Saturday, August 22, 2020
Labour markets Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words
Work markets - Essay Example The three mainstays of the motivation of the association incorporate the intension of making the future work palatable for the representatives, to stay aware of the adjustments in the social foundation and the mentalities of the representatives working in the multicultural associations of the globalized world, just as to make a free streaming society in the work environment where the association is built up. The topic of improving the nature of work life is a generally talked about subject since quite a while. This report targets giving a basic examination of the different issues that are of worry to the human asset chiefs. In the underlying piece of the report a writing audit has been done to feature the issues that have been tended to in the global writing. The primary area of the article manages large number of inquiries including the degree to which the objectives are significant for the connections of boss worker in the various cases, the method of accomplishment of such objecti ves just as the issues that may manifest in the situation of the current day work advertise. Insightful assets like books, diaries also applicable sites have been counseled to direct a survey of the writing that have been composed on this point just as the basic examination on this inquiry. Writing Review This segment of the writing audit is an endeavor to interface the three principle parts of work life balance which incorporates the work that the individual does the workforce in the association and the work environment of the representatives in question. It is fundamental for each association to have a legitimate harmony among family and work which in any case would offer ascent to issues of contention as per Greenhaus and Beutell (Greenhaus and Beutell, 1985, pp. 76-88). Nature at work influences the exhibition wellbeing of the representatives. There is a high connection between's the work units and the viability of the work frameworks in which representatives perform. Every offi ce in an association contain groups and the presentation of the groups in an aggregate way adds to the complete efficiency of the associations. Along these lines the presentation of the groups is critical from the perspective of the association. It has been seen through different works of research that the total of the exhibitions of the people would be not as much as that which would be contributed by a whole group (Parker, 1990, pp. 63-86). Subsequently the responsibility and devotion of the group are significant for the development of the association and the advancement of the representatives. Analysts have made investigations with respect to the work hours of the individual representatives, the degree of occupation fulfillment, the wellbeing and the prosperity of the workers. It has been discovered that every one of these variables have an immediate connection with the degree of execution of the representatives and the manner in which they are focused on the work they have been appointed. The business forms are legitimately connected with the work life that the representatives have. It has been discovered that the individuals who work in associations which ensure a decent work life balance are increasingly engaged with the work at office (Williams and Adam-Smith, 2010, pp. 26-49). The decent variety and adaptability in the association culture make the working environment favorable for the representatives. An adaptable working environment has a significant job to
Saturday, July 25, 2020
Katrina
Katrina Oh my god. I cant stop thinking about all of the people who have been affected by this this tragedy has been on my mind every waking hour (and non-waking hour for that matter Ive been dreaming about it too). Its a feeling of helplessness other than donating money I dont know what to do other than watch and hope. And I keep thinking did this really have to happen? Those of you who plan to be engineers, perhaps you can answer this question: when New Orleans rebuilds, what can be done to prevent this from happening again? How would you design it? To applicants from the affected areas: youve probably seen the message elsewhere on MyMIT, but to reiterate: well be as accommodating and flexible as possible regarding your applications to MIT. If you have any questions or concerns whatsoever, do not hesitate to call or email anyone in our office. As you may have noticed, we had to cancel our central meeting (info session) in Louisiana. Some of you may be willing/able to attend a different meeting; if not, please consider visiting campus via the Overnight Program. Let me know if you have any questions about either. I found this link when searching for ways to help. Do any of you have other ideas to add? Also this blog, kept by a local New Orleans reporter, is a great primary source. If youve found other things like this, feel free to add them in the comments. Most importantly those of you from the areas that were hit how are you doing? Where are you staying? What can we do to help? Youre in our thoughts and prayers. -B
Friday, May 22, 2020
Evolution Of A Common Single Celled Origin - 1278 Words
