Rites of Passage of the Maasai Community of Kenya Research Paper

Rites of Passage of the Maasai Community of Kenya - Research Paper Example Maasai are directly related to the Turkana of western-central Kenya. Oppong J. and Oppong E. point out that â€Å"they are a traditional pastoral people who are semi-nomadic and who practice a communal system of sharing with one another† (61). Today, their way of life is being threatened and is changing every minute. Large areas of their grazing land are today included in Kenya’s national parks. They consider this a threat because according to their traditions, no land should be enclosed. Rather, it should be owned communally and nobody ought to be denied access to resources such as water and land. Their diet is comprised of meat, milk, and blood from cattle. They hold the belief that utilizing the land for crop farming is a crime against nature. Once one cultivates the land, its suitability for grazing is lost. But more recently, the Maasai have moved from this belief and changed to being â€Å"dependent on food produced in other areas such as maize meal, rice, potato es, and cabbage† (Oppong J. and Oppong E. 61) (which they have always believed is goat leaves). 3. Rites of Passage of the Maasai Community Even with the changes that occur in the day to day activities of the Maasai community, a lot has not changed. ...These rites of passage concern men more, while women initiations focus on circumcision and marriage, though circumcision is being eroded with time. Unlike the men, women have no age-sets and are hence recognized by those of their husbands (Oppong J. and Oppong E. 63). The following are the rites of passage among the Maasai: Enkipata (pre-circumcision ceremony) This ceremony is organized by fathers of the new age-set. The boys in this age-set are aged between 14 and16 years. The boys usually travel across their section of land for about four months, declaring the formation of the new-age set. A group of elders guiding the formation of the new age-set usually accompany the boys. In order to initiate the boys away from the rest of the families, thirty to forty houses are built for this purpose (Maasai Association. â€Å"Maasai Ceremonies and Rituals†). The location of the houses for the initiation ceremony is usually chosen by the Maasai prophet. Emuratta (circumcision) This is the most important rite of passage among the Maasai community. Circumcision was for both boys and girls according to culture, though in this century, girls do not undergo it. Circumcision takes the boys to the other stage of manhood. This initiation is performed shortly after puberty. The actual process takes place shortly prior to sunrise where cold water is poured on the boy to make him numb. The process is performed by an elder who has experience in this job. During the process, the boy must be very brave because the process is not pleasant and there are no pain relief drugs, such as anesthesia. No boy is allowed to flinch an eye because one is considered a coward, which is not a good trait for the young man.

