The Historical Evidence in Old Maps and Charts of Africa with Special Reference to West Africa

1988 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
pp. 1-83 ◽  
Author(s):  
René Baesjou

Early maps and charts of Africa--here defined as those produced before colonial penetration--have seldom been used as a source for historical studies. Generally they are valued more for their decorative qualities than for their geographical content. Jonathan Swift gave form to this viewpoint in his famous --or notorious--lines: So geographers in Afric-mapsWith savage-pictures fill the gapsAnd o'er unhabitable downsPlace elephants for want of townslines which stereotyped the African cartography until today.But it is not only eighteenth century maps that have been exposed to ridicule; those made in colonial times have also been subjected to stinging criticism. For instance, the linguist Pierre Alexandre noticed that on the official map of Cameroun made before independence a certain “Ambababoum” is shown as an important village on the road from Yaoundé to Bafia. However, it does not exist and has never existed within living memory. And, examining another map, he observed that certain peoples who do not exist are mentioned, while others who do exist are omitted.

Author(s):  
Anthony F. Heath ◽  
Elizabeth Garratt ◽  
Ridhi Kashyap ◽  
Yaojun Li ◽  
Lindsay Richards

Social Progress in Britain examines how much progress has made in the years since Sir William Beveridge described the ‘five giants on the road to reconstruction’—the giants of Want, Disease, Ignorance, Squalor, and Idleness. The book has chapters examining the progress which Britain has made in improving material prosperity and tackling poverty; in extending length of life and tackling disease; in raising participation in education and improving educational standards; in tackling the scourge of unemployment, especially youth unemployment; and in providing better-quality housing and tackling overcrowding. In addition to Beveridge’s five giants, the book also explores inequalities of opportunity (focussing on inequalities between social classes, men and women, and ethnic groups), and the changing nature of social divisions and social cohesion in Britain. Throughout, the chapters put British progress into perspective by drawing comparisons with progress made in other large developed democracies such as Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Sweden, and the USA. As well as looking at the average level of prosperity, life expectancy, education, and housing, the book examines the extent of inequality around the average and pays particular attention to whether the most disadvantaged sections of society have shared in progress or have fallen behind. It concludes with an assessment of the effect of policy interventions such as Margaret Thatcher’s free market reforms of the 1980s on different aspects of social progress.


1995 ◽  
Vol 1 (4) ◽  
pp. 468-485 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Rathjen

§1. Introduction. The purpose of this paper is, in general, to report the state of the art of ordinal analysis and, in particular, the recent success in obtaining an ordinal analysis for the system of -analysis, which is the subsystem of formal second order arithmetic, Z2, with comprehension confined to -formulae. The same techniques can be used to provide ordinal analyses for theories that are reducible to iterated -comprehension, e.g., -comprehension. The details will be laid out in [28]. Ordinal-theoretic proof theory came into existence in 1936, springing forth from Gentzen's head in the course of his consistency proof of arithmetic. Gentzen fostered hopes that with sufficiently large constructive ordinals one could establish the consistency of analysis, i.e., Z2. Considerable progress has been made in proof theory since Gentzen's tragic death on August 4th, 1945, but an ordinal analysis of Z2 is still something to be sought. However, for reasons that cannot be explained here, -comprehension appears to be the main stumbling block on the road to understanding full comprehension, giving hope for an ordinal analysis of Z2 in the foreseeable future. Roughly speaking, ordinally informative proof theory attaches ordinals in a recursive representation system to proofs in a given formal system; transformations on proofs to certain canonical forms are then partially mirrored by operations on the associated ordinals. Among other things, ordinal analysis of a formal system serves to characterize its provably recursive ordinals, functions and functionals and can yield both conservation and combinatorial independence results.


1970 ◽  
Vol 43 (5) ◽  
pp. 1215-1224 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. I. Cunneen ◽  
R. M. Russell

Abstract The chemical structure of the tread vulcanizate of heavy-duty tires has been investigated before and after service on the road, and after testing under conditions designed to induce tread-lift. Significant changes occurred. These included a marked reduction in the concentration of polysulfide crosslinks, and an increase in the amount of monosulfide crosslinks and main chain modification. Experiments with vulcanizates made in the laboratory indicated that the structural alterations in the tires were due to thermal anaerobic reactions caused by heat build-up, and that they resulted in a deterioration in some of the physical properties of the tread vulcanizate. The rate of desulfuration of ‘model’ polysulfides has been found to depend critically upon the nature of the vulcanization recipe. These novel findings point the way to improving the stability of vulcanizates used in the treads of tires and, consequently, tire performance.


2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (12) ◽  
pp. 21-28
Author(s):  
Hazmah Ali AI-Harshan

The imperial project started to influence English national identity as early as the mid-seventeenth century, and the English began to relate their national prominence to their colonial activities, whether in trade or in the acquisition of foreign territories, throughout the eighteenth century. However, England experienced its share of anxieties on the road to imperial "greatness" in its dealings with both other European powers and its native subjects. The British people's tendency to examine themselves and their international achievements with intense pride helped to neutralize those anxieties, much like Crusoe's imagined responses to possible dangers alleviate his fictional forebodings. The English ameliorated their concerns about their international position by becoming an ever more self-referential society, thinking more highly of themselves on account of their contact with colonized peoples, as is epitomized in the personality of Crusoe. To the fictional Crusoe, the experience of his relationship with Friday validates his self-worth and his native culture more than anything else. Robinson Crusoe's affirmation of colonial power through the assertion of his authority over a particular (othered) individual corresponds with, and epitomizes, England's trading and territorial empire during the eighteenth century and the consequent effects on British subjectivity, at a time when the British were struggling to set up a trading empire and challenging other European powers for territory and markets abroad. Robinson Crusoe successfully resolves the insecurities relating to Britain's colonial activities by asserting, through Crusoe's character, the superior nature of the English subject.


