Wednesday, December 25, 2019

10 Facts About Africa

Africa is an amazing continent. From its start as the heart of humanity, it is now home to more than a billion people. It has jungles and desert and even a glacier. It extends into all four hemispheres. It is a place of superlatives. Find out more from these 10 essential facts about the continent: 1) The East African Rift zone, which divides the Somalian and Nubian tectonic plates, is the location of several important discoveries of human ancestors by anthropologists. The active spreading rift valley is thought to be the heartland of humanity, where much human evolution likely took place millions of years ago. The discovery of the partial skeleton of Lucy in 1974 in Ethiopia sparked major research in the region. 2) If you divide the planet into seven continents, then Africa is the worlds second largest continent, covering about 11,677,239 square miles (30,244,049 square km). 3) Africa is located to the south of Europe and southwest of Asia. It is connected to Asia via the Sinai Peninsula in northeastern Egypt. The peninsula itself is usually considered part of Asia, with the Suez Canal and the Gulf of Suez as the dividing line between Asia and Africa. African countries are usually divided into two world regions. The countries of northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, are usually considered part of a region called North Africa and the Middle East, while countries south of the northernmost countries of Africa are usually considered part of the region called Sub-Saharan Africa. In the Gulf of Guinea off the coast of western Africa lies the intersection of the equator and the Prime Meridian. As the Prime Meridian is an artificial line, this point has no true significance. 4) Africa is also the second most populous continent on Earth, with about 1.256 billion people (2017). Africas population is growing faster than Asias population (4.5 billion), but Africa will not catch up to Asias population in the foreseeable future. For an example of Africas growth, Nigeria, currently, the worlds seventh most populous country on Earth, is expected to become the third most populous country by 2050. Africa is expected to grow to 2.5 billion people by 2050. Nine of the 10 highest total fertility rates on Earth are African countries, with Niger topping the list (6.49 births per woman as of 2017). 5) In addition to its high population growth rate, Africa also has the worlds lowest life expectancies. The average life expectancy for citizens of Africa is 61 years for males and 64 years for females, though its a little lower in some regions of Africa and higher in northern Africa (closer to the global average). The continent is home to the worlds highest rates of HIV/AIDS; more than two-thirds of all people infected are in Africa. Better treatment for HIV/AIDS is directly related to average life expectancy rising back to 1990 levels in southern Africa by 2020. 6) With the possible exceptions of Ethiopia and Liberia, all of Africa was colonized by non-African countries. The United Kingdom, France, Belgium, Spain, Italy, Germany, and Portugal all claimed to rule parts of Africa without the consent of the local population. In 1884–1885 the Berlin Conference was held among these powers to divide up the continent among the non-African powers. Over the following decades, and especially after World War II, African countries gradually regained their independence with the borders as established by the colonial powers. These borders, established without regard to local cultures, have caused numerous problems in Africa. Today, only a few islands and a very small territory on the Moroccan coast (which belongs to Spain) remain as territories of non-African countries. 7) With 196 independent countries on Earth, Africa is home to more than a quarter of these countries. There are 54 fully independent countries on mainland Africa and its surrounding islands. All 54 countries are members of the United Nations. Every country is a member of the African Union, including Morocco, which rejoined in 2017. 8) Africa is fairly non-urbanized. Only 43 percent of Africas population lives in urban areas. Africa is home to only a few megacities with a population greater than 10 million: Cairo, Egypt; Lagos, Nigeria; and Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo. The Cairo and Lagos urban areas are around 20 million, and Kinshasa has about 13 million residents. 9) Mt. Kilimanjaro is the highest point in Africa. Located in Tanzania near the Kenyan border, this dormant volcano rises to an elevation of 19,341 feet (5,895 meters). Mt. Kilimanjaro is the location of Africas only glacier, although scientists predict that the ice on the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro will disappear by the 2030s due to global warming. 10) While the Sahara Desert is not the largest nor the driest desert on Earth, it is the most notable. The desert covers about 25 percent of the land of Africa.

Tuesday, December 17, 2019

Specialization Vs Generalization Insights For Small...

Specialization vs Generalization: Insights For Small Business Strategy One of the challenging debates that disturb business people in the modern world is whether they should go through the hassle of specialization or whether they should generalize their strategies and deal with multiple projects of selling a variety of different goods and services. The aspect of deciding whether to focus on generalization or specialization strategy is tough for both new and established businesses. However, some small businesses thrive by using specialization while others use generalization approach and still succeed. Case Study: Specialization vs Generalization Arthritis Care of Texas is one of the best healthcare centers in the world which applies the†¦show more content†¦It gains a concrete foundation to deal with arising challenges appropriately. Additionally, diversification makes small businesses more secure economically. For instance, if the company is dealing with multiple products, if it fails to sell properly at a particular period, it will remain stable because the rest will sustain its expenses and operations. These benefits are the reason why many enterprises in different nations are adopting the aspect of generalization. They are enjoying the merits of diversification which leads to their expansion. Therefore, they serve more customers every day and increase profitability. Additionally, generalization gives businesses perfect opportunities to branch. If the management realizes that their service delivery and products are paying off efficiently, they can open another branch in the regions near them. The process will open more job opportunities to youths and adults. However, small businesses should always be keen and do research before embracing generalization strategy. It requires proper preparations and awareness of the needs of your customers. 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Monday, December 9, 2019

