Celebrated Voices: Toba

Organ Theater. Celebrated Voices was directed by Co-directors Doris Hudson De Trujillo, Nicole Ortega and Monica Campbell. I am going to talk about one of the dances in the performance, Toby. Toby was choreographed by Wilson M. Dominique. It was performed by Dolan Brown, Molly Buffoons, Whitney Collins, Megan Cranny, Miriam Curtis, Baby Gibbs, Adam Jensen, Joshua Martinez, Delis Merrier, Kate Monsoon, Angela Nielsen, Leash Passel, and Jon Thomas.Wilson Dominique(Wilson, 2014) was born in Venezuela when his parents worked there. He moved back to Portugal when he was a teenager. He performed with Egalitarian Ballet , Lisbon, Portugal in Europe, primarily as a Soloist , for 16 years. He was also invited to create works for the Vireo Dance Company and The Dance Project in Portugal. Wilson has taught at Brigham Young University, Utah Valley University and university of Utah. In December of 2012, as a full scholarship recipient at University of Utah, he graduated with the Master of Fine Ar ts degree.In Toby, Wilson remembers his life in South America. He's thinking about how colonialism changed many original tribe's culture and destiny. Many cultures were forced to change and disappeared. In the beginning of the dance, people In the Village were very happy and dancing around. The setting of the stage Is a big back drop that is torn and ripped. He used blue and red to contrast the emotion, warm and cold, happiness and peace. Dancers performed how the village people enjoy their life in their traditional way. The music was cheerful.The cheerful voices sang long with the exciting drum beat and Ocarina. The village people were not rich. They wore worn clothes and were barefoot but they were celebrating happily. Suddenly,the music changed. The stage light became dark. The tone of the music was sad singing along with the drums. People struggled In the village. Then came the sound of thunder. The color of the stage was dark and gray. People struggled with the change of lifest yle brought about by the Colonialists. Dancers expressed how little they can do and how they couldn't fight the change.In the end of the dance, The duet dancers seem to say † take care. † They left the stage In the opposite direction to represent they chose a different path In life. And no one can resist the change. They Just accepted the change. Toby was a very beautiful piece choreographed by Wilson Demagogues. Wilson didn't mention which tribe or which culture was suffering. He left the meaning to the audience and let us decide. By monotonically and University of Utah. In December of 2012, as a full scholarship recipient at forced to change and disappeared.In the beginning of the dance, people in the Village were very happy and dancing around. The setting of the stage is a big back was sad singing along with the drums. People struggled in the village. Then came how little they can do and how they couldn't fight the change. In the end of the dance, The duet dancers see m to say † take care. † They left the stage in the opposite direction to represent they chose a different path in life. And no one can resist the Toby was a very beautiful piece choreographed by Wilson Dominique. Wilson

Li Ka Shing

Background Li Ka-shing, an icon of Asia’s economic rise in the postwar era, through his businesses employs 270,000 people in more than 50 countries. He also has made personal investments in Facebook and Skype, and is one of the world’s top philanthropists. He started his remarkable career making toys and later, plastic flowers. Succession Li  said his elder son Victor would be his successor at Cheung Kong and Hutchison Whampoa. â€Å"Victor will assume the stakes I hold in the listed firms, including the 40% stake in Cheung Kong and the 35% stake in Canada-listed Husky Energy,† Li told reporters. He will be responsible for Cheung Kong's group business in the future. † The current market value of Li's 40 percent stake in Cheung Kong and his 35 percent stake in Canada-listed Husky Energy is around HK$140 billion (US$18 billion). Victor  has been  the deputy chairman of Cheung Kong since 1994 and managing director since 1999; he is also deputy chairman of Hutchison. Li senior  is the  chairman of both companies. Richard, who ranked No. 960 with wealth of $1. billion on the same list and runs his own telecommunications empire, â€Å"will also have a very successful career†Ã‚  , pledging his â€Å"full support†. The move should help avoid a family feud – â€Å"there will be no conflict† among Victor’s and Richard’s businesses, said Li, who  Forbes  estimates is worth about US$25. 5 billion. Businesses controlled by Richard include PCCW Ltd. , Pacific Century Premium Developments and the HKT Trust. Li said he would support Richard’s  new projects with â€Å"cash,† and  the y ounger son’s assets  would increase â€Å"several-fold† through the father’s support. Richard is in acquisition talks with â€Å"several sizeable companies, Victor now holds two-thirds of Li Ka-shing Unity Holdings Ltd after Richard transferred his one-third holding in the family trust to him on July 16, 2012, according to a filing to the Hong Kong stock exchange. Li Ka-shing will continue to hold the remaining third of the trust, which controls Cheung Kong (Holdings) Ltd, Hutchison Whampoa Ltd and other affiliate companies. Victor has three daughters and a son, Michael, and Richard has three sons, the eldest being Ethan. ttp://www. campdenfb. com/article/li-ka-shing-plans-succession-avoid-family-feud http://www. forbes. com/sites/russellflannery/2012/05/28/hong-kong-in-transition-elite-family-businesses-are-facing-change/ http://english. sina. com/business/p/2012/0721/488324. html Challenge Li’s challenge may be that his model is outdated. Hutchison trades at a discount of 37 percent to its component parts, according to Credit Suisse, suggesting it might be w orth two-thirds more if it were broken up. But while Victor Li is there to ensure continuity, he may create most value by deviating from his predecessor’s grand plans. Recommendations Some of Asia's largest listed companies are family run, and succession plans are tightly held secrets, often only revealed through wills at the death of their founders, leading to bitter internal feuds. It is a positive move of Li to have clear-cut who is having what, avoiding potential struggle for shareholding, and it is good for the long-term stability of the group. Li also assures a loyal follower Victor who shares his values, and the newcomer will be surrounded by a team of long-time Li acolytes. The succession is set to be smooth and no major impact is expected on the management. Victor has been number two at Cheung Kong Holdings and Hutchison Whampoa since the 1990s. There is no surprise for his succession. Besides, there is an insurance policy. Victor will head a board followed his father for long time. Cheung Kong’s directors have served for an average of 21 years. Even the independent directors have served for an average of 19 years. However, continuity alone doesn’t make a legacy. In the Li empire, Victor will need new tactics. Growth of Cheung Kong and Hutchison Whampoa is slowing. They have delivered almost flat returns over the past five years. Victor will need to create a more sustainable, and environmentally less destructive model. http://blogs. reuters. com/breakingviews/2012/05/30/li-ka-shing-opts-for-succession-china-style/

Case Study on Thorntons plc Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4500 words

Case Study on Thorntons plc - Essay Example By 1939, Thorntons had 35 shops all over England and a factory in Sheffield that baked confectionery products. The firm's profitability and expansion continued such that in 1988, it was listed in the London Stock Exchange. Thornton family members were involved in the management of the business until the resignation in August 2006 of John Thornton, the last family member on the Board. Thornton family members, however, continue to hold a 22 percent stake in the company. As of the end of its fiscal year on 25 June 2005, the company had 395 stores, 198 franchise outlets, and 26 Cafs all over the U.K and Ireland, over 4,200 employees, an annual turnover of 188 million, and net profits before tax of just over 8.15 million (Helmscott, 2006). The company is based in Thornton Park, a 65-acre site in Alfreton, Derbyshire. Thorntons is one of the key players in the candy and confectionery industry, a sub-sector of the global food and beverages industry consisting of companies that manufacture, process, package, market, and/or sell candies and confections, including chocolate and chewing gum. Business Insights/Datamonitor (2005) reported that the global confectionery sector had an annual turnover of 122 billion growing in value at 3.9 percent yearly. The biggest group in the sub-sector are companies that sell chocolate confectionery products, which accounts for 53.8 percent of total turnover value, followed by sugar confectioneries, sweets and candies (32.8 percent), and gum (13.4 percent). The U.K. confectionery market, one of the biggest in the world, had total sales of 4.53 billion in 2005 growing at approximately 4 percent each year. A few companies led by Cadbury Schweppes, Mars, Nestl, Kraft, and Wrigley dominate in the U.K. market. Thorntons (188 million in sales) is in sixth place, followed by Barry Callebaut, ADM Cocoa Hull, Dunhills (Pontefract), and Renshaw Scott (with a turnover of 58 million) (Swetenhams, 2006). Characteristics of the Confectionery Industry Sector The confectionery sector had its heyday in the 1970s, as sales trebled whilst food expenditures doubled in the decade. By the late 1980s, annual sales growth slowed down to 2 to 3 percent, characteristic of a mature industry. The market in the early to the late 1990s was therefore becoming saturated whilst manufacturers continued to expand production and retail outlets to match what was until then perceived as booming demand. The 1980s also saw a wave of acquisitions that produced two industry giants: Cadbury Scweppes and Nestl. Confectioneries are non-essential foodstuff but are regularly purchased by a very high proportion of the population as an indulgence, a gift, or a

