Health Care Delivery System Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Health Care Delivery System - Case Study Example First of all, the requirement for high quality care, doubled by the social responsibility to patients, is counterbalanced by an increasing pressure to lower costs and to remain afloat financially. The Canadian model, on the other hand, is designed as public service, with health care provided considering medical needs first, and the ability to pay later. This, however, leads to high health costs supported by the government and to a lower quality and efficiency of services. The present paper will compare and contrast the two systems at four different levels: access, cost, quality and continuity. As far as access is concerned, there are fundamental differences between the two models. The health care system in Canada is characterized by universal access, with all residents being entitled to insured health services. In the US, by contrast, access is determined by the extent and type of the coverage, with no universal pubic health insurance plan (Madore, 1992). The two completely different approaches lead to major differences in coverage: whereas in Canada everybody benefits from the public health insurance, in the United States more than 10% of the population isn't covered at all. In the matter of costs, both countries allocate significant proportions of their income to health care.

Exploring South Africa Culture Essay Example for Free

Exploring South Africa Culture Essay There are many countries that display various types and forms of communication, especially in some countries of Africa. One of the most toured and â€Å"rainbow† diverse country in Africa is apparently South Africa. Even though most of the country is predominantly black, it is also known to be one of the most multicultural countries in the world. In fact, there are many different ethnic groups that make up the countries’ population in urban areas. Also, it explain black people of South Africa colonialism and immigration have brought in white Europeans, Indians, Indo-Malays, Chinese and many more. The best the thing to do is describe some of South African culture, customs, manners, etiquette, values in order to understand the people better. You may be going to South Africa on business, for a visit or even hosting South African colleagues or clients in your own country. Remember, this is only a very basic prologue and is not meant to stereotype all South Africans you may meet! South Africa can be described as a social community that has a various types of communicational style, depending on the ethnic group or maybe the area At the same time they value human politeness over materialism. People living in the city live their life in the fast lane, which affects their outlook. People from the city Johannesburg can quite often be regarded as having materialistic values, and being more concerned in what you own rather than who you are in general. They prefer to see themselves as urbane and their country cousins as less sophisticated. However, in rural areas family ties, long-term friendships and social standing are all important to South Africans. The many rural black communities and villages are still rooted in the traditions of their heritage, whereas the increasingly urban black community combines their roots with the urban environment and international influences that surround them. In order to be accepted by the majority of South African culture, you must first understand their customs. South Africans are openly expressive when it comes to their customs. In fact, some of the countries customs are related to the United States in a way. For instance, the United States and South African share similar greetings, the English language and attires. When trying to get to know someone, South Africans, regardless of ethnicity, prefer meeting and greeting someone face to face instead of impersonal communication like email, letter, or telephone. Greetings are unhurried and can include time for social conversations and the exchanging of them too. â€Å"Currently, there are several greeting styles in South Africa, depending upon the ethnic heritage of the person you are visiting. When dealing with foreigners, most South Africans shake hands while maintaining eye contact and smiling† (Kwintessential 2004). Some women of South Africa don’t like to shake hands, usually they will merely nod their head, so it is best to wait for a woman to extend her hand first. Men can also kiss a woman they know well on the cheek in place of a handshake; something like France. Gender can also play a role in communication in some parts of South Africa. Traditionally, South African women have held second-class status to men. African social structures are centered on men, leaving women powerless (Martinez,1). Basically this called â€Å"Patriarchal†. This is mainly the belief of social communities throughout the entire racial and ethnic population of South Africa. Women roles is to cook and be the caregivers instead the household providers. Sometimes there are women in South Africa who have to follow their husband around or cannot go anywhere without them. Some continue to follow their traditional values; mostly are tribes and those living in villages. Sadly, Patriarchal societies remain prevalent today in South Africa. Another form of the South African culture would be celebrations. There’s one event that is celebrated in the South Africa called the â€Å"Rainbow† Cuisine (Hill, 1). The Rainbow Cuisine is meaningful and traditional to the country. It brings all ethnicity and culture together by using music, dance, cultural food and turning it into a big festival; something like Mardi Gras and the Super Bowl put together but bigger. In general, South Africans give gifts for birthdays and Christmas like Americans. However, South Africans only celebrate two main birthdays 21 and 40 while Americans celebrate 16, 18, 21, and 50. â€Å"Most South African’s birthdays are often celebrated with a large party in which a lavish gift is given† (Kwintessential 2004). It is common for several friends to contribute to this gift to help defray the cost. If you are invited to a South Africans home, bring flowers, good quality chocolates, or a bottle of good South African wine to the hostess (Kwintessential 2004). Wrapping a gift nicely shows extra effort. Gifts are opened when received. Just like the United States when you are invited to a South Africans household. A person must always arrive on time if invited to dinner. It’s considered very rude to show up late or don’t even show up to an invited dinner. Contact the hostess ahead of time to see if she would like you to bring a dish. Every guest have to be in casual wear or at least look presentable for other guest who are also invited and for the host as well. There are some ways to be appreciative of your host’s invite and that’s to offer to help the hostess with the preparation or clearing up after a meal is served. Most South Africans feel well respected when someone show kindness towards them and their family, especially over their food. Gentlemen can also get away with wearing jeans or shorts at a dinner, but they have to be pressed and not wrinkly. So before arriving to the dinner it is always a good idea to check with the hosts in advance. In the urban areas of South Africa, the casual is dressier than in other parts of the country so a person shouldn’t wear jeans or shorts unless you have spoken to the hosts. Now, there is some comparison with South Africa and the United States on some issues. One would be is how South Africa and the United States are conducting business ties with each other. Apparently, South Africans want to maintain agreeable working protocol relationships, so they shun confrontations. It is said that being imperative can help to develop mutual trust before negotiating with someone in business. Another rule in company’s or business negotiating it to never interrupt a South African while they are speaking. Interrupting can cause a huge fail between the buyer and seller, more over it can mess up business. South Africans strive for consensus and win-win situations. South Africans do not like bargaining over price, they believe in final decision- making. â€Å"Decision-making may be concentrated at the top of the company and decisions are often made after consultation with subordinates, so the process can be slow and protracted† (U. S. Library of Congress). However, in South Africa women today still have yet to attain advanced professional positions. If you send a woman, she must expect to encounter some condescending behavior and to be tested in ways that a male colleague would not. Women might have equal rights as men, however they are still treated unequally in higher business positions that’s ran mostly by men, like in the United States. South Africa and the United States are practicing friendlier connections in many areas. â€Å"More than 500 United States companies have more than US$5 billion in direct investments in South Africa in the mid-1990s, and trade between the two countries is increasing steadily† (U. S. Library of Congress). Despite the alleged disagreements in government between the two countries, they both learned to communicate and cooperate with each other by coming to verbal agreements on how business should be ran. South Africa can be an overall great experience for any tourist. Their culture can be easily understood by any ethnicity around the world. Hopefully South Africans will continue to expand traditions, culture, values, customs, and etiquettes in their country, despite diversity. The â€Å"Rainbow† nation will continue to shine their colors and will always be equally match to other countries, even the United States.

Internet bank failures :: essays research papers

Product failures happen more often than many people would think. The failure can result from many elements of a products campaign such as the introduction to a stale market, missing the target through improper ad campaigns, and most importantly, not modifying a products concept to appeal to a foreign market. Web banks, also known as internet-based banks, are one such example where the success that originated in the United States was not transferred to Europe. Instead, failure occurred because of three main reasons: the money plant, the lack of access points, internet fraud, and lack of unity among neighboring countries. Banking in Europe before the introduction of web banks was very basic. People were drawn to the personal attention they received from the customer service staff, the multiple access points such as ATM’s and local branches, and the ability to use new technology such as the internet to check balances and transfer funds. The banking structure was very similar across borders of countries and was what people were used to since the evolution of banking. People trusted their banks and showed a great deal of brand loyalty, an important factor that was overlooked when introducing web banks in Europe. Web Banks very quickly turned into a large failure for many companies across Europe. The initial concept of web banks was that they would provide many services to you in the comfort of your own home, often at far lower rates than traditional banks. While many traditional banks such as Vontobel Holding AG have many requirements to hold accounts with them such as a minimum balance charge and low interest rates, web banks main concept was to offer banking for free with no balance requirements, multiple loan opportunities, and the tracking of many separate accounts under one umbrella. Realization soon came that most banks were built on the personal customer service that it provided and the money that kept the bank afloat was the money earned off loan interest and account charges. This left many bankers in Europe to second guess the new web banks. "It would have been hard for us to establish full relationships with new customers, and we couldn't really see where the revenue was going to come from." With no solid revenue stream and no personal attention, a cornerstone for banking success, it is any wonder that the proposed web banks even were invested in.

