Black Is Black Aint Essay

The final film by Marlon Riggs, Black is†¦Black Ain’t, is concerned with the state of the African American community. This film essentially asks the question, what does it mean to be black? The director and producer, Marlon Riggs, guides viewers along an â€Å"an up-front examination of racism, sexism, and homophobia within the black community itself. Bringing together personal stories, interviews, music, history, and performance, Black Is†¦ Black Ain’t asks African Americans: What is black, black enough, or too black? †1 Unfortunately, the AIDS-stricken director died before the film was completed. This film operates as a kind of last will and testament for Marlon Riggs. â€Å"He bequeaths the idea that rigid notions of what is or is not black behavior, of who is or isn’t black, need to be abandoned for the sake of strengthening the sense of community within the race. †2 The beginning of Black Is†¦ Black Ain’t explores the meanings associated with word black. I was very surprised to discover how most black people didn’t prefer being called or labeled black. Everything associated with the word black leads to disgrace and fear. Hence, the word black made most feel less than. At this time, a code of silence existed amongst black people. Living in a society that might lynch a person for being black, it makes sense that celebrating your blackness was forbidden. This eventually leads to the emasculation and castration of the black male. Pre civil rights, most black males were viewed as laughing, singing, entertainers and servants. The men were considered weak, and the women were considered strong and unwomanly. Anything associated with looking black was considered bad. The film uses the example of white hair as the good hair and frizzy curl hair as the bad hair. Post civil rights, out of centuries of emasculation, the black man needs to reclaim his power. Black people now embraced the word black as an act of self-empowerment. The black man now became patriarch. â€Å"Black Is†¦ Black Ain’t forcefully confronts the identification of blackness with a hyper-masculinity born of the ’60s Black Power movement. †3 Unfortunately, this self-empowerment has the capacity to imprison as well as liberate. The film reminds us that â€Å"slavery and its aftermath involved the emasculation-physical as well as psychological – of black men, the drive for black power was usually taken to mean a call for black male power, despite the needs of (and often with the complicity of) black women. That continues to result in the devaluing of black female contributions to the liberation struggle and in the subordination of black women in general. †4 The result of emasculation became hyper masculinity. This phenomenon confined the meaning of what it meant to be black even further. For example, to be black is not to be homosexual. This is due to the notion of homosexuality as the ultimate weakness. Hence there is often prejudice of homosexuals in the black community. The homophobic initiative from the black Catholic Church doesn’t make the situation any better. Hence, Marlon Riggs ties in his own story as a gay black man with AIDS. It really assists the film in showing the restrictions that exist in black unity. So what is the black identity? Are you black enough? Do you talk black? Are you a hyper masculine heterosexual male with kinky hair and a criminal record? I can see how it must be difficult to maintain a sense of communal self. Angela Davis one of the speakers in the film, provides this answer: â€Å"You take some color, a dash or a big dollop, it don’t matter, and you blend it with an assortment of physical features that reflect every face you might possibly encounter on this great earth, mix that up with a culture that just loves to improvise, signify, reclaim, renew, and read – and you’ve got, the recipe, for black folk. † 1 Independent Television Service 2 Cliff Thompson, â€Å"Black Is †¦ Black Ain’t† 3 Independent Television Service 4 Cliff Thompson, â€Å"Black Is †¦ Black Ain’t†.