Gross Domestic Product Essay Example for Free

Gross Domestic Product Essay 2. Using information from our textbook and from the following BEA links, define each of the sub components of GDP and discuss their importance. (20 points) The BEA links are: http://www.bea.gov/national/pdf/nipa_primer.pdf â€Å"Measuring the Economy: A Primer on GDP and the National Income and Product Accounts† http://www.bea.gov/about/pdf/jep_spring2008.pdf â€Å"Taking the Pulse of the Economy: Measuring GDP† http://www.bea.gov/scb/pdf/national/nipa/methpap/mpi1_0907.pdf â€Å"An Introduction to the National Income and Product Accounts† 1. GDP is Gross domestic product. GDP is the market value of all the goods and services produced by labor and property located in the country. The GDP is comprised of Sub-Components to the Major Components. The components of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) tell you what that country is good at producing. 2. Personal consumption measures the real value of goods and services purchased by individuals. It is very important because over 70% of what the U.S. produces is for personal consumption. 3. Goods Comprehensive is the measure of how much consumers spend each month. This uncludes durable goods, consumer products, and services. This is an important factor because it is an included measure of GDP, and the figure acts an indicator for economic trends. How much consumers spend also has an affect on inflationary pressures. Goods or products make up nearly one-fourth of the US economy. 4. Durable Goods are the hard goods that yield utility over time, rather than being completely consumed all at once. Some examples of durables goods are automobiles, jewelry, and furniture. Although this is the smallest category (only 7%), it still has an impact on GDP. 5. Nondurable Goods are soft goods or consumables, which are goods that need replaced immediately or are used all at one time. Examples of nondurable goods are food and clothing. These goods also make up a small portion (16%), however, still important to GDP. 6. Services are explained as the non-material equivalent of a good. Service provision has been defined as an economic activity that does not result in ownership. No transfer of possession takes place when services are sold. Examples of such are financial services or healthcare. Nearly half (47%) of US GDP is made up services, not products. This makes this portion very important. 7. Gross private domestic investment (I) are the expenditures on capital goods that are used for productive activities in the domestic economy that are undertaken by the business sector during a given period of time. Gross private domestic investment make up anywhere between 12-18% of gross domestic product. Investment is an important cause of business fluctuations. 8. Fixed investments are the investment expenditures that include capital goods, such as means of production, that most people consider spending on fixed capital. This area is important because it is one of two main categories of gross private domestic investment included in the National Income and Product Accounts maintained by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. 9. Nonresidentials are the purchases of nonresidential structures, equipment, and software. Nonresidentials are important for future productivity growth, optimism of businesses, and economic growth. 10. Structures are important in general. These are office buildings, shopping centers, warehouses, restaurants, industrial buildings and institutional buildings. 11. Equipment and software are hardware and machinery. These are important for increasing and improving productivity. 12. Residentials are homes, apartments, or condominiums and residential equipment that is owned by landlords and rented to tenants. These areas account for about a quarter of all private investment. 13. Change in private inventories are the changes in inventory investment which measure the value of the change in the physical volume of inventories over a specified period. This includes the value of goods owned by private business at the end of a specified period, whether the goods were made in that period or in the past. Inventory investment makes up a very small percentage of GDP, however, it is still an important component of GDP. 14. Net exports of goods and services (X-IM) are described as the growth in imports and exports of goods in the U.S. These goods are only finished goods, not including intermediate products. Imports and exports have great effects on GDP. 15. Exports (X) are an addition to GDP and therefore, are important. They are a way of economic transfer. 16. Goods are the physical products sent or transported abroad for future trade or sale. 17. Services include non-material goods. This is usually economic activity sold outside the US. 18. Imports (IM) are economic transfers that are opposite, yet greater than exports. 19. Goods include physical products that are purchased and sent in from foreign countries. 20. Services are non physical products that are sent in from foreign countries. 21. Government consumptions expenditures and gross investment (G) is usually subtracted from the actual GDP numbers and the growth rate. This is so that it is possible to reach an easier understanding of activity and demand. Because the governments actions can be dependent on other factors than supply and demand, it is important to reach this figure. 22. Federal is the measure of the federal governments expenditures.

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee - The Death of Innocence :: Free Essay Writer

To Kill A Mockingbird: Death of Innocence A songbird's melody can evoke happiness in anyone, as can the smiling face of a child. The mockingbird sings for the sake of singing, and an innocent child possesses an innate joyfulness, as natural as instinct. Yet a mockingbird's song dies as easily as innocence. In the beginning of the novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, Scout and Jem are portrayed as innocents, uncorrupted by our world of prejudice and racism. Their world is simple, sensible, a child's world. However, by the end of the novel, their world has expanded to enclose the irrational nature of humans. Jem and Scout's growing up is portrayed by a series of events that shatters their innocence as easily as a mockingbird can be silenced. One of the first chinks in their armor of naività © that protected them was social prejudice. This was introduced to them in the form of Aunt Alexandra. Scout was crushed when Aunt Alexandra sent Atticus to talk to the Scout and Jem. " 'you are not run-of-the-mill people, that you are the product of several generations gentle breeding...try to behave like the little lady and gentleman that you are' " (Lee 133). Scout was upset because he was essentially telling her not to be herself. Aunt Alexandra wanted to change Scout's personality to conform to society's ideas of what was right for a girl in those times. It seemed like Atticus had almost encouraged them to find their own way, despite the disapproval of many in town; overalls were allowed for Scout, a female, and they had free run of the surrounding few houses during the day. Although the incident with Atticus preaching Aunt Alexandra's ideas made Scout feel overwhelmed, Atticus resisted Aunt Alexandra by telling Scout to f! orget what Aunt Alexandra told him to say, which reassured Scout somewhat. Another way Aunt Alexandra introduced Jem and Scout to social prejudice was how she wouldn't let Scout play with Walter Cunningham. Because the Cunninghams were farmers that lived out of town, Aunt Alexandra regarded Walter to be socially inferior, and said she would only let him in the house on business. " 'Because he's trash, that's why you can't play with him (Lee 225).' " This exposure to social prejudice struck Scout harder, because this time around, Atticus couldn't say, forget it.

