Thursday, October 31, 2019
Marketing online forum Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words
Marketing online forum - Assignment Example Studentââ¬â¢s reply: E-marketing will truly affect consumer perceptions of privacy and security. As technology continues to improve over the years, methods of advertising will advance as well. Companies will always match up with other companies, trying to attract as many consumers as they can. All the popular websites feature internet marketing; search engines, online forums and communities such as My Space and Facebook, and company websites. On online communities such as Facebook, ads pop up that match up with ones interests that may be displayed in their profile. This is another advancement companies have made to promote themselves. It is controversial because information in someones account has been made available to online companies in promoting themselves. This happens all over the internet, yet people still continue to use the internet because it is quick and easy, and often times, requires little work. E-marketing has kept up with the consumer. Marketing has gone from paper , to graphic, to electronic, and with the help of the internet, international. Marketers used pop-up ads to get a users attention which the consumers disliked. Now they fill the sides of pages while users surf the internet. Marketers have offered online newsletters to users on many sites. This is one method I believe has worked. Companies ask a user if they would like to join a news letter, and they receive these letters only if they agree. This way, if they are not interested in the company, they will not be bothered. This was one approach marketers used that I felt worked and respected peoples privacy. Response: I agree with the above statement. E-marketing has come to stay and unless a major obstacle or glitch like the Y2K scare interrupts the internet connectivity, which is most unlikely, companies will continue to develop new strategies to sell their products on the internet. However, this will happen only in the tech savvy developed world. Other
Tuesday, October 29, 2019
The Wage setting model of unemployment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words
The Wage setting model of unemployment - Essay Example Wage setters cannot factually set the actual wage. In fact, the real wage weighs the purchasing power of those earning wages and is thus equivalent to the cash wage divided by the level of consumer prices. Wage setters can therefore set the money in their firm or in their economic sector. These wage setters set cash wage as per their expectation of the price level of consumers. Consequently, they set an expected actual wage in relation to the level of unemployment. Using the wage setting model of unemployment to explain and discuss the following statements: a). Competition between the employed and the unemployed is critical in Maintaining a low natural rate of unemployment A natural rate of employment refers to the unemployment rate when the labour market is at its equilibrium. NRU can also be the difference between people who would wish to get a job at the present wage rate and the people who are willing and at the same time, able to take a job. It is caused by supply side factors a s opposed to demand side factors. In connection to the wage setting model, it can be argued that, competition between the employed and the unemployed is critical in maintain a low natural rate of unemployment because it enables the wage negotiations to be more decentralized. This takes place at a smaller economic unit level. The lower the specified unit, the more competition it faces, which makes the labour demand more flexible (Blanchard & Katz 1970). To maintain law natural rate of unemployment, there must be competition of the unemployed and unemployed so that there can be at one end, an individualââ¬â¢s level and infinite elasticity on the other. Since an employed person fears the risk of being replaced with another person who is ready and willing to take up the job, thus lowering the equilibrium wage. If the centralization level of wage bargains goes up and if trade unions are inclusive, then an economy that is highly unionized can attain low unemployment rates. Nations with very decentralized wage-setting obtain a low rate of employment because of competition in the labour market. In an economy without competition the employed and unemployed, there might be a two-tier society, having a class of unstable workers who may be forced to wonder between poor-waged jobs and unemployment. As far as this is concerned, the bottle tends to be half full/half empty. While the labour market is actually dual when one looks solely at the jobs, one should also look at the unemployed individuals. At one extreme, this may imply that only specific people would always hold specific jobs, but on the other hand, the unemployed may have better skills and ready to work but with no opportunity to do so. Competition is therefore important in maintaining low natural rates of unemployment because it gives firms an opportunity to effectively screen and pick employees, an option that is vital in determining the amount of wages to be allocated in accordance to the work experience and skills, thus ensuring that there is a balance between the employed and unemployed (Burda & Wyplosz, 2013). It is also important to note that competition is crucial for the reason that, the employed personnel working on contract terms may wield pressure on the benefit systems of the unemployed, in case they are eligible to do so. The increase in job turnover may adversely raise the number of qualified claimants and place wage pressure on the unemployment benefit administration.
