Thorn Queen Chapter Twenty-Seven

When I crossed over to the castle in the Thorn Land, I was surprised to find Nia sitting on the floor beside my rabbit paperweight. Her knees were drawn up, and her face-which appeared tear-streaked-rested on her knees. Yet, when she saw me, her face lit up like the sun bursting from behind clouds. â€Å"Your majesty!† she cried, springing up. â€Å"Some of them said†¦they said you wouldn't come back. But I knew. I knew you would.† The devotion in the girl's eyes was startling. Nia had been another servant passed from Dorian, and it had never occurred to me that she would serve me out of such love. â€Å"Of course I came back,† I said softly. â€Å"Why wouldn't I?† She averted her eyes. â€Å"After everything that happened, and†¦well, because of Queen Katrice. There are those who assumed you'd abandon us and stay in the world of the humans.† I didn't bother pointing out that abandoning this land would kill me. I was too shocked by something else. â€Å"They thought†¦they thought I'd just start a war and leave?† â€Å"I knew you wouldn't,† she said fervently. â€Å"I knew you wouldn't.† I gave her a small, comforting smile while a knot twisted in my stomach. â€Å"Take me to Shaya and Rurik.† The two of them were surprised by my arrival, but something told me they hadn't doubted I would return either. I could tell by the compassion on Shaya's face that what Leith had done to me was common knowledge. To my surprise, it was Rurik I took the most comfort from. He didn't question my appearance. He offered no sympathies. He simply jumped straight to business. â€Å"We've gathered as many soldiers as we could while you've been gone,† he said. â€Å"Some are camped outside, and Dorian's said he'll send reinforcements-his military's much larger. The majority of yours is in Highmore. We'll need to determine the best way to distribute them.† For a moment, I felt dizzy as he continued rattling off military strategy. What was going on? What was I doing? I was a girl from Tucson who'd grown up in a middle-class neighborhood. How on earth was I standing here, listening to a fairy soldier explain how to lead a war? I held up a hand. â€Å"Wait†¦before you go any further. Is there†¦is there any way this can be avoided?† Kiyo's words came back to me, and I hated to say what I did next. â€Å"Is there any way to make peace?† Rurik's eyes widened, and shock and anger filled his features. â€Å"Peace? After what-â€Å" Shaya silenced him with a gesture of her own. â€Å"Yes, actually. Katrice sent a rather long letter about it.† â€Å"So†¦we could get her to understand that it†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Was an accident? Hardly. â€Å"I mean, could Katrice let all of this go, considering Leith started it?† Shaya cleared her throat uncomfortably, and Rurik looked angry. â€Å"Well,† she began, â€Å"not entirely. For Katrice not to go to war, she demands that we become her subject kingdom and has very specific details on the kinds of tribute and taxes she requires for that. She also†¦she also says that you must marry her nephew in place of her son and tie this kingdom to her through that branch of the family. My impression is she sent a similar list of demands to Dorian-aside from the nephew part-which he refused rather, ah, indelicately.† I stared, my mouth agape. That was not what I had in mind. How could Katrice demand those kinds of things after what Leith had done? How dare she act as though I had done something wrong? Yes, I could imagine her grief for her only son. I wasn't that heartless. Yet†¦what she was suggesting was ludicrous. And if she thought I would ever, ever let another member of her family lay a hand on me†¦ I turned back to Rurik as though the issue of peace with Katrice had never been mentioned. Later, I would ask Shaya to help me compose a formal response to Katrice's letter, something along the lines of I am the Thorn Queen. Fuck off. â€Å"What should I do next?† I asked Rurik. He smiled, a fierce delight in his eyes. â€Å"You should speak to the soldiers gathered here and make an official declaration of war. And then you should go to Highmore and speak to the ones there. They don't even know you as their queen yet, let alone the person sending them to fight. And you should practice up on your magic, both for battle and to show your own people that that Rowan bitch can't touch you.† I shivered at the feelings his words inspired in me. In Tucson, I'd been trying to hide from my magic, but now it was calling to me again. And with this threat from Katrice-no, this insult from Katrice-there was nothing I wanted more than to summon all the forces of nature and rip her apart. â€Å"Dorian is coming here-today, I think,† said Shaya, interrupting my murderous thoughts. â€Å"Follow his lead. He knows what to do.† I wasn't entirely sure what that meant. The only thing I felt certain of was that I wasn't quite ready to go over the maps Rurik had laid out and examine all the troop placements he had in mind. I'd always sucked at Risk and had a feeling this would be similar. Besides, I hadn't returned to the Thorn Land to make war-not right at this second, at least. I'd come because of the dream from last night, the dream where I'd felt at peace. Because at the moment, I felt no peace. A gentry queen wanted to lead armies in and kill my people-and I was supposed to do the same to her. I'd just broken up with my boyfriend, someone I loved dearly, because I-possibly irrationally-held him responsible for not protecting me from an assailant. And as for that assailant†¦well, his face still flashed in my mind, and no matter how much time passed, I couldn't seem to rid myself of that dirty feeling within me or my repulsion at being touched. I swore to Rurik that I'd talk to him later, that I needed some time to myself first, and left them both for one of the castle's enclosed gardens. It was the one I frequently meditated in, where Shaya was still attempting to grow grass and where Kiyo and I had made love. I sat down there cross-legged, taking in the sun on the orange rocks around me and relishing in the faint breeze that stirred the branches of the mesquite and smokethorn trees. A tiny lizard scurried off behind a rock, and I heard what sounded like a hummingbird-or a big-ass bee-in a cluster of nearby flowers. I cleared my mind and tried to communicate with and heal the land like I had before, but for whatever reason, the connection didn't come. Panic seized me. Had the events with Leith broken something within me? Had I lost my ability to revive the kingdom? I sat there sweating, wondering what would happen to the land if I couldn't connect to it. The heat eventually made me sleepy, and I lay down on the grass, my hands digging into the earth. When I woke up, two things immediate became apparent. First, I felt†¦better. I felt strong and refreshed, and all around me, the colors and scents seemed stronger and more vivid. I still wasn't happy about the impending war, but that horrible feeling in me†¦the bitterness Leith had left†¦well, it had lessened. The air hummed around me, and for a disorienting second, I couldn't tell where I ended and the land began. It was then that I realized why my meditation hadn't worked. I had been in no condition to heal the land. It had had to heal me. I was energized now, ready to do anything. Ready to lead a war. The other thing I noticed after waking was that Jasmine was sitting right beside me, gray eyes staring into mine. I bolted upright. â€Å"What the hell are you doing here?† I exclaimed. â€Å"You're not supposed to be loose.† Girard's cuffs were still upon her, and she jerked her head back toward the castle. â€Å"I'm not exactly loose.† I followed her motion and saw a dozen guards, all keeping a respectful distance, but all watching Jasmine closely. When Volusian had disappeared, Rurik had undoubtedly increased her security detail. â€Å"Jasmine,† I said, â€Å"I'm not really in the mood for your banter, okay? Save your whining and insults for a day when I don't have to worry about having caused a war.† Her face was perfectly calm. â€Å"I heard what happened to you.† I braced for smugness. â€Å"Yeah, I'm sure everyone has.† â€Å"I'll fight for you, you know.† â€Å"Look, I'm sure-wait. What did you say?† I stared at her, waiting to see that composure crack. It didn't. She was still serious and actually looked older than her age. â€Å"He had no right. I told you before: no one does that to a daughter of Storm King. Not even to you.† I was speechless for a moment, still waiting for a punch line. â€Å"Jasmine†¦you hate me.† She nodded. â€Å"Yup. But that doesn't change what happened. No one does that to our father either and gets away without punishment. Dorian should stab Katrice too.† I decided not to mention that nothing had been done to our father technically, seeing as he had died years ago. â€Å"What will you do exactly?† â€Å"Same thing you will. Fight. Use my magic. Summon monsters.† â€Å"But†¦I mean, even if you're trying to, um, protect our family honor, you realize you're still helping me in the process, right? I thought you wanted to destroy me and go have Dad's world-conquering grandson.† â€Å"Oh,† she said sweetly, â€Å"I still do. And I will. But we're going to deal with Katrice first. Our father's heir cannot be born from rape. I told you before-only someone worthy. That bastard wasn't, and his mother has to pay for it. Once she's done†¦well, then I'll deal with you. Besides, someone's got to take her kingdom when we kill her. Might as well be me.† Whoa. There were so many parts of Jasmine's logic that were flawed that I didn't even know where to start. I didn't entirely know the story of her own conception, but my mother had been raped. God knew how many other women Storm King had taken advantage of; I found it hypocritical of Jasmine to take such a high moral ground about his heir in light of that. Still, I couldn't deny the fact that she would be useful, and if that was the reasoning it took for her to help me, so be it. It would also be handy to not have her trying to kill me. â€Å"Well, then, thanks,† I said at last. I decided not to mention just then that there was no way in hell I would ever let her rule the Rowan Land. Details, details. Jasmine looked supremely pleased. â€Å"So I can go free then, right?† I scoffed. â€Å"Not a chance.† â€Å"But I'm helping you!† â€Å"Yeah, and in the same breath, you talked about how you want to usurp me. Look†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I glanced back at her guardians. I would have to consult with Rurik about those least likely to try to knock her up, now that Volusian was missing. Some of my soldiers were female. â€Å"You can wander the castle more-under guard, of course. And I'll see about†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I frowned, suddenly recalling my helpers at Art's house. They were close to Jasmine's age, relatively speaking, and for Markelle at least, I had no doubts whatsoever of her loyalty. I wondered if she might have the makings of a bodyguard/friend. â€Å"I'll see about getting someone your own age to hang out with you.† Jasmine scowled. â€Å"That's not what I had in mind.† â€Å"Yeah, well, your cell in the dungeon is still available.† She gave me her trademark sullen glare and then stormed off back inside. Nonetheless, I felt like she really would help me, and frankly, I was going to need everyone I could find to get me out of this mess. Kiyo had implied that Katrice might call in some allies, and if this became about multiple kingdoms squaring off†¦ I stood up, suddenly feeling ill about it all once more. The flames of passion and initiative that had flared in me earlier began to flicker uneasily. I couldn't do this. I couldn't lead an army. I couldn't go to war. What was I thinking? Trying to shake off my building panic attack, I headed back toward the castle, wanting to hide in my room for a while. I passed Rurik along the way. He'd apparently been seeking me, hoping I'd go talk to the gathered soldiers and inspire them-particularly since word had come that Dorian was almost here. I nodded quickly, promising anything, so long as I could get a moment to compose myself and summon my earlier confidence. All of this was overwhelming me. I needed to be alone, lest I start crying. Only, I was apparently still a ways from being left alone. Ysabel was standing outside my bedroom, arms crossed. Apparently, my earlier suspicions had been right. She really did hang out in the hall waiting for me. â€Å"No magic lessons,† I told her. â€Å"Magic lessons?† she exclaimed, straightening up. She was as immaculate as ever, her red hair twisted into myriad braids. â€Å"I'm never teaching you anything again. My lord is sending me away-and all because of you!† The land might have healed me, but there were only so many weird revelations I could handle today. Jasmine becoming my ally currently held the lion's share. â€Å"What are you talking about?† â€Å"My lord is on his way,† she hissed. â€Å"And he sent word that I was to pack up my things and be prepared to leave. He has a small group of guards ready to escort me away.† â€Å"So?† I shrugged, eyeing my door longingly. â€Å"Isn't that what you wanted?† She took a step toward me. â€Å"He's not sending me back to the castle. He's sending me back to my village-back to my children. Don't you understand? He's through with me! He's casting me aside because of you!† The anger and hate on her face made me guess she'd forgotten I could suffocate her. As it was, she was in my personal space so much that I feared she might actually attempt physical blows. I wanted to tell her that Dorian casting her aside had little to do with me. That was just Dorian's way. Shaya had said Ysabel was one in a string of mistresses who resembled me. He'd grown tired of her, just like the rest, but that wasn't my fault. Telling her that wouldn't help, though. â€Å"I'm sorry. But, I mean, won't you be glad to see your kids?† â€Å"Glad?† she cried. â€Å"What do I have to give them? What do I have to show for my time at court? I have nothing. I came to Dorian's court to improve my children's lives-to bring us wealth. Now I have to return empty-handed, tossed aside to our backwoods village.† Ouch. I didn't know what to say, didn't know whether to laud a mother's attempts to improve her kids' lives or look down on someone who'd tried to do it via sleeping with a king. â€Å"I'm sorry,† I said wearily. â€Å"I'm sure you'll figure out something.† I started to turn away, and to my astonishment, she grabbed my shoulder and spun me toward her. I think she'd been about to hurl an insult, but I gave her no chance. I still wasn't ready to be touched, and she'd caught me off guard. With no second thoughts, my instincts summoned up magic, the air shoving her away from me and slamming her-hard-into a wall. She stood there, dazed, and I gasped, horrified at what I'd brutally done without even thinking. I really was turning into my father's daughter. â€Å"Are you okay?† I asked, stepping toward her when she didn't move. She jerked away from me, which I hoped meant no concussion. â€Å"This isn't over. I will never forgive you for taking him from me! I'll make you pay. He's mine. Do you understand? Mine.† This was followed by a whole tirade of ranting and insults about how much she hated me and would see me destroyed. She kept her distance, though, so apparently my brief lapse into violence had done some good. After a while, I had no patience for it and simply went into my bedroom, leaving her out there. I locked the door but could still hear her going on and on. Remembering Rurik saying that I should go out and talk to the people who could possibly be dying for me, I tried to distract myself from Ysabel by looking through the room's closet. I figured I should probably wear something gentry, and Nia had kept me well-stocked. The spark was rekindling in me, that need to take revenge against Leith and show Katrice we couldn't be pushed around. I would prove a strong leader for those out there. I was pulling out a silvery blue silk dress that looked suitable when Ysabel's shouting finally stopped. With a sigh of relief, I started to drape the dress over a chair-and caught a glimpse out the small window. There was an army out there. I immediately backed away, trying to block out the sea of faces encamped outside. I dropped the dress, feeling dizzy. The reality of it all hit me, and I again felt helpless and out of my league. A sharp knock sounded on the door, momentarily breaking through my panic. Anger was an easier emotion to deal with, and I hurried over, yanking the door open. â€Å"Look, I told you there's nothing I can do about-â€Å" I stopped. It wasn't Ysabel outside my door. It was Dorian.

