this paper, I will argue that inflation targeting operates best in the economic environment

Sunday, December 15, 2019

Barack Obama, “Dreams from My Father”. Free Essays

Being still young, Barack Obama started searching for society and reason, with the large function forms of the public rights movement. In his search he does well and deserves respect. He had a lot of abilities to set the connections with the society and this is told in his autobiography â€Å"Dreams from My Father†. We will write a custom essay sample on Barack Obama, â€Å"Dreams from My Father†. or any similar topic only for you Order Now The fame days of the public rights actions passed away when Obama receives a coordinating position in a needy district on Chicago’s South Side inundated by broken public lodgings, dying constructing occupations, and increasing misdeed. Obama decodes the bounds of their beginning situation. The community’s creator is a person who is not entirely respected by the society. Its primary partners are the Catholic Churches, which have unhealthy relations with their new Black worshippers. In Chicago the population has just chosen Harold Washington, the first Black foremost who is respected as a worship person, but whose benefaction is providing restricted advantages to the groups that voted for him. At the same time as Obama persistently fixes the vagueness and refinement of Black people, there are a couple of things where he doesn’t accept enough. When Obama began the coordinating job, one of the primary difficulties was the antipathy of the three women, who were irritated that the supervisor brought the young guy Obama has his own understanding, control and esteem, charm and empathy to believe in his achievement, but he doesn’t completely accept the advantages of the middle class viewpoint and male advantage that understood him as â€Å"in charge† and â€Å"going places. † When Obama decodes the supporting background, he creates individual links. He communicates with the three Black women who have some positions in the community, and gets acquainted with an odd, Catholic coordinator. He founds Kyle, the child of an assistant who is in risk to appear in difficult situation. One of the most touching places in the book is the place telling how Obama informs the community he is leaving to Harvard Law school, and gives his word to his acquaintances in the district that he’ll come. The combination of optimism, political insightfulness and individual links are the foundations of Obama’s political success. Works Cited Graff, E. J. â€Å"Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance. † The American Prospect 10 Sept. 2001: 42. How to cite Barack Obama, â€Å"Dreams from My Father†., Papers

Saturday, December 7, 2019

Beverage and Food Management- Free-Samples for Students-Myassignment

Question: Provide a Brief review of the selected Food and Beverage Outlet and Identify its Current Menu Concept. Answer: Brief overview: Caffe Acqua is a very famous caf in Adelaide, South Australia. It is a very attractive and modern caf along with a pizzeria. The caf has recently completed 10 years of service and presently it has three outlets. This caf is famous for its beautiful entrance view and what makes people get more attracted to Caffe Acqua is their welcoming behavior but their food quality is actually not matched to the standards of the place. The maintaining of the place is properly done and the place is affordable and peaceful too but what makes customers distract is the waiting time for the food and the food quality. This is not an only issue that the customers have; they have an issue of the dining experience. Some customers complained about the taps of the washroom and some about the food quality, some about the chairs. Many customers find no big reason for the caf to open at 11 am when the shops around it open earlier. The overall view is not satisfactory and the menu and food quality needs improveme nt to stop them from closing down. There must be a change in the overall services of the caf to satisfy thee customers (Mahmud 2017). Menu review: The overall menu rating of this particular caf is acceptable but the caf needs better menu design and improve their food quality in order to grab the attraction of more customers as recently the customer rating for this caf is going down (Testa 2014). Many customers complained that the items that the caf has placed in their menu are not the same as the one they serve. Many also complained that they have changed the ingredients of the food and the taste is differing on a regular basis. Among all the dishes provided in the menu, the preferred one is the pizza, pasta and burgers. The customers review about the pizza and pasta does highlight the fact that the quality is good. It also highlights two more points and those are why does not the customers prefer any other items from the menu rather than pizza or pasta and secondly, what is the amount of nutritional value of the items that the customers are choosing. The first answer of the question also lies on the reviews of other customers given about the other items that clearly denote that the menu and the provided food differ from each other. The customers generally do not want to try any new dish of the caf, as they do not want to waste their money and time on the dishes that are not worth it. The nutritional value of the dishes, the cheese pasta that the caf serves has highly calorie and equal amount of fat (Yim, Lee and Kim 2014). The pizzas according to the flavors have different calorie density, which is actually not a nutritive meal. As the pizzas, pastas and burgers are highly coated with cheese and has meat, the cholesterol value of the food is also increased. Hence, it is very clear that the nutritional value even if the caf tries still cannot be managed and hence the caf should and must undergo a change so that it can be able to maintain the nutritional value in the food that they serve (Magnini and Kim 2016). The overall view of the menu is not very happening and nutritive one and clearly indicates that there is a need of change in the menu to provide the customers different items and attract their attention to each item equally. Below is a blue print of changed menu provided which will attract more customers to the caf and thus the standards will be equally maintained. Redesigned menu blueprint: (Source: Hou Yang, and Sun 2017). References: Beijbom, O., Joshi, N., Morris, D., Saponas, S. and Khullar, S., 2015, January. Menu-match: restaurant-specific food logging from images. InApplications of Computer Vision (WACV), 2015 IEEE Winter Conference on(pp. 844-851). IEEE. Filimonau, V. and Krivcova, M., 2017. Restaurant menu design and more responsible consumer food choice: An exploratory study of managerial perceptions.Journal of Cleaner Production,143, pp.516-527. Hou, Y., Yang, W. and Sun, Y., 2017. Do pictures help? The effects of pictures and food names on menu evaluations.International Journal of Hospitality Management,60, pp.94-103. Jimenez-Chavez, R., Connors, P. and Josiam, B., 2016. The influence of organic labeling and price on restaurant menu choice.Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior,48(7), p.S105. Magnini, V.P. and Kim, S., 2016. The influences of restaurant menu font style, background color, and physical weight on consumers perceptions.International Journal of Hospitality Management,53, pp.42-48. Mahmud, T.U., 2017. Inbound marketing for small business such as restaurant and cafe. Ozdemir, B. and Caliskan, O., 2014. A review of literature on restaurant menus: Specifying the managerial issues.International Journal of Gastronomy and Food Science,2(1), pp.3-13. Ozdemir, B. and Caliskan, O., 2015. Menu design: A review of literature.Journal of Foodservice Business Research,18(3), pp.189-206. Scozzafava, G., Contini, C., Romano, C. and Casini, L., 2017. Eating out: which restaurant to choose?.British Food Journal, (just-accepted), pp.00-00. Testa, M., 2014. HTM 340: Introduction to Restaurant Management. Wansink, B. and Love, K., 2014. Slim by design: Menu strategies for promoting high-margin, healthy foods.International Journal of Hospitality Management,42, pp.137-143. Yim, E.S., Lee, S. and Kim, W.G., 2014. Determinants of a restaurant average meal price: An application of the hedonic pricing model.International Journal of Hospitality Management,39, pp.11-20.