Monitoring, tracking, and control technology on aviation industry Dissertation

Monitoring, tracking, and control technology on aviation industry - Dissertation Example The return of the airline systems to their normal schedules largely depend on the need and emergency of the schedule. For instance, there may be airline systems that require the schedule to get back to their normal plans by the next day. Hence controllers in this regard would cancel the flights or shift the passengers to other carriers, and then have time for the necessary measures (Yu, 1998, p.323). According to Dillingham (1997), e need for monitoring, tracking and control technology in the aviation industry is primarily required for attaining safety and security in the industry. This is mainly focused on the reduction of accidents of different flights. The air traffic control mechanism and processes have modified significantly keeping focused on the need for safety and security of the aviation industry. In the present times, the air traffic control can be found to have modernized extensively for this purpose. Thus the processes now include new radars, processing of data that are a utomated, navigation, surveillance, and equipments for effective communications. Thus the use of technology is effectively made in the present times trying to achieve monitoring, tracking and control on the industry (Dillingham, 1997, pp.1-5). ... There are impacts of emissions of carbon dioxide as well followed by the crowd of airlines in the skies. Thus the studies reveal that while on one hand, the aviation industry has lot to give to the economy of the world, on the other hand, the industry is faced with difficulties arising from climatic changes and competitions (Capoccitti, Khare & Mildenberger, 2010). Thus it can be understood that the need for successful delivery of flights and services across the airlines is highly essential for the airline companies. This would naturally require the airline companies to think of proper monitoring, tracking and control technology to be used such that the successful services of the aviation industry may be achieved. The need for monitoring, tracking and control technology is more for the aviation industry since it intends to lessen the environmental impact followed by emissions. The management of air traffic proves to be one of the efficient measures in this regard. Inefficiencies are still obtained as far as air traffic management is concerned and hence need improvement in this area of the industry. In order to attend the problem of climate change that is also encountered by other industries the aviation industry also has plans to reorganize their business model. â€Å"They will have to probably agree to be part of a network that moves people and goods from one place to another in an efficient and timely manner† (Capoccitti, Khare & Mildenberger, 2010). In order to reduce the emissions from the aviation industry, some of the measures have been found to be effective. These include: strengthening of the leadership strategy across the world, increasing the

The Role of Government Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

The Role of Government - Essay Example mited by the government, Democracy a government where power is held by the people, Dictatorship a government where the ruler holds all the power, Monarchy where power is inherited and passed on to the ruler’s heir and many more there are governments within the world that adopted hybrid systems of government that are a combination of a number of types of governments, examples are modern Iran whose hybrid government is a combination of theocratic institutions and democracy and the Netherlands whose government is a combination of democracy and monarchy (Adler, 1996). A government’s fundamental role is to maintain basic security and social order within its framework. In the words of the philosopher Thomas Hobbes people tend to prefer submission to a government dominated by a sovereign rather than a system where there is no government, a system also known as anarchy therefore people in a community will submit to a government to create for themselves a system security and social order. We can see that states or nations whose populations live under a state of anarchy there is a distinct condition of turmoil and confusion amongst them since each and every one of them has to fend for themselves and there is no provision of basic social amenities by a defined body hence it is important to have a central governing body be it political, religious or hierarchical and which is charged through its machinery to uphold the rule of law and ensure that every member of society under its governance is able to access the basic social amenities that is education, affordable health care and a shelter to live in (Schulze, 1994). It’s the role of the government to protect its citizens from its neighbors or potential non neighbors from any threat that they may pose from outside the countrys borders. This necessitates the need of a military through which defense can be enhanced. In the medieval times families relied on strong family members to protect them, their crops in the

Review on history Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Review on history - Assignment Example The article itself found that in pre-industrial and late medieval history, environmental changes and shocks were able to powerfully affect the lives of those that were considered within the case study. This of course had to do mainly with crop production, animal health and reproduction, and human life expectancy/infant mortality. As a means of gathering the data to inform the result, the researchers relied on ice core analysis from Greenland to help paint a reliable image of what weather patterns in and around this time reflected. Due to the fact that no primary sources can be relied upon due to the unscientific manner that they necessarily represented, it was up to the researchers to find alternate means of providing the data concerning environmental change during the given time (Campbell 2010). The methodology therefore consisted of utilizing these ice cores and comparing the weather results represented therein as a means of comparison with historical records regarding crop yields, quality of life, animal reproduction, and human lifespan/infant mortality figures. ... not something that has taken place in the past and will necessarily not occur again; rather, it is an ongoing and natural process, oftentimes aided on by human destruction of the environment. In such a context, seeking to understand the role that environmental change has directly affected on the lives and livelihoods of past generations is a valuable starting point from whence to seek to draw a level of inference as to what may take place in the future with regards to the same issues today. Finally, with regards to the way the data was presented, it was lain out in a way that with a proper amount of analysis the reader/researcher can readily understand what is being presented. Likewise, the main conclusions that the piece draw necessarily relate to the fact environmental change has a profound and lasting effect on the way that human societies conduct themselves and relate to economic development within the constraints of such environmental change. Key limitations to the research are of course concentric upon the fact that the primary data sources which can be drawn upon are far removed and suspect to a degree erroneous data; thereby leading to inconclusive or incorrect findings. Although this is not a fault of the researchers, it is part and parcel of seeking to perform a level of scientific and social analysis upon a time period that did not keep detailed or conclusive records. In much the same way, the second article, entitled, â€Å"The Economic Impact of the Little Ice Age† helps to shine a light on the means by which the economies of pre-industrial Europe. By means of analyzing the data sets with relation to weather patterns, crop yields, and other economic indicators, the authors are able to provide the reader/researcher with a detailed economic analysis of the

What Specific Practices And Attitudes Does Marlow Criticize Or Condemn Essay

What Specific Practices And Attitudes Does Marlow Criticize Or Condemn What Practices And Attitudes Does He Approve Of - Essay Example The story is about a Company set up in a European nation (read Belgium) which has a vested interest in Africa, in particular the trade in ivory, one in which they would like to lay their hands upon more and more ivory as also the best ivory available. It is this "taint of imbecile rapacity" (166) that blows through the novel like "a whiff from some corpse"(166). Even at the very beginning Marlow makes his distaste for colonialism known when he says, "The conquest of the earth, which mostly means the taking it away from those who have a different complexion or slightly flatter noses than ourselves, is not a pretty thing when you look into it too much"(140). From here it is a natural progression to the comparison he makes between the pompousness and the laziness of the colonists and the exploitation and hard labour inflicted upon the native people. His scathing sarcasm begins with the idleness of the passengers on board the French steamer and goes on to those at the Company Station who have their sights set on getting appointed "to a trading-post where ivory was to be had, so that they could earn percentages" (168). Having reached the Company Station, Marlow discovered that the steamer which he was to command was damaged and in need of repairs. The others who were to accompany him into the dense unexplored parts of the continent in search of Kurtz had nothing better to do and the intervening time was spent by these same persons in "back-biting and intriguing against each other in a foolish kind of way. There was an air of plotting about that Station, but nothing came of it, of course. It was as unreal as everything else.. as their talk, as their government, as their show of work"(168). Meanwhile the malnourished and underpaid natives were literally yoked together and these chain gangs were forced at gun point to undertake different types of hard manual work in the blazing sun. In one particular instance an enormous hole had been dug up on the hill side with no earthly purpose other than "the philanthropic desire of giving the criminals something to do"(155). On the one hand he narrates images of weary, dying natives who have become living phantoms, and decries the insidious ways of the Company as a flabby, pretending, weak-eyed devil of a rapacious and pitiless folly. A bunch of European adventures calling themselves the Eldorado Expedition turn up at the Company Station. They are described as men "without hardihood, greedy without audacity, and cruel without courage" (177). The purpose of their expedition is to "tear treasure out of the bowels of the land" and we are told that they had "no more moral purpose at the back of it than there is in burglars breaking into a safe" (177). It is not just that Marlow has no patience with those who shirk their job, but he gets rubbed up the wrong way when he has to put up with people who work only under supervision. The helmsman on whom he would have to rely heavily as they sailed through the river full of snags turned out to be "the most unstable kind of fool" who "steered with no end of a swagger" when Marlow was around. But the minute his back was turned the helmsman "became instantly the prey of an abject funk, and would let that cripple of a steamboat get the upper hand of him in a minute" (199). Being a straightforward person himself, Marlow's temperament cannot stand a lie. He is the first to declare that he "can't bear a lie, not because I am straighter than the rest of us, but simply because it appals me. There is a taint of death, a flavour of mortality in lies.It makes me miserable and sick, like biting

Education - Teaching Beginners Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Education - Teaching Beginners - Essay Example As a result, the potential of learning among the students being taught by that individual greatly reduces (Capel & Anne 2005). Almost every research conducted with an aim of increasing the knowledge base on the teaching industry concerning the teachers’ retention within the profession reports that the first three years are the most taxing and the most risky. During these three years, there is usually a great likelihood that the teaching beginner will leave the profession (Dowding 2008). The rate by which teaching beginners drop out necessitates review of the system of education especially in schools within the urban centers as well as hard-to-staff. As such, these learning institutions are regarded as the major victims as they are not only unable to retain teachers, who are fully certified, but also face an uphill task in attracting replacements. The purpose of this analysis is to access the challenges that the first year educators face and to deduce critically how mentoring o f these new teachers may assist in addressing these problems in an effort towards establishing teaching and learning of indispensable quality Some of the problems that beginners in the teaching industry face include discipline in the classroom, motivation of the students, challenges arising from trying to deal with individual differences, assessing student’s work, teacher’s relationship with the student’s parents, class work organization, insufficient teaching aids and dealing with the individual student’s problems among others. However, there are three main problems, which are regularly faced by these teaching beginners. They are: classroom discipline, motivating the students and dealing with individual differences (Boydell & Bines 2009). As such, they may seem as arising due to the inadequacy of teaching experience but on a greater insight, they were present since time immemorial and as such, they are inevitable and they tend to affect even the most exp erienced teachers. Classroom Discipline Classroom discipline refers to training within the context of self-control and within social conduct, which is in an orderly manner and as such, it is brought about by a classroom management that is not only accepted and desired by many people but also effective in delivering a milestone. According to Capel and Anne (2005), classroom discipline is a challenge of the highest orders that beginning teachers face in their new environments (Capel & Anne 2005). As such, these teachers find themselves compromised in situations where they are required to attend or respond to spontaneous replies coming from the students. Moreover, they find it difficult to give responses to cues coming from the entire class he is teaching. However, such teachers tend to develop an attitude of sensitivity when issues concerning the behavior of the students, which they perceive as capable of disrupting their planned presentation, are brought into contention (Capel & Anne 2005). Further, classroom discipline, due to its dominance among the challenges faced by teaching beginners, can be perceived as a code word. As such, it is a codeword as it encompasses a host of diversified difficulties (Boydell & Bines 2009). Still, it is a codeword as it is a point of reference. In this regard, it can be used as an indication that the teachers who are in their first year of teaching lack some specified skills and as such, it enables the school management to establish

