The Stupidest Angel Chapter 11

Chapter 11 A SLUG TRAIL OF GOOD CHEER He might have been made of polished mahogany except that when he moved, he moved like liquid. The stage lights reflected green and red off his bald head as he swayed on the stool and teased the strings of a blond Stratocaster with the severed neck of a beer bottle. His name was Catfish Jefferson, and he was seventy, or eighty, or one hundred years old, and not unlike Roberto the fruit bat, he wore sunglasses indoors. Catfish was a bluesman, and on the night before the night before Christmas, he was singing up a forlorn twelve-bar blues fog in the Head of the Slug saloon. Caught my baby boning Santa, Underneath the mistletoe (Lawd have mercy). Caught my baby boning Santa, Underneath the mistletoe. Used to be my Christmas angel, Now she just a Christmas ho. â€Å"I hear dat!† shouted Gabe Fenton. â€Å"Sho-nufF, sho-nuff. True dat, my brutha.† Theophilus Crowe looked at his friend, just one in a whole line of awkward, heartbroken men at the bar, rocking almost in rhythm to the beat, and shook his head. â€Å"Could you possibly be any whiter?† Theo asked. â€Å"I gots the blues up in me,† Gabe said. â€Å"She sho-nuff did me wrong.† Gabe had been drinking. Theo, while not quite sober, had not. (He had shared a toothpick-thin spliff of Big Sur polio weed with Catfish Jefferson between sets, the two of them standing in the back parking lot of the Slug, trying to coax fire out of a disposable lighter in a forty-knot wind.) â€Å"Didn't think you muthafuckas had weather here,† Catfish croaked, having sucked the joint so far down that the ember looked like the burning eye of a demon staring out of a cave of dark finger and lip. (The calluses on the tips of his fingers were impervious to the heat.) â€Å"El Ni;o,† Theo said, letting loose a blast of smoke. â€Å"Say what?† â€Å"It's a warm ocean current in the Pacific. Comes up the coast every ten years or so. Screws up the fishing, brings torrential rains, storms. They think we might be having an El Nià ±o this year.† â€Å"When will they know?† The bluesman had put on his leather fedora and was holding it fast against the wind. â€Å"Usually after everything floods, the wine crop is ruined, and a lot of cliffside houses slide into the ocean.† â€Å"And dat because the water too warm?† â€Å"Right.† â€Å"No wonder the whole country hate your ass,† said Catfish. â€Å"Let's go inside fo' my narrow ass gets blowed back to Clarksville.† â€Å"It's not that bad,† said Theo. â€Å"I think it'll blow over.† Winter denial – Theo did it, most Californians did it – they assumed that because the weather was nice most of the time, it would be nice all of the time, and so, in the midst of a rainstorm, you'd find people outdoors without an umbrella, or when nights dipped into the thirties, you'd still see someone dip-pumping his gas in surfer shorts and a tank top. So even as the National Weather Service was telling the Central Coast to batten down the hatches, as they were about to get the storm of the decade, and even though winds were gusting to fifty knots a full day before the storm made landfall, the people of Pine Cove carried on with their holiday routine like nothing out of the ordinary could happen to them. Winter denial: therein lay the key to California Schadenfreude – the secret joy that the rest of the country feels at the misfortune of California. The country said: â€Å"Look at them, with their fitness and their tans, their beaches and their movie stars, their Silicon Valley and silicone breasts, their orange bridge and their palm trees. God, I hate those smug, sunshiny bastards!† Because if you're up to your navel in a snowdrift in Ohio, nothing warms your heart like the sight of California on fire. If you're shoveling silt out of your basement in the Fargo flood zone, nothing brightens your day like watching a Malibu mansion tumbling down a cliff into the sea. And if a tornado just peppered the land around your Oklahoma town with random trailer trash and redneck nuggets, then you can find a quantum of solace in the fact that the earth actually opened up in the San Fernando Valley and swallowed a whole caravan of commuting SUVs. Mavis Sand even indulged in a little California Schadenfreude, and she was a Californian born and raised. Secretly, she wished for and enjoyed the forest fires every year. Not so much because she liked watching the state burn down, but because for Mavis's money, there was nothing better than watching a burly man in rubber handling a hefty hose, and during the fires, there were plenty of those on the news. â€Å"Fruitcake?† Mavis said, offering a suspicious slice on a dessert plate to Gabe Fenton, who was drunkenly trying to convince Theo Crowe that he had a genetic predisposition toward the blues, using some impressively large words that no one but he understood, and periodically asking if he could get an ;amen; and â€Å"five up high,† which, as it turned out, he could not. What he could get was fruitcake. â€Å"Mercy, mercy, my momma done made a fruitcake look just like that,† Gabe howled. â€Å"Lawd rest her soul.† Gabe reached for the plate, but Theo intercepted it and held it out of the biologist's reach. â€Å"First,† Theo said, â€Å"your mother was an anthro professor and never baked a thing in her life, and second, she is not dead, and third, you are an atheist.† â€Å"Can I get an amen?!† Gabe countered. Theo raised an eyebrow of accusation toward Mavis. â€Å"I thought we talked about no fruitcake this year.† The prior Christmas, Mavis's fruitcake had put two people into detox. She'd sworn that it would be the last year. Mavis shrugged. â€Å"This cake's nearly a virgin. There's only a quart of rum and barely a handful of Vicodin.† â€Å"Let's not,† Theo said, handing the plate back. â€Å"Fine,† Mavis said. â€Å"But get your buddy off his blues jag. He's embarrassing me. And I once blew a burro in a nightclub and wasn't embarrassed, so that's saying something.† â€Å"Jeez, Mavis,† Theo said, trying to shake the picture from his mind. â€Å"What? I didn't have my glasses on. I thought he was a hirsute insurance salesman with talent.† â€Å"I'd better get him home,† Theo said, nudging Gabe, who had turned his attention to a young woman on his right who was wearing a low-cut red sweater and had been moving from stool to stool all night long, waiting for someone to talk to her. â€Å"Hi,† Gabe said to the woman's cleavage. â€Å"I'm not involved in the human experience and I have no redeeming qualities as a man.† â€Å"Me either,† said Tucker Case, from the stool on the other side of the red-sweater woman. â€Å"Do people keep telling you that you're a psychopath, too? I hate that.† Tucker Case, under several layers of glibness and guile, was actually quite broken up over his breakup with Lena Marquez. It wasn't so much that she had become a part of his life in the two days he had known her, but that she had begun to represent hope. And as the Buddha said: â€Å"Hope is merely another face of desire. And desire is a motherfucker.† He'd gone out seeking human company to help dilute the disappointment. In another time, he'd have picked up the first woman he encountered, but his man-slut days had left him lonelier than ever, and he would not tread that lubricious path again. â€Å"So,† Tuck said to Gabe, â€Å"did you just get dumped?† â€Å"She led me on,† Gabe said. â€Å"She tore my guts out. Evil, thy name is woman!† â€Å"Don't talk to him,† Theo said, taking Gabe by the shoulder and unsuccessfully trying to pull him off his bar stool. â€Å"This guy's no good.† The young woman sitting between Tuck and Gabe looked from one to the other, then to Theo, then at her breasts, then at the men, as if to say, Are you guys blind? I've been sitting here all night, with these, and you're going to ignore me. Tucker Case was ignoring her – well, except for inspecting her sweater cakes as he talked to Gabe and Theo. â€Å"Look, Constable, maybe we got off on the wrong foot –  » â€Å"Wrong foot?† Theo's voice almost broke. As upset as he appeared, he appeared to be talking to the woman in the red sweater's breasts, rather than to Tucker Case, who was only a foot beyond them. â€Å"You threatened me.† â€Å"He did?† said Gabe, angling for a better look down the red sweater. â€Å"That's harsh, buddy. Theo just got thrown out of the house.† â€Å"Can you believe guys our age can still fall so hard?† Tuck said to Theo, looking up from the cleavage to convey his sincerity. He felt bad about blackmailing Theo, but, much like helping Lena hide the body, sometimes certain unpleasantries needed to be done, and being a pilot and a man of action, he did them. â€Å"What are you talking about?