Sunday, October 27, 2019
A Review of Recessive Genetic Diseases in Cattle
A Review of Recessive Genetic Diseases in Cattle Huan Yu Introduction Cattle are susceptible to a wide range of genetic diseases. The majority of inherited genetic diseases recognized in cattle are autosomal recessive, mainly due to the practice of ââ¬Å"line-breedingâ⬠. The defective calf receives error gene inherited from both its sire and dam. However, if the inherited mutant gene comes from only one parent, such individual usually turns out to be a carrier of the disease without any symptoms (Patel, 2010). Genetic abnormalities contribute to poor performance and structural unsoundness to semi-lethal and lethal diseases. Since most genetic diseases are breed-specific, artificial insemination a widely used technique for cattle breeding may lead to high levels of inbreeding and an inevitable increase in the prevalence of recessive defects. Hence, it is imperative to increase the awareness of genetic diseases in cattle among animal breeders and farmers. This will stimulate strategies to reduce the economic loss due to such genetic diseases in cattle. More so, genetic tests for DNA markers such as Citrullinemia and BLAD may be utilised to identify animals with inherited defects at a very young age based on PCR-RFLP marker (Gholap, Kale and Sirothia, 2014). Also, there is need for cooperation among government agencies, veterinarians, animal scientists and farmers in the control of genetic defects among commercial cattle populations, by formulating and adopting good monitoring and control measures. This paper reviews some recessive genetic diseases in cattle with particular reference to its definition, genetic cause (DNA mutation) and the clinical symptoms. Furthermore, it also discuss some best practice to control the genetic disease in breeding population of dairy and beef cattle breeds. Recessive Genetic Diseases 1. Double Muscling or Muscular Hypertrophy Animals are described a ââ¬Å"double-muscledâ⬠(see Fig. 1) when they have a myostatin mutation. Double muscle gene is caused by the mutation of the muscle growth inhibition gene located on the second chromosomes. It is a negative regulatory factor of the skeletal muscle growth, a member of the TGF-à ² supergene family (Fiems, 2012). McPherron et al., (1997) noticed that these diseases are mainly found in Belgian Blue and Piedmontese cattle, which usually have an incredibly muscular look even if they do not exercise. Although, DM animals are touted to be beneficial to farmers, meat industry and consumers due to their valuable carcasses, however, they are more susceptible to respiratory disease, stress and dystocia, resulting in a lower robustness. Fig. 1. A fullblood Belgian Blue bull showing the double muscling phenotype. Adapted from McPherron et al., 1997. 2. Bovine Progressive Degenerative Myeloencephalopathy (Weaver Calf) Bovine Progressive Degenerative Myeloencephalopathy (see Fig. 2) is a recessive neurological disease most commonly reported in Brown Swiss pure and crossbred cattle since the 1970ââ¬â¢s in Northern America and Europe. It is usually caused by mutations in the EZH2 gene and some rare reported cases have implicated mutations in the NSD1 gene (Gholap, Kale and Sirothia, 2014). Clinical signs of the disease includes hind limb weakness, ataxia, and dysmetria appear in homozygous individuals around 6 months of age with a progressive weakness extending over 2-3 years. The occurrence of this disease can be determined by mapping Bos Taurus autosome (BTA) 4:46-56 Mb and a commercially available diagnostic test marker for 6 microsatellite (MS) (McClure et al., 2013). Fig. 2. Eighteen-month-old Brown heifer affected by ââ¬Å"Weaver syndromeâ⬠Adapted from Gentile and Testoni, 2006. 3. Arachomelia Arachnomelia is a monogenic recessive disease in cattle characterized by skeletal abnormalities and usually found in Brown, German Fleckvieh-Simmental cattle (Drà ¶gemà ¼ller et al., 2010). The causative mutation is due to SUOX gene (BTA5) encoding molybdohemoprotein sulphite oxidase and deleting c.1224-1225delC (Gholap, Kale and Sirothia, 2014). The affected cattle presents with fragile, thinner and longer legs in combination with stiffened joints. The fetlock joints are deformed and the skull malformations are characterized by shortened lower jaw, pointer head (see Fig. 3). Fig. 3. Phenotype of bovine arachnomelia in Brown Swiss cattle Adapted from Drà ¶gemà ¼ller et al., 2010. 