Saturday, November 30, 2019

Leasing Buildings Advantages and Disadvantages

Table of Contents Introduction Advantages Disadvantages Sale of the Company’s Headquarters Building Reference List Introduction The purpose of this business report is to analyze and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of leasing buildings, medical equipment and office furniture and equipment. This analysis should explain how the company will benefit (or lose) from selling its headquarters and leasing them back from the buyer.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Leasing Buildings Advantages and Disadvantages specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More It is essential to understand the pros and cons of such an action before embarking on it. Thus a professional investigation should reveal the advantages and disadvantages of selling and then leasing the company’s headquarters as opposed to maintaining them. Through understanding this breakdown, the management will be in a better position to decide whether to sell or maintain them. Advantages Leasing can be defined as the act of obtaining something (for example property, equipment, or building) from another person (the owner) for a specific period of time under a lease agreement and payment of lease charges. One benefit of leasing is that it trims down the cost of ownership of essential assets whose expenditure involves colossal amount of cash. Through leasing, an individual can be able to finance many assets compared to purchasing only one brand new asset. Another advantage of leasing is that, one is relieved off the worry of disposing an asset once it is worn out. All assets (except land) depreciate in value and become obsolete with time (Anon. â€Å"Advantages and disadvantages of lease financing for businesses†, 2005). The owner has to dispose off the assets that can no longer be used and obtain new ones. However, the person leasing the equipment is under no obligation liable for replacing the assets once they are worn out an d leaves them as they are once the lease period is over. Under leasing, one pays a fixed rate every month which is also inflation friendly. That is, as inflation rises the lease rate remains constant over a period of up to five years. Another advantage of leasing is that, one is able to utilize equipments by renting only the necessary equipments. Once a lease period is over, a person can be able to upgrade with technology by leasing new equipments as opposed to owning old and outdated equipments which would be difficult or rather expensive to dispose and buy the new ones. Leasing also has tax benefits that depend on the structure of the lease (Anon. â€Å"Leasing in Business- advantages and disadvantages†, 2009).Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Disadvantages Leasing is a form of financing that is preferred by many businesses, although not all. Before leasing, certain things has to be put into consideration such as the type of equipment required, and the kind of business. Also one has to consider the tax implications between leasing and purchasing the equipment. One of the bad things about leasing is that it becomes expensive in the long run as opposed to owning the item. In leasing one can rent an item over long periods of time and will never own the item (Wakelin, et al 2003). If the money spent on leasing can be accumulated it would by far be more than the actual money that would have been spent if the item was bought from the very start. Another disadvantage is that, if the lease agreement is terminated before it expires, mainly because of damage, then the person leasing the item in question will be expected to pay additional charges on top of the lease charge. Not everyone can lease equipment, before being allowed to get any equipment through leasing; one has to prove credit worthiness and good employment history. This becomes an advantage for one who is buying the item since there are no qualifications that have to be met. Sale of the Company’s Headquarters Building One advantage the company stands to benefit from by selling its headquarters building is an increase in its current liquidity status which can be used to expand production. By leasing the building, the company will have to pay a small amount of money every month giving it a chance to expand the business and concentrate on more productive ventures. Another advantage is that it will not have to lease the entire building but can lease some offices and utilize them for maximum production. By leasing, the company is not required to cater for depreciation but will only pay the lease charges as agreed irrespective of the period of time it remains on the leased building (Enterprise Financial solutions, Inc 2002). One disadvantaged of selling the buildings is that, the company will receive a significant less amount of money than it had spent to put up the b uilding or to purchase it when it was still new. By leasing the building, the company will not have equal rights over the building like before and will be expected to maintain it in a good condition. The new owner has a right to terminate the lease agreement if the company messes around with it and will be expected to pay an additional charge to repair the building. In the long run, the company will pay a higher amount of money that the amount obtained at the time of sale (Spiritleo, 2010).Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Leasing Buildings Advantages and Disadvantages specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More I would therefore advice the management of the company not to dispose the building because the long run benefits of maintaining it surpass the proceeds obtained from selling it. The building can also be used as collateral for borrowing loans from financial institutions which would otherwise be difficult if the comp any has no tangible assets. Reference List Anon. (2005). Advantages and disadvantages of lease financing for businesses. Allbusiness.com. Web. Anon. (2009). Leasing in Business- advantages and disadvantages. Web. Enterprise Financial solutions, Inc (2002). Advantages of leasing. Web. Spiritleo (2010). Advantages and disadvantages of leasing. Web. Wakelin, et al (2003). Leasing equipments for business. Web. This report on Leasing Buildings Advantages and Disadvantages was written and submitted by user Hug0 to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Monday, November 25, 2019

Chinese art of the Ching peri essays

Chinese art of the Ch'ing peri essays From the earliest awakenings of Chinese civilization, the Chinese have sought out what they believe to be spiritual perfection. This numinous sense of flawlessness existed within the people themselves, in nature, and between the two as well. Art has always been a common means for the Chinese to achieve such inner tranquility and peace. In their art, they stressed the dignified qualities of serenity, grace, and balance. They avoided confusion, conflict, and all violent emotions no matter what the price. Unsettling or revolutionary forms of experimental art were not welcome even to this day. On the other hand, expressing nobility and inner-worth was considered a necessity. It has been rightfully stated that Chinese art is not just a hobby. It is ultimately a way of being . To appreciate the significance of art fully, we must keep in mind a commandment of Confucius: Raise yourself to the beautiful. The Ching period, also referred to as the Manchu period was an extremely active one for the arts. It was an age of research, preservation of ancient texts, and the collecting of bronzes and paintings. There was no great change in the manner of painting after the fall of the Ming. A variety of styles for painters to follow already existed. Many painters varied their own personal style by combining those styles which preceded them. However, the most renowned Ching painters relied on their own ingenuity to create styles that even the weight of tradition could not suffocate. During the late 17th and early 18th centuries, most artists followed the examples of Tung Chi-chang. He believed in not just reproducing natures outer appearance, but expressing his own inner feelings on the subject at hand. The Ching painters studied the old masters, as Tung Chi-chang suggested to them, in order to discover their technical secrets. Later they learned to us ...

Friday, November 22, 2019

African Literature Essay Example for Free (#2)

African Literature Essay ? Despite the ignorance of most so called â€Å"literati† to the domain of African literature, African literature in fact is one of the main currents of world literature, stretching continuously and directly back to ancient history. Achebe did not â€Å"invent† African Literature, because he himself was inundated with it as an African. He simply made more people aware of it. The Beginnings of African Literature The first African literature is circa 2300-2100, when ancient Egyptians begin using burial texts to accompany their dead. These include the first written accounts of creation – the Memphite Declaration of Deities. Not only that, but ‘papyrus’, from which we originate our word for paper, was invented by the Egyptians, and writing flourished. In contrast, Sub-Saharan Africa feature a vibrant and varied oral culture. To take into account written literary culture without considering literary culture is definitely a mistake, because they two interplay heavily with each other. African oral arts are â€Å"art’s for life’s sake† (Mukere) not European â€Å"art’s for art’s sake†, and so may be considered foreign and strange by European readers. However, they provide useful knowledge, historical knowledge, ethical wisdom, and creative stimuli in a direct fashion. Oral culture takes many forms: proverbs and riddles, epic narratives, oration and personal testimony, praise poetry and songs, chants and rituals, stories, legends and folk tales. This is present in the many proverbs told in Things Fall Apart, and the rich cultural emphasis of that book also is typically African. The earliest written Sub-Saharan Literature (1520) is heavily influenced by Islamic literature. The earliest example of this is the anonymous history of the city-state of Kilwa Kisiwani. The first African history, History of the Sudan, is written by Abd al-Rahman al-Sadi in Arabic style. Traveling performers, called griots, kept the oral tradition alive, especially the legends of the Empire of Mali. In 1728 the earliest written Swahili work,Utendi wa Tambuka borrows heavily from Muslim tradition. However, there are little to no Islamic presence in Things Fall Apart. The Period of Colonization With the period of Colonization, African oral traditions and written works came under a serious outside threat. Europeans, justifying themselves with the Christian ethics, tried to destroy the â€Å"pagan† and â€Å"primitive† culture of the Africans, to make them more pliable slaves. However, African Literature survived this concerted attack. In 1789, The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustava Vassa was the first slave narrative to be published. Kidnapped from Nigeria, this Ibo man wrote his autobiography in Great Britain in English, and like Achebe used his narrative as a platform to attack the injustices of slavery and cultural destruction. Back in Africa, Swahili poetry threw off the dominating influence of Islam and reverted back to native Bantu forms. One exemplar of this was Utendi wa Inkishafi (Soul’s Awakening), a poem detailing the vanity of earthly life. The Europeans, by bringing journalism and government schools to Africa, helped further the development of literature. Local newspapers abounded, and often they featured sections of local African poetry and short stories. While originally these fell close to the European form, slowly they broke away and became more and more African in nature. One of these writers was Oliver Schreiner, whose novel Story of an African Farm (1883) is considered the first African classic analysis of racial and sexual issues. Other notable writers, such as Samuel Mqhayi and Thomas Mofolo begin portraying Africans as complex and human characters. Achebe was highly influenced by these writers in their human portrayal of both sides of colonization. Emerging from Paris in the 1920s and 1930s, the negritude movement established itself as one of the premiere literary movements of its time. It was a French-speaking African search for identity, which ofcourse took them back to their roots in Africa. Africa was made into a metaphorical antipode to Europe, a golden age utopia, and was often represented allegorically as a woman. In a 1967 interview, Cesaire explained: â€Å"We lived in an atmosphere of rejection, and we developed an inferiority complex. † The desire to establish an identity begins with â€Å"a concrete consciousness of what we are–†¦that we are black . . . and have a history. . . [that] there have been beautiful and important black civilizations†¦that its values were values that could still make an important contribution to the world. † Leopold Sedar Senghor, one of the prime thinkers of this movement, eventually became president of the country of Senegal, creating a tradition of African writers becoming active political figures. Achebe was doubtless familiar with the negritude movement, although he preferred to less surrealistic and more realistic writing. In 1948, African literature came to the forefront of the world stage with Alan Paton’s publishing of Cry the Beloved Country. However, this book was a somewhat paternalistic and sentimental portrayal of Africa. Another African writer, Fraz Fanon, also a psychiatrist, becomes famous in 1967 through a powerful analysis of racism from the African viewpoint – Black Skin, White Masks. Camara Laye explored the deep psychological ramification of being African in his masterpiece, The Dark Child (1953), and African satire is popularized by Mongo Beti and Ferdinand Oyono. Respected African literary critic Kofi Awoonor systematically collects and translates into English much of African oral culture and art forms, preserving native African culture. Chinua Achebe then presents this native African culture in his stunning work, Things Fall Apart. This is probably the most read work of African Literature ever written, and provides a level of deep cultural detail rarely found in European literature. Achebe’s psychological insight combined with his stark realism make his novel a classic. Post-Achebe African Literature Achebe simply opened the door for many other African literati to attain international recognition. East Africans produce important autobiographical works, such as Kenyans Josiah Kariuki’s Mau Mau Detainee (1963), and R. Mugo Gatheru’s Child of Two Worlds (1964). African women begin to let their voice be heard. Writers such as Flora Nwapa give the feminine African perspective on colonization and other African issues. Wole Soyinka writes her satire of the conflict between modern Nigeria and its traditional culture in her book The Interpreters (1965). A prolific writer, she later produces famous plays such as Death and The King’s Horseman. Later, in 1986, she is awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. African Literature gains more and more momentum, and Professor James Ngugi even calls for the abolition of the English Department in the University of Nairobi, to be replaced by a Department of African Literature and Languages. African writers J. M. Coetzee, in his Life and Times of Michael K. written in both Afrikaans and English for his South African audience, confronts in literature the oppressive regime of apartheid. Chinua Achebe helps reunite African Literature as a whole by publishing in 1985 African Short Stories, a collection of African short stories from all over the continent. Another African writer, Naguib Mahfouz, wins the Nobel Prize in literature in 1988. In 1990 African poetry experiences a vital comeback through the work I is a Long-Memoried Woman by Frances Anne Soloman. African Literature is only gaining momentum as time marches onwards. African Literature. (2016, Dec 01).