History of Africa

The Birthplace of humanity All people are most likely to be descendents of beings who lived in Africa millions of years ago. Fossils and genetic evidence suggest that both humans and the forest dwelling great apes descended from a common ape like ancestor who lived in Africa 5 to ten million years ago. The earliest known hominids to which humans belong were the australopithecines, which emerged about four million years ago. Recently scientists have found Homo habilis fossils in the Caucasus region of southern Europe. A more advanced human, Homo erectus, spread even farther from Africa. According to a multiregional model, model human evolved throughout Africa. Africa provides a comprehensive and contiguous time line of human development going back at least 7 million years. Africa gave humanity the use of fire a million and half to two million years ago. It is the home of the first tools, astronomy, jewelry, fishing, mathematics, crops, art, use of pigments, cutting and other pointed instruments and animal domestication. In short Africa gave the world human civilization. This is 1st importance to me because you must know where you originated from before anything else. It is important to understand that African Americans were all born in Africa before they were forced to move from their homeland. The slave trade in Africa While some slaves shipped to Europe and America had previously been African slaves, many enslaved had been innocent bystanders. It was not uncommon for the Europeans to hide and wait for an African to come along, and then kidnap him. The retrieval of slaves was also obtained through Africans convicted of a crime. It was also likely for Africans of a tribe to be captured by an enemy tribe as a prisoner of war and then exchanged for goods. This lasted from the 15th to the 19th century, devastating the lives of at least ten to twenty million Africans. All forced into foreign enslavement, exported in exchange for imported goods. This is known as the slave trade. During their voyage slaves were governed by a system of fear, torture, and brutalization. This type of system was enforced by the crew in order to contain the slaves who were desperate, afraid, and would usurp any opportunity to regain their freedom by overthrowing the crew in order to obtain control of the ship. In Africa, before they were forced aboard the slavers, once they were captured, the slaves were tied together to prevent escape. After the right amounts of slaves were kidnapped, they would then be taken to slave factories in which their state and quality of health would be examined. The measure of their strength and well-being analyzed. If the slave happened to fail this examination, he would be set free and would not have to endure the horror aboard the slavers. The horror of hundreds upon hundreds of slaves packed tightly together. The torridness of the climate enclosed within a hold in which one slave crowded upon another could barely move resulting in an unyielding amount of perspiration amongst the slaves. The air becoming unsuitable, for breathing, from a number of abhorrent odors, causing the death of many. The slave trade is the 2nd most important because here we learned how the Africans were captured from their homeland and forced to become slaves. The Middle Passage The first slave ship was built in Massachusetts, 1637. In which the ships, also known as slavers, would sail from America to West Africa in exchange for goods. The Europeans also took a great part in the transportation of African slaves across the Atlantic and once the adequate number of slaves were acquired aboard a slaver they would set out for sail anywhere from five weeks to three months, heading back to America or Europe where many slaves would be sold at a slave auction to the highest bidder. This process is recognized as the Middle Passage. Slaves had to endure many injustices, such as; suffocation, brutalization, fear, rape, and hopelessness among others. There was also disease: smallpox, scurvy, dysentery, and more. These diseases often spreading from slaves to the crew, killing a myriad of people. Along this journey many slaves found themselves in a state of fixed-melancholy. As they saw there was no longer a reason to live. At this point some slaves would jump off the ship and remain under water, until they killed themselves. Others would starve themselves to death. This causing the captain to resort to drastic measures, for fear of losing his valuable cargo. The slaves who chose to starve themselves would be force-fed or tortured, if not both. Africans would often be forced to eat with what is called a speculum orum, a device which held the mouth open. They could not even escape enslavement through death. The Africans that remained healthy were put on display at public auctions and examined in a ridiculous and humiliating manner. A buyer might lick the African's chin to determine the ge of the slave, or taste his sweat to decipher if he was healthy. Once they were purchased, who was to say they would receive a kind owner. If Americans and Europeans had used such a harsh manner to obtain slaves, it was probably nearly impossible for slaves to believe that once they were in America or Europe that there would be an improvement. The Middle passage to me is the 3rd important because we learned how Africans were treated and their living conditions du ring the transportation to be sold as slaves. Plantation Slavery Seasoning When African Slaves reached the Americas, the slave ship crews prepared them for sale by washing, shaving all their body hair, and rubbing them with palm oil to disguise sores and wounds caused by conditions on board. They were trained not to resist having all parts of their bodies examined—especially their reproductive organs, and sometimes were allotted a little rum to liven their spirits. The Slaves’ New World â€Å"Ordeal†Ã¢â‚¬â€called Seasoning—was for the purpose of increasing their sale price. Once Slaves had gone through the Seasoning process this meant that, among other things, they had survived the first attack of New World diseases and were molded into productive Slaves by means of having been hardened to a strange climate; to the immunities of diseases, and to the indescribable severity of toil as plantation Slaves. Seasoning was similar to a prolonged and inhumane way of â€Å"breaking† horses. The Seasoning process began on the auction block—a terribly frightening process. Once sold, despite having been branded with the traders mark in Africa, the new owner branded them with his mark. Then the Slaves were taken to the worse of locations as, for example, to plantations at rivers’ edges where there were swarms of mosquitoes, parasites, and other new environmental challenges. Seasoning consisted of brutal methods of physical and psychological conditioning—so brutal, in fact, that 7% to 50% of the Slaves are estimated to have died within their one to seven years of the Seasoning period. Actually, the average life expectancy for an imported Slave was only seven years. Many died in the first few weeks or months from dysentery, malnutrition, several types of worm infections, change of diet and climate, and the White man’s diseases. One reason is that the Slaves were terribly weakened by the trauma of the Middle Passage voyage and the addition of exposure to diseases, inadequate nutrition, bad water, work exhaustion from being unaccustomed to the â€Å"sunrise-to-sunset gang labor,† and cruelty were simply overwhelming. Immediately, new owners and their overseers obliterated the identities of their newly acquired Slaves by breaking their wills and by severing any bonds with their African past. Such occurred while the Slaves were being forced to adapt to new and horrendous working and living conditions; to learn a new language; and to adopt new customs. The 4th important aspects of slavery I believe was â€Å"seasoning† where Africans were brainwashed to forgetting where they came from Africans were forced to except the new life that was ahead of them. As seen in â€Å"Roots†) Declaration of Independence The Declaration of Independence is a famous document for many reasons. It declared the colonies independence from Great Britain. It stated basic rights and liberties for Americans. The French used the ideals behind the Declaration as a model for their own revolution in 1789. As time went by, the ideals behind â€Å"all men are created equal† grew in importance. Northern states us ed them to free slaves in their states. Abraham Lincoln used equal rights to justify the war against slavery. In 1963, Martin Luther King, Jr. tood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D. C†¦ In his famous speech he repeated the ideals of the Declaration â€Å"that all men are created equal. † The Declaration failed to address slaves. While it was the culture of the time for men (and ONLY men) to be involved in politics, slavery was a different issue. Jefferson and the founding fathers left slavery out because they knew they needed the support of the South. While the North didn't really care (at this point, they were not morally against it, but not for it either) Southern life was based on the institution of slavery. So to avoid the drama of slavery (which we saw what happened in 1861) they left out slavery. It's not right, but it allowed all 13 colonies to support the Declaration, and this was tremendously important because the colonies needed to put up a united front against Britain. Last but not least was the declaration of Independence that created every man equal this was the trick that most African Americans fell for they thought that this applied to them but it didn’t because African Americans were not considered equal to whites so they remained slaves. History of Africa By the end of the course/unit the learner should be able to: I) Explain why Africa is the cradle of humankind. II) Describe the origin and development of Agriculture, mining and manufacturing. Ill) Discuss rise and fall of early civilizations of Egypt, More and Exam. V) Describe the emergence and spread of Bantu, Clutches and Entities v) Explain the growth of local and regional trade. V') Discuss the economic contacts with the outside world vii) Discuss the coming and impact of Islam and Christianity in Africa viii) Discuss decentralized and centralized states in Africa. Content I) Early Man in Africa. ) The origin and development of Agriculture Where it originated from How it spread to Africa Theories of diffusion, evolution, innovation Importance of Agricultural Revolution In Africa â€Å"l) Orally and development of Iron Technology The theories and myths that surround origin and spread of Iron technology. Effects of Iron Technology on Africa v) The rise and fall of early civiliza tions of Egypt, More and Exam v) Emergence and spread of Bantu, Cushiest and Milestones VI) Growth of Local and regional trade vii) Economic contacts with the outside world Slave Trade in West Africa Abolitionist processConsequences of Slave Trade The coming of Islam and Christianity In Africa x) Development of political systems: Decentralized and centralized states Course Evaluation Course evaluation will be in two parts: continuous assessment and the final assignment constituting 30 marks. The final examination will account for 70% of the total marks. As part of the learning process, a lot of seriousness is attached to class attendance and contribution. REFERENCES Crystal D. (1981). The Ancient Egyptians. London: E. Arnold. Davidson Basil (1973).The Growth of African Civilization: East and Central Africa in the Late 19th Century. London: Longing. Gaff Hoses (1985). A History of Africa. London: Zed Books. July Robert W. (1992). A History of the Ancient People. Nairobi: East Educati onal Publishers. Matthias A. Gut and Simon Kinkajou (1991). An Introduction to African African History. Nairobi: Nairobi University Press. General History of Africa II: Ancient Mozart G. (1990). Civilization of Africa. London: Heinlein Kenya. Got B. A. (deed. ). (1992). General History of Africa V: Africa from the sixteenth to the eighteenth century. Oxford: Henchman.Indies C. (1990). Themes in World History: Book 1. Nairobi: Longing Kenya. Potts M. J. (1971). Makers of Civilization: Book 1. London: Rodney W. (1972). How Europe Underdeveloped Africa. Dark-SE- Tanzania Publishing House. 1. 