Zulu as a seminal reflection on british imperialism and culture Essays

ZULU AS A SEMINAL REFLECTION ON BRITISH IMPERIALISM AND CULTURE Introduction By the time of Queen Victoria?s Diamond Jubilee in 1897, the British Empire was at its apex and could claim dominance over a quarter of the planets land mass. It spanned all of the continents and had one fifth of the world?s population under its control. However, with the onset of two world wars, the economic demands of administration of this vast dominion and the growing clamour for self determination, by the 1960?s it was a mere shadow of its former self. The impact of this diminution and loss of world power status on the national psyche has been a matter of great contention amongst historians and social commentators for much of the proceeding decades. Some, such as Jeffrey Richards, have stressed the apparent ease with which ?an empire that encompassed a quarter of the globe, and one that was ubiquitous in culture high and low, official and unofficial , has within a century largely vanished from the popular historical consciousness.? Simultaneously, other academics have sort to di scover the less obvious ways that the trauma of loss of empire might have been registered in British culture by looking in what Wendy Webster considers ?unexpected places.? Perhaps unsurprisingly, considering the popularity and widespread consumption of its material, the entertainment medium has proved a consistent device for the cultural expression and dissemination of ideas of empire, both before and after its collapse. From the early 20th century comics and books extolling the virtues of and adventurism inherent in tales of British Imperialism to the constant stream of empire themed motion pictures from their widespread inauguration in the 1930?s, the affect on society of empire has been indelibly recorded. Due to its easy accessibility and widespread consumption, perhaps more than any other medium, film has both posited a view of Imperialism and concurrently reflected the cultural impact of its eventual decline. Despite the proliferation of a multitude of movies, both extolling the virtues of and in more recent decades denigrating empire and empire builders, It is only in recent years that any focused scholarly attention has been devoted to exam ining the impact of post imperialism on Britain, as expressed through the visual media. Academics such as Jeffrey Richards, Sheldon Hall and James Chapman have endeavored to discern the changing face of empire on celluloid. However, considering its profound content and meaningful examination of imperialism, one film in particular has received relatively scant attention considering its possible valuable contribution to the field and its enduring popularity. Research Questions This research project proposes, by in-depth analysis of the film Zulu (1964), to explore the revisionist shift in the perceived nature of the post imperialist world in British culture in the 1960?s. The movie?s radical re-examination of colonialism, race, gender, war, nationalism and class provide valuable insights into the social psyche of Great Britain in the middle to late 20th Century. The character and content of the film pose many questions, including: Why has a movie made nearly fifty years ago, portraying a relatively minor skirmish in military history, continued to fascinate audiences and remained so popular? Was it truly a watershed in historical cinema and in what sense? How does it differ from other historical films of the period and in particular other siege dramas such as The Alamo (1960) and Fifty Five Days at Peking (1963)? How does the movie reflect the cultural and political conditions prevalent at the time of its production? Why does it continue to divide opinio n amongst scholars and film critics? What aspects differentiate it from earlier empire films? The proposed project will explore these pertinent issues, highlight the distinctive makeup of the film and elaborate on its participation towards a clearer understanding of British society in the latter half of the last century. By examination of key features including: the portrayal of the indigenous population, the British and the Boers, the course of events as depicted in the movie, the motivation behind its production, its reception by critics and the state of empire at the time of its release, it will highlight the distinctive character of the film in an evolving post imperial world. Methodology The primary source material of the