4. Neuropathic Hydroceohalus (Water Head) Hydrocephaly is an abnormal increase in the amount of cerebrospinal fluid within the cranial cavity. It is accompanied by expansion of the cerebral ventricles, enlargement of the skull and especially the forehead, and atrophy of the brain which may result in stillborn or dummy calves (Arsdall, 2011). One mutation causing NH in the descendents of GAR Precision 1680, and a popular AI sire in high marbling Angus bloodlines. This disease most commonly found in Angus and Angus infused beef cattle. Affected calves are born dead with an extremely large cranium with little or no brain material or spinal cord (see Fig. 4). It is probable that a large percentage of mortalities relating to NH occur through embryonic or fetal loss during gestation, which causes the defect to go misdiagnosed or unnoticed. Fig. 4. Deformity in a stillborn calf due to neuropathic hydrocephalus Adapted from Vetbook.org, 2013. 5. Chondrodysplasia (Dwarfism) Bovine chondrodysplastic dwarfism (BCD) is an autosomal recessive disorder with the phenotype of short limbs, joint abnormality, and ateliosis (see Fig. 5). This disorder mainly results from the mutation of a single nucleotide substitution leading to an activation of a cryptic splicing donor site and a one-base deletion resulting in a frameshift mutation (Takeda et al., 2002). Clinical signs of the disease may present with wide variation, but the main feature is reduced length of bones with an endochondral growth pattern. The Dexter cattle that inherit two copies of the ACAN mutation will abort during the third trimester, while the heterozygous individuals will show the desired miniature cattle phenotype (Arsdall, 2011). Fig. 5. An example of the degree of dwarfism expressed in carriers Adapted from Davidson, 2008. Strategies for Controlling Genetic Defects Most genetic diseases are breed-specific that can cause the huge economic losses due to poor animal performance; structural unsoundness reduces the production and reproductive potential of the animal. Consequently, it is necessary to determine the cause of inherited defects. Moreover, controlling genetic diseases, ethical and legal considerations are also important methods to minimise the genetic diseases in breeding population of dairy and beef cattle breeds. Firstly, farmers should have good breeding records for each animal which include their sire and dam, date of breeding, the date of breeding, abnormality descriptions and photos or videos and causes of death, if the farmers cannot find the reason of death, they should ask help from veterinarians or state diagnostic laboratory (Jane and Trent, 2010). Some of the recessive genetic diseases are somewhat difficult to recognise because mutant gene inherited from only one parent is usually without symptoms. Therefore, good records by breeders will help to know the causes of death in controlling diseases and good diagnosis for the congenital defects. Secondly, animals that carry a defective gene should be prevented from passing it on to their offsprings by culling. DNA testing is currently available for the genetic diseases. The calf should be made to undergo blood typing within one-month of age to allow early diagnosis of underlying disease. Importantly, Bulls or semen should be purchased from reputable breeders, produced by parents who are not known to carry undesirable genes (Schalles, Leipold and McCraw, 1914). Although, the DNA testing is a huge financial burden as well as time consuming, however, a good diagnosis from one dead calf can save many others. In the last decade, the development of DNA tests for detecting BLAND and Citrullinemia has been effective in breeding population (Gholap, Kale and Sirothia, 2014). Furthermore, seed stock producers have an obligation to be honest with the customers and to ensure that their customers understand the consequences of using offspring from know carriers. Otherwise, the breederââ¬â¢s reputations will be at stake, as well as reflect negatively on the entire breed. Conclusion Genetic diseases in dairy and beef cattle affect the economics of animal breeders and farmers, and it is a long way to developing DNA tests for the diagnosis of most diseases to check the spread of undesirable genes effectively. Farmers should cooperate with the breed association, extension and university personnel and veterinarians to eliminate and avoid these problems. The government also need to raise public awareness of genetic diseases in breeding population of dairy and beef cattle breeds via social media, advertisements and journals. References Arsdall, D. V. (2011). Neuropathic Hydrocephalus (NH) Water Head [online] Available from: http://calfology.com/library/wiki/neuropathic-hydrocephalus-nh-quotwater-headquot [Accessed 12 May 2015] Arsdall, D. V. (2011). Dwarfism (Condrodysplasia) [online] Available from: http://calfology.com/library/wiki/dwarfism-condrodysplasia [Accessed 12 May 2015] Carol Davidson (2008). American Dexter Cattle Association [online] Available from: http://www.dextercattle.org/adca/adca_article_chondrodysplasia.html [Accessed 13 May 2015] Drà ¶gemà ¼ller, C., Tetens, J., Sigurdsson, S., Gentile, A., Testoni, S., Lindblad-Toh, K. and Leeb, T. (2010). ââ¬ËIdentification of the Bovine Arachnomelia Mutation by Massively Parallel Sequencing Implicates Sulfite Oxidase (SUOX) in Bone Developmentââ¬â¢, PLoS Genetics, vol.6, no.8, pp.e1001079 Fiems, L. (2012). ââ¬ËDouble Muscling in Cattle: Genes, Husbandry, Carcasses and Meatââ¬â¢, Animals, vol.2, no.4, pp.472-506 Gholap, P. N., Kale. D. S. and Sirothia. A. R. (2014). ââ¬ËGenetic Diseases in Cattle: a Reviewââ¬â¢, Research Journal of Animal, Veterinary and Fishery Sciences, vol. 2, no. 2, pp.24-33 Gentile, A., Testoni, S. (2006). ââ¬ËInherited disorders of cattle: a selected reviewââ¬â¢, Slov vet Res, vol.43, no.1, pp.17-29 Jane A. Parish and Trent Smith (2010) Managing Genetic Defects in Beef Cattle Herds [online] Available from: http://msucares.com/pubs/publications/p2622.pdf [Accessed 13 May 2015] McClure, M., Kim, E., Bickhart, D., Null, D., Cooper, T., Cole, J., Wiggans, G., Ajmone-Marsan, P., Colli, L., Santus, E., Liu, G., Schroeder, S., Matukumalli, L., Van Tassell, C. and Sonstegard, T. (2013) ââ¬ËFine Mapping for Weaver Syndrome in Brown Swiss Cattle and the Identification of 41 Concordant Mutations across NRCAM, PNPLA8 and CTTNBP2ââ¬â¢, PLoS ONE, vol.8, no.3, pp.e59251 Patel, R. K. (2010). ââ¬ËAutosomal Recessive Genetic Disorders of Cattle Breeds Worldwide-A Reviewââ¬â¢, Journal of Livestock Biodiversity, vol.2, no.1, pp.35-41 Schalles, R. R., Leipold, H. W., McCraw, R. L. (1914). Congenital Defects in cattle [online] Available from: http://www.iowabeefcenter.org/Beef%20Cattle%20Handbook/Congenital_Defects_Cattle.pdf [Accessed 13 May 2015] Vetbook.org (2013) Neuropathic hydrocephalus ââ¬â Cow [online] Available from: http://vetbook.org/wiki/cow/index.php/Neuropathic_hydrocephalus [Accessed 13 May 2015]
Friday, October 25, 2019
Producing Carbon Dioxide from a Metal Carbonate :: Science Thermal Decomposition Essays
Producing Carbon Dioxide from a Metal Carbonate Metal Carbonate Metal Oxide + Carbon Dioxide Thermal decomposition ââ¬Ëis when a substance breaks down into simpler substances when heated, often with the help of a catalyst. Itââ¬â¢s different from a reaction because thereââ¬â¢s only one substance to start withââ¬â¢. I came across this information in the EDEXCEL Modular Science revision guidebook 1. Thermal decomposition is the breakdown of a substance using thermal energy, this is not a reaction. Preliminary experiment Limewater and copper carbonate were used to see if a metal carbonate beaks down to produce carbon dioxide. This is what the experiment looked like: The equation for this: CaCo3(s) CuO(s) + Co2 (g) This experiment was to see if carbon dioxide was produced from a metal carbonate. In this case copper carbonate was used. Two test tubes were linked together by a rubber tube, which had a glass pipe coming out of the cork that prevented any of the carbon dioxide or any other gas from escaping. As you can see from the diagram in one tube there was limewater that was to test for the carbon dioxide, and in the other was copper carbonate. If there were carbon dioxide present, the limewater would turn cloudy (white in colour). When I was observing what happened I could see that there was carbon dioxide present because the limewater turned cloudy. Secondary Experiment This experiment was to compare the rates of decomposition of several metal carbonates. Several metal carbonates were placed in a test tube and linked to a syringe that measured the amount of carbon dioxide gas when the metal carbonates were heated. This experiment is to see how fast metal carbonates will break down to produce carbon dioxide. The reason they break donââ¬â¢t break down at the same time is because more reactive ones donââ¬â¢t want to break up. So the longer it holds onto its carbonate the more reactive the metal is. In this experiment there are a few factors that can affect the results of the experiment. These factors can make the results of the experiment be incorrect. The factors that can affect the experiment are: 1 Water 2 Amounts of powder 3 Distance the flame is away from the metal carbonate Water can affect the results because it can get into the powder, which can speed up a reaction. If different amounts of the substance are used, then the results can be affected because the more amount of powder there is, the more carbon dioxide will be produced. Plan In this experiment I plan to use 1/500 of a mole. This is because if anything greater is used then the amount is too great and the results
