The Big List of 25+ Business Writing Tips

Drafting business copy can be challenging. When you’re trying to develop content that helps sell products or gets more customers to sign up for your services, you need to be persuasive, informative and entertaining. Whether you’re new to the business writing world or a seasoned veteran, this isn’t always easy. However, there are a few tips business writers can follow to improve their content and see more conversions. Let’s check out 25 business writing tips you can use to start writing better copy. Planning 1. Get to know your target audience, including what their fears, problems and needs are. 2. Before you begin writing, understand the purpose of what you’re about to create. 3. Put the proper planning into each new piece of content. Mapping out an outline will save you time in the long run. 4. Try mapping out complex ideas before you begin writing. Connecting points, thoughts, and important details before you start your first draft can save time and make the process easier. Process 5. Write a rough first draft to help get your ideas flowing. You can always perfect your content later. 6. If you’re struggling to come up with your introduction, skip it. Start with your first main point and come back to your introduction after you’ve finished. 7. Write the headings of your articles first. This will give you an outline to follow, helping you stay on topic. 8. Use the Pomodoro Method to help you stay focused. Set a timer for about 20 minutes. During that time, only focus on writing your copy. When the timer is done, take a short break. Keep repeating this process until your content is complete. 9. Remember to take it one step at a time. Don’t try to edit before your first draft is completed and don’t start writing until your outline is finished. Focus on the process and slow down when necessary! 10. Structure your post for scan-ability. Focus on bite-sized chunks of content that are easily absorbed and use subheadings and bullets to add clarity. Copywriting 11. Use language that flows naturally. While you may be writing for a business, you still want your reader to enjoy engaging with your content! 12. Include different headings to help your readers understand which information is the most important. Indicatinga hierarchy can help your reader identify which content connects. 13. Don’t try to impress your readers by using extensive vocabulary. It is more important that you get your ideas across clearly and efficiently. 14. If a short, simple word will explain your thought just as well as a long one, always use the simpler word instead. 15. Create emotion within your copy. Although your content is for a business audience, you still want your readers to connect and engage with it on a personal and emotional level. Editing 16. Don’t smother your verbs. Adding unnecessary words around your verbs can cause confusion and inconsistency. 17. Be direct about what you need. Avoid using verbs that don’t precisely describe the outcome you’re hoping to receive. 18. Avoid the passive voice. 19. Craft your copy with the end reader in mind. This may mean adjusting verbs, terms, or lingo that you use to fit the needs of that particular individual. 20. Avoid jargon and buzzwords. These terms tend to come and go, so don’t make a habit of using them in your writing. 21. Don’t be afraid of a one-sentence paragraph. 22. Have multiple editors read through your content. Check your copy once yourself, then hand the project off for an additional proofread. 23. Edit your content for more than just grammar and spelling. Make sure your copy meets the needs of your customers, accurately provides them with new information, and that you’re providing that information in the best way possible. 24. Read 25 Tips for Editing Your First Draft Bonus 25. Listen to your audience’s feedback. The better you understand their expectations, the more likely you are to provide them with high-quality content. 26. Check out the Content Writer’s Guide to Grammar, Punctuation and Structure 27. Hire one of our expert copywriters. Constant Content takes the hassle out of finding, hiring and managing freelance writers. You’ll be surprised just how easy content creation can be.