African-americans In The South :: essays research papers

As a social and economic institution, slavery originated in the times when humans began farming instead of hunting and gathering. Slave labor became commonplace in ancient Greece and Rome. Slaves were created through the capture of enemies, the birth of children to slave parents, and means of punishment. Enslaved Africans represented many different peoples, each with distinct cultures, religions, and languages. Most originated from the coast or the interior of West Africa, between present-day Senegal and Angola. Other enslaved peoples originally came from Madagascar and Tanzania in East Africa. Slavery became of major economic importance after the sixteenth century with the European conquest of South and Central America. These slaves had a great impact on the sugar and tobacco industries. A triangular trade route was established with Europe for alcohol and firearms in exchange for slaves. The slaves were then traded with Americans for molasses and (later) cotton. In 1619 the first bl ack slave arrived in Virginia. The demands of European consumers for New World crops and goods helped fuel the slave trade. A strong family and community life helped sustain African Americans in slavery. People often chose their own partners, lived under the same roof, raised children together, and protected each other. Brutal treatment at the hands of slaveholders, however, threatened black family life. Enslaved women experienced sexual exploitation at the hands of slaveholders and overseers. Bondspeople lived with the constant fear of being sold away from their loved ones, with no chance of reunion. Historians estimate that most bondspeople were sold at least once in their lives. No event was more traumatic in the lives of enslaved individuals than that of forcible separation from their families. People sometimes fled when they heard of an impending sale. During the 17th and 18th century enslaved African Americans in the Upper South mostly raised tobacco. In coastal South Carolina and Georgia, they harvested indigo for dye and grew rice, using agricultural expertise brought with them from Africa. By the 1800s rice, sugar, and cotton became the South's leading cash crops. The patenting of the cotton gin by Eli Whitney in 1793 made it possible for workers to gin separate the seeds from the fiber some 600 to 700 pounds daily, or ten times more cotton than permitted by hand. The Industrial Revolution, centered in Great Britain, quadrupled the demand for cotton, which soon became America's leading export. Planters' acute need for more cotton workers helped expand southern slavery.

Research design assessment.Methodology Essay

The nation of Libya has been subjected to numerous forms of rules from foreigners as well as from native people who become rulers. The nation became independent from the rule of Italy in 1947 (Vandewalle,  D.  J. 1998). However, British and French continued controlling the nation until 1951. King Idris led the nation into full independence and ended up becoming the first head of state. He established a hereditary monarchy. In a way, Libya started to establish well economically and in terms of security (Bender,  G.  J. 1987). However, although oil was responsible for the drastic improvements in the economy of the nation, it started becoming the source of resentment. That is because King Idris began accumulating too much wealth for his family. Following such resentment, security status of the nation was disturbed. In 1969, Muammar Gaddafi led a group of military officers into a coup d’à ©tat against the King. The ‘Al Fateh’ Revolution was launched. Conseque ntly, King Idris was overthrown. Muammar Gaddafi took leadership but assumed so much power that he ruled the nation with an iron fist. According to St J.R (2008), Libya did not have enough time to enjoy the fruits of independence from colonialism. After independence from foreigners, Libya got into another form of colonialism from its own leaders which can be termed as internal colonialism. As Oakes (2011)notes, the government of Gaddafi spent much of the wealth in purchase of arms and financing terrorist groups around the world. Before his death, he had acclaimed himself as the â€Å"King of Kings of Africa†. After the end of the Gaddafi rule following his death in 2011, Libya is reconstructing itself from the mess that had been caused by his rule (Oakes,  J. 2011). However, frequent attacks from unknown assailants have been experienced severally. In 2012, an American Ambassador to Libya was killed during such attacks. These attacks indicate lack of security in the nation. The state of lawlessness and insecurity are issues that affect the government of Libya which is an interim government. There was an attempted coup on May 18th 2014. This research seeks to compare the present situation in the security of Libya and the past. Furthermore, the research seeks to show whether Libya is better now than before. Methodology                  In this study, secondary sources of data will be used. These will include reading books and jourrnals that talk about the history of Libya. Most of the books written in 1950s about the state of Libya give a clear picture of the nation at that time. Many journals have been written abpiut the history of Libya. Such journals will be very useful in this study. The journals and the books will be accessed online. The researcher will analyse all data obtained. Besides using online sources, the researcher intends to use the school library for the history books detailing the history of Libya. The researcher has full access of the library. The researcher will concentrate on finding appropriate books and journal articles, but will also seek out informed opinion from internet sources (via a Google search). An initial interrogation of the contents pages of past issues of the journals Foreign Policy and Foreign Affairs has already proved fruitful. The researcher also intends to use primary sources. Interviews will be applied in the process. Of particular use will be two US State Department publications: The Foreign Relations of the United States (which reproduces original documents of the US government) and The Department of State Bulletin (which prints public statement of US officials). I will also consult the Congressional Hearings held in the 1980s on this subject. The State Department serials are available electronically, via Hein Online, while Congressional Hearings can be accessed from the webpage of the US Congress. Moreover, interviews will be conducted online with senior people in Libya. People who are thought to have managed to serve in the government before the era of Gaddafi will be sought by means of the office of the Foreign department. Such people will be interviewed to give their opinion on the nature of the rule that Libya was subjected to before the rule of Gaddafi. The advantage with interviewing such people is that they will be in a position to give the past and the present analysis of the situation of Libya with regard to security. Supplementing these books, journal articles, primary sources and interviews, the researcher also intends to read contemporary newspaper articles of the period. He will access the New York Times and Washington Post via the electronic portal: Newspaper Bank*. These sources will give a lot of information regarding the past and the present of Libya. The researcher will go ahead to analyse the information obtained to determine which will help answer the raised question. The relevant data will be used to make the conclusion of the study. References Bender,  G.  J. (1987). International affairs in Africa. Newbury Park, Calif: Sage Publications. Oakes,  J. (2011). Libya: The history of Gaddafi’s pariah state. Stroud, Gloucestershire [England: History Press. St,  J.  R. (2008). Libya: From colony to independence. Oxford: Oneworld. Vandewalle,  D.  J. (1998). Libya since independence: Oil and state-building. Ithaca, N.Y: Cornell University Press. Wright,  J. (2010). A history of Libya. New York: Columbia University Press. Source document

Social Groups essays

Social Groups essays There are various social groups in our school and town. They form into different types of groups. Some of these are grouped by racial background, athletic abilities, hobbies, and intelligence. Usually racial groups, people of the same race stay together. There are a mediocre amount of athletic ability groups. Most of them are from schools and are organized gangs. They usually play games or some type of sport together. People who have the same hobbies frequently stay together and do what they all enjoy. Generally, these groups do not commit crimes. Groups grouped by intelligence are usually come from school. People with the same amount of intelligence stay together. People in these different groups interact most of time within there own groups. Usually groups that do not commit crime usually play games, sports or help each other. Sometimes there are fights within the group. Fights are not frequent among members of different groups although they can happen. The fights include physical and verbal fights. The most common are verbal fights. Rarely do physical fights occur between gangs and groups in our community. Most organized gangs use verbal fights or a game to determine who is better. After a long and tiring fight, many changes can occur to the members of the gang. Personality and feelings can be changed greatly. Members of the group could have once been enemies to another but then they might feel pity for those they have beaten. We humans are born to socialize. It is very important to be in a social group. People in the social groups are friends and it is very important to have friends. A good social group can make you have a good reputation. In addition, the school or town can be famous for it too. Members usually join willingly most of the time if the group is good. However, sometimes members are forced to join. People make other people join by threatening or offering them. ...

Compare and contrast the sisters in “Sense and Sensibility” to the sisters in “The Daughters of the Late Colonel.”

Compare and contrast the sisters in â€Å"Sense and Sensibility† to the sisters in â€Å"The Daughters of the Late Colonel.† British Literature Examination 8Gilbert Lainez Student Number 1053244Compare and contrast the sisters, Elinor and Marianne, in Sense and Sensibility to the sisters, Josephine and Constantia, in "The Daughters of the Late Colonel." Be sure to consider the personalities and priorities of each sister, how the sisters interact with each other, and what their status is after the death of their fathers.Difference among sistersIn Jane Austen's s novel, Sense and Sensibility, we have two main characters which are Elinor and Marianne, who are very different in personalities but have common things between them. In The daughters of the late Colonel, which Katherine Mansfield wrote, we also have two sisters, Josephine and Constantia. They also have some resemblance as sisters, however if we compare these two pair of sisters that come from different families we can find great differences, even though the four of them are women.Constantia, New YorkThe Dashwood sisters, Elinor and Marianne, complem ent each other. Each sisters is different from the other, they differ much in personality. Genius001, author of a review on sense and sensibility, says that Elinor is "sensible, competent and thoughtful", and that Marianne is "impetuous, immature"; each sister has her virtues and vices. As sisters they are both perfect, the oldest is more mature than the youngest. Josephine and Constantia are very much alike, they almost agree in everything, but act in a very girlish way. Between these sisters and the Dashwoods there is not much that makes them similar.Josephine and Constantia are not young at all, they are middle aged women. When their father dies they are totally lost. They really don't know what to do, contrary to the Dashwood sisters who loose their father and decided to move somewhere else and move along in life.