How Hardy and Steinbeck treat the theme of outsiders in The Withered Arm and Of Mice and Men Essay Example for Free

How Hardy and Steinbeck treat the theme of outsiders in The Withered Arm and Of Mice and Men Essay Hardy and Steinbeck both use the theme of outsiders strongly in their stories. The term outsider means one who is not a member of a profession, party or circle or one not acquainted with or interested in something that is going on. A person can be an outsider for many different reasons for example loneliness, disability, gender, race, age, size and action. Steinbecks short story Of Mice and Men was set on a ranch in California during the American Depression in the late 1930s. The story is about two men Lennie and George. Lennie is mentally disabled so George looks after him. When Lennie and George first meet the bosss son Curley he immediately feels threatened by Lennies size. Lennie and George go and work on the ranch because they want to save up their money so they can buy a ranch of their own. As the story progresses 2 other characters, Candy and Crooks, become interested in their idea and ask if they can help out. Lennie is given a puppy by Slim (another worker on the ranch). One time Lennie is petting it and does not know his own strength and kills it. Curleys wife comes in and asks what is wrong he tells her what happened and that it only happened because he likes stroking things. She lets him stroke her hair because she thinks it is soft. Lennie gets carried away and wont let go. Curleys wife struggles so much that he breaks her neck. Lennie becomes so frightened that he runs away and just leaves the body. Curley sees his wife and says he is going to give Lennie a horrible death. George hears Curley and decides to kill Lennie himself quickly and painlessly. George finds Lennie and starts to talk about their dream ranch, he raises the gun and shoots Lennie in the back when he is not looking. Hardys novella The Withered Arm was set in England in the 1800s. It is about a woman named Rhoda who has a son with the owner of the dairy farm at which she works. But now the farmer does not want to know her and is married to a younger prettier woman. Rhoda wanted to know what the new wife looked like so she sent her son to go and see. The son came back and told Rhoda what she was like. Rhoda had a dream, she dreamt that Farmer Lodges new wife was sitting on her and she thrust her left arm with her wedding ring on into Rhodas face. Rhoda grabbed her arm and threw her to the floor. The next day the farmers new wife visited Rhoda and revealed to Rhoda some marks on her left arm. A few weeks later Gertrude (Farmer Lodges wife) came back to see Rhoda and showed her that the marks on her arm were getting worse. Months later Gertrude goes to see a conjuror who makes an egg mixture which shows Rhodas face and says that to cure her arm Gertrude must touch the neck of a man who has been hung before he goes cold. Rhoda and her son leave and were never seen leaving. Gertrude found out when the next hanging was taking place and she then travelled to the jail. After the hanging she was shown where the body was. As she touched the body somebody behind her screamed. Gertrude turned around and saw Rhoda and Farmer Lodge standing there. The dead boy was Rhodas son. A few days later Gertrude passed away with shock. There are four main outsiders in Of Mice and Men and also in The Withered Arm. The outsiders in Of Mice and Men are Crooks, Candy, Lennie and Curleys wife and in The Withered Arm they are Rhoda, Gertrude, Farmer Lodge and Rhodas son. Crooks is an outsider in Of Mice and Men because he is black and everybody else on the ranch is white so he is branded as different. A moment in the story where Crooks loneliness is shown is when Lennie comes into his room: You go on get outa my room. I aint wanted in the bunkhouse and you aint wanted in my room This shows that Crooks is not allowed to go in their rooms invading their private space so he does not want them coming in his room doing that, if he is not allowed to do it. An outsider in The Withered Arm Rhoda. She is and outsider because she has a son with Farmer Lodge and does not talk to any of the other workers at the dairy farm, so they think she is stuck-up: as the milkmaid spoke she turned her face so that she could glance past her cows tail to the other side of the barton, where a thin fading woman of thirty milked somewhat apart from the rest. This is a part in the story where Rhoda is at work at the dairy farm and all the other workers are talking about Farmer Lodges new wife. Rhoda does not join in the conversation for obvious reasons, but as they talk the workers look over at her. Candy is another outsider in Of Mice and Men. He is an outsider because he is older than any of the other workers. A part in the story where Candys loneliness is visible is when his dog is taken from him and shot by some of the other workers because they are sick of the smell of it: Candy did not answer. The silence fell on the room againCandy lay still staring at the ceiling Candy did not want his dog to be killed because it was his friend, but when it is killed he feels lonely as if he has got no one left. Farmer Lodge is also an outsider in The Withered Arm. He is an outsider because he is older than any of the other workers and he is rich, which everybody else is not. When he marries his new wife Gertrude they see him as being lonely because he has married a younger woman. Curleys wife is an outsider because in Of Mice and Men she has just married Curley and moved to the ranch, which his dad owns. All the other workers think she must be lonely because she is always seen wandering around the ranch, she is never seen with Curley. Similarly Gertrude is an outsider in The Withered Arm because she has just married Farmer Lodge and moved to his home. When she comes home with Farmer Lodge everybody is talking about her Who is she? and What does she look like? so this must make her fell as though people are talking at her behind her back. In Of Mice and Men Lennie is an outsider because he has a mental disability and is looked after by George. He is also does not know his own strength and hurts Curley, this incident makes him feel more vulnerable to the other workers: Lennie smiled with his bruised mouth. I didnt want no trouble, he said. He walked toward the door In the same way Rhodas son is an outsider in The Withered Arm because he is dominated by his mother and at the end when he is hung, he is wrongly accused of something because of injustice: a young fellow deserved to be let off, this on does; only just turned eighteen, and only present by chance when the rick was fired This is the part in the story when Gertrude goes to see if there is any hangings happening the next day and is told about one, which is Rhodas son. The man who is telling her says he is innocent. Dreams are featured a lot in both stories. Lennie, George and Candy have a dream in Of Mice and Men to own their own ranch: Well have a big vegetable patch and a rabbit-hutch and chickens. Lennie and George at first are going to buy the ranch by themselves but then Lennie accidentally tells Candy, so George lets him help them. Curleys wife also has a dream to become an actress and be respected. In The Withered Arm Rhoda has a dream about Gertrude sitting on her with the wedding ring on: the young wife, in the pale silk dress and white bonnetthe figure thrust forward its left hand mockingly, so as to make the wedding ring it wore glitter in Rhodas eyesswung out her right hand seized the confronting spectre by its obtrusive left arm, and whirled it backward to the floor However in this story the dream comes true because Gertrude visits Rhoda and shows her the marks on her arm. In Of Mice and Men the style is mainly conversational, we learn about events through dialogue. Through language we can tell that the boss is aloof to the workers. The language is like a childs when Lennie is moving; he is described like an animal. This story is known as a novella. It deals with poor and working class people. In The Withered Arm the style is also conversational, we learn about Rhoda at the beginning through conversation. It is third person narrative and in the past tense. This story is known as a short story. Through language we can also tell that the boss is aloof to the workers. This story also deals with poor and working class people. The settings are very similar, as they are both set on a farm in remote areas of the countries in which they are set. The Withered Arm is set on a dairy farm in England but Of Mice and Men is set on a ranch in California.

Unethical Business Research Essay Example for Free

Unethical Business Research Essay Research is important in any business to interpret data being collected to improve or make new discoveries. The article read was about Dr. Woo Suk Hwang who used unethical research to enhance his career in the world of science. Hwang hurt everyone who was involved in his work. Leading people to believe that his research was real he provided false hope into his new discoveries. Trying to figure out why he would want to ruin his career and how this could have been avoided is important to why he used fabricated research. Looking into the unethical decisions made by Dr. Woo Suk Hwang will help people see what could be possible consequences for using false results in research material. Dr. Woo Suk Hwang, a professor of theriogenology and biotechnology at Seoul National University (SNU), began his work in 1999 when he told how he could clone an animal (Logan, Park, amp; Jeon, 2010). People began to treat Hwang like a hero after publishing two papers about stem cells in 2004 and 2005 in Science and later a paper in Nature where it was talking of how he cloned the first dog (Logan, Park, amp; Jeon, 2010). In late December 2005, Hwang was found to have falsified data by an internal investigation at SNU (Logan, Park, amp; Jeon, 2010). SNU formed a panel to investigate the charges and within about four weeks they compiled a fifty page report (Kukak, 2009). The results of SNU’s investigation released in late December 2005 which was followed by the withdrawal of Hwang’s work by Science in January 2006 and Hwang’s acknowledgement of scientific fraud in March 2006 (Logan, Park, amp; Jeon, 2010). While conducting his research Hwang falsified his results by not citing accurate results and not providing the participants with information on the serious risks of egg donation. South Korean’s National Board of Bioethics indicated that not all the donors received information on the serious health risks of egg donation, furthermore, sixteen donors required treatment for effects from the procedure( Kukak, 2009). By not providing people accurate risks Hwang failed to protect his research participants. Hwang also falsified the papers in Science which were illed with false research that has never been accurately recorded. This could lead to people going off research that had never been tried and cause harm to new researchers. Hwang hurt several people by the inappropriate research that was acquired. Before the results of SNU’s results of the internal investigation Hwang was considered to be Korea’s most important scientist (Logan, Park, amp; Jeon, 2010). When it was uncovered to be false data and that the research was not real it hurt everyone who believed in him. This helped the community to see that further actions needed to be taken to see that this could no longer negatively impact the entire scientific community. The society saw that wanting to push further in stem cell research was important but making up false information was not the way intended to achieve this important landmark. The first reactions to the scandal focused on the case: the detrimental effects on public trust toward science and stem cell research, the economic damages in the field’s funding, the loss in the market value of the biotech industry, and also the negative effects on the policy debate (Kakuk, 2009). The unethical behavior committed by Hwang has caused scientific magazines and the press to be careful when publishing information for their articles (Kakuk, 2009). After the scandal the journal decided to establish an independent panel to evaluate the publication process (Kakuk, 2009). Dr. Hwang was affected by having his papers editorially retracted form the Journal after the huge amount of fabricated data was found (Kakuk, 2009). Hwang later admitted to various deceptions and was fired form the university on March 20, 2006 (Kakuk, 2009). The society was also negatively impacted because now further movement in this field may not be researched. This in turn can take away form the funding and jobs that might of developed upon successful results of the correctly gathered data. Unethical behavior used by Hwang could have been avoided by correctly reporting the gathered data. This case helped to highlight a need for internationally accepted guidelines for the conduct of research (Kakuk, 2009). If Hwang would have valued his coworkers and his own abilities as a scientist this case would have failed to exist. Hwang became pushed by the society to produce results and ended up letting everyone down. Trying to please others led to the dismissal of Hwang’s job and the respect of his believers. Dr. Hwang’s case showed how unethical research can lead to the dismissal of your livelihood and career. A highly talented individual is now living a life of what ethics can do when you decide to abuse them. Looking at his research people were amazed to hear what was being accomplished and saw him as a hero. Shortly after Hwang was dishonored and made to show the consequences of not using strong ethics to make positive decisions. Hwang affected his coworkers, scientists, and his society by using governmental funding to create false data that people used before the realization that what they thought to be true was only determined to be a lie.