Learn About Italian Easter Traditions and Customs

Learn About Italian Easter Traditions and Customs A huge explosion will be detonated Easter Sunday in front of the magnificent green– and white–marbled neogothic church in Florences centro storico. Instead of running in fear from a terrorists bomb, though, thousands of spectators will cheer the noise and smoke, for they will be witnesses to the annual Scoppio del Carro- explosion of the cart. For over 300 years the Easter celebration in Florence has included this ritual, during which an elaborate wagon, a structure built in 1679 and standing two to three stories high, is dragged through Florence behind a fleet of white oxen decorated in garlands. The pageantry ends in front of the Basilica di S. Maria del Fiore, where Mass is held. During the midday service, a holy fire is stoked by ancient stone chips from the Holy Sepulcher, and the Archbishop lights a dove–shaped rocket which travels down a wire and collides with the cart in the square, setting off spectacular fireworks and explosions to the cheers of all. A big bang ensures a good harvest, and a parade in medieval costume follows. Tradition and ritual play a strong role in Italian culture, especially during celebrations such as Easter, the Christian holiday based on the pagan festival called Eostur-Monath. No matter what date Easter falls on, there are many ceremonies and culinary customs that are religiously upheld. Some traditions are regional, for instance the art of palm weaving, in which decorative crosses and other designs are created from the palms received on Palm Sunday. Easter Ceremonies in Italy At Vatican City there are a series of solemn events that culminate in Easter Sunday Mass. During the spring holy days that center around the vernal equinox there are also many other rites practiced throughout the country that have their roots in historic pagan rituals. In addition, the Monday following Easter is an official Italian holiday called la Pasquetta, so if traveling be prepared for another day of repose. Tredozio On Easter Monday the Palio dellUovo is a competition where eggs are the stars of the games. Merano The Corse Rusticane are conducted, fascinating races with a special breed of horses famous for their blonde manes ridden by youths wearing the local costumes of their towns. Before the race, the participants parade through the streets of the town followed by a band and folk dance groups. Barano dIschia On Easter Monday the Ndrezzata takes place- a dance which revives the fights against the Saracens. Carovigno On the Saturday before Easter is a procession dedicated to the Madonna del Belvedere during which the Nzeghe contest takes place: banners must be hurled as far as possible. Enna Religious rites dating back to the Spanish domination (fifteenth through seventeenth century) take place in this Sicilian town. On Good Friday, the different religious confraternities gather around the main church and over 2,000 friars wearing ancient costumes silently parade through the streets of the city. On Easter Sunday, the Paci ceremony takes place: the statue of the Virgin and that of Jesus Christ are first taken to the main square and then into the church where they stay for a week. Easter Dining In Italy, the expression Natale con i tuoi, Pasqua con chi vuoi is frequently heard (Christmas with your family, Easter with your own choice of friends). Oftentimes, this implies sitting down to a dinner that starts with minestra di Pasqua, the traditional beginning of the Neapolitan Easter meal. Other classic Easter recipes include carciofi fritti (fried artichokes), a main course of either capretto o agnellino al forno (roasted goat or baby lamb) or capretto cacio e uova (kid stewed with cheese, peas, and eggs), and carciofi e patate soffritti, a delicious vegetable side dish of sautà ©ed artichokes with baby potatoes. A holiday meal in Italy would not be complete without a traditional dessert, and during Easter there are several. Italian children finish their dinner with a rich bread shaped like a crown and studded with colored Easter egg candies. La pastiera Napoletana, the classic Neapolitan grain pie, is a centuries–old dish with innumerable versions, each made according to a closely guarded family recipe. Another treat is the  Colomba cake, a sweet, eggy, yeasted bread (like panettone plus candied orange peel, minus the raisins, and topped with sugared and sliced almonds) shaped in one of the most recognizable symbols of Easter, the dove. The Colomba cake takes on this form precisely because  la colomba  in Italian means dove, the symbol of peace and an appropriate finish to Easter dinner. Uova di Pasqua Although Italians do not decorate hard–boiled eggs nor have chocolate bunnies or pastel marshmallow chicks, the biggest Easter displays in bars, pastry shops, supermarkets, and especially at chocolatiers are brightly wrapped  uova di Pasqua- chocolate Easter eggs- in sizes that range from 10 grams (1/3 ounce) to 8 kilos (nearly 18 pounds). Most of them are made of milk chocolate in a mid–range, 10–ounce size by industrial chocolate makers. Some producers distinguish between their chocolate eggs for children (sales