Global Digital Store – Ebooks and Softwares

Tag: history

  • On Your Marks, Get Set, Africa!

    In the face of declining world markets and the lack of prospects in the West, Africa is looking more and more like a place to do business.

    Africa, with all its angst and chaotic history and struggle with social upheaval is showing a resilience and sense of survival at which we can marvel.

    The International Monetary Fund anticipates emerging economies in general and Africa in particular will expand by 4.5% this year and 4.8% in 2013. An interesting indicator has been residential property values, which, on average, rose by 8% in 2011. (AFDB Statistics) Economic growth is expected to continue despite recessionary trends in some parts of the world.

    Although income disparities exist across Africa an authentic middle class is evolving. It is estimated that sixty million African households have annual incomes greater than $3,000 at market exchange rates. By 2015, that number is expected to reach a hundred million.

    Urbanisation is pushing up demand for all kinds of real estate: office space, retail complexes and of course, housing. The growth of, and potential for, infrastructure projects abounds. This has the positive spins off for labour too.

    South African business, it could be said, is scrambling. Recently Resilient, known for its successful serial development of non-metropolitan shopping malls outside of the major urban nodes, expressed dissatisfaction with local red tape and revealed it would spend more than 1 billion rand building 10 shopping malls in Nigeria. The malls, 10,000 square meters and 15,000 square meters in size, will be built over the next three years in the capital, Abuja, and the city of Lagos respectively, the main commercial hubs. Shoprite, Africa’s largest food retailer, will be the major tenant.

    Wal-Mart-owned Massmart last month said it would invest in African growth and hoped to grow its food retail business from about R7bn to about R20bn over the next five years. But it’s South African food retailers Shoprite and Pick n’ Pay’s whose sites are firmly set on Africa. Pick n Pay has increased its African growth, using R1,4bn from the sale of Franklins in Australia.

    Shoprite, which has only about 123 stores in Africa compared to about 1730 locally, says another 174 stores will be added in Africa next year. Pick n’ Pay on the other hand is aiming to expand into Malawi and the DRC within the year. The food retailer has over 93 stores in Africa North of South Africa. Zambia and Zimbabwe are on the cards for expansion. Woolworth, not to be outdone has opened 14 stores through its Enterprise Development Programme in Nigeria, Uganda, Zambia, Kenya, Mauritius, Tanzania and Mozambique. Woolworths currently has a presence in 12 countries with nearly 60 stores across Africa, excluding South Africa.

    Further investment in the African playing field could come in the form of buy-outs of South African food retailers by the likes of Tesco, Carrefour and Metro. Wal-Mart’s consumption of Massmart has already been well publicised.

    On a slightly different tack, Don’t Waste Services (DWS), the largest on-site waste management company in South Africa, has publicized their intention to open affiliates in Botswana, Kenya, Zambia, Mauritius and Swaziland. The company – is active in the mining, retail, hospitality, healthcare and large industry markets and currently provides waste minimisation services to 300 corporate clients across their portfolios of sites. Having recently expanded into Mauritius, the company is keen to duplicate their successful model in other African countries.

    On the real estate front JHI Properties Zimbabwe has added another 15 properties to its portfolio of over 50 since it is to manage unlisted property investment fund, Ascendant Property Fund (APF). JHI has already expanded from its South African home base into Zambia, Ghana, Namibia, Botswana, Lesotho and Nigeria. This further expansion comes as Zimbabwe is experiencing exceptional growth in the retail market at a rate of some nine per cent plus year on year. APF CEO Kura Chihota anticipates actively pursuing growth in Zimbabwe. “With Zimbabwe’s anticipated economic growth rate of nine per cent per annum, prospects look promising.” said Chihota recently.

    JHI Properties was also appointed as the leasing agents for Joina City, a new upmarket ‘urban city’ in Harare incorporating four floors of retail with 18 floors of offices. Anchor tenants include big South Africa names Spar and Edgars.

    Bringing us to Bigan. Bigan, that brought us Mombela Stadium in Nelspruit, Olievehotbosch Ministerial housing projects, the Oliver Tambo International Pier Project and ESKOM Coal Hauleage Road Repair, is negotiating partnering with Ghanaian real estate companies to build affordable houses for the poor and middle income earners.

    Ghana’s housing deficit stands at about 1.5 million units. Bigan believes it has the capacity to deliver and help reduce Ghana’s housing deficit. Based on their experience in South Africa, Bigan’s Emmanuel Kere believes that the company can “support not only the (housing) sector in Ghana but infrastructure development in general.”