Maternal Mortality Rate in Pakistan

Maternal Mortality Rate in Pakistan Maternal Mortality a Public Health Issue Shahida Abbasi Introduction Maternal mortality refers to when a woman dies during pregnancy or within six weeks after delivery. There are many factors such as biological, socio-economic, cultural and availability of quality Reproductive Health Services (RHS) in the country which contribute to the alarming figure of Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR). Pregnancy is a normal process in which women experience some physiological changes as it is essential for fetal growth and development. During pregnancy women need healthy diet, antenatal checkup for pregnancy progress and identification of dangers signs and proper treatment. Unfortunately due to certain reasons these needs are not satisfied and resulted in death of the mother. This paper aims to in-depth analysis of the determinants of MM. Significant of the Issue Every year more than 500,000 women die during childbirth or from pregnancy-related causes worldwide. 99% maternal deaths occur in developing country (WHO, 2005) as RHS, and family planning services are not easily accessible and affordable. According to UNDP’s report Roca (2013) Pakistan has highest mortality ratio 260/100,000 per live births in the region. Socio economic determinants Poverty Poverty plays as a barrier to satisfy basic human needs and to access reproductive health services which contribute to maternal mortality. Current global economic crises adversely affected specially marginalized poor women. Escalation in fuel prizes made the food items so expensive that it is beyond the capacity of the poor to buy. Due to inadequate quantity and quality of food intake, the pregnant women suffer with nutritional deficiency anemia. A study conducted by Khan, Fatima, Imran and Khan (2010) in Rawalpindi, to assess the risk factors associated with the nutritional deficiency anaemia revealed that majority of the pregnant women were anaemic due to iron deficiency followed by folate and cobalamin and all these belonged to low socio-economic group. Moreover, these nutritional deficit anemic women are at greater risk of having postpartum hemorrhage and sepsis. Furthermore, cost of RHS such as formal fee, screening, purchasing of medicine and travelling acts as barrier for wome n to obtain care. In case of emergency obstetric complications the cost of treatment goes much high and causes the delay in treatment. A qualitative study by Ronis, Mehboob, Masood, Amjad, Nishtar (2012) revealed that seventy percent of the patients sold their belonging or borrowed money in order to pay for delivery charges. Poverty is a great barrier for pregnant women in approaching family planning and counseling services. National Institute of Population Study (NIPS) [Pakistan] and ICF International. 2013. depicts that in rural areas twenty percent of married women have an unmet contraception needs that increase the chances of unwanted pregnancies leading to abortion. A study conducted by Fawad, Naz, Islam, Zaffar, Abbasi (2011) over the period of 5 years in Abbottabad calculated the MMR 1,057/100,000 live births. All the 78 patients who died belonged to low socioeconomic status and majority of them were illiterate. Female literacy Poverty effects female education as they cannot afford even primary education. These women are not aware of their reproductive health rights and utilization of RHS. According to Lynd, (2007) the literacy rate of youth between the age 15 to 24 years of Pakistans female is (53%) comparatively lower than the boys’ literacy rate (77%) in the same age group. In-fact educated women are more autonomous in decision making and utilization of quality ante natal and perinatal services. It is also illustrated in National Institute of Population Studies (NIPS) [Pakistan] and ICF International. 2013National Institute of Population Study (NIPS) [Pakistan] and ICF International. 2013. that the antenatal care is widely received by women with secondary or higher education. Moreover, an international cross sectional study was conducted by Karlsen, et al. (2011) revealed that lower levels of maternal education were associated with higher maternal mortality. This depicts RHS are not being utilize by illiterate women. Cultural Cultural values are deeply rooted specially among poor and illiterate and it has significant impact on women’s health. It is cultural heritage that boys are nourished with rich food as compared to girls beside the fact girls that requirement good quality and quantity of food in order to carry out reproductive responsibilities. Moreover, in conservative families, women mobility is strictly prohibited even to obtain emergency obstetric care. As women are not financially empowered they totally depend on husband regarding their treatment. All the important decisions related to ante natal care, place of delivery and post natal visit are made by the mother in law or husband. Sometime the decisions related to reproductive health issue are made so late that pregnant woman’s condition gets worse. Moreover, women do not have the right to make independent decision for healthy timing and birth spacing which consequently lead to higher fertility one of the contributing factor to inc rease mortality. A qualitative study by Ronis et al., (2012) revealed that cultural norms in Pakistan restrict the women to opt RHS from female doctor only. Therefore their unavailability makes the services inaccessible. Gender Inequality Government has done much to decrease socio-economic gender inequalities on its part. As it is evident in the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report by Bekhouch, Hausmann, Tyson, and Zahidi (2013) Pakistan is on ranked 64 out of 136 countries in political empowerment of women. Pakistan had secured the second lowest ranking in the overall measure of gender-based biases. The cultural heritage and ethnic diversity have been playing role in mediating gender inequality. In-fact boys are provided with nutritious food and good quality of schooling as compared to girls. A report by Bekhouch et al. (2013)14 million girls and 18.3 million boys enrolled in basic education in 2006, this depicts the accessibility and affordability of girl’s education. Moreover, gender inequality is also reflected by the accessibility, affordability and acceptability of RHS. According to UNDP’s report Roca (2013) in Pakistan 260 per 100,000 live births, women die due to pregnancy relat ed causes reflects the commitment of the government to provide the RHS to marginalized women. Early marriages Early marriage is one of the customs which is mostly practiced in rural areas. Due to low socio economical resources parents cannot afford required amount of food especially to their daughters therefore, early marriages is considered one of the way to get rid of this burden. Thus early marriage leads to early pregnancy that is one of the factors contribute to MMR. Early marriages consequently lead high parity. The National Institute of Population Study (NIPS) [Pakistan] and ICF International. 2013. report indicated total fertility rate in rural areas is high (4.2) and it is age specific fertility which is strong indication of early childbearing. It is estimated that 30 percent of all marriages fall into the category of child marriage which is more common in interior Sindh (Dawn 2012-01-19). It is well reflected in PDHS 2012-2013, that eight percent of teenage girls became mothers or expecting their first child. According to Roca (2013) Adolescent fertility rate is 28.1per 100,000 liv e birth which depicts the strong evidence of early marriage tradition in Pakistan. High Parity Early marriages consequently lead high parity. The National Institute of Population Study (NIPS) [Pakistan] and ICF International. 2013. indicates the total fertility rate in rural areas is high (4.2) and it is age specific fertility. Every time when a woman gets pregnant, the risk of dying increases. A study conducted by Rahim, Shafqat and Faiz (2011) also revealed that out of 268 deaths 47 percent were having more than five children thus supporting the evidence that maternal mortality is higher in grand multigravidas. These findings are consistent with the study of Fawad et al. (2011) out of 78 maternal deaths 49 patients were multigravida. Skilled Birth Attendant Due to dearth of skilled birth attendants (SBAs) in most of the rural areas deliveries are attended by unskilled traditional birth attendants (TBA) in Pakistan. These TBAs are not competently trained to detect dangers sign during pregnancy and delivery and to refer women for further treatment. The National Institute of Population Study (NIPS) [Pakistan] and ICF International. 2013. indicated that 67% of rural women received antenatal health care, while 41% women were assisted for deliver by SBAs. The reasons for less utilization of antenatal and delivery services are dearth of SBAs, geographical hindrance and long distance from health facility. Medical causes Obstructed labor, antepartum postpartum hemorrhage, sepsis and eclampsia are obstetric emergencies which need timely intervention. Mortality due to these cases can be prevented by proper antenatal care and detections of life threatening signs and timely referral to comprehensive emergency maternal obstetric neonatal care (EmOC) services. A retrospective, analytic study to analyze direct causes of maternal mortality over a period of seven years was conducted by Rahim et al. (2011) identified hemorrhage a leading cause followed by pregnancy induced hypertension, ruptured uterus and septicemia. A study conducted by Fawad et al. (2011) revealed that eclampsia was the leading cause of maternal deaths followed by sepsis and hemorrhage. Perhaps these precious lives could have been saved if the antenatal and natal services were provided or utilized. These studies calculated MMR 1311/100,000 and 1,057/100,000 live births live birth respectively a big figure as compared to UNDP’s report by Roca (2013) reported MMR 260/100,000 live birth. Abortion Abortion is one of the most important direct medical causes of maternal mortality, accounts for 12-40 % of overall global maternal deaths (WHO, 1994; According to a study conducted by Sathar, Singh, and Fikree (2007) an estimated 890,000 induced abortions are performed annually in Pakistan and 6 to 13% deaths occurred due to complications of abortion like hemorrhage, sepsis and visceral injuries (Jafarey, 2002). A descriptive observational study conducted by Shaikh, Razia, Abbassi, Rizwan and Abbasi (2010) revealed that 230 women were admitted with complications of unsafe abortion over period of one year. These complications include bleeding, uterine perforation, and gastro intestinal injury due to the procedure. Of these 12% women died as they developed septicemia. Deaths due to abortion can be prevented if the safe abortion care services are available by the skilled birth attendants at the door step. Poor Reproductive Health Services: It is quite encouraging that we have good health system that includes basic health unit (BHU), Rural Health Center (RHC) and Tertiary unit. Even though RHS services are available free of charges, BHU and RHC services are underutilized because of long distances to access. Moreover, poor referral system causes a delay in getting access and treatment. According Ali, Bhatti and Kuroiwa (2012) majority of the hospitals were lacking EmOC services and most referral hospitals equipped with EmOC were inaccessible. As in most of the rural areas broken roads and unavailability of proper ambulance services hinder the transfer of women in time. A cross-sectional survey on emergency obstetric care services facilities conducted by Ali et al. (2012) revealed that more than 50 percent of the public health facilities were lacking female doctor to provide Emoc services, thus creating a barrier for women to opt reproductive health services. Summary of analysis Maternal mortality is a public health issue that should be stem out. There are many factors which contribute to MM, and poverty is worse determinant that prevents female to receive education, have nutritious food and get access for reproductive health treatment. Reducing inequity and promoting female education is one of the key strategies to empower women and to bring their status equal to man. MM due to obstetric emergencies can be prevented by strengthening existing health facilities and increasing female skill birth attendants Recommendation Government and NGOs should have one focused agenda to invest in female education as this is their fundamental right. Empowering women with education consequently will improve their socio economic status and will reduce the gender inequity as well. Incentive should be provided to poor women who attend antenatal services in order to eliminate costs issue. Food supplement and medicine for correction of anemia should be free available to pregnant women. All the stake holders should collaborate in ensuring family planning and counseling services as to reduce unintended pregnancies which leads to induces abortions. Reproductive health services including Post Abortion Care (PAC) and family planning services should be made available, accessible and affordable within community settings. Civil society, educationist and health professionals should raise the awareness regarding Child Marriage Restraint Act 1929 and its reinforcement, as child marriage is widely practiced in some parts of the country. It is imperative to strengthen existing health care facilities in order to provide emergency obstetric care. More skilled birth attendants should be trained and deployed who will provide twenty four hours services and make timely referral in case of emergency obstetric care. Health professionals should focus on research as suggested by Travis, et al., (2004) that identification of common national and international barriers in several studies will guide the policy makers and donors to pay attention. References Ali, M., Bhatti, M. A., Kuroiwa, C. (2008). Challenges in access to and utilization of reproductive health care in Pakistan.Journal of Ayub Medical College Abbottabad,20(4), 3-7. Bekhouch, Y., Hausmann, R., Tyson, L. D., Zahidi, S. (2013, September). The global gender gap report 2013. Geneva Switzerland World Economic Forum 2013. Dawn (2012, January 19). Child marriage behind high mortality rate. Dawn. [Punjab]. Retrieved from:http://www.dawn.com/news/689119/childmarriage- behind-high-maternal-mortality-rate. Fawad, A., Naz, H., Islam, A., Zaffar, S., Abbasi, A. U. N. (2011). Maternal mortality in a tertiary care hospital. Journal of Ayub Medical College Abbottabad, 23(1), 92-5. Jafarey, S. N. (2002). Maternal mortality in Pakistancompilation of available data. J Pak Med Assoc, 52(12), 539-44. Karlsen, S., Say, L., Souza, J. P., Hogue, C. J., Calles, D. L., GÃ ¼lmezoglu, A. M., Raine, R. (2011). The relationship between maternal education and mortality among women giving birth in health care institutions: Analysis of the cross sectional WHO Global Survey on Maternal and Perinatal Health. BMC Public Health, 11(1), 606. Khan, D. A., Fatima, S., Imran, R., Khan, F. A. (2010). Iron, folate and cobalamin deficiency in anaemic pregnant females in tertiary care centre at Rawalpindi.J Ayub Med Coll Abbottabad,22(1), 17-21. Lynd, D. (2007). The Education System in Pakistan.Retrieved June,30, 2012. National Institute of Population Study (NIPS) [Pakistan] and ICF International. 2013. Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey (2012-13). Islamabad, Pakistan, and Cleverton, Maryland, USA: NIPS and ICF InternationalNational Institute of Population Studies (NIPS) [Pakistan] and ICF International. 2013.National Institute of Population Studies (NIPS) [Pakistan] and ICF International. 2013. Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey 2012-13. Islamabad, Pakistan, and Calverton, Maryland, USA: NIPS and ICF International.National Institute of Population Studies (NIPS) [Pakistan] and ICF International. 2013. Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey 2012-13. Islamabad, Pakistan, and Calverton, Maryland, USA: NIPS and ICF International. Rahim, R., Shafqat, T., Faiz, N. R. (2011). An analysis of direct causes of maternal mortality.Journal of Postgraduate Medical Institute (Peshawar-Pakistan),20(1). Roca, T. (2013). Human development Report 2013. The Rise of the South, Human Progress in a Diverse World.Afrique contemporaine, (2), 164-166. Ronis, K. A., Mehboob, G., Masood, M., Amjad, S., Nishtar, S. The Voice of Women. Sathar, Z. A., Singh, S., Fikree, F. F. (2007). Estimating the incidence of abortion in Pakistan. Studies in Family Planning, 38(1), 11-22. Shaikh, Z., Abbassi, R. M., Rizwan, N., Abbasi, S. (2010). Morbidity and mortality due to unsafe abortion in Pakistan.International Journal of Gynecology Obstetrics,110(1), 47-49. Travis, P., Bennett, S., Haines, A., Pang, T., Bhutta, Z., Hyder, A. A., Evans, T. (2004). Overcoming health-systems constraints to achieve the Millennium Development Goals. The Lancet, 364(9437), 900-906. WHO. World Health Report–2005. Make every mother and child count. Geneva: WHO; 2005.(2012, 19 January). National Institute of Population Studies (NIPS) [Pakistan] and ICF International. 2013. Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey 2012-13. Islamabad, Pakistan, and Calverton, Maryland, USA: NIPS and ICF International.National Institute of Population Studies (NIPS) [Pakistan] and ICF International. 2013. Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey 2012-13. Islamabad, Pakistan, and Calverton, Maryland, USA: NIPS and ICF International.