numbers are a closely guarded secret, but the market for these standard quality eggs is said to be shrinking with Italys birthrate) and expensive adult versions. All except the tiniest eggs contain a surprise. Grown–ups often find their eggs contain little silver picture frames or gold–dipped costume jewelry. The very best eggs are handmade by artisans of chocolate, who offer the service of inserting a surprise supplied by the purchaser. Car keys, engagement rings, and watches are some of the high–end gifts that have been tucked into Italian chocolate eggs in Italy. Italian Easter Vocabulary List Click to hear the highlighted word spoken by a native speaker. lagnello- lambBuona Pasqua- Happy Easteril coniglietto- bunny rabbitla crocifissione- Crucifixionla pace- peacela Pasquetta- Easter Mondayla primavera- springla resurrezione- Resurrectionla settimana santa- Holy WeeklUltima Cena- Last Supperle uova- eggsVenerdà ¬ Santo- Holy Friday

Industrial Activity and the Environment Article

Industrial Activity and the Environment - Article Example Besides some economic benefits, industrial revolution produced much environmental impacts in a shorter period of time. However, it will be impossible to close all the industries to cut down the pollution. There is a need to find some ways to enable economic growth as well as reducing the environmental pollution. The article that I have selected is â€Å"Industrial Activity and the Environment in China: An Industry-Level Analysis† written by Matthew A. Cole, Robert J.R. Elliott and Shanshan Wu. The article discusses the economic aspects with respect to the environmental perspective. However, China is considered as the reference country to depict the industrial growth and the concentration of different harmful pollutants to the atmosphere. As China has the world’s biggest population, the number of industries in China is increasing day by day and with the increase China has become the biggest producer of carbon dioxide. It is estimated that with this massive amount of air pollution about 300, 0000 people die annually. There is a need to consider the environmental health with the economic growth. Despite the fact that the China has the world’s biggest population, the average air pollution decreased due to the certain efforts of China’s environmental regulatory authorities. Results show that the average atmospheric SO2 levels decreased around 1997 to 2002, while, a little increase was seen in 2000. However, an increase in the average atmospheric SO2 is seen around 2002 to 2004. Similarly the average level of soot emission also decreased around 1997 to 2002 and a minor increase was seen around 2002 to 2004. The similar case is with the dust emissions from industries. These are the three major components of air pollution. The decrease in these three components consequently lowered the pollution intensity, which was at the recorded level in 1998 and now it is on the lowest level. The major producers of the pollutants are the China’s m anufacturing industries like the steel/iron industries in China. Thus the industries are considered as the dirtiest industries among all other. Besides the Steel and iron manufacturing industries, chemical industries, Non-Metallic Mineral producers and Paper and Products industries are also considered as the industries that are producing risk for the environment. It can be noticed that Iron and steel industry, which is considered as the dirtiest industry, is growing with a rapid pace. However, the intensity of the SO2 emission decreased, the similar case is seen with dust and soot emissions. There are several determinants of industrial pollution in China, the first and the most important is the Pollution demand that may involve the energy use, factor intensities, size, efficiency, vintage and innovation. As the demand for energy is rising day by day there is need to generate more energy and generation more energy may involve the utilization of more fossil fuel resources and thus emi tting more pollutants into the atmosphere. Factor intensities of an industry may influence the emissions of more pollutants into the atmosphere. Factor may involve the material and human factors. Size of industry may have some relation with the production of the pollutants. As, more productions may give rise to more pollution emitted into the atmosphere. The other important factor that may have inverse proportion with the amount of pollution is the efficiency of the industry. More efficiency means more products utilizing less amount of energy. Newer