Thursday, October 24, 2019
BSc Participant
These approaches can be implemented through the following methods, analytical, participatory, regulatory, protected area, systems approach, socio-cultural approaches and economic approaches. Command and control regulations- It's an approach where political authorities mandate people, by enacting a law, to bring about a behavior and use an enforcement machinery to get people to obey the law. It's an environmental management strategy where the government or responsible authorities sets standards to protect and manage the natural resources. This technique covers the regulatory and protected areas approaches.In Zombie the regulations involve the bylaws, legislative, reserved or protected areas and bio monitoring. The government of Zombie construct national parks like Generous National park, sanctuaries, Safari areas, recreational areas, botanical gardens/ reserves, state forests. The maintenance of biodiversity, natural resources and associated cultural resources. This approach worked we ll in Zombie as this was evidenced by the creation of many national and recreational parks thought it resulted in some negative impacts to the communities where these projects were done.Some of the problems were location of communities, poaching of the resources by the nearby communities for example the recent issue where 20 elephants were killed in Kari The approach of protected areas in town is appearing no to be considered when different developments are taking place in Zombie. A good example when the city council of Chitchatting gave residential stands on wetland areas of Zinged 4. Another good example it's the construction of the new shopping mall that is along Hare-Bylaws road, that place was reserved by the city fathers of Hare as a wetland.This shows that the approach of protected areas in towns is not considered. This evidences the conflicts between economic development and conservation of resources using this approach. Another challenge faced by Zombie from these protected areas is land, some of these areas require very large pieces of land, and for example the Generous National Park is approximately 5000 km, and this is a very large piece of land that can be used for other economic uses. But on the other hand these areas can serves as income generation to the country through CEO-tourism.Another approach involves the regulatory policies and pieces of legislation. On legislation arioso acts have been put in place to date for the management of natural resources in Zombie. Some of the acts and policies are Forest, Minerals, Wildlife, Environmental management Acts. Some of the Acts are; Native husbandry Act (1951), National Parks & Wildlife Act (1975), National Parks & Wildlife Amendment Act (1984), Communal Land Act (1982) and the Water Act (1976).Described below are some of the Acts; The Zombie Environmental Management Act (2004) provides for the sustainable management of natural resources and protection of the environment; the prevention of pollution and environmental degradation. The Act also provides for the preparation of a National Environmental Plan and other plans for the protection of the environment. The implementing 134 agency of the Act is the Environmental Management Agency and Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources Management. The primary strategy embodied in the Act is crystallization.The Environmental Management Act is now the supreme environmental Law in Zombie. Another act is the Forest Act of 1954, the management of woodland and forest products is embodied in the Forest Act and the Communal Land Forest Produce Act. The Forest Act (1954) provides for management of wood resources wrought Zombie although its focus is state forests and on private land. The main management strategy in both acts is to establish conditions under which forest produce can be used and to determine and regulate the extent of that use.Both Acts rely on the crystallization of activities in order to protect and regenerate forest produc e. The Forest Act creates forests officers who have general police powers of seizure and arrest. Designated officers or forest officers under the communal Land Forest Produce Act do not have power