Niger River essays

Niger River essays The Niger River is located in West Africa. It is 2,590 miles long, the third largest river in Africa. The mouth of the river starts in the Gulf of Guinea. This river goes though six countries Guinea, Nigeria, Mali, Jebba, Ontisha, and Niger. It also hits eight major cities in this rivers path. These cities are as named Niana, Timbuktu, Gao, Bonny, Nembe, Onitsha, Malnville, and Niamey. The city Tembakounda is the origin of the Niger. Tembakounda lies in the tropical highlands of Guinea, 200 miles away from the Atlantic Ocean. The Niger River flows northeastward through grasslands into Mali, then to Sahel a brown desert-like area. The Niger then does almost a ninety degree turn southeast, entering the Republic of Niger, for a while acting as the boundary between that republic and Dahomey. The river enters the jungle again in Nigeria, reaching the Atlantic through numbers of swamps and estuaries. There is lots agriculture on the Niger River. Some of the things grown are sorghum, yams, cassava, tobacco, peanuts, millet fields, breeding grounds for fish, cocoa, groundnuts, bananas, oil palm products, maize, and rice patties. Fishing boats, Kayaks, Paddle wheelers, Cargo ships and boats, Dugout canoes and reed rafts are the way of transportation on the river. There is only one two-lane highway on the river and there are no railroads. Drinking water from the Niger River, which is supplied from wells that tap into underground water tables, is not really healthy. There is a waterborne disease that usually causes parasites. Housing near the river are usually mud huts with straw roofs. The clothing is usually brightly colored fabrics, cotton shirts and pants, skullcap and fez hats. Foods eaten in this area are normally rice, boiled chicken, stew, millet porridge, fish, and peanuts During the flooding seasons the Niger River widens up to sixty miles. The flood changes the dry dusty land in to fertile green plains. Lakes and streams cov...

Historical review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Historical review - Essay Example His father would not leave his son alone either and chose to remain with him. The design was poor as it seems the gas chambers had been converted from something else probably a morgue as there were no doors, windows or even any other form of ventilation. There were no any signs of the place being coated to prevent gas from leaking. They lacked exhaust systems to let out the gas after being used and also lacked heaters or heating systems as well and hence the place was damp. The free-standing chimneys were not real chimneys to produce smoke from the gas chambers or crematorium. They were just there for show and hence the reason they were called â€Å"fake chimneys.† This was true because the smoke channel that produced the smoke was across the room and not where the chimney was located, hence conclusion that the chimneys were just for symbolic purposes. The interview seems to be discrediting all that is there in history books and even movies and documentaries about the holocaust and Auschwitz in particular. The issue about the gas chamber for example leaves the listeners and viewers more in doubt and confused than even before. The same is true about the liberation by the Soviet troops. However, to those not familiar with the holocaust history, then the interview sheds light on the subject and provides an account of the occurrences from another dimension which is educational and informative. It also provides the basics of the holocaust leaving the individual want to find out more about this topic than the interview provides. The article where David Cole was interviewing Dr. Franciszek Piper the director of the Auschwitz museum has some surprising information about the gas chambers that was not previously in the history books. The same is however not reflected in the other article on a first hand basis leaving some information. What seems to be true in this case is the interview with the Dr. because as

Hypothetical Qualitative Study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Hypothetical Qualitative Study - Essay Example The main consideration is the establishment of corporate social responsibility and consumer spending patterns. In gaining this information it is first necessary, however, to determine the individuals perspectives on the level of corporate responsibility implemented by a series of organizations. In this way Apple, Starbucks, and Nike can be used. The individual will then be questioned directly on whether the lack of corporate social responsibility implemented by these organizations has impact their decision to purchase products. Another frame of questioning will use a hypothetical company, with hypothetical activities, to gain insights on purchasing patterns. A final frame of questioning will target the reasons why customer prefer one brand over another when quality and price are highly similar. The qualitative design approach has been prominently implemented in a variety of contexts. Its noted that market research constitutes one major area of application (Denzin et al. 2005, p. 34). As the information sought in this study resists empirical quantification, the qualitative mode is recognized as the most appropriate. Within this overarching framework the phenomenological approach will be implemented as this approach examines the internal thoughts and feelings of the respondents (Creswell 2003, p. 72). Finally, the research will implement semi-structured interviews as these allow for probing the interview subjects thoughts and feelings for in-depth perspectives on the linkage between purchasing patterns and a corporations ethical practices (Holliday 2007, p.