    Bigan claims to build 30 000 houses in South Africa annually and has a lot to offer Ghanaian companies. Chairman of Bigen Africa, Dr Iraj Abedian said that the company was attracted to Ghana because of the country’s stable political environment and friendly business atmosphere. Bigan makes no apology that it intends to use Ghana as a springboard to launch operations into Senegal, Liberia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone.

    The South African government is not exempt from taking an active role in the scramble for Africa either. The Public Investment Corporation (PIC), which manages over a trillion rand on behalf of civil servants, which accounts for 10% of SA’s JSE market capitalisation, is looking for potential private equity partners. 10% of the portfolio is to be invested outside South Africa, R50 billion is reserved for African investment. 60% of that, about R30 billion, will go to private equity according to PIC CEO Elias Masilela in an interview with Reuters. The PIC is likely to be a player in infrastructure investments as countries on the continent build and revamp their roads, dams, hospitals and power stations, he said.

    Standard bank which has a presence in 18 African countries weighs in on infrastructure. In an interview with Goldman Sachs’s Hugo Scott-Gall, Sim Tshabalala deputy CEO of the Standard Bank Group said: “in most of sub-Saharan Africa infrastructure has all but collapsed, or is limited. It has to be rebuilt, so there are massive opportunities in project finance. A lot of infrastructure will be refurbished, mainly with support from the Brazilians and the Chinese. The link we have with ICBC (Industrial and Commercial Bank of China) also helps us identify opportunities and execute on them. In our case, ICBC is a 20% shareholder.”

    Standard Bank, as a South African player in the African market has positioned itself well as a go between or conduit for other BRICs partners wanting to interface with the continent. Standard Bank has a cooperation agreement for example, to identify Chinese corporates and SOE (State owned enterprises) that are looking for opportunities on the continent.

    Standard Bank has its work cut out for it as Intermediaries for foreign capital since it is estimated that Africa needs about US$90 billion a year to deal with its infrastructure backlog and currently is raising about US$70 billion. This is coming from a combination of sources: taxes, the banking system, and a large amounts coming from outside – risk capital. The banking system in individual African countries does not have the capacity to fund all of the necessary infrastructure activities, so there will be a lot of reliance on international capital markets and the international banking system.

    Standard Bank is not alone in its growing presence in Africa, ABSA has received regulatory approval to start a greenfield insurance business in Zambia, bringing to four the number of sub-Saharan countries where the Barclays-owned bank will have insurance operations. First National Bank (FNB) has revealed plans to invest nearly R2bn over the next 12 months as SA’s third-largest bank by customer numbers, to expand its footprint in SA and Africa. It is believed to be considering an acquisition in Nigeria and has sent scouting missions to Ghana. The bank, which operates in eight countries in Africa including SA, has about 7 -million customers in SA and 1,1-million in Africa. FNB Tanzania was its most recent addition, while its Zambian unit has already announced plans to have a nationwide branch network by 2016.

    There’s no doubt that some South African companies are viewing Africa with a greater sense of urgency. The European Union’s financial troubles have revealed South Africa’s vulnerability to European troubles. More than 25% of South Africa’s bilateral trade is from the EU. If GDP in Europe declines that indicates fewer goods being shipped from Africa. This does not bode well for South Africa. Expansion and investment into Africa can broaden South Africa’s horizons not to mention its vulnerability.

    But in the words of Standard Bank’s Sim Tshabalala: “As a South African I would love to believe in the sustainability of the country’s national competitive advantage as an entry point to the African continent. Increasingly, people are able to go directly to Kenya and Nigeria, for example, without going through South Africa, because these countries are building the necessary hard infrastructure and the required financial and legal infrastructure.”

    So it seems that South Africa’s competitive advantage is diminishing as the rest of the continent develops. In the meantime many companies are seeing the gap and heading into the fray. It seems that the future really is now.

    I’m Matthew Campaigne-Scott. I spent 19 years working in Missions and Ministry. I’m currently enjoying the life of a freelance writer.

    I have written for periodicals and websites, composed speeches and sermons and prepared copy for web advertisements and research papers. I can tailor my work according to your needs. I love a challenge and enjoy building work relationships.