of arrest. These arrests may only be made by rest officers in Communal Areas where the charge is for an offense under the Forest Act (Camaraderie, 2000). Parks and wildlife Act (1975), the Act is administered exploitation of plants, trees and wildlife.Camaraderie (2000) argues that the Act seeks to protect indigenous plant life and prohibits its sale without a permit. However it allows pants to be harvested by the owner or occupier of land for use in the home of occupier. It further allows harvesting indigenous plants where the area is needed for cultivation and construction. All the regulatory legislation described above was enacted using the top- down approach. The masses were not consulted so as to incorporate their knowledge in the conservation of the resources hence the defilement.If participatory approaches had been used, indigenous knowledge could have been harnessed into the statutory acts. Although Acts mentioned above are vital to the country, they are failing to curb depletion of forest resources. Mismanagement of these forest resources is rife especially in most Communal Areas of Zombie regardless of the existence of the legal frameworks. One of the major causes of the misuse of forest products, especially trees, is arguably the fact that people are nearly ignoring traditional beliefs and indigenous knowledge systems in the sustainable management of natural resources.Economic Instruments approach- this is natural resources management strategy that uses the concepts of economics meaning it deals with the market. By dealing with the market it means it deals with the demand and supply. This approach uses economics to manage or regulate the environment by using supply and demand to minimize the impact of the human economy on ecosystems. This approach changes the behavior of resource users through subordination of natural resources in the form of tax incentive, user charges f the resource, soft credits that enables the good management of natural resources, pollution charges to the polluter of the environment.The method employs approaches like analytical and system approaches to achieve its natural resources management successfully. The method uses the ââ¬Å"polluter -pays principleâ⬠. The economic instruments used by this approach involve taxes or charges that are paid by the producer or firms. Since the producer is being taxed this increases prices, which provides both opportunity and incentive for innovation; eventually the innovations are so successful that prices end up below what they were before the source shortages occurred Aeolian Simony's rule of Ultimate Resource).The success of this technique depends on market developments and market variations. In Zombie economic benefit was identified as a major driver for sustainable natural resources management. The approach involves use of economic benefits as incentives to drive sustainable management of natural resources. Participatory approach- this involves empowering local communities to take up guardianship and stewardship over natural resources. Communities derive economic benefit by using natural resources as alternative land use.The most common participator programmer one in Zombie is the Community based Natural Resources Management (CPRM). The CPRM is where existing natural resources within an area are managed as a commercial enterprise at community level in a sustainable and productive manner. It has ecological benefits, it also makes sound economic sense by maximizing on the resources that are available and reducing the reliance on external inputs. The programmer started late sass with CAMPFIRE programmer, initiated by Zimmermann Department of National Parks and Wildlife Management, the wildlife, to rural communities.Because of its successful inter nationally in enabling immunities to derive a sustainable livelihood from wildlife management, the programmer achieved a great deal in terms of setting a stage for CPRM in Zombie. The problem with the CPRM was not covering all the resources; it was mainly focused on wildlife management. This presents a greater challenge to other resources since many Zimmermann communal areas are largely devoid of Wildlife. However to a larger extent the programmer was effective on managing natural resources in Communal areas of Zombie.This is because the programmer sought to decentralized the management of natural resources to rural communities which ivies these communities sense of ownership over the resources thereby motivating citizens to participate on managing the resources in their community. Another example of the participatory