† Theo asked. â€Å"Well, Lena and I have parted ways, Constable. Shortly after you and I spoke this morning.† â€Å"Really?† Now Theo looked up from the woolly mounds of intrigue. â€Å"Really,† Tuck said. â€Å"And I'm sorry things happened the way they did.† â€Å"That doesn't really change anything, does it?† â€Å"Would it make a difference if I told you that I absolutely did not harm this alleged Dale Pearson, and neither did Lena?† â€Å"I don't think he was alleged,† said Gabe, slurring at the breasts. â€Å"I'm pretty sure he was confirmed Dale Pearson.† â€Å"Whatever,† said Tuck. â€Å"Would that change anything? Would you believe that?† Theo didn't speak right away but appeared to be waiting for an answer from the decolletage oracle. When he looked up at Tuck again he said, â€Å"Yeah, I believe you.† Tuck nearly aspirated the ginger ale he was drinking. When he stopped sputtering he said, â€Å"Wow, you suck as a lawman, Theo. You can't just believe a strange guy who tells you something in a bar.† Tuck wasn't accustomed to being believed by anyone, so to have someone take him at face value†¦ â€Å"Hey, hey, hey,† said Gabe. â€Å"That's uncalled for –  » â€Å"Well, fuck you guys!† said the woman in the red sweater. She jumped up from her stool and snatched her keys off the bar. â€Å"I am a person, too, you know? And these are not speakerphones,† she said, grabbing her breasts underneath and shaking them at the offenders, her keys jingling cheerfully as she did, completely defusing the effect of her anger. â€Å"Oh – my – God,† said Gabe. â€Å"You can't just ignore a person like that! Besides, you're all too old and you're losers and I'd rather be alone on Christmas than spend five minutes with any of you horn dogs!† And with that she threw some cash on the bar, turned, and stormed out of the bar. Because they were men, Theo, Tuck, and Gabe watched her ass as she walked away. â€Å"Too old?† Tuck said. â€Å"She was what, twenty-seven, twenty-eight?† â€Å"Yeah,† Theo said. â€Å"Late twenties, maybe early thirties. I didn't think we were ignoring her.† Mavis Sand took the money off the bar and shook her head. â€Å"You were all paying her proper attention. Woman's got some issues when she's jealous of her own parts.† â€Å"I was thinking about icebergs,† said Gabe. â€Å"About how only ten percent of them show above the surface, yet below lies the really dangerous part. Oh, no, I got the blues on me again.† His head hit the bar and bounced. Tuck looked to Theo. â€Å"You want some help getting him to the car?† â€Å"He's a very smart guy,† said Theo. â€Å"He has a couple of Ph.D.s.† â€Å"Okay. Do you want some help getting the doctor to the car?† Theo was trying to get a shoulder under Gabe's arm, but given that he was nearly a foot taller than his friend, things weren't working very well. â€Å"Theo,† Mavis barked. â€Å"Don't be such a friggin' wanker. Let the man help you.† After three unsuccessful attempts at hefting the bag of sand that was Gabe Fenton, Theo nodded to Tuck. They each took an arm and walked/dragged the biologist toward the back door. â€Å"If he hurls I'm aiming him at you,† Theo said. â€Å"Lena loved these shoes,† said Tuck. â€Å"But you do what you feel like you need to.† â€Å"I have no sex appeal, a rum-pa-pa-pum,† sang Gabe Fenton, in spirit with the season. â€Å"My social skills are nil, a rum-pa-pa-pum.† â€Å"Did that actually rhyme?† asked Tuck. â€Å"He's a bright guy,† said Theo. Mavis creaked ahead of them and held the door. â€Å"So, I'll see you pathetic losers at the Lonesome Christmas party, right?† They stopped, looked at one another, felt camaraderie in their collective loserdom, and reluctantly nodded. â€Å"My lunch is coming up, a rum-pa-pa-pum,† sang Gabe. Meanwhile, the girls were running around the Santa Rosa Chapel, putting up decorations and preparing the table settings for a Lonesome Christmas. Lena Marquez was making her third circumnavigation of the room with a stepladder, some masking tape, and rolls of green and red crepe paper the size of truck tires. (Price Club in San Junipero only sold one size, evidently so you could decorate your entire ocean liner without making two trips.) The act of serial festooning had taken Lena's mind off her troubles, but now the little chapel was starting to resemble nothing more than the nest of a color-blind Ewok. If someone didn't intervene soon the Lonesome Christmas guests would be in danger of being asphyxiated in a festive dungeon of holiday bondage. Fortunately, as Lena was moving the ladder to make her fourth round, Molly Michon snaked a foot inside and pulled the chapel's double doors open; the wind from the growing storm swept in and tore the paper from the walls. â€Å"Well, fuck!† said Lena. The crepe paper swam in a vortex around the middle of the room, then settled into a great wad under one of the buffet tables Molly had set up to one side. â€Å"I told you a staple gun would work better than masking tape,† Molly said. She was holding three stainless-steel pans of lasagna and still managed to get the oak double doors closed against the wind with her feet. She was agile that way. â€Å"This is a historical landmark, Molly. You can't just go shooting staples into the walls.† â€Å"Right, like that matters after Armageddon. Take these downstairs to the fridge,† Molly said, handing the pans to Lena. â€Å"I'll get you the staple gun out of my car.† â€Å"What does that mean?† Lena asked. â€Å"Do you mean our relationships?† But Molly had bounded back out through the double doors into the wind. She'd been making more and more cryptic comments like that lately. Like she was talking to someone in the room besides Lena. It was strange. Lena shrugged and headed back to the little room behind the altar and the steps that led downstairs. Lena didn't like going into the basement of the chapel. It wasn't really a basement; it was more of a cellar: sandstone walls that smelled of damp earth, a concrete floor that had been poured without a vapor barrier fifty years after the cellar had been dug and so seeped moisture and formed a fine slime on top in the winter. Even when the stove was cranked and an electric heater turned on, it was never warm. Besides, the old, empty pews stored down there cast shadows that made her feel as if people were watching her. â€Å"Mmmm, lasagna,† said Marty in the Morning, your drive-time dead guy in the a.m. â€Å"Dudes and dudettes, the little lady has certainly outdone herself this time. Get a whiff of that?† The graveyard was abuzz with moldy anticipation of the Lonesome Christmas party. â€Å"It's highly inappropriate, that's what it is,† said Esther. â€Å"I suppose it's better than that horrible Mavis Sand woman barbecuing again. And how is it that she's still alive, anyway? She's older than I am.† â€Å"Than dirt, you mean?† said Jimmy Antalvo, whose faceprint was still embedded in a telephone pole on the Pacific Coast Highway, where he'd hit it at age nineteen. â€Å"Please, child, if you must be rude, at least be original,† said Malcolm Cowley. â€Å"Don't compound the tedium with cliche.† â€Å"My wife used to put a layer of hot Italian sausage between every layer of cheese and noodles,† said Arthur Tannbeau. â€Å"Now, that was some good eatin'.† â€Å"Sort of explains the heart attack, too, doesn't it?† said Bess Leander. Being poisoned had left a bitter taste in her mouth that seven years of death could not wash away. â€Å"I thought we agreed not to talk about COD guilt,† said Arthur. â€Å"Didn't we agree on that?† COD was shorthand of the dead for Cause of Death. â€Å"We did agree,† said Marty in the Morning. â€Å"I do hope that they sing ‘Good King Wenceslas, † said Esther. â€Å"Shut the fuck up about ‘Good King Wenceslas, would you? No one knows the words to ‘Good King Wenceslas, no one ever has.† â€Å"My, my, the new guy is cranky,† said Warren Talbot, who had once been a painter of landscapes but after liver failure at seventy was fertilizing one. â€Å"Well, it's gonna be a great party to listen to,† said Marty in the Morning. â€Å"Did you hear the constable's wife talking about Armageddon? She's definitely taking a cruise down the Big Nutty.† â€Å"I am not!† shouted Molly, who had come down to the basement to help Lena clear space in the two refrigerators for the salads and desserts that they had yet to unload. â€Å"Who are you talking to?† said Lena, a little frightened at the outburst. â€Å"I think I've made my point,† said Marty in the Morning.