Lessons we have learned from Suits. Read all about it here

Lessons we have learned from Suits. Read all about it here 5 Life Lessons we’ve learned from 'Suits' Life is made up of fascinating and memorable moments. We get to learn so many things from different spheres of life, some are learned from the streets, and others are learned from books and few from experiences. All we need to do is just pay little attention to these experiences. You can gain knowledge about social and business confidence from USA Network’s Suits. The wake of pain caused by retained emotional wounds can be taught by Sopranos and the breaking bad teaches you about pride and limits of loyalty. The following are the list of 5 lessons you can acquire from Suit: 1) Recognize Your Character: In the show Suits, Harvey is known to be proud, bold and charming. He is a man who recognizes his worth and doesn't allow what people say about him to discourage him or pull him down rather he utilizes their negativity to his advantage. How to apply this in your life? Have this at the back of your mind that the world perceives you from your own point of perception. If you see yourself as a failure the world will see and treat you as a failure that has nothing good to offer to them, this is why it is of good importance your carry yourself with a lot of dignity. Don’t be easily swayed by other people opinions about you. If someone provides you a reason to re-adjust your opinion or direction, reflect that in private and not in the open. Make your decision in a relaxed state of mind, rather than accepting their opinion in the moment because it sounds good. 2. Your Appearance: In the first episode of Suits, Harvey stated: â€Å"People react to how we’re dressed, if you want to be addressed as a king you may need to dress in notable regalia or else you will be addressed as a slave if you dress otherwise. For you to be the person you want people to address you as; you need to begin taking steps to doing things that will depict you to others the way you want to be addressed. So like it or not this is what you ought to do. The way you dress your body and move your body - your body language - provides a path for others to know your intention. 3. Be focused on getting solutions: At an early scene, Harvey asked Mike, his apprentice fake lawyer, â€Å"What choices do you have when someone places a gun to your head?† Mike replied him that he will do exactly what he is being instructed to do. Then Harvey responded with this golden nugget of a line: â€Å"Wrong! You either take hold of the gun, or you pull out a bigger one for yourself and you can do any one of the hundred and forty-six other things.† Having this kind of mindset Harvey said enables you to stay focus and not wallowing in depression. Rather it gives you room to be a solution provider for yourself and for others and this contributes to you gaining recognition and respect from others. 4. Try to maintain a strong eye contact: When you do this it shows your level of confidence and enables the person you are with to know how engrossed you are in their situation at the moment. A strong eye contact can be maintained between your clients, families and of course attractive women. 5. Believe in yourself: Harvey best quality was the faith he had in himself; he was so confident about his resources mentally, abilities and his dispositions. Harvey said it is better to ask for mercy rather than permission because if we depend on other people to accept or organize our next steps in life, we will never know what it means to grow or triumph over issues of life.

Future Issues in Operations Management (Continued) Essay

Future Issues in Operations Management (Continued) - Essay Example Chambers recalled that Cisco has used these evolving technologies to its advantage to gain a larger share of the market and prepare a series of products that captures a greater market share. This type of advancement can be seen in another key industry that is seldom considered for RFID Technological advancements: warehousing. La Scalia et al. (2010) present research that suggests a complex issue with warehousing application that reduces efficiency lies in the Stock Keeping Units. These SKUs have a quantity that is often assumed as opposed to actually quantified which is where RFID Technology can be utilized to advance the information systems and present a more accurate stock keeping database and process for greater warehousing production. Furthermore, RFID technologies are a cornerstone to advancement in operational and supply chain management whereby information accuracy, storage and evaluation is essential to improved efficiency (Ngai, 2009). Without these technologies, Chambers mentions that companies risk falling behind the competition and losing a large share of the market profits. Through RFID Technologies simple processes by these various industries can be greatl y improved and companies will show very large financial and efficiency benefits as long as they are implemented correctly. La Scalia, G., Aiello, G., Enea, M., & Micale, R. (2010). Preliminary analysis of warehouse localization systems based on rfid technology. International Journal of RF Technologies: Research and Applications, 2(1),

WEEK 2 DQ 2 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

WEEK 2 DQ 2 - Assignment Example Another difference is that the ERG theory considers a random movement of the needs in the hierarchy, whereas Maslow’s theory considers a systematic satisfaction of the needs starting from the bottom to the top. The third difference also relates to the movement within the hierarchy (Loh, Dawn, & Schapper, p. 14). The ERG theory states that a person can move backwards in the satisfaction of their needs, while Maslow’s theory states that once a need is satisfied the situation becomes permanent. I have applied the ERG theory in various ways. For instance, there was a time when I became sick and had an admission at the hospital. The treatment took a whole week and I could not manage to pay the bill because the money I had was meant for the college semester that followed. However, I had to employ the ERG theory and moved backwards in the hierarchy. I used the money meant for my school fee to clear the hospital

Attractive nuisance doctrine Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Attractive nuisance doctrine - Essay Example The doctrine can be linked to anything lying on the land, but mostly to dangerous objects such as; abandoned cars, piles of timber, sand, trampolines or even swimming pools (Okrent 18). The doctrine tends to protect small children who are not mature enough to make responsible decisions over their own safety. The doctrine does not carter for adults. However, if an adult sustains injuries while attempting to save a child who is in an attractive nuisance, then the owner of the property will also be held responsible for the injuries of the adult. When citizens reside in areas where there are children, they are expected by the society to come up with responsible ways of protecting the kids (Okrent 19). A situation might arise when a child trespasses to someone else’s property, and in the midst of having fun, for example, swimming, the child drowns. The accident happened without the property’s owner being aware (Okrent 24). Therefore, it would be unfair for the owner to be charged with violating attractive nuisance. If the property owner has knowledge of the presence of children on his or her of the property, and a risk occurs linking it to any object that might harm them, then the owner is responsible for violating attractive nuisance (Okrent 20). In this essay, it is clear that the law of attractive nuisance is actually fair. If a person has something on their property that would raise the curiosity of small kids, for example, a swimming pool or a damaged car, the individual needs to check whether they are sufficiently and safely sheltered. The person should adopt methods like putting up a secured barrier or safe and sound covering over the entity (Okrent 30). Landowners are required to be aware of all the potential dangers posed by their property like tractors or an open ware house. This will help them know what to keep

Examine the relationship between the designer and the art director Essay

Examine the relationship between the designer and the art director - Essay Example That design shall be used throughout the editorial and advertising pages. Each of the magazine issues "had headlines, text columns and the same kind of illustration" (Hollis, yr of book publication, p. 97). The increasing importance of images, then, as an art element in journalism and advertising also raised the degree of participation of an art director because their reproduction and the layout as a whole became his/her responsibility (Hollis, yr of publication). Raizman (year of publication, p.98) characterized the work of an artist/designer as something that had to embody the magazine's content, while the work of an art director, which is the "artifice behind the elegance of the image, the attention to every detail so that it contributed to the total effect" has to be concealed. An art director during those times himself even added that directors plan, co-ordinates and rehearses but does not perform in public. Public performances are left to designers to create cover illustrations in traditional methods. This was exemplified in the works of designer Norman Rockwell for the Saturday Evening Post from the time of the First World War to the 1960's (Hollis, yr of publication). As an antidote to the hardships of the World War years and the impersonal modernity of factory and city, Rockwell created colored illustrations that presented a variety of familiar themes drawn from common middle-class experience, frequently related to seasonal activities and holidays. His idea is to create a sense of community and comfort provided by the family and neighborhood by using common experiences and techniques of naturalistic illustrations to communicate those values (Raizman, year of publication). One of the best examples is the Post's cover in November of 1933 where a young mother is seen spanking a child in his belly on a chair. The story is clearly and simply told. The child broke a piece of decorative chinaware which led the mother to resort to a traditional form of punishment but only while holding a psychology book that has guided her actions. In his attempt to experiment with more expressionistic approach to painting, he created illustrations of a festive family m eal, which is one of four from a series entitled "The Four Freedoms" (Raizman, year of publication, p.226). The illustrations make the reader more comfortable with some of the discomforting information that threatens our confidence in dealing with everyday existence. The Great Economic Crash in 1929 led businesses to formulate designs in order to sell their products. Many advertising executives believed that the purpose of advertisements is to gun for sales and "that the reference to individual artists or works of art focused attention upon the ad as an 'object' rather than the vehicle of promoting a product" (Raizman, year of publication, p.225). Art directors and consultants Art directors and consultants from the advertising industry recognized the importance of images in selling the products, but limited the images to be illustrated to familiar and recognizable images that could be easily grasped by the public rather than abstract ones. Art directors let illustrators and designers accomplish this task with the idea of creating images with which the buyers can easily identify and directly connect to the products. However, because of this imposition by the art directors,

Asset Forfeiture as a Tool in Combating Terrorist Financing Essay

Asset Forfeiture as a Tool in Combating Terrorist Financing - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that asset forfeiture can be employed as a tool against terrorist financing to control this crime. â€Å"Asset forfeiture laws allow for the seizure (and eventual forfeiture) of property connected with criminal activity†. In addition, Worrall informs, â€Å"forfeiture extends beyond criminal proceeds to include property that is used to facilitate or carry out criminal activity. Such forfeitures can include property that â€Å"is used or intended to be used in any manner or part to commit or facilitate the commission of a violation†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Therefore, asset forfeiture is a confiscation of the assets that are part of a criminal activity and among such criminal activities, terrorism is of superior quality as it affects a wide number of people nationally as well as internationally. The law enforcement agencies working in the USA are of the opinion that asset forfeiture is a fruitful way to combat against terrorist financing. Eric Green informs that money laundering and terrorist financing are such criminal activities that can be controlled by means of asset forfeiture, as â€Å"the criminal proceeds† will be taken away from â€Å"the criminals†. The illegal forces are somewhat dejected to stop their unlawful activities and the proceeds can be utilized for building purposes. According to Green, â€Å"Asset sharing enhances international forfeiture cooperation by creating an incentive for countries to work together, regardless of where the assets are located or which jurisdiction will ultimately enforce the forfeiture order.†Ã¢â‚¬  Therefore, asset forfeiture to control terrorist financing can be used for increasing cooperation between countries and this cooperation is also for combating against terrorism financing internationally. Asset forfeiture is also categorized by some critics as an effort to rob people of their rights under jurisdiction. They claim that government tries to snatch away people’s property making them liable for any criminal activity whether they are indulged in it or not (Levy, 1996). There should be proper lawful activity and the accuser should be facilitated with a right to fight for his right. Otherwise, law enforcement officials consider it their right to confiscate any one from his assets accusing him of involving in any kind of crime (Levy, 1996). To combat terrorist financing, the government of USA has taken enough measures out of which, categorization of suspicious activities is one. Incoherent account transactions, high amount of inward bound and outward account transactions without any specified purpose or reason, transference of large amounts of money from one bank account to another on the name of charities with no particular need and so on. All the mentioned activities point towards suspicious activities and come under suspicion in terms of terrorist financing and require a check from law enforcement agencies. If the people using account for any suspicious activity are caught and there are proofs for terrorist financing, then asset forfeiture or confiscation is taken as a crucial step by law enforcement authorities with prior permission from government bodies (Rush & Hackett, 2004). Credit card fraud, smuggling, welfare fraud, trading, money laundering methods for funds transfers and much more are employed by terrorists on international basis for transferring and using money for terrorist activities (Levy, 1996). According to The Economist (2005), â€Å"Many experts, both in government and the private sector, admit that the chances of detecting terrorists' funds in a bank sufficiently far in advance of a planned attack that it can be prevented are incredibly small.† Because of minimized chances to stop such activities and financial transactions, the government and law enforcement agencies carry a higher responsibility to find solutions to handle international

Examine the relationship between the designer and the art director Essay

Examine the relationship between the designer and the art director - Essay Example That design shall be used throughout the editorial and advertising pages. Each of the magazine issues "had headlines, text columns and the same kind of illustration" (Hollis, yr of book publication, p. 97). The increasing importance of images, then, as an art element in journalism and advertising also raised the degree of participation of an art director because their reproduction and the layout as a whole became his/her responsibility (Hollis, yr of publication). Raizman (year of publication, p.98) characterized the work of an artist/designer as something that had to embody the magazine's content, while the work of an art director, which is the "artifice behind the elegance of the image, the attention to every detail so that it contributed to the total effect" has to be concealed. An art director during those times himself even added that directors plan, co-ordinates and rehearses but does not perform in public. Public performances are left to designers to create cover illustrations in traditional methods. This was exemplified in the works of designer Norman Rockwell for the Saturday Evening Post from the time of the First World War to the 1960's (Hollis, yr of publication). As an antidote to the hardships of the World War years and the impersonal modernity of factory and city, Rockwell created colored illustrations that presented a variety of familiar themes drawn from common middle-class experience, frequently related to seasonal activities and holidays. His idea is to create a sense of community and comfort provided by the family and neighborhood by using common experiences and techniques of naturalistic illustrations to communicate those values (Raizman, year of publication). One of the best examples is the Post's cover in November of 1933 where a young mother is seen spanking a child in his belly on a chair. The story is clearly and simply told. The child broke a piece of decorative chinaware which led the mother to resort to a traditional form of punishment but only while holding a psychology book that has guided her actions. In his attempt to experiment with more expressionistic approach to painting, he created illustrations of a festive family m eal, which is one of four from a series entitled "The Four Freedoms" (Raizman, year of publication, p.226). The illustrations make the reader more comfortable with some of the discomforting information that threatens our confidence in dealing with everyday existence. The Great Economic Crash in 1929 led businesses to formulate designs in order to sell their products. Many advertising executives believed that the purpose of advertisements is to gun for sales and "that the reference to individual artists or works of art focused attention upon the ad as an 'object' rather than the vehicle of promoting a product" (Raizman, year of publication, p.225). Art directors and consultants Art directors and consultants from the advertising industry recognized the importance of images in selling the products, but limited the images to be illustrated to familiar and recognizable images that could be easily grasped by the public rather than abstract ones. Art directors let illustrators and designers accomplish this task with the idea of creating images with which the buyers can easily identify and directly connect to the products. However, because of this imposition by the art directors,

Australia Politics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Australia Politics - Essay Example As a response to a process through which 'politics' itself is being redefined, cynicism has greater than before and the proportion of casual or swinging voters has augmented from around 5 per cent before 1972 to about 30 per cent in the premature 1990s (During, S. 2002, pp. 339-53). In other words, traditional allegiances and processes of political identification have been dissolving since the mid 1970s. The 'Australian Settlement' can be sight as embodying a political settlement, as well as financial and educational settlements. This political settlement took the form of the two-party system that came into being subsequent the fusion among the Free Traders and the Protectionists to generate a solitary liberal party in 1909. The fusion brought into being a simple Labor-non-Labor separation in Australian politics a split that was to characterise the nature of politics for the whole of the era of Modern Australia. Moreover, it was the 'Australian Settlement', which defined what politics was to be about in Modern Australia. As Ian Marsh has put it, the 'two party arrangement crystallised this pattern of politics and restricted the scope of government to the idea of Australia which was tacitly decided in the 1909 settlement'. It is worth recalling that at the time of the creation of the two-party system Australia possessed only limited cultural diversity. Most of the Australian population, except for a small elite, was educated to a primary level, which is not surprising given that the majority of them were employed in manual or semi-skilled occupations. The employment opportunities for women were equally restricted (Robert Murray, pp. 23). The politics created and definite by the two-party system reproduce the realities of Australian life, and the division among labour and capital was at the centre of that realism. It was likely for both parties to follow a national attention, as defined by the 'Australian Settlement', even as they differ over the precise form of that national interest (Fowler, H. and Wainwright, M. 2001, pp 337-339). Aim Our aim has been to show how literacy debates are fundamentally a contest of social visions and ideologies. The documentary history is about how community debates over literacy and teaching have been used to endorse dissimilar versions of suitable behaviour, and dissimilar visions of the ideal literate student and inhabitant. It effort For a succinct Australian account of this compass reading to past work, see Tyler and Johnson (1991). to explain the varied and rival images of the literate and uneducated, and of the causes and penalty of literacy and illiteracy, and offer an account of how and why literacy' came to matter in Australian educational and political Life. We will now talk about some of the insinuation and findings from the research, and propose how it continues to notify our labor on literacy formations and instructive politics. Scope No doubt, Australia's place in global trade turn out to be more shaky in the last quarter of the twentieth century. By the 1980s Australia was considerably less spirited in world terms, not capable to sell abroad goods and services in the quantities and at the prices wanted to sustain customary prosperity. Australia's exports grow year by year but not as fast or as gainfully as those of many additional countries, and its share of earth trade fell between 1953 and

The Face of the Terrorist Essay Example for Free

The Face of the Terrorist Essay A faceless enemy. It has been eights years after the September 11 attack in the United States of America. Several people died and it was also the same time when the Unites States of America government contemplate on how the terrorists look like. Terrorists had been faceless for all we know and we do not even have any idea about them until Osama bin Laden was identified by Bush. The knowledge about terrorism and terrorists has been very limited but in some occasions and in present, the internet was able to give face to the faceless enemy and as soon as Bush gave bin Laden’s name, it was the start of identifying more faces of the enemy. In this paper, the author ought to explain terrorism and the face of terrorists wherein images from online sources and references are presented by the author to justify what she was pertaining to in line with terrorist’s face. Using Racialist, Sexism and Fascism ways, the author explained her argument and gave a face to the nameless enemy. At the same time, it was not the face of the enemies alone that was tackled in this paper but also the different faces of terror which was marked when Al Qaeda, the name given to Osama bin Laden’s organization as western and media name attacked United States of America. Considering the primitive years wherein pictures are not yet existing, identification of someone, probably a suspect or a colleague is hard to do and the mind was the only one who does the job of recognizing culprits and acquaintances. In present generation, mug shots are used to identify criminals and soon after to relate them with one another to solve a certain crime. Offerings several incidents and examples, the author named and identified when a terror becomes and terror and how those who were victims became the terrorists. As she presented two faces of people, the victim and the terrorist, it seems that these two can trade places and with sacrifice and revenge present, it is not impossible to have another kind of terror from a different kind of terrorists. Stereotyping was of course an unfair act and yet, we cannot help but guard ourselves from people who have turbans on their heads and all bearded like Santa Claus, only that they were not the good ones. America might be too cautious to a person who has a diaper on their head and a fan belt in it and decide to pull them off (Engle, 2009) but we can never blame them, after all, the leader of Al Qaeda looks like that and although there are heroes presented, they should also be cautious about what they were doing because defacement is much easier than being really the good ones. Critique Karen Engle’s analysis of the faces of terrors and the terrorists allow us to understand the distinction and the stereotypes made by the people, especially those in the government to identify them as crime promoters and culprits. An analysis that gives light to the unknowns in present and the many questions arising from the attacks, both previous and recent ones, this article was informational enough to be endorsed to people of any age, except to those who were still too young to understand that in this world, safe is not safe until we are sure of the people we are dealing with. While we can consider the victims as real victims, looking on the other side of the story, we will understand that they are not victims until the end. As long as there are revenge and sacrifice, it will be easy to understand that people, terrorist or not are capable of doing anything that can terrorize people around them. This paper had served as a lesson to be learned that allows the readers to be open minded and to stop stereotyping people. List of References Engle, Karen. The Face of a Terrorist. Sage Publications. Online Version from http://csc. sagepub. com/cgi/reprint/7/4/397