Analysis Activities Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Analysis Activities - Essay Example Each step is important in analysis to ensure the validity of data. Without qualitative data, analysis can be skewed. It is imperative to understand that data produces results that can be transferred in raw info. In any manner, each step should be carefully analyzed because it holds significance and raw weight to Qualitative measures. Standardization and normalization of data is truly essential for quality data. Standardization of each approach falls under best business practices. These practices allow the accumulation of best practices that are vital towards harnessing growth. This information and analysis leads to more conclusive evidence of the process itself. For instance, if the executing stage fails to fall under the scope, then it is evident for leadership to interfere and rectify that issue. Yes, it is clear that findings should be fully documented and audited for compliance. As a matter of fact, the art of auditing is one of the most pivotal elements in the field of accounting and dictates the criteria of embedding controls in an organization. The nature of auditing might seem trivial, but actually contains intricate details that an accountant must embrace. With these ever-growing challenges, the governing bodies that define auditing principles so have become stringent in their regulation. The IRS, SEC, and AICPA all have collaborated within each other to create standards that can serve as a backbone for an alignment of best business practices, which is why documentation becomes a necessity. Signoffs are essential for leadership to understand what is at stake. The executive management must make important decisions in revenue and sales that can impact bottom-line performance. For instance, many financial discrepancies can be a huge factor. Often times in a project, expectations are not met that are defined in scope and the WBS. Thus, creating contingency strategies is pivotal

Short article prom promises by amy L. best Essay - 1

Short article prom promises by amy L. best - Essay Example The article very well establishes that â€Å"the relative local success of the Prom Promise often depends on the support of individual communities and schools, and of course, the students.† (p 78, â€Å"Prom Promises - Rules and Ruling: Proms as Sites of Social Control† by Amy L Best) It maintains that the success depends on the students’ consent to their own regulations. The article is very effective, with personally observed examples and conversations with the students, in expressing the actual reasons of the failure of many prom promises. For example, it states and illustrates that â€Å"students sign this contract with every intention of violating it. Consider a conversation I had with Scott, a White student from Woodrow, about the Promise, which his school had once tried to implement, successfully...† (Bests). The article goes on to analyze the various levels of the imposed rules in a prom promise and expatiate the view that the forced strategies of the school authorities to check the uncontrolled behavior of students are ineffective to draw any good results. The author is successful in expressing how the students respond to the rules that aim at the modification of their behavior supplementing it with the real life examples of the students of Rudolph and the like. Trickery of the different schools that aim at the effective implementation of prom promise is analyzed objectively and criticized firmly. The strategies of Stylone with table cards, of Woodrow and Hudson with signing of the names in a guest book and the formalized strategy of Rudolph â€Å"checking kids in† are found, for example, ineffective. The article is also very successful in pointing out the exact reasons for the failure of the program. â€Å"That the teacher received the kids contributed to the sense that the pr om belonged to the teachers and not to the kids. It seemed emblematic that of the direct control the school itself exercised

The Role Of Missionaries In Colonial African Education History Essay

The Role Of Missionaries In Colonial African Education History Essay The home page of Compassion Canada is that of a stereotypical Northern charity: showing pictures of suffering children alternating with those of post-intervention, happy children. Included on the website is information about the charitys programs, such as their Leadership Development Program in which participants earn a degree in their chosen field of study, and participate in Christian leadership training, enabling them to become a fully developed agent of change in their nation (Compassion Canada 2011). It is interesting to note that this project is not a new concept. As a member of the Church of England, it interests me to see echoes of Christian educational efforts by organizations such as Compassion Canada in the educational efforts of the missionary branch of the Anglican Church, the Church Missionary Society, or CMS. A member of the CMS, Henry Venn, boasted that the mission schools of Nigeria would produce an educated African elite that could form an intelligent and influentia l class of society and become the founders of a Kingdom which shall render incalculable benefits to Africa (Venn cited in Bassey 1991:37). That there are parallels between contemporary Christian organizations efforts and the missionary efforts of the mid-nineteenth to mid- twentieth centuries is a reason for concern, considering the similar impact of missionaries of all Christian denominations on the education of Africans in the British and Italian colonies in Africa. Although it can be said that Christian missionaries benefitted Africans by bringing in the more advanced Western education to the European colonies in Africa, it is believed that the mission schools