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Managing Day Care Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Managing Day Care - Essay Example The recommended ratio in most countries is that one adult should be able to care for one child who is an infant as well as up to the age of one year. One adult should take care of five children that range around five years old at one specific time. For the children that are between the ages of 6-9 years, eight of them can be under one care taker at a specific time while those ranging from 10-12 years should not exceed ten under the care of one person at a specific time. It may however be challenging to meet this threshold as the number of personnel may fall short as compared to a large number of kids. (Farrell, 2001: pg 21) 2. Recruitment and Retention: A strategy should be developed to respond to all the issues that involve recruitment and retention of the people that take care of the children in day care. Such kind of strategy should be able to lay the basic foundation that would enable the child care to be in the hands of dedicate and highly qualified personnel that has the best i nterest of the children at heart. The recruitment programs should be able to bring out good qualities of the workforce that has the ability to provide continued support for the children under their care. The recruitment programs should also have the ability to facilitate retention of the up to date work force in their good numbers that is stable and dedicated to meeting the actual needs of the children under their care. The objectives that should be in the forefront for the stakeholders that recruit those who care for these children is that their strategy should be able to implement, after developing the actual strategy to be able to encourage many people who are willing but have a heavy heart to be able to come forward and take day care jobs as well as to implement the strategy to retain the good sense of personnel and workforce that have had all along and who proved their worth. (Fanning, 1991: pg 45) 3. Working with men in childcare: The issue about recruitment of men has been ho tly debated for ages but then again men should have the chance to work as caretakers. This will enable the children grow up with no form of jobs stereotypes and they would be encouraged to embrace gender balance as compared to instances where only women could do this work. Although the percentages of men who are offering themselves for the job are still few, it isn’t as low as it used to be. The men should also undergo same levels of training so as to be able to come up for the job. There should also be public education on giving the male caretaker a chance to do their job without discrimination. (Lindon, 1998: pg 22) 4. The Importance of Policies: After choosing to be an official that works under child care programs, there are certain difficult decisions that we have to make. The decisions involve how to associate with the kinds of policies that are designed to bring sanity to the work of child care centers or programs. For example when there are operating hours that are ser iously set by the managers or the parents, then there are factors that have to be considered such

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Mechanical lock and phisical model Research Paper

Mechanical lock and phisical model - Research Paper Example fectiveness of the remotely controlled Security System since it decides the systems electrical requirements, physical security, installation and operation, as well as the industrial design of the end product. While the lock provides for the physical security of the Electronic Security System, the access control devices actuate the locking mechanism after validating the credentials of the owner and generating the signal for locking or unlocking the lock (Abloy, 2011). The monitoring system is to keep an eye of the lock tracking the movement of any object nearby, to maintain a database for the access control and to keep the recorded data available for ready access. The mechanical locks form the heart of the security system and are available in a variety of designs. A pin tumbler lock is proposed to for the heart of the locking mechanism. In the pin tumbler lock, the key fits into a rotatable tube, called a plug, which sits within a fixed cylinder known as the shell (Phillips, 2005). Rotating the plug within the shell operates the locking mechanism. When the lock is locked, the plug is prevented from rotating by little sticks of metal under spring pressure that protrude from the plug into the shell. Each stick, known as a pin stack, is cut into two (or more) pieces (pins) at one or more of a standard, discrete set of positions. When the lock is empty, the cuts in the pin stacks sit inside the plug and the ends of the outermost pins protrude into the shell. When a correct key is inserted, it lifts each pin stack to a height where the cut is precisely aligned with the boundary between plug and shell. This enables the plug to turn and operate the mechanism. The design of the electromechanical lock utilizes solenoid as main power in order to activate the lifting mechanism of the pin stack. Solenoid in general creates linear motion due to its force stroke characteristics. Energy efficient and forceful operation of the solenoid is vital for proper operation and longevity

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Dominos Pizza Essay Example for Free