The Ebola Virus Essays - Ebola, Animal Virology, Biological Weapons

The Ebola Virus Essays - Ebola, Animal Virology, Biological Weapons The Ebola Virus By: Wesley Mark Whitworth Ebola is an extremely deadly virus in our society today. Some even claim that is the most deadly ever discovered. Ebola is a member of the filoviruses (a family of RNA-BASED viruses). Filoviruses get their name from their peculiar shape. They appear to be long threads or filaments (henceforth the name filoviruses) *See attached photo. This virus was discovered in 1976 in Zaire, Africa and in Western Sudan, Africa. During the first outbreak there were approximately 550 cases leading to 340 deaths. Three years after the first outbreak, a smaller outbreak took place in Sudan, Africa. This outbreak was much smaller though, with only 34 cases and 22 deaths. The cause of this virus is still unknown. All that they really know is that the whole simian genus is susceptible to this disease (that includes most all members of the ape, chimpanzee, and various other monkey families). It can be carried though, through rodents (mice, rats, etc.), insects (mosquitoes, ticks, lice, etc.), and parasit es (small bacteria). This disease is classified as a viral hemorrhagic fever. That means that the disease has very distinct qualities. Ebola starts out as muscle aches, light fever, and your basic flu symptoms. Ebola then progresses to respiratory problems, server bleeding of most all of the bodies orifices, kidney problems, and then death. Basic symptoms include: fever, headaches, muscle aches, sore throat, loss of appetite, diarrhea, and your other common flu symptoms. Ebola symptoms usually begin within three to sixteen days after initial contact. Although most cases result in death, it sometimes may appear as just a light flu. It is very contagious. Ebola can be spread by the aforementioned animals, or by personal contact. It also can be spread through sexual contact (even after recovery for a short period). Doctors can detect this virus in much the same manner as they detect tuberculosis. They check for antigens already present in the body or they can take a throat culture and detect it. Contracting the disease in the United States is highly unlikely though. The only people who are even put at risk are those that visit Zaire or come in contact with people who do. The United States as well as the Zaire government both have strict quarantine policies involving the disease. Anyone who wishes to find out more about precautions and measures that must be taken if visiting Zaire, you may contact the U.S. State Department at 202-647-5225. They have all the travel information and requirements you need to get into and out of the country.

JEFFERSON Surname Meaning and Origin

JEFFERSON Surname Meaning and Origin Jefferson is a patronymic surname meaning son of Jeffrey, Jeffers, or Jeff. Jeffrey is a variant of Geoffrey, meaning peaceful place, from gawia, meaning territory and frid, meaning peace.  Geoffrey is also a possible variant of the Norman personal name  Godfrey, meaning Gods peace or peaceful ruler. Surname Origin: English Alternate Surname Spellings: JEFFERS, JEFFERIES, JEFFRYS Where in the World is the JEFFERSON Surname Found? The Jefferson  surname is most prevalent in the United States, where it ranks as the 662nd most common surname in the nation, according to surname distribution data from Forebears. It is most common in the Cayman Islands, where it ranks 133rd, and is also fairly common in England, Haiti, Brazil, Northern Ireland, Jamaica, Grenada, Bermuda and the British Virgin Islands. According to  WorldNames PublicProfiler, the Jefferson surname is most popular in the United States, especially in the District of Columbia, followed by the states of Mississippi, Louisiana, Delaware, South Carolina, Virginia and Arkansas. Within the United Kingdom, Jefferson is found primarily in Northern England and the southern border regions of Scotland, with the greatest numbers living in the Redcar and Cleveland district where the surname originated, and in surrounding counties such as North Yorkshire, Durham, Cumbria, and Northumberland in England, and Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. Famous People with the Last Name JEFFERSON Thomas Jefferson - 3rd president of the United States and author of the Declaration of IndependenceBlind Lemon Jefferson -  American blues guitarist,  singer and songwriterGeoffrey Jefferson -  British neurologist and pioneering neurosurgeonArthur Stanley Jefferson - English comic actorEddie Jefferson -  celebrated American jazz  vocalist and lyricistFrancis Arthur Jefferson -  English recipient of the Victoria Cross Genealogy Resources for the Surname JEFFERSON Jefferson DNA ProjectA group of people whove tested their Y-DNA through Family Tree DNA in an effort to use DNA plus traditional genealogical research to match up various Jefferson lineages. Ancestry of Thomas JeffersonA discussion of the ancestry of U.S. President Thomas Jefferson, from the website of his family home, Monticello. Jeffersons BloodA discussion of the DNA evidence that supports the theory that  Thomas Jefferson fathered at least one of Sally Hemingss children, and quite probably all six.   Jefferson Family Crest - Its Not What You ThinkContrary to what you may hear, there is no such thing as a Jefferson  family crest or coat of arms for the Jefferson surname.  Coats of arms are granted to individuals, not families, and may rightfully be used only by the uninterrupted male line descendants of the person to whom the coat of arms was originally granted. JEFFERSON Genealogy ForumSearch the archives for posts about Jefferson  ancestors, or post your own Jefferson query. FamilySearch - JEFFERSON GenealogyExplore over 600,000 historical records and lineage-linked family trees posted for the Jefferson  surname and its variations on the free FamilySearch website, hosted by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. JEFFERSON  Surname Family Mailing ListsRootsWeb hosts several free mailing lists for researchers of the Jefferson surname.- References: Surname Meanings Origins Cottle, Basil.  Penguin Dictionary of Surnames. Baltimore, MD: Penguin Books, 1967. Dorward, David.  Scottish Surnames. Collins Celtic (Pocket edition), 1998. Fucilla, Joseph.  Our Italian Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 2003. Hanks, Patrick and Flavia Hodges.  A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1989. Hanks, Patrick.  Dictionary of American Family Names. Oxford University Press, 2003. Reaney, P.H.  A Dictionary of English Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1997. Smith, Elsdon C.  American Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 1997.    Back to  Glossary of Surname Meanings Origins