Beowulf: the Film vs. the Text

Throughout time, many stories have been altered to suit a particular time period. Often times a film’s adaptation is much different than text adaptations while the two can also be very similar. Over the span of hundreds of years there have been multiple interpretations of Beowulf detailing the similarities and differences between the 2007 film and the various text versions. The portrayal of both King Hrothgar’s and Grendel’s appearance and personalities are different in the film than in the text.In the motion picture version, he was portrayed as being an unstable alcoholic. This quote from the film demonstrates this, â€Å"I want mead! Give me some mead, my queen† (Beowulf: Top Ten Quotes)! In the film King Hrothgar is also portrayed as being a disgrace to his wife, in the written version on the other hand he was portrayed as a noble and mighty king who was adored by all his loyal subjects. ‘They said that of all the kings upon the earth he was the m an most gracious and fair-minded, kindest to his people and keenest to win fame† (Beowulf: Top Ten Quotes).In the movie, there was mention of an affair that King Hrothgar had. This quote from the film exposes the queen’s pain as she discovers the affair, â€Å"How could I ever lay with you, knowing you laid with her† (Beowulf: Top Ten Quotes)? In the text edition there is no evidence of any affair. In the picture Grendel had a very apathetic appearance. In the written material he was personified as an enormous monster thatis feared by ? Hamilton 2 all of Herot. This quote demonstrates his tormenting of the people by Grendel. There have been many great men who have come, but in the morning there was nothing left but blood on the floor, and the ventures, and the walls† (Memorable Quotes for Beowulf (2007)). In the film Grendel had the ability to speak and he was sensitive to light and sound. The way details and events were explained was different in one of th e two versions. In the film for example, King Hrothgar commits suicide, there is no evidence in the text supporting this.The film implies that Beowulf takes interest in the queen, while in the text there is no evidence of any romantic interest among them. This line from the film shows Beowulf’s interest, â€Å"Me It's not me he wants, my queen† (Memorable Quotes for Beowulf (2007))? The film states that Beowulf not only had an affair with Grendel’s Mother but also had a child with her. In the movie Beowulf marries the queen after Hrothgar’s death and eventually cheats on her similar to how Hrothgar did.The text details a tower that was dedicated to Beowulf after his demise; however the film eludes any mention of a tower. Wiglaf was crowned king before Beowulf’s demise in the movie but the text insinuates that the crowning occurred after his death. The battles were illustrated differently in both variations. For instance â€Å"The Battle with Grend el’s Mother† never transpired; instead she had a child with Beowulf. In â€Å"The Battle with Grendel†, the film insinuates that the men were awake when Grendel attacked and he also attacked numerous men.In the text on the hand, the men were asleep when he attacked and he only attacked Wiglaf. In â€Å"The Battle with The Dragon† viewers learned that he was actually Beowulf’s son. Throughout time there have been multiple analyses of Beowulf detailing the similarities and differences between the 2007 film and the various text translations. There are a wide range of differences in the film versus the text. These differences range from something as little as the appearances of main characters to the depiction of major events and details. Beowulf: the Film vs. the Text Throughout time, many stories have been altered to suit a particular time period. Often times a film’s adaptation is much different than text adaptations while the two can also be very similar. Over the span of hundreds of years there have been multiple interpretations of Beowulf detailing the similarities and differences between the 2007 film and the various text versions. The portrayal of both King Hrothgar’s and Grendel’s appearance and personalities are different in the film than in the text.In the motion picture version, he was portrayed as being an unstable alcoholic. This quote from the film demonstrates this, â€Å"I want mead! Give me some mead, my queen† (Beowulf: Top Ten Quotes)! In the film King Hrothgar is also portrayed as being a disgrace to his wife, in the written version on the other hand he was portrayed as a noble and mighty king who was adored by all his loyal subjects. ‘They said that of all the kings upon the earth he was the m an most gracious and fair-minded, kindest to his people and keenest to win fame† (Beowulf: Top Ten Quotes).In the movie, there was mention of an affair that King Hrothgar had. This quote from the film exposes the queen’s pain as she discovers the affair, â€Å"How could I ever lay with you, knowing you laid with her† (Beowulf: Top Ten Quotes)? In the text edition there is no evidence of any affair. In the picture Grendel had a very apathetic appearance. In the written material he was personified as an enormous monster thatis feared by ? Hamilton 2 all of Herot. This quote demonstrates his tormenting of the people by Grendel. There have been many great men who have come, but in the morning there was nothing left but blood on the floor, and the ventures, and the walls† (Memorable Quotes for Beowulf (2007)). In the film Grendel had the ability to speak and he was sensitive to light and sound. The way details and events were explained was different in one of th e two versions. In the film for example, King Hrothgar commits suicide, there is no evidence in the text supporting this.The film implies that Beowulf takes interest in the queen, while in the text there is no evidence of any romantic interest among them. This line from the film shows Beowulf’s interest, â€Å"Me It's not me he wants, my queen† (Memorable Quotes for Beowulf (2007))? The film states that Beowulf not only had an affair with Grendel’s Mother but also had a child with her. In the movie Beowulf marries the queen after Hrothgar’s death and eventually cheats on her similar to how Hrothgar did.The text details a tower that was dedicated to Beowulf after his demise; however the film eludes any mention of a tower. Wiglaf was crowned king before Beowulf’s demise in the movie but the text insinuates that the crowning occurred after his death. The battles were illustrated differently in both variations. For instance â€Å"The Battle with Grend el’s Mother† never transpired; instead she had a child with Beowulf. In â€Å"The Battle with Grendel†, the film insinuates that the men were awake when Grendel attacked and he also attacked numerous men.In the text on the hand, the men were asleep when he attacked and he only attacked Wiglaf. In â€Å"The Battle with The Dragon† viewers learned that he was actually Beowulf’s son. Throughout time there have been multiple analyses of Beowulf detailing the similarities and differences between the 2007 film and the various text translations. There are a wide range of differences in the film versus the text. These differences range from something as little as the appearances of main characters to the depiction of major events and details.

Forensic Accounting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Forensic Accounting - Essay Example (Lexicom, 2007) The standards that have been set are usually fixed making it hard for investors from other states to operate using the same starndards.Foreign investors usually have their standards and it becomes hard for them to cope with the new standards. (Lexicom, 2007) Principle based systems will provide a conceptual framework basis that will be followed by the accountants. In centrally, rule based systems has detailed rules which are to be followed. Under the principle based system, one will lay out the objectives of good reporting and then provides guidance that explains the objectives. In rule based systems the rules are unavoidable and its intent is not to provide guidance. Both systems are used by accountants depending on the nature of the objective. (Toppe, 2008) 1.2.1 IASC.This was formed as a not for profit organisation that is incorporated in the US. It is the parent entity of the IASB which is mandated with setting of standards. Its structure includes Trustees, Standard Advisory council, IASB and the International Financial Reporting Interpretation committees. (IFRS, 2012) 1.2.2 IASB assumes the accounting standard setting responsibilities from the IASC.This is because there was restricting on the move to shape IASC for the future. The structure includes IASC foundation. (IFRS, 2012) 1.2.3 SAC (Standard Advisory Council) is vital for it ensures that the objectives of the companies are met. This consists of the selected board of directors. They address on the matters that relates to the standards of the organisation. (Board, 2008) 1.2.4 IFRS Interpretation committee ensures that a consensus on the appropriate accounting treatment and providing an authoritative guidance on those issues. This normally consists of 14 voting members appointed by the trustees. (Board, 2008) 1.3.2 EC (European Commission) is mandated to regulate and

Music of India Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Music of India - Essay Example The craze of Indian Music can be recognized from the words of Ali Akbar Khan stating â€Å"For us, as a family, music is like food. When you need it you don’t have to explain why, because it is basic to life† (Logan & Subramaniam 1). Music of India has always occupied a predominant position in the rich cultural heritage of India. Comprising of various races and cultural diversities Indian Music exhibits a complex musical system. Understanding Indian classical music in particular demands a time of entire life. The earliest of Indian Music have been found to emerge out of the Vedas, the sacred scriptures of the Hindus (Chandrakantha & David Courtney). The Guru (teacher), Shishya (student) and Parampara (tradition) relationship has remained throughout in the history of Indian Music (Logan & Subramaniam 1). Rag, the melodic form and Tal, the rhythmic, constitute the two fundamental bases of Indian Music (Chandrakantha & David Courtney). The Indian Classical Music has been p rimarily classified into South Indian Music called Carnatic and North Indian Music called Hindustani.

HEALTH BEHAVIOR Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

HEALTH BEHAVIOR - Essay Example Alcohol consumption is one of the most popular health behaviors in the world with majority of people drinking almost daily. Lewis (2005) noted in Australia for instance, people take drinking as part of their meals albeit many drink wine. While not everybody consumes alcohol in large quantities daily, it was noted that many people tend to drink a few bottles after work. In short, people take drinking alcohol as leisure some oblivious of the dangers while other knowing very well the repercussions. Sadly, many of the people who are involved in drinking are very much aware of the risks that accompany such behaviors yet continue. For instance, National Health Service (NHS, n.d.) states that, alcohol affects very crucial parts of the body. Among them is the brain, heart, pancreas, liver and the immune system. In addition, there is likelihood of developing cancer of mouth, esophagus, throat, liver and even breast cancer for women who find pleasure in this habit. Therefore, the dangers associated with alcohol consumption are quite many, and efforts ought to be put with an aim to overcome such habits. Drinkers are normally classified into three; low-risk drinkers, increasing-risk drinkers and high-risk drinkers. For the lower-risk, it is understood that the signs may not be evident presently but in the future, the body will react. Normally, this category of people are thought and said to be safe-drinkers but Turner (2009) states that alcohol consumption can never be safe. On the other hand, increasing risk drinkers tend to drink between three and four units daily, and usually damage many parts of the body. Finally, the higher-risk category of drinkers consumes around eight units, and many times suffer from a number of diseases due to the affected parts. While the writer is very aware of the risks of alcohol consumption, the health behavior is rampant but efforts have been made in the past to overcome it. Unlike the majority of people who

Analyse the business situation facing KuIuIa.com from a marketing Essay

Analyse the business situation facing KuIuIa.com from a marketing point of view - Essay Example Its advertising campaigns were designed to influence human psychology and impacts of its visual and textual content is linked to human behaviour. Thus, its advertisement that makes common man, a super hero was hugely appealing for local population. Though it has networked with car rental firms, it needs to create wider linkages with other facilities to ensure customers convenience. Kululu.com faces serious threat from new competitors, especially from SAA or South African Airways which has largest market share. As such, Kululu.com must adopt flexible strategies to meet new challenges and exploit internal capabilities vis-a-vis customer relationship, sustainable business practices, diversification, acquisition, new product development and its linkages with its parent companies to gain competitive advantage. Ansoff’s matric promotes four growth strategies for gaining competitive advantage: market penetration; market development; diversification; and new product development. It sh ould therefore analyse different strategies of growth (Solomon et al., 2012). Both Comair and British Airways have huge credibility across the globe. With increasing competition, it must evolve new products and services and develop strategic business linkages with its parents’ company so that they can share database of customers with ease. Recommendations It should further enhance its customer services and develop an organizational culture that empowers employees. By increasing the number of customer service agents it would be able to provide passengers with improved personal service and emotional support and security at the time of crisis. It should increase frequency of destination-to-destination flights to maintain its popularity. Specialized short haul flights... †¢ It should increase frequency of destination-to-destination flights to maintain its popularity. Specialized short haul flights are increasingly being preferred by people who are frequent fliers. With its low cost strategy, it would attract more small and medium business class. †¢ As a growth strategy, leveraging partnership across different fields that may complement its wider business objectives is hugely critical issue that needs to be incorporated within its business strategy. Thus, it should forge alliances with hotels, resorts, tour operators and event managers so that it can constantly provide its customers with new ways to benefit and enjoy unique experience. Offering integrated packages would attract more families for vacations and encourage small and medium businesses to take its employees for work-cum relaxation programs. †¢ It should promote sustainable business practice and introduce attractive offers to its customers which would be able to give them a chance to travel in BA and Comair flights. It could be in terms of number of flights or frequency of fliers to particular destination which would make customers eligible for bonus points that could earn them discount tickets in BA and Comair. This would significantly increase customer database and help it to maintain its competitive advantage.