In the course of AP Biology, there are four ââ¬Å"Big Ideasâ⬠. The first one is ââ¬Å"The process of evolution drives the diversity and unity of lifeâ⬠. The second is ââ¬Å"Biological systems utilize free energy and molecular building blocks to grow, to reproduce and to maintain dynamic homeostasisâ⬠. The third is described as, ââ¬Å"Living systems store, retrieve, transmit and respond to information essential to life processes.â⬠And finally the four is ââ¬Å"biological systems interact, and these systems and their interaction possess complex propertiesâ⬠. (College Board). Every organisms are descendents of each another, and are connected by the same family history. This causes the principle of Big Idea number one. All millions of diverse life forms have arrivedâ⬠¦show more contentâ⬠¦It was judged that the polar bears evolved from the brown bears to become comfortable with the growing artic weather. One of the main causes of evolution within a s pecies is the evolving to survive a new environment. And this is just what the polar bears did. So even though they are now completely different, they are linked together by the same family history (Harmon, Katherine). Another example of evolution would involve natural selection. Natural selection is a chief mechanism hidden (under) evolution, and it acts as a phenotypic honor/difference in populations; it kills off those species unfit to survive and if a gene is viewed as a hider, it is either changed or eventually evolved away. But there are those genes that are indifferent to the organism, it neither helps it nor hurts it. This is just like men s nipples. In a male s body, the nipples are of no importance, unlike in females who need them for sexual reproduction. But women and men are both the same species: humans. But we can see a major (many different kinds of people or things) within them: sexual organs, muscle tones, height, hormones, etc. So through the process of evolution t hat humans came to be, there is a grand of life between males and females. But yet, we are so alike in our brains, body functions, organs, limbs, etc. (Scientific American). All living systems need energy; organisms confine this energy for the in biological
Friday, May 8, 2020
Essay on Change in America - 550 Words
Every four years, Americans go to the polls and vote. Experts say approximately 23% of America have unregistered voters. Voting is vital. Every single vote counts on election day. The Presidential Election brings out the most Americans. Democratic and Republican parties go head to head in the race to become the nationââ¬â¢s president. In 2008, the presidential hopeful will be Barack Obama. He will provide citizens with affordable healthcare insurance. Obama will give tax breaks to the working class and improve the education systems. Education systems all across America deal with major issues. George W. Bush created the law, No Child Left Behind. The law didnââ¬â¢t go well when it was created. The were no proper funding and not enough teachersâ⬠¦show more contentâ⬠¦I donââ¬â¢t want that future for my daughters. I donââ¬â¢t want that future for your sons. I donââ¬â¢t want that future for America.â⬠Obama wants to help children, he doesnââ¬â¢t want childr en to fail in society, thatââ¬â¢s Obamaââ¬â¢ vision. An Obama ad campaign stated 47 million do not contain healthcare insurance. Obamaââ¬â¢s plan solves this problem with a national healthcare system. He will make comparable rates as Americans in Congress. Small businesses will get tax credits to cover 50% of the cost of insuring their employees. Obama will make sure that healthcare insurance work for Americans, and small businesses, not drug companies. The national healthcare system will defiantly change the system for the better. The financial bailout on Wall Street rescued the economy from total collapse from faulty mortgage loans. Obamaââ¬â¢s plans include reworking and changing the way the economy works for the better. George W. Bush gave tax cuts to Americans who earned over $1,000,000. A large sum of people donââ¬â¢t believe it was a fine idea. Obama will give tax cuts to working class people and small businesses, not to the wealthy. He will create tax credits of $500 per person and $1,000 per working families. Obama will also eliminate income taxes to senior citizens who less than $50,000 a year. In the Republican party, John McCain is running for president. McCain isnââ¬â¢t change, Heââ¬â¢s more of the same. He voted 90% of the time with George W. Bush. AtShow MoreRelatedChange in America1045 Words à |à 5 PagesChange in Society Within todayââ¬â¢s society, people are constantly open to new technological and intellectual improvements, but when it comes to any disruptive alteration in the life that American citizens know, love, and are accustomed to, no measures can be taken in order to implement new innovations, even if it were for the welfare of the people themselves. The majority of the society today is resistant to great shifts in the American culture that would possibly cause some differentiation to theirRead MoreAmerica: United in Change1005 Words à |à 4 Pages When other nations jumped into WWI in 1914, America adopted a policy of neutrality. News of the horrors of the war convinced Americans that they had taken the right approach. Many could not believe that a civilized society could resort to such atrocities. Germanyââ¬â¢s use of U-boats in unrestricted submarine