Dominos Pizza Essay The legend of Domino’s Pizza dates back to December, 1960 with the purchase of a small pizza shop in Ypsilanti, Michigan by brothers Tom and Jim Monaghan. The brothers bought the restaurant from friend Dominick DeVarti for USD500 cash and assuming the stores USD8,000 debt (Dicke, 1992). Neither Tom nor Jim had the intention of making the restaurant business their career, but rather saw the opportunity as a part-time venture to help cover the cost of their studies at the nearby University of Michigan. By June the store was earning a profitable USD400 a week but briskly fell off when students at the University went home for summer. Faced with the prospect of a slow phase, Jim sold Tom his half of the business in 1961 and changed the name from Dominick’s to Domino’s. The same year, Tom decided to quit school to devote more time to the business. Aware of his lack of experience in pizza making and operations and management, Tom spent much of his time visiting many similar pizzerias around the state acquiring advice on operations and recipes. By the mid 60’s, Tom had restructured the interior of the store, rearranged all areas and systems, ultimately improving the flow of work in all facets of the operation from order-taking to delivery. â€Å"Monaghan’s system was reminiscent of those developed by the managers of White Castle Hamburger in the 20’s and the McDonald brothers in the 40’s† (Dicke, 1992). The implementation of this system formulized the production process as a unified whole, and included the standardization of materials, clever and thoughtful placement of equipment, and detailed division of labor; all geared to achieve the continuous production of its limited product line. By 1967, Domino’s emphasis on uniform quality and rapid delivery proved a successful system for operating a pizza shop and therefore provided opportunity for expansion through franchising. 3. HISTORY IN MALAYSIA The company landed in Malaysia in September 1997. Launched by its founder, Tom Monaghan himself, Domino’s Pizza became an overnight sensation. It was so well-received that Domino’s Malaysia’s commissary was recognised in the Annual Domino’s International Audit as the Best Commissary in Asia Pacific. 4. PRODUCTS [pic] Exhibit 4. 1 Domino’s Pizza Customer Benefit Package Domino’s Pizza offers a wide range of meals to its customers. They offer variety of pizza, pasta, side orders and beverages. They have 5 unique pizza crusts i. e. Classic Hand Tossed, Crunchy Thin Crust, Cheese Burst Double Decker, New York Crust and Extreme Edge to satisfy Malaysian customers’ appetite. [pic][pic][pic][pic][pic] Exhibit 4. 2 Domino’s Pizza 5 unique Pizza Crust Domino’s Pizza also offered numbers of topping such as Ultimate Hawaiian, 7-Meat Wonders, Meatasaurus, Prawn Passion, Chicken Perfection, Tuna Extreme, Prawn Sensation, BBQ Chicken, Aloha Chicken, Extravaganza, Classified Chicken, Plain Cheese, Beef Pepperoni, Chicken Pepperoni, Classic Chicken, Flaming Tuna, Meat Mania, Seafood Delight, Spicy Sambal, Spicy Sausage, Tuna Temptation, Vegie Fiesta and Vegie Galore. Domino’s Pizza also allowed their customers to customize their pizza by offering 2 options i. e. Make Your Own and Half Half. [pic][pic][pic][pic][pic] [pic][pic][pic][pic][pic] [pic][pic][pic][pic][pic] [pic][pic][pic][pic][pic] [pic][pic][pic][pic][pic] Exhibit 4. 3 Domino’s Pizza delicious Specialty Pizza Customize Pizza Domino’s Pizza comes with 3 Signature Pizza Sauces such as Domino’s Signature Sauce, Spicy Sambal Sauce and Top Secret Sauce. [pic] [pic] [pic] Exhibit 4. 4 Domino’s Pizza signature Pizza Sauces. Domino’s Pizza also serve varieties of side orders such as Chicken Wings BBQ, Chicken Wings Hot Spicy, Spaghetti Bolognese, Chicken Lasagna, Creamy Custard Puff Desert, Garlic Twisty Bread, Garlic Cheese Onion Rings, BreadStix, Banana Kaya Desert, CinnaStix Icing and Chocolate Lava Cake. Domino’s Pizza also offers Coca-Cola, Sprite and Fruit Tree Fresh Apple Aloe Vera for its beverages. The above products are considered primary goods for Domino’s Pizza and these products will ensure that Domino’s Pizza customer’s needs of foods will be fulfill. Domino’s Pizza has introduced its Unique Selling Preposition (USPs) which includes:- 1. 30-Minutes Delivery Guarantee! Dominos is the only pizza company that guarantees customer’s order will arrive within 30 minutes or Domino’s will give its customer a free Regular Pizza voucher; 2. Product Satisfaction Guarantee Dominos guarantees satisfaction! Their pizza and side orders are guaranteed to be hot, fresh, and great tasting when they arrives at customer’s doorstep, otherwise Domino’s will replace the product or refund customer’s money. 3. 15-Minute Take-Away Guarantee Dominos guarantees customers will receive their Take-Away orders within 15 minutes or Domino’s will give them a free Personal Pizza voucher. 4. Free Delivery No extra charges for delivery to customer’s doorstep. Domino’s Pizza also introduced discount coupons for its customers’ future purchase. This method is really works for Domino’s Pizza where they tie-up their customer with the attractive offer for future purchase. This will also create loyalty among Domino’s Pizza customers. Domino’s Pizza also allowed their online customers to pay their orders using credit card where previously they only accept cash payment for the online purchase. The above services can be considered as peripheral services where it will benefit Domino’s Pizza customers and will add confident for the customers to choose Domino’s Pizza rather than other Domino’s Pizza competitors such as Pizza Hut and Papa John. [pic][pic][pic][pic] Exhibit 4. 5 Domino’s Pizza Unique Selling Prepositions (USPs). Further to the above Domino’s Pizza also obtained a Halal Certification for all its products from Jabatan Kemajuan Islam, Malaysia (JAKIM) which will add more confident to Domino’s Pizza current and future customers. 5. VALUE CHAIN [pic] Exhibit 5. 1 Domino’s Pizza Value Chain It is important to consider how a customer need drives Dominos to create the product. The customer need that drives the entire value chain is the need for a dependable take away restaurant, reasonably priced hot quality food and variety that suits the local palette. Dominos has focused on these key customer needs throughout the value chain, and has not allowed any digressions in this area unlike other competitors who have evolved a mixed model of full service restaurants and takeaway outlets, or a hybrid combination of both. This has diluted their strengths in the segment Dominos focuses on Takeaway / Home delivery. Its global operational model allows for lean stores, well-trained staff and flexibility at a country level to customize menus to suit customer tastes. Operational requirements have prompted the use of technology to make the customer experience more enriching, it has a history of firsts – they were the first to use TV as a distribution channel, an online tracking system that allows customers to track the pizza order and a proprietary point of sale system. A combination of the Company level strategy and the Operational Strategy has resulted in Dominos having a reputation for reliability and consistent pizza quality – these strategies have ensured that Dominos continues to meet its customer needs. 6. OPERATIONS STRATEGY. Dominos operations strategy mainly focuses on the providing high service quality to the customer: 1. Minimize operations cost: To minimize the operating cost by improving the efficiencies and process at the stores. 2. Strategic store locations to facilitate the delivery service: To leverage the strategic location of the store in order to facilitate quick service to the customer and maximize the revenue. 3. Production oriented store designs: To utilize the production oriented store design in order to facilitate efficient production and quick service to the customer. 4. Efficient order taking, production and delivery: To execute an efficient operational process that includes order taking, pizza preparation, cooking, boxing and delivery. 5. Use of Domino’s PULSE point-of-sale system: Use of Domino’s PULSE system to improve operating efficiencies, provide corporate management with easy access to financial and marketing data and reduce time consumption and expenses. 6. Product and process innovations: To promote an innovative culture that increases both quality and efficiency. 7. A focused menu: To maintain a focused menu that is designed to present an attractive quality offering to customers, while minimizing order errors, and expediting the order taking and food preparation processes. 8. A comprehensive store operations evaluation program: To utilize a comprehensive store audit program to ensure that stores are meeting both as the expectations of the customers. The Performance Prioritizing would help Dominos in prioritizing its operational strategies based on the order-winning criteria and the current issues it faces in relation to the competition. 1. Excess zone – Dominos invests in promotional strategy to a greater extent as compared to other food chain outlets. It offers many discount coupons to attract customers. Discount offers do help to some extent in attracting customers but too many discount and promotions tend to lower the brand image. So Dominos need to cut down some expenses in that section which will not affect its sales. 2. Appropriate zone – Dominos has got an excellent unmatched home delivery service through which it stays ahead of its rivals. The ? 30-minute luxury? of Dominos has given the brand a strong image among the customers. This gives Dominos a clear balance between its competitors and customers. 3. Improve zone – Dominos need to improve its product quality in order to maintain reputed. It needs to emphasize on the pizza quality and prioritizing all aspects that relate to the customer. For example, Pizza Hut specifies the calories consumption in each pizza. This reflects the brand concern for the customer. So Dominos should also initiate some measures which would foster the â€Å"emotional connection† to its customers. 4. Urgent action zone – In order to increase the service to customers, Dominos should ensure speedy delivery of pizzas to customers. For this, Dominos need to work on its existing process design. There should be enough space and staff for service and extra machines to handle any machinery failure during peak periods. 7. REFERENCES 1) http://www. wikipedia. org 2) http://www. dominospizza. com. my Discount Coupon for future purchase Free Delivery Service Credit Card payment for online orders 15-Minutes Take-Away Guarantee 30-Minutes Delivery Guarantee Pizza Side Orders Beverages.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Indian Suffrage Essay examples -- essays research papers

Indian Suffrage   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Before the English arrived in the New world and began creating colonies, the American Indians lived in harmony and peace with natures. The American Indians were skilled hunters, farmers and used everything in their environment for survival or for essential necessities. They shared the land together and moved about freely in search of food. The American Indians never considered the lands their property because it's belong to God and no one have the right to buy, sell, nor own it. However, Europeans has an opposite view of Indians beliefs, cultures, and use of lands. They viewed Indians as children, savage- uncivilized people in need of their protection and salvation (Carroll and Noble: 30). Therefore, they felt it is their responsibility to civilize the Indian and put their lands into good uses. Hence, American Indians suffrages and nightmares began. The impact of American expansion has turned upon the Indians and confronted them with social and economic crises never before experienced. As a result, many tribes torn apart, in many cases extinct, and their identity was lost. Indians also lost their original lands as a result of direct and indirect contact with the Europeans. The whites wanted more lands for their developments, and because of this greed, they created direct policies to clear the Indians off their lands. For example, one form of direct policy that the whites used to rob Indians of their lands was by signing treaties. Then later the whites broke these treaties and forced Indian off their lands by the Removal policy and claimed the lands as their property (Lowy: Lecture 11/96). There were many indirect methods that white used to rob Indians' lands. They use bribery, threats, and among countless other things to trick Indians into giving up their lands. They were often tricked into signing the land cession treaties that they did not understand the negotiation and the language (Lowy: Lecture 11/6).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In many ways, the United States policy toward Indian has been schizophrenic because the laws never completely nor attempted to give Indians an opportunity to progress and assimilate into American mainstream as an individual. From time to time, whites creates many policies, such as the reservation, relocation, and termination in an effort to assimilate the Indians into the Americ... ...using their own lands, while the whites over exploited the lands for profits. Whites also passed laws restricting Indians trading opportunities. Also, Indians lives were greatly affected by the extermination of buffalo. Yet, while Indians dependent greatly on buffalo for their main source of food, clothing, and many inedible by-products, the white destroyed them in massive number as hunting sport. A final form, cultural genocide, it explains how Indians' languages, religions, values, and cultures was lost or drastically swapped.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Thanks to the Red Power Movement and many other Indians movements, their efforts have strengthened the prospects for Indian self-determination in the political, economic, education and religious realm. They have helped to make Indian people more visible to the whites and whites began to realize that Indian was our first and natural citizen. However, the government in particular, owns it to the Indians to give them an opportunity to be a full participant in economic, political, and education. They need to put into practice and to bring to fruition some of the reforms and treaties with the American Indians that are long overdue.