0 The Origin of Man in Africa Africa is the cradle of humankind salaam: The question of the origin of humans is pertinent not only in Africa but in the world all over. It is therefore important to answer this question before analyzing the history of Africa. Charles Darwin (1809-1882), an Englishman, made a scientific trip in 1831 to South America and the Pacific Islands.In this expedition, he spent time to study rocks and other geographical features. Consequently, he published his theories on evolution in 1859 in a book entitled: The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection. Darning's theory states that all living things evolved over millions of years from simple living cells to complex plants and animals. Scientific evidence supports Darning's theory which states that man was originally a primate but gradually evolved over years from his ape-like ancestors. Archaeological evidence in particular, points to Africa as being the possible cradle of humankind.Many archaeological sites have been discovered in Africa. This confirms that early hominids were living in the area even before the earth movements that led to the formation of the Rift Valley. Dust and lava covered places where man lived. The location of these remains formed major archaeological sites in EAI. Some of the important archaeological sites in Africa include Rushing Island, Fort Tehran near Jericho, Ukraini ans, Gambles Cave, Largesse, Harry Hills near Nassau, Negro River Caves and Kankakee. The oldest remains found in Kenya were those of thyrotrophic Africans.These were discovered at Rushing Island in L. Victoria. The creature was named Proconsul and looked like a chimpanzee; had long teeth and had a smooth forehead. In 1961, the remains of Snappishness were discovered at Fort Tehran near Jericho by Dry. Louis Leaky and his wife Mary. The fossil remains were dated between 15-12 million years old. Other similar remains have since been found at Samba's Hills, Lake Barring and Lake Turban Basins. Snappishness is believed to have been closer to man in several aspects.He had 32 teeth and his canines were smaller than earlier hominids. He had a brain size of ICC, massive Jaws, weighed between 18-keg and occasionally on two legs. Other important remains found in Africa are those of Astrophysicists / Conjurations [Southern Ape which lived between 1 – 7 million years ago. The remains we re found at L. Turban in 1969 after having been discovered earlier tatting in Botswana in 1924 and Latvia Gorge in 1959. Astrophysicists walked on two legs; was hairy, short and strong about 1. Meters, had low forehead and deep- set eyes, had brain capacity of 450-ICC, had sharp vision, had massive Jaws with large molars and smaller canines and made and used tools referred to as Lowdown tools. Recent findings near Jenny's Marionette River near Lake Turban and Lordliest near L. Magic indicate that hominids such as Homo habits (1. 8 and . 5 million years ago) and Homo erects (1. 8 million to 350 000 years ago) are possible direct ancestors of modern Homo sapiens, and lived in Kenya in the Pre- Neolithic epoch.During excavations at Lake Turban in 1984, paleontologist's Richard Leaky assisted by Kamala Kim discovered the Turban boy, a 1. 6-million- year-old fossil belonging to Homo erects. Homo erects means the upright man and was believed to have a bigger brain (775-check) than homo ha bits (500-ICC). They had a more advanced speech, about Ft tall, had discovered and used fire, were omnivorous and made more advanced tools called Caecilian tools. Remains of Homo sapiens which mean thinking or intelligent man have been found near L.Turban, Kankakee and L. Victoria. He about Ft tall, brain capacity of 1000-check, small teeth with a steep and well-rounded forehead, was a fisherman, religious and made refined tools called microfilms. This overwhelming evidence goes a long way to prove that Africa was inhabited by early man. It should also be noted that more evidence concerning early man continues to be unearthed with time. 2. 0 The origin and development of Agriculture and Agricultural Revolution 2. 1 Introduction Agriculture is the cultivation of crops and taming of animals.Knowing how to cultivate food and tame animals seems to have been a long history of human cultural adaptation of probably trial and error which finally made man to control his environment. Agricult ural revolution on the other hand was the change from dependence on hunting and gathering of eatable fruits and roots as well as fishing to domestication of animals and cultivation of food. The development of Agriculture initiated one of the most important revolutions in human history. It led to major changes in man's relationship with his environment and in his social, economic and lattice organization and behavior. . 2 Theories of Origin and development of Agriculture For a long time, Resurrection scholars recounted the origins of Agriculture from a whose claim is that Africa had no single site where agriculture originated but Africans got the knowledge through interaction with the so called Hammiest of the Near East, in Mesopotamia to be precise. It was through such interaction that the knowledge came to Egypt through the Nile Valley, and then it spread to the rest of Africa. This Diffusion Theory seems to be true because some products seem not to have been domesticated in Africa .For example, we are certain and sure of chicken. Also it is certain that cattle, south of the Sahara, came from outside; either from Libya, North Africa or Asia Minor. Archaeological evidence and their radio-carbon dates have also unequivocally established an early start of cereal farming in the Middle East. At the same time, the advantages of farming in supporting complex civilizations argued that the seemingly less efficient hunter-gatherer societies were quicker to take advantage of a more efficient food producing economy than more efficient hunter-gatherer societies.It appeared; therefore that Agriculture had been invented during a short interval at a single point from which it spread quickly and widely across the world. Increasingly, this concept of rapid revolutionary change has come into question. To begin with, there were many crops and agricultural methods that clearly did not have a Middle-East origin. In Africa hoe and digging-stick cultivation has always predominated wh ile the use of mounds and ridges remains characteristic of wetter regions. Many African crops have also been identified.For example, the cereal Theft and the banana like Onset in Ethiopia or the West African millet known as Font. Conceivably, the methods of cultivation of sorghum and millet might have spread from the Middle East via Egypt, but this hardly takes into account the techniques for growing rice or yams, both indigenous of the regions below the Sahara, both raised by methods far removed from those of the Middle East. Due to inadequate evidence to support the above contention and new discoveries that some products were indigenous to Africa while others were not, watered down the Diffusion Theory.Since the end of World War 2, much light has been thrown on the origin of Agriculture in various parts of the world including North and South America, South East Asia and also the African contributions in the history of Agriculture. Advocates of this new revelation are referred to a s Evolutionist theorists or Independent Developed Theorists. According to Evolutionist or Independent Developed Theory, agriculture developed independently in different parts of the world particularly along river valleys. Independent developed theorists have suggested various centers which they belief were the cradle of Agriculture.There are probably 4 centers of early plant and animal domestication. Such centers yielded different varieties of plants and animals. It is important to examine such areas and he factors that make such scholars to observe that they are original places for the origin of Agriculture. The Near East The area is hypothesized by a wide range of archaeologists and botanists as the centre of some domesticated animals and plants. These areas cover South West Iran, parts of Iraq, Turkey and around rivers Tigris and Euphrates. They are believed to be homeland of wheat, barley, sheep, pigs and cattle.This centre is generally considered to be the oldest centre of agri cultural development in the world; it occurred as early as 9000 SC. South East Stats argued that the area allowed for the invention of agriculture because it had favorable conditions such as plenty of water mass that allowed populations to do fishing which in turn allowed them time to invent domestication and cultivation. Domesticated animals such as pigs, fowls, geese and duck are argued to have been the first wild animals to be domesticated. The author also argues that this was the first area to domesticate yams and taro (a starchy root plant).He further argues that yams found their way into Africa through East African coastal trade while crops like bananas came in from here and were taken to Began and later to the West African regions. The New World This centre lies between Mexico and Peru and here the American Indian population developed maize and potatoes. Africa The scholar who first proposed this region was a Russian agronomist, N. L. Pavlov. Various regions of Africa have be en proposed in this argument. 1. West Africa The most important plant remains discovered here were those of yams and palm oil.In this region a different type of yam called Discover yam and which was widespread in the region had no counterpart in any other part of the world. Hence scholars have concluded that West African region is the cradle of Discover yam. Also here is West African millet known as font which is not found anywhere else in the world. 2. Mauritania In this centre, there was found a special type of millet which has never been found in any other part of the world like the Discover yam in West Africa. Scholars have also concluded that such a variety of millet was first domesticated in this area. . Ethiopia In this centre, there was found a cereal Theft and the banana like Onset in Ethiopia which were different from other types found in other areas. Also Voile carried out his research from 1952 to 1965 and concluded that Ethiopia seem to have been the anomaly of sorghum, wheat, barley and coffee. His conclusions have been challenged by scholars like Elizabeth Scheming and Philips D. W. Who have argued against Ethiopia being the cradle of these crops. They insist that the conditions in Ethiopia are not favorable for plants like Barley and wheat. 2. Spread of Agriculture in Africa Most scholars maintain that there are three main phases of agricultural spread in Africa. In the First Phase they argue cereal agriculture was developed in the Lower Nile Valley and the Fumy Depression. The diffusion from the Near East (about 5000 o BBC) of wheat and barley eventually resulted in Africans population explosion. Probably less than 20, 000 hunters and gatherers could have occupied the Lower Nile area before the introduction of Agriculture; but about BBC the labor force for pyramid building alone exceeded 100, 000.Today Egypt is still one of the densely populated areas in the world. Population growth was accompanied by widespread arbitration and the development of more elaborate forms of social, economic and political organization. Populations spread slowly through Africa, north and south of the Sahara and up to the Nile Valley as far south as modern Khartoum. It is generally understood that the Sahara was capable of supporting both Agriculture and pastoralist until approximately BBC, the time that the desert conditions had become firmly established.Some feel that interactions between Negroes populations innovations flowing in both directions. The Second Phase advocates that agriculture was developed in the Satanic Belt (from the Atlantic Ocean to the Ethiopians Highlands). This important agricultural knowledge is generally felt to have come from Egypt, although the implementation of these ideas depended upon the domestication f suitable drought resistant cereals of the Savannah like sorghum, millet and rice. These developments resulted in a second but much slower build-up population in black Africa.Much of this development was confined t o the Satanic Belt hemmed in on the north by the progressively drying Sahara and on the south by the equatorial forests where Savannah crops were unsuitable. The Nile swamps probably prevented direct spread to the East African grasslands but some crops began to appear after 1000 BC in various locations from present day Kenya south to Zambia and southern Angola. This was most likely the result of the spread of Ethiopians forms of millet and sorghum. These pockets of agricultural settlements were to play an important role in Bantu migrations.The more humid regions of Africa (Congo Basin, Guiana Coast, Great Lakes Region and parts of the Zambia Valley) were to remain mainly hunting and gathering areas, with perhaps some form of cultivation based on yams and palm oil until the beginning of the Christian era. Compared to the other African Savannah, there has been generally lack of indigenous food plants in the African Rain Forests. The settlements of the rain forests over the past 2000 y ears had therefore depended to a greater extent on the introduction of food crops from outside.The third phase was the Bantu migrations and spread of Agriculture to the humid areas of Africa. This was very significant because it led to the present spread of distribution of population in Africa. This spread of Agriculture to the more humid regions has been linked to a combination of three factors, namely: introduction of South East Asian crops in Africa, the growth of iron technology and the migration of the Bantu speaking peoples who occupy nearly all of Africa south of the Equator. 