warfare finally pushed the U.S. to declare war. President Wilson urged for peace based upon the idea of a League of Nations, where many nations would act as one to preserve the peace of all. AlthoughRead MoreChanges of America in the 1920s Essay729 Words à |à 3 PagesSAMPLE DBQ. ESSAY As a nation coming out of a devastating war, America faced many changes in the 1920s. It was a decade of growth and improvements. As immigrants fled from Europe, the economy improved, and new machines offered convenience and luxury from the kitchen to the streets. However, with all change comes opposition. The 1920s revealed a conflict between traditional America and the new attitude and lifestyle through the changing role of women, continued dominance of ChristianRead More102 Minutes that Change America - Essay800 Words à |à 4 Pages102 Minutes that Change America A moment may change everything to evil or good in our life and community. Some events occurred may have affects in several ways. September 11, 2001 was a historic day in the United States. Four airplanes were hijacked by terrorists. The first one crashed into the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. The second plane was stopped by passengers. The two of them crashed the biggest towers in the U.S which are the World Trade Center in New York. On that day 3,000 peopleRead MoreDemographic Changes in America (1607-1914)1167 Words à |à 5 PagesDemographic Changes in America (1607-1914) Historical records of American demography start with the settlement of Jamestown, Virginia in 1607. Puritans landed in Plymouth and made a home for themselves with the help of Native Americans. These first immigrants in the colonies (British, Dutch, and German), moved to America between the early 17th and late 18th centuries in what was known as Old Immigration. During the colonial period, the birth rate was high but the life expectancy was low. It wasRead MoreThe Early 1990ââ¬â¢S Were A Period Of Change For America. America839 Words à |à 4 PagesThe early 1990ââ¬â¢s were a period of change for America. America was fresh off the ending of the Cold War and had newly elected President Bill Clinton. This was the first Democratic president since Jimmy Carter, who led from 1977-81. Americans voted for change and Bill Clinton brought forth that message in his 1993 inaugural address. Bill Clinton strongly and confidently addressed the world on January 20, 1993. He called for a ren ewal of America through positive change and increased responsibility amongstRead More19th Century Changes for Europe and America1453 Words à |à 6 Pages The 19th century in Europe and America saw a vast range of movement of ideas, beliefs, and way of thinking. Deciding to move away from the idea that the church was the reason for all being, great minds conjured up different conclusions as to why we as beings are here on this earth, what the meaning of life is, and what our purpose of living should be. It was because of these differences in thought and reason that creative movements were born. From Enlightenment to Romanticism, Realism to SymbolismRead MoreCombating Poverty in America: Time For a Change1134 Words à |à 5 Pagesresources that an individual on welfare and other government support programs can make more money than some minimum wage jobs in America. Does this motivate people to contribute to society? The answer to this question is no and it is apparent in the statistics due to the ever increasing poverty level. America continues its dependency on entitlement programs. America has spent over 20 Trillion on entitlements since the Johnson Era (2). This number is only increasing annually. President JohnsonRead MoreHow Is Managing Climate Change, Changes America s Health1144 Words à |à 5 PagesClimate change, Changes Americaââ¬â¢s Health Fady Estany Tennessee State University What is Climate Change? Climate change is a change of environment patterns. In specific the change was obvious from the mid to late 20th century. The reason of the dramatic change was due to large increased levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide produced by the use of fossil fuels. We as people can barely or see no change at all. But the truth is that our Earth is warming little by little. Minor changes in theRead MoreChanges in America Between 1920 and 1960 Essay1404 Words à |à 6 PagesDuring the years between 1920 and 1960, America saw change in many aspects of life. The United States was a part of two major wars and a crash of the banking system that crippled the economy greater than ever seen in this countryââ¬â¢s history. Also the country had new insecurities to tackle such as immigration and poor treatment of workers. These events led to the change of America lives socially, economically, and politically. The people of America changed their ideas of what the countryââ¬â¢s place
Wednesday, May 6, 2020
Koloon Case Study Free Essays