approach done in Zombie was the SAFARI MIT programmer. The participatory approach has been found to be an effective means to manage natural resources since the communi ty its self is in charge of managing their available resources thereby creating the sense of ownership among them.This approach is believed to bring cost-savings over mandatory policies for regulators, while encouraging individuals and communities to take holistic strategies to improve ND manage their natural resources efficiently (Khan, 2001; Lyon & Maxwell, 2004). Another approach used in Zombie is the system approach which encompasses critical view of system earth and the ecosystems approach. Ecosystem approach maintains or restores the composition, structure and function of natural and modified ecosystems for the goal of long-term sustainability.This is an integrated approach made up of protected areas approach, CPRM and the Turnaround Natural Resource Management (TORN). TORN is a board that manages resources found on the boarders of Zombie and its neighboring countries. A good example where this board work effectively it's between the South African- Zombie boarders. The Turnaro und approach rises after a number of factors which includes, the need to better manage shared resources; the drive for economic growth through regional integration and development, the need to foster community participation, promote peace and security and embrace the forces of globalization.This was evidenced by the construction of the game park that stretches from Zombie to South Africa for the management of wildlife and other resources found between the boarders of these two countries. However, despite these envisaged benefits of Turnaround natural resource management (TABOR), there are numerous concerns arising from these initiatives ranging from community normalization, inter ââ¬â community conflicts and inter ââ¬â state inequity in the distribution of benefits.
Wednesday, October 23, 2019
Caucasians and African Americans
Without Reservation is a history of how the Mashantucket Pequot tribe, composed mostly of Caucasians and African Americans who exaggerated or fabricated their Native American ancestry, rose to power in the 1980s and 1990s. In addition, it exposes how they were corrupted by money, power, and influence, creating and essentially looting the worldââ¬â¢s largest casino-resort complex. The first third of the book traces the Pequotsââ¬â¢ formation in the early 1970s, when Indian rights attorney Tom Tureen sought the location of a defunct Pequot reservation near Ledyard, Connecticut.Tureen met Richard ââ¬Å"Skipâ⬠Hayward, a laborer and failed preacher with rather dubious claims of Indian ancestry; his grandmother was the daughter of a black father and a mother listed as Indian on some documents. (Benedict 146) Declaring himself an Indian (which he had never done before), Hayward basically charmed his way into becoming chief of a tribe who history was at best murky, attracting a growing number of members whose Indian blood was as non-existent as his own. Most were Haywardââ¬â¢s own relatives; said Tureen, ââ¬Å"The Pequots are all Haywards.â⬠(Benedict 59) With Tureenââ¬â¢s help, Hayward gained political power and access to government money by arousing and shrewdly manipulating public sympathy for Native Americans. The tribeââ¬â¢s members were mostly non-Indian, simply claiming identity with an oppressed people was convincing enough; according to Tureen, ââ¬Å"We never had to lie or mislead anybody. . . . We were never questioned about those other aspects. â⬠(Benedict 117) In 1992, the Mashantucket Pequot opened Foxwoods, then the worldââ¬â¢s largest casino, on tribal land and with funding by both the federal government and Chinese-Malaysian financiers Lim Goh Tong and Colin Au.(Benedict 213) The casino, exempt from paying taxes, was then the only such resort in New England and proved itself quickly profitable; its 1995 gambling pro fits exceeded $300 million. (Benedict 295-296) Though Hayward was something of a con artist (he had been a failed blue-collar laborer and preacher, and his revival of the Pequot tribe smacked of chicanery), he was ambitious and tried to build Foxwoods into a larger complex, with a wide array of entertainment offerings, including an Indian museum.However, many of the newly-attracted members had hoped to avoid working and live for free on the reservation; as it was, Hayward provided members living there with homes, stipends, and free college educations. Ultimately, tribal elder Kenny Reels, whose Indian ancestry was as dubious and invented as Haywardââ¬â¢s (Benedict 232-234), led a disgruntled group of members and deposed Hayward as leader, aiming instead of skim and enjoy the profits. Said one member: ââ¬Å"I havenââ¬â¢t got my first million. My wifeââ¬â¢s got to work. People should be enjoying themselves. Why canââ¬â¢t I have a BMW?