CSR WEB REPORTING Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 11000 words

CSR WEB REPORTING - Essay Example The corporate need to communicate information regarding corporate social responsibility practices at regular periods. There are various ways to do the same. One of them is web reporting. The web reporting of corporate social responsibility is relatively unexplored area. This paper discusses various issue related to corporate social responsibility, internet and web reporting and analyses the web reporting pattern of five companies from different sectors and parts of the world. Every organisation must function within the context of society and community. Concepts like competence, competitiveness, and profitability are the key to a successful organisation. Along with these comes the all-important aspect of responsibility. An organisations needs to adopt a responsible attitude not merely when dealing with employees, clients and shareholders but also its other stakeholders too. The image and success of an organisation is reflected in its commitment towards society, the commonly used term for which is Corporate Social Responsibility or CSR. Organisations have their own inner and external environment to manage. The management aspects of both the environments require transparency and proper information sharing. There are various factors that constitute together the concept â€Å"Corporate Social Responsibility†. Corporate social responsibility is an integral part of the wealth creation process. The paper first covers issues related to corporate social responsibility in the Section 1. Various views regarding the concept are discussed here. The next section elaborates the role of Internet and web reporting at present. One of the reasons of growing web responsibility in present scenario is the growing number of Internet users. Internet provides a faster mean of communication and information sharing. The information sharing has a great impact on stakeholders. Internet has provided a fast mean

Management Accounting and Traditional System Appraisal Essay

Management Accounting and Traditional System Appraisal - Essay Example In reality, different drivers of factory overheads such as machine setups, special storage, unique inspections and special handling drive the cost. Thus, it is difficult to allocate cost to the diverse activities undertaken in meeting the diverse customer demands using a single activity of machine hours consumed. Similarly, containing all the costs incurred in undertaking the diverse activities in a single cost to allocate the costs by dividing with machine hours used in the production process is erroneous under the traditional system applied by the firm (Gediehn, 2010). The approach gives an average rate to be employed in the different products despite of the complexity and number of activities performed. This is a misleading approach to allocating the costs since the diverse customer specifications do not correlate (Gediehn, 2010). The use of a general average rate in allocating the overhead costs under the traditional management system misleads the management in determining the cost of the product per customer demand. The response that is derived from the results given under the traditional system has a high potential of being wrong due to the performance measures it generates (Bragg, 2013). Furthermore, the traditional system used by the firm has the potential of failing to motivate enviable behaviors. This is because it has the tendency of strengthening vertical controls and bureaucracy (Macintosh & Quattrone, 2009). The requirement for the staff to fill the time they spend in running the machine is a bureaucratic act that has the potential of attempting the staff members to inflate the hours to earn more salary. Thus, employees of the organization will not be motivated to act in the interest of the company. Similarly, the traditional system under use has the potential of causing the management to be disconnected from the strategic plan of the firm. This is because the managers will be obsessed in  achieving the correct numbers that can cause the strategic purpose of the budgeting process to be missed.

Technology and being a nurse educator Assignment

Technology and being a nurse educator - Assignment Example The field of nursing education needs a nurse educator that is competent, with unique application of nursing knowledge as well as responds to the knowledge evolution. Nursing education evolves from simple, traditional classroom teaching to complicated, online learning, use of informatics, and virtual simulations ( Bonnel, & Smith, 2010, p. 3). Along with this evolution is the need for nursing educators who can embrace technology and use it appropriately to meet the ever-changing needs of nurses, educators, students, patients, and society. Effects of Technology to a Nurse Educator The integration of technology in the field of nursing education affects nurse educators positively and negatively. The positive effects include the nurse educators’ enhancement of teaching opportunities, improved access to teaching materials saving both time and cost, provides educational options or strategies of teaching (used of printout, electronic sources, classroom interaction etc.), presents educ ational materials more challenging, knowledgeable, and presentable, promotes clinical safety and gain efficiency in teaching and learning, and guides evidenced-based practice. On the other hand, one possible negative effect noted is the difficulty encountered by nursing educators to adapt to technological advancements resulting in poor teaching and learning outcome.

Five Things Your Fingers Tell About You Essay Example for Free

Five Things Your Fingers Tell About You Essay Purpose: To inform the audience about what their finger length tells about them. Theme: How to know more about yourself using your ring and index finger. Thesis Statement: Finger length cannot be an indicator of what or who you really are because it just informs us more about ourselves through our fingers length. Introduction: Hello there! Guys, did you know that your index finger is the best one to lose? Although it seems you need this finger more than any other, hand surgeons say that this is the best one to lose if you had a choice given by terrorists. But wait! Don’t lose it yet! Listen to me first and look at your fingers. Did you know that the length of your fingers can indicate how healthy you are, your sporting ability and even your sexuality? Body: It is thought that prenatal androgens affect the genes responsible for the development of fingers, toes and the reproductive system. High levels of androgens, such as testosterone increase the length of the fourth finger in comparison to the second finger. It is also important in the development of masculine characteristics such as aggression and strength. Evidence is growing that the length of your fingers can tell you a lot about yourself. So here are the five things your fingers say about you. Your sexuality. The most obvious thing the length of your finger tells you is your sexuality. Scientist from the University of California taught that higher levels of androgen in the womb influence both finger length and sexual orientation. According to the study, mens ring fingers are normally longer than their index fingers, while in women, ring fingers are normally shorter or tend to be the same length as their index fingers. A study also showed that lesbian women also tended to have more â€Å"masculine arrangement†-that is, they had shorter index fingers. Comparison between all men showed no differences. Only gay men with several older brothers had an unusually â€Å"masculine† finger ratio-in other words, they had significantly shorter index fingers. Homosexual men without older brothers had finger length ratios indistinguishable from heterosexual men, indicating that factors other than hormones-such as genetic influences-also contribute to sexual orientation. That you make a lot of money, or not. Researchers in Cambridge discovered that stock traders with long ring fingers made more up to 11 times their earnings than colleagues with shorter ring fingers. Again, this can be chalked up to higher testosterone, which can make men more assertive and likely to take risks. According to a new study, having a relatively long ring finger, augurs well for success in those high-stress financial arenas where fast thinking, good reflexes and good-old fashioned guts matter most. A long ring finger indicate greater exposure to testosterone in the womb which in turn gives â€Å"high-frequency† traders a biological leg up by encouraging the development of the right mix of mental attitude and physical skills for making money in a cutthroat business. How good you are at sports. Men and women whose ring fingers are longer that their index fingers are more likely to have an aptitude for sports. The correlation is particularly strong says finger expert Dr. John Manning, in middle and long distance runners. Those who have short index fingers may also do better in playing tennis and soccer and they are also more likely to be left-handed. That you are good at math. It has long been known that boys tend to do better on math tests while girls do better at writing, reading and verbal tests. Scientist behind this study suggests that measurement of finger length could help predict how well children will do in math and literacy. Scientist at the University of Bath found that children with masculine ring fingers- that is, long ring finger than their index fingers, do better in math tests than in literacy tests. Alternately, children whose second and fourth fingers are the same length perform better in literacy tests. Again, this is because of hormones called testosterone and estrogen. Testosterone lengthens ring fingers and is associated with greater math and spatial functions, while estrogen lengthens index fingers and is associated with greater verbal skills. If you are prone to arthritis. Researchers at the University of Nottingham have now discovered that arthritis could be connected to the hands. Having a ring finger longer than an index finger nearly doubles the chance of developing osteoarthritis in the knees and hips. And according to the study, the risk was grater in women than in men. Conclusion: Fingers are really significant to all of us and it is impossible for us to live without them. These things are facts gathered from the studies that can help us to know and inform ourselves better. But still, you yourself can define what or who you really are even without knowing these facts. These ideas that I have brought onto you are just guidelines. Your finger length differences won’t exactly define who you really are. Our health always depends on our lifestyle. Our future is the reward or the consequences of what we are doing in our present, it is in our hands not on our fingers. Let me end this speech with a quote by Fred Dehner, â€Å"The best helping hand that you would ever receive is the one at the end of your own arm.†