Abstract This case study examines the decision making process of the Kowloon Development Company to the PrecisionTree decision tree software from Palisade. The Kowloon Development Company was faced with a major decision about their future investments. The General Manager of the Kowloon Development Company is usually involved in billion dollar investments, accurate decisions are needed. We will write a custom essay sample on Koloon Case Study or any similar topic only for you Order Now The company has to make a decision over the decision to purchase a new development project the total site area being 16,000 square feet. The objective is to use the use the Decision Tree software from Palisade, to determine the decision for the Kowloon Development Company whether or not to purchase the property. Decision trees provide a formal structure in which decisions and chance events are linked in sequence from left to right the general manager of the Kowloon Development company must decide whether to recommend the purchase of the 350 million dollar property and what would be the rate of return of the investment. He also needed to know whether or not the property would be best served developed or left undeveloped. He knows that if he doesnââ¬â¢t make a decision the board of directors would invest the money for two years at six percent. After performing the test using the PrecisionTree software the correct decision should be to invest 350 million. The only way to guarantee the highest rate from the investment would be 420 million, and if the Kowloon Development Company decided to purchase the property they would only receive a maximum rate of return 394 million for a developed piece of land. Property Investment Decision Introduction Kowloon Development Company is an investment company, involved in the investment, development, and management of properties. BusinessWeek) The company develops and sells residential, commercial, and large office buildings in Hong Kong. It also provides property management services for the projects developed by the company, luxury residential and serviced apartments, and commercial buildings and public housing estates. The company also involves in the property dev elopment, investment holding, property management and security services, financial services, retail, construction, film distribution, provision of consultancy services, property trading and investment. BusinessWeek) As of December 31, 2008, its investment properties comprised primarily retail shops and offices, covering approximately 75,000 square meters of gross floor area; and managed properties covered a gross floor area of approximately 560,100 square meters. (BusinessWeek) In 1998, the Kowloon Development Company was faced with a major decision about their future investments. The General Manager of the Kowloon Development Company is usually involved in billion dollar investments, accurate decisions are needed. Statement of problem The company is quarreled over the decision to purchase a new development project the total site area being 16,000 square feet. The general manager of the Kowloon Development company must decide whether to recommend the purchase of the 350 million dollar property and what would be the rate of return of the investment. He also needed to know whether or not the property would be best served developed or left undeveloped. He knows that if he doesnââ¬â¢t make a decision the board of directors would invest the money for two years at six percent. Determining Risk A structural change in the property market is anticipated as a result of a vastly growing pension fund industry in China, and as there is a renewed interest in Hong Kong and China properties from foreign funds since early 1998. Both domestic and foreign funds will need to find investment opportunities in real property. Foreign funds look at real estate as a long-term investment. They adopt serious and professional approaches in selecting projects, and they want to associate themselves with professional, reliable and respectable consulting firms. HKUST/CEIBS, 1998). Property investors almost all originating from HK and commission a practicability study on property investment and development in Hong Kong; have faced the problem of finding appropriate discounting rates in their analyses. The discounting rates should accurately reflect the opportunity cost of capital and consequently the systematic risk of the project. Quite often, determination of the discounting rates, or the ââ¬Å"hu rdleâ⬠rates, has been based nothing more than intuition. However, ââ¬Å"hurdleâ⬠rates lead to incorrect investment decisions ecause high return projects are by definition more favored than low return ones. The drawback is that the absolute expected return of a project is very high, but it is still not high enough to compensate for the high risk that has to be borne. Or conversely, a project may be expected to generate very modest return, but this return is already higher than its riskiness. In other words, the expected return of a project must be commensurate with its risk, or more precisely, itââ¬â¢s systematic or market risk. (HKUST/CEIBS, 1998). Observation The objective is to use the use the Decision Tree software from Palisade, to determine the decision for the Kowloon Development Company whether or not to purchase the property. Decision trees provide a formal structure in which decisions and chance events are linked in sequence from left to right. Decisions, chance events, and end results are represented by nodes and connected by branches. The result is a tree structure with the ââ¬Å"rootâ⬠on the left and various payoffs on the right. Probabilities f events occurring and payoffs for events and decisions are added to each node in the tree. With