2008 ◽  
Vol 47 (3) ◽  
pp. 193-213
Author(s):  
Theo Sparreboom ◽  
Lubna Shahnaz

Labour market performance in Pakistan has improved markedly in recent years. This paper examines the extent to which young people have benefited from this improvement, using the labour market vulnerability framework that was recently introduced by the ILO. This framework can be used to assess the difficulties young people face on the road to decent employment, and may also serve as a basis for the development of appropriate policies and interventions. Drawing on empirical evidence from various surveys, in particular the Labour Force Survey, we conclude that vulnerability among the youth has generally been reduced since 1999-2000. Vulnerability of women has been reduced through higher enrolment rates in education, and unemployment among both men and women has declined. Far less progress has been made in reducing vulnerability among the employed, and youth still face numerous obstacles that hamper the attainment of decent employment. The paper offers recommendations on the role of labour market information in reducing youth vulnerability. JEL classification: J40, J13 Keyword: Labour Market; Youth; Pakistan


1997 ◽  
Vol 77 ◽  
pp. 243-289 ◽  
Author(s):  
Euan W. MacKie

The evolution of the single-storeyed mortared stone cottage in the western highlands of Scotland seems to mirror that of the upper strata of late seventeenth and eighteenth century clan society in the region, and in particular to reflect a little of the disintegration of that society after the two failed Stuart uprisings and its consequent gradual integration with the lowland economy. An analysis of the architectural history of the Ferry House (let to the ferryman as a combined inn and home for his family) at Port Appin provides a foundation for the survey. The earliest part of the building, probably thatched, may well date from the 1740s but already it had lintelled hearths with flues in each gable wall - a lowland urban feature. A major extension with a slate roof was built in about 1770 and the earlier part was probably also slated at this time and subdivided inside to provide rooms for wealthier guests. Thereafter only relatively minor internal improvements were made, in the newer half, until the early 1950s when piped water was introduced and a separate bathroom and kitchen built. The cottages were sold to incomers not long after.A study of other ferries in the area confirms that mortared cottages almost identical to those in Port Appin, and in identical situations, are still to be found at two of these. The one on the south side of the abandoned Rugarve ferry over Loch Creran can also be dated to between about 1750 and 1770 from historical evidence. Also at Rugarve, on the north side, are the remains of a more primitive thatched drystone cottage, probably an early ferry house, which is smaller than the others and lacks hearths with chimneys.


1958 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 166-184 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. A. O. W. Geesink ◽  
P. Prat

Abstract One can thus say that in the course of tire tests, all of the experimental conditions, whether they affect more particularly the wear by test period or by wheel position, influence the wear results. Notwithstanding the complexity of these influences and of their interactions it has been possible to verify that a relation existed between the tests on special cars and those made on private cars commonly used by everyday users, and to establish a correlation between the normal road tests and accelerated tests on the track. These studies have shown the importance of the severity of the tests for the estimation of the relative value of the mixtures and it has been possible to evaluate the influence of a certain number of factors on this severity which is, in reality, the resultant of the effects of all the experimental conditions on the wear of pneumatic tires. The variations in relative wear of the mixtures as a function of the severity have led to the thought that a correlation might exist between the practical tests on the road or on the track and the experiments made in the laboratory with the aid of abrasion machines. The existence of such a correlation is very important for it will permit an effective selection of the mixtures, destined for the manufacture of treads, in the research investigations. However, one must still look for a suitable adjustment of laboratory tests in order to obtain an estimation which is directly transposable to the complex domain of the pneumatic tire. This simplification, however, will not bring about the disappearance of road tests for it will, after all, be necessary to make a few practical verifications, be it only for studying the road behavior of the experimental mixtures or their resistance to cracking. This study has been made within the framework of the research programs of the Rubber-Stichting and of the French Rubber Institute, the study being in turn a part of the entirety of the investigations pursued under the protection of the International Rubber Research Board.


2013 ◽  
Vol 89 ◽  
pp. 45-65 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jenefer Cockitt

For over a hundred years, palaeopathologists have studied the ancient Nubian population, examining the patterns of disease and trauma evident in the surviving human remains. Despite the remarkable amount of progress made in this area, there have been few attempts to discern whether there is enough available evidence to support the existence of a defined ancient medical tradition in the country, akin to that in neighbouring Egypt. Given the lack of textual sources for prehistoric Nubia, evidence for such a tradition must be sought in the human remains themselves. Here, an assessment will be provided of the possible palaeopathological evidence for healthcare practices in ancient Nubia, focusing in particular on the artefacts from the first Archaeological Survey of Nubia. The data presented, although tentative, represent the first point on the road to greater understanding of ancient Nubian medical traditions.


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