in fact had a negative impact on the native peoples. Not only did mission education strengthen colonial rule, but it also weakened traditional societies and implemented poor standards of Western education. The missionary impact on education would have far-reaching consequences, as their creation of a weak basis of education would slow down the political and educational development of many former colonies in Africa. While missionaries could sometimes clash with colonial governments, for the most part missions were important tools for colonial governments. As Sir Henry Johnston, a key figure in the Scramble for Africa says, they [the mission stations] strengthen our hold over the country, they spread the use of the English language, they induct natives into the best kind of civilization, and in fact, each mission station is an essay in colonization (Johnston cited in Sheffield 1973:10). One of the missions most important contributions to the colonial regimes was their role in educating the native Africans. Mission schools provided a steady stream of educated Africans capable of filling the lower levels of the colonial administration and operated vocational and agricultural schools (Ayandele 1966: 295; Foster 1965: 90-91; Sheffield 1973: 10-11). The academic education purposely did not train Africans for the higher level positions of colonial administrations, which were mostly reserved for Europea ns (Ayandele 1966:295; Sheffield 1973:42), a practise which created dependency on the colonizers, as without them the colony did not have qualified administrators. In addition, while missionaries did run many academic primary schools, they provided little secondary education, a practice which prevented natives from becoming too educated (Ayandele 1966:286) and potentially subversive. Even if secondary education was provided, it was often reserved for the sons of local chiefs (Oliver 1952:212; Beck 1966: 120), an elite the colonial government could then call upon to help rule the colony, a common practice in colonial Africa. The latter, non-academic form of education provided by the missions has stimulated much interest among scholars, who are particularly interested in the failure of many of these schools and the hypocritical government support for the schools, seeing as the import of cheap goods from the mother countries caused many vocational school graduates, such as seamstresses, to be unemployed (Ayandele 1966:296; Foster 1965:134). However hypocritical, government support for the schools should not be surprising, considering the benefits the colonial governments stood to gain. Even when governments discouraged domestic industries, graduates of vocational schools contributed to the economy of the colonies -and therefore indirectly the mother countrys as well. Instead of needing to import skilled workers such as carpenters, the mission schools provided colonial governments with workers capable of building and maintaining the colonys infrastructure and basic technology, a contribution that kept the c olonies running smoothly. The agricultural schools the missions ran would have been even more advantageous to the colonial governments considering the discouragement of local industries that might have competed with the motherland. Agricultural school graduates did not compete with European industries or European farmers, as they mainly grew crops that could not be grown in European climates. Furthermore, they were skilled farmers that could grow cash crops to be consumed back in the mother country, such as cocoa from Ghana (Foster 1965: 153). Moreover, it was not in the colonial powers interest for the natives to become too educated, as they might become self-reliant and could conceivably demand independence from the colonial power, so encouraging the less intellectual agricultural schools was in the governments interest. The missions agricultural schools were especially beneficial for colonial governments considering that governments believed that manual labour was a means to prevent discontent and unrest i n the tribes (Hansen 1984:232). Thus by training Africans to fill only the lower levels of the colonial administration and providing skilled workers from the vocational and agricultural schools who contributed to the economy and were less likely to question colonial rule than more educated Africans, mission schools helped to strengthen colonial rule. Another negative impact of mission education was that it weakened traditional societies, which in many ways further served the colonial cause. The weakening of traditional societies was not simply a consequence of the efforts of missionaries but one of their main objectives, stemming from their belief in the civilizing mission. Supporters of the civilizing mission believed that European colonial enterprises were justified as the Europeans were imparting their superior Western culture and ideas to the ignorant heathens of Africa, Asia, the Americas and Australasia. For this reason, missionaries believed they were doing their students a favour by discouraging traditional practices and promoting Western ones. One method of discouraging traditional practices was to give students a fully Western