Calypso and Circe, Important Women of Homers Odyssey :: Homer Odyssey womody

Calypso and Circe, Important Women of Homer's Odyssey Of all the themes in the Odyssey, the one that seems to stand out is Odysseus's struggle to return home. There are many reasons why his journey is deterred, the most obvious being the women he encounters. Of the women, their are two that truly represent "the different aspects of creative and destructive feminiinty." (Taylor, 571) Calypso is a woman who carries the "true appeal" of a woman, beauty. She offers Odysseus eternal life, and an end to physical suffering. With her, he will be able to keep his identity as a man and enjoy the different pleasures she can offer. She seems like the most tempting offer for Odysseus besides his wife, but he denies her offer. "Odysseus refuses Calypso's offer of bodily immortality for the same reasons that he resists bodily death: in neither case could be preserve his whole being as Odysseus." (Taylor, 571) I found his refusal to be quite commendable, though his excuse was not. Circe's charms are also directed towards the same place, but not as blatently as Calypso's. She drugs Odysseus's men to make them forget their homes and then she turns them into pigs. Taylor describes this sequence of events as "significant because it represents the metamorphosis as a collary of forgetting one's native land. The transformation of man to animal is a vivid image of the lessening of human consciousness which forgetting one's origings implies." (Taylor, 572) He also states that the story suggests that "men who let themselves be drugged into a lower level of awareness by the destructive power of the enchantress, become no more than animals to be kept as the woman's pet." (Taylor, 572) I found this quote to be quite interesting. It made me think of how this could relate to our own societies "fallen men" and also women. Many people today consume alcohol or recreational drugs and let it control their actions, even though if they were sober, they would not be behaving this way. Our society today is weak, just like in the story, to different "potions" that can affect their mental capacity to think straight.

