A History of Adinkra Symbols

A History of Adinkra Symbols Adinkra is a cotton cloth produced in Ghana and Cà ´te dIvoire which has traditional Akan symbols stamped upon it. The adinkra symbols represent popular proverbs and maxims, record historical events, express particular attitudes or behavior related to depicted figures, or concepts uniquely related to abstract shapes. It is one of several traditional cloths produced in the region. The other well-known cloths are kente and adanudo. The symbols were often linked with a proverb, so they convey more meaning than a single word. Robert Sutherland  Rattray compiled a list of 53 adinkra symbols in his book, Religion and Art in Ashanti, in 1927. The History of Adinkra Cloth and Symbols The Akan people (of what is now Ghana and Cà ´te dIvoire) had developed significant skills in weaving by the sixteenth century, with Nsoko (present-day Begho) being an important weaving center. Adinkra, originally produced by the Gyaaman clans of the Brong region, was the exclusive right of royalty and spiritual leaders, and only used for important ceremonies such as funerals. Adinkra means goodbye. During a military conflict at the beginning of the nineteenth century, caused by the Gyaaman trying to copy the neighboring Asantes golden stool (the symbol of the Asante nation), the Gyaaman king was killed. His adinkra robe was taken by Nana Osei Bonsu-Panyin, the  Asante Hene  (Asante King), as a trophy. With the robe came the knowledge of adinkra aduru (the special ink used in the printing process) and the process of stamping the designs onto cotton cloth. Over time the Asante further developed adinkra symbology, incorporating their own philosophies, folk tales, and culture. Adinkra symbols were also used on pottery, metalwork (especially  abosodee), and are now incorporated into modern commercial designs (where their related meanings give added significance to the product), architecture and sculpture. Adinkra Cloth Today Adinkra cloth is more widely available today, although the traditional methods of production are very much in use. The traditional ink (adinkra aduru) used for stamping is obtained by boiling the bark of the Badie tree with iron slag. Because the ink is not fixed, the material should not be washed. Adinkra cloth is used in Ghana for special occasions such as weddings and initiation rites. Note that African fabrics often differ between those made for local use and those that are exported. The cloth for local use is usually replete with hidden meanings or local proverbs, allowing locals to make particular statements with their costume. Those fabrics produced for overseas markets tend to use more sanitized symbology. Use of Adinkra Symbols You will find adinkra symbols on many exported items, such as furniture, sculpture, pottery, t-shirts, hats and other clothing items in addition to fabric. Another popular use of the symbols is for tattoo art. You should further research the meaning of any symbol before deciding to use it for a tattoo to ensure it conveys the message you desire.

Discussion 1 week 2 Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) Assignment

Discussion 1 week 2 Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) - Assignment Example Audit quality has improved, more financial experts have found positions in these committees and number of financial restatements has declined significantly (Cohn 2012). Apple is a global company which is currently facing pollution problems because of a few of its suppliers (Haselton 2011). With the help of SOX, it can pressurize its suppliers to abide by full disclosure rule of corporate policies and avoid breaking environmental laws. Similarly, companies like Lenovo and IBM face criticisms due to their disposal activities jeopardizing the environment. The SOX framework is constituted in a manner which comprises all essential elements of reducing white-collar crime and misalignments in shareholder-auditor interests. The SOX framework talks about the independence of auditor from those who own the company (Sec 404), responsibility of senior executives in presenting true and accurate records (Sec 409), areas where conflict of interests can happen, penalties for alteration/manipulation of financial data and even corporate crimes including offences and failure to comply with rules and regulations (Sec 802). With the help of these sections and sub-sections, companies under the pressure of corporate social responsibility can be encouraged to abide by the rules. Evaluate how the SOX has reinforced investors’ and creditors’ confidence in companies and how these individuals can take steps to verify the accuracy of the financial statements of potential investments or loans. Provide support for your rationale.   SOX has emerged as an apt and demanded medium to expose financial manipulations in corporate activities. Its most important element which reinforces trust and confidence is its emphasis on both the companies and the auditors being accountable and transparent in their deeds. For instance, Tyco International had its shareholders’

PEPFAR Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

PEPFAR - Essay Example PEPFAR, the largest and most ambitions healthcare initiative in history came into being on January 1st, 2003. In response to ever-increasing concerns over the social, political and economic consequences of AID, the United States passed PEPFAR into public policy/legislature and declared a 15 billion dollar commitment to the policy. While PEPFAR is dedicated to the fight against AID as a global epidemic, its primary focus is upon the 15 countries which have the highest incident rates, those being Botswana, Cote d'Ivoire, Ethiopia, Guyana, Haiti, Kenya, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Vietnam, and Zambia. Public bill 108-25 outlines PEPFAR's aims and objectives, further establishing its mechanisms and strategies for service delivery. As clearly outlined in PB 108-25, PEPFAR's AID-combat philosophy is governed by the ABC principle, or the "Abstain, Be faithful, use Condoms" model, whose effectiveness has, since 1986, been established upon implementation in all of Uganda, Jamaica, Ethiopia and Senegal. PEPFAR's immediate objectives are the provision of Antiretroviral treatment to approximately 822,000 people living with HIV in the previously mentioned focus countries, expected to increase to 2 million, the extension of care to a total of 10 million and the prevention of approximately 7 million new infections