    Drop me a line to get connected and propose what I can do for you.
    Email me at hearonearth@gmail.com.
    Visit my blog to view other articles at http://hearonearth.wordpress.com

    Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Matthew_Campaigne-Scott/1248437

    Views: 0

  • Interpreting the Old Testament in Africa, A Review

    NATURE AND PURPOSE
    This volume is a collection of twenty-three papers read at the International Symposium on Africa and the Old Testament, in Karen, in October 1999. It is part of the Biblical Studies in African scholarship series which features titles by contemporary African Christian theologians.
    The purpose of the series generally is to make available a sample of such books like the one under review at affordable prices to students, faculty, clergy and laity within Africa. Furthermore, it is hoped that African Christian theological scholarship will eventually enter the mainstream of the theology curriculum in tertiary institutions in Africa and beyond. The series intends to fill this gap and facilitate systematic research on contemporary Christian theology as articulated by African scholars. The editors of the text admit that there is no plain answer to the question “what does it mean to interpret the Old Testament in Africa today?” However, they are convinced that the text is an attempt to realistically answer the question. The question of localization, they affirm, is important for Old Testament scholarship.

    SUMMARY OF THE CONTENTS OF ONE ESSAY IN EACH OF THE MAJOR DIVISIONS OF THE BOOK
    Part One: Mapping the context of Old Testament Studies in Africa
    The Current State of Old Testament Scholarship in Africa: Where We Are at the Turn of the Century, By Knut Hotler

    This paper asks some basic questions with regards to the state of the Old Testament scholarship in Africa at the turn of the last century, relating the minor stories of Old Testament scholarship in Africa to the major story, the story about who we are, and where we are. It surveys the current state of Old Testament scholarship in Africa from three perspectives (thematic, institutional and interpretive) and discusses a couple of aspects of interaction between these three areas. Preference for approaches relating the Old Testament texts and the African context and the growing interest for more traditional exegetical approaches are noted from the thematic approach. From an institutional perspective, the paper identifies and discusses some of the problems and challenges facing the development of an infrastructure facilitating an Old Testament scholarship. The third perspective discusses how Old Testament scholarship in Africa relates to different aspects of its interpretive context. However, as all three refer to the same phenomenon, Old Testament scholarship in Africa, they are closely related. Although African Old Testament scholarship has been established, its voice must be heard within the church in Africa and its interpretation must reflect its dialogue with the experiences and concerns of Africa. The same is true if it wants to be part of the global guild.

    Part Two: Finding Africa in the Old Testament
    The images of Cush in the Old Testament: Reflections on African hermeneutics, by David Tuesday Adamo

    This paper examines the various functions and meanings of the Old Testament term Cush that have been put forward by Euro centric scholarship. A brief survey of some extra biblical references like African and Assyrian precedes the discussion on the Old Testament references to Cush which is divided into three groups: Cush as a personal name, a geographical reference and a reference to people of Africa descent. It discusses the exegetical function, meaning and translation of the term and the implications of the translation for the churches in Africa. Adamo holds tenaciously to the view that Cush should be translated or rendered Africa which will disprove racist ideas that some scholars have forced into the Bible in their interpretation.

    Part Three: Using Africa to Interpret the Old Testament
    What”s in a Name?: Africa Versus Old Testament Nomenclature, by Jonathan Gichaara

    Gichaara engages in a comparative study between the significance of names or name giving in the Meru African heritage and in the Old Testament. In the Old Testament and African cultures, the name is inextricably bound up with existence. Nothing exists unless it has a name. It is not a mere label of identification, but an expression of the essential nature of the bearer of the name. It stood for the character qualities of either the bearer of the name or the giver as the case may be. The differences are also outlined.

    Part Four: Using the Old Testament to Interpret Africa
    Genesis 1-2 and Some Elements of Diversion from the Original Meaning of the Creation of Man and Woman, by Anne Nasimiyu Wasike

    This article discusses the place of women in the church and society. It laments the woeful use of the Bible since some African scholars have referred to their traditional, cultural and religious heritage to justify the inferior status of women in society. For centuries, male scholars have gone to the Scriptures and selected those texts that support their male-dominated views on women. The writer believes that Christianity has failed to reflect the restoration message of the Gospel. It has alienated and marginalized African women in the Church. It is no wonder that Africa is leading in emerging church movements which are seeking wholeness, healing and recognition of women”s leadership. Women, Wasike argues, have to question the patristic interpretation which does not allow them in leadership roles beyond household management. She holds that there is need for a theology that affirms restoration in Jesus Christ which supports our uniqueness as persons ? male and female-, made in the image and likeness of God. The man-made barriers that restrict human freedom, especially women”s freedom, have to be torn down to enable each child of God to fulfill his or her God-given gifts and talents.