IT Manager Essay

1. Define what is encompassed in the term information technology. Information technology is related to studying, designing and developing information related to computers. Information technology includes both the computer technology that enables the processing and storing of information as well as the communication technology that enables the transmission of this information. 2. What are some of the ways that IT has become â€Å"pervasive†? IT is critical to the future of any business and it helps the businesses in adapting to the new business processes and to predict the possible impact of new technologies. 3. What kinds of portable IT help employees work more efficiently and effectively? What may interfere with productivity? A laptop is a portable IT in the form of a personal computer and what may interfere with its productivity is its upgradeability. Laptop upgradeability is very limited compared to desktops, which are thoroughly standardized. 4. What kinds of IT can help support teams when team members work at different locations? Skype is an IT application that allows teams to have a spoken conversation with each other over the internet using the software application, frequently also viewing by webcam. 5. How have some businesses used the Internet to compete based on low cost, product/service differentiation, or both? One way a can use internet to compete based on low cost, product and service differentiation is running a virtual business. A virtual business has little or no physical structure, and relies on the Internet and telecommunications to achieve the desired business goals. Amazon.com is a virtual business. As an online bookstore, it delivered and brokered bookstore services without a physical retail store presence; efficiently connecting buyers and sellers without the overhead of a physical location. 6. What kind of a business might choose to have low levels of dependence on IT? IS organization in support mode. They have low need for new information technology for competing and reliable and secure information technology for business operations. The IT used are mostly to support back-office support functions. 7. What three types of IT resources need to be managed well? Technology Infrastructure: Computers, software and networks that enable an organization to conduct business and share information across organizational units as well as business partners. Human Resources: IT professionals and managers who have the needed mix of technology, business and interpersonal skills to plan for, design and manage the other IT resources. Business/IT Relationships: Established relationships between business and IT workers to ensure that the other IT resources are aligned with the business needs 8. What are some examples of newer IT manager roles, and why are they needed today? The newest IT manager role is the Chief Information Officer (CIO) role which is responsible for the information technology and computer systems that support enterprise goals. As information technology and systems have become more important, the CIO role has come to be viewed in many organizations as a key contributor in formulating strategic goals. 9. For what reasons might an IT manager have a reporting relationship with a CIO as well as with a senior business manager? The IT manager have a reporting relationship with a CIO as well as with a senior business manager because CIO’s role is to provide vision and leadership for developing and implementing information technology initiatives that align with the business mission overseen by the senior business manager.