Urban Infrastructure in China

Urban Infrastructure in China This paper consists on of issues with public finance within the area of infrastructure. My focus is on Chinas development and how it is on the rise of becoming an economic dynamo. China is aiming to make its countrys global trade and capital flows a powerful force in worldwide management. I will be going into depth about the rapid increase in need for urban infrastructure and what China is doing to fulfill these needs. The issue of infrastructure funding has become more and more of an issue throughout the years. This paper will highlight the many advantages and issues that come with Chinas infrastructure funding. It will also further discuss the mechanisms that allow Chinas funding to flow smoothly throughout the local governments and the increase in how many citizens, administrators, and politicians are interested in increasing public participation in these public decisions (Susel, King, Feltey 1998). A. Introduction: Urban Infrastructure in China Infrastructure is the internal facilities of a country that make business activity possible, such as communication, transportation, and distribution networks, financial institutions and markets, and energy supply systems ( Businessdictionary 2017). Infrastructure, according to empirical and theoretical studies such as Agenor and Moreno Dodson (2006) and Anderson et al (2006), in Yingying Shis article, promotes growth through several channels. It has become one of the number one sources of enhancing factor productivity (2013). The public nature of infrastructure allows the government to use it as a monetary tool. However, the roles and effects infrastructure plays across countries varies extremely. The relationship the government and the private sector have is at the very center of the problem determining how to finance infrastructure. EIB PAPERS says, it is for the public policy to decide which types of infrastructure to put in place at which network size, to govern the planning and licensing activities and to set the regulatory framework, which determines inter alia the price of using the infrastructure services (EIB PAPERS). Chinas economic growth has caused the development of finance landscape to become very dynamic. With the hasty increase in the need for infrastructure Chinas biggest concern has become funding. This is affecting the welfare of the citizens, but is also persuading the progress of the society. According to Chengxin Cao and Zhirong Jerry Zhao, one of the most important reasons for the slower infrastructure growth is low government spending on infrastructure, which is caused by limited resources of urban infrastructure (2011).   Over the years, the main source of money was converted from mostly financial allocation and local taxes, to land transfer fees. This has caused China to pick up the speed on building infrastructure through their country. B. In Support of Urban Infrastructure in China China is todays number one country that is on the economic rise. It is expected to continue this for several decades. James F. Hoge Jr. states in his article A Global Power Shift in the Making that Chinas economic rise will continue if, it can manage the tremendous disruptions caused by rapid growth, such as internal migration from rural to urban areas, high levels of unemployment, massive bank debt, and pervasive corruption (2004). However, because of Chinas economic expansion it has become a major consumer of oil, metals, timbers, gas, and fish. This causing it to need more infrastructure. With new infrastructure projects put into place more citizens are becoming employed. According to M. Jae Moon, the idea of pay-for-performance has been adopted by many of the public agencies as a new means of enhancing motivation and improving organizational performance in the public sector under the performance management and recognition system (Moon 2000). With this put it place in motivates the workers in China to strive to achieve their goals with infrastructure. Jorge Martinez, Baoyun Qian, Shuilin Wang, Li Zhang, and Heng-fu Zou state, capital investment in infrastructure is the shared responsibility of the central government and sub-national governments, both levels playing equally important roles (2014). According to the World Bank (1995) in Yingying Shis article, Chinas infrastructure investment was about 6.5% of its GDP in 1993, well above the average level of 4% GDP for developing countries. By the year 2009, investment in infrastructure sectors, energy, transport and tele communications, water and sewage, etc, had reached to about 15% to 20% for the coastal provinces and municipalities (2013). Today Chinas new infrastructure consists of new expressways (one that is about two-thirds the length of the United States Interstate Highway  System), airports, railways, and rerouting its rivers. Their public sectors granted reforms gives the local governments autonomy on their own spending such as these new infrastructures being built. According to analysis by KPMG and Anne VanderMey, last year China invested $207 billion in road construction and upgrades (2013). The highway construction is an important part of Chinas efforts to create jobs, and helping transport supplies and goods from factories to ports. Many of Chinas economic goals hinge on efficient transport: The shift from rural to urban living has necessitated vast investments in transit, both in cities and the country (VanderMey 2013). With the increase in connectivity through China, they hope they will be able to tap into the immense spending potential of its growing middle class. Without China and its economic growth, the rest of the United States would not be the same. That is why it is a large asset for infrastructure to be put ahead of any other investment, because it is a necessity. The United States needs China to have more means of transportation and different paths, so that they can receive important goods. The nature of infrastructure investment, which requires large sunk costs and whose benefits in general cover a large number of people, is considered best with public provision (Shi 2013). C. Against Urban Infrastructure in China Chinas economy is rapidly growing and changing every single day. To keep up with the changes money must be involved. One of the main challenges still facing Chinas fiscal  system is the important local differences in fiscal resources across their sub-national governments. Regional disparities could be, to some extent, interpreted as the necessary cost to achieve other goals of economic reforms such as economic development and growth and more sub national autonomy; however, the costs of these disparities also have increased and could now  exceed the potential benefits (Martinez, Qian, Wang, Zhang, Zou 2014). It has become hard for local government to be able to finance all of Chinas expenditures (infrastructure), in fact, at the county level and central areas on the country they are in debt. The central government has tried to enforce the administration of extra-budgetary revenues and make efforts to reduce illegal fees and add-ons. Because of this, extra-budgetary income and off- budgetary income have become major sources of incomes for Chinas local governments. According to Chinas 1994 Budget Law, local governments are forbidden from borrowing in the capital market. However, given the still limited direct financing and indirect financing through intergovernmental transfers much of the actual financing of these sub-national governments spending is through borrowing (Martinez, Qian, Wang, Zhang, Zou 2014). Although borrowing money to help build infrastructure is a positive thing it is also very negative because it puts China more and more in debt each time a road or plane is built. In result, inefficient and risky projects arise that may not yield long run benefits and my not be plausible given the current and projected local economic conditions (Shi 2013). We do not see it but several of the local governments in China are in a serious money crisis. This has caused a  negative impact on the quality and quantity of basic public services for China. Many people believe that China has weak organizations of budget implementation, does not have c ontrol on  their budgets, and that the financing model that upkeeps government-led infrastructure development is not supportable D. Critique of both sides: Money for Infrastructure in China? Almost everyone in the United States can agree that China is on its way to becoming the number one largest country that everyone depends on. In fact, from 2013 to 2015 China was the worlds largest exporter. China is currently Americas biggest banker. The question is however,  should China continue to receive money to continue building infrastructure in their country. According to John Bachmann and Joe Burnett, infrastructure has opened the door to socio-economic development in China. Economic growth- facilitated in part by roads, water and power investments- has helped pull roughly 700 million people above the poverty line in the last 20 year (2012). Not only is building infrastructure allowing each country to interact with one another, but it is also helping China citizens which is a very big deal. The money that is coming from Chinas local governments is being put towards something beneficial. China has been able to succeed in infrastructure building because of its centralized po litical system. Each level is responsible for the higher level of government. So, if one level of government believes that money needs to be put towards a certain part of infrastructure, another part of the government can look and see if this would be a useful investment. The role of infrastructure changes depending on the economic conditions for instance: Infrastructure investment has shifted from accommodating to the growth of an export oriented economy to a fiscal stimulus tool in the lagging area. China has indeed been leading other developing countries in infrastructure building. Infrastructure investment  has become one of the most important pillars of Chinas growing export-oriented and investment led economy (Shi 2013). While infrastructure financing in China can be beneficial to China and other countries it can also have a negative effect. Like I discussed earlier in my paper, debt is a major issue when it comes  to infrastructure financing. China normally has received its financing from government loaning and land-transfer revenues, but as revenues reduce, risks for the local governments have risen. According to Zuo Kun, Chinas Ministry of Finance is working to promote the PPP model in infrastructure projects by identifying the respective rights, obligations, risks, and revenues of both public-and private-sector partners (2014). The government hopes with this plan that they can build beneficial partnerships with the private sector and public projects. E. Conclusion As individuals, we are all given the freedom to voice our own opinions on topics such as infrastructure financing. On this topic, I believe that China should continue to be given money to proceed with their processes on building new and improved infrastructure. If the United States wants to continue to grow economically then we must benefit from China by supporting them one hundred percent. China may have public finance issues that are occurring within their government but with the help from the PPP mode and private investments in joint ownership the government debt will hopefully begin to decrease and will help solve other financing issues. China is striving to create more and more means of infrastructure to help every nation possible and to help with this, the central government is determined to improve the urban infrastructure in any way, they see possible. I believe that for a country like China, who has built its economic growth on such low-quality equipment, is an achievement on its own. Looking towards the future, China should continue its five-year plan, Going Global Strategy. According to WWF this plan, encourages Chinese companies to invest overseas (2017). This  will help China save money and not put it to waste. I look forward to seeing China continue to grow economically helping each country in any way they can. References Bachmann, J., Burnett, J. (2012). Infrastructure and the Environment in Chinese Cities: Prospects for Improvement. Retrieved March 7, 2017, from https://www.chinabusinessreview.com/infrastructure-and-the-environment-in-chinese-cities-prospects-for-improvement/. Cao, C., Zhao, Z. J. (2011). Funding Chinas Urban Infrastructure: Revenue Structure and Financing Approaches. Retrieved March 7, 2017, from https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/458a/62db270d6555be6406acf610ed67c6219e4f.pdf. EIB Papers. (n.d.). Public and private financing of infrastructure. Evolution and economics of private infrastructure finance. Retrieved March 7, 2017, from http://www.eib.org/attachments/efs/eibpapers/eibpapers_2010_v15_n01_en.pdf Hoge, J. F., Jr. (2004). A Global Power Shift in the Making. Retrieved March 7, 2017, from https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/united-states/2004-07-01/global-power-shift-making. King, C. S., Feltey, K. M., Susel, B. O. (1998). The Question of Participation: Toward Authentic Public Participation in Public Administration ,58(4), 317-326. Retrieved March 7, 2017. Kun, Z. (2014). Critical issues in the next decade of Chinas infrastructure effort. Retrieved March 7, 2017. Martinez, J., Qian, B., Wang, S., Zhang, L., Zou, H. (2014). Annals of Economics and Finance. An Essay on Public Finance in China, 289-405. Retrieved March 7, 2017, from http://down.aefweb.net/AefArticles/aef150109Martinez.pdf Moon, M. J. (2000). Organizational Commitment Revisited in New Public Management: Motivation, Organizational Culture, Sector, and Managerial Level ,24(2), 177-194. Retrieved March 7, 2017 Shi, Y. (2013). Essays on Public Infrastructure Investment and Economic Growth. Retrieved March 7, 2017, from https://etd.lib.msu.edu/islandora/object/etd%3A1790/datastream/OBJ/view. VanderMey, A. (2013). China. Chinas new infrastructure. Retrieved March 7, 2017, from http://fortune.com/2013/05/23/chinas-new-infrastructure/ What is economic infrastructure? definition and meaning. (n.d.). Retrieved March 07, 2017, from http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/economic-infrastructure.html WWF. (n.d.). China at a crossroads. Retrieved March 7, 2017, from http://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/footprint/transforming_china/