Physicochemical Events in Production of Butter and Margarine

Physicochemical Events in Production of Butter and Margarine Byeong-Keon LEE Introduction Margarine and butter are known world-widely as spread, and have dominated the production in the western world, such as America including New Zealand. Recently, Asian countries particularly China and India have shown an increase of butter consumption. The amount of butter China consumes was predicted to increase to 13% over the next decade (Fallow, 2013). Both margarine and butter have similar a taste, texture as well as nutritional values. The characteristic of both products are significantly similar for example, water-in-emulsion and the fat content are approximately in 81% range. However, the two products are actually different when it is compared with the ingredients and the structure. The argument surrounding the diversity of butter and margarine is typically concerned with human health, the production of margarine is a man-made food which follows a lot of chemical treatments and speculation that it might cause several diseases (Guyenet, 2008). On the other hand, the butter cont ains a higher level of cholesterol that can negatively influence human digestion (Collins, 2013). In this assignment, physical and chemical properties and psychochemical processes and the changes of making margarine and butter will be discussed. Physical and Chemical difference Both butter and margarine are triglyceride (triacylglycerol) in an ester linkage composure of glycerol and 3 fatty acids that also uses the water-in-oil emulsion process where water is dispersed in phase and oil in a continuous phase. The critical comparison and contrast between butter and margarine will be the ingredients which have different states in room temperature and the chemical process of making it. Butter is an animal dairy product which is composed of a complex chain of saturated fat and unsaturated fatty acid, and a high concentration of animal cholesterol. As its clearly seen from the picture, the majority of fatty acids are saturated and some fatty acid unsaturated. The color of butter is normally yellow indicating it contains small amounts of carotene another meaning of vitamin A. (Reyes, n.d). The higher saturation levels of the fatty acids, contributes to the physical structure of the animal fat. Higher saturation levels are highly correlated with higher London Dispersion forces. Hence, due to the high London Dispersion Forces holding the saturated bonds together, animal fat is solid at room temperature (Brown, LeMay and Bursten, n.d.). Figure 2. Percentage composition of fatty acid in butter In contrast, margarine is a substitution of butter spread made from vegetable oil. Oil has a lot of double bonds, which typically disrupts the London dispersion forces between fatty acids and low effective surface area which the molecules do not pack together giving a lower melting point The mixed vegetable oil, like soyabean oil or corn oil has a structure of mono-unsaturated or polyunsaturate of fatty acids and those unsaturated fats that need to be converted into a semi-solid to make margarine. This process is called hydrogenation or additional reaction, by adding hydrogen gas with nickel catalyst in a double bond of unsaturated fat. The double bond become a single bond, and this makes the molecules pack together better. In other words, the London dispersion forces become active and the interaction between the molecules is called the Van Der Waals interaction (Burrows, 2009). The results of the hydrogenated vegetable oil, are of it process to solidify at room temperature. The majority of fatty acid in margarines are unsaturated. Most fatty acids have a cis-form and margarine is unlikely to form trans-fatty acid. During the hydrogenation, some of the fatty acid will tend to form trans-addition. Figure 4. Hydrogenation reaction occur in unsaturation reaction Chemical process of butter The milk itself come from the cow which does not have to add artificial ingredients. Therefore butter contains nutritional values such as fat, protein and different types of vitamins which are found originally in milk. The chemical process is outlined in figure 4, that depicts the chemical process. For example pasteurization the ripening, aging and churning are the most significant factors for making butter cream. 1) Milk separation The standard raw milk mostly contains 15 to 25 percent of fat globules, the globule is a tiny membrane filled with the fat molecule (Murphy, 2011). When the raw milk is shaken, the globules membranes will crash against each other and break. As regard, the fat will start to burst out and tend to bunch together with the contents of other burst globules, consequently, the butter cream is separated from raw skim milk and the butter cream will contain approximately 38% of fat. 2) Pasteurization The raw cream has to be pasteurized to a temperature of 95oC for 15 seconds to kill any interference in production of butter particularly enzyme and micro-organisms. This process is widely known as HTST (High Temperature Short Time) pasteurization. It is very interesting to note that nowadays, dairy industries implements UHT (Ultra High Temperature) pasteurization procedure to produce lower number of micro-organism, which leads to longer shelf life. HTST process are more favorable compared to UHT as in the production of butter, Lactobacillus sp. is wanted to further ferment the cream, giving of specific flavors. In contrast, if the cream is subjected to UHT, any bacteria present in the cream would be eliminated, further contributing to no flavor compound formation during the ripening process (Butler and Media, n.d). 3) Inoculation and ripening After pasteurization, then for some time the helpful bacteria ripens in the raw cream so it can proliferate to render it in a better condition for butter making. The butter maker has made significant improvements through experience, that ripened cream churns more rapidly than sweet cream. It take about 24 to 48 hours for the cream to fully ripen (Marina. 2011). The lactic acid bacteria (Lactobacillus helveticus) will actually further ferment or ripening the cream and breaking down the long fatty acid into short fatty acid (diacetyl compounds). This short fatty acid has which has unique taste and good smell. An increase in lactic acid causes a reduction in overall pH which cause the proteins in milk to change. As cream returns to room temperature, the lactose in milk begins to ferment and creating lactic acid which help to make butter. (Belitz, Grosch and Schieberle, 2009) 4) Agitation It is a physical change which the process of churning butter consists of the mixing that separates some of the fatty solids out of milk. The formation of fat crystal can be influence by suitable temperature control during the ripening process. Fat molecule in cream are surrounded by membranes made of phospholipids and proteins which prevent the fat from pooling together. Fat globules are bumping into each other and membrane is breaking down when it happens the fat globules are trying to stick together. Agitation cream damage these membrane allowing the fats to pool together and form whipping cream. 5) Churning Churning is essentially strong mechanical cream shearing which tears the membranes of the fat globules and facilitates coalescence of the globules. The cream breaks any tiny granules of butter appear. In the churning compartment, a rotating impact wave cause butter granule formation. The separation compartment is divided into two parts. The butter is first churned further, resulting in the formation of butter granules of larger diameter. As the churning continues fat molecule become popcorn butter which separate from butter milk. The popcorn butter has the same consistency as regular butter at room temperature. They put the butter cream on bulk tank where mixers sterile to maintain the consistency. If agitation and churning of the cream continues, finally a solid is formed(butter-cream) and the remaining liquid (butter milk) is separated (Ripema, 1970). 6) Washing, Cooling, and Vacuum Subsequently, the buttermilk is separated and the butter is washed if necessary. which cause the butter-cream fat molecules to bunch together releasing water and air. In addition, cooling process and vacuuming is performed to reduced to water and air content to 1% (Belitz, Grosch and Schieberle, 2009). Chemical process of margarine Most margarines are made from a variety substances such as vegetable oil and edible animal fats. It composed of approximately a 80% combination of fat, that is either saturated fat or unsaturated fats, approximately 18% of liquid which derives from either pasteurized skim milk or a soybean protein fluid (Ripema, 1970). 1) Crude oil Different types of vegetable oil like corn and soybean are chemically extracted and refined to form crude oil and the crude oil can be neutralized and treated with a caustic soda solution that removes free fatty acid, and corrosive and pungent sulphur compounds (Sample, 2009). The free fatty acid, influences an undesirable taste. The process follows by washing then mixing with water, so it can separate, it is then left to dry with the aid of vacuum. 2) Modification Margarine is not originally a yellow colour which the decolourisation process is for removing the grey colour by the absorption to activated clay or bleaching process (Ripema, 1970). The bleaching process utilizes bleaching earth and charcoal material in the vacuum condition. The process helps to absorb any undesirable colorants, which will be later filtered out from the oil mixture. Other sustenance impurities are both organic and inorganic, which naturally occurs raw oil that is removed by the de-acidification process using akali treatments. 3) Hydrogenation The hydrogenation is used as catalyst called nickel and the structure varies by cis-addition and trans-addition. This process helps the animal and vegetable oils blend and are able to let the formation from a liquid into a fat that is in a state that increases the melting point. However only some of the double bonds of polyunsaturated vegetable oil are hydrogenated and named partial hydrogenation. Therefore the degree of hydrogenation can be varied to give softer or harder margarine. (Haynes, 2014) Figure 10. Chemical reaction of hydrogenation 4) Deodorization The modification is complete so the base oil is prepared to reproduce similar qualities to butter, this stage decrease unwanted smells and taste (Formo, n.d). The removal of the poor smell is by a batch process that steams the oil, the temperature used is very high and reaches from175–205 °C in Europe and 235 °Ã¢â‚¬â€œ250 ° C in America, during this process the bad tastes and smells are taken away by the extractor fan. The oil can then be either further processed to make margarine or alternatively vegetable oil. (Singh, P. n.d.) 5) Emulsify When the emulsion of the stabilized immiscible liquids is blended with the use of an emulsifier. The way margarine is constructed is through the emulsion process that adds salty water droplets in oil, as well as an emulsion ingredient to a cup. Salt content is modified as an emulsifier and renamed lecithin, the final stage is the separating of starch and emulsifier that forms a consistent mixture. Moreover, all the nutrients and color in the margarine are artificially made particularly vitaminisation processed into the margarine, to have a measured amount of vitamin with butter (Hasenhuettl and Hartel, 2008). 6) Cooling and kneading process The method for the cooling an kneading process has two ways of completing, either with a tube chiller or a chilling drum-complector. Tube chiller method uses a closed system that has a one step process. Unlike the Chilling Drum-Complector that has a longer process, allowing cooling and kneading that lets the mixture rest, and the crystallization of fats at slower pace. However the advantage of the tube chiller is the reduced capacity of spoilage compact size in relation to production levels, and ease of operation. (Hasenhuettl and Hartel, 2008). Conclusion In conclusion, butter and margarine have significantly different physical and chemical properties as well as physiochemical duties in the production. Although the nutrition and texture of products are the same, but the ingredients of butter and margarine are different and this leads to a structure of both products that have different qualities. Moreover, both products have a different chemical process. In fact, margarine has extra steps to convert the butter from a liquid state to a solid state, that furthers the need to process, using hydrogenation. References Reyes, V. (2013). Chemical structure of butter. [Figure 1] Available at: http://scienceandfooducla.wordpress.com/2013/05/28/homemade-butter/ [Accessed 15 May. 2014]. P. B. Hawk, O. Bergeim, Blakiston, (2010). Fatty acids in butter. Percentage composition from Practical Physiological Chemistry,. [Figure 2] Available at: http://antoine.frostburg.edu/chem/senese/101/consumer/faq/butter-composition.shtml [Accessed 15 May. 2014]. Image by user called Smokefoot, (2012). Hydrogenation of fatty acid. [Figure 3] Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:H2forMargerin.png#filehistory [Accessed 15 May. 2014]. Alpha Omega trial, (n.d.). Margarine composition in percentage. [Figure 4] Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:H2forMargerin.png#filehistory [Accessed 15 May. 2014]. Yokogawa Corporation, (2007). Stable and Accurate Density Measurement to Control Fat Content in Skim Milk. [figure 5] Available at: http://www.yokogawa.com/us/technical-library/application-notes/stable-and-accurate-density-measurement-to-control-fat-content-in-skim-milk.htm [Accessed 15 May. 2014]. Andrews, R. (2012). All About Milk. [Figure 6] Available at: http://www.precisionnutrition.com/all-about-milk [Accessed 15 May. 2014]. Shannon, (2011). Making A Big Batch of Cultured Butter. [Figure 8] Available at: http://www.nourishingdays.com/2011/10/making-a-big-batch-of-cultured-butter/ [Accessed 15 May. 2014]. Castelli, C. (2008). Crude Corn Oil. [Figure 9] Available at: http://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/Crude-Corn-Oil_144278983.html [Accessed 15 May. 2014]. Quadro Engineering, (n.d.). Production of Margarine and Low Fat Spreads. [Figure 11] Available at: http://www.quadroytron.com/menu_app/food_margarine.asp [Accessed 15 May. 2014]. Belitz, H., Grosch, W. and Schieberle, P. (2009). Food chemistry 4th revised and extended edition. 4th ed. Springer, pp.pg 526 527. Collins, C. (2013). Whats healthier, butter or margarine?. NZ Hearald. [online] Available at: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/news/article.cfm?c_id=6objectid=11169963 [Accessed 15 May. 2014]. Fallow, B. (2013). Chinas slowdown may be good for NZ. NZ Hearld. [online] Available at: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3objectid=10902631 [Accessed 15 May. 2014]. Formo, M. (n.d.). fat and oil processing (chemistry) :: Deodorization. [online] Encyclopedia Britannica. Available at: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/202405/fat-and-oil processing/50167/Deodorization [Accessed 15 May. 2014]. Guyenet, S. (2008). Whole Health Source: Butter, Margarine and Heart Disease. [online] Wholehealthsource.blogspot.co.nz. Available at: http://wholehealthsource.blogspot.co.nz/2008/12/butter-margarine-and-heart-disease.html [Accessed 15 May. 2014]. Hasenhuettl, G. and Hartel, R. (2008). Food emulsifiers and their applications. 1st ed. New York: Springer, p.271. Haynes, F. (2014). Take the Guess Work from Figuring Out the Trans Fats in Your Foods. [online] About.com Low Fat Cooking. Available at: http://lowfatcooking.about.com/od/faqs/f/hydrogenated.htm [Accessed 15 May. 2014]. Marina, (2011). Cultured butter – CULTURED, AGED, BREWED. [online] Culturedagedbrewed.com. Available at: http://www.culturedagedbrewed.com/2011/12/20/cultured-butter/ [Accessed 15 May. 2014]. Murphy, L. (2011). Emulsion Explosion: How to Make Butter. [online] Scientificamerican.com. Available at: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/bring-science-home-butter-emulsion/ [Accessed 15 May. 2014]. Singh, P. (n.d.). fat and oil processing (chemistry) :: Deodorization. [online] Encyclopedia Britannica. Available at: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/202405/fat-and-oil processing/50167/Deodorization [Accessed 15 May. 2014]. Ripema, S. (1970). The Story of Margarine. 1st ed. Public Affairs Press. Sample, I. (2009). Trafigura case: toxic slop left behind by caustic washing. [online] the Guardian. Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2009/sep/16/trafigura-case-toxic-slop [Accessed 15 May. 2014]. Butler, C. and Media, D. (n.d.). Why Cant You Use Ultra Pasteurized Cream for Making Butter?. [online] Everyday Life Global Post. Available at: http://everydaylife.globalpost.com/cant-use-ultra-pasteurized-cream-making-butter-42002.html [Accessed 15 May. 2014]. Burrows, A. (2009). Chemistry3. 1st ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. page 85 to page 86. Brown, L., LeMay, E. and Bursten, B. (n.d.). Chapter 11 intermolecular Forces, Liquids and Solids. 10th ed. [ebook] The central science, pp.slide 18 to slide 23. Available at: http://alpha.chem.umb.edu/chemistry/ch115/Mridula/CHEM 116/documents/chapter_11au.pdf [Accessed 15 May. 2014].