Monday, November 11, 2019

Effects of Rape

Psychological Effects of Rape A victim often suffers intense emotional and psychological reactions immediately after a rape. These can be described as personal crises where the victim relives the fear, agony or anxiety, mixed with emotional feelings. For most rape victims, the reactions begin days or weeks after the rape and will sometimes decrease after two to six months. However, disturbing emotions combined with low self-respect and sexual dysfunction may last for a year or more for some. Survivors will likely feel anger, depression, anxiety, and perhaps have a general sense that everything is falling apart. This phase is often marked by recurring nightmares, a generalized feeling of anxiety, and flashbacks to the attack. While these feelings are disturbing, they are a normal reaction to a trauma and are part of the healing process. Often it is at this time that survivors seek assistance from trained professionals who can help to put their lives back together and recover from rape-related post-traumatic stress. Even long after a sexual assault, some reactions may be triggered by people, places or things connected, or seemingly unconnected, to the assault. These are called â€Å"triggers† and they are difficult, but common. Defense mechanisms such as denial, suppression and dissociation are common among rape victims. The function of suppression is to block out the strong emotions and thereby escape the painful feelings for a short time which can be psychologically very exhausting. Denying or putting the worst parts of the assault out of the memory allows the rape victims to cope with their altercation. Dissociation is a defense mechanism which can be employed during painful physical or psychological abuse impossible to escape. This technique provides a feeling of â€Å"leaving† one's body, making the trauma harder to remember, especially the details. Defense mechanisms like these may affect the victim's ability and motivation to talk about the abuse they suffered. Professionals and health care personnel has to strongly take this into consideration while talking to a rape victim. Other long-lasting traumatic reactions following rape may be hyper-vigilance, avoidance of certain thoughts, feelings and situations that remind the victim of the abuse. Avoidance behaviors serve as a psychological defense against severe anxiety and tend to be long-lasting. Research shows that a person's normal work-capacity may be disrupted for as long as eight months after the rape. Depression is one of the most common effects of a rape victim and it can last for months. Suicide episodes begin to occur along with the depression. Sleep disturbances are also common, especially if the victim was assaulted in her own bed. Some examples of how a victim's lifestyle may change after rape are that she may stop opening the door if alone at home, stop using the laundromat, avoid going out after dark, and avoid social interactions, especially with men. I have a friend that was raped years ago and she only eats at restaurants that deliver her food. I hate that she can’t enjoy her life because, she is still young and has a lot going for herself. Spousal rape damages an individual’s psychological state more than stranger rape. It is longer-lasting than stranger rape because, it is carried out by a trusted individual whose trust is now damaged. Ongoing violence and rape within a close relationship may result in effects comparable to those of torture and war. Due to the repeated violence, the effects become even more difficult to work through, leading to deeper wounds. Many times, marital rape involves a combination of several types of crimes, such as physical harm, threats and property damage. All this often intensify the trauma Environment can play a huge role in the recovery process after a rape. It is important for the victim to be able to talk about the assault without being interrupted and questioned as a person. Therapy may be necessary to help the victim work through the traumatic experience. It is important that the woman is not made to feel guilt or responsibility after a sexual assault because that may harm instead of help. The immediate care by health care professionals and doctors is also very important. Some important points to cover are: The patient must be informed about examinations and tests that will be done and why. The patient must never be left alone in the waiting area, and the waiting time should be kept as short as possible. The patient must be informed that certain questions have to be asked, and why it is necessary to ask them. The immediate social situation must be evaluated. Does the patient have someone to stay with her over night? Does she wish to be admitted to the hospital or need to stay home from work? Was a police report filed? Unfortunately, reactions from society often involve some blame of the victim's own behavior. It is not unusual that the victim blames herself for the rape, and the public's attitude has an effect on that action. Blame and doubt by the public most likely stem from their own psychological defense system rather than from an uncaring attitude. This mind-set is partly a result of an unconscious conviction that those who behave appropriately will escape trouble, which also strengthen our own sense of security and control. Another reason is that placing blame on the victim relieves oneself of the responsibility to take action and help. Resistance and self-defense is another technique rape victims carry out. The perpetrator's first objective is to gain control of the victim so the rape can be completed. Some strategies are physical violence, threatening violence, scare-tactics and the use of alcohol or other drugs. Another strategy is that the perpetrator first attempts to gain the victim's trust and create a situation she cannot get out of. Strategies vary, depending on the situation, the relationship between perpetrator and victim as well as on the perpetrator's intent. All investigations clearly show that women who have been raped tended to avoid to resist. This is true for both marital and stranger rapes. No resistance is presumed to be the best defense, but the lack of resistance could be held against the victim later in court. Research in this area points to two things: Attempts by the woman to defend herself against aggression and rape in her own home are seldom successful. Physical resistance is also rare within a marriage. To actively defend oneself and physically and verbally resist the perpetrator decrease the risk for completed rape by a stranger. By and large, the risk for injuries does not appear to be higher because the woman resisted, even if the common belief is that it is â€Å"safest† not to resist. Traditionally, women learn that no resistance is the best strategy in a rape situation. However, there are two obvious problems with this viewpoint. First, the non-resistance may be used against them in court; and, second, new research shows that women who physically resist an assault by a stranger have a good chance to avoid being raped. Research like this must never be interpreted in a way which places resonsibility on those who are unable to or too afraid to resist or whose resistance was not effective. The fact is, and must always be, that the perpetrator is responsible for his actions. This is especially relevant when speaking of rape within the marriage, where resistance appear to be both more dangerous as well as rare. The most successful resistance strategies often talked about are kicking the assailant hard between the legs, pulling his hair, poking him hard in the eyes, and digging with the nails or other objects. At the same time, the woman must also try to find a way to escape. As a result of the newer research, girls and women are now more often encouraged to take self-defense classes. However, this type of resistance does not appear to have the same effect on rape within the marriage. Men who assault and rape women in close relationships must be held accountable and prosecuted. They should also be offered appropriate individual or group psychotherapy. Women and their children also need help and support to leave an abusive relationship, and offered better protection as well as psychotherapy if needed. Rapists come from all areas of society. Many times, they live in normal relationships with other women. Research has been done to find specific biological and personal reasons to why men rape, but the results vary. Therefore, it is difficult to determine a particular biological reason or personality trait of the typical rapist. . Victims of rape are found in all classes of society and are of all ages. However, one common factor emerges: almost every rape victim will have some kind of psychological problem afterwards.

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Apprising Employees at the San Diego Zoo

Reed Nevers Chapter 8 Case study Case study 2 November 10,2012 Online Employee performance 1. The San Diego Zoological Society finally came to the realization that they needed more from their employees even though the society was nonprofit. After further research the society decided to go with a new appraisal system to evaluate their employees. They concluded it would be an online appraisal system. The strategy behind this system was to come up with a collaboration that would coincide with the organizational goals, and give the ability of the employee to set their own goals.This idea would help prevent breakdown within the system, which allows the employees to communicate on a personal basis. This system eventually lead to a merit based platform to help pay the employees' salaries. Not only did the system reach its goals it allowed those who were slightly computer illiterate to be able to add input and it allowed the employees to record their achievements. 2. Is it worth it for the s ociety to go with an online system? There are the pros and cons.For example by changing to an online system the society will be able to streamline their efforts of recruiting, reduce paperwork, while increasing a subjective base of individuals, furthermore it allows the managers to design a process that fits their needs and ideals based upon the organization's mission. On the flipside the employees have concerns about the outcome of the sample that is generated by the software. They feel that it could be biased based upon the organizational needs instead of the employee's needs. 3.I feel that the new appraisal system will allow the employee to have the opportunity to track their performance achievements throughout the year in a simple way, this process will be beneficial to them when it comes to the annual appraisal with their managers. The managers on the other hand will have the ability to track and maintain a centralized data base of information of measures to help establish a ba seline on the employee for the annual appraisal. The online system will benefit both the employee and the manager.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Abenaki Life essays

Abenaki Life essays The Abenaki placed their villages near large water sources. The villages were made up of cornfields, cemeteries, family residencesand specialized buildings and spaces (the main area), and special huts andcamps. Groups of trails connected thedifferent parts of the village together. TheAbenaki spent some of the year in the main village. Here there were many bark houses with fires inside and holes inthe top for the smoke to come out. Their furniture consisted of woven mats, braches covered with hides, andmany furs for bedding. The longhouseswere large multiple family dwellings which housed 30-60 people. They used someof the special buildings for rituals, the shamans hut, and the sweat lodge.They would spend winter here, and would hunt and gather to survive. Summer would also be spent here, improvingthe village. There were not manyproblems in village life until European invasions. Therewere many seasonal camps for the Abenaki. In the early spring, they would go to camps to collect different kindsof bark and other building materials. They gathered different types of wood and bark for roofs, weapons,tools, and other necessary items. Inmid-spring the Abenaki would go to fishing camps. Since many of the villages were close to large water sources,people could often go home after a day of fishing. There was always plenty of fish and the leftover ones were storedin the main village. When the leavesbegin to turn (at the beginning of autumn) the Abenaki went to huntingcamps. They used bow and arrow, knife,lance hunting dogs, and later rifles. They hunted moose, deer, and bear. The women would skin and prepare the animals and the men would hunt. Thespecialized areas in the village were the council house, the dance ground, theshamans hut, the sweat lodge, the cemeteries, fields, and rock chambers. The council house usually faced the dancingground. Outside the house was the chief...

