Painting the City Red: A Close Look at the Homicide Trends of New Orleans

New Orleans has had a consistently high homicide rate for around twenty years, but limited research has committed to discovering a successful solution to the pre- and post-Katrina crime problem. Prior research has been conducted to analyze whether the Southern “culture of violence,” poverty, income inequality, unemployment, gun ownership and legislation, gangs, and residential segregation affect homicide, but no study applies these factors to New Orleans. Using a case study analysis that applies these variables studied in prior research to New Orleans and information acquired from the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Uniform Crime Reports, correlations are made between homicide in New Orleans and poverty, income inequality, and residential segregation. Implications show that homicide is affected by multiple factors. All of these factors should be analyzed when homicide is the focus of the research because homicide is not a result of one or two variables

Ethics, religion and humanity: Rethinking religion in 21st century Africa

First and foremost, religion is a human activity. Part of this understanding is that man is at the center of religion. This holds two implications. One, man is religious for self-development and betterment. Two, since man is thrown into existence with other social beings, his religiosity directly and indirectly affects other social beings. He is therefore not alone in his religious activities. Thus, there is a relationship between religion, ethics and humanity. However, more often than not, religion is alleged for being a root cause of all human predicaments; that it provides viable and abundant fuel for conflict such that in every continent of the world, there are troubled spots rooted in religious conflicts. Although this allegation may have its older roots in Marx and Lenin, however, the condemnation it has received in recent times is sequel to the various lives and properties that have been wasted on account of it. More so, exploitation, corruption and other evils have been committed in the guise of religion. This, not withstanding the paper attempts to argue that religion qua religion is absolutely virtuous and not necessarily vicious and that the above allegations are the results of inhuman and unethical practices in religion and that these problems can be minimized when religious adherents appreciate the relationship between religion, ethics and humanity. The paper through its analytic and expository character exposes with concrete examples these inhuman and unethical practices in religion with reference to Nigerian experience and thereafter calls for reorientation on the part of religious practitioners and the consequent repositioning of religion for all- human benefits

Globalization and deepening rural poverty in contemporary Sub-Saharan African society

In recent time, especially in the last decade the issue of globalization and economic integration of world countries has been the aspiration of many nation states, including those in Africa. But various governments and organizations have not thought deeply about the social impact of this world phenomenal trend irrespective of its envisaged economic gains. Having a view of Africa and the rest of the world in respect to globalization trend it is important to examine how globalization impacts on African people’s quality of lifer and poverty situation. Against this background this paper examines the interface between globalization phenomenon and deepening rural poverty situation in Africa. The basic assumption behind this submission is that embracing the globalization phenomenon contributes negatively in the economic development and quality of life of Africans, especially those in the rural areas via the dislocation of indigenous cultural and other practices that have sustained the base structure of the people. The paper therefore, presents the theoretical conceptualization of rural poverty in Africa, characteristics and nature of the rural poor in Africa, rural poverty situation in Africa, with emphasis from Nigeria. It also explores the phenomenon of globalization and other causal processes of rural poverty in Africa, its relationship with indigenous cultural and technological practices, and consequently the impact of the interaction between them on the poverty situation or quality of life of African people. This paper concludes that globalization deepens rather than alleviates the poverty situation of rural Africans. It is therefore, recommended that African rural population should be deliberately protected through economic and cultural policies to prevent the eroding and disruptive force of globalization

HEALTH / GENDER STUDIES: HIV/AIDS and Health Inequalities in Sub-Saharan Africa: Trends and Dimensions

This paper focuses on the interface between the HIV/AIDS pandemic and health inequalities in Sub-Saharan Africa, with an inbuilt assumption that the health inequality situation in African nation states exacerbates, and therefore forestalls meaningful efforts towards the control of HIV/AIDS spread in sub-Saharan Africa. The paper therefore articulates the situation of HIV/AIDS pandemic in various African sub-regions, the context of health inequality among various population and social groups in the continent, and the efforts of government and non-governmental agencies in the provision of HIV/AIDS preventive and cares programmemes. It therefore assesses how equitable these programmemes are in the general population, which provides an understanding of the relative impact of health and social inequality on HIV/AIDS preventive and care/management initiatives, especially the procurement and use of anti-retroviral drug

Understanding Freedom and Human Rights in Africa

The issues of human rights and freedom are topical in most socio-political discourse especially in the African continent given the plethora of cases of human rights abuse and unnecessary curtailment and most times outright denial of freedom to citizens. This constitutes a serious bane to the flowering of human potentialities and the general human well -being. This anomaly has however continued unabated despite the volumes that have been written on the subjects and seminars and conferences held on the same. This paper, through the analytic and critical methods, argues that much may not be achieved until the philosophical foundation upon which these subjects rest is well articulated and appreciated. The paper equally claims that one of the ways of enhancing the respect for human rights and freedom in Africa is to recognize the symbiotic relationship between the two subjects. The paper finally argues that an integral view of human freedom/rights which recognizes not only freedom-from but also freedom-to and rights-to, is foundational for the promotion of human well-being

Sheanut Vitellaria paradoxa cake as ingredient in the diet of West African Dwarf Sheep Capra ovis

The aim of the study was to determine the effect of different levels of SNC on feed intake, digestibility and growth in West African Dwarf sheep. Sheanut cake (SNC) is a waste product from the process of extracting shea butter from shea fruits. Sheanut cake (SNC) is a waste product from the process of extracting shea butter from shea fruits. Many authors have investigated the importance of this waste to the ruminant livestock production industry. Sheanut cake (SNC) contained 122.4 - 189.0 g kg-1 of crude protein, 123.0 - 175.0 g kg-1 ether extract, 92.3 g kg-1 ADF, 100.7 g kg-1 NDF, 41.6-53.0 g kg-1 ash, 75.0- 138.0 g kg-1 crude fibre, dry matter of 915.0 g kg-1 and a metabolizable energy of 7.12 MJ kg-1. SNC also contained anti-nutritional factors (ANFs) (tannins, saponins, and theobromine) that reduced its use at a higher inclusion level in the diet of sheep. Varying levels of Sheanut cake (11.5 - 30%) were included in the diet of sheep to observe its effect on the performance of WAD sheep. It was observed that above 25% inclusion, feed intake, digestibility and average daily growth rate were depressed. No negative effect was reported in the haematology and blood biochemistry of sheep when SNC was included in the diet up to 25%. It has been established from this study that SNC contains appreciable levels of nutrient especially protein. However, the optimum inclusion level in the diet of WAD sheep is 25% beyond which feed intake, digestibility and growth is depressed

Authentic personhood in traditional Igbo-African thought

The precarious nature of human life and the general social disorder that characterise human society is a human creation. A good human community requisite for human well-being is equally not natural but man-made. This type of community is made possible by the conscious, deliberate and conscientious efforts and activities of good persons or what I have called ‘Authentic Personhood’ in this discourse. This paper therefore, discusses the notion of authentic personhood in traditional Igbo thought and argues that the qualities and values of authentic personhood create the wholesome human relations and environment necessary for social cohesion and human well-being. The paper further claims that the Igbo traditional notion of authentic personhood is better than the Western conception of personhood in this respect and can therefore serve as a cure to most of the ills of our modern society if well understood, and rightly applied in human interactions and general social engineering. Keywords: Personhood, Community, Values, Well-Being, Igbo, Authenti

Geochemistry evolution of Schists of northwest Obudu area southeastern Nigeria

Geochemistry of schists of Obudu area was carried out using ICP-MS and ICP-ES techniques in order to determine the geochemical evolution of the area. 40 samples were analyzed for their major, trace and REE composition. Field mapping revealed that gneisses, amphibolites and schists comprising migmatitic schists (MS), quartz-mica schists (QMS), garnet-mica schists (GMS), and hornblende biotite schists (HBS), intruded by granites, granodiorites, quartzofeldspathic rocks and dolerites occur in the area. Structural studies revealed that the schists trend approximately NE–SW (5 – 30o ) indicating the Pan-African event. Modal analysis revealed that the schists have average concentration of quartz (15vol.%), plagioclase (An45-19 vol.%), biotite (15vol.%), garnet (9.0vol.%) and muscovite (6vol.%), the remaining consists of accessory minerals. Geochemistry showed that all the schists have molecular Al2O3 > CaO+K2O+Na2O, indicating they are peraluminous metasedimentary pelites. Trace and REE element results show that all the analyzed schist samples are depleted in Hg, Ag, Be, Bi, and Sb below < 1.0ppm, but relatively enriched in Ba, Sr and Zr with average concentration of 996, 675.73, 243.13 ppm respective. The HREE are depleted with ΣHREE < 10.2, but the LREE are relatively enriched with ΣLREE > 289.54. The ΣLREE/ΣHREE ratio ranges from 9.17 to 33.4, with a large positive delta V at Eu. These findings indicate that the schists of Northwest Obudu area are highly fractionated and had attained at least the uppermost amphibolite metamorphic grade. The schists had contributed to the development of the Pan-African continent