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The Role of Mbe in the Congolese Area Nineteenth-Twenty-First Century
Get PDFFrom the nineteenth century, several European powers embarked on the conquest of Africa in order to establish the zones of influence and what became a few years after the colonies. These powers had thus engaged several explorers with secret missions. In Central Africa one can quote Stanley working on the side of Belgium under the domination of Leopold II king of Belgians, and on the side of France it was Savorgnan DEBrazza who founded the vast French empire in Central Africa. In 1880, he arrived on the Teke ground, here he established friendly relations with the Teke. Brazza signed with the Teke Kingdom a convention called Mbe. October 3, 1880, which later gave birth to Brazzaville in 1884, French Congo in 1902 and French Equatorial Africa in 1910.Mbe played a major role in the history of the current Congo. It is a small town that has existed for several years, remains today the seat of the Teke kingdom and continues to assume multiple functions on the economic, social and cultural level
Language Norm in Various Stages of English Learning in Mainland China
Get PDFThe concept of norm itself means certain restriction, restraint and guidance. Due to the role of norm, people can correctly understand and use the language, abide by the social behavioral norms and obtain effective knowledge. Language norm as a social phenomenon, just like other social phenomena, such as morality, consciousness and custom, is a natural presentation of the convergence of the social group behaviors. Different stages of English learning have different teaching objectives and the emphasis of language norm should be different. Research on the language norms in various stages of English learning is based on the aim of conducting effective communication. Corresponding restriction, restraint and guidance based on the real situation of the students is to help the students conduct the cross-cultural communication more smoothly
Fiscal Decentralization and Economic Growth in Nigeria: A Multivariate Co-Integration Approach
Get PDFThis paper examines the long run and causal relationship between fiscal decentralization and economic growth in Nigeria for the period 1970 to 2012 using time series data. Results from a multivariate VAR model provide evidence of long run relationship between fiscal decentralization and economic growth in Nigeria. The three measures of fiscal decentralization have a positive and significant relationship with economic growth, Granger Causality test reveals long run unidirectional link running from fiscal decentralization to economic growth. The study recommends the need for government to urgently address the constitutional issue of fiscal powers among the three tiers of government to further strengthen the fiscal base of the state and local governments and increase further the level of fiscal decentralization
A Hidden Informality? Informal Occupation in Milan: The Housing Needs and the Events of Protest
Get PDFOver the last decade, the growing dynamic of housing needs, experiences of instability, crumbling welfare system, real estate crisis and the seeming intricacies of socio-economic policies have made the issue of informal occupation quite a hidden phenomenon in Milan city. A city in which homeownership is increasingly unobtainable and high disproportion of overall economic incomes strongly affect housing choices and opportunities. The scarce resources and management difficulties in the public administration of social housing in Milan and the high migration flows have contributed to the lack of building maintenance, process and manifestation of informal occupation and the generation of housing evictions. People who are not eligible to enter in the lists for public housing, but they neither cannot afford to rent at market prices are also included in this issue, such younger people. In addition, this issue has become a trigger for strong social tension and conflict concerning the public institution, formal residents and informal ones. The generation of "without" have the feeling that their voices have not been heard, even through radical protest. The great mass movements, around the social housing issues, the collectivization of the protest have been passed. Now, in Milan remains disaggregated social mobilizations and atomized, those who protest have to deal always with unsustainable housing market prices and find adaptive housing strategies. The essence of this study is therefore to show the critical issue of informal occupation in Milan, through a qualitative approach to deduce successes and weaknesses from housing policies that deal with this phenomenon, encourage unused resources as well as stipulating important hints for professionals. Through a desk study attempt primarily based on literature and secondary data, but also an informant data collection based on interviews. The findings from the study revealed the need of changing welfare mechanisms, fragmented and isolated approaches to deal informal occupation, and lack of preventive measures. The study proposes the need for new housing policies that considered sustainable funding, community interaction and private partnership, coalitions for economic and social development programs, and provision of flexible housing alternatives that recognize the demands of the territory and implement innovative forms over the limits of living in Milan
Predictors of Students' Competence in Applying Mathematics in Real World Problems
Get PDFToday's societies place challenging demands on individuals, who are confronted with complexity in many aspects of their lives. Individuals need to acquire a wide range of competencies in order to overcome the complex challenges of today's world. Using real-world problems is important not only to hone students' mathematical thinking and competency but also to prepare them in making well-grounded decisions that involve logical and mathematical reasoning. Thus, this study explored the competence of the students in applying mathematics in real world problems and determined the predictors using the selected profile variables. Regression analysis was used to identify if there are predictors that determine the results of the assessment. The main tool of the study was the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) test in mathematics. Findings revealed that the predictors include confidence level, repeated kinder, mother work status and highest level of education to complete. This study could be a guide for determining the strengths and weaknesses of students in applying mathematics in the real world as framework in helping them handle the rigors of connecting math with their lives