Policy Change Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Policy Change - Essay Example Thus, this essay will argue that ideas affect policy change only indirectly, as paradigms frames and determinants of interest, such that its importance in understanding policy change is only secondary to other approaches. To better understand the importance of a study of ideas in policy change, it is first necessary to understand what ideas are. Ideas are shared beliefs held by individuals. However, a distinction must be made between two categories of shared beliefs, particularly "consensual beliefs" and "economic ideas", where although not mutually exclusive differ in their relation to policy. As Jacobsen explains, the difference lies between those of "means" to "ends", where consensual beliefs "shape the legitimate ends of economic activity"; economic ideas are the means to reach these ends. 3 Taking this definition of ideas, the importance of a study of ideas in policy change can be summarised in their roles as paradigms, roadmaps, or ideational frames. Comparing policy change to scientific revolutions, Hall (1989) places emphasis on the role of ideas through "policy paradigms", or "roadmaps" as Goldstein and Keohane (1993) calls them, where ideas guide policies by determining the "tracks" of policymaking and setting constraints in the policy process4. As Hall argues, policy paradigms, determine policy change in acting as "a framework that specifies the goals of policy and the kind of instruments that can be used to attain them", as well as the "nature of the problems they are meant to be addressing."5 Campbell's (1998) and Beland's (2005) ideational frames or programmes also echoes Hall's concept of paradigms, varying only in the manner that ideas are presented and implemented in the policy process. Within this strand of literature, the failures of policies to achieve economic goals are seen as the impetus for policymakers to search for alternative ideas that pave the way for new policy paradigms to be accepted. Hence, in times of uncertainty marked with "exogenous shocks, demographic changes [or] the perception of failed policy", new ideas emerge as either roadmaps or focal points that reduce uncertainty and provide alternatives.6 The policy shift during the first Thatcher government can therefore be explained as the result of a shift in policy paradigms; replacing Keynesian ideas with monetarist ideas (Hall, 1993). Looking at the first Thatcher government, it is evident that the policy shift coincided with an ideational shift from Keynesian to monetarist where Keynesian policies were perceived to have failed in resolving rising inflation (Walsh, 2000). In this respect,

Objective Toward Somali Immigrants In The Healthcare Setting Research Paper

Objective Toward Somali Immigrants In The Healthcare Setting - Research Paper Example These include prayer and fire-burning which entails applying a heated stick to the skin. According to Lewis, 1996, those immigrants exposed to modern medicine expect medication for every illness thus may be disappointed when nothing is prescribed. Additionally, they also put their trust in health professionals of the same sex and do not believe in preventive medicine. I believe that in as much as it aims to maintain their cultural heritage, the Somali should give up some of their beliefs and move into the modern day by embracing the technology of science and health. This opinion holds because some of the methods used by the Islam to treat their complications are crude and can end up affecting them even negatively. With their location in the U.S, they have accessibility to the modern methods of healthcare and this will even reduce the spread of certain diseases such as T.B. The Somali are more prone to this because in their culture it is customary for family and friends to eat with their hands from the same plate and drink from a shared cup, according to Putnam and Noor (1999). There are experiences with the Somalis who refuse to be treated for some treatments because of what they uphold in their culture. Somali hesitates to initiate TB treatment because they believe they must discontinue chewing ‘khat’ while undergoing treatment. However, United States Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) states that using the leafy narcotic may affect one’s ability to remember their medication. The family, community and the media enhance the beliefs in modern health by insisting on one seeking medication whenever they are unwell. The media has a key role of agenda-setting in the society and through this; they make their audience aware that adopting proper health practices is advisable. The church advises their members to visit health