Gender and the Media Essay

Socialisation is the way an identity is defined throughout life for a person. Children are seen a blank slate that is going to have a personality and roles set by the environment he lives in. A child generally has an idea on what gender they are by the time they are 2 years old. A boy will portray himself with the colour blue, would be very hyperactive and tend to bully girls. Females would be more mature, refer themselves to the colour pink and socialise with other girls, this is called primary socialisation. Personalities are defined through interactions with people that are close to them, there society’s values and they learn the attributes of their sex at a young age and they know what is expected of them as a certain sex. The person is reinforced by social praise and punishment so the person can learn from mistakes and good deeds. Media has played a massive part on how socialisation as occurred to an individual. I am directly concerned with how the media affects young women within today’s society, particularly through the use of gender stereotyping within young women’s magazines, mainly through articles and advertisements. Here, the ideas and beliefs already created by the media are useful to advertisers because they are socially accepted ideologies. They know that they will influence women. It has been stated in the past that it is these media interpretations of ‘The Perfect Woman’ that have been the cause for so many women becoming increasingly pressured into looking good and so dieting, keeping fit etc. This can, in extreme cases lead to serious psychological diseases such as anorexia and bulimia, where one of the main causes has been identified as social pressure. Society affects how people perceive themselves, Body Image awareness still exists in our society. Many people living on our society are influenced by the media and the fashion industry. Both are equally responsible for the increased number of people suffering from eating disorders. Fashion industries tend to only feature whose figures vary from eight to ten. Their androgynous waif-like figures are presented as representative of the everyday woman. In doing so the average woman in the street is forced to measure herself against an unrealistic ideal. Most models are above average height, have naturally lithe bodies and are aged between sixteen and thirty. Their image is constructed and manipulated by a predominately male homosexual industry which appears reluctant to show women as curvaceous individuals. Celebrities themselves fall foul of the dominant media representation of women. When society thinks of a family we automatically think of the nuclear family in which there is a mum, dad and often two or three children. This type is seen as the statistical norm until the 1980’s where it was considered abnormal to deviate from this ideal family type and there were characteristics that came with this which were seen as socially acceptable. Children were seen as the outcome of a loving heterosexual couple and each person i. e. the mum and dad should have distinctive roles within the family. The mother should be concerned with motherhood and household chores. The father should protect the family and be a disciplinary role model, as well as their main role being defined as the breadwinner, this meaning they often bring in the most money. The mother should be the housekeeper who attians the house and looks after the children as they grow up. A young male would grow up learning the princilpes of the father and the young female would grow up adobting the mather principles. Post modernism shows that gender is the main topic in an individual’s life as events that have occurred are directly linked to a individuals gender. Post modernism gives the individual more choice and that is the basis of post modernism, choice! The individual is more independent on their life choices; such old life ambitions of marriage and children are not compulsory but are a option that some people may seek. Unlike pre modernism and modernity where marriage and kids are ultimate goals and people automatically assume that this is the right path to follow. This gives way to new events that once were either not existent or unethical such as unisex and inter-racial marriages. It shows a deterioration of religion and supernatural belief, which leaves great division among people in identity and lifestyles. People are now working more flexible times, fashion has changed in such away that people can wear what they want, food is more oriental and music comes in a wide variety. Identity has separated into many huge groups such as social classes, ethnic group, age and gender. This leads to unrest to certain groups that want change as people now have a sense of spreading opinion and arguing their rights. Certain groups such as feminists, Marxist ideology and ageist rights. As choice and individual opinion now can be widely credited it gives chance for concern to be broadcasted such as the feminist supporters wanting females to be treated as equals among men. The first wave of feminism gave people the ideology in 1928 when they got the vote, which provoked the idea of gaining more such as the 2nd wave of feminism in the 1960’s when women burned the bra’s, this caused great reasoning between the two gender differences. Karl Marx however says that society not the individual is the important issue as that eventually the working class will soon rule society. This radical change has brought in new changes such as ‘the new man’ that is a unique gender that of a masculine and unemotional male, the new man focuses on his physical appearance and pays attention to diet, personality and self image, he is more emotional and doesn’t fit in with a patriarchy idea. As post modernism has totally effected today’s society it shows how an individual can make all the differences and how self concern and freedom is the new ideal but this idea could change and evidence suggests that it could lead to pre modernism of the old age as though it is a long term cycle of a society but critics say this is the final situation of society and the end solution is total equality among genders, races and age. This idea of choice could lead in any direction depending on current affairs within society yet time is not a important issue as this process could last a log time.