Time Of The Past

At the age of 25 I was one of the most treasured managers in a profitable company in my small village town. My repute had entangled the whole town and this is why everybody gazed at me every time I went down the streets doing my shopping like every body else. My life style was the most expensive you would envisage because every shoe and cloth I put on was imported.At this time I did not mind so much about the future since I was single and had no one to care for except my parents who needed little of my financial help because they were already well of. My lucrative job was something that I cherished so much that I devoted most of my time in ensuring that I remained the top performing manager in the company. As a result I had several opportunities of attending sponsored conferences not only in my country but also outside the country. I was far much ahead of many friends I learnt with, and this gave me every reason to celebrate my life and achievements.Due to this, I had no option but t o detach myself from many of my friends who would book appointments if they wanted to meet up with me. It seemed like the supply of riches by the creator had been directed towards my side because everything seemed elegant to me.The company had offered me with a number of company vehicles the rationale for which I have by no means been able to ascertain to this day. But I gape that the company was making super normal profits which made the president plan less and did not care about the unwarranted company expenditures. As a result, the company’s performance begun to dwindle but disproportionately to what the company gained at the end of the day.Little did any one of us notice that losing a single consumer was the commencement of a big down fall that awaited us. Decisions were made without a vision of expanding the operations of the company to make the company top its competitors. We thought that we had reached the sun only to comprehend later that we had not stepped in the moo n.What followed will always remain in my mind as the most downbeat and hardest part of my life to this day. My pay was reduced by half because the company begun making massive losses and most of our customers lost confidence in the company. My job remained at stake because the marketing department that I headed was the key in sourcing for customers who kept the company flying high but in contradiction they were leaving.After a short while a letter of termination of my services knocked on my door and since I didn’t have any share in the company I had no option but to relinquish my duties. Huge loans that I had obtained from different institutions became a major headache because I had no other source of income. Auctioneers became my regular visitors as they frequently knocked on my door to take whatever was equivalent to the debts I had.A few months that followed found me in the streets dining with people I had all along thought I would never brush shoulders with. This time it was more degrading because people either laughed or sympathized with my situation. To this day I live yearning for those days when I was the head of marketing department at Hill Cage Company.     

Tax law Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Tax law - Case Study Example Jones to change Smithon from a fiscal year end to calendar year end and convert it to an S corporation. You asked that I give you definitive answers regarding the outright purchase of Smithon stock, as well as the potential merger or acquisition of Smithon by Johnson Services. Of these two main issues there are several minor points that need addressed? I will break each section down and answer those questions specifically, definitively responding for each. To be addressed first is, 1. the outright purchase of Smithon stock a. Should you purchase the stock of Smith outright, leaving Smithon intact? What about issuing debt in your Johnson Services company to pay for the Smith Company-would that raise debt to equity issues? It is sometimes better to purchase the stock of Smithon outright, however, in looking at the potential benefit of using the credit power of Johnson Services and issuing corporate bonds you would free up the cash necessary to make changes if they become a need. There is also the added benefit of the debt tax shield. IRC 514 expands on debt-finance income when one uses income gained by borrowing against investment property. (IRC 514) Obviously, an issue is the potential problem with debt to equity, however, given the losses posted by Johnson Services recently it seems expedient to explore corporate bonds or additional share opportunities and use the cash available to re-tool Smithon. By using the available debt tax shield, you stand to benefit in numerous ways from using Johnson Services as a backer for purchasing Smithon. One potential disadvantage is that issuing debt can increase the risk of bankruptcy. (Damodaran 9) b. Should I convert Smithon to an S corporation and change the fiscal year end to a calendar year end? c. What potential income tax ramifications exist for me if I purchase the stock of Smithon and convert it to an S corporation? If you use the credit available from Johnson to purchase Smithon it would be beneficial to retain the C status of that corporation and take full advantage of the corporate tax benefits resulting. However, if you decide to use cash to purchase Smithon and end up with a large personal liability then converting it to S status would become more beneficial. Due to increased taxes on a personal level with the utilization of â€Å"mean testing† it would seem more personally beneficial to retain the C status of the corporation and keep the potential income from that business out of the data included in the â€Å"mean testing.† The income of an S corporation is generally taxed to the shareholders of that corporation rather than the corporation itself. (IRS form 2553 1) As for changing from a fiscal to calendar year end, this would result in filing a short tax year, and additional expenses administratively with no real net benefit. d. Should I merge Johnson Services and Smithon? What type of merger or acquisition would be best (i.e., A type, etc.)? Because there are no available data sets as to the similarities between Smithon Widgets manufacturing and Johnson Services it would be necessary to further explore the ability for both companies to function together. If a merger becomes an option and is pursued successfully the most effective merger type given the information currently available would be the conglomeration merger. This type of merger is between two businesses that are involved in totally unrelated activities. There is the