Cross-Border Migrants' Integration in Rural Border Communities of South-West Nigeria
Get PDFThe study examined Cross border migrants' integration in rural border communities of Ogun and Oyo States, South-West Nigeria. Multi-stage sampling technique was used for the survey. The sample size was determined by a snowball sampling technique and a total of 173 duly completed questionnaires administered to the household heads in each sampled household were used. It was discovered in the study that many of the migrants were from neighbouring Benin Republic. Also majority of the respondents were males. Most of the cross border migrants were still in their active working age (21-50years) while many had no basic education, a good number of them were farmers. The migrants migrated because of bad economic condition in their country of origin. Many of the migrants rented their houses and land. Majority preferred marrying among themselves. None of the respondents have legal stay and majority still aspire to go back to their country of origin. All these are indications of low level of migrants' integration in the RBC of SW Nigeria. This study concluded that the identified socio-economic and cultural characteristics of the migrants are relevant factors for consideration in planning for the integration of migrants in RBC of SW Nigeria
Several Features the Special Court for Kosovo and Challenges that May Face during the Proving the Process of Concrete Criminal Cases
Get PDFThe Special Court for Kosovo is a hybrid court of "sui generis" nature which essentially consists of several elements of local and international character. This Court is characterized by a considerable number of specifications which make it a court of a special type, compared to national courts and international criminal courts recorded by human society memories until nowadays. Such characteristics refer to establishment and activities of this court, international double trial, selective trials, subject matter, personal and time jurisdiction. On the other hand, it is expectable that the work of this court shall be accompanied by numerous problems linked to proving of the alleged crimes for adjudication of which was established. These troubles mainly are expected to come to expression concerning issues related to the testimony of witnesses, victims of crime and material evidence
Mapping the "˜Anthropocentric-ecocentric' Dualism in the History of American Presidency: The Good, the Bad, and the Ambivalent
Get PDFThis article examines the way the "˜anthropocentric-ecocentric' dualism has come to bear on the history of the American presidency since the turn of the century, with special focus on three American Presidents, namely Theodore Roosevelt, Ronald Reagan, and Barak Obama. The major argument in this paper is that this duality constitutes not only a philosophical divergence of views, but also a determinant factor that has guided the beliefs, decisions, and policies of American presidents over more than a century. On account of their contradictory environmental records, both Theodore Roosevelt and Ronald Reagan are believed to stand for the two extremes of an "˜anthropocentrism-ecocentrism' spectrum while Barak Obama ambivalently oscillates in the middle. Coming to power with different, sometimes conflicting, agendas, Presidents Roosevelt, Reagan, and Obama used the presidency as a bully pulpit to implement their ideological vision of nature, the environment, and economic growth in line with either "˜ecocentrism' or "˜anthropocentrism.' Spotlighting both their rhetoric and policies, this article delineates the three presidents' differentiation along the "˜anthropocentric-ecocentric' continuum and discusses the divergence of their respective political and philosophical beliefs as well as their concomitant implementation strategies. Ultimately, mapping the "˜anthropocentric-ecocentric' dualism in the history of American presidency provides a valuable insight into how this divide has been transferred from the philosophical realm to the political one
Urban Governance Indicators and Quality of Life in Congo: Case study of Brazzaville
Get PDFThis article discusses urban governance and life quality indicators in the Republic of Congo and Brazzaville in particular. The governance of the city of Brazzaville greatly influences the life quality of the people to the extent that all the decisions of urban policy are taken by actors who in charge of the governance of the city of Brazzaville. The conditions of the population of the city proper are still far from being met. Yet the goal of urban gouverance is to find solutions to the problems that cities face. The crisis facing African cities is very concern because of adequate solutions that are slow to be concretized. The few indicators in this work show how the urban gouverance of the city of Brazzaville still poses enough problems. Therefore, the state and development partners, non-governmental organizations and all actors of urban governance should take necessary measures to improve the living conditions of the population of the city of Brazzaville
Cultural Differences between Indian & US College Students on Attitudes toward Celebrities & the Love Attitudes Scale
Get PDFWe administered the Celebrity Attitude Scale (CAS) and the Love Attitudes Scale (LAS) to 59 university students in the United States and 61university students in India. Students from both countries who scored as dependent, needy lovers tended to also score high on all three subscales of the CAS, suggesting that some persons with failed personal relationships may become attracted to parasocial relationships with celebrities as a safe alternative. Students from the U.S. who tended to view love as a game, as measured by the LAS game-playing subscale, also tended to strongly admire their favorite celebrity in an intense personal way. Differences and similarities between the Indian and American samples on the CAS and LAS were discussed. The study provides additional evidence that the two problematic levels of the CAS are associated with undesirable attitudes and behaviors