4 The Impact of Agricultural Revolution The revolution was one of the most significant steps in human history for it changed man's life tremendously. As some people became pastoralist, looking after sheep, goats, cattle and camels, the majority took up mixed farming with wide range of social, economic and political implications. To begin with, rearing animals and cultivation of crops freed man from relia nce on the environment as adequate food was produced usually with surplus to be stored.Secondly, scientific knowledge increased. As knowledge on domestication increased, hybrid plants and livestock ere developed. In many cases entirely new crops were developed from the wild species. Thirdly, methods of cultivation were improved. In the beginning, digging sticks were used but later ploughs were devised. Inadequate rainfall did not seriously affect production, especially in areas near permanent water courses since irrigation was practiced. Fourthly, high food supplies freed many people from farming to other activities.There was division of labor as other members of society worked in pottery; basketry; black-smiths and other related crafts as well as other professions like medicine and administration. Fifthly, forests were destroyed as more land was brought under cultivation. Sixthly, trade developed as people exchanged life since cultivation required patience before planted crops were harvested. Since unnecessary migrations and movements were minimized and diets improved, it was now possible to localize the supply of food. Another social impact was population explosion.The increase in population which was as a result of improved food security and health. This in turn led to population movements from their earlier settled areas. Furthermore, there was development of religion. Man perceived that there were there forces that determined the yields from the farm such as the sun and rain and started worshipping such phenomena. In the political sphere, government was developed as the population grew so as to have effective control of the increased population and avoid serious problems.Laws were thus instituted and enacted and self appointed or acclaimed rulers enforced them. Eventually kingdoms and empires with defined spheres of influence were established. 2. 5 Conclusion It was the Agricultural revolution and use of Iron technology that made the early settlers in Afr ica to master their environment and prompted successful migration to ewe and unknown lands. In any case, the history of agricultural revolution and Iron technology generally referred to as the Neolithic Revolution, show that Africa had its own development and was not isolated from the rest of the world.Africa was not a dark continent. 3. 0 Origin and Development of Iron Technology 3. 1 Introduction When dealing with the introduction of Iron technology and agriculture, we always come across the term ‘Neolithic' which is used in two versions to fit our purposes. First, it means the technological advance whereby the experts try to reconstruct how pottery, stone and metals, especially iron were made. Secondly, its meaning turns out to be economic and here experts try to reconstruct the agricultural aspects of human life entailing rearing of animals and cultivation of crops.In brief, ‘Neolithic Revolution' deals with technological and agricultural developments which are two d istinct aspects of human life. This topic focuses on the history of Iron technology in Africa. Although technology in Africa started with the science of making stone tools which went through various phases through space and time, our topic will harp on metallurgy and iron technology to be specific for the major fact that it was the one hat considerably altered human life to a degree unknown before.This Archaeological evidence abounds to suggest that Africans from about 1st C AD worked on various metals and also exploited various minerals to meet their needs. It is important to note that Africa is one of the richest continents in the world in terms of mineral resources. Of these minerals, the ones mined in the earliest times are iron, copper, tin, gold and salt. In this topic we will examine the origin and development of Iron and other metals like copper. 3. 2 Iron Technology There once existed a widespread belief that iron technology diffused into Africa from outside Africa.More spe cifically it was believed that the Turks of Anatolia were the first iron users as early as 2000 BC. The information available reveals that the making of iron tools was secret to the Turks and it remained their monopoly. For reasons unknown by historians, this knowledge of iron working leaked to the Hitters (Syria) of the Middle East, probably about 1500 BC. From this region it landed into Africa, through Egypt. The Hitters are said to have moved with the technology to Egypt down the Nile Valley up to More.Another school of thought states the Cushiest More got he knowledge from the Hitters after conquering them. Whichever the case, More became the most important transmission centre of iron technology first to Exam, then to other regions in East and Central Africa. More Kingdom thrived between BBC to BBC. Records have it that the people of More had made iron working their art and occupation. A. H. Sauce, the archaeologist who was associated with the discovery of More in 1911, said tha t More produced quantities of iron and that place came to be nicknamed ‘The Birmingham of Africa. About BBC, this knowledge is claimed to have diffused to ‘Nook in Central Nigeria. Out of that, other archaeologists have linked Bantu knowledge about iron technology with Nook. Another related argument on the spread of iron technology stated that West Africa may also have received its iron technology from Cartage through the Sahara or the Atlantic coastal region. Then it is argued that the Bantu speaking people migrated with the technology to Central and Southern Africa. Azalea (1993:174), in A Modern Economic History of Africa Volvo. Dismisses the explanation of the diffusion trail since it was constructed on thin evidence and speculation. The diffusion explanation was guided y the racist notion that Africa or more precisely the part that Europeans call Black Africa was too primitive for independent technological innovation and development. Indeed as some research by archa eologists and historians has shown, iron technology was invented independently in Africa. Other scholars however still argue that iron technology and metallurgy in general were introduced in Africa from external sources.Yet this latter group ignores the fact that technology is not an immutable idea to be conceived, bred and transmitted whole from the outside world to Africa without the Africans also injecting their own value to it. Certainly, technology is a continuous process of innovation and change spawned by complex interaction between iron production techniques and economic, cultural, social, political and environmental transformations. The belief that Egyptians were introduced to the use of iron by the Assyrian or the Greeks has been challenged.More and Exam have been dethroned as centers of the diffusion to the rest of Africa. Available data for the beginning of smelting from several centers in West, Central and East Africa show that the knowledge of iron working was known in these centers between the contemporary with or even earlier than More. For example, in the West Africa region iron working sites have yielded earlier dates in several centers. Evidence for this has been obtained from rock art painting, Arabic sources and from iron implements discovered from excavated sites.Evidence from Joss plateau in Northern Nigeria, which has been categorized as the â€Å"Nook culture† has shown that iron was in regular use by at least the third century BC. Here various types of terracotta have been found. Other early evidence of iron working in West Africa region have been found at Trauma and Born in Nigeria, Do Dimmit in Niger, Dobra in Ghana and Assonance Valley in Senegal. In the East Africa region, the centers include Startup in Tanzania. There was also iron working evidence in the Congo basin and at Machine in Zambia areas of Central Africa.South Africa evidence indicates that iron working was practiced around the 3rd 0 4th century AD. In excavatio n at some of the working at Determination indicated regular iron operations. One of the vexing issues concerning the spread of iron technology in Africa has been its relation to the migration of the Bantu. The argument has been that the Bantu people have been responsible for the spread of this technology from their West Africa homeland to other regions of Eastern and southern Africa.Their movement has been traced by archaeologists through a special type of pottery which is dimple based and (Urea ware) which is associated with the Bantu. However as Azalea (Ibid) argues, there was no direct correlation between the dispersal of Bantu languages and Iron Age technology. Azalea and indeed other historians, archaeologists and linguists have demonstrated that Iron Age culture in East Africa communities preceded those communities closer to the Bantu homeland. Linguistic studies have not shown that stems relating to metallurgy in the various Bantu languages are not all derived from a common p roto-Bantu, nor are they different from those in non Bantu language. Probably, the expansion of the Bantu speakers from their homeland in south-eastern Nigeria started much earlier than once thought, some 2000-arrears B. C. Before the advent of iron working in West, Central or East Africa. Therefore the earliest Bantu speakers in these areas did not produce iron. Azalea's argument however does not water down the fact that the Bantu were responsible for the spread of Iron technology. Instead of arguing to water down this fact she evades it and start pointing out that there were pockets of iron smelting in different parts of Africa.Just as there is a big difference in manufacturing a good and marketing it, there is also a very big difference between inventing technology and spreading it and that was what Azalea had forgotten in her argument. This loophole was filled by historians Oliver Roland and linguists like Malcolm Guthrie and Joseph Greenberg who suggested and showed iron techno logy led to the migration of the Bantu who spread southwards and were able to conquer the Czarina Forest and defeat the original inhabitants they passed through and settled.Using the TTS-TTS-free corridors, iron workers and agriculturalists reached Zambia ND southwards towards Tanganyika from either north or north-west with their cattle Gradually, iron age communities pushed southwards in small groups reaching the Zambia by the early centuries of the Christian era, settling in Mishandled in the 4th C and crossing the Limp some time later. However archaeologists say that Stone Age hunter-gatherers lived peacefully with the iron technology farmers until made many of the later to abandon their natural way of life and turn on food production.By early 19th century most African peoples were able to produce their own iron or obtain it from neighboring communities through trade. Iron production was a complex, skill, lengthy and labor intensive process. It involved prospecting, mining, smelt ing and forging. Iron ore was available in virtually all part of the continent. Iron ore deposits were found by means of outcrops and were extracted through either alluvial or shallow mining. Smelting was done in furnaces using charcoal fuel, after which the iron was forged in workshops.Many products were made including tools, utensils and Jewelry. The most important tools manufactured were hoes, sickles, razors, knives, daggers, rings, wire and weapons such as spear, assesses, arrow-heads and battle axes. The position of iron producers varied among many Africa societies. In some they were respected while in others they were despised. By early 19th C Africa was sufficient in iron needs. But toward the end of the century, imports had become dominant in some part of the continent. Three explanation account for this: 1 .African iron industries declined because of competition from Europeans products. 2. There were ecological factors that hampered iron production. For example charcoal sh ortage caused by deforestation affected their production. 3. The role of labor organization and distribution affected the production. Whereas production was increasingly becoming more costly. Europeans imports, though of low quality and often less relevant for local uses were much cheaper, substituting of local with imported therefore became the order of the day. 3. The Impact of Iron Technology on African Societies It led to the development of agriculture as a result of better iron tools. For instance agriculture was practiced in most areas of Sub-Sahara Africa especially after the introduction of iron tools and implements. It led to sedentary life. Iron tools and equipments which allowed the clearance of wooded areas of Africa made most societies to settle down. Therefore the phase of nomadic way of life was replaced with sedentary life characterized by villages and even larger social units.Although it is difficult to ascertain the social structures involved, it is likely that ove r most of Africa, there existed relatively small villages consisting of one or more lineage groups with wider affinities based on clan relationship. Trade flourished. Regional and international trade developed as people exchanged metal items like iron tools with other items. Trade transformed most African economies from ones which were largely parasitic on the immediate environment to ones which were in control food reduction and exchange through trade.It is also important to note that trade took another dimension with the advent of metals. Copper and gold were in demand by various communities in the South, North, East and West. There is evidence that suggest that trade was more expanded and various trading networks were developed. Arab evidence has alluded to the existence of trade in metals across the Sahara from the earliest times. Constructions and building works emerged. Metals were used to construct bridges and reinforcement of buildings like pyramids, temples and houses. With the advent of metallurgy, especially iron technology,