Monday, November 4, 2019

How the legalization of marijuana would affect the economy Research Paper

How the legalization of marijuana would affect the economy - Research Paper Example These positive results mostly have a direct relation to the increased income that the local government regulation of Marijuana sales have had upon their economy. In fact, if one were to keep an open mind about the issue of Marijuana legalization and its possible positive effects on a state or national economy, one will see that the pros in this instance will definitely outweigh the cons. This paper will concentrate on highlighting the positive effects that Marijuana legalization and regulation by a local state can have on its economy. The results of which will definitely astound you and make you question why the government continues to oppose the legalization of Marijuana on a national level. Our country is struggling against consistently growing unemployment rates and is buckling under the pressure of having to balance our national budget. The recent government shutdown resulted in thousands of people being furloughed without any idea as to how and when their income will resume. The se are the true struggles of the average American struggling to make a living in what was once the most powerful and economically stable country in the world. But in Obama's America, inflation is something that nobody, not even the president himself, seems to have the power to overcome. While we spend billions of taxpayer dollars every year in efforts to shut down Marijuana clinics across the nation, we kill an industry that can very well provide jobs to our countrymen and provide the national government with billions in income that can be generated from regulated sales of the plant. Consider the following information regarding the way the government treats what is considered to be a petty drug crime: â€Å"incarcerations for what are basically petty drug crimes continue to rise: â€Å"$200 transaction can cost society $100,000 for a three-year sentence. â€Å" (Erb, Kelly Phillips â€Å"Stirring the Pot: Could Legalizing Marijuana Save the Economy?†). With every state spe nding that kind of serious money on every Marijuana related arrest, it stands to reason that the country as a whole is overspending on the upkeep of each Marijuana grower / dealer in the country when that money can very well be allocated to more serious costs such as housing, healthcare, etc. While Washington remains oblivious to these facts, there have already been 16 states within the union that has come to see the potential benefits that the legalization of Marijuana can have on their local economy. Taking a page out of the prohibition era when alcohol was banned thus creating an underground economy that boomed without the government getting its fair share in terms of taxes. However, legalizing the use of Marijuana for medical and recreational purposes has its economic benefits as the states of Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington have come to realize. Follow ing in their footsteps, twelve more have similar legislation pending: Alabama, Connecticut, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Maryland, Massachusetts, Missouri, New Hampshire New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania (Erb, Kelly Phillips â€Å"Stirring the Pot: Could Legalizing Marijuana Save the Economy?†). These are the states that have woken up to the fact that there is money to be made from government regulation of Marijuana. States

Saturday, November 2, 2019

Copyright Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Copyright Law - Essay Example The Sony exception makes it complicated to implement controls on copyright laws infringement. It further renders it difficult to prohibit the widespread sharing of media files. According to the Sony exception, media users can always have special situations during which they can share media files without infringing the applicable user policies. It relates to inducement infringement as opposed to contributory infringement. It does not render any user liable for an act of infringement committed by another person. In the case of Sony, it did not intentionally abet users to infringe on the patent protected by copyright laws. Sony did not supply its products to users that it had informed knowledge was infringing the rights protected by law (Strowel, 2009). The exception implies that contributory infringement does not exist whenever there is no use likely to lea to infringement. The Sony exception does not apply in the case of Joe. Joe directly abets infringement through the website that al lows user distribution of files. Although Joe does not verify content shared by users, his website aids acts of

Thursday, October 31, 2019

Career Commitment Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Career Commitment - Assignment Example In the case of the former, it emanates from employees being emotionally attached to their organizations (Tiwari, 2009). They identify with the objectives and values of the organization and work towards accomplishing the given goals. In some instances, a commitment to an organization occurs due to fear of losing jobs. In such a case, the employees consider the pros and cons when they leave the organizations. Due to the organization commitment, employees have an obligation to work towards achieving the goals of an organization. Career committed employees are relatively mobile because they are in constant search of better opportunities to advance in their careers. The employees consider their personal goals in line with career objective more than the benefit to an organization (Carter, Cook & Dorsey, 2009). When the employees leave for better opportunities, then organizations suffer. They have to spend money on recruiting new individuals. The normal operations of the organization undergo interruption due to the loss of input from such workers. In general, career committed workers are always on the move. Compared to the organizational commitment, career committed workers negatively impact on the success of an organization. As people advance in age, organizational commitments become

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Gender communication Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Gender communication - Essay Example (Payne, 2001) Thus drawing for a communication difference scenario between men and women, one comes to an understanding that the two communicate in quite varied ways. This is because it is an inherent feature of their make-up, the composition in which they have been made. While men tend to be open and blunt about their thoughts, actions and perceptions, women, on the other hand are more inclined to take it the soft way. This is because they perceive things pretty easily as compared to men who usually are hard and stubborn in their undertakings. Because of this men are known to be violent even within their communicative regimes while women are more sedate and sober when it comes to conversation and the like, all under the heading of communication. (Cody, 1995) Furthermore, men are known to be dominant over their clan while women are known to be subversive within their own rights – yet raising no qualms about their dealings and the ways in which they go about conducting themselves. It is a known fact that within the communicative aspects, men are open to defend their own selves in the wake of differing reactions, afterthoughts and attitudes while women, for the large part, remain confident of their own disposition by remaining quiet and diffident. This is not because they are afraid of coming out clean and clear as per the issue at hand but because they like to remain light on every aspect on which their attention is hailed as supreme right from the onset. It is difficult to make out what women usually would come up with in the case of extreme circumstances. They are easier to cry and weep while it is a well known fact that men usually do not cry unless special circumstances prevail upon their nature. The role of assertion within men is generally more as compared to women. Men feel more asserted as per their points of