School Vouchers Essay -- Educational Vouchers Scholarships

One of the most important topics in government today is the issue of school vouchers. The two sides have remained deeply entrenched in their rival positions concerning this issue. Some wonder about the practicality of using the vouchers, while others wonder if it is defeating the purpose of the educational system. Educational vouchers can be very beneficial for both the student and even the school districts involved in the program. Many people do not realize the benefits of this program. Educational vouchers are something that many school districts need to implement due to their advantages. The benefits of educational vouchers very much outweigh the disadvantages.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Educational vouchers, also known as scholarships, redirect the flow of education funding, channeling it directly to individual families rather than to school districts. This allows families to select the public or private schools of their choice and have all or part of the tuition paid. These vouchers are funded by either public (government) or private (corporations, foundations) funds. Scholarships are advocated on the grounds that parental choice and competition between public and private schools will improve education for all children (www.schoolchoices.org).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Publicly-funded education vouchers allow families to make private decisions regarding how public taxpayer money should be spent. Therefore, a voucher program hopes to create an educational market where schools must compete for students. Supporters claim market benefits, such as choice and innovation, will improve education. Opponents, on the other hand, say that vouchers will lead to greater inequality and the loss of civic preparation. Current evidence concerning the impact of vouchers is disputed (IBID.).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Zelman versus Simmons-Harris court case that ended on June 22, 2002, is probably one of the most monumental court cases to date on this subject. The United States Supreme Court upheld a Cleveland, Ohio school voucher program by a 5-4 vote. Judges Rehnquist, O’Connor, Kennedy, Scalia, and Thomas were for the decision (www.law.umkc.edu). This case was the latest in a long series of Supreme Court decisions that eroded constitutional requirements for school voucher programs.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In order to comply with these constitutional requirements, a constitutional voucher program must take many actions. The prog... ...oney to afford a better school. If the administrators continue to allow this, we are denying our children’s’ rights to a good, quality education. School vouchers are something that can guarantee a parent the right to send the student to any school that would best fit his learning style and values. Voucher programs are perhaps the most effective way to help low-income families become active consumers in the educational marketplace, helping them gain control over their children’s education and encouraging them to become more involved. Educational vouchers are a way of putting the student first†¦which should be the main goal of educational personnel everywhere. By implementing an educational voucher program, schools will better themselves and students across the nation will reap in the benefits. WORKS CITED â€Å"Case Analysis.† Americans United for the Separation of Church and State. www.au.org â€Å"Education Vouchers.† www.ncspe.org . â€Å"School Choices.† www.schoolchoices.org/roo/vouchers.htm . â€Å"So You Wanna Learn About School Vouchers?† www.soyouwanna.com/site/pros_cons/vouchers.html â€Å"Zelman v. Simmons-Harris.† www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/conlaw/zelman.html .