Everything You Need to Know About Kenya Essay

Kenya is a country in the continent of Africa, on the Indian Ocean coast of East Africa. This country has land on both sides of the equator. This report is going to tell you all about this fascinating country. Jambo (Hello), and we can begin our safari (journey). â€Å"Jambo† and â€Å"safari† are Kiswahili words, one of the languages of Kenya. Kenya is about two times the size of Nevada. It’s slightly smaller than Texas and slightly larger than California, our 2nd and 3rd largest states respectively. The countries that border Kenya are Ethiopia, Sudan, Somalia, Tanzania, and Uganda. Kenya is not landlocked because the Indian Ocean borders Kenya to its right. Kenya is in both the northern and eastern hemispheres. Some major landforms in Kenya include the Kenyan Highlands, Mt. Kenya, the Great Rift Valley, Mau Escarpment, and Mt. Marsabit. The highest elevation is Mount Kenya at 17,057 feet, which is also one of the tallest in Africa. The capital of Kenya is Nairobi. The distance from Nairobi (the capital of Kenya) to Washington D.C. is 7,548 miles. The geography of Kenya supplies some advantages. One area that displays this is the highlands. The highlands provide Kenya with one of the best agricultural regions in Africa. There is rich soil and fertile ground. There is plentiful rainfall and mild climate perfect for farming. High altitude is also great for growing coffee and tea. Kenya is the 4th largest tea producer in the world. Farming provides jobs to the people that live there. Exporting crops such as coffee and tea help provide money in the country. The one and only type of natural vegetation in Kenya is tropical grassland. They have no active volcanoes, but a few centuries ago Mt. Kenya was a volcano. The distance from Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, to the equator is approximately 216 miles. The climate of Kenya is varied. However, overall, the one-month it rains the  most in Kenya is in April when they get 6.3 inches. The average temperature in January is about 68 degrees while in July it’s 63 degrees. The many climates in Kenya include tropical wet, tropical wet and dry, arid, and semiarid. Arid is a dry region and receives approximately 5 inches of rain per year. In the summer Kenya gets .6 inches of rain and in the winter receives .1 inches. The temperature in the summer is 81 degrees Fahrenheit and the winter about 55 degrees Fahrenheit. Semiarid is considered a dry climate type. Summers average 79 degrees Fahrenheit and in the winter averages 51 degrees Fahrenheit. The yearly rainfall is 10 inches in the summer 3.4 and .2 in the winter. Tropical wet and dry is considered a tropical climate. It’s hot all year, averaging 79 degrees all year. It receives about 50 inches of rainfall per year with 10 inches in the summer and .2 inches in the winter. I will now tell you about the history of Kenya before European exploration. Early tribal groups have started to settle in Kenya as far back as 2000 BC. The main reason tribes came here was for the rich, fertile ground, which would be good for farming. Both the highlands and the Rift Valley provided this in southern Kenya. The first migrants to arrive were pastoral nomads from Ethiopia who were in search of fertile ground, which they could use to graze their flocks. They were soon forced to leave and go into central Tanzania because of the climate changes over the centuries and water had begun to be scarce. The Yaaku, or Eastern Cushites, came 1,000 years later and settled in central Kenya. It seems that the Yaaku had been the leader and many more tribes came as the followers and by 100 AD there has been nearly 1,400 pastoral communities in the Rift Valley region. Next, I will tell you about the people of Kenya. The population of Kenya is 31,138,735 people. There are 2,310,000 people living in Nairobi. The population  density is 139 people per square miles in Kenya. Kenya is rural in most  areas, but urban in the capital. The official language of Kenya is English and Kiswahili (Swahili). The major ethnic group of Kenya is Kikuyu, which makes up 22% of the population. The major religion of Kenya is Protestant. 45% of the people follow the Protestant religion. The literacy rate in Kenya is 78.1% overall. Males are 86.3% literate, and women are 70% literate. Many areas lack good education. The life expectancy for women is 48 while the men are expected to life to 46. The population trend is growing greatly at 1.15% per year. One major illness that Kenyans suffer greatly from is HIV/AIDS. I will now tell you about the economy. The major type of economic activity is agriculture including herding and farming. Approximately 75-80% of the working population are in agriculture. It is a primary activity. The main agricultural product is tea. Kenya relies on coffee, tea, and flowers as their limited amount of cash crops. Although they have areas for farming, due to the large population and climate and weather problems, Kenya suffers with both starvation and famine. Some of their leading exports include coffee, tea, and flowers. They have a trade deficit with 3.1 million dollars imported and 1.8 million dollars exported. The major trading partners with Kenya are UK, Tanzania, and Uganda. The major imports Kenya receives are machinery and transportation equipment, petroleum products, motor vehicles, iron and steel, resins, and plastics. The per capita GDP is $1,000 per person. The major natural resource is hydroelectric power. Other natural resources include gold, limestone, s oda ash, salt barites, garnets, and rubies. The currency is called a Kenyan Schilling. A US dollar is worth 77 Kenyan Schillings. I will now tell you about the politics and government of Kenya. The type of government in Kenya is a republic. Recently, the government has not changed. The current leader of Kenya is President Mwal Kibaki. The date Kenya was granted its independence was on December 12th, 1963. The country got its name when Europeans mispronounced the name Kikuyu (what Kenya was then called) for Kenya. The same occurred with the name for Mt. Kenya. There have been no recent civil wars. The ambassador to the US is Yusuf Abdulraham. The name of the major political party is the Forum for the Restoration of Democracy also known as FORD. The international organizations Kenya is a  part of include the UN (The United Nations), IMF (International Monetary Fund), WB (World Bank), OAU (Organization of African Unity), and ISO (International Organization of Standardization). The flag of Kenya has many meanings. The shield represents the pride and tradition of Kenya. The black represents the people. The red represents the blood. Green represents the fertile ground. Finally, the white represents peace. I feel that Kenya is still in the developing stage. Much of the area is rural, with an increasing population, particularly in and around the capital. They have many citizens with HIV AIDS, and have many more suffering from starvation. One strength that Kenya has is that they get 40 inches of rainfall per year. That makes it good for farming, in the areas that they can farm. Another strength is the high altitude and Great Rift Valley that not only allows tea and coffee to grow, but it offers more jobs, which is important with a high population density country like Kenya to have. I think that Kenya will not improve in the future unless they reduce the incidence of Aids and eliminate starvation. Due to limited education, lack of a cure for Aids, and weather conditions that cannot be controlled, the future does not look very promising for Kenya.