Cereal:The Manufacturing Industry :: essays research papers fc

Cereal: The Manufacturing Industry   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Everyday, more than eighty million Americans have some type of cereal for breakfast. Cereal is one of the most popular breakfast foods and some brand is found in almost every home in America (Topher). This vast industry stems from the late 1800s when John Harvey Kellogg and C. W. Post began cereal production in Battle Creek, Michigan (Topher). Today, numerous types and varieties of cereal line the grocery store shelves. However, only a few select companies make every one of those different kinds of cereal.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are four different categories into which economists classify industries. These categories are perfect competition, monopolistic competition, oligopoly, and monopoly. Each of these four categories has its own unique characteristics. Perfect competition has an unlimited number of firms, while a monopoly has one single firm, and an oligopoly consists of a small number of interdependent firms. The demand curve of an oligopoly depends on how firms choose to deal with their interdependence with the other firms in the industry. A firm within an oligopoly market can choose to cooperate with other firms in the industry, which is illegal, or the firm can choose to compete against the other firms. An oligopoly produces either differentiated products or homogenous products. In an oligopolistic market, entry barriers, which prohibit new firms from entering the industry, are present. Examples of entry barriers include patents, brand loyalty and trademarks. Long-run econom ic profits are possible for an oligopoly, and non-price competition is a significant way to compete with other firms in the same market. Most of the non-price competition in an oligopoly comes from product differentiation. The cereal manufacturing industry is an oligopolistic market because it exhibits many of these traits.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  An oligopoly consists of a small number of interdependent firms. The cereal manufacturing industry consists of four different firms that control almost all of the market. These companies are Quaker Oats, Kellogg, Kraft Foods, and General Mills (Lazich 68). In 2001, General Mills and Kellogg led the industry with a market share of 32.2 and 30.7 percent, respectively (68). Kraft Foods had a market share of 16.3 percent and Quaker Oats had a market share of 19.0 percent (68). The remaining 11.8 percent of the market share was held by other firms (68). In 2002, Kellogg took the lead with 32.7 percent followed by General Mills with a 31.8 percent market share (Reyes).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  An oligopoly consists of either differentiated or homogenous products.

The RSC Production of Beauty and the Beast

When watching the Royal Shakespeare Company's production of â€Å"Beauty and the Beast† I noticed several aspects of the production that I found particularly impressive. One such aspect was the use of lighting and shadows on stage. Spotlights and floodlights were the main types of lighting used. In many of the scenes that did not take place in the Beast's house, a relatively bright yellowy-orange light filled the stage showing there was nothing particularly important or magical about these scenes/ As soon as the audience's attention was required to be focused on a particular character, lights would fade out and a spotlight placed on the character. One such example of this was when Mama dies and Beauty sang a solo part. In the Beast's house, lighting was taking to a much darker level, reflecting the magical and mysterious characteristics of the house. Once particular use of lighting in the house was very effective, the use of different coloured lights when Beauty and the Beast were eating supper. When the bowls were placed on the floor, trapped doors beneath them were opened so that floor lights could flood through the translucent bowls, giving the effect of different magical foods. One bowl lit up red, to which Beauty responded with â€Å"Oh! Strawberries!† then, as Beauty put the lid back down, the colour of the lighting changed to blue and then to green. At the same time, the stage was slowly filling with dry ice, which had lights from different places shining into it. This dry ice gave the magical side that the scene needed, and the colouring in it added even more mystery and magic. Another effective use of lighting was the mirror ball in the room/hall of mirrors. This reflected onto the audience and made them feel more involved in the scene. The music used in the production added a depth of atmosphere, causing slight unrest when in the Beast's home, and a sad, emotional ambience at the death of Beauty's mother. In the Beast's house, a man on the balcony sang notes rather that words, backed by eastern, slightly oriental instruments. These instruments had the ability to make a strange, but somehow welcoming atmosphere feel apparent in the Beast's house – something that was important in understanding both the setting and the character of the Beast. The music that played during the dance in which the mother played the horse was sharp and almost violent, mirroring the movements of the horse. At one point, the chorus used large wooden sticks to bang off the floor as a way of backing up the music and adding a stronger beat, possibly shadowing the horse's hooves as it ran. When Beauty's mother died, she sat on the floor and sang a classic French song that was repeated at certain points in the play. Another time repetition was used was when a woman on the balcony repeatedly sang the word â€Å"Beauty†¦ Beauty†¦ Beauty†¦Ã¢â‚¬  when Beauty sat alone on the stage. Both of these examples of repetition create a slightly eerie, but at the same time calming atmosphere, which made me feel rather uneasy in the audience. The set, although rather simplistic, was highly effective, and very symbolic at times. It began with a taut cotton sheet with the front of a Parisian style house painted on. Two workbenches were at either side of the ‘door'. This sheet was pulled down, revealing the family standing on more benches, this time of different heights; the parents were in the middle, on the highest of the benches, the boys were standing on the right, slightly lower and the girls were on the left and were at the lowest level. When the family lost their wealth the benches were taken away and the backdrop pulled up, leaving an empty stage. A row of coat hangers came down from the ceiling and each family member hung up their expensive clothing. This showed it was the end of an era, and that they had to move on. The hangers going up, rather that just backwards or to the sides, showed that the life the family once had was now out of their reach and they had no way of getting back to it. This is an imaginat ive and cleaver way of showing the loss. A swing then came down and the family climbed onto. It swung back and forth and as a way of illustrating the family how the family had to move far away, to the downtrodden cottage in the countryside. Having the family on the swing gave time for us to see how each of the characters were reacting to the change, I think this helped the audience to understand the characters on a more personal level. When the family got off the swing, it was onto a silky brown sheet of material that was hooked onto the edges of the stage, around 0.75m off the ground at the back, but slowly sloping down to meet the floor at the front of the stage. This was used to symbolise the mud near to the cottage – a sign of how basic what they actually had was. The chorus had crawled underneath the fabric and when the family stood on the mud, they used their arms and heads to create shapes to show the mud and gloopiness. After a time, the family lay down in the ‘mud' and the chorus sat up, cradling the c ast in their arms as a way of showing acceptance from the family and the countryside that this is how things were going to be. When this was got rid of, a house folded up from the floor that used two panels from the floor as the roof and thing, what looked like wooden, panels for the walls. This use of thin materials for the house was a direct symbol of the family's situation and, although the house was very simple, it had a certain fairytale-cottage-like look about it. The Beast's palace was far more extravagant and impressive than the family's cottage. When the father first went into the house big bamboo sticks bowed down from the ceiling, with lights inside. This gave a striking, slightly imposing entrance to the palace and led to a circular doorway at the back of the stage that was blacked out, creating a sensation of mystery and curiosity. When Beauty went into the palace, and we saw her room, the swing that had carried to the family to the countryside had now turned into a four poster bed, with pink covers, which swung to help relax Beauty and make her feel more welcome. As it swung, the audience could see that Beauty was warming to the palace, which is something we had not seen before this scene. At one point in the play, when the Beast was feeling particularly low, he climbed a ladder on the back wall of the stage and crawled into a small compartment, only big enough for himself. The fact that he was completely alone in there shows that he w anted to be cut off from civilization, possibly because he did not feel worthy enough to be around humans in his beast-state, however the compartment was above everything so it was symbolic of how he was the supreme leader of his palace and had overall control. This helped to give us an insight into the character's feelings at the time, which aids our understanding. As if to show a passage of time, when Beauty returned home to the country cottage the house has gained another story and big fans decorated with painted roses were surrounding the house. The overall view of the house gave a sparkling, happy fairytale effect and showed that the family were now more comfortable in the house, that they had settled in and were gaining from the experience. The final aspect I have chosen to look at it the costume designs. At the very start, all the family members were in white, expensive looking outfits – obviously a sign of their status and showing that they are good people. When the family had to hang up their clothes, they stayed in the undergarments they had on for a while, until after they had arrived in the countryside when they put on plain overalls. These overalls may have been a sign that, although they were not best pleased with being stuck in the countryside, they were aware that they had no choice and were willing to work for their money. Beauty did not change her clothes, and for the entirety of the play, she wore a plain – but pretty – white dress. The witch, who was played by the same actress as who played Mama, wore an extravagant ball gown that was sparkly and dark, with a very large headdress that showed she was an important character in the story. The dress was very dark, as you would expect a witch's clothing to be, however when the light hit it just right it glittered a lot, which showed to be lighter, which is something that is perhaps portrayed in her character. The Beast was wearing brown rags that had hints of a goldy material in them. At times, when the light hit the fabric just right, a tiny patch shone gold and sparkly. This hidden colour shows the character of the Beast well ~ we know he doesn't like who he is, or what he is, but we cannot escape the fact that he is of authority and high status. He wore a claw on his one hand and make up that created the physical aspects of the character. When he became a man, the rags were removed and he wore simple leggings with a chiffon type robe that showed off his muscles and body shape, emphasising the fact that he was a proper man. When Beauty returned home late on in the play the family were dressed in bright clothing that looked far less grand – this showed that they had accepted their life and lost all sense of importance of appearance because they had found true happiness in the countryside. Many of the different examples above give us a better insight into a character, or a place – for example, the Beast showed us that he felt isolated and alone at one point in the play simply by climbing into a compartment only big enough for him. The aspects of the play I have talked about work together in the performance to create atmospheres and to explore characters' emotions. An example of atmosphere being created may be how costume and music were entwined to create the sombre moment in which Beauty, wearing her pure white dress and holding the doll that symbolised her for the beginning part of the play, sing almost as a tribute to her dead mother. We are meant to feel sympathy for Beauty, and we do because she looks so pure and innocent in her dress, however if she were in a black dress this feeling may not have been stirred as our basic minds associate white with good and black with bad. Lighting and costume also worked together well, such as in the witch's costume. The headdress was very elaborate and when the lights shone onto her, a huge shadow fell on a section of the stage. The imposing shadow, with the spikiness and movements made me feel quite unnerved and was an impressive way of showing that she has high importance and power. Every one of the aspects I have discussed came together in the Beast's house. The overall effect was only created well by using suitably magical lighting, the creepy voices and instruments, a good set or in some cases using the chorus line to create the feeling of magical furniture, and costumes that gave us an insight into the character, such as Beauty's dress or the Beast's costume, whilst also serving well in the purpose of making the play feel alive. This mix of all the different aspects came together to create an aura of a mystical and scary palace.