Vertical Integration Walmart

Vertical integration is a business growth strategy for economics of scale. It is typified by one firm engaged in different parts of production example; growing raw materials, manufacturing, transporting, marketing, and/or retailing to expand business in existing market for the firm. It can function in two directions both forward integration and backward integration. In Forward integration involves company to develop strategy to control the firm product distribution either through distribution centers or retailers.It is a necessary action when companies have potential benefits from handling, shipping of their own products directly to customers, or the retail selling their own products in brand stores. In backward integration involves company to develop strategy to control its supply of raw material by acquiring its supplier firm or setting up its own facilities to produce the material to achieve cost efficiency and enjoy economic of scale.Often it is learnt that the huge investment is required for firm to develop vertical integration, therefore, it is important for the firm to know beforehand whether vertical integration strategy add specific value to the company, and does it aligned with the overall strategy of the company, customer needs and wants. For Wal-Mart, it is better to develop vertical integration based on the firm establishment in the market and the firm is always looking into expansion.Walmart is a well-known hypermarket with 8500 stores across 15 different countries. It is in business of selling everything to customers’ needs in their everyday lives. Wal-Mart practices vertical integration strategy where it has developed its own name brand to sell products called Sam's Choice Today; Sam’s Choice extended its products like soft drinks, cereal, and dog food. While they still don't grow their own crops or raise their own livestock, it is still a form of vertical integration.In 2010, the company expanded to cater home entertainment by buy ing over Vudu that provides online streaming service offering users to purchase movies that is compatible to any internet capable device. Having strong presence in the retail industry, the firm expanded business to offer second hand car. The firm leverage on its competencies to provide its own product to consumer. Also, Wal-Mart works heavily with its suppliers. This symbiotic relationship can be seen as vertical integration due to the level at which Wal-Mart analyses its suppliers and improves their manufacturing processes.Wal-Mart definitely has the business strategy of Low Cost Leadership. They do nothing to really differentiate themselves from competitors and provide no-frills self-service stores that always provide the lowest prices. Wal-Mart has built enough clout with suppliers that they can dictate the prices and go in and change suppliers manufacturing processes in order to wring out more and more savings for the consumer. However, it is not always the case that all firms s hould develop vertical integration strategy to enjoy economic of scale.Firm like boutique or niche items that produces on a small scale are not suitable to implement as it will benefit less from vertically integrated mainly because the input demand for grow is small and due to exclusive nature their prices are inelastic as compare to industry like Oil and Gas Industry, Telecom, Media, automobile developed vertical integration strategy . The main advantage of the vertical integration is the increased control. For instance, Wal-Mart with large market share is attractive to supplier.Though Wal-Mart does not own asset specificity to produce product internally but there is a large market input outside and therefore Walmart is benefited by having bargaining power and gaining control over price and manufacturing process in order to wring out more and more saving consumer. On the other hand Walmart, performs distribution and retailing activities, it has more control over the way the product is presented and at what prices it is sold in the market In relative to firm like oil and gas industry Esso mobile, it gain control through Asset specificity to produce internally.Developing a vertical integration strategy solely increase advantages over competition and able to block competitors from gaining access to scarce resources or important markets. A retailer might buy a manufacturing company, for instance, to gain access to proprietary technology, patents or resources only available in the firm's local area. For instance Walmart acquired VuVu to gain access to the home entertainment business. Integrate an organisation the work done by previous suppliers or costumers are also introducing or expanding the core competencies of your workers.That way you can be enriching some of your organisation jobs, leading to increasing satisfaction and motivation of your workers, which is an important benefit. For instance, Walmart employee is rotated to different work function that enable employee to acquired new skill and value add to their growth. Vertical integration offers the opportunity to go even further. With specialized assets and having more control over inputs, it is possible that you can differentiate from your competitors, and gain competitive advantage.This is a way to increase your share in the market, which can lead to increased profits. For exam No doubt vertical integration boosts profit revenue but it required huge capital injection to produce excess goods for retail distribution and to ensure having adequate storage space. When goods are sold Walmart makes a lot of money but if its unsold, they have to bear the cost and at times dispose away as product have life span. Its resulting in losses. It results in fixed sources of supply and less flexibility in accommodating buyer demands for product variety.It extends firm's scope of activity, locking it deeper into the industry Vertical integration poses problems of balancing capacity at each stage of value chain. It can reduce a firm's manufacturing flexibility, lengthening design time and ability to introduce new products. For example, Walmart to increase capacity, they have to make sure that they generate the additional sales corresponding to that increased capacity. Though their businesses acquire a bigger space, new equipment but there’s not a plan for bringing in the sales to take advantage of that increased capacity capability, it’s just increased overhead; a fixed cost.When you integrate more work that is different in your organisation, you are developing new core competencies, which is, as seen before, a positive effect. Nevertheless, this can represent a drawback when these new competencies affect existing competencies in a negative way, making people uncomfortable in performing their functions, which can end in less satisfaction and motivation of the workers and in less productivity of the enterprise. Although vertical integration should lead to lower cos ts, in fact in some cases you can obtain quite the opposite.It is possible that you increase your organisations bureaucratic costs by the fact that you are integrating different jobs in the same organisation. Another issue is that if you integrate backwards, you may reduce or eliminate competition amongst suppliers, which can result in low efficiencies and, consequently, higher costs In conclusion, whether to develop vertical integration strategy the organisation will need ensure that its cash flow are able to sustain as the risk is high due huge capital injection and also to have careful study on environment to ensure that the demand for input is high before developing the strategy.