Philosophy The Republic and Ion Projects

Question: Discuss about the Philosophy for the Republic and Ion Projects. Answer: Introduction Plato, mostly in his book The Republic and Ion projects a very strict picture of drama and theater. Plato talks about rejecting poets and dramatists. Plato says that theater is destructive for the young minds as it is derived out of emotion and feelings. It creates a distraction. Since a drama does not portray the truth, it perpetuates lies. Moreover, the theater is hubris as dramatists disrespect gods and portray them in an immoral way. Plato laid his emphasis on morality and the moral standards of the Greeks. Plato is completely against the strictures of poetry. In fact, Plato considers poetry and drama as an irrational activity. Poets are mere imitators, and their work is thrice removed from the ultimate reality. A dramatist can never portray the truth as he is unaware of it. Plato says that the audience must learn moralistic attitudes from the theater. Mostly, theater promotes and presents undesirable passions which are unethical. Theatre has no pragmatism and has no educational value (Gentile, 2013). On the other hand, Aristotle says that poetry or drama is mimesis and should be considered an art. According to Aristotle, the fundamental element of human nature is imitation. People learn through imitation, and they take pleasure in doing so. Aristotle, contrasting Platos ideas says that poets or dramatists portray representations of human lives and not the exact life. Theatre is a place where one seeks pleasure. It is not a school where one would teach people morality. Theatre is, in fact, a place where people recognize lives and enjoy the similarities. According to him, the end of drama is not morality but pleasure. Such pleasure derived from drama is superior to other forms of pleasure as it imparts civic morality (Altman, 2012). In the present day, a severe amount of violence is portrayed in film and television. Though it is seen as detrimental to the society, the violence depicted is justified by Aristotle's theory of catharsis. Catharsis means purging or cleansing. Aristotle says that tragic plays arouses catharsis and thus have a purgative effect. Adverse feelings within a person are purged and hence are beneficial for the individual and the society as a whole. Violence in films and television thus provide humans an outlet to purge themselves and kill their emotions related to violence. Violence in the movies and television kills the primal urge in people to kill or indulge in violent activities. Since one cannot vent one's anger on the individuals in society, films, and television provide a platform to vent out one's aggressive emotions and anger (Gentile, 2013). Though people learn from movies, it is not necessary that everyone who watches violent cinema becomes violence. This can be compared to the ana logy of smoking. Smoking kills and causes cancer. But not every person who smokes suffers from cancer or is killed. Similarly, watching violent films may be detrimental for some, but not for everyone. It depends on the person who is watching it. An overdose of both cigarette and violent movies may prove to be fatal. References Altman, W. H. (2012). Plato the Teacher: the Crisis of the Republic. Gentile, D. A. (2013). Catharsis and media violence: A conceptual analysis.Societies,3(4), 491-510.

Sunday, December 1, 2019

Yanomamo Tribe Essays - Indigenous Peoples Of The Americas, Yanomami

Yanomamo Tribe The Yanomamo My name is Eric Dunning and this is my proposal to go and study the Yanomamo tribe in the rain forests of Brazil. I have compiled a historical outline of the Yanomamo tribe and some of their religion and culture, ranging from marital status to the type of food they eat. I have chosen this tribe because according to many anthropologists the Yanomamo are perhaps the last culture to have come in contact with the modern world. The Yanomamo people of Central Brazil are one of the oldest examples of the classic pre-Columbian forest footmen. The Yanomamo live in almost complete seclusion in the Amazon rain forests of South America. The Yanomamo live in small bands or tribes and live in round communal huts called shabonos, which are actually made up of individual living quarters. The Yanomamo language consists of a variety of dialect, but no real written language. Clothes are minimal, and much of their daily life revolves around gardening, hunting, gathering, making crafts and visiting with one another. These small tribes hold their men in high ranks. Chiefs are always men who are held responsible for the general knowledge and safety of the group's women. The men are able to beat their wives if they feel the need to and are able to marry more than one woman at a time. This loose form of polygamy is a way of increasing the population of the tribe. Yanomamo people rely heavily on a system of political alliances based upon relationship. As part of that system, they have incorporated a complex feasting and trading system into their culture. One of these methods of forming political alliances is feasting. Feasting is when one village invites another village for a feast or dinner. During the feast there is a lot of social activity. The Yanomamo dance and mingle with each other along with eating a different variety of foods. The only catch is the other village must reciprocate a feast by one village. This feast is more like an American dinner party in which members of family or social group invite others to attend. A feast however can be dangerous and or fatal for those who attend. The Yanomamo can be very conniving and deceiving. They pretend to be loyal friends and invite the other village for a feast. The other very village very trustfully attends the feast not knowing that this might be their last meal. After the feast when the guests are helplessly resting in their hammocks they are attack ed and brutally beaten to death. The Yanomamo live in a constant state of warfare with other tribes and even within their own groups. Marriages are often arranged according to performances of one's relatives in battles. Ideal marriages are thought to consist of cross cousin marriages and the males of the family and the religious leaders of the tribe perform all marriages. In addition to their strong kinship ties, political alliances and thirst for revenge, the Yanomamo have a detailed religion, based on the use of hallucinogenic drugs and the telling of mythical tales. The religious beliefs of the Yanomamo are quite complex. According to Yanomamo wise men, there are four levels of reality. Through them, the Yanomamo believe that things tend to fall or descend downward to a lower layer is demonstrated. The uppermost layer of the four is thought to be pristine and tender. It is called duku ka misi and the Yanomamo believe that many things originated in this area. This layer does not play much of a role in the everyday life of the Yanomamo. It is considered to be just there, once having some vague function. The next layer down is called hedu ka misi and is known as the sky layer. The top surface is supposedly invisible, but is believed to be similar to earth. It has trees, gardens, villages, animals, plants and most importantly, the souls of the deceased. These souls are said to be similar to mortals because they garden, eat and sleep. Everything that exists on earth is said to have a counterpart on this level. The bottom surface of the layer is said to be what the Yanomamo on earth actually see: