Beware cool stuff in NYC on a grad-student-friendly budget COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY - SIPA Admissions Blog

Beware cool stuff in NYC on a grad-student-friendly budget COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY - SIPA Admissions Blog Orientation week has ended.   Classes have begun.   One of our new students at SIPA, Joel Putnam, MPA 2015 posted this in our new student group discussion group but we thought this would be great to share with anyone thinking of coming to New York the best city in the world. Its been great meeting so many of you guys, finally! Since orientation was (understandably) focused on whats happening in the IAB and on campus, I thought Id toss a few ideas to orient new New Yorkers to cool stuff in the city on a grad-student-friendly budget. Because if you spend your two years here and never go below 90th or east of Central Park, you are making a huge mistake (or, as we like to say here on the internet, yr doin it wrng). First off, New York has a lot of cool sights to see, but you probably know about all of them. Statue of Liberty, Times Square, etc Im not worried about you missing. The really cool thing about the city in my opinion is whats happening  here at any given moment. There are lots of ways to find cool stuff in this category, but my two favorite are these: NonsenseNYC Mailing list:  http://www.nonsensenyc.com/ weekly mailing list with all kinds of crazy stuff going on. Music? Check. Standup Comedy? Check. Pillowfight wth hundreds of people in union square, bring your own pillow? Check. Much of whats listed is a little Brooklyn-centric, but thats kinda the nature of NYC culture at the moment. The Skint Blog:  http://www.theskint.com/  Emphasis here is on free and cheap. Aside from cool happenings around town, it often features giveaways and other really good deals on food, drinks, etc. Posted daily with special weekend editions. Aside from that, Time Out NY (http://www.timeout.com/newyork) is also very good and is much more comprehensive than the other two. I find it more useful as a reference than inspiration, just because it has so much stuff that it will sometimes get a bit unwieldy. Also of note (though with less cheap and slightly male-centric slant) are Thrillist (http://www.thrillist.com/new-york)  and UrbanDaddy (http://www.urbandaddy.com/home/nyc). Aside from those, some people swear by Groupon (www.groupon.com), LivingSocial (www.livingsocial.com) and other similar daily coupon sites. Ive never liked them as much myself, but Im not you, and you might find theyre useful if you sign up. Costs nothing up front and you can always cancel. Dont forget your unlimited 30-day metrocard for the subways and buses (yes it is overwhelmingly worth it unless youre very very rich and can take taxis everywhere). Dont bother with the express bus+ Subway metrocard unless youve got family way up in Kingsbridge, just get the regular card, itll get you everywhere you need to go, buses included. Finally consider a citibike membership if you dont own a bike. I know it doesnt come up to Columbia and wont till were long gone, but its really handy in a pinch when youre out exploring with friends, especially late at night.

The Evolution Of Advertising The Magic System - 1416 Words

The Evolution of Advertising Last year, the U.S spent over 180 billion dollars on advertising, with digital ad content the fastest growing category within the market. Facebook and other social media platforms are quickly pioneering new fangled ways to cater to the digital generation and entice the material desires of their users. Advertising was not always this way however, and in his essay â€Å"Advertising: The magic system† Raymond Williams introduces the evolution of the modern advertising industry. Williams provides a critical insight into how modern advertising has become structured and ingrained in modern culture, this insight allows us to evaluate the effects of advertising on film and television as well as the daily impact of advertising on our social media driven lives. The MTV series The Hills can be seen as a clear example of the impact of advertising on mainstream media and will be analyzed in this paper utilizing Williams insight. In â€Å"Advertising: The magic system,† Raymond Willi ams examines the history of advertising and its evolution from the very earliest examples in ancient Greece to the multibillion dollar industry it is today. Williams states that to recall this evolution is to explain how an industry that originated from the simple dissemination of news and events evolved into a deeply rooted system of commercial information and manipulation (Williams 411). Firstly, Williams clearly explains that the rise of large-scale advertising did not come out ofShow MoreRelatedThe Culture Industry By Adorno And Horkheimer And The Magic System1625 Words   |  7 Pagesheavily influenced by capitalism. The two-works affected and focused around this topic are; The Culture Industry by Adorno and Horkheimer and The Magic System by Raymond Williams. The Magic System primarily focuses on how advertising development allows the public to grasp and comprehend the meaning, in accordance to be able to perceive modern advertising. Raymond Williams writes from his perspect ive as a committed socialist, which entails the condition that â€Å"private-sector capitalism cannot fulfillRead MoreMarketing Does Not Manipulate Consumers2445 Words   |  10 Pages I need this.† Is the reason for me being so tempted the fact that this white chocolate bar on the packaging looks so delicious? Every day we are bombarded with images of perfection: tasty hamburgers, shiny cars, endorsed by photo shopped models, magic washing powder, etc. , while the real product is far from this picture. Do our preferences for a brand result from manipulation? For many years marketing has been accused of persuading consumers to buy products where whether they need them is unknownRead MoreSelf – Regulation Laws and Ethics in Advertising2018 Words   |  9 Pages1. Self – regulation laws and ethics in Advertising : Self – regulation in advertising is a voluntary and internal mechanism within the profession. It is the process to monitor its own standards rather than have an outside, independent agency such as government entity to monitor and enforce those standards. Ethics is a bit harder to define. It has to do with an inherhent sense of right and wrong. Ethics refer to well based standards of right and wrong that prescribe what humans ought toRead More00002525 Develop A Media Plan4575 Words   |  19 Pagesshows that an average income of a full time adult is $1500 per week which is quite good and they also spend on adventure and fun. Design and copy of aspects the advertising (message, colours, and themes): Advertising is main source to per mote anything. Reef walker is an adventurous activity and we can use attractive color themes for advertising. We can use natures themes for example if we have to advertise on you tube and we can show marine life and some flashbacks form aquariums as well. We can advertiseRead MoreRed Bull1907 Words   |  8 Pagesstrategy: From the localization and then to an international Posted:2007-3-23   Ã‚  Browse:108 chinese Version   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  11 years ago, the popular Red Bull drink around the world come to China CCTV Spring Festival Gala debut, a Red Bull came to China advertising language, from the Chinese beverage market, more than a category called energy drinks , Golden Red Bull rapidly in China s best-selling blowing whirlwind.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  After 11 years, the Chinese beverage market, relive A crowded disputes, butRead MoreSwot Analysis : Marketing Mix3538 Words   |  15 Pagescompany which is active on the cosmetics market. I have realized the case study about the company Avon Cosmetics Romania. I chose this company because it is one of the largest and well known cosmetics producers in the world, operating in direct sales system. It is therefore, extremely important the role of the representatives, the way they act and persuade potential customers. Also the rapid growth and company’s image on the market impressed me and made me tackle this topic. In this paper I want to determineRead MoreBrand Segmentation and Positioning - Espresso Coffee Machines3621 Words   |  15 Pageshence further confirming this market segment for investigation and reporting. Both qualitative and quantitative observations, meetings, questions and a survey were undertaken to analyse the culture of consumer behaviour and the effect that advertising, product placement, in store product sampling, point of sale promotions, media communication and sales persuasion had on the decision to buy a particular product of this small sample of approximately 50 qualified buyers. The report analyses theseRead MoreAdvertisements and Their Impact on Consumer Buying Behaviour8032 Words   |  33 PagesABSTRACT Advertising is a subset of marketing, a form of communication intended to persuade people to purchase or take any action with respect to the products or the services. In todays world, firms dont hold back in spending millions of dollars on advertising and marketing. The obvious reason being that the competition is very high and every firm wants to sell its product and make it a brand. Effective advertising techniques used in advertisements make a world of difference in sales prospectsRead MoreEssay about How To NOT Get Fucked In7432 Words   |  30 Pagesstealing peoples money, they stole about $1000 from me. This thread has more info: http://silkroad5v7dywlc.onion/index.php?topic=33268.0 === Who I Am And Why You Should Listen To What I Have To Say Hi there, Im Super Stealth Sam, epic purveyor of magic mushrooms throughout the land and in particular throughout planet Earths tor black markets. Ive made a lot of money and Ive lost a lot of money on tor and Im here to show you the ropes so you can learn and profit from my mistakes. So why shouldRead MoreSamsung Mobile Phone Marketing Strategy2077 Words   |  8 Pagesis to find out the unique and distinctive features of your business, the features that makes your company different from others. These will be the features that a company will surely advertise that makes them different and special from others the magic that no other company has. So whether you offer the lowest prices, the best customer service, or promotions whenever customers shop at your store, this must not only be included in your marketing strategy, but it must be a part of every aspect of marketing

The Best Employee Motivation Efforts - 848 Words

The best employee motivation efforts will focus on what the employees deem to be important. It may be that employees within the same department of the same organization will have different motivators. Many organizations today find that flexibility in job design and reward systems has resulted in employees increased longevity with the company, improved productivity, and better morale. According to survey results, USAA may benefit greatly by incorporating the following recommendations as it relates to increasing employee motivation. Empowering Employees Giving employees more responsibility and decision-making authority increases their realm of control over the tasks for which they are held responsible and better equips them to carry out those tasks. As a result, feelings of frustration arising from being held accountable for something one does not have the resources to carry out are diminished. (Maroney, 2004). Creativity and Innovation When the power to create in the organization is pushed down from the top to line personnel, employees who know a job, product, or service best are given the opportunity to use their ideas to improve it. The power to create motivates employees and benefits the organization in having a more flexible work force, using more wisely the experience of its employees, and increasing the exchange of ideas and information among employees and departments. (Maroney, 2004). Advancement Opportunities Promotions motivate employees by appealing to theirShow MoreRelatedThe Importance Of Employee Motivation And Customer Retention Essay1634 Words   |  7 Pagesquality, customer loyalty, and work efficiency. Indeed, in their research study, Ganesh and Mangalore (2016) established a strong link between employee motivation and customer retention. Therefore, any effort to improve the performance of an organization should begin with addressing human resource issues in the attempt to improve its motivation. Employee motivation has been a central area of focus in organizational behavior issues and studies. Scholars and professionals have been trying to understandRead MoreMotivation To Improve Performance Through Employee Involvement.1571 Words   |  7 Pages Motivation to Improve Performance through Employee Involvement Charlese Mason Leadership and Organizational Behavior; 520 Dr. Laura Jones Strayer University February 13, 2017 Content 1 Introduction (Motivation through Involvement) 2 The Important Road Ahead (Optimizing Value and Performance) A. What is Motivation B. What is Employee Involvement 3 Leading Characteristics (Management Styles/Organizational Behavior) A. Understanding the Sticks and Carrots Read MoreVrooms Model of Expectancy Theory1180 Words   |  5 Pagesof motivation. It is based how employee makes their decisions and why they are motivated to perform the task. It identifies the motivational force behind the decision (Van Eerde Thierry, 1996). Motivation is predetermined before an employee will complete an assignment (Kopp, 2014). The components that contribute an employee’s motivation are a positive link between their effort and performance; the performance leads to the reward and the reward satisfies an important need of the employee (KoppRead MoreKey Theories Of An Organization1333 Words   |  6 Pagesgoals and objectives. The manager has a function to play in attaining of set goals which cannot be underestimated with the increased society complexity and size increase of organization. The manager influences other workers to contribute and do their best to achieve organization objectives. Organization managem ent therefore involves in making efficient use of human resources to accomplish desired objectives. It involves manager’s direction, evaluation and coordination of people to achieve the set goalsRead MoreOperations of Goodwill Industries International1190 Words   |  5 Pagesemployment challenges. Our analysis indicated that the huge gap or disparity between CEO and average employee pay resulted in low motivation among the workers.The paper explores the theoretical underpinnings of employee motivation as well as ways of improving employee motivation. Transformational leadership and employee reward systems prove to be some of the best ways of improving employee motivation and organizational performance. Introduction Organizations profile Goodwill Industries InternationalRead MoreCase Study : The Margin Call 1049 Words   |  5 PagesIntro: Employee motivation is a very integral part of everyday business and has been recognized by countless organizations. It is defined by Simon Enz, (1995) as being ‘’the factor which encourages people to select a particular job, continue working there, while putting in one s best effort’’. Another definition for employee motivation is ‘’the extent to which persistent effort is directed toward a goal’’(Gary Johns Alan M. Saks. Organizational behavior). Our movie the Margin Call written andRead MoreEssay about Employee Motivation1702 Words   |  7 Pages Employee motivation is the level of energy, commitment, and creativity that a companys workers apply to their jobs. In the increasingly competitive business environment of recent years, finding ways to motivate employees has become a pressing concern for many managers. In fact, a number of different theories and methods of employee motivation have emerged, ranging from monetary incentives to increased involvement and empowerment. Employee motivation can sometimes be particularly problematicRead MoreTeam Work and Motivation1718 Words   |  7 PagesTeamwork and Motivation In just a few years WooWoo manufacture has gained much success by becoming one of the world’s top producer of widgets. Recently sales have been high, but a new report was just released that exposed some defects with our product. This defect issue can quickly turn into a serious problem that will increased our costs and delay deliveries to our customers. During these critical times we must find a way to motivate the 50 employees in our sales, assembly, technology, and administrationRead MoreHow Organizations Can Use Various Motivational Theories For Inspiring Their Employees854 Words   |  4 Pagesreward system, employee attempt in accomplishing the goals and objectives of the organization. As mentioned by the Motivation in the Real World by Gellerman (1992), the most successful motivation techniques in companies in the United States are: â€Å"selectivity in hiring, generous pay and benefit programs, and encouragement of long-term employment.† Additional tactics are flexible implementation of procedures, rules and regulations, and a sensible policy of placing employee motivation is a priority (BeckRead MoreApple‚Äà ´s motivation system1258 Words   |  6 Pagesï » ¿Apple’s motivation system I. Why is Apple tops in its industry. Apple, a technology company that produces smart phones, tablets and portable music players, the retail stories has been in existence since 2001 and now has 394 stores worldwide with over 76100 employees in 14 countries, is considered to be the most successful electronics company in the world. As the most innovative and admired company in the world, what’s the key element of Apple’s success? It’s success owning to its relentless pursuit

Coffee and Mission Free Essays

Hello Analysis Of Mission And Vision Statement Of Nokia Essays and Term Papers Search Results for ‘analysis of mission and vision statement of nokia’ Displaying 1 – 30 of 1,500 * Analysis Of Mission And Vision Statement Toyota Indus Motor Company Analysis Of Mission And Vision Statement TOYOTA INDUS MOTOR COMPANY LTD. VISION STATEMENT: To be the most respected and successful enterprise, delighting†¦ * Analysis Of Mission And Vision Statement Toyota and working toward creating a prosperous society and clean world. ANALYSIS: The vision statement of Toyota Indus Motors Company Ltd is clear and powerfully†¦ * Starbucks Coffee Mission And Vision Statement: concise, and direct for the target audience. We will write a custom essay sample on Coffee and Mission or any similar topic only for you Order Now Starbucks combine Mission and Vision statement can be broken down into six key elements which are the followings: Coffee†¦ * Mission And Vision Statement seems a bit unnecessary. KHULNA SHIPYARD LIMITED (KSY) Mission and vision statement of this organization have been written tactfully and they are praise worthy†¦ Mission And Vision Statement exact, measurable, and time-sensitive goals to guide my development; however, the mission and the vision statement offer a solid foundation for building these goals†¦ * Analysis Of Mission And Vision Statement Of Nokia complex and challenging environment. Nokias mission/vision statement analysis In analysing Nokias mission/vision statement Ill be using the 9 essential * * published this * no reads * no comments * Saved * Mission And Vision Analysis Of Pso And Coca Cola rder to meet the needs and satisfy the customers. Vision Analysis Conclusion: Overall, Coca-Colas mission and vision statement defines its goals, policies†¦ * Analysis Of Mission And Vision Statement Of Nokia B: SAMPLE RESUME PERSONAL DETAILS * * published this * no reads * no comments * Add to your reading list * Tcs Mission And Vision Analysis Leading change, Learning and Sharing etc are getting reflected in its mission and vision statement. The core value excellence is getting clearly reflected in the * * published this no reads * no comments * Add to your reading list * Mission Vision Statements theyve got their mission and vision confused. One is definitely not the other and both are mixed up in this statement. † Today, our mission is to connect people * * published this * no reads * no comments * Add to your reading list * Starbucks Vision And Mission Statement obtain the organizations desired end state. Within the organizations mission and vision statements Starbucks Corporation states that listening to its customer needs How to cite Coffee and Mission, Essay examples

Japanese Hrm free essay sample

International Journal of Human Resource Management, Human Resource Management Journal, Organizational Dynamics and Asian Business and Management. In 2005 he co-edited a book entitled â€Å"Japanese Management: The Search for a New Balance between Continuity and Change† with Palgrave. Anne-Wil Harzing is Professor in International Management at the University of Melbourne, Australia. Her research interests include international HRM, expatriate management, HQsubsidiary relationships, cross-cultural management and the role of language in international business. She has published about these topics in journals such as Journal of International Business Studies, Journal of Organizational Behaviour, Strategic Management Journal, Human Resource Management, and Organization Studies. Her books include Managing the Multinationals (Edward Elgar, 1999) and International Human Resource Management (Sage, 2010). Since 1999 she also maintains an extensive website (www. harzing. com) with resources for international and cross-cultural management as well as academic publishing and bibliometrics. Abstract The objective of this chapter is to develop suggestions as to how Japanese multinational corporations (MNCs) might best make use of foreign, here specifically American and German, HRM practices in order to reform their own HRM model. We will write a custom essay sample on Japanese Hrm or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page These suggestions are based on a large scale empirical study, encompassing responses from more than 800 HR managers. The learning possibilities for Japanese companies from abroad are analyzed on two different levels: at headquarters and at subsidiary level. One obvious difficulty we are presented with if we wish to answer the question what Japan can learn from ‘the West’ is the selection of countries that are representative of ‘the West’. In this study we limit our empirical research to the inspirations Japan might receive from the USA and Germany. This selection has some merit, in representing the largest and the third 2 3 largest developed economies in the world (with Japan being the second largest economy), and the economically dominant nations of North America and Europe (with Japan being the leading economy in Asia). In addition, the USA and Germany each embody the prime example of two of the three main varieties of market economies: the USA representing the free market economy of Anglo-Saxon countries and Germany the social market economy of continental Europe (with Japan embodying the third main variety of market economies, the government-induced market economy of East-Asia). Furthermore, according to Smith Meiksins (1995: 243) the USA, Japan and Germany are most frequently referred to as role models, â€Å"as they provide ‘best practice’ ideals from which other societies can borrow and learn. Consequently, these country models have been subject to numerous comparative analysis (Thurow, 1992; Garten, 1993; Yamamura and Streeck, 2003; Pascha, 2004; Jacoby, 2005). As economic performance and growth paths vary over time the role of a ‘dominant’ economy also rotates among countries. In the 1950s, 1960s and most of the 1970s the American management style clearly was domin ant and a common expectation was that it would spread around the world, gaining application in many foreign countries. From the late 1970s to the early 1990s, this argument increasingly was applied to Japan (Mueller, 1994), and to a lesser extent and limited to the European context, to Germany (Albert, 1991; Thurow, 1992). Since the implosion of the Japanese economy, the stagnation of the German economy, and with the advent of globalization, the conventional wisdom over the last one and a half decades up to the current economic crisis has been that the American management model is particularly well suited to provide the necessary flexibility to cope with rapidly evolving economic and technological conditions. Consequently, the USA became again the dominant role model (Edwards et al. , 2005). This study employs a very carefully matched design in which we investigate the same three countries (Japan, the USA and Germany) as home and host countries. We not only study HRM practices at headquarters (HQ) in each of these three countries, but also the practices of the subsidiaries of MNCs from each of the three countries in the two other respective countries. As a result, we re able to compare the HRM practices of nine different groups of companies: HQ in Japan, the USA and Germany, subsidiaries of Japanese and German MNCs in the USA, subsidiaries of Japanese and American MNCs in Germany and subsidiaries of American and German MNCs in Japan. This design will enable us to disentangle the inspirations companies seek from abroad to a far greater extent than has been possible in other studies. 3 4 The structure of our analysis is separated into two main sections. The first main section describes empi rical results from HQ and the second main section depicts the situation at subsidiary level. For each of the two main sections, first the context of existing research is summarized. Subsequently, the methodology of the empirical research is described. Findings are then presented and subsequently discussed. Finally, suggestions are made as to how the Japanese might best make use of foreign HRM policies to reform their own HRM practices and ultimately improve competitiveness. Research context As mentioned above, the Japanese HRM model has often been recognized as a key factor to the rise of the Japanese economy, particularly during the 1980s (see for example Inohara, 1990). However, the same Japanese HRM which until recently has been much celebrated in the West, and presented as a role-model to be learned from (see for example Vogel, 1979; Ouchi, 1981; Peters and Waterman, 1982; Bleicher, 1982; Hilb, 1985), is now increasingly viewed as outmoded, and necessitating substantial reform (Frenkel, 1994; Smith, 1997; Yoshimura and Anderson, 1997; Crawford, 1998; Horiuchi, 1998; Ornatowski, 1998; El Kahal, 2001; Pudelko, 2005, 2007). Others, however, continue to stress its inherent strengths and warn against significant change (Kono and Clegg, 2001; Ballon, 2002; Ballon, 2006). On the other hand, American understanding of HRM has traditionally been viewed by Japanese managers with skepticism. It is regarded as contradicting in many ways the broad concept of ‘respect for people’ (Kono and Clegg, 2001) and the aim of ‘human resource development’ (Ballon, 2002) that is ingrained into the Japanese management philosophy. In particular, the idea of defining the employees of a company as ‘resources’ (instead of members of the company ‘family’) that need to be managed (instead of ‘developed’) runs contrary to the key concepts of traditional Japanese HRM. However, in response to the deep crisis of the Japanese economy and management model, which has lasted for more than a decade now, it is clear that some shift toward Western management principles is taking place 4 5 (Frenkel, 1994; Ornatowski, 1998; El Kahal, 2001; Matanle, 2003). Thus, mirroring the economic growth patterns, adoption of Japanese HRM principles seems in the USA to be largely an issue of the past, whereas the question of adoption of American HRM policies is more current in Japan than ever. The key issue in Japan seems to be to find a new balance between the continuation of traditional (human resource) management principles and changes inspired largely by Western or more specifically American strategies. Regarding finally the specific German understanding of (human resource) management, it has to be concluded that this is a subject of no significant importance in Japanese business research, if it is considered at all (Pudelko, 2000a). Methodology Data collection and sample It may be noted from this brief review that existing literature in this field is in some respects inconclusive or somewhat contradictory. Nor has it generally been informed by empirical examination of HR managers’ own views on cross-national adoption processes. As this group might be expected to constitute the chief change agent, empirical insight appears in this context all the more important. Accordingly, this chapter provides data on the perceptions of HR managers from three different countries on the possibility of learning from each other. In this task, a quantitative approach seemed to be the most appropriate. The analysis is therefore based on empirical data which have been drawn together from an extensive survey (Pudelko, 2000a-c). The heads of HR departments from the 500 largest corporations of Japan – and for comparative reasons – the USA and Germany were selected as units of investigation. It was assumed that the heads of HR departments would have the highest degree of experience, knowledge and vision with regard to the issues being investigated, due to their senior positions within corporate hierarchies.

Summary Essays - Soups, National Dishes, Chicken Soup, Free Essays

Summary Essays - Soups, National Dishes, Chicken Soup, Free Essays Summary Objective Summary: The story is about a child's expectance of a family life filled with love and comforts, which is contrast with his real working class family life. Subjective Evaluation: Soto, back to his age of nine, dreamed to live in a family life that was uncomplicated in its routine. In reality, Soto lived in a working class family; he tried to change his family to imitate the perfect families he absorbed from television. I think many people have done what Soto did to fulfill the dream of a perfect family they wanted. I am not excluded from this either. I have an experience of attempting to change my family life. It was one year later after my family first came to the US in 1995. I learned many new things in this country that I never knew in China, and I appreciated some living styles in American culture. As I tended to like the styles of American life, I expected my family like them, too. The thing I wanted my family to change was the cooking style. I hated to cook Chinese dinner because it took so long to prepare. There are four kinds of food which are considered essential parts of Chinese dinner: rice, soup, vegetable, and meat; they are usually cooked separately. I was not the one who was good at cooking in my family, but I did have to cook when I came home earlier than my parents and two sisters still at work. One day, when we were sitting together at the dinning table for dinner, I suggested to my family that we could have sandwiches and precooked food from the supermarket as our dinner since many American families do. My parents looked at me in bewilderment. Son, you must be kidding, right? Those sandwiches and precooked food do not give you enough nutrition for growing up, my dad said. And precooked food is not good for your health, my mother kept on. My elder sisters showed no interest in my idea. I grew frustrated from their reaction, but I did not give up. Evening after evening, I kept bringing up the idea at the dinning table. My mother finally permitted me to make one American dinner for the family. That day, I went to the supermarket to buy bread, ham, and chicken soup right after school. I planned on making ham sandwiches and chicken soup for the dinner. The dinner was ready and served at our usual dinnertime. My mother tasted a spoon of the chicken soup and said, It tastes like brine, nothing but salty. Why don't they put some shark fins in it? She refused to have another spoon. My sisters only had a small bite of their sandwiches and then put them down; my father barely finished one. Even I could not have another one after finishing two. That night, my parents and sisters had instant noodle for dinner. Such a result was out of my expectation, but I had to accept it. From then on, the subject of changing cooking style is never brought up to the family conversation. I think Soto had the same feeling as I did when he found out that there was no way to change his family to be the perfect family he expected. When he realized that, he went out to look for work; being different from him, I tried to bring up another subject to the family conversation.

Prehistoric Semi-Subterranean Winter Houses

Prehistoric Semi-Subterranean Winter Houses The most common form of permanent housing in the prehistoric period for arctic regions was the semi-subterranean winter house. First built in the American arctic about 800 BC, by the Norton or Dorset Paleo-Eskimo groups, semi-subterranean houses were essentially dugouts, houses excavated partially or completely below the ground surface to take advantage of geothermal protections during the harshest of climates. While there are several versions of this form of house over time in the American arctic regions, and in fact there are several related forms in other polar regions (Gressbakken Houses in Scandinavia) and even in the great plains of North American and Asia (arguably earth lodges and pit houses), semi-subterranean houses reached their highest pinnacle in the Arctic. The homes were heavily insulated to ward off the bitter cold, and constructed to maintain both privacy and social contact for large groups of people despite that harsh climate. Construction Methods Semi-subterranean houses were built of a combination of cut sod, stone, and whalebone, insulated with sea mammal or reindeer skins and animal fats and covered with a bank of snow. Their interiors possessed cold-traps and sometimes dual seasonal entrance tunnels, rear sleeping platforms, kitchen areas (either spatially discrete or integrated into the main living area) and various storage areas (shelves, boxes) for stowing food, tools and other household goods. They were large enough to include members of extended families and their sled dogs, and they were connected to their relatives and the rest of the community via passageways and tunnels. The real genius of semi-subterranean homes, however, resided in their layouts. At Cape Espenberg, Alaska, a survey of beach ridge communities (Darwent and colleagues) identified a total of 117 Thule-Inupiat houses, occupied between 1300 and 1700 AD. They found the most common house layout was a linear house with one oval room, which was accessed by a long tunnel and between 1-2 side spurs used as kitchens or food-processing areas. Layouts for Community Contact A substantial minority, however, were multiple large-roomed houses, or single houses built side-by-side in groups of four or more. Interestingly, the house clusters, with multiple rooms and long entrance tunnels are all more common attributes at the early end of occupation at Cape Espenberg. That has been attributed by Darwent et al. to a shift from a dependence on whaling to localized resources, and the transition to a sharp downturn in climate called the Little Ice Age (AD 1550-1850). But the most extreme cases of below-ground communal connections in the Arctic was during the 18th and 19th century, during the Bow and Arrow Wars in Alaska. The Bow and Arrow Wars The Bow and Arrow wars were a long-lasting conflict between different tribes including the Alaskan Yupik villagers. The conflict could be compared to the 100 Years War in Europe: Caroline Funk says it imperiled lives and made legends of great men and women, with a range of conflicts from deadly to merely threatening. Yupik historians do not know when this conflict started: it may have begun with the Thule migration of 1,000 years ago and it may have been instigated in the 1700s by competition for long distance trading opportunities with the Russians. Most likely it began at some point in between. The Bow and Arrow Wars ended at or just prior to the arrival of Russians traders and explorers in Alaska in the 1840s. Based on oral histories, subterranean structures took on a new importance during the wars: not only did people need to conduct family and communal life inside because of weather demands, but to protect themselves from attack. According to Frink (2006), historic period semi-subterranean tunnels connected the members of the village in an underground system. The tunnels - some as long as 27 meters - were formed by horizontal logs of planks shored up by short vertical retainer logs. Roofs were constructed of short split logs and sod blocks covered the structure. The tunnel system included dwelling entrances and exits, escape routes and tunnels that linked village structures. Sources Coltrain JB. 2009. Sealing, whaling Journal of Archaeological Science 36(3):764-775. doi: 10.1016/j.jas.2008.10.022and caribou revisited: additional insights from the skeletal isotope chemistry of eastern Arctic foragers. Darwent J, Mason O, Hoffecker J, and Darwent C. 2013. 1,000 Years of House Change at Cape Espenberg, Alaska: A Case Study in Horizontal Stratigraphy. American Antiquity 78(3):433-455. 10.7183/0002-7316.78.3.433 Dawson PC. 2001. Interpreting Variability in Thule Inuit Architecture: A Case Study from the Canadian High Arctic. American Antiquity 66(3):453-470. Frink L. 2006. Social Identity and the Yupik Eskimo Village Tunnel System in Precolonial and Colonial Western Coastal Alaska. Archeological Papers of the American Anthropological Association 16(1):109-125. doi: 10.1525/ap3a.2006.16.1.109 Funk CL. 2010. The Bow and Arrow War days on the Yukon-Kuskokwim . Ethnohistory 57(4):523-569. doi: 10.1215/00141801-2010-036delta of Alaska Harritt RK. 2010. Variations of Late Prehistoric Houses in Coastal Northwest Alaska: A View from Wales. Arctic Anthropology 47(1):57-70. Harritt RK. 2013. Toward an archaeology of late prehistoric Eskimo bands in coastal northwest Alaska. Journal of Anthropological Archaeology 32(4):659-674. doi: 10.1016/j.jaa.2013.04.001 Nelson EW. 1900. The Eskimo about Bering Strait. Washington DC: Government Printing Office. Free download