PrecisionTree, youââ¬â¢ll see the payoff and probability of each possible path through a tree. (Palisade) The first decision is to decide whether or not to bring someone to determine the future selling price that cost 500 thousand dollar we can also calculate the amount the Kowloon Development company would make if the decided to invest the money rather than purchase the land, that price was determined to be 420 million. The next step in the decision making process was to take the information from the investigating crew provided and determine that if we purchase the land would the highest rate of return would come from selling the property developed or undeveloped. The investigating firms were also used to determine the appropriate development ratio as well as the associated construction and interest cost were. The firm estimated that the cost of construction at HKD 106 million for a development ratio of 5. 5, or HKD 150 million for a development ration of 7. 8. With the information provided the next decision was to determine whether or not to apply for the higher development ratio, there was a 60 percent chance that the application would get approved and if it was approved there was a 50 percent chance that there would be an 80 million additional cost associated with the approved application. Results PrecisionTree determines the best decision to make at each decision node and marks the branch for that decision TRUE. Once your decision tree is complete, PrecisionTreeââ¬â¢s decision analysis creates a full statistics report on the best decision to make and its comparison with alternative decisions. Palisade) As Results the correct decision should be to invest 350 million. The only way to guarantee the highest rate from the investment would be 420 million, and if the Kowloon Development Company decided to purchase the property they would only receive a maximum rate of return 394 million for a developed piece of land as seen in the graph. Re ferences BusinessWeek. (June, 1) BusinessWeek Company Description Retrieved January, 12 2012, from http://investing. businessweek. com/research/stocks/snapshot/snapshot. asp? ticker=34:HK Carmona, M. 2006) Designing mega-projects in Hong Kong: Reflections from an academic accomplice. Journal of URBAN DESIGN 11(1): 105ââ¬â124. HKUST/CEIBS (1998), Hang Cheong Surveyors Limited (A management case study developed as a basis for class discussion), 4-5. Karakiewicz, J. (2005) The city and the megastructure. In: M. Jenks and N. Dempsey (eds. ) Future Forms and Design for Sustainable Cities. Oxford: Architectural Press. Kikutake, K. , Otaka, M. , Maki, F. and Kurokawa, K. (1960) Metabolism 1960 ââ¬â A Proposal for New Urbanism, in proceeding of 1960 World Design Conference, Tokyo: Organizing Committee of World Design Conference. Lau, S. and Wang, J. (2005) High-Density, High-Rise and Multiple and Intensive Land Use in Hong Kong: A Future City Form for the New Millennium. In: M. Jenks and N. Dempsey (eds. ) Future Form and Design for Sustainable Cities. Oxford: Architectural Press. Palisades. (January 14) Palisades Product description retrieved January 14, 2012 from http://www. palisade. com/precisiontree/ Worpole, K. (2000) The Value of Architecture: Design, Economy and the Architectural Imagination. London: Royal Institute of British Architects Future Studies. How to cite Koloon Case Study, Free Case study samples
Monday, April 27, 2020
Women in Advertising free essay sample
Every day we are exposed to advertising, we drive down the highway and see billboards, we scroll down our news feed on Facebook and see side ads, and our favorite shows cut to commercials on television. According to Jean Kilbourne, advertising is an over 100 billion dollar a year industry and we are exposed to over 2000 ads a day. Advertisements donââ¬â¢t just sell us products, they sell images, values, and concepts of success, worth, love, sexuality, and normality. By doing so, they tell us what we should be. They set unrealistic standards, especially for women. The women in advertisements are more often than not young white women portrayed as beautiful housewives and sex objects, or in other words, these women are objectified. Advertisements should be critically analyzed because they are one of the main sources of influence for young people and what they teach may not be what is best for society. We will write a custom essay sample on Women in Advertising or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Advertisements often sexualize the product they are trying to sell. Axe commercials are one of the first advertisements that come to mind. One commercial for Axe hair products from 2012 portrays a story of love between a disembodied head of hair (the male) and a dismembered pair of large breasts (the female), that closes with them transforming into the attractive people they represented under the line: ââ¬Å"Hair: itââ¬â¢s what women notice firstâ⬠(Bahadur). This commercial is a prime example of how women are objectified in advertisements as it suggests that the first thing men notice are breasts and gives the impression that all women are just a pair of breasts for men to ogle. This also teaches young women that if they want men to want them, they need to have large breasts and be overall attractive. Another sexualized advertisement was posted by Belvedere