education. As a mission school graduate noted, local history was almost totally ignored. We were expected to accept the European language as the superior one, and this was reinforced throughout my school career (Abu cited in Berman 1974:536). Being ignorant of ones history causes one to lose part of ones identity and pride in that identity, and one is therefore more vulnerable to attacks denouncing ones culture as inferior, especially if at the same time one is being taught the noble history of another culture. Furthermore, mission schools discouraged traditional ways of life outside of the classroom. One Liberian student recalls that we were taught to dress properly, to eat properly, to speak properly. Properly meant by Anglo-Saxon standards. In short, it was a very successful mission in making us little black Anglo-Saxon Protestants. Cultural deprivation is what many of us suffer from []. After a time the idea becomes ingrained -it is heathen and unchristian to be an African culturally (Awori cited in Berman 1974:536). Through academic lessons and lessons on Western etiquette and hygiene, mission students were isolated from their traditional cultures, a traumatic experienc e that would continue to trouble many students for the rest of their lives. It is interesting to note that while in many ways missionaries sought to isolate students from their cultures, missionaries often insisted in teaching in the native languages. Some earlier scholarship on mission education has taken this as a positive impact of the missionaries. For instance the scholar E.A. Ayandele (1966:283), writing in the 1960s, says, By their [the missions] efforts the main languages of Nigeria have been preserved as a lasting legacy to the Ibo, Yoruba, Efik, Nupe and Hausa. However, this practice was in fact probably more due to stereotypes of African ignorance than an interest in being culturally respectful: missionaries may have believed that it would take too long to teach a superior European language to the unintelligent natives when the natives souls were in such desperate need of saving. Indeed, once the souls had been saved and since the students must have been considered clever enough, European languages were almost universally the languages of instruct ion in the later primary years and in secondary schools (Beck 1966: 120; Foster 1965: 159; Miran 2002:127). Teaching in the vernacular had an additional use as it further strengthened colonial rule, of which missionaries were often agents, for as the Kikuyu people of Kenya were aware, [the] inability to communicate in English would be a crucial factor in the perpetuation of their subordinate status in the colony (Berman 1974:531). It is much easier to interact on an equal basis or even challenge the authority of another group when one is able to communicate in that groups language, instead of having to rely on an interpreter or non-verbal gestures, which undermine ones ability to show authority or express ones beliefs. In short, the impact of teaching in the vernacular was more negative than positive, as it reinforced colonial rule and no doubt did very little to preserve native cultural identities, seeing as missionaries promoted European languages as superior and only used the ver nacular because conversion and religious instruction were such high priorities. That missionaries used the vernacular illustrates the fact that missionaries were principally evangelists, and that they considered their other roles, including their role as educators, as less important. Given their priorities, it should thus come as little surprise that missions often provided poor education to the African pupils. There were several reasons for this poor education, some intentional and some not. First, missions saw education foremost as a means of conversion (Ayandele 1966: 286; Bassey 1991: 36; Berman 1974:527; Foster 1965:85; Sheffield 1973:11). The missionaries believed that in order to stabilize the faith of converts and to assist in character development, it was necessary that they should be able to read the scriptures or other books of religious instruction, translated by the missions. This involved learning to read in the vernacular (Hadfield cited in Bone 1969:7). Missionaries were no doubt also aware that Africans came to associate European technological a chievement with Western education (Bassey 1991:45) and therefore offered Western education as a means to attract Africans of this belief and then convert them. However, the motivation behind teaching Africans basic literacy and mathematics might not have been a cause for concern if not for the fact that the religious motivation curtailed education. As Ayandele points out (1966:285), the ideal of many of the missions was to make their converts live literally as the unlearned and ignorant apostles of old. This ideal, combined with the fact that many missionaries discovered that Africans with only basic education were best at spreading the Gospel, meant that missionaries were reluctant to provide higher primary or secondary education (Ayandele 1966:286). Seeing as missions in the British and Italian colonies had monopolies on education for the nineteenth to mid-twentieth