Writing an Admissions Essay :: College Admissions Essays

Writing an Admissions Essay The process of writing—and writing admissions essays in particular—invites a consciously-constructed performance of the self. What I mean by this is that a text—any text—inevitably conveys some persona; and when that text is known as an autobiography or representation of the self, the persona of the text is under even more scrutiny. Andy Warhol, with whom we could never be sure of where the performance ended and where the self started, once said, â€Å"When I did my self-portrait, I left all the pimples out because you always should. . . . Always omit the blemishes—they’re not part of the good picture you want.† * This statement has relevance for any act of self-representation, including admissions essays. Because the essay is an acknowledged representation of the self, the student tries to omit â€Å"blemishes† or whatever material she thinks will make her unattractive to the school. She consciously tries to frame her essay so that it will project the particular kind of persona she thinks the admissions officers want to see. However much they tell you, â€Å"Just be yourself,† that’s hardly possible when so much rides on how that self is presented. Even more challenging than the decision of how to frame this self-portrait is the anxiety-producing task of choosing a topic. For example, in a recent New York Times article, a student lamented the fact that no one had died in her family thus leaving her without anything moving to write about. Admissions essays are an unusual and peculiar exercise, one in which we know the student performs. But the school is performing, too. The University, in particular, is known for its quirky and surprising essay questions. This quirkiness itself is a performance of a kind that seeks to attract a certain type of student, perhaps the creative or quirky.

Special Needs Education Essay -- Special Education, mentally retarded

One of the most controversial issues facing educators today is the topic of educating students with disabilities, specifically through the concept of inclusion. Inclusion is defined as having every student be a part of the classroom all working together no matter if the child has a learning disability or not (Farmer) (Inclusion: Where We’ve Been.., 2005, para. 5). The mentally retarded population has both a low IQ and the inability to perform everyday functions. Activities such as eating, dressing, walking, and in some cases, talking can be hopeless for a child with mental retardation. Schooling for the disabled requires a special environment—one that only a few teachers have the gift to care for. Instead of looking out for the child’s needs, the government is focused on passing test grades and social skills. Mentally retarded children require a highly trained special education teacher, patience for behavioral issues, and are also required to pass standardized tests; public education for these students move at a faster pace than they can comprehend and lack the personal focus that they would otherwise get in a special needs classroom. The first special education students included the deaf, blind, and later the mentally retarded. If a person was cursed with mental retardation, it was commonly believed to be a demonic possession (Farmer) (Inclusion: Where We’ve Been.., 2005, para. 2). . It wasn’t until the twentieth century that these students were being taught in an educational environment. Realizing that the mentally disabled needed a unique education, the government began taking action. In the 1990’s, the federal and supreme courts began taking an interest in improving special education. Laws began coming into effect almost ... ...c. 2000. 239-259. Washington University School of Law. 17 Mar 2011. Farmer, Marie S. â€Å"Inclusion: Where We’ve Been, Where We Are, Where We’re Going.† Mar 2005. Georgia College & State University. 17 Mar 2011. Harchik, Alan. â€Å"Including Children with Special Needs in Regular Classrooms: Pros and Cons† News for Parents. 2005. May Institute. 18 Mar 2011. Lazarus, Belinda D. â€Å"What is Inclusion?† Making Inclusion Work. Feb 2001. University of Michigan-Dearborn. 18 Mar 2011. Le Fave, Dominic. No Child Left Behind and Special Education Explained. 23 Aug 2010. Philosophographlux. 29 Mar 2011.