    Part Five: Translating the Old Testament in Africa
    Morphological and Syntactical Correspondence Between Hebrew and Bantu Languages, by Victor Zinkuratire

    This article draws attention to some features of the Hebrew language that have close equivalents in Bantu languages. Several examples of certain morphological and syntactical correspondences between Hebrew and Bantu languages are cited. A final example of comparison is taken from a common feature of the Hebrew language namely the qatal-wayyiqtol (perfect and imperfect) verb sequence used in past tense narrative.

    The writer draws several important implications based on the discovery of these similarities and correspondences. He suspects that Hamitic and Nilotic groups of languages would yield a still closer and more radical resemblance with Hebrew than the Bantu languages. These correspondences and similarities between Hebrew and African languages could encourage African Old Testament scholars to examine the potential of using mainly African Bible translations (instead of European ones) in conjunction with the Hebrew (and Greek) Bible. This could be a promising route towards a genuine African biblical exegesis that will facilitate a more contextualized interpretation of the Bible for Africans.

    EVALUATION
    Generally, these papers give a fairly representative testimony of how the relationship between Africa and the Old Testament is interpreted in universities and theological seminaries in Eastern and Southern Africa at the turn of the last century. They are an invaluable effort to interpret the Old Testament in an African context. They are important signposts in the long journey towards the maturation of African theological scholarship. By mapping the context of Old Testament studies in Africa, aiming at finding Africa in the Old Testament, analyzing various aspects of the Old Testament portrayal of Africa and Africans, discussing Africa to interpret the Old Testament, analyzing various aspects of how the texts of the Old Testament are experienced as relevant to their contemporary African readers and describing various aspects of the effort of translating the Old Testament in Africa today, these papers portray the puzzling affinity between the African religious heritage and the way of the life which the Old Testament presupposes and takes for granted.

    My criticism of the text is that it did not reflect scholars from all the four main regions in Africa. Although my country, Sierra Leone, is not included, one would probably have expected meaningful contributions from or about the country with probably one of the largest growing church in the world (Nigeria). The above notwithstanding, the writer realistically observes that, without Africa and the participation of Africans, neither Judaism nor Christianity would make sense. This means that the Old Testament cannot be realistically interpreted without Africa”s contribution.

    AUTHOR SIGNATURE
    Oliver L.T. Harding, who obtained his GCE O & A Levels from the Sierra Leone Grammar School and the Albert Academy respectively, is currently Senior & Acting Librarian of Fourah Bay College, University of Sierra Leone. He is a part time lecturer at the Institute of Library, Information & Communication Studies (INSLICS), Fourah Bay College and the Extension Programme at the Evangelical College of Theology (T.E.C.T) at Hall Street, Brookfields; Vice President of the Sierra Leone Association of Archivists, Librarians & Information Scientists (SLAALIS); a member of the American Theological Library Association (ATLA) and an associate of the Chartered Institute of Library & Information Professionals (CILIP). His certificates, secular and sacred, include: a certificate and diploma from the Freetown Bible Training Centre; an upper second class B.A. Hons. Degree in Modern History (F.B.C.); a post-graduate diploma from the Institute of Library Studies (INSLIBS, F.B.C) a masters degree from the Institute of Library, Information & Communication Studies (INSLICS, F.B.C.) and a masters degree in Biblical Studies from West Africa Theological Seminary, affiliate of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, where he won the prize for academic excellence as the Best Graduating Student in 2005. Oliver, a writer, musician and theologian, is married (to Francess) with two children (Olivia & Francis).
    Email: oltharding@yahoo.com
    Mobile: 232-2233-460-330

    Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Oliver_Harding/112404

    Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/1338629

    Views: 0

  • The Destruction of Africa: Travel, History, Politics, Economics,

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubAvAaro344

    Views: 0

  • A Brief History of Birth Control

    A Brief History of Birth Control

    Here’s a brief look at the history of birth control. Although pills are very much in demand to avoid getting pregnant for women, these are also causing quite a stir.

    The reason for this is because birth control pills are known for one side effect. More and more women are complaining that the pills cause them to gain weight. For the ladies who use the pill just to avoid the risk of pregnancy, this is definitely not a good news.