Discourse community analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Discourse community analysis - Essay Example Other than the policies established to guide the communities, they are set upon conventionalities depending on the identity of an individual. The discourse communities in question for discussion include engineering association affiliates (forming the professional entity), IT and socializing agency in a higher learning institution (constituting the personal discourse community) and financial capacity building agency in a banking institute (constituting the academic discourse community). Discourse community analysis is significant in a myriad of ways. For instance, it helps in the development of knowledge by the members of the given discourse community; makes it possible to agree to various conventions of life that may be a communal concern. In these regards, one is capable of developing mastery of a given field. In a nutshell, discourse community is a socializing agency (Pogner, 2-3). This is an academic discourse community whose mandate is to incorporate the capacity building program for the banking sector. Its operations vary from building up individual banking institutions as well as incorporating a corporate approach to the various institutions. This is a situation that involves two communities. The first one is the professional community where we have bankers, and the other is an academic community. Due to the heterogeneity in operations of the information system of the two cooperating banking institutions, the academic community sets in to narrow this bridge so that the two different departments from the two banks are harmonized. In the event, information is shared between the two banks alongside the banking capacity building institute. This is representative of a discourse community since one of its conceptions is in information dissemination. It is thus evident that from the two banks, technicians in the IT department are taken through a capacity building process that helps in the reaffirmation of cooperation amongst the two

Argument Essay - Illegalize Alcohol Essay Example for Free

Argument Essay Illegalize Alcohol Essay Our country is facing a growing problem. It is a problem of moral decay. The legal and open use of alcohol is an unnecessary vice that is enjoyed and accepted by a majority of the United States population, unfortunately, it leads to social and moral downfalls. Alcohol should be held to the same standards as other illegal mind and body-altering substances, as alcohol is addicting and has no medical value. Lawmakers and active voters should put an outright ban on alcohol. The revenue that is generated from the manufacturing, distributing, and sales of alcohol is a major source of taxable income that is a benefit. As of 2007 the U. S. Government was collecting $5. 6 billion dollars annually from the taxation of alcohol (joshritchie). This revenue has tended to increase each and every year. Although the revenue is important, the question must be asked, is it moral? Is it moral for our government to profit off the sale of a frivolous vice that causes fatalities and creates addicts? The revenue that is made from the taxation of alcohol could be lost, and would simply increase our never-ending national debt by a miniscule amount. Through out history our country has faced several social epidemics that have resulted in many people becoming substance abusers. Though these times our government has stepped in and enforced laws to restore the moral and social fabric of the infected areas. The current epidemic that we are facing is the abuse of alcohol. It is widespread and available almost everywhere in our country. â€Å"According to the Alcohol-Related Disease Impact (ARDI) tool, from 2001–2005, there were approximately 79,000 deaths annually attributable to excessive alcohol use. † (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Beyond the number of the deaths that are related to alcohol every year, a staggering number of people in the United States are alcoholics. According to the National Library of Medicine, â€Å"nearly 17. 6 million adults in the United States are alcoholics or have alcohol problems†. (U. S. National Library of Medicine) We need to completely ban alcohol so that we can start working on decreasing the number of addicts in our country rather than encourage the use to every single person just as he or she turns a certain age. The United States government has already tried to ban alcohol in the past, it was a complete failure and subsequently repealed. This attempt resulted in a spike in organized crime and was an obvious failure. Eventually the government conceded and re-legalized the use of alcohol. I too will concede that it was a failure on the part of our government in enforcing the prohibition of alcohol. Even today we are fighting the exact same battle by the DEA with the Controlled Substances Act. There is already a long list of illegal substances that are given priorities and schedules and are subsequently enforced. It would not be a stretch to incorporate alcohol into this list of illegal drugs. Many would assert that it would be difficult to enforce the mere consumption and manufacturing of small amounts of alcohol by individuals in there own homes. It is a very simple process to either brew low alcohol content drinks or to distill higher alcohol content spirits. The enforcing of these laws would be similar to current laws of cannabis cultivation. These laws would seem just as hard to enforce, yet they are enforced. The manufacturing of homemade alcohol could be given the same fear of punishment and could be enforced on incident-to-incident bases. Alcohol has the tendency to increase the probability of someone committing a violent crime. If alcohol were banned and harder to get a hold of this number of crimes would greatly diminish. The National Center for Victims of Crime has referenced the U. S. Department of Justice concerning drug and alcohol related crimes. The report states, â€Å"The U. S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics National Crime Victimization Survey asks the violent crime victims who reported seeing their offenders whether they perceived the offender to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol. According to the 1999 survey, over a quarter of the violent crime victims could make such a determination. About twenty-eight percent (28%) of those reported that the offender was under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs. The most common substance identified was alcohol alone. About sixteen percent (16%) reported that the offender was under the influence of alcohol alone (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2001). † (The National Center for Victims of Crime) This only takes into account the victims that were able to see their offender; this means that there are possibly more unaccounted for alcohol related crimes. The legal and open use of alcohol as a vice is leading to the downfall of our society. It is creating addicts while not offering a single practical medical benefit. The United States Government has already invested time, money, and effort to enforcing its Controlled Substances Act. Alcohol should be held to the same standards as all other physically altering substances are held to. Alcohol poses the risk of dependence and has no beneficial medical value. In order to start the moral fabric of our country we need to do away with the crime inducing substance alcohol. Lawmakers and active voters, it is our duty to hold our selves to higher standards and completely abolish the manufacturing, sale, and use of alcohol. Works Cited Alcoholism: MedlinePlus. National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health. 25 Aug. 2011. Web. 01 Dec. 2011. http://www. nlm. nih. gov/medlineplus/alcoholism. html. CDC Alcohol and Public Health Home Page Alcohol. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 16 Nov. 2011. Web. 01 Dec. 2011. http://www. cdc. gov/alcohol/. Drug Related Crime. The National Center for Victims of Crime. 2008. Web. 1 Dec. 2011. http://www. ncvc. org/ncvc/main. aspx? dbName=DocumentViewerDocumentID=32348. Joshritchie. How Much Is the Government Making Off of Alcohol? | Tax Break: The TurboTax Blog. Tax Break: The TurboTax Blog | Its All about the Refund. 5 July 2010. Web. 01 Dec. 2011. http://blog. turbotax. intuit. com/2010/07/05/how-much-is-the-government-mak