Annie Dillards from An American Childhood Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Annie Dillards from An American Childhood - Essay Example The statement â€Å"[s]ome boys taught me to play football† reveals that the child is at a stage of her development when she listens to advice of her peers and not just her mother (Dillard 16). Also, there is an interesting departure from her prescribed gender role since the paragraph ends up with the comment â€Å"nothing girls did could compare with it† (Dillard 17). The author mentions also that her parents approved of some of the local boys but not all of them. Annie reports this in a matter of fact way, without further comment, but the reader can discern an element of social class behind this situation. Putting together the strict gender roles expected of Annie and the implied disapproval of ‘rough’ boys, the reader can deduce that Annie’s mother is rather old-fashioned and perhaps somewhat prim and protective of her daughter. She does not want Annie to mix with certain boys. Annie, on the other hand, finds the boys exciting and knowingly disregards her mother’s advice. As for the technique used, the author preferred to present the narrative through Annie’s eyes but to include in it some of her mother’s prejudices and insights so that the reader sees more of the child’s world than the child herself could understand at that moment. This is a subtle feature of autobiography, which allows the child’s view to come through an adult narrator’s voice which adds a dual insight into the events that are related in the story. Dillard, Annie. â€Å"An American Childhood† (extract). A Guide To Reading Autobiography: 16-26. Web. 11 Oct. 2012.

History of music Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

History of music - Essay Example Assuredly, music has evolved with time and we can now enjoy live concerts, audio music, videos, and instrumentals. It is arguably true that most people think and identify with the idea that only the elite and educated audience enjoys classical music. This follows an observation that only the snobs, intellectuals, racists, and educated people attend classical music concerts. Indeed, this has been a consistent tread and the mindset to believe in this argument has been there for decades. However, this is not necessarily true. In fact, there has been a common belief that the young generation, the less educated, and the less wealthy do not want to attend classical concerts because either they cannot afford entrance fee or they suffer inferiority complex because of the apparent intellectual superiority that entails a classical music concert. However, I can establish that this is not necessarily true as the same class of people easily afford pop and football tickets which are reasonably expensive that classical concert tickets. Hence, I derive that the only reason why the less educated or the public fails to attend classical music concerts is that they lack exposure to this genre of music. Otherwise, with significant exposure, everybody enjoys classical music. Therefore, I suggest that we introduce and encourage children to enjoy and recognize the beauty in classical music while still at school. With this, we will be able to eliminate the apparent inability to attend classical music concerts.

What gives your life meaning and direction Essay

What gives your life meaning and direction - Essay Example It is an accounting degree that will give me the knowledge to be successful in anything around the business world. This is because it is always known to be the basic tool and the language of business. It opens doors to every type of business, and it defines how a business is performing and what the lowest line is. Moreover, it gives one a foundation to go and turn out to be a certified public accountant. In addition, an accounting degree will prepare me to turn into a partner with any accounting organization to pursue a profession in corporate management or finance to develop into an entrepreneur or even secure a job in the government. Furthermore, the demand for accountants is outdoing supply since it is ever on the rise and the job opportunities in the present day business world is better than ever before for accountants. Finally, in this progressively challenging and competitive business atmosphere, accounting expertise is desperately sought-after, and accounting has turned into a vibrant career. Therefore, no matter what I choose to do, acquiring a background in accounting will assist to open doors wider for me (Bloomfield,

Transitioning From Closed to Open Systems Research Paper

Transitioning From Closed to Open Systems - Research Paper Example Apparently, the nursing sector has an open and closed system of solving problems. In the open system a nursing facility is at freewill to look for external help from other facilities and organizations. However, closed system perspectives state that a facility will only seek solutions from the internal environment. The latter limits the number of solutions to the existing problems. In recent times, many health facilities have experienced a shortage in the number of nurses that should attend to patients. Nurses are considered vital in ensuring all the patients are recuperating at a desirable rate. This is owing to the basic services that are offered by the nurses which include exercises, administering drugs, feeding and cleaning of patients. Without adequacy in such services patients will not recover in good time. Therefore, shortage of nurses in the nursing sector is a blow as the patients rarely get the services they need (Smith, 2010). One prevalent issue is the lack of sufficient number of nurses, especially in the ICU. Most patients who are taken to the ICU require intensive care that involves various delicate services. Acceptable standards state that there should be at least one nurse taking care of two patients in the ICU. Nevertheless, in most health facilities this is a rare ratio. Most of the nurses have to offer their services to at least three patie nts, which obviously overworks the nurses leading to poor service delivery. In bizarre incidents a single nurse is forced to serve four patients in the ICU. This highly degrades the quality of services offered across the nursing profession. As such, it jeopardizes the health and safety of the patients in the ICU as well as the reputation of particular health institutions. Shortage of nurses is a prevalent problem that risks the lives of patients. There are various ways of solving the problem though. However, it would be a hard task to use a closed

WEEK 2 DISCUSSION Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

WEEK 2 DISCUSSION - Essay Example There were several statistically significant findings depicted in the results. The most significant was that 82% of the respondents agreed that workload was a major cause of stress in workplaces. This finding was consistent with findings from a previous study by Topper. Ongori and Joseph, (2008) found out that occupational stress had several effects on the employees and was one of the major causes of employee’s turnover. Moreover, the study findings showed there are several stressors in organizations that require addressing. Some of the stressors identified include increased workload, insecurity regarding the future, inadequate resources in the work places, organizational conflicts, and the poor communication methods used in some work places. The results were quite mixed with those from previous studies. The researchers attempted to establish the credibility of the findings by repeatedly comparing them with those from previous studies regarding stressors in work places (Ongori & Joseph, 2008). The authors presented the hypothesis of the study, which was that there are occupational stressors that reduce the productivity of workers (Ongori & Joseph, 2008). The hypothesis was inferred and not clearly stated. However, the research findings supported the hypothesis since the sources, effects, symptoms, and interventions of occupational stress were identified. Although the study made use of random sampling, it could also have been conducted through online self-administered surveys. This would have resulted in a higher number of respondents and the sample would have been homogeneous since it would include respondents from private as well as public institutions. The results were analyzed using quantitative method or the statistical package for social science (SPSS) method. However, analysis using mixed method could have been another appropriate method. It would have allowed the researchers to analyze the stressors more adequately.

A written analysis of the nature of Practitionr research Essay

A written analysis of the nature of Practitionr research - Essay Example Practitioner research has been employed as a means of bridging the gap between practice and theory. Teachers have been urged to use practitioner research, specifically action research in order to improve education and reconstruct knowledge (Berker, 1992). Other areas of practice, including health, agriculture, and the social sciences have also not been left behind in their use of practitioner research, as they are seeking to improve their knowledge base, and eventually bridging the gap between theory and practice (Fox, et.al., 2007). Various discussions on practitioner research have been forwarded, including its nature, values, and underlying activities. This paper seeks to explore the nature of practitioner research. It shall explore various issues pertaining to ethics, especially in relation to practitioner research. Firstly, it shall discuss the youth mentoring and how practitioner research applies to this field. Secondly, the importance of ethical applications in practitioner res earch will also be established. Lastly, an analysis of practitioner and action research will be carried out. Youth mentoring is a process that entails a linking of mentors with the youth, especially those that require the care of responsible adults (Rhodes and Liang, 2009). More often than not, the responsible adults (mentors) are not relatives of the mentored youths. At most, these mentors serve as volunteers under a community-based program catering to the needs of the youth population. Most definitions of the mentoring processes have revolved around the idea that an older and more experienced person would assist a much younger and less experienced individual to go through developmental stages and transition towards bigger responsibilities (Rhodes and Liang, 2009). The motive for the establishment of mentoring programs is primarily on assisting youths in their transition into adulthood. In other cases, mentoring programs have also been established in order to curb and control delin quent behaviours. In the past decades, various mentoring programs have emerged in different parts of the world (Spencer, 2007). Moreover, the number of youths under the mentoring programs has also increased drastically (Spencer, 2007). Mentors have often entered into the mentoring programs with much enthusiasm. However, concerns on the efficacy of the mentoring programs have emerged in recent years. In particular, questions have been seen on whether or not the current state of the mentoring programs is effective and ethical (Rhodes and Liang, 2009). These questions relate to the fact that the mentor has a far greater power over the student. The power differential, in other words can be abused by the mentor. On the other, as the mentor and the student develop a closer relationship, the lines between mentor and student may be blurred (Goudreau, 2010). The National Youth Mentoring Program framework is a booklet that stipulates all that should done to ensure that all the mentoring progr ams attain the desirable goals. In relation to practitioner research, this discussion on the youth mentoring program shall now consider the foundations of the program, as well as the benefits it can bring in improving youth mentoring and in improving the healthy development of the youth. Background of youth mentoring p

Memo Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Memo - Essay Example We have taken this step to increase employee specialization in a particular field and to increase productivity. Employees will even be able to connect with people from different backgrounds and cultures; this will help in developing employees’ interpersonal skills. Communication Language – we have decided to make English as our official language as English language is the world’s third most extensively vocal language. In order to compete globally we need to understand people all over the world and English is the most extensively spoken language. This measure will even help employees from different countries interact with each other and work in teams. SAP took this step to eliminate language barriers and the company will be able to understand the needs of our consumers and work to benefit the consumers. Managers – SAP has hired from different nations as these managers will us develop software according to the needs of the customers. These managers will identify software needs of different customers located in different regions and help us in creating customer friendly software. I am grateful to new and old employees for the commitment and hard work they have shown over the years. We want all our employees to support us in attaining our objective of competing globally. We want our employees to give inputs regarding the training required to implement the change and the difficulties they are facing due to these changes. SAP wants all the employees to meet us in a conference scheduled for 4 April 2010 at 14:00 hours in the conference room number 3. SAP and employees will discuss and analyze the views of our employees in this