    When a woman gains weight because of the pills, it causes her to look at the other options. But not everybody is affected of this kind of side effect. Some women don’t have weight issues regarding the use of birth control pills.

    But for the women who are prone to such effect, there are other forms of birth control that they can choose to use. They can go the natural way or the rhythm method. This is where the partners will become involved in a sexual act only when the female is not fertile.

    There are methods that are being injected and inserted to the women’s genitals to obtain same effect as the pills. And among the popular ones is through the use of condoms. Nowadays, both men and women have condoms suited for their private parts.

    The History
    The oldest form of birth control can be the sexual abstinence. But aside from it, the withdrawal effect can also be considered as one.

    Coined as the coitus interruptus, this means that the penis of a man will withdraw from the woman’s genitals before the ejaculation. This prevents him from transmitting into the lady or his partner any vital sperm that may cause pregnancy. But this requires a lot of self control on the part of men.

    It was also believed that Egyptian women have used suppository for their vaginas on old ages. The term for this type is pessary. This contains oil and other lubricants that will kill the sperm once the woman becomes involved in a sexual act.

    The equivalent of today’s female condoms at the time is a cervical cap for Asian women. This is like oiled paper. And for the same goal, Europeans have used beeswax. It was not until the 17th century that a condom was invented. When it was first introduced, it wasn’t as popular as today. And it was intended not only to avoid the risk of pregnancy but also to avoid acquiring sexually transmitted disease like syphilis.

    Throughout human history,there are various abortifacients that have been used. But the effects vary and those that were proven effective caused a lot of side effects. In the developing years, the herbal medium was used to act as a contraceptive.

    The 20th century introduced the rhythm method or the natural way. It is still being applied today and can be as effective as the birth control pills but will also require a lot of control from both concerning partners.

    In 1960, the FDA approved the pill that is now known as birth control. It was in 1972 that the pill became available for married ladies and singles ones who are over the age of 21. This was part of the 26th Amendment.

    This brief history of birth control shows you its popularity through time. Although, it is also known to cause added weight, people rely on one or two types in hopes of not risking getting their partners pregnant at the time that they are still not ready for it.

    Views: 0

  • Animal Entertainment

    Animal Entertainment

    Animals have been used for the purposes of entertainment for millennia. They have been hunted for entertainment (as opposed to hunted for food); displayed while they hunt for prey; watched when they compete with each other; and watched while they perform a trained routine for human amusement. The Romans, for example, were entertained both by competitions involving wild animals and acts performed by trained animals. They watched as "lions and bears danced to the music of pipes and cymbals; horses were trained to kneel, bow, dance and prance … acrobats turning handsprings over wild lions and vaulting over wild leopards." There were "violent confrontations with wild beasts" and "performances over time became more brutal and bloodier".

    Animals that perform trained routines or "acts" for human entertainment include fleas in flea circuses, dolphins in dolphinaria, and monkeys doing tricks for an audience on behalf of the player of a street organ. Animals kept in zoos in ancient times were often kept there for later use in the arena as entertainment or for their entertainment value as exotica.

    Many contests between animals are now regarded as sports – for example, horse racing is regarded as both a sport and an important source of entertainment. Its economic impact means that it is also considered a global industry, one in which horses are carefully transported around the world to compete in races. In Australia, the horse race run on Melbourne Cup Day is a public holiday and the public regards the race as an important annual event. Like horse racing, camel racing requires human riders, while greyhound racing does not. People find it entertaining to watch animals race competitively, whether they are trained, like horses, camels or dogs, or untrained, like cockroaches.

    The use of animals for entertainment is often controversial, especially the hunting of wild animals. Some contests between animals, once popular entertainment for the public, have become illegal because of the cruelty involved. Among these are blood sports such as bear-baiting, dog fighting and cockfighting. Other contests involving animals remain controversial and have both supporters and detractors. For example, the conflict between opponents of pigeon shooting who view it as "a cruel and moronic exercise in marksmanship, and proponents, who view it as entertainment" has been tested in a court of law. Fox hunting, which involves the use of horses as well as hounds, and bullfighting, which has a strong theatrical component, are two entertainments that have a long and significant cultural history. They both involve animals and are variously regarded as sport, entertainment or cultural tradition. Among the organisations set up to advocate for the rights of animals are some whose concerns include the use of animals for entertainment. However, "in many cases of animal advocacy groups versus organisations accused of animal abuse, both sides have cultural claims."