Hiring a New Employee Essay -- GCSE Business Marketing Coursework

Hiring a New Employee â€Å"A company is only as good as the employees who work for It.† Seems to be the slogan driving most employers in today’s marketplace. Your employees are a direct reflection of your company and in many industries, may actually be considered the product. Finding the right employee can be one of the most crucial and difficult decisions a business can face. Businesses must be prepared for this process and understand the steps involved in hiring a new employee. When an employer makes the decision to hire a new employee, they must first decide what advantages this employee will offer the company. The employee may be considered a producer, who would benefit the company by producing, creating, selling or supporting the product. This employee would be responsible for direct profits for the company. He or she may also belong to the coordinator category of employees. These employees are responsible for the productivity of producers by coordinating their tasks with those of other producers to gain the most cost effective solution. It must be determined if the efforts of a coordinator would benefit the producers in a specific company. A new employee may also offer your company the assistant qualities needed to free up the time of a higher paid employee. An assistant can be very valuable to your company by helping your executives become more efficient. Once the potential gains of a new employee are determined, the costs associated with this...

African American Culture Essay

African American culture in the United States includes the various cultural traditions of African ethnic groups. It is both part of and distinct from American culture. The U. S. Census Bureau defines African Americans as â€Å"people having origins in any of the Black race groups of Africa. â€Å"[1] African American culture is indigenous to the descendants in the U. S. of survivors of the Middle Passage. It is rooted in Africa and is an amalgam of chiefly sub-Saharan African and Sahelean cultures. Although slavery greatly restricted the ability of Africans in America to practice their cultural traditions, many practices, values and beliefs survived and over time have incorporated elements of European American culture. There are even certain facets of African American culture that were brought into being or made more prominent as a result of slavery; an example of this is how drumming became used as a means of communication and establishing a community identity during that time. The result is a dynamic, creative culture that has had and continues to have a profound impact on mainstream American culture and on world culture as well. After Emancipation, these uniquely African American traditions continued to grow. They developed into distinctive traditions in music, art, literature, religion, food, holidays, amongst others. While for some time sociologists, such as Gunnar Myrdal and Patrick Moynihan, believed that African Americans had lost most cultural ties with Africa, anthropological field research by Melville Hersovits and others demonstrated that there is a continuum of African traditions among Africans in the New World from the West Indies to the United States. The greatest influence of African cultural practices on European cultures is found below the Mason-Dixon in the southeastern United States, especially in the Carolinas among the Gullah people and in Louisiana. African American culture often developed separately from mainstream American culture because of African Americans’ desire to practice their own traditions, as well as the persistence of racial segregation in America. Consequently African American culture has become a significant part of American culture and yet, at the same time, remains a distinct culture apart from it. History From the earliest days of slavery, slave owners sought to exercise control over their slaves by attempting to strip them of their African culture. The physical isolation and societal marginalization of African slaves and, later, of their free progeny, however, actually facilitated the retention of significant elements of traditional culture among Africans in the New World generally, and in the U. S. in particular. Slave owners deliberately tried to repress political organization in order to deal with the many slave rebellions that took place in the southern United States, Brazil, Haiti, and the Dutch Guyanas. African cultures,slavery,slave rebellions,and the civil rights movements(circa 1800s-160s)have shaped African American religious, familial, political and economic behaviors. The imprint of Africa is evident in myriad ways, in politics, economics, language, music, hairstyles, fashion, dance, religion and worldview, and food preparation methods. In the United States, the very legislation that was designed to strip slaves of culture and deny them education served in many ways to strengthen it. In turn, African American culture has had a pervasive, transformative impact on myriad elements of mainstream American culture, among them language, music, dance, religion, cuisine, and agriculture. This process of mutual creative exchange is called creolization. Over time, the culture of African slaves and their descendants has been ubiquitous in its impact on not only the dominant American culture, but on world culture as well. Oral tradition Slaveholders limited or prohibited education of enslaved African Americans because they believed it might lead to revolts or escape plans. Hence, African-based oral traditions became the primary means of preserving history, morals, and other cultural information among the people. This was consistent with the griot practices of oral history in many African and other cultures that did not rely on the written word. Many of these cultural elements have been passed from generation to generation through storytelling. The folktales provided African Americans the opportunity to inspire and educate one another. Examples of African American folktales include trickster tales of Br’er Rabbit and heroic tales such as that of John Henry. The Uncle Remus stories by Joel Chandler Harris helped to bring African American folk tales into mainstream adoption. Harris did not appreciate the complexity of the stories nor their potential for a lasting impact on society. Characteristics of the African American oral tradition present themselves in a number of forms. African American preachers tend to perform rather than simply speak. The emotion of the subject is carried through the speaker’s tone, volume, and movement, which tend to mirror the rising action, climax, and descending action of the sermon. Often song, dance, verse and structured pauses are placed throughout the sermon. Techniques such as call-and-response are used to bring the audience into the presentation. In direct contrast to recent tradition in other American and Western cultures, it is an acceptable and common audience reaction to interrupt and affirm the speaker. Spoken word is another example of how the African American oral tradition influences modern American popular culture. Spoken word artists employ the same techniques as African American preachers including movement, rhythm, and audience participation. Rap music from the 1980’s and beyond has been seen as an extension of oral culture. Harlem Renaissance [pic] Zora Neale Hurston was a prominent literary figure during the Harlem Renaissance. Main article: Harlem Renaissance The first major public recognition of African American culture occurred during the Harlem Renaissance. In the 1920s and 1930s, African American music, literature, and art gained wide notice. Authors such as Zora Neale Hurston and Nella Larsen and poets such as Langston Hughes, Claude McKay, and Countee Cullen wrote works describing the African American experience. Jazz, swing, blues and other musical forms entered American popular music. African American artists such as William H. Johnson and Palmer Hayden created unique works of art featuring African Americans. The Harlem Renaissance was also a time of increased political involvement for African Americans. Among the notable African American political movements founded in the early 20th century are the United Negro Improvement Association and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. The Nation of Islam, a notable Islamic religious movement, also began in the early 1930s. African American cultural movement The Black Power movement of the 1960s and 1970s followed in the wake of the non-violent American Civil Rights Movement. The movement promoted racial pride and ethnic cohesion in contrast to the focus on integration of the Civil Rights Movement, and adopted a more militant posture in the face of racism. It also inspired a new renaissance in African American literary and artistic expression generally referred to as the African American or â€Å"Black Arts Movement. † The works of popular recording artists such as Nina Simone (Young, Gifted and Black) and The Impressions (Keep On Pushin’), as well as the poetry, fine arts and literature of the time, shaped and reflected the growing racial and political consciousness. Among the most prominent writers of the African American Arts Movement were poet Nikki Giovanni; poet and publisher Don L. Lee, who later became known as Haki Madhubuti; poet and playwright Leroi Jones, later known as Amiri Baraka; and Sonia Sanchez. Other influential writers were Ed Bullins, Dudley Randall, Mari Evans, June Jordan, Larry Neal and Ahmos Zu-Bolton. Another major aspect of the African American Arts Movement was the infusion of the African aesthetic, a return to a collective cultural sensibility and ethnic pride that was much in evidence during the Harlem Renaissance and in the celebration of Negritude among the artistic and literary circles in the U. S. , Caribbean and the African continent nearly four decades earlier: the idea that â€Å"black is beautiful. † During this time, there was a resurgence of interest in, and an embrace of, elements of African culture within African American culture that had been suppressed or devalued to conform to Eurocentric America. Natural hairstyles, such as the afro, and African clothing, such as the dashiki, gained popularity. More importantly, the African American aesthetic encouraged personal pride and political awareness among African Americans. Music [pic] Men playing the djembe, a traditional West African drum adopted into African American and American culture. The bags and the clothing of the man on the right are printed with traditional kente cloth patterns. African American music is rooted in the typically polyrhythmic music of the ethnic groups of Africa, specifically those in the Western, Sahelean, and Sub-Saharan regions. African oral traditions, nurtured in slavery, encouraged the use of music to pass on history, teach lessons, ease suffering, and relay messages. The African pedigree of African American music is evident in some common elements: call and response, syncopation, percussion, improvisation, swung notes, blue notes, the use of falsetto, melisma, and complex multi-part harmony. During slavery, Africans in America blended traditional European hymns with African elements to create spirituals. Many African Americans sing Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing in addition to the American national anthem, The Star-Spangled Banner, or in lieu of it. Written by James Weldon Johnson and John Rosamond Johnson in 1900 to be performed for the birthday of Abraham Lincoln, the song was, and continues to be, a popular way for African Americans to recall past struggles and express ethnic solidarity, faith and hope for the future. The song was adopted as the â€Å"Negro National Anthem† by the NAACP in 1919. African American children are taught the song at school, church or by their families. Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing traditionally is sung immediately following, or instead of, The Star-Spangled Banner at events hosted by African American churches, schools, and other organizations. In the 1800s, as the result of the blackface minstrel show, African American music entered mainstream American society. By the early twentieth century, several musical forms with origins in the African American community had transformed American popular music. Aided by the technological innovations of radio and phonograph records, ragtime, jazz, blues, and swing also became popular overseas, and the 1920s became known as the Jazz Age. The early 20th century also saw the creation of the first African American Broadway shows, films such as King Vidor’s Hallelujah!, and operas such as George Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess. Rock and roll, doo wop, soul, and R&B developed in the mid 20th century. These genres became very popular in white audiences and were influences for other genres such as surf. The dozens, an urban African American tradition of using rhyming slang to put down your enemies (or friends) developed through the smart-ass street jive of the early Seventies into a new form of music. In the South Bronx, the half speaking, half singing rhythmic street talk of ‘rapping’ grew into the hugely successful cultural force known as Hip Hop. Hip Hop would become a multicultural movement. However, it is still important to many African Americans. The African American Cultural Movement of the 1960s and 1970s also fueled the growth of funk and later hip-hop forms such as rap, hip house, new jack swing and go go. African American music has experienced far more widespread acceptance in American popular music in the 21st century than ever before. In addition to continuing to develop newer musical forms, modern artists have also started a rebirth of older genres in the form of genres such as neo soul and modern funk-inspired groups. Dance [pic] The Cakewalk was the first African American dance to gain widespread popularity in the United States. [pic] African American dance, like other aspects of African American culture, finds its earliest roots in the dances of the hundreds of African ethnic groups that made up African slaves in the Americas as well as influences from European sources in the United States. Dance in the African tradition, and thus in the tradition of slaves, was a part of both every day life and special occasions. Many of these traditions such as get down, ring shouts, and other elements of African body language survive as elements of modern dance. In the 1800s, African American dance began to appear in minstrel shows. These shows often presented African Americans as caricatures for ridicule to large audiences. The first African American dance to become popular with White dancers was the cakewalk in 1891. Later dances to follow in this tradition include the Charleston, the Lindy Hop, and the Jitterbug. During the Harlem Renaissance, all African American Broadway shows such as Shuffle Along helped to establish and legitimize African American dancers. African American dance forms such as tap, a combination of African and European influences, gained widespread popularity thanks to dancers such as Bill Robinson and were used by leading White choreographers who often hired African American dancers. Contemporary African American dance is descended from these earlier forms and also draws influence from African and Caribbean dance forms. Groups such as the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater have continued to contribute to the growth of this form. Modern popular dance in America is also greatly influenced by African American dance. American popular dance has also drawn many influences from African American dance most notably in the hip hop genre. Art [pic] Sand Dunes at Sunset, Atlantic City by Henry Ossawa Tanner 1859-1937 From its early origins in slave communities, through the end of the twentieth century, African-American art has made a vital contribution to the art of the United States. During the period between the 1600s and the early 1800s, art took the form of small drums, quilts, wrought-iron figures and ceramic vessels in the southern United States. These artifacts have similarities with comparable crafts in West and Central Africa. In contrast, African American artisans like the New England–based engraver Scipio Moorhead and the Baltimore portrait painter Joshua Johnson created art that was conceived in a thoroughly western European fashion. During the 1800s, Harriet Powers made quilts in rural Georgia, United States that are now considered among the finest examples of nineteenth-century Southern quilting. Later in the 20th century, the women of Gee’s Bend developed a distinctive, bold, and sophisticated quilting style based on traditional African American quilts with a geometric simplicity that developed separately but was like that of Amish quilts and modern art. After the American Civil War, museums and galleries began more frequently to display the work of African American artists. Cultural expression in mainstream venues was still limited by the dominant European aesthetic and by racial prejudice. To increase the visibility of their work, many African American artists traveled to Europe where they had greater freedom. It was not until the Harlem Renaissance that more whites began to pay attention to African American art in America. [pic] Kara Walker, Cut, Cut paper and adhesive on wall, Brent Sikkema NYC. During the 1920s, artists such as Raymond Barthe, Aaron Douglas, Augusta Savage, and photographer James Van Der Zee became well known for their work. During the Great Depression, new opportunities arose for these and other African American artists under the WPA. In later years, other programs and institutions, such as the New York City-based Harmon Foundation, helped to foster African American artistic talent. Augusta Savage, Elizabeth Catlett, Lois Mailou Jones, Romare Bearden, Jacob Lawrence and others exhibited in museums and juried art shows, and built reputations and followings for themselves. In the 1950s and 1960s, there were very few widely accepted African American artists. Despite this, The Highwaymen, a loose association of 27 African American artists from Ft. Pierce, Florida, created idyllic, quickly realized images of the Florida landscape and peddled some 50,000 of them from the trunks of their cars. They sold their art directly to the public rather than through galleries and art agents, thus receiving the name â€Å"The Highwaymen†. Rediscovered in the mid-1990s, today they are recognized as an important part of American folk history. Their artwork is widely collected by enthusiasts and original pieces can easily fetch thousands of dollars in auctions and sales. The Black Arts Movement of the 1960s and 1970s was another period of resurgent interest in African American art. During this period, several African-American artists gained national prominence, among them Lou Stovall, Ed Love, Charles White, and Jeff Donaldson. Donaldson and a group of African-American artists formed the Afrocentric collective AFRICOBRA, which remains in existence today. The sculptor Martin Puryear, whose work has been acclaimed for years, is being honored with a 30-year retrospective of his work at the Museum of Modern Art in New York starting November 2007. Notable contemporary African American artists include David Hammons, Eugene J. Martin, Charles Tolliver, and Kara Walker. Literature [pic] Langston Hughes, a notable African American poet of the Harlem Renaissance. African American literature has its roots in the oral traditions of African slaves in America. The slaves used stories and fables in much the same way as they used music. These stories influenced the earliest African American writers and poets in the 18thcentury such as Phillis Wheatley and Olaudah Equiano. These authors reached early high points by telling slave narratives. During the early 20th century Harlem Renaissance, numerous authors and poets, such as Langston Hughes, W. E. B. Dubois, and Booker T. Washington, grappled with how to respond to discrimination in America. Authors during the Civil Rights era, such as Richard Wright, James Baldwin and Gwendolyn Brooks wrote about issues of racial segregation, oppression and other aspects of African American life. This tradition continues today with authors who have been accepted as an integral part of American literature, with works such as Roots: The Saga of an American Family by Alex Haley, The Color Purple by Alice Walker, and Beloved by Nobel Prize-winning Toni Morrison, and series by Octavia Butler and Walter Mosley that have achieved both best-selling and/or award-winning status. Museums The African American Museum Movement emerged during the 1950s and 1960s to preserve the heritage of the African American experience and to ensure its proper interpretation in American history. Museums devoted to African American history are found in many African American neighborhoods. Institutions such as the African American Museum and Library at Oakland and The African American Museum in Cleveland were created by African Americans to teach and investigate cultural history that, until recent decades was primarily preserved trough oral traditions. Language Generations of hardships imposed on the African American community created distinctive language patterns. Slave owners often intentionally mixed people who spoke different African languages to discourage communication in any language other than English. This, combined with prohibitions against education, led to the development of pidgins, simplified mixtures of two or more languages that speakers of different languages could use to communicate. Examples of pidgins that became fully developed languages include Creole, common to Haiti,and Gullah, common to the Sea Islands off the coast of South Carolina and Georgia. African American Vernacular English is a type variety (dialect, ethnolect and sociolect) of the American English language closely associated with the speech of but not exclusive to African Americans. While AAVE is academically considered a legitimate dialect because of its logical structure, some of both Caucasians and African Americans consider it slang or the result of a poor command of Standard American English. Inner city African American children who are isolated by speaking only AAVE have more difficulty with standardized testing and, after school, moving to the mainstream world for work. It is common for many speakers of AAVE to code switch between AAVE and Standard American English depending on the setting. Fashion and aesthetics [pic]. A man weaving kente cloth in Ghana. Attire The cultural explosion of the 1960s saw the incorporation of surviving cultural dress with elements