Nutrition for Health and Social Care Essay Example for Free

Nutrition for Health and Social Care Essay In this assignment, I will be making realistic recommendations for decreasing negative impacts on the health of one individual. The individual I will be making recommendations for and talking about in more depth is James. As it states in the case study, and James has a BMI above average, therefore, in this assignment, I will clarify in full detail what he could do in order to live a healthier lifestyle and lose some weight as James is 54 years old overweight. In addition, I will also be stating the advantages of acting upon and following the recommendations I have made as well as the disadvantages if he did not follow them and continued with his normal diet. â€Å"Food is essential for life but what we eat is subject to a wide range of influences. Recognising these and taking account of them when planning menus and preparing food can make the difference between and individual eating sufficiently for their needs or not†. James is 54 years old Chief Executive of an international company. He is single with no children, and admits to not paying much attention to his diet. Due to working long hours, he often skips meals, and ends up snacking. He sometimes grabs a takeaway on the way home because he’s not good at cooking, and hardly does food shopping and he lives miles away from the nearest supermarket, and so there’s usually nothing indoors to eat. At 6’1, he weighs 212 pounds and has a BMI of 28. He admits to feeling a little tired, recently. James dietary habits are impacting him negatively because he at an age where he is at risk of contracting some type of serious cardiovascular diseases, for instance problems with his heart or his arteries being clogged with fat because of consuming a lot of unhealthy foods, which could be fatal. James health factors are already beginning to have negative impacts on him because as it states â€Å"he admits to feeling a little tired, recently†. If James does not alter his behaviour towards his health for example taking more care and paying attention to his health, not only will he continue to gain a lot of weight but he will also have a hard time losing the weight as he will have a great amount to lose. I recommend that James goes on a diet and makes lifestyle changes. However prior to beginning his diet, I think it’s highly important that James visits his GP and research about dieting and losing weight the right way rather than doing it the wrong way to see faster results and be at risk of other health problems. After he has done his research, He should start off his diet slowly, for instance he could start by cutting out fizzy drinks and alcohol because they both contain great amounts of calories and fizzy drinks have a lot of sugar which is not good to constantly have, and replacing them with water. Water is extremely beneficial to the body because it refreshes your body and keeps you hydrated, and also drinking the recommended amount of water daily combined with a healthy diet, will contribute in weight loss and a healthier body. James should then begin to make food choice changes and portion control, for example cutting out fatty foods and consuming large portions of food. It states in the case study that he does not pay attention to his diet and because he works long hours, he often skips meals and that he is not good at cooking. James will have to now pay a lot of attention to his diet because it is putting him at risk of serious health problems and the first thing he should do is look on the internet for food recipes. If James does not want to cook at all, he should order his food from shops such as Marks and Spencer’s which have a variety of different healthy meals and also have home delivery so he could have the food delivered to him. Although he works long hours, it is vital that he does not skip any meals during the day, he should prepare a healthy meal at home and pack some to take to work and eat during his break, and he should also incorporate fruits for snacks and a bottle of water to take to work every day. This way he will not have to buy unhealthy take away meals to eat. In addition, James should attempt not to eat heavy meals before bed, he should have a light dinner and if he feels hungry late hours of the night, he should eat fruits and drink water to fill him up. After James has become accustomed to his new diet choices, he should now incorporate exercise to his diet. However it states in the case study that James works long hours which could be problem if he is trying to incorporate some exercise to his new lifestyle. The way to overcome this problem would be for James to have a plan. He should plan out his life for instance what ime he departs for work, what time he’s back home and the amount of hours he has free after work. Due to the fact that James works long hours, I think that he would benefit highly from buying aerobic DVDS and exercising in the comfort of his own home rather than going to the gym after a tiring day at work. He should start off by buying beginners DVD and gradually progressing to the more intense work out. However the DVDs must be suitable for his age and also he should consult his doctor prior to starting the exercising routine. The advantages of these strategies I have implemented above for James is that he will lose weight, he’ll be living a healthier lifestyle, he’ll become accustomed to not eating unhealthy foods and he would have the skills and knowledge about health and how poor diet contributes highly to health problems. The disadvantage would be if James decided not to act upon the recommendation and continued his bad habits of constantly eating take-away, skipping meals during the day and not exercising. The fact that he is 54 and is overweight is highly worrying because he is now at risk of getting diabetes, clogging up his arteries, suffering from a heart attack and other life threatening health problems. If he does not change his diet he is most likely to endure one of the health problems I have just mentioned and in worst cases it could lead to instant death. James lifestyle also has a huge negative effect on his health. This is because he has no wife or kids, whom could’ve helped James more, by for instance having a healthy cooked meal for him when he returns home from work. This way he would not need to always pick up takeaways on his way home as he would have a healthy cooked meal at home. Also the fact that James works long hours has also affected his health, the reason I believe this is because this could be the reason as to why he skips meals due to not having time to eat during work times which is also now making James feels often tired. James health is at risk, the fact that his working hours are so long may also be the reason to why James has not enrolled in gym, as I mentioned above he may feel extremely tired when he returns home from work and does not have the energy to exercise. Also the fact that he often skips meals does not help the situation because he is not receiving enough nutrients to give him energy he requires. I recommend that James starts off by possibly making slight alterations in his working hours and replace them with time for himself. The reasons for this is because James is clearly on a route to becoming obese and he needs to make some time for himself to exercise and better his health. As well as exercising, as I mentioned in the previous paragraphs, he has to change his eating habits as this is the main reason for his weight issues. I believe that a plan would be very beneficial for James to implement in his life because due to the fact that he’s a chief executive of an international company, means that he possibly has a lot of daily responsibilities at work and if he had a plan of what to eat and what time he has free to exercise, he will not become stressed and confused because it will all be written down. In this plan he should write down all the hours he works during the week and the breaks he has in between, he should also implement his new healthy diet in this plan and write the times he eats meals and snacks in between. I believe that after doing this and following through with the plan, he will adjust to the plan and begin to lose some weight and become healthier. Also more importantly James must always carry a packed lunch and fruits to work so he does not skip lunch and after lunch if he begins to get hungry again, he can snack on some fruits instead of buying unhealthy snacks. In conclusion, I believe that the recommendations I have made for James will only be advantages to him. This is because he will begin to lose the weight he has to lose in order to be healthy; his BMI will drop to average weight and also most importantly he will be living a healthier lifestyle and decrease the risk of having serious health problems. In addition, he will begin to have more energy throughout the day to cope with his every day routine without feeling as tired as he did when he did not pay attention to his diet and weight.

Security Risks for Computers at Home Essay Example for Free

Security Risks for Computers at Home Essay Individuals commonly associate computer security risks exclusively with thoughts regarding computers in businesses and corporations. However, even for an average user, computer security risks are indeed present especially if a connection to the internet is present (Wang, 2003). To some, having risks in relation to the use of personal computers at home may not pertain to anything of serious consideration. In reality though, if one considers the multitude of tasks usually done using the home computer, which often contain important personal data, then security threats for a home computer may be more serious than it is commonly thought of (United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team [USCERT], 2001). Therefore, it is important to assess the potential security threats and methods of attack that are related to home computer security. As mentioned, security threats for the home computer are a reality. In this sense, there are indeed numerous examples of potential security threats especially if one has a connection to the internet and constantly uses the different functions of the web. Some of the most common forms of security threats to home computers are in the form of Trojan horse programs and back door programs. Trojan horse programs are tools in which malicious files are allowed entry to the system upon the placement of the Trojan horse which usually takes the form of something that may not seem harmful based on the evaluation of a common user (USCERT, 2001). Given such functions and features, it is very much apparent as to why Trojan horse programs are called as such. As previously pointed out, back door programs are also examples of programs that pose a threat to home computers. Characteristically, back door programs, which are also referred to as remote administration programs, provide other individuals the means to control the home computer through a network connection (USCERT, 2001). Other home computer security risks come in vastly different forms. For one, an attack termed as denial of service, allow other individuals to incapacitate a home computer by placing extreme amounts of stress upon it in terms of data processing; in addition, it is commonly taken into consideration that individuals that aim to attack other home computers usually take advantage of home computers that they have already compromised (USCERT, 2001). As previously pointed out, home computer users are probably not as skilled in terms of providing protection for their computers and their networks as compared to those that use computers in large businesses and firms. In this sense, unprotected networking shares may be considered as potential entry points used for placing and triggering different security threats; also packet sniffing may be used to take advantage of how private information are sent through a common network (USCERT, 2001). In addition, mobile codes such as Java, Javascript, and even ActiveX as well as cross site scripting, may be used to compromise home computers and the users. Specifically, personal information may easily be attained through such codes and scripts if one is not careful (USCERT, 2001). Individuals that aim to cause harm towards home computer users take into account some of the most common tasks accomplished through the use of the internet. As mentioned, codes and scripts may be used to the detriment of a user during the course of web browsing. Email spoofing and email borne viruses are two of the most common concerns regarding email and its relation to home computer security. While email spoofing may be a form of trickery so that the user may assume that the sender of the information is rather trustworthy and will hence not be cautious in his or her reply, email borne viruses use trickery as well but also uses malicious codes in the form of cleverly disguised as attachments to various types of messages which is made worse by the fact that hidden file extensions may be taken advantage of to make a virus appear to be harmless (USCERT, 2001). In addition, chat clients are also considered to be of potential risk. The main reason for such as consideration is that chat clients are highly similar to email in terms of function (USCERT, 2001). Given a varied assortment of types of security threats to home computers, one may already develop a sense of understanding as to how attackers gain information from a computer system. One method or technique used by attackers is through disguising a security threat as something that seems harmless, as it is quite expectable that even the average user has a sense of what is harmful if it is blatantly evident (Wang, 2003). From the previous discussion, such an approach may be observed from the distribution of Trojan horses, malicious code and scripts on websites, and email and chat client viruses. Expectedly, if the disguised program or code is transferred into the home computer and it is run, then personal information may then be transferred to the attacker. Aside from such an indirect approach, attackers may also use direct approaches in taking personal and important information. As exemplified by packet sniffing and network and computer access through previous placement of a malicious program or through identification and manipulation of weaknesses in security, attackers may use immense technical knowledge to directly select and acquire the information that they need such as credit card numbers (Wang, 2003). In general, it is made evident from the points discussed that home computers are also at risk due to the presence of different potential security risks as well as various ways in which attackers may use such security risks. Home computers that are connected to the internet may be seen both as a source of convenience for users but may also be perceived as a possible tool in which important information utilized by the user may be threatened. There are ways in which the negative aspects of home computing and security risks may be minimized by developing a better understanding of such security threats and methods of attack. Therefore, even for home computer users, broadening the level of knowledge regarding such issues of concern is certainly not a waste of time.