    Views: 0

  • Magic Entertainment

    Magic Entertainment

    The form of entertainment known as stage magic or conjuring and recognisable as performance, is based on traditions and texts of magical rites and dogmas that have been a part of most cultural traditions since ancient times. (References to magic, for example, can be found in the Bible, in Hermeticism, in Zoroastrianism, in the Kabbalistic tradition, in mysticism and in the sources of Freemasonry.)

    Stage magic is performed for an audience in a variety of media and locations: on stage, on television, in the street, and live at parties or events. It is often combined with other forms of entertainment, such as comedy or music and showmanship is often an essential part of magic performances. Performance magic relies on deception, psychological manipulation, sleight of hand and other forms of trickery to give an audience the illusion that a performer can achieve the impossible. Audiences amazed at the stunt performances and escape acts of Harry Houdini, for example, regarded him as a magician.

    Fantasy magicians have held an important place in literature for centuries, offering entertainment to millions of readers. Famous wizards such as Merlin in the Arthurian legends have been written about since the 5th and 6th centuries, while in the 21st century, the young wizard Harry Potter became a global entertainment phenomenon when the book series about him sold about 450 million copies (as at June 2011), making it the best-selling book series in history.

    Views: 0

  • Discount Car Rental – How to Get the Discount Out of a Discount Car Rental

    How to Get the Discount Out of a Discount Car Rental

    Discount car rentals are so hard to come by, and in recent times, discount car rentals simply mean you pay less for something less, and lets face it, sometimes when you pay less for a car rental, you end up with something that looks more like a farmer’s truck than a car. It’s hard to come up with a budget friendly rental, so how do you get a discount car rental these days? Well here are a few tips to boost the value of your money, car rental wise.

    1.A good way to essentially, get a discount car rental is to, once you return the car, fill the tank with the cheapest no-name gas you could find, not for revenge or anything, but because car rental companies, require customers to fill the gas tank before returning it, and it you don’t they’ll fill it for you with the company pump but at a higher price, now we don’t want that, so be sure to fill your tank before you return the car.

    2.To get the discount off of discount car rental, make early reservations, some car rental companies give discounts or free upgrades for customers who reserve their cars early.

    3.When you’re planning to use your rental car for more than five days, or longer, ask the rental car company if you can get discount car rentals for a weekly rate, most companies offer discounts for the sixth and seventh day for weekly rentals.

    4.Ask your travel agency if you could get discount car rentals if you acquire packages like fly-stay-drive or fly-drive. Most travel agencies as well as hotels offer these programs at a discounted price, what’s good about this is that you get a discount and you shoot two to three birds with one stone.

    5.When you go to a car rental company, ask them if you could get a discount car rental in exchange for your frequent flyer miles, this is good for those miles that are about to expire, so instead of throwing them away you’d get one last use for them.

    6.One way to get a discount car rental or maybe just the best deal for your money is to look for sites or rental car firms that accepts a pre-determined budget. This is when you indicate the money you’re willing to spend for the car rental, most rental car companies will give you the program that has the biggest discount car rental and the best deal for you, of course it pays to know if the company has a history of fraud, in this day and age, you can’t really trust people that much with your money, check out the car before you reserve.
    Discount Car Rental
    7.Ask the rental company for discount car rentals when you frequently rent a car at their firm, they’re most likely to give discounts or free upgrades if you always rent with them.

    8.Get discount car rentals by reserving your car through the internet. Most rental firms have internet only discounts that can save you a lot of money, look up the rental firm that has the greatest discount for the same value.

    9.To get a discount car rental upgrade, try going to pick up your car just as the shop is opening, there’ll be a shortage in the economy cars, and you’ll probably get a free upgrade when they can’t give you the car you reserved.

    Views: 0

  • Architecture as entertainment

    Architecture as entertainment

    Architects who push the boundaries of design or construction sometimes create buildings that are entertaining because they exceed the expectations of the public and the client and are aesthetically outstanding. Buildings such as Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, designed by Frank Gehry, are of this type, becoming a tourist attraction as well as a significant international museum. Other apparently usable buildings are really follies, deliberately constructed for a decorative purpose and never intended to be practical.