Law of Evidence Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 1

Law of Evidence - Essay Example The burden of proof aims to provide a jury with at least enough evidence to support the position of a reasonable doubt of the guilt of the accused. Therefore what must be determined in this case is whether the defendant will be obliged to adhere to a legal or evidential burden of proof. The leading case in the nature of the legal burden of proof in English criminal law1 is that of Woolmington v. Director of Public Prosecutions2, in which Viscount Sankey stated that â€Å"it is the duty of the prosecution to prove the prisoner’s guilt subject to†¦.insanity†¦.[and also]†¦statutory exception.† Therefore, applying the standard set out in this case, it would appear that the onus of the burden of proof will be placed upon the prosecution rather than on the defence. However, research suggests that this has not generally been the case. A study conducted by Ashworth and Blake showed that the legal burden of proof was placed upon defendants to prove a statutory defence in at least 40% of the Crown court cases3. Therefore, in a criminal case the defendant may likely bear the burden of proof, depending upon the circumstances and the statute (in this case, the Road Traffic Offenders Act of 1988)4. In the recent case of Sheldrake v DPP5 the question of whether driving offences would come under the purview of criminal offences and could therefore constitute a requirement for a legal burden of proof from both prosecution and defense was raised. In arriving at its decision, the Court also took into account the question of whether imposing a legal burden of proof on the defendant and thereby rendering him liable for conviction even when a reasonable doubt existed, would be in contravention of the presumption of innocence that works in favor of every defendant in a criminal case. The question of whether a legal or evidential standard of proof was to be levied required the Court to strike a balance between the

Qatar Petroleum Essay Example for Free

Qatar Petroleum Essay Qatar Petroleum aims at maintaining high level of safety by trying to reach a zero level of people and environmental harm. The company uses Electronic Document Management System (EDMS) to maintain its daily operations. The methods helps them to save their documents in an organized format, retrieve them for future use share and use them. They also have a team which holds regular surveys of the whole petroleum plant especially of the pipelines. A record of all their daily activities is kept using the EDMS system as mentioned above. A report on the organizations activities can be obtained from their website as well as a book written by P. Tuson Records of Qatar: primary documents, 1820-1960; ed. P. Tuson. Archive edns, 1991. (8v) . Since any oil company poses numerous threats , benchmarks have been set to avoid them or reduce their occurance. Limitations have been set on their expansion, to share mproved ideas and information , maintain an unbreachable security checks and register them regularly. Workers undergo regular physical check-ups and their protective suits are also regularly scrutinized for emission penetration. There are also regular checks held by the government to ensure all the safety activities are being followed regularly. Qatar Petroleum is however not free from threats. Any oil company , Qatar being the biggest is susceptible to terrorist attack as the destruction caused will be massive , eading to a high death rate and heavy financial losses. Avoiding intrusion will be difficult as these companies are located by the sea and remote areas. The attack can be on refineries, distribution system, maritime transport , developmental and exploration sites. Oil companies pose their own threat too as any fault in the whole plant, being of the minutest nature, can lead to the same type of damage as would be caused by any terrorist attack.

The Virgin Birth of Jesus Essays -- essays research papers

The Virgin Birth of Jesus Old Testament Fulfilled Prophecies The Virgin birth of Christ is an actual Historical fact. God came (in the sinless form of Jesus) into the earth "HE" created. No other event in the past has had so much impact out side of Calvary where Christ paid the price for our transgressions. Seven hundred years earlier, this was prophesied by the prophet Isaiah and it came about just as predicated in (Matthew 1:22, 23) In Isaiah 7:14, we take notice what the prophet Isaiah said about this male child or "Son". He prophesied that Jesus Christ would be born of a "Virgin." The word says "Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign: Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and call his name Immanuel. The prophet Isaiah prophesied that this male child WOULD BE INCARNATE. (Isaiah 9:6) "For unto us a child is born unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, THE MIGHTY GOD, THE EVERLASTING FATHER, the prince of peace. THE GOSPEL INTRODUCTION OF JESUS I read about Jesus in the four gospels of the New Testament. In their narratives of his birth, Matthew and Luke call him the virgin-born Savior, the Lord Christ Jesus, the Holy One, the So of the Most High, the Son of God, and Immanuel, which means "God with us." Mark does not give us an account of Christ's birth, but he dows introduce him as Jesus Christ, the son of God. John, like...

Graduation Speech: The Best Four Years of My Life! :: Graduation Speech, Commencement Address

Hi, my name is Pat and I would like to start today by thanking the seniors of 2012 for choosing me to speak today. It is truly my honor. You know, it is really strange how quickly time passes, after spending my whole childhood wishing I was an adult, now here we are and it's a little hard to grasp. It feels like just yesterday I was standing here in the same position at eighth grade graduation. Ahh, middle school, such a joyous time for all of us, free of maturity and not a care in the world. The biggest decisions I ever had to make then was deciding which group to stand with at passing time and choosing which shirt from my extensive collection of Stussy and No Feat apparel to wear. We were all naive to the danger that lurked just around the corner. We were unaware that the carefree world we lived in was about to come crashing to the ground in a blazing inferno of real school work and responsibility ... otherwise known as high school. I am only kidding. It's just when you're young it is easy to get caught up in the here and now, and hard to look to the future. I thought high school would never end and now here we are on the brink of having to go out into the world and actually support ourselves!? I now feel like I never really appreciated my time here and never realized what a valuable experience it would be for me. I spent so much time complaining about high school, I never really had anytime left over to just enjoy myself. There are so many experiences from high school we will all carry with us through out our whole lives and will ultimately help determine what kind of person we are. By the time the end of my junior year rolled around I was ready to get away, so I enrolled in the Running Start program. I felt I had outgrown all that school activities had to offer and I wanted to just get on with my life. But as many teachers have clearly demonstrated over the last four years; you never get too old or too mature to have a little fun in high school. It took me this year to realize this. It was around homecoming that I started to feel a little left out.