â⬠(Benedict 293) Ironically, Hay ward, a somewhat shady character, had tried to behave as a legitimate leader and businessman after Foxwoods opened, only to be ousted by former supporters. Today, Foxwoods brings in immense amounts of money but is deeply in debt due to the current Pequot leadersââ¬â¢ gross mismanagement. RELATIONSHIP TO CLASS Without Reservation relates to the hospitality industry by illustrating some of the less savory aspects of gaming, giving ample detail of the political maneuvering necessary to bring both the Mashantucket Pequot and Foxwoods into existence.Hayward was basically a classic huckster, promoting himself as an Indian (which misled Tureen and many others who helped him) and envisioned a grand project that would make him and his followers rich. The tribe used its political connections to overcome not only fierce local opposition to the casino in the late 1980s and early 1990s, but also environmental regulations (from which Indian casinos are exempt, like taxes). Foxwoodsââ¬â¢ con struction irrevocably changed the surrounding countryside, removing thousands of trees and much of the local wildlife.(Benedict 226-227) Like many businesses, gaming depends on those relationships to politicians on various levels, but gaming is more controversial due to communitiesââ¬â¢ concerns about the effects casinos supposedly have ââ¬â namely, increases in crime and political corruption. Indeed, the Pequot reservation and surrounding communities witnessed a sharp rise in violence and drug activity in the late 1990s, widely attributed to the casino. Indeed, current tribal leader Kenny Reelsââ¬â¢ own nephew was imprisoned for rape and drug offenses. (Benedict 347)In addition, it shows the perils of mismanagement. Skip Hayward, while not a polished professional with a business background, tried to run Foxwoods and the tribe cleanly, carefully watching the profits and planning to put them back into future expansions. Sensing a ââ¬Å"classic product cycleâ⬠when Fox woodsââ¬â¢ novelty began wearing off, Hayward tried to add shopping, a museum, and other venues. (Benedict 266-267) However, an accomplished CEO who fired a crooked auditor was forced to quit, shortly before Hayward himself was ousted by a corrupt element of the tribal leadership.Since then, the casino continues to enjoy high revenues from gambling but is in serious financial disarray; because tribal leaders have routinely dipped into the profits for their own uses (and for their supporters), Foxwoods has had trouble repaying its construction loans and has descended into deep debt. CRITIQUE A fast read for its length, Without Reservation is very well-written, with clear, strong prose and a brisk narrative.While an expose, the book is not written in a sensational style, but rather more like a tight fictional narrative. It exposes the shady political machinations behind both the tribeââ¬â¢s ââ¬Å"revivalâ⬠(if indeed the Mashantucket ever genuinely existed) and the casinoà ¢â¬â¢s creation, as well as the infighting between Skip Hayward and Kenny Reels. The book has two main ironies; the first involves Haywardââ¬â¢s own dubious background and evolution into a relatively honest figure, while the second involves race.The tribe drew both white and black recruits from the Northeast, many of whom came from poor backgrounds and saw membership in the Mashantucket Pequot as a means of getting rich without effort. Reels, a black Rhode Islander with a small amount of supposedly Indian blood, exploited the racial differences between the factions to force out Hayward and his adherents. The tribe, intended to unite the races in a race to which none actually belonged, split apart along mainly racial lines.In general, this book offers keen insights into not only the creation of the worldââ¬â¢s largest casino but also into how racial identity is manipulated for political and financial reasons, how a group of poor outsiders used public sympathy to gain federal recognition (and money) with virtually no evidence of their Indian ancestry, and how greed and mistrust ultimately ruined the tribeââ¬â¢s key figures. It manages to tell a complex, scandalous, somewhat tragic story without exaggeration or sensation, making it a straightforward, rewarding read.
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