Employee Motivation in the Management Field of Google Inc Case Study

Employee Motivation in the Management Field of Google Inc - Case Study Example Mansar and Reijers (2007) reckon that management in an organization should ensure effective communication, employee motivation, and alignment of employee activities to the achievement of the organization’s objectives. This can be construed to mean that management is not the handling of machines/automated program, but handling humans through communication, and an assenting enterprise endeavor. This paper seeks to elucidate on an issue of employee motivation in the management field. This will be achieved by conducting a case study on one of the largest corporation in the world (Google) while linking management theories to management practices in that corporation. Google is an American conglomerate, which specializes in providing internet-based services such as search engine service, cloud computing, manufacture and sale of software, as well as online marketing services. Most of Google’s profits come from Ad-Words. Its hasty growth since incorporation has elicited production of a series of merchandises, multiple acquisitions, and mergers. As a result, Google is one of the corporations with the largest employee base in the world of around 37,000 in 40 countries. Contemporary conglomerates are relentlessly coming up with new management techniques to acquire top talent, keep hold of that top talent, and come up with imaginative ways to keep them motivated so as to achieve paramount productivity in their respective industries. This essay investigates how Google Inc uses management techniques to motivate its employees to become top-producing individuals who can formulate preeminent ideas and products. The essay will explore how Google Inc has structured its management so as to endow its employees with the best environment and how it motivates them with intrinsic and extrinsic techniques.  

Finite Element Analysis of structures Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Finite Element Analysis of structures - Essay Example Each element contains nodes which are points were the elements are mathematically connected to one another. The idea of dividing a domain up into subdomains is the basic principle of how FEA works' FEA consists of a computer model of a material or design that is stressed and analyzed for specific results. It is used in new product design, and existing product refinement. A company is able to verify a proposed design will be able to perform to the client's specifications prior to manufacturing or construction. Modifying an existing product or structure is utilized to qualify the product or structure for a new service condition. In case of structural failure, FEA may be used to help determine the design modifications to meet the new condition. There are generally two types of analysis that are used in industry: 2-D modeling, and 3-D modeling. While 2-D modeling conserves simplicity and allows the analysis to be run on a relatively normal computer, it tends to yield less accurate results. 3-D modeling, however, produces more accurate results while sacrificing the ability to run on all but the fastest computers effectively. Within each of these modeling schemes, the programmer can insert numerous algorithms (functions) which may make the system behave linearly or non-linearly. Linear systems are far less complex and generally do not take into account plastic deformation. Non-linear systems do account for plastic deformation, and many also are capable of testing a material all the way to fracture. How Does Finite Element Analysis Work' FEA uses a complex system of points called nodes which make a grid called a mesh . This mesh is programmed to contain the material and structural properties which define how the structure will react to certain loading conditions. Nodes are assigned at a certain density throughout the material depending on the anticipated stress levels of a particular area. Regions which will receive large amounts of stress usually have a higher node density than those which experience little or no stress. Points of interest may consist of: fracture point of previously tested material, fillets, corners, complex detail, and high stress areas. The mesh acts like a spider web in that from each node, there extends a mesh element to each of the adjacent nodes. This web of vectors is what carries the material properties to the object, creating many elements. A wide range of objective functions (variables within the system) are available for minimization or maximization: Mass, volume, temperature Strain energy, stress strain Force, displacement, velocity, acceleration Synthetic (User defined) There are multiple loading conditions which may be applied to a system. Next to Figure 3, some examples are shown: Point, pressure (Figure 3), thermal, gravity, and centrifugal static loads Thermal loads from solution of heat transfer analysis Enforced displacements Heat flux and convection Point, pressure and gravity dynamic loads Each FEA program may come with an element library, or one is constructed over time. Some sample elements are: Rod elements Beam elements Plate/Shell/Composite elements Shear panel Solid elements Spring elements Mass elements Rigid elements Viscous damping elements Many FEA programs also are equipped with the capability to use multiple materials within the structure such as: Isotropic, identical throughout Orthotropic, identical at 90 degrees General anisotropic, different throughout Types of

GOOD CITY FORMS AND HEALTHY COMMUNITY Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