Sunday, October 27, 2019

British Social Realism

British Social Realism In order to fully understand the origins and ideals behind the British Social Realism movement it is important to not only explore this period of cinema history but to also study the interrelationship between film and other Art forms. Social Realism, also known as Socio-Realism, is an artistic movement, articulated in the cinematic and other realist arts, which portray working class activities. The ancestry of realism can be traced back to the 19th century art. With the decline of the Romantic Movement, artists looked to show the world in a more literal way and attempt to move closer to observation and away from the non-representational by creating objective representations of the world based on the observation of contemporary life, such as nature, society, the characteristics of the individual and the nation at large. Realism was independent, including in its subject-matter activities and social classes until that time considered unworthy of representation in fine art. The most articulate development of Realism was in French art, where it concentrated on the work of Gustave Courbet, who used the word realism as the title for a manifesto that accompanied an exhibition of his works in 1855. Ilya Repin, a famous Social Realist said that his art work was aimed â€Å"To criticize all the monstrosities of our vile society† although its influence extended into the 20th cen tury its later manifestations are usually labelled as Social Realism. The latter half of the 19th century has been called the positivist age. It was an age of belief in all knowledge which was driven from science and scientific objective methods. Positivist thinking is obvious in the full range of artistic developments after 1850 from the emphasis on the phenomenon of light, to the development of photography and the application of new technologies in architecture and constructions. The artificiality of both the Romanticism and Classicism in the academic art was unanimously rejected, and necessity to introduce contemporary to art found strong support. New idea was that ordinary people and everyday activities are worthy subjects for art. Whilst Realism in France appears after the 1848 Revolution and expressed a taste for democracy, at the same time in England artists, Realists came before the public with the reaction against the Victorian materialism and the conventions of the Royal Academy in London. Literary Gazette, described Social Realism as â€Å"the representation of the proletarian revolution†. By the 1840s both artists and scientists had come to value Realisms empirical study of nature. It was partly this interest in accurate visual records that first led to the use of the camera obscura as an aid to drawing and the development of photography as a way of fixing its image. The idea of the camera as an instrument of knowledge is a powerful assumption underlying many photographic practices, from 19th-century studies of criminality and mental illness to 20th-century documentarism. With a common ideal uniting many Artists and Scientists you would imagine that you could draw a straight line between Realism, the invention of the photographic camera and Social Realism British Cinema but photography, which was developed to bypass the inaccuracies of the human hand, quickly became ‘corrupted. â€Å"Jonathan Crary has argued that by the 19th century the camera was no longer understood as a model of objective knowledge, but had become part of a whole series of optical toys devised to stimulate subjective and embodied vision, now understood as an active and creative element of visual experience. Following Crary, Geoffrey Batchen argues that early photographers were motivated by romantic desires for traces of nature, as much as the need to know, classify, and possess it. Dr Johnson would doubtless have dismissed such approaches as philosophical hair-splitting. Photographs, after all, seem to mirror the world, or at least a fragment of it in space and time. But the photographers choices—lens, viewpoint, framing, timing—intervene between the object and its image, even when these seem natural or unwittingly made, as in snapshot photographs. Realist images are as much constructed as the most complex studio set; their illusion of transparency enhances their ability to construct and confirm conceptions of reality itself.† Patrizia di Bello As we have seen Realism is a movement that crosses art forms, forming in painting, through the development of photography and emerging again in the developing visual art of cinema. In Italy neorealism was a style of film that refelected the early French Realist ideals and told stories set amongst the poor and working class, filmed on location, often using nonprofessional actors. The films mostly contend with the difficult economical and moral conditions of post-World War II Italy, reflecting the changes in the Italian psyche and the conditions they faced in everyday life: defeat, poverty, and desperation. The neorealist style was developed by a circle of film critics that revolved around the magazine Cinema. The group included including Michelangelo Antonioni, Luchino Visconti, Gianni Puccini, Cesare Zavattini, Giuseppe De Santis, and Pietro Ingrao. The critics attacked the poor quality telefono bianco films of the time and felt that Italian cinema should turn to the realist writers from the turn of the century. The most common attribute of neorealism was location shooting and the dubbing of dialogue. The dubbing allowed for filmmakers to move in a more open mise-en-scà ¨ne. Principal characters would be portrayed mostly by trained actors while supporting members (and sometimes principals) would be non-actors. The idea was to create a greater sense of realism through the use of real people rather than all seasoned actors. The rigidity of non-actors gave the scenes more authentic power. This sense of realism made Italian neorealism more than an artistic stance, it came to embody an attitude toward life. The next development in the Realist movement was the French New Wave. This was a blanket term coined by yet another group of critics of the late 1950s and 1960s. Although never a formally organized movement, the New Wave filmmakers were linked by their self-conscious rejection of classical cinematic form and their spirit of youthful iconoclasm. Many also engaged in their work with the social and political upheavals of the era, making their radical experiments with editing, visual style, and narrative part of a general break with the conservative paradigm. Again, the socio-economic forces at play shortly after World War II strongly influenced the movement. A politically and financially drained France tended to fall back to the old popular traditions before the war. One such tradition was straight narrative cinema, specifically classical French film. The movement has its roots in rebellion against the reliance on past forms criticizing in particular the way these forms could force the audience to submit to a dictatorial plot-line. Thanks to the ongoing development of film equipment the face of cinema was constantly evolving and in the same way that Cinema Verite became possible lightweight cameras, lights, and sound equipment allowed the New Wave directors to shoot in the streets, rather than in studios. This fluid camera motion became a trademark of the movement, with shots often following characters down Paris streets. The movies featured unprecedented methods of expression, such as seven-minute tracking shots (like the famous traffic jam sequence in Godards 1967 film Week End). Many of the French New Wave films were produced on small budgets, often shot in a friends apartment, using the directors friends as the cast and crew. Directors were also forced to improvise with equipment (for example, using a shopping cart for tracking shots). As with most art-film movements, the innovations of the New Wavers trickled down to the other cinema cultures. Social Realism in British films peaked during the 1960s when what is commonly referred to as the British New Wave emerged. The new wave directors such as Karel Reisz, Lindsay Anderson and Tony Richardson had made a number of documentaries before moving on to feature films, and many of these had been screened at the National Film Theatre event christened Free Cinema in the 1950s. Like the auteurs of the Italian Neo realism and French New Wave, many of the British directors were knowledgeable critics as well, affiliated with Sequence magazine. This gave them ample opportunity to promote their agenda. Free Cinema was described by Tony Richardson as â€Å"independent of commercial cinema, free to make intensely personal statements and free to champion the directors right to control the picture†. Documentaries such as O Dreamland (Anderson, 1956) about an English coastal resort and Momma Dont Allow (Reisz and Richardson, 1956) about a suburban jazz club put into practice these directors belief in â€Å"the freedom and importance of the everyday†. The themes and people discovered in these documentaries were something that the directors went on to introduce to mainstream cinema. The Free Cinema films were made without inhibitions, and led to the social realist aesthetic of putting ordinary people with problems onto the big screen. It is for this reason that the term kitchen sink drama was coined, to describe the hum drum lives of the masses, and angry young man to describe the rebellious protagonists. Amongst the many films that emerged during the new wave of social realism, there are dozens of stunning examples that continue being championed to this day. Look Back in Anger, A Taste Of Honey, Saturday Night and Sunday Morning, The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner, This Sporting Life, Billy Liar, Cathy Come Home, Up The Junction and Room At The Top, to name a few. Many of these films were based on books and plays, as the social realist aesthetic was alive in literature and theatre at the time. The movement also ushered in a new wave of actors who embodied social realism in their use of colloquialisms and accents. Actors such as Tom Courtenay, Rita Tushingham and Albert Finney held up a mirror to ordinary working class Brits. In the UK, the term kitchen sink derived from an expressionist painting by John Bratby, which contained an image of a kitchen sink. The critic David Sylvester wrote an article in 1954 about trends in recent English art, calling his article The Kitchen Sink in reference to Bratbys picture. Sylvester argued that there was a new interest among young painters in domestic scenes, with stress on the banality of life. â€Å"Kitchen sink realism† was linked to the rise of the Angry Young Men, a category applied to a number of British playwrights and novelists from the mid-1950s. Their political views were seen as radical, sometimes even anarchic, and they described social alienation of different kinds. The authors included both left-wing and right-wing writers. They included John Osborne, Harold Pinter, John Braine, and Alan Sillitoe. The new wave of British film-makers captured the zeitgeist of the period, and paved the way for directors such as Mike Leigh, Stephen Frears and Ken Loach who continue to make films that shape a very regional British film industry. Films such as Riff Raff, Naked, and My Beautiful Laundrette, although made 20 30 years later, embody the same values as were inherent in the films of the New Wave The British New Wave Cinema only lasted a few years, from 1959 to 1963. Only about half a dozen films were made. Even though they were so few made, the film were very influential and Incredibly evocative, and enough to prompt critics of the time to talk of ‘a renaissance in British cinema. Coming at the end of a decade that was extensively perceived as ‘a doldrums era, based on a diet of lightweight comedies, gothic horror films and endless war vehicles the New Wave films were greeted by audiences as a breath of fresh air and paved the way for the transatlantic success that awaited British cinema in the Sixties. The main directors of New Wave cinema were Karel Reisz, Lindsay Anderson, Tony Richardson, and John Schlesinger . the majority came from the theatre, predominantly from the Royal Court Theatre, Richardson had made a name for himself by directing the plays of John Osborne, such as The Entertainer and Look Back in Anger to great critical approval. The foremost production company behind British New Wave cinema, Woodfall films, was in fact set up by Richardson and Osborne predominantly to put these stage plays on to the big screen, which they did with the likes of Richard Burton and Laurence Olivier in the leading roles. Woodfalls fortunes fared even better when Reisz and Richardson collaborated with northern realist authors and theatre writers such as Alan Sillitoe and Shelagh Delaney and took the unusual step for the film industry of those times of appointing them to write the screenplays for the films. Like with the French New Wave, taking the cameras out of the studio confines and engaging in much larger amounts of location shooting was another revolutionary idea for the industry, and was not welcomed by mainstream critics. But social realism was the vastly insperitional for new film-makers, scriptwriters, and a younger generation of actors, including Albert Finney, Rita Tushingham, Shirley Anne Field, Tom Courtenay, Alan Bates, Rachel Roberts, Richard Harris and the like. Karel Reisz had the first big commercial success with Saturday Night and Sunday Morning (1960), while Tony Richardson made A Taste of Honey (1961) and The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner (1962) and Lindsay Anderson engaged David Storey to script his own book of This Sporting Life (1963), which effectively brought New Wave Cinema to an end. The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner is a challenging and inventive film from 1962, produced and directed by Tony Richardson, and starring Tom Courtenay with Sir Michael Redgrave and James Bolam in support. The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner was the first British film to depict the brutality within the Borstal system later revisting in the film Scum (1979). The film caused outrage at the time and its anti-authoritarian agenda ran into problems with the British Board of Film Censors, which described its story as ‘blatant and very trying Communist propaganda, and particularly worrying for us because the hero is a thief and yet is held up to the admiration of silly young thugs. Critics also commented on how the film explored the novel features of the camerawork and editing for its time, the originality of the musical score, and debated the borrowings from the French New Wave, as well as, finally, the way in which the film continued to break new ground in British cinema of the day. Saturday Night and Sunday Morning was adapted from Alan Sillitoes first popular novel, and was about the new young working class. Directed by Karel Reisz and produced by Tony Richardson, Saturday Night and Sunday Morning stars Albert Finney, Rachel Roberts and Shirley Anne Field. The film was a revelation when it was initially released, not just for its realistic style, but also for its graphic portrayal of sex, extra-marital affairs, strong language, and, most contentious of all, abortion. Once again The British Board of Film Censors urged a general toning down of all the language and sex scenes. In particular, it required that the successful abortion scene promised in the screenplay and evident in Sillitoes original novel, be rendered ultimately ineffective and that the film-makers follow a policy of ‘social responsibility as far as possible. In conclusion the social realism fostered by New Wave Cinema made an indelible and lasting impression on British film-makers for many years, and can even be seen in such recent films as Pater Cattaneos, The Full Monty (1997), as well as Lynne Ramsays art-house success, Ratcatcher (1999). The spirit of the British Social Realist movement extended way beyond its own period and, indeed, still flourishes in British cinema today in filmmakers such as Shane Meadows. Bibliography http://www.answers.com/topic/realism?nr=1lsc=true http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_neorealism http://www.open2.net/historyandthearts/arts/newwave_p.html http://filmstudies.suite101.com/article.cfm/social_realism_in_british_film http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_neorealism http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_New_Wave