    On the other hand, sometimes architecture is entertainment, while pretending to be functional. The tourism industry, for example, creates or renovates buildings as "attractions" that have either never been used or can never be used for their ostensible purpose. They are instead re-purposed to entertain visitors often by simulating cultural experiences. Buildings, history and sacred spaces are thus made into commodities for purchase. Such intentional tourist attractions divorce buildings from the past so that "the difference between historical authenticity and contemporary entertainment venues/theme parks becomes hard to define". Examples include "the preservation of the Alcázar of Toledo, with its grim Civil War History, the conversion of slave dungeons into tourist attractions in Ghana, and the presentation of indigenous culture in Libya". The specially constructed buildings in amusement parks represent the park's theme and are usually neither authentic nor completely functional.

    Views: 0

  • Cinema and Film Entertainment

    Cinema and Film Entertainment

    Films are a major form of entertainment, although not all films have entertainment as their primary purpose: documentary film, for example, aims to create a record or inform, although the two purposes often work together. The medium was a global business from the beginning: "The Lumière brothers were the first to send cameramen throughout the world, instructing them to film everything which could be of interest for the public." In 1908, Pathé launched and distributed newsreels and by World War I, films were meeting an enormous need for mass entertainment. "In the first decade of the 20th century cinematic programmes combined, at random, fictions and newsfilms." The Americans first "contrived a way of producing an illusion of motion through successive images," but "the French were able to transform a scientific principle into a commercially lucrative spectacle". Film therefore became a part of the entertainment industry from its early days. Increasingly sophisticated techniques have been used in the film medium to delight and entertain audiences. Animation, for example, which involves the display of rapid movement in an art work, is one of these techniques that particularly appeals to younger audiences.

    The advent of computer-generated imagery (CGI) in the 21st century made it "possible to do spectacle" more cheaply and "on a scale never dreamed of" by Cecil B. DeMille. Sophisticated visual effects and CGI techniques have been used not only to create realistic images of people, landscapes and events (both real and fantastic) but also to animate non-living items such as Lego normally used as entertainment as a game in physical form. Creators of The Lego Movie "wanted the audience to believe they were looking at actual Lego bricks on a tabletop that were shot with a real camera, not what we actually did, which was create vast environments with digital bricks inside the computer." The convergence of computers and film has allowed entertainment to be presented in a new way and the technology has also allowed for those with the personal resources to screen films in a home theatre, recreating in a private venue the quality and experience of a public theatre. This is similar to the way that the nobility in earlier times could stage private musical performances or the use of domestic theatres in large homes to perform private plays in earlier centuries.

    Films also re-imagine entertainment from other forms, turning stories, books and plays, for example, into new entertainments. The Story of Film, a documentary about the history of film, gives a survey of global achievements and innovations in the medium, as well as changes in the conception of film-making. It demonstrates that while some films, particularly those in the Hollywood tradition that combines "realism and melodramatic romanticism", are intended as a form of escapism, others require a deeper engagement or more thoughtful response from their audiences. For example, the award winning Senegalese film Xala takes government corruption as its theme. Charlie Chaplin's film The Great Dictator was a brave and innovative parody, also on a political theme. Stories that are thousands of years old, such as Noah, have been re-interpreted in film, applying familiar literary devices such as allegory and personification with new techniques such as CGI to explore big themes such as "human folly", good and evil, courage and despair, love, faith, and death – themes which have been a main-stay of entertainment across all its forms.

    As in other media, excellence and achievement in films is recognised through a range of awards, including ones from the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, the Cannes International Film Festival in France and the Asia Pacific Screen Awards.

    Views: 0

  • Bank

    A bank is a financial intermediary that accepts deposits and channels those deposits into lending activities, either directly by loaning or indirectly through capital markets. A bank links together customers that have capital deficits and customers with capital surpluses.

    Due to their importance in the financial system and influence on national economies, banks are highly regulated in most countries. Most nations have institutionalised a system known as fractional reserve banking, under which banks hold liquid assets equal to only a portion of their current liabilities. In addition to other regulations intended to ensure liquidity, banks are generally subject to minimum capital requirements based on an international set of capital standards, known as the Basel Accords.

    Banking in its modern sense evolved in the 14th century in the rich cities of Renaissance Italy but in many ways was a continuation of ideas and concepts of credit and lending that had its roots in the ancient world. In the history of banking, a number of banking dynasties—notably the Medicis, the Fuggers, the Welsers, the Berenbergs, and the Rothschilds—have played a central role over many centuries. The oldest existing retail bank is Monte dei Paschi di Siena, while the oldest existing merchant bank is Berenberg Bank.

    Views: 0