centuries, this reluctance meant that there were few secondary schools at all (Ayandele 1966:287; Beck 1966: 120). A s long as the Africans could read the Bible, the missionaries were satisfied that they had had enough academic education. A second reason for the poor education of the mission schools was that in many cases the teachers in mission schools were unqualified as teachers, but were instead preachers by training. For instance, in the Salisbury region of Rhodesia, it was reported in 1924 that no male teachers had educational qualifications (Bone 1969:28). Third, rivalry between the various Christian denominations also contributed to the poor standards of education. Edward Berman notes that contemporary critics of the missionaries felt that missionaries were more interested in increasing enrolments in their respective churches than in pooling their resources for the benefit of African education (Berman 1974:533). Because of rivalry, instead of building one common, multi-denominational school in a village that really only needed the one school, missionaries each built a school for their particular denomination and competed for students (Berman 1974:533). Furthermore, each denomination had differing policies on education, so standards in education fluctuated across each colony, depending on what denomination had schools in each area. For instance, in southern Nigeria, the CMS policy was to teach in the vernacular at the primary level, while the Roman Catholic Missions policy was to teach in English (Bassey 1991:42). In addition to contri buting to fluctuating educational standards across the colony, inter-denominational rivalry caused a disparity in access to education. In regions where a denomination felt threatened by another denomination, the denominations were more likely to establish more schools in an attempt to gain more converts than their rival, while in regions such as northern Nigeria, where colonial policy prevented too much rivalry, schools were scarce (Bassey 1991:45). Thus, because of the motive of proselytization, unqualified teachers, and inter-denominational rivalry, missions frequently provided poor education. Indeed, the quality of the education could be so poor that the colonial governments complained, as in the case of the Nigerian government, which complained that the secondary school graduates provided by the missions were illiterate and ignorant and therefore poorly suited to fill the lower levels of the administration (Ayandele 1966:294-5). However, as Jonathan Miran (2002) argues in his work on the roles of missionaries and the Italian state in Eritrean education, missionaries should not be held solely accountable for the poor standards of education. As much as the governments liked to assign blame to the missions, they were also accountable for the poor education through their educational policies. As one Eritrean student remarks, Our sisters [the Italian Sisters] would have undoubtedly taught better and more, but the Italian government in the colony did not permit Eritreans to get good instruction (T.T. cited in Miran 2002:128). The colonial Eritrean government ensured that nativ e Eritreans received poor education by permitting them to only attend school up to the fourth grade (Miran 2002:127). Governments are also not free from blame even if they had a laissez-faire educational policy, as in Ghana, where until 1944 the registration of schools was not required and no attempt was made to exert detailed control even over the activities of grant-aided [by the government] institutions except for a series of minimal registrations (Foster 1965:114). If a government fails to regulate schools at all, they have no right to complain that the education in their colony is poor. Therefore, whether through their rigid educational polices or lack thereof, colonial governments contributed to the poor education, though there is no denying that missionaries also contributed to the quality of education to a great extent. In conclusion, the educational enterprise of the Christian missionaries in the British and Italian colonies of Africa during the mid-nineteenth to mid-twentieth centuries was primarily negative for the African pupils. Both the academic and vocational forms of education the missions provided served to strengthen the rule of the colonial powers, so that the native inhabitants were second-class citizens in their own land. Furthermore, missionaries, believing in the civilizing mission, attempted to disintegrate traditional society through education by choosing academic subjects, such as the histories of the Western colonial powers, that illustrated the superiority of the Western culture, as well as by teaching about the superiority of the West in non-academic matters such as hygiene. These attempts were traumatic for the students and threatened the survival of unique cultures. Last, missionaries provided a very poor education, causing their students to be ill-equipped for social or mater ial success, as they believed education to simply be a means for proselytization, were unqualified teachers, and allowed inter-denominational rivalries to interfere. As negative as all these impacts of the missionaries undoubtedly were for the African pupils, the long-term consequences are arguably as serious. The reservation of high-level positions in the colonial administrations for Europeans and the corresponding mission education that provided education fit only for lower positions meant that the withdrawal of European rule could cause serious political instability in the newly independent colonies. While colonial administration in colonies such as Kenya attempted to some degree to provide training for Kenyans to fill the high-level positions (Sheffield 1973:86), the attempts in many cases fell short, and when the European administration left, Kenya, for instance, had few sufficiently educated replacements (Sheffield 1973:88). Thus missionaries, by imparting education that promo ted dependence on colonial rule, arguably contributed to the political instability that continues in the present day in many former African colonies, such as Kenya and Eritrea. Moreover, mission education formed a poor foundation for future educational conditions in the former colonies. Given the fluctuating standards between schools and regions and the lack of qualified teachers in the mission schools which had monopolies in well into the mid-twentieth century, it should come as little surprise that the quality of education continues to be a concern in many former colonies. For instance, in Nigeria in 2006, approximately only 51.2% of primary school teachers of either gender were trained as teachers, and the enrolment rate in primary education for both genders in 2000 stood at about 62.7%, compared to 99.5% in Canada (UN Data 2010). Therefore, considering that the impact of mission education continues to have serious repercussions today, one must question whether the First World sh ould continue to interfere in African education. Volunteers and donors to organizations such as Compassion Canada believe that they are being humanitarian when they build schools in Africa, volunteer as teachers or help in other ways to improve the quality of education in African nations, yet missionaries and colonial governments were similarly lauded as performing a great work of humanity (Beck 1966:117) and likewise believed that they were helping their African pupils. However the superficial motivations and ideologies have changed, at the most basic level both contemporary Northern charities and nineteenth century missionaries share the belief that the North must come and save the suffering natives, which in the case of the missionaries, has been proven to have inflicted more harm than provided relief. Thus, despite what the images of suffering African children on websites such as that of Compassion Canada might lead one to believe, it is time for Africans to educate their own, w ithout any interference.

Kustom Kar Kommandos :: essays research papers

The movie Kustom Kar Kommandos is an intriguing look at the relationship between a man and his car. The film, being only about 3 minutes long, is filled with many points of thought involving the nature of this relationship. The short itself is about a man simply buffing and admiring his car, but with the use of music, fades, and slow pans this becomes an erotic event.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Playing â€Å"Dream Lover† from the start, Kenneth Anger has found the sensual side of communicating with an automobile, while still keeping the movie free of blatant symbolic imagery. The scene of the short is a very plain stage. A pink backdrop with no props other than the car, our attention is already focused to the action to be presented. The shots are very slow and very smooth, with fade’s and dissolves used abundantly for the transitions. The panning is done at a very slow pace, with the polishing being done at about the same speed. What could be only a few quick shots of a man have been dragged out into 3+ minutes of care and love to the car. The buffing rag itself is virginally white, having never seen any dirt on the car. Everything in the scene leads to a very innocent, sensual theme that Anger expresses so well in his cinematography.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The hints of sexuality appear as soon as the first shot comes onscreen. The fluffy white buffing rag caressing the body of the car ever so slowly, it then finds its way to two shiny circular (and very breast-like) objects that are part of the car’s engine. Moving from the body to these two â€Å"breasts†, the buffer never wavers, never slipping up in its quest to polish every inch of the car’s body and engine. Immediately afterwards, and in the same pan, the camera finds a hood ornament of a man sitting down (and apparently fishing) with a very phallic fishing rod projecting out in the silhouette. It is shots like this that give the short its erotic undertone.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Another interesting aspect of the film is the ambiguity of the man polishing the car. The shots are all done very carefully, so that the man’s face is never seen until the very end of the short. At one point it goes to a close up of the body being buffed, with a fairly revealing reflection of the man, but not his face.