Alices Adventures in Darwinism and the Realm of Child Versus Adult Ess

Alice in Wonderland, the most famous work of Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, better known as Lewis Carroll, is the enduring tale of one girl’s journey into a world of whimsy and imagination. The story was written for the enjoyment of all children, as Carroll had a strong love and attachment to them, especially little girls. It was however, written more specifically for a dear, close child-friend of his by the name of Alice Liddell, who was the inspiration for the title character. Alice in Wonderland has been, throughout the years since it’s publication in 1865, endlessly deconstructed, analyzed, and studied for underlying meaning in the text (as in Martin Gardner‘s The Annotated Alice). One of the most noticeable and famous facets of the story is the many changes in size that Alice goes through. Alice changes size eleven times to fit her changing predicament in the tale. This can be easily seen in the animated Disney interpretation of the story that came out years ago. Throughout the book, Alice is given the opportunity to change size numerous times, this aiding her in getting in and out of different situations and places in Wonderland. Alice accomplishes this through eating and drinking different tonics and mushroom pieces. It is interesting to note that the time period in which Carroll wrote and published Alice was the same time at which Charles Darwin was writing and publishing his historic book The Origin of Species in which he puts forth the now universally known ideas of evolution and survival of the fittest. Darwin developed these ideas while he served as naturalist on the ship the Beagle from 1831-1836. During this time, he studied wildlife on the Galapagos Islands, and was amazed by the great diversity of life. He was especially interested in the birds of the island, which had highly adapted beaks that fit their particular eating habits and lifestyle. (Coincidentally, in one of the first scenes in Wonderland, Alice arrives on shore with a group of different birds.) Carroll may have been inspired to have his title character change si ze according to her needs and predicament by the emerging science of the time. Alice also seems to get better at, and becomes more comfortable with changing her size as time goes on, and a parallel between evolution and Alice can be drawn on that point, in that as evolution progresses, it becomes more refined. Lewis Carroll... ...bsp; Alice in Wonderland, the work of Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, better known as Lewis Carroll, has been the enduring tale of one girl’s journey into a world of whimsy and imagination because of the multi-layered meaning that exists within. The story was written for the enjoyment of all children, but as Carroll once wrote himself, "we (adults) are but older children, dear."(499). Inspired by a dear, close child-friend of his by the name of Alice Liddell, the Alice of Alice in Wonderland has been the mediator between childhood and adulthood, and staying innocent and becoming experienced for over a hundred years. One of the most noticeable and famous facets of the story is the many changes in size that Alice undergoes, a phenomenon of evolution that was brought to the forefront of scientific and everyday Victorian life by the revolutionary thinker and naturalist Darwin. Charles Darwin wrote and published his historic book The Origin of Species at the same time Carroll’s arguably equally famed book was written and published, a coincidence that can not be overlooked when we observe the clear links between Darwin’s theories and Dodgson’s themes.  Ã‚  Ã‚  

Issues in the Correctional Systems of the United States Essay

I have chosen to research the correctional system of the United States for many reasons. The first reason is that I believe this component of the legal system has the most problems facing it. Another reason is that this topic interests me and I would like to learn more about it. There are many important issues, challenges and problems within the United States correctional system that need to be addressed. I found it difficult to focus on just three issues. The first problem I will discuss in my paper will be the issue of the growing population in the prisons. Prisons are overcrowded and murderers who have served barely half of their sentence are being released because the state facility needs their beds for other inmates. The second issue that I will discuss is prisoners and drugs; including, drug addicted prisoners and drug treatment prisoners. The third issue that I will talk about also pertains to drugs and deals with the problem of drug trafficking in prisons. The first component of the United States correctional system that I have chose to discuss is the problem caused by overcrowded prisons. This is an important topic because overcrowded facilities are a huge problem in America and are very detrimental to society. Prisoners who have been convicted of murder, but have shown good behavior while in prison, are being released with not even serving half of their sentence. The parole board is releasing these prisoners because space is needed for other prisoners coming in. What if, that prisoner that was released early because of overcrowded prisons had killed a member of your family and might now go kill someone else? Wouldn’t that make you a little upset with our system? There are many reasons why prisons in the United States are so overcrowded. To understand overcrowdedness one must first understand how expensive it is to build and maintain these correctional facilities. In 1993 the average cost to keep just one inmate incarcerated for a year was over $14,000 (Gaines, 1999). State courts convicted 872,217 felons during 1995 and one-third of the convictions were for drug offenses. 26% of all convicted felons were sentenced to local jails, usually for less than a year, and 45% were sentenced to state prisons. The remaining 29% were sentenced to probation with no jail or prison time to serve (Currie, 1998). Felons sentenced to state prison in 1994 were sentenced to an average of about six years but were most likely to serve just two of those six years, under the current release policies (Bender, 1998). There are many reasons why prisons became so overcrowded between 1985 and 1998. These factors include a 12.3 average annual increase in the number of Hispanic inmates, a 91% rise in admissions, a decline in the annual release rates, and a sharp rise in violent offenders among white inmates therefore keeping them in prisons longer (Jacobs, 1995). A lot of the increases were due to drug convictions. From 1985 to 1992 there was a 33% increase in the number of blacks sent to state prisons for violent offenses compared to a 27% increase in the number of whites. A similar increase in both incarcerated blacks and whites occurred for property crimes. However, for drug crimes, 94% more blacks were sent to prison from 1988 to 1992, while only 35% more whites were incarcerated (Cose, 2000). The nations courts are sentencing and admitting more offenders into America’s prisons than the facilities can hold. At the beginning of 1995, 39 states were under court order to relieve overcrowding (Currie, 1998). The way to address overcrowding is to build more prisons and maybe try to rehabilitate these felons a bit more. The 1995 census found that state and federal officials built 213 new prisons – 168 state and federal facilities with more than 280,000 beds between 1990-1995 to keep up with the growing prison population (Jacobs, 1997). In 1995 18 correction agencies opened 70 new institutions, adding 69,921 beds at an average cost of $46,758 (Jacobs, 1997). Some states have trouble building prisons fast enough to meet court orders to correct conditions. Because building prisons and adding new beds is costly, states are looking for other ways to manage overcrowding, such as  early release programs, electronic monitoring, keeping prisoners in local jails, and having offenders pay restitution to their victims. Early release gives officials a way to allow prisoners to leave before their sentence is completed. In New York, â€Å"presumptive release† permits the parole board to release offenders on parole after they have served their minimum sentences if they have not caused any problems. Good time or merit time allows the reduction of the sentence time for everyday of good behavior or for participating in particular programs. Felons were sentenced to an average sentence of 71 months in state prisons in 1994 but actually served about 38 % of that sentence (Bender, 1998). The danger in releasing inmates to make more room for new admissions is that some prisoners are violent offenders and should not be let out yet. Another way to deal with overcrowded conditions is for the government to save money by allowing private businesses to perform some government functions (privatization). This policy has largely affected the corrections system, especially as state and federal government face an increasing number of prisoners and , as a result, a growing need to build more prisons. People that are for the privatization of prisons believe that private firms would both improve the quality of services and reduce the costs. A National Institute of Corrections survey in the mid 1980’s found that more than 30 types of services were provided by the private sector (Gaines, 1999). The services most frequently supplied by private enterprise are health services, community treatment centers, facility constructions, educational programs, drug treatment, staff training and counseling. Much of the growth in the prison population can be attributed to the increase in the number of people sent to prison for drugs. In an effort to control overcrowding petty drug offenders should be given treatment or lighter sentences. When I say petty drug offenders I mean drug users and not drug dealers that are a greater threat to society. Maybe if they get treatment they don’t become repeat offenders. Loading our prisons with non violent drug offenders means that today we are committing more non violent offenders to hard time than we are violent criminals, and there is less room left for  violent offenders who should be put away to make society safer. There is a major question whether prison actually helps these drug users. They can usually find drugs in prison and if not they obtain drugs when they get out. It would be better if drug users were put into mandatory treatment programs on top of doing community services. This would help the situation of prison overcrowding while at the same time help those people who are involved in these treatment programs. There is a major problem when drug addicted people are put into prison and cannot get help they help. Prisoners sentenced for drug offenses made up the single largest group of federal inmates, 60% (Currie, 1998). This is a problem and inmates who are convicted of drug offenses should be made to participate in these programs. Most of these drug treatment programs at federal institutions have been ineffective and poorly run. In 1995, according to the Criminal Institute, about 13.2% of inmates participated in drug programs (Jacobs, 1995). The New York Times reported that, although 1 in 6 inmates receive some kind of treatment, only about 2 % have the kind of service rehabilitation that changes the inmates behaviors for a lifetime (Jacobs, 1995). Most of the participants end up recidivists. The most effective programs take many months but reduce the re-arrest rate greatly. Drug treatment advocates say that drug treatment programs could be provided for much less than the amount spent to build more prisons. A lot of average Americans think people in prisons are all hardened criminals. In reality, the prisons are filled wall to wall with drug abusers and mentally ill that need treatment instead of incarceration. They can change with the right help. In stead of building new prisons, the government should spend half that money on treatment programs. These programs would benefit society more than new prisons would. The third major issue that I would like to talk about deals with the problem of drug trafficking in prisons. It is a major problem when inmates can easily obtain drugs in prison. Many inmates who are constantly in and out of prison, see prison as a vacation from the rough streets. (Cose, 2000). This is because prisoners get three meals a day, free room and board, and are  able to purchase drugs. Prisons should be drug free and inmates should not be able to get high. It is hard to regulate drugs in prisons because in order to do so you would have to search everyone going in, keep all packages out, and lock inmates in their cells for 24 hours a day. With more and more inmates in prison for possessing and dealing drugs there is already a market and it is hard to keep drugs out. There are also too many corrections officers that go to work everyday and do all the drug pushing, making it hard to find the dealers. To address this problem of drugs availability in prisons more states are staging surprise lock downs and raids to stem the amount of drugs. This has proved to work but it is hard to do all the time because it involves a lot of man power. Another way in which in authorities try to keep drugs out of prisons is to use undercover officers. By using undercover officers in prisons you have an opportunity to get to the main source of the drugs coming in. The only problem with working on the inside to uncover drug trafficking is that it is very dangerous. Both the undercover officers, and surprise raids and lock downs are good way to regulate the amount of drugs in prisons. These issues that I have discussed are the major problems in the correctional system of the United States. These issues have to be addressed rapidly to better our society as a whole. These problems are not going to go away overnight and we, as voters in a democratic society must elect people that are going to take action and deal with these problems. Bibliography Bender, David. Does Capital Punishment Deter Crime Greenhaven press, CA 1998. Cose, Ellis. Newsweek-â€Å"America’s Prison Generations†. November 13, 2000 Currie, Elliot. Crime and Punishment in America. Henry Holt and Company, NY 1998 Gaines, Ann. Prisons. Chelsea House, Philadelphia 1999. Jacobs, Nancy. Prisons and Jails: A Deterrent to Crime? Information Plus, Texas 1995.