Changing Attitude Towards Child Sex Preference Essay

This paper focuses on the intensity of preference for sons over daughters in anticipation of old age security both physically and financially, and its impact on the care and support/ well-being of the elderly in Nigeria in general, and in particular among the Yoruba of Southwest. The paper examines the impact of social change on child sex preference as old age security. Before delving into the theme of the paper, the concept of social change was briefly discussed. The reasons for having children generally are discussed, child sex preference among the elderly were equally analyzed; the pattern it took before now, the changes that have occurred and the attitude of parents toward child sex preference as old age security in the contemporary Nigerian society were equally examined. The effects of sex preference and other socio-economic factors on the status of the elderly and its implications for the family were mentioned. Various literature and theoretical models on the subject matter were reviewed and finally, a general conclusion was drawn. Introduction Startling transformations have occurred all over the world, particularly on the mode of caring and supporting of older persons and there are a number of important issues, which arise as a result of these transformations and the major structural shift in the population. One of these issues is the concern of social gerontologists for the needs of older people for support in the society. Although, it should be mentioned at this uncture that this transformation (that is, social change) affects different people in different ways, depending on sex, location, size of cohort, economic resources (individual, familial and national), norms inherited from the past and individual’s live experiences and personality. For example, marital status and earlier patterns of childbearing are significant factors influencing the nature of the support available in old age. While co-residence of older persons and adult children is common in many developing countries, the tendency worldwide is for this arrangement to become less common. This has direct consequences for economic security, especially in the numerous societies (and particularly, their rural sectors), where pensions are paid only to a small proportion of older persons who are eligible because of earlier employment in the former sectors or few older persons who were able to save or invest for their old age. Even in countries where pensions are more generally available, the burden of an ageing population is increasingly being regarded as unsustainable, particularly since there is an increasing tendency for those able to do so to take early retirement. For many, especially women, there is a real threat of poverty in old-age, and this problem may be exacerbated by social exclusions and the deteriorating health conditions experienced by many older persons particularly, women at more advanced ages. Care of the frail and disabled becomes increasingly problematic, both in terms of stress placed on care providers and care-givers and also the mobilization of the appropriate resources of families, agencies and programmes to meet even the basic needs of older persons. According to Peil (1991), as life expectancy rises, young couples are more likely to be called upon to provide for their older parents than these parents were at the same stage of the life cycle, at a time when increasing emphasis on educating one’s children, rampant inflation and widespread unemployment of young adults make adequate provisions for older parents difficult. The situation among older people without children of their own were even more pathetic. For instance, old people who have no living children tend to risk the chances of isolation and lack of support. Personality is another very crucial factor to be considered; this is because, personality can make considerable difference to the help received. For example, an older person who was hard to get along with is more likely to lack support than the cheerful old person who gets along well with family and neighbours (Peil, 1991). All these are important variables, which determine whether individuals will receive adequate care and support from family and society. It is evident from the various literature that, very little attention has been paid to older people of modern industrializing societies of the world. In Nigeria for example, as well as in most developing countries, the need to plan for the welfare of older persons has received very little attention. There are clear evidences of lack of formal social support services for older people in Nigeria, such as Social Securiy, Pension, Health Insurance Scheme, Old Peoples Home, etc. One of the explanatory factors arises from the belief that the existing extended family system generally protects and provides for the welfare of old people in rural and agricultural societies. Hence, where an older person is childless, his/her brothers or sisters or even the children of his siblings are believed to be responsible for his/her maintenance. This may not be unconnected with why most policies, programmes and projects in the developing countries such as Nigeria have been concentrated on the children and the youths at the expense of older persons in the country. Both national and international organizations are seen working tirelessly on programmes and projects that would benefit the children and the youths, forgetting that the children and the youths of today would be the adult and older persons in the near future. Such beliefs and practices give the impression that the aged, unlike children, represent a discomforting second-order dependency on the younger working generation. But it should be mentioned at this juncture that old people are not always dependent on others for survival. For example, old age may not necessarily symbolize dependency especially in modern Nigeria in which the possession of landed property by older people and access to business opportunities may earn them some income. Hence, while it is generally believed that old people in general depend on the younger people for their survival, it can be equally true that some younger people do depend on such old people for their survival. In fact, some older persons in Nigeria may be rich enough to provide educational assistance for the children of their brothers and sisters as well as their own. Put differently, the prevailing view of older people as a ‘social problem’ emphasizes the ‘burden’ of older people in the population. This negative and blinkered vision has almost entirely neglected the provision of care by older people themselves, although there are some notable exceptions. It should also be said that prevailing ‘social problem’ focus has stigmatized older people as a dependent and unproductive group. This negative stereotyping is partly because of invisibility of informal work as a contribution to society. Older people are givers as well as receivers through their substantial caring for other older people, unpaid domestic work, care for grandchildren and voluntary work. However, it should be mentioned that differences occur between male and female in terms of access to, and possession of wealth in the society. This, in turn, leads to differences in the care and support given and received by older men and women in the society. This we must emphasized has affected older persons’ attitude towards child sex preference as old age security globally and particularly in Nigeria society. A pronounced preference of parents to have male children has been noted in a number of countries, although a desire for a balanced number of sons and daughters is also common (Williamson, 1976; Arnold and Kuo, 1984). Son preference is particularly prevalent in countries with strong patriarchal system or tradition (Cleland, Verrall, and Vaessen, 1983; Cho, Arnold, and Kwon, 1982; Freedman and Coombs, 1994). The extent of son preference has been the subject of considerable discussion and debate in most literature. Sons are preferred for a variety of reasons, including family name propagation, old age security, provision of labour, and the performance of ancestral rites (Wolf, 1985; Zhao and Zhu, 1983). Also, the Fifth National Women’s Congress (1983); Haupt (1983); Li (1982); Liu (1984); Tien (1985); Wolf (1985); all maintained that traditionally, sons were considered advantageous for two economic reasons, namely: support for their parents in old age and the provision of labour for the farm or family business. They argued further that the former is still an important consideration in most societies, despite the recent introduction of some forms of social security. So much has been written about social change that it is really not of much use for us to start a process of seeking definitions. At the level of the daily lives of ordinary citizens, it is even doubtful whether our people are really interested, one way or the other, in what intellectual ideas may really be. It is the manifestations of their collective cynicism towards this concept that one feels ought to worry us, unless we are able to capture the reasons for this drift, we run the risk of merely speaking to ourselves. The concept of social change may mean different things to different people, depending on the available indicators in any given social milieu. Many sociologists view social change in the structure of society or alteration of the social structure (Morris Ginsberg, 1958:205). Others stress that social change is not only a change in the structure, but also in the functioning of society. According to Allen, (1971:39) social change comprises modifications in social systems or subsystems in structure, functioning, or process over some period of time. It should be mentioned at this juncture that quiet a number of scholars have adopted a number of different definitions/approaches to the study of social change at various levels. (For more details see Amitai (1964), Appelbaum (1970), DeVries, (1961), Peter, (1966), Moore & Ogburn, (1922), etc. ) In spite of the cynical attitudes of the people about the concept of social change, effort is made to give a working definition of social change within the context of this paper. Social change within the context of this paper can be defined as he transformation of culture and social institutions over time. It should be mentioned at this juncture that our society has experienced social change over the past two or more centuries. Nigeria, like any other country of the world, has changed particularly, in the area of agriculture, urbanization, industrialization, family/personal relationships. Social change has influenced nearly every aspect of our life. Although, we should also mention here that people are not equally affected by these changes. This is because social change affects different people in different ways, depending on sex, age, work experience, location, class, size of cohort, economic resources (individual, familial and national), norms inherited from the past, individual’s live experiences and personality. All these are important variables, which determine how individuals are advantaged or disadvantaged by their position. Reasons for having children In many Third World countries or societies, having a large family is an eminently rational strategy of survival. Children’s labour particularly that of sons is a vital part of the family economy in many peasant communities of Africa in general, and in Nigeria in particular. Children help on the fields, tend animals, fetch water and wood, and care for their younger brothers and sisters freeing their parents for other tasks. Quite early in life, children’s labour makes them an asset rather than a liability on family income (Betsy Hartman, 1998) . In urban settings, children often earn income as servants, messengers, etc, or else stay at home to care for younger children while their parents’ work. Among the Yoruba community in Nigeria, demographer John Caldwell (1982) found that even urban professional families benefit from many children through ‘sibling assistance chains’. As one child completes education and takes a job, he or she helps younger brothers and sisters move up the educational and employment ladder, thus the connections and the influence of the family spread. Another reason for having many children, according to Cain (1983) is security. According to him, in many Third World societies, the vast majority of the population has no access to insurance schemes, pension plans, or government social security. For instance, in Nigeria, little or nothing is known, said or done about social security, i. e. about how to guarantee the individual against want, poverty, destitution, disease and idleness which may be thrust upon him by the varied hazards and vicissitudes of social life: notably loss or suspension of income or means of sustenance, resulting from sickness, maternity, injury, invalidity, old age, death of a breadwinner or unemployment. According to Nwabueze (1989) there is no clear statement of policy regarding social security and little is spent on it by the state, except in the capacity of the employer. This neglect manifests itself in the hordes of the elderly people engaged in public alms solicitation in our urban cities in the country at large, and most especially in southwestern Nigeria. One of the reasons adduced for the policy neglect is that, children are expected to care for their parents in their old age. Without them, one’s future is endangered. The help of grown up children, particularly male children, can then be crucial in surviving the periodic crisis-illness, drought, floods, food shortages, land disputes, political upheavals, which, unfortunately, punctuate village life in most parts of the world. Folbre (1983) further maintained that, in most developing countries of the world in general, and in Nigeria in particular, son preference can be another important motive for having larger families. The subordination of women means that, economically and socially daughters are less or not valued as highly as sons in many cultures, particularly among the Yoruba of the southwest Nigeria, most especially in the traditional era. Not only does daughters’ domestic work have less prestige, but daughters typically provide fewer years of productive labour to their parents, and leave home to live with their husbands and in-laws shortly after puberty. Son’s preference, combined with high infant and child mortality rates, means that parents must have many children just to ensure that one or two sons survive so as to serve as old-age security, most especially in the face of economic uncertainty. As a corollary to the above point, Lappe et al (1979) maintained that in the 1960s, an Indian couple had to bear an average of 6. 