from modern fashion and West African traditional clothing to create a uniquely African American traditional style. Kente cloth is the best known African textile. These festive woven patterns, which exist in numerous varieties, were originally made by the Ashanti and Ewe peoples of Ghana and Togo. Kente fabric also appears in a number of Western style fashions ranging from casual t-shirts to formal bow ties and cummerbunds. Kente strips are often sewn into liturgical and academic robes or worn as stoles. Since the Black Arts Movement, traditional African clothing has been popular amongst African Americans for both formal and informal occasions. Another common aspect of fashion in African American culture involves the appropriate dress for worship in the Black church. It is expected in most churches that an individual should present their best appearance for worship. African American women in particular are known for wearing vibrant dresses and suits. An interpretation of a passage from the Christian Bible, â€Å"†¦every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head†¦ â€Å", has led to the tradition of wearing elaborate Sunday hats, sometimes known as â€Å"crowns. † Hair Hair styling in African American culture is greatly varied. African American hair is typically composed of tightly coiled curls. The predominant styles for women involve the straightening of the hair through the application of heat or chemical processes. These treatments form the base for the most commonly socially acceptable hairstyles in the United States. Alternatively, the predominant and most socially acceptable practice for men is to leave one’s hair natural. Often, as men age and begin to lose their hair, the hair is either closely cropped, or the head is shaved completely free of hair. However, since the 1960s, natural hairstyles, such as the afro, braids, and dreadlocks, have been growing in popularity. Although the association with radical political movements and their vast difference from mainstream Western hairstyles, the styles have not yet attained widespread social acceptance. Maintaining facial hair is more prevalent among African American men than in other male populations in the U. S. In fact, the soul patch is so named because African American men, particularly jazz musicians, popularized the style. The preference for facial hair among African American men is due partly to personal taste, but because they are more prone than other ethnic groups to develop a condition known as pseudofolliculitis barbae, commonly referred to as razor bumps, many prefer not to shave. Body image The European aesthetic and attendant mainstream concepts of beauty are often at odds with the African body form. Because of this, African American women often find themselves under pressure to conform to European standards of beauty. Still, there are individuals and groups who are working towards raising the standing of the African aesthetic among African Americans and internationally as well. This includes efforts toward promoting as models those with clearly defined African features; the mainstreaming of natural hairstyles; and, in women, fuller, more voluptuous body types. Religion While African Americans practice a number of religions, Protestant Christianity is by far the most popular. Additionally, 14% of Muslims in the United States and Canada are African American. Christianity [pic] A river baptism in New Bern, North Carolina near the turn of the 20th century. The religious institutions of African American Christians commonly are referred tocollectively as the black church. During slavery, many slaves were stripped of their African belief systems and typically denied free religious practice. Slaves managed, however, to hang on to some practices by integrating them into Christian worship in secret meetings. These practices, including dance, shouts, African rhythms, and enthusiastic singing, remain a large part of worship in the African American church. African American churches taught that all people were equal in God’s eyes and viewed the doctrine of obedience to one’s master taught in white churches as hypocritical. Instead the African American church focused on the message of equality and hopes for a better future. Before and after emancipation, racial segregation in America prompted the development of organized African American denominations. The first of these was the AME Church founded by Richard Allen in 1787. An African American church is not necessarily a separate denomination. Several predominantly African American churches exist as members of predominantly white denominations. African American churches have served to provide African American people with leadership positions and opportunities to organize that were denied in mainstream American society. Because of this, African American pastors became the bridge between the African American and European American communities and thus played a crucial role in the American Civil Rights Movement. Like many Christians, African American Christians sometimes participate in or attend a Christmas play. Black Nativity by Langston Hughes is a re-telling of the classic Nativity story with gospel music. Productions can be found a African American theaters and churches all over the country. Islam [pic] A member of the Nation of Islam selling merchandise on a city street corner. Despite the popular assumption that the Nation represents all or most African American Muslims, less than 2% are members. Generations before the advent of the Atlantic slave trade, Islam was a thriving religion in West Africa due to its peaceful introduction via the lucrative trans-Saharan trade between prominent tribes in the southern Sahara and the Berbers to the North. In his attesting to this fact the West African scholar Cheikh Anta Diop explained: â€Å"The primary reason for the success of Islam in Black Africa†¦ consequently stems from the fact that it was propagated peacefully at first by solitary Arabo-Berber travelers to certain Black kings and notables, who then spread it about them to those under their jurisdiction† Many first-generation slaves were often able to retain their Muslim identity, their descendants were not. Slaves were either forcibly converted to Christianity as was the case in the Catholic lands or were besieged with gross inconviences to their religious practice such as in the case of the Protestant American mainland. In the decades after slavery and particularly during the depression era, Islam reemerged in the form of highly visible and sometimes controversial heterodox movements in the African American community. The first of these of note was the Moorish Science Temple of America, founded by Noble Drew Ali. Ali had a profound influence on Wallace Fard, who later founded the Black nationalist Nation of Islam in 1930. Elijah Muhammad became head of the organization in 1934. Much like Malcolm X, who left the Nation of Islam in 1964, many African American Muslims now follow traditional Islam. A survey by the Council on American-Islamic Relations shows that 30% of Sunni Mosque attendees are African Americans. African American orthodox Muslims are often the victims of stereotypes, most notably the assumption that an African American Muslim is a member of the Nation of Islam. They are often viewed by the uneducated African-American community in general as less authentic than Muslims from the Middle East or South Asia while credibility is less of an issue with immigrant Muslims and Muslim world in general. Other religions. Aside from Christianity and Islam, there are also African Americans who follow Judaism, Buddhism, and a number of other religions. The Black Hebrew Israelites are a collection of African American Jewish religious organizations. Among their varied teachings, they often include that African Americans are descended from the Biblical Hebrews (sometimes with the paradoxical claim that the Jewish people are not). There is a small but growing number of African Americans who participate in African traditional religions, such as Vodou and Santeria or Ifa and diasporic traditions like Rastafarianism. Many of them are immigrants or descendants of immigrants from the Caribbean and South America, where these are practiced. Because of religious practices, such as animal sacrifice, which are no longer common among American religions and are often legally prohibited, these groups may be viewed negatively and are sometimes the victims of harassment. Life events For most African Americans, the observance of life events follows the pattern of mainstream American culture. There are some traditions which are unique to African Americans. Some African Americans have created new rites of passage that are linked to African traditions. Pre-teen and teenage boys and girls take classes to prepare them for adulthood. They are typically taught spirituality, responsibility, and leadership. Most of these programs are modeled after traditional African ceremonies, with the focus largely on embracing African ideologies rather than specific rituals. To this day, some African American couples choose to â€Å"jump the broom† as a part of their wedding ceremony. Although the practice, which can be traced back to Ghana, fell out of favor in the African American community after the end of slavery, it has experienced a slight resurgence in recent years as some couples seek to reaffirm their African heritage. Funeral traditions tend to vary based on a number of factors, including religion and location, but there are a number of commonalities. Probably the most important part of death and dying in the African American culture is the gathering of family and friends. Either in the last days before death or shortly after death, typically any friends and family members that can be reached are notified. This gathering helps to provide spiritual and emotional support, as well as assistance in making decisions and accomplishing everyday tasks. The spirituality of death is very important in African American culture. A member of the clergy or members of the religious community, or both, are typically present with the family through the entire process. Death is often viewed as transitory rather than final. Many services are called homegoings, instead of funerals, based on the belief that the person is going home to the afterlife. The entire end of life process is generally treated as a celebration of life rather than a mourning of loss. This is most notably demonstrated in the New Orleans Jazz Funeral tradition where upbeat music, dancing, and food encourage those gathered to be happy and celebrate the homegoing of a beloved friend. Cuisine [pic] A traditional soul food dinner consisting of fried chicken, candied yams, collard greens, cornbread, and macaroni and cheese. The cultivation and use of many agricultural products in the United States, such as yams, peanuts, rice, okra, sorghum, grits, watermelon, indigo dyes, and cotton, can be traced to African influences. African American foods reflect creative responses to racial and economic oppression and poverty. Under slavery, African Americans were not allowed to eat better cuts of meat, and after emancipation many often were too poor to afford them. Soul food, a hearty cuisine commonly associated with African Americans in the South (but also common to African Americans nationwide), makes cre.