African American Culture Essay

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 becam e 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 cademic 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 Americ an women in particular are known for wearing vibrant dresses and suits. An interpretation of a passage from the Christian Bible, â€Å"†¦ very 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†¦ onsequently 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 esponses 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 creative use of inexpensive products procured through farming and subsistence hunting and fishing. Pig intestines are boiled and sometimes battered and fried to make chitterlings, also known as â€Å"chitlins. Ham hocks and neck bones provide seasoning to soups, beans and boiled greens (turnip greens, collard greens, and mustard greens). Other common foods, such as fried chicken and fish, macaroni and cheese, cornbread and hoppin’ john (black-eyed peas and rice) are prepared simply. When the African American population was considerably more rural than it generally is today, rabbit, possum, squirrel, and waterfowl were important additions to the diet. Many of these food traditions are especially predominant in many parts of the rural South. Traditionally prepared soul food is often high in fat, sodium and starch. Highly suited to the physically demanding lives of laborers, farmhands and rural lifestyles generally, it is now a contributing factor to obesity, heart disease, and diabetes in a population that has become increasingly more urban and sedentary. As a result, more health-conscious African-Americans are using alternative methods of preparation, eschewing trans fats in favor of natural vegetable oils and substituting smoked turkey for fatback and other, cured pork products; limiting the amount of refined sugar in desserts; and emphasizing the consumption of more fruits and vegetables than animal protein. There is some resistance to such changes, however, as they involve deviating from long culinary tradition. Holidays and observances [pic] A woman wearing traditional West African clothing lighting the candles on a kinara for a Kwanzaa celebration. As with other American racial and ethnic groups, African Americans observe ethnic holidays alongside traditional American holidays. Holidays observed in African American culture are not only observed by African Americans. The birthday of noted American civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr has been observed nationally since 1983. It is one of three federal holidays named for an individual. Black History Month is another example of another African American observance that has been adopted nationally. Black History Month is an attempt to focus attention on previously neglected aspects of the African American experience. It is observed during the month of February to coincide with the founding of the NAACP and the birthdays of Frederick Douglass, a prominent African American abolitionist, and Abraham Lincoln, the United States president who signed the Emancipation Proclamation. Less widely observed outside of the African American community is Emancipation Day. The nature and timing of the celebration vary regionally. It is most widely observed as Juneteenth, in recognition of the official reading of the Emancipation Proclamation on June 19, 1865 in Texas. Another holiday not widely observed outside of the African American community is the birthday of Malcolm X. The day is observed on May 19 in American cities with a significant African American population, including Washington, D. C.. One of the most noted African American holidays is Kwanzaa. Like Emancipation Day, it is not widely observed outside of the African American community, although it is growing in popularity within the community. African American scholar and activist â€Å"Maulana† Ron Karenga invented the festival of Kwanzaa in 1966, as an alternative to the increasing commercialization of Christmas. Derived from the harvest rituals of Africans, Kwanzaa is observed each year from December 26 through January 1. Participants in Kwanzaa celebrations affirm their African heritage and the importance of family and community by drinking from a unity cup; lighting red, black, and green candles; exchanging heritage symbols, such as African art; and recounting the lives of people who struggled for African and African American freedom. Names African American names are often drawn from the same language groups as other popular names found in the United States. The practice of adopting neo-African or Islamic names did not gain popularity until the late Civil Rights era. Efforts to recover African heritage inspired selection of names with deeper cultural significance. Prior to this, using African names was not practical for two reasons. First, many African Americans were several generations removed from the last ancestor to have an African name since slaves were often given European names. Second, a traditional American name helps an individual fit into American society. Another African American naming practice that predates the use of African names is the use of â€Å"made-up† names. In an attempt to create their own identity, growing numbers of African American parents, starting in the post-World War II era, began creating new names based on sounds they found pleasing such as Marquon, DaShawn, LaTasha, or Shandra. Family When slavery was practiced in the United States, it was common for families to be separated through sale. Even during slavery, however, African American families managed to maintain strong familial bonds. Free, African men and women, who managed to buy their own freedom by being hired out, who were emancipated, or who had escaped their masters, often worked long and hard to buy the members of their families who remained in bondage and send for them. Others, separated from blood kin, formed close bonds comprised of fictive kin; play relations, play aunts, cousins and the like. This practice, perhaps a holdover from African tradition, survived Emancipation, with non-blood family friends commonly accorded the status and titles of blood relations. This broader, more African concept of what constitutes family and community, and the deeply rooted respect for elders that is part of African traditional societies may be the genesis of the common use of the terms like â€Å"aunt†, â€Å"uncle†, â€Å"brother,† â€Å"sister†, â€Å"Mother† and â€Å"Mama† when addressing other African American people, some of whom may be complete strangers. Or, it could have arisen in the Christian church as a way of greeting fellow congregants and believers. Immediately after slavery, African American families struggled to reunite and rebuild what had been taken. As late as 1960, 78% of African American families were headed by married couples. This number steadily declined over the latter half of the 20th century. A number of factors, including attitudes towards education, gender roles, and poverty have created a situation where, for the first time since slavery, a majority of African American children live in a household with only one parent, typically the mother. These figures appear to indicate a weak African American nuclear family structure, especially within a large patriarchal society. This apparent weakness is balanced by mutual aid systems established by extended family members to provide emotional and economic support. Older family members pass on social and cultural traditions such as religion and manners to younger family members. In turn, the older family members are cared for by younger family members when they are unable to care for themselves. These relationships exist at all economic levels in the African American community, providing strength and support both to the African American family and the community. Politics and social issues Since the passing of the Voting Rights Act, African Americans are voting and being elected to public office in increasing numbers. As of January 2001 there were 9,101 African American elected officials in America. African Americans are overwhelmingly Democratic. Only 11% of African Americans voted for George W. Bush in the 2004 Presidential Election. Social issues such as racial profiling, the racial disparity in sentencing, higher rates of poverty, institutional racism, and lower access to health care are important to the African American community. While the divide on racial and fiscal issues has remained consistently wide for decades, seemingly indicating a wide social divide, African Americans tend to hold the same optimism and concern for America as Whites. In the case of many moral issues such as religion, and family values, African Americans tend to be more conservative than Whites. Another area where African Americans outstrip Whites in their conservatism is on the issue of homosexuality. Prominent leaders in the Black church have demonstrated against gay rights issues such as gay marriage. There are those within the community who take a more inclusive position most notably, the late Mrs. Coretta Scott King, and the Reverend Al Sharpton, who, when asked in 2003 whether he supported gay marriage, replied that he might as well have been asked if he supported black marriage or white marriage. Neighborhoods African American neighborhoods are types of ethnic enclaves found in many cities in the United States. The formation of African American neighborhoods is closely linked to the history of segregation in the United States, either through formal laws, or as a product of social norms. Despite this, African American neighborhoods have played an important role in the development of nearly all aspects of both African American culture and broader American culture. Due to segregated conditions and widespread poverty some African American neighborhoods in the United States have been called â€Å"ghettos. † The use of this term is controversial and, depending on the context, potentially offensive. Despite mainstream America’s use of the term â€Å"ghetto† to signify a poor urban area populated by ethnic minorities, those living in the area often used it to signify something positive. The African American ghettos did not always contain dilapidated houses and deteriorating projects, nor were all of its residents poverty-stricken. For many African Americans, the ghetto was â€Å"home† a place representing authentic blackness and a feeling, passion, or emotion derived from the rising above the struggle and suffering of being of African descent in America. Langston Hughes relays in the â€Å"Negro Ghetto† (1931) and â€Å"The Heart of Harlem† (1945): â€Å"The buildings in Harlem are brick and stone/And the streets are long and wide,/But Harlem’s much more than these alone,/Harlem is what’s inside. Playwright August Wilson used the term â€Å"ghetto† in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (1984) and Fences (1987), both of which draw upon the author’s experience growing up in the Hill district of Pittsburgh, an African American ghetto. Although African American neighborhoods may suffer from civic disinvestment, with lower q uality schools, less effective policing and fire protection. There are institutions such as churches and museums and political organizations that help to improve the physical and social capital of African American neighborhoods. In African American neighborhoods the churches may be important sources of social cohesion. For some African Americans the kind spirituality learned through these churches works as a protective factor against the corrosive forces of racism. Museums devoted to African American history are also found in many African American neighborhoods. Many African American neighborhoods are located in inner cities, These are the mostly residential neighborhoods located closest to the central business district. The built environment is often row houses or brownstones, mixed with older single family homes that may be converted to multi family homes. In some areas there are larger apartment buildings. Shotgun houses are an important part of the built environment of some southern African American neighborhoods. The houses consist of three to five rooms in a row with no hallways. This African American house design is found in both rural and urban southern areas, mainly in African-American communities and neighborhoods.