3 children to be confident of having one son who would survive to adulthood. Male dominance in the family, patriarchal social mores, the systematic exclusion of women from the development process, and the absence of decent birth control services combine to force many women into having more children than they want. Put differently, the social environment, in effect, leaves them (women) little or no reproductive choice. Thus, there is tendency among them, to have more children in order to guarantee the future of the lineage. Sex Preferences and Worldwide Patterns Parental preference for sons over daughters is a common phenomenon in many parts of the world. Son preference has been well documented in a large number of countries, including Nigeria. But the degree of such preference varies substantially from one country to another, depending on such factors as the level of economic development, social norms, level of education, cultural and religious practices, marriage and family systems, degree of urbanization, and the nature of social security systems available. The preference for sons tend to be particularly pronounced in developing countries, in rural areas, and among more traditional couples and couples of lower socio-economic status. Although son preference is still common even in many economically developed countries (Bennett, 1983), this preference often exists side by side with parents’ desire to have, at least, one child of each sex. The World Fertility Survey (WFS) found that son preference was moderately strong in Lesotho and the Sudan, and very strong in Jordan and Syria. In Asia, son preference was found to be weak among women from Indonesia (except for the first child). The survey also found a moderate degree of son preference in Malaysia, Thailand, and SriLanka, and son preference was extremely strong in Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, and South Korea. The WFS result for Asia generally agrees quite closely with the findings of Williamson (1976), who reviewed the literature on sex preferences throughout the world in the mid 1970s (Arnold and Liu; 1986). Further, son preference has been found to be prevalent in all East Asia and among groups outside of that region that share a heritage of Confucian patriarchal tradition. According to Arnold and Kuo (1984:301), son preference in South Korea and Taiwan is both pervasive and extreme. This finding has been confirmed by a number of other studies (see Williamson, 1976; Coombs and Sun, 1981; Cho, Arnold and Kwon, 1982; Chung, Cha, and Lee, 1974). In spite of the foregoing, it should be mentioned that in some countries, couples exhibit little or no son preference, and there are even a few instances in which a preference for daughters has been documented. For example, WFS found that considerably more women wanted a daughter for their next child than a son in Jamaica and Venezuela (Cleland, Verrall, and Vaessen, 1983). The WFS also found little or no sex preference of any type in most South America countries, in parts of the Caribbean and in Kenya and so on, to mention but a few (Arnold and Liu, 1986). Sex Preference among the Yoruba Concern among the Yoruba of Southwest Nigeria about son preference, as an old age security is a long-standing one. Mao Zedong vividly depicted this problem in a talk with Edgar Snow in 1970. â€Å"In the country side, a woman still wants a boy child. If the first and second babies are girls, she will make another try. If the third one comes and is still a girl, the mother would try again. Pretty soon, there are nine of them, Then, the mother is already over 45 or so and she finally decides to leave it at that† (cited in Katagiri and Terao, 1972:2). A variety of historical, moral, ethical, and economic factors underlie son preference among the Yoruba of Southwest Nigeria. In the past, the male patriarch dominated the family in Nigeria, and the practice of ancestor worship gradually developed. Hence, the patriarchal family structure and the resulting strong preference for sons became institutionalized values among the Yoruba. These traditions also stress the importance of carrying on the family line through male progeny. Traditionally, apart from social prestige and the felt need to continue the family line, the existence of sons among the Yoruba is considered advantageous for two economic reasons. These are, support for their parents in old age and the provision of labour for the farm or family business. The former is still an important consideration in Nigeria in general, and among the Yoruba of Southwest in particular, despite the recent introduction of some forms of social security in Nigeria. Other reasons for sex preference among the Yoruba include son’s financial contribution to the family income; emotional support and the need for sons to meet religious obligations, and so on. Finally, the productive utility of sons is still an important factor underlying son preference among the Yoruba, where traditional notions about the appropriate division of labour by sex are still prevalent. Child Sex Preference, Old Age Security and the Welfare of the Elderly. Income in later life may come from a variety of sources, including earnings, family members, the children, the state or charity. The balance of these sources has shifted over time as a result of social change, modernization, urbanization, westernization, education of women, more women in formal sector of the economy, coupled with the cracks in the extended family tie and introduction of pension systems by government. In particular, older people’s economic reliance on their children or older people’s reliance on their children as old-age security has declined, allowing them the dignity of financial independence of kin. The twenty-first century has seen a dramatic shift in the sources of income of older people in both industrialized and non-industrialized countries of the world, but the changes differ profoundly according to gender. For men, the change has been from mainly earnings to mainly pensions, while for women, the change has mainly been from reliance on family members (particularly the children), to income from private business and the support from the spouse. Heavy reliance on private support and support from spouses have not guaranteed or ensured women’s economic security in later life and this has further led to gender inequality of income among older people (Ginn, 2001). Having said the foregoing, it is germane to mention that the old-age security and child sex (gender) preference are two highly controversial hypotheses regarding the influence of household fertility and welfare in less-developed and developing countries of the world such as Nigeria. The old-age security hypothesis postulates that in environments where parents face uncertainty about the ability to support themselves during old age, they would expect such support from their children (Raut, 1996:81-104). This motive could be strong particularly in rural areas of less-developed or developing countries such as Nigeria, particularly among rural dwellers of the Yoruba of Southwest Nigeria where available resources both financial and physical (materials) tend to yield low or negative interest. Therefore, these are not able to provide for parents’ needed welfare at old age, so that children may provide a more efficient hedge against old age disability risks (Raut, 1985; 1990; 1992; Nerlove and Raut, 1995; Cain, 1981; 1983; Nerlove, Razin, and Sadka, 1987 and Nugent, 1985). The gender preference hypothesis postulates that parents exhibit preference for having children of a particular sex. In most developing or less-developed societies, parents seem to have preference for sons rather than daughters. The preference for sons may be rooted purely in taste and cultural values or it could be the outcome of some economic calculations. For instance, sons generally stay with their parents, while daughters are married off to another household or family, so that sons tend to provide better support in old-age as well as augment current household income. The extent to which the preference for sons occurs as an economic response to underdeveloped capital markets and incomplete risk markets has been a long-standing issue in economic demography literature. Ben Porath and Welch (1976); Heer (1983); and Leung (1988) have examined the consequences of this motive for population growth, and sex ratio. Also, the consequences of child sex preference (sons preference) on the allocation of human capital and bequest among children have been discussed by Behrman, Pollak and Taubman, (1982). Generally, children are expected to provide long term net benefit streams by supplying labour for family enterprises, generating monetary income stream, providing for old-age security, and acting as a form of insurance. In a setting of risk and uncertainty, parents engage in strategies to influence the pattern and guarantee the reliability of long-term intergenerational benefit flows. Such self-interested strategies to promote parental well-being at old age include conditional inheritance benefits, practices controlling the mobility of children, and sex differentiated educational and nutritional investments. According to Fapounda et al (1988), West African parents invest more in the education of male children since the financial returns on their education are relatively high. On the other hand, parents are more oriented towards the receipt of a one-time financial payment, a bride price, from the marriage of their daughters than to an economically uncertain investment in their daughters’ schooling (Fapounda et al 1988). Caldwell further maintained that, in rural Nigeria, for example, one of the reasons for sons preference is that, male children (boys) produce more than they consume by the age of ten to thirteen; and by the age of fifteen their total production has exceeded their cumulative life-time consumption. Although, female children (girls) likewise perform a number of valuable economic tasks, which include helping their mothers with cooking and the post-harvest processing of crops etc. , this is insignificant when compared to the contributions of their male counterparts to the family economy (Caldwell, 1982). Today, the expected increase in the absolute number and proportion of the elderly raises serious concerns about their welfare in the country, particularly given the absence of social security scheme and formal social welfare services for the old in most African countries. A number of studies have therefore, focused on examining the extent to which the family is involved in providing assistance to the elderly (Peil, 1995; Apt and Katila, 1994; and Togonu-Bickersteth, 1989, 1997). All confirm that the families, particularly children, are the principal source of old-age support in the various African countries studied. It has also been found that assistance is usually offered by children to ensure some level of physical and economic survival for their elderly to the extent that the former can afford. By contrast, parents in industrialized countries and their affluent counterparts among Third World urban elite have much less need to rely on children either for labour or old-age security. The economics of family size changes as income goes up, until children become a financial burden instead of an asset (Folbre, 1983). According to him, when children are in school, for example, they no longer serve as a source of labour. Instead parents must pay for their education, as well as for their other needs, which cost far more in a high consumption society than in a peasant village. And there is often no guarantee that parents’ investment will buy the future loyalty of a grown up child. As economist Nancy Folbre (1983) noted, â€Å"The gift of education, unlike a bequest, cannot be made contingent upon conformity to certain expectations. Once given, it can hardly be revoked†. In industrialized societies personal savings, pension plans, and overnment programs replace children as the basic forms of social security. These social changes fundamentally alter the value of children, making it far more rational from an economic standpoint, to limit family size. Folbre (1983) also argued that as the value of children decreases, male heads of households are more willing to allow their wives to work outside the home, since the contribution of their wages to the family economy now exceeds the value of their household work. This further spurs low demand for children and less craze sex preference of a particular child.