Achievement Gap Essay -- Sociology, Gender Roles, Racial Relations

The achievement gap is defined as the disparity between the performance groups of students, especially groups defined by gender, race/ethnicity, ability and socio-economic status. The achievement gap can be observed through a variety of measures including standardized test scores, grade point averages, drop out rates, college enrollment and completion rates. The Black-White achievement gap is a critical issue in modern society’s education system. Although data surrounding the issue clearly indicates that the racial performance gap exists in areas of standardized tests, graduation rates, dropout rates, and enrollment in continuing education, the causative reasons for the gap are ambiguous—therefore presenting a significant challenge in regard to the most effective way to close the gap. The gap appears before children enter kindergarten and it persists into adulthood (Jencks 1998). Since 1970, the gap has decreased about 40 percent, but has steadily grown since. Theories suggest the Black-White achievement gap is created by a multitude of social, cultural, and economic factors as well as educational opportunities and/or learning experiences. Factors such as biased testing, discrimination by teachers, test anxiety among black students, disparities between blacks and whites in income or family structure, and genetic and cultural differences between blacks and whites have all been evaluated as explanations for the Black-White achievement gap (Farkas 2004). The research that follows will elaborate on these factors as they affect the decline in academic performance of black males—particularly the literacy achievement of black males. Within the Black-White achievement gap resides a subgroup whose academic performance is distressingly ... ...disparities between the two ethnic communities that can be traced back to the legacy of slavery and other forms of oppression that blacks have suffered.† Supporters of this view felt that educational achievement correlates more strongly with economic status than with any other single variable. Since the majority of the black community lags behind whites in income and wealth, the educational inequalities are caused by the economic inequalities. They believe that once the inequalities disappear, the educational disparities will as well. Many argue that this is not a viable argument. They point to other minority groups such as Asians, some of whom are financially worse off than blacks, and they excel in school . They felt that because the civil rights legislation removed all roadblocks back in the 60’s and 70’s something else must be contributing to the large gap.

Sitting Bull Exile to Canada :: American America History

Sitting Bull Exile to Canada Many things influenced Sitting Bull's decision to cross the border into Canada. After Custer's defeat at Little Bighorn, Sitting Bull had to live life in fear. He fought on the defensive for years. Sitting Bull and his followers fled from the onslaught of American howitzers. He then was able to find sanctuary in the White Grandmother's Country, north of the international boundary. "Most of the band drifted back in the next few years; Sitting Bull himself was to return in 1881 to end his exile" (Andrist 298)). They faced unknown obstacles, and challenges, all for a chance to live the way they wanted to. When times were bad they looked to the Canadians for assistance. When they could not help Sitting Bull struggle ended and asylum. Canada was no longer an option for Sitting Bulls starving people. For Sitting Bull and his people "the winter of 1876-77 was a winter of despair. "Soldiers occupied the hunting grounds and kept the war going even when the snow fell and the temperature plunged"(Utley 174). Sitting Bulls options for the survival his people were being held in the hands of the soldiers surrounding his winter encampment. Who could at any time " burst into their village, shoot down the people, and destroy their homes and food supplies"(Utley 174). Sitting Bull disliked the alternative of an unconditional surrender, which was out of the question. This surrender would have cost Sitting Bull and his people their guns, and horses. This was unreasonable for people who relied on these valuable tools in almost every aspect in their lives. In April of 1877 the Miniconjoous, Sans Arcs, Hunkpaps, and others of equal prominence conviened a council at Beaver Creek. Spotted Eagle and Sitting Bull would make speeches advocating continuing the war against the white man. They would eventually realize them necessity to act in the best interest of the people. Sitting Bull stood firm in his way of life, as a hunter. Around this time Crazy Horse made his decision to surrender. On May 6, Crazy horse surrendered at the Red Cloud agency in Robinson Nebraska. The group which consisted of 889 people, surrendered "12,00 ponies and 117 arms"(Utley182). Sitting Bull faced new uncertainty in Canada. He had traveled to this country before "following Buffalo or seeking Slotas to trade with" (Utley184). He also knew from experience the contrast between the Grandmother (Canada) and the Great Father of the United States.