GOOD CITY FORMS AND HEALTHY COMMUNITY - Essay Example In the article, the author argues going back to these basics to make new cities worth living in. A re-examination of the urban planning ideas of Lynch includes efficiency and justice as well. It further appeals to consider city size, future growth, and conservation measures when making plans, as most cities today are also ill and sterile, lacking diversity and vibrancy (Ford 247). In this second article by Y. R. Jabareen, entitled â€Å"Sustainable Urban Forms: Their Typologies, Models, and Concepts† and published in the Journal of Planning Education and Research back in September of 2006, the author who is connected with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, in the Department of Urban Studies, he identifies the four sustainable types of major urban forms, namely: neotraditional development, the compact city, urban containment, and lastly, the ecological city. Any of these urban forms utilizes a combination of the seven main design concepts in terms of environmental planning for sustainability which are compactness, transport, density, mixed-land use, diversity, passive solar design, and lastly, greening (Jabareen 39), which is essentially just an elaboration of the ideas of David Lynch. In â€Å"Urban Development and Climate Change† and published in 2008, an entirely new perspective was drawn based on concerns of climate change as countries grapple with the issue of urban sprawl, and that is how to reduce gas emission by reducing the vehicle-miles-traveled (VMT) by using compact development as the role model (Ewing et al. 201). By their estimates, compactness helps to reduce VMT by approximately 20% to 40% because it eliminates long commutes, which in turn reduces the gas emissions by around 7% to 10% as they made some plausible assumptions in their study models, up to the year 2050. For most of local governments worried about global warming, it is a good idea as it

Company Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Company Law - Essay Example Limited liability possessed by companies shield shareholders and directors from any costs related to the company’s failure. Genuine failure of business, which occurs even after a diligent management of a business, followed by a subsequent change of corporate entity, can be viewed as a legitimate utilization of the corporate form. Fraudulent phoenix activity, in its basic form, involves an entity carrying out its business via accumulation of debt with no intention of re-servicing the debt for wealth creation and giving a boost to the business’ cash flow (Hannigan, 2012). The corporate entity then liquidates in order to avoid being made to repay their debts. However, the business exists under a different name but is controlled by the same group of individuals. However, most fraudulent phoenix arrangements are more sophisticated than this. A typical arrangement of this nature is structured as follows: a closely held group is put up, consisting of various entities such as o ne, which plays the role of human resource management. The entity charged with hiring labor normally has one director who does not serve as the group’s ultimate controller. The entity has very few assets and minimal share capital. When the labor hire entity cannot fulfill its liabilities, it is put into liquidation or administration by the ATO. Another labor hire entity is put up, with the labor moved to work under the new entity, with the process being repeated with limited or no disruptions to daily operations. The financial benefits reaped from unpaid liabilities are then shared out among the whole group. An example of this involves a labor hire business with an annual turnover of thirty million dollars and negligible assets, which is made up of fragmented operations through fifty-three related companies. These companies lodged accurate BA statements but did not remit the amounts required under the PAYG system. The director of the single company then proceeded to liquidate all of the other companies in a matter of one week, moving his two thousand seven hundred strong work force into eight newly created entities and went on trading. The director then proceeded to flee the country with over eight million dollars in unpaid taxes. The labor hire firm continues its trade activities without complying with the set down obligations. Rule Australia’s regime of corporate law is based on the Corporations Act 2001, which provides for the separation of control and ownership and imposes specific duties on directors, aimed at ensuring that they stay loyal to the company (Macmillan, 2012). The duties that are expected from the director are, in addition to those they have, under general law. If a director gets involved in phoenix activities, then he or she breaches several director duties such as duties that concern proper information use, duty not to allow a company to keep accumulating debt during insolvency, and the duty of good faith. Fraudulent phoenix a ctivity could also involve contraventions of part 5.8A provisions of the corporations ACT that aim to protect the entitlement of employees, as well as voidable transactions. During these circumstances, civil recovery mechanisms, coupled with other general law features, which seek to protect company members and creditors against operators with unscrupulous intentions, may be started (Pennington, 2011). However, the Act required several amendments as