Friday, October 25, 2019

Psychoanalytic Analysis of Shakespeare?s Hamlet Essay -- essays resear

If one wants to truly understand the psychological implications of William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the primary focus should be on the character Hamlet, and how he develops and modifies throughout the play. Using the fundamentals of the psychoanalytic perspective of critical evaluation, one would be able to truly identify and explore the true nature of Hamlet, and the effects that his character has on the situation surrounding him. In order to gain a true understanding of most of the detail that is implied through Hamlet’s way of portraying himself to others, it is vital to look deep into the actions that are carried out, and analyze them psychoanalytically. Many have already written works that evaluate the play using this method, and one can also do this simply by having a good understanding of what a psychological evaluation truly is. Before beginning the analysis, it would be necessary to have a proper understanding of the psychoanalytical perspective. After attaining knowledge about the perspective, and reading Hamlet of course, one can begin to make important connections using details from the play.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the actual play, one of the principle argument is whether Hamlet is truly mad or not. To analyze this for validity, one would have to look at the linguistics of the play and the situations that play out within it. There is concrete evidence, as well as implied detail, which leads one to believe that Hamlet is only acting as if he were mad in order to carry out his plan to avenge the death of the late King Hamlet. One of the first examples of this evidence shows itself when Hamlet warns Horatio of what he’s planning, and in effect, not to blow his cover. â€Å"Here, as before, never, so help you mercy, how strange or odd soe'er I bear myself,— As I, perchance, hereafter shall think meet to put an antic disposition on,— that you, at such times seeing me, never shall...note that you know aught of me:—this is not to do, so grace and mercy at your most need help you, swear.† (Hamlet) This quotation clearly shows that Hamlet is conscious of the situation, and will pretend to be mad. But, there is other evidence that may lead one to think about whether or not Hamlet may have actually been slightly mad. For instance, it strikes one as odd that Hamlet waits so long, and goes through so much trouble in order to kill King Claudius. Hamlet wa... ...alyze the work, or use what others have understood from analyzing Hamlet themselves to draw conclusions and gain an in-depth understanding of what the character is going through from a psychological perspective. There are endless sources out there than can be used as references to support this sort of inquiry. It all comes down to comprehending the work and the perspective. It’s not necessary to scrutinize the inner workings of the play in order to enjoy it, it never has been. Sometimes it’s not until the second or third, or even fourth reading that the reader begins to ask the more advanced questions and demand more of the text. Once that is accomplished, the rest is a proverbial piece of cake. Works Citied Shakespeare, William. â€Å"Hamlet: Prince of Denmark.† Literature: Reading Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. Comp. Robert Deyanni. Boston; McGraw-Hill, 2000. 941-1042. Paredes-vonOyen, Erin. Has Hamlet Gone Crazy?. 26 October. 2000 . Takahashi, Yasunari. â€Å"Speech, Deceit, and Catharsis: A Reading of Hamlet.† Hamlet and Japan. Ed. Yoshiko Uà ©no. Hamlet Collection 2. New York: AMS, 1995. 3-19. Adair, Vance. â€Å"Rewriting the (S)crypt: Gazing on Hamlet’s Interiors.† Q/W/E/R/T/Y 6 (1996): 5-15.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Oral traditions Essay

Many ancient scholars believed Africa had no history prior to colonialism because there was no documented evidence. Professor A.P. Newton, who was a distinguished British historian in the early 20th century, believed that there was no African history because most of the African society was illiterate before the European intrusion. ‘History’, he said, ‘only begins when men take to writing.’ He, as well as others who had the same opinion, failed to realize that African communities existed long before colonialism and so had their own history, even though it had not been put into writing at the time. Oral traditions have played and continue to play important roles in the history of Africa as well as its present. Songs, folklores, superstitions, etc. are just some of the things that have been passed from generation to generation orally. We see the evidence of some of these superstitions in J.P. Clark’s _Abiku_ as well as Wole Soyinka’s _Abiku_. Both poems are based on traditional superstitions and it is evident from the title, _Abiku_, which is a word from the Yoruba language of Nigeria that is used to describe a child that dies and is reborn, usually multiple times. It is believed that such children are not of the human world, but rather belong to the spirit world and so they keep going back and forth from one world to the other unless the child’s family is able to make the child stay in the human world, using traditional methods most times. These beliefs and actions are results of oral traditions and, even with the rise of western education in Yoruba communities and Nigeria in general, continue to be upheld by some people. Clark and Soyinka are evidence of the continued dependence and belief in oral traditions by a lot of Africans, even after extensive western  education. These Africans could be doing this as an indirect rebellion against western ideas and principles that have sought to ridicule and destroy African culture. During the colonial era, the Europeans did their best to destroy African culture, especially those that had to do with superstitions and religious beliefs that did not correspond with western principles. Concepts like reincarnation were frowned upon heavily by the European missionaries seeking to change the religious beliefs of Africans and since most aspects of life were based on religion at the time, changing one’s religious beliefs meant changing one’s political, social and economic beliefs as well. However, with the rise of cultural nationalisms, Africans began to reject European standards as the ideal and focus on bringing African culture back to the forefront. Hence, we see Soyinka and Clark as well as many other African poets bringing their cultural superstitions to their literary works, even though most of the m are written in European languages. In Soyinka’s _Abiku_ poem, almost every line is made up of cultural beliefs and practices as they relate to the _Abiku_ child. He even dips into non-African oral traditions in the line that says, â€Å"remember/ this, and dig me deeper still into/ the god’s swollen foot.† (14-16). Here, Soyinka is referring to Oedipus, the Greek mythological figure, and his use of this in his poem suggests that he wants to show that oral tradition is not just an African phenomenon but rather, exists in different cultures all around the world. While, he doesn’t expand on this line, it is important because it stands out from the rest of the poem as it is not connected to Yoruba tradition at all and it makes known to its readers the fact that oral traditions are universal. Also, Soyinka writes his poem from the subject’s point of view as a means of humanizing the character. The concept of _Abiku_ is usually explained as an other- worldly phenomenon, which made it easier for a lot of people to disassociate themselves with the idea. However, Soyinka writes his poem in first person in order to make known to people the fact that _Abiku_ children do exist and they are, in fact, human beings. He brings the _Abiku_ child to the forefront and though the rhetoric is tinged with superstitions and  cultural traditions, the fact that it is being told from the child’s perspective is a humanizing effort. There is no doubt that the poem emphasizes cultural and spiritual notions, especially through the child, however, the poem’s use of words like â€Å"Mothers† (line 26) paints a human picture in the minds of the readers. The juxtaposition of spiritual and human language used in the poem lets the readers know that both the spiritual and the human are present in this _Abiku_ child. Therefore, the poet brings to light the idea that the spiritual i.e. traditional and the human i.e. rational can exist and coincide with one another. He is saying that African culture can exist side by side with western culture and one doesn’t have to diminish the other, which is the direct opposite of what was preached by European missionaries. Also, it is important to note that these two poets as well as most African writers are invested in the concept of Africanism. Keeping African cultures alive is important and we see the poets using their poems to remind Africans and the world in general that African culture still exists and has not been destroyed by urbanization. Oral traditions have never been completely accepted as adequate sources with which to make any kinds of analyses because of the fickle nature of the human memory and so, writing these poems allows the poets show the readers that the culture is still there and these stories and beliefs have not been forgotten. It was important for Africans in historical times to repeatedly acknowledge the oral traditions so they would not forget any parts of it and this is also one of the reasons why African writers usually add some elements of oral tradition into their works. A lot of African communities did not have any means of recording their culture for future generations so they just made sure the younger generations became aware of these traditions from the early stages of their lives so these traditions became engrained in their minds by the time they were adults. However, with the colonization of Africa, a lot of Africans are now able read and write these oral traditions and because of this easy access, a lot of Africans have become unaware of a lot of cultural traditions that would have been passed orally. So, the writers include oral traditions in their written works to bring these stories, beliefs, practices, etc. back into the minds of Africans and the world. This is why  Soyinka and Clark include some traditional processes in their poetry. Soyinka writes about the charms that people believed would keep the _Abiku_ child from going back to the spirit world†¦ â€Å"Must I weep for goats and cowries/for palm oil and sprinkled ash?† He takes the reader into the world of the _Abiku,_ using cultural rituals, which then reminds the Africans who had forgotten and informs those who were not privy to this information initially. Clark takes his readers into the immediate environment of the _Abiku_ child, both the physical environment and the spiritual environment†¦ â€Å"Do stay out on the baobab tree/follow where you please your kindred spirits/if indoors is not enough for you.† In conclusion, oral traditions are very important in African culture as well as other cultures around the world and the use of written language in passing oral traditions has been helpful in bringing forgotten histories back into the minds of its people. BIBLIOGRAPHY Fage, J. D., and British Broadcasting Corporation. Africa Discovers Her Past. London: Oxford University Press, 1970. Henige, David P. The Chronology of Oral Tradition: Quest for a Chimera. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1974. Adesanmi, Pius. You’re Not a Country, Africa: A Personal History of the African Present. Johannesburg: Penguin Books (South Africa), 2011.