The Analysis Of Bcg Matrix Marketing Essay

The Analysis Of Bcg Matrix Marketing Essay In business, there are times when an organization needs to expand or change the market or field. There are tons of ideas about things one could do. However, it is hard to determine which idea will be the best. Therefore, strategic marketing planning tools will be important and beneficial, such as BCG matrix, Ansoff Matrix or Porter 5 forces and so forth, to help one to evaluate the options and decide on the one that suits the organization and situation best. As a result, it gives the best return on the considerable investment that an organization will need to make. Strategic marketing management involves the process of deciding the marketing strategy to follow and to ensure it is followed correctly, in order to compete against its rivals successfully. In an attempt to assist strategic marketing process, a number of different strategic marketing planning tools have been created. Igor Ansoff, Michael Porter and the Boston Consulting Group have the best known models in the field of business. Strategies are developed according to the objectives within an organization. The establishment of the objectives will normally produce a difference between what had been achieved and what target needs to be met. The uses of strategies are to illustrate how this gap is going to be solved, and objectives met. Strategic Management is a systematic approach to the major and increasingly important responsibility of general management to position and relate the firm to its environment in a way which will assure its continued success and make it secure from surprises( Ansoff, 1990). This paper, it will focus on the BCG Matrix, which is one of the models like PESTEL, SWOT, Ansoff matrix, Gap analysis, GE matrix and Porter 5 forces. It is often used to assess the profits of business or resource allocation and divestment decisions by the marketers. The content of this report will explain and analyse the application of BCG Matrix with some examples. Some of the other analytical tools will also be mentioned in this work. Analysis of BCG matrix BCG Matrix is developed by Bruce Henderson of the Boston Consulting Group in the year of 1968 (BCG, 2012). It is one of the Portfolio analyses. It is used to determine high or low performers of businesses or products depending upon their market growth rate and relative market share. The idea behind this Matrix is that the higher the market share or a better market grows of the product, it is better for the organization. There are four categories in BCG Matrix, which are Stars, Cash cow, Question mark and Dogs (Philip.K, et al., 2008). Furthermore, horizontal axis is given for relative market share position and vertical axis for industry growth rate (Philip.K, et al., 2008). Planners are to classify their products or businesses into the four categories according to their position on the matrix. It provides a framework for analysis and comparison of products or businesses for multinational companies with diverse products. The advantages of using BCG Matrix are to have the ability to pr ioritise a business or product portfolio; it is to know what products are doing well and what are not performing. It provides a useful insight into the potential opportunities and problems associated with a particular product. It is often a convenient graphical form that is easily understood by the staffs who are the decision makers. Taking Nestle company (table 1.0) as an example, prepared dishes and cooking aids, PetCare and confectionery would be classed as Cash cow, beverage products would be a star, whereas pharmaceutical products as Question mark. Water products would most likely to be classed as a Dog. The BCG matrix is linked to the Product life cycle. Introduction, growth, maturity and decline, it represents Question marks, Stars, Cash cows and dogs in the BCG matrix respectively. Referring back to the table 1.0, it shows that PetCare and Confectionery products are at the late maturity period in the Product life cycle. Therefore, Nestle must come out with new and better ide as, in order to prevent or slow down the product from further decline in sales, or perhaps becoming a Dog. However, it is expected that different product will have different life cycle. Therefore, some stars with short life cycle will be better to harvest rather than to commit further investment (Graeme. D and John. E, 2007). In a multinational company, it is essential for its products to have high and low growth rate, such as stars to assure future of the company, cash cows that supply money for further growth and converting questions marks into stars, it is because a balanced product portfolio will maximise organisation revenue. As mentioned by Bruce Henderson Only a diversified company with a balanced portfolio can use its strengths to truly capitalize on growth opportunities(BCG.P, 2010). The benefits of high growth products include high return at the cost of wide ranging resource to market. For low growth rate products, its benefits are customers familiarity with the product, t hus, lesser cost for marketing and a constant source of revenue. With the help of BCG matrix, it can be identified how organization cash resources can be used to maximize a companys future growth and profitability. It provides the criteria for determining which products or business one should invest in, hold, harvest or divest. However, the BCG matrix is only useful to a certain extent, and its limitation makes it increasingly less accurate. The BCG matrix was created in 1970s; therefore, it is expected to be less accurate in the current society especially during periodic recession (Blythe, 2006). The situation in the current business market is much more complicated than before. Abell and Hammond recommended that it should add two more practical strategies, Freeze and Cut into the Matrix (Abell, et al., 1979). Freeze basically stopping all investment and do not plan new ones during a recession or crisis, and cut means that cutting services by reducing some activities. The model of BCG matrix discouraged organizations to invest in businesses with a less than 10% growth rate in a year. During the hard time, many companies will not have a growth of 10%.Thus, it is not accurate to rely on BCG matrix during an economic downturn; it might create confusion in the companys direction. The connection between market share and profitability is arguable because sometimes low share businesses can be profitable too and vice versa (Babette Craig, 2012). As mention by experts, the markets are difficult to determine with a huge amount of overlaps and complex segmentation (Macmillan. H, 2000). There are many portfolios in real businesses consist of a high percentage of dog businesses and few star businesses (Macmillan. H, 2000). Thus, portfolio analysis is criticized for offering little help in these circumstances. Growth rate and market share are only one aspect of industry attractiveness and overall competitive position respectively. The market definition and measurement are not perfect as there are some problems faced (Wensley. R, 1981). H ence, poor definition of business market might lead to some misclassification, such as dogs, become cash cows. Moreover, the matrix mainly focus on the investment in current products of a company, thus, it might neglect alternative investment such as setting new product lines or investing in new technology which could be better than investing in current products or services. The matrix also ignores the potential competitive responses. When an organization tried to build their market shares and support growth, it is likely to get responses from the competitors as retaliation (Blythe, 2006). Furthermore, it is too simplistic and general just to use high and low to form four categories, which lead to a low accuracy analysis. In addition, the matrix is based on cash revenue, whereby profit should be a better phrase to use as it means the financial gain after all the deduction of expense from the revenue. General electric (GE) matrix developed by Mckinsey is a similar matrix that overcom es some of the disadvantage of BCG matrix. It uses market attractiveness instead of market growth rate which included a broader range of factors compare to growth rate. It also replaced market share into competitive strength which assessed each SBU with competitive positioning (Kozami,2002). However, this paper will not go into the details of GE matrix due to the words constraint. With the obvious limitations of BCG Matrix, it is not recommended to use the matrix alone. It is an portfolio analysis tools which focus on the internal of an organization, thus, it is always best to use with external analysis tools such as SWOT. SWOT will look at matters like the strength and weakness of the company, and the opportunities and threats that might occur. It is used to measure the degree of strategic fit between the organization and its environment. As a combination with BCG matrix, BCG matrix will focus on the internal factors and SWOT will be focusing on the external factors, therefore, the O T of SWOT will be mainly suggest to use alongside with BCG matrix. For example, with the O T, the organization can recognise the opportunities and threats in Nestle such as an increase in health conscious society (PRweb, 2012) provide a huge opportunity for Nestle to produce more health care products and raw ingredient prices for chocolate production are increasing will affect the profit margin as threat (Christopher, 2011). If only BCG matrix is used, the planners will miss the external factors like the society or raw materials pricing which might cause problems to the organization. According to experts, it mentioned that a mixture of two or more analysis tools is recommended for a holistic view of strategic scenario (Wind, et al, 1983). Therefore, it is essential for an organization to capture the internal and external factors to strengthen the company. Conclusion This paper focused on the analysis of BCG matrix, it evaluated the usefulness and weakness of the model. Recommendations also had been advised for further enhancement of the usefulness of the model. Although BCG Matrix has a number of limitations, it is still one of the most popular portfolio planning tools used by big companies with diverse products. It can measure the growth rate and relative market share of each sector in a table form. The table shows a clear understanding on how an organization is performing. With a simple and clear understanding, the company can develop strategies to deal with the sectors, and achieve the organizations aimed goals and objectives. It is also useful for small businesses to survey the companys market share and growth, in relation to relative market to see how products are performing. Lastly, BCG Matrix is not a tool to replace management decision or vision. It is a tool to help managers or planners to evaluate their strategy alternatives together w ith other analysis tools, such as SWOT. 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[Online] Available at: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3objectid=10701792. [Accessed 22 November 12]. Graeme, Drummond, and John Ensor, 2007. Strategic Marketing: Planning and Control. 3rd ed. Oxford: A Butterworth-Heinemann Title. Kozami, Azhar, 2002. Business Policy and Strategic Management. 2nd ed. India: Tata McGraw-Hill. Macmillan, Hugh, 2000. Strategic management: process, content, and implementation. 1st ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Nestle. 2010. 2010 Annual Report. [Online] Available at: http://www.nestle.com/Common/NestleDocuments/Documents/Library/Documents/Annual_Reports/2010-Annual-Report-EN.pdf. [Accessed 03 November 12]. Nestle. 2011. 2011 Annual Report. [Online] Available at: http://www.nestle.com/Common/NestleDocuments/Documents/Library/Documents/Annual_Reports/2011-Annual-Report-EN.pdf. [Accessed 03 November 12]. Philip Kotler,Gary Armstrong, Veronica Wong and John Saunders, 2008. Principles of marketing. 5th ed. Italy: Pearson Education. PRWeb. 2012. Yahoo news. [Online] Available at: http://news.yahoo.com/increasing-popularity-growing-health-consciousness-fuel-growth-global-130305822.html. [Accessed 22 November 12]. Wensley, Robin, 1994. Making better decisions: The challenge of marketing strategy techniques. International Journal of Research in Marketing, [Online]. 11/1, pp85-90. Available at: http://www.sciencedirect.com.libproxy.ncl.ac.uk/science/article/pii/0167811694900361 [Accessed 04 November 2012]. Wind, Young, Mahajan, Vijay and Donald, Swire., 1983. An Empirical Comparison of Standardized Portfolio Models. Journal of Marketing, [Online]. 47(2), pp89-99. Available at: http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=247ec63a-e348-45c1-a7b8-e1819fa6169a%40sessionmgr11vid=2hid=21 [Accessed 22 November 2012].