vodka on Facebook and Twitter, then removed almost immediately. The ad pictures a man seemingly taking advantage of a woman and says ââ¬Å"Unlike some peopleâ⬠¦ Belvedere always goes down smoothlyâ⬠(Bahadur). Belvedere apologized on Twitter because the ad was interpreted by some as joking about rape and abuse of women. Objectification also presents itself in the form of control and superiority, so even if it isnââ¬â¢t interpreted as being about rape, the image still shows a woman being objectified. The man in the image is clearly in control of the female, suggesting he is superior to her. An artificial world is created by advertisements in which men are the most important and it is rare to see a woman portrayed as poor, unattractive,à overweight, struggling, or disabled. This is not the same as reality, so women grow up in a world ââ¬Å"where many women start to feel old and unattractive even in their 20sâ⬠¦ [and] where even the youngest and most beautiful women often worry constantly, and cannot match in real life their photographed, objectified imageâ⬠(Frank). Women then buy beauty products (which are also advertised by these ââ¬â¢perfectââ¬â¢ women) in an attempt to make themselves reach the goal of looking just like the women on TV or in magazines (Kilbourne). Many women spend hundreds, even thousands of dollars to alter their faces and bodies into a more appealing shape and size. There are studies that show a trend that young women start worrying about their weight and appearance at younger and younger ages (Zimmerman and Dahlberg). Thatââ¬â¢s not very surprising, considering that children too are exposed to massive amounts of advertising. They see the same images and videos we do everyday, and their brains absorb more than ours. It isnââ¬â¢t just advertisements though. Rothenberg points out that, ââ¬Å"Even Minnie Mouse and Daisy Duck and a few other beloved Disney characters were slenderized and sexualizedâ⬠, and asks if we are ââ¬Å"OK with filling our childrenââ¬â¢s minds with these imagesâ⬠. Frank, and the men of NOMAS, believe that ââ¬Å"massive objectification of women may contribute to a climate in which violence and exploitation of women are both tolerated and tacitly encouragedâ⬠. So then, are we as a society desensitized and oblivious towards objectification? ââ¬Å"Contemporary women may be unfazed by the sexual objectif ication found in todays advertisingâ⬠(Zimmerman and Dahlberg). With the advertisements I described earlier, there were mixed reactions. The comments on the post were mostly either about how they werenââ¬â¢t offended and found the advertisements humorous, or they were ambivalent. There werenââ¬â¢t very many commenters who were completely offended by the advertisements. What I noticed was that those who were offended were all females, and there were more females who were not offended. A study that two students at Canisius College examined for their paper showed that, compared to women a decade ago, women today are more forgiving towards companies that show an offensive portrayal of women. What about those who take what they see in advertisements to heart though? Plenty of women and young girls actually believe that the women of the artificial world that advertisements create are what they should strive toà become. ââ¬Å"There is the real tragedy, that many women internalize these stereotypes and learn their limitations, thus establishing a self-fulfilling prophecyâ⬠(Kilbourne). They start surveilling themselves, and become ashamed of their bodies. ââ¬Å"[This] then leads [them] to buy things to make [them]selves feel better about [them]selves and then [they] â⬠¦ become the objectâ⬠(Rothenberg). They go on diets and when diets donââ¬â¢t work, they stop eating and develop eating disorders. This is not solely the work of advertising, but also the culture we live in. Not all advertisers portray women in such a way. Dove created their Campaign for Real Beauty à ®, Real Beauty Sketches, and Ad Makeover spots to increase awareness of the messages other advertisements send to women in todayââ¬â¢s culture (Rothenberg). However, even though these women are more ââ¬Ërealisticââ¬â¢, they are still pretty women who wear makeup and nice clothes like models and actresses do. Itââ¬â¢s a great idea, but itââ¬â¢s not enough. Advertisements need to start portraying women more realistically, as people with thoughts and feelings, not as mere objects for entertainment and enjoyment that can be controlled and taken advantage of. There was once a day when no one would ever have thought to objectify females in advertising, and it may have gotten completely out of control in recent years. Advertisements have more types of media at their disposal, and they have access to more viewers. Until I enrolled in Sex Gender and learned about objectification, I never really noticed it. Thinking back I realize how much it permeated the media, and I see now how it still does, maybe to an even greater extent than ever before. Perhaps the images and values distinguished through the objectification of females in advertisements donââ¬â¢t affect everyone, but they do affect many young girls and women. Itââ¬â¢s important that people recognize and understand what is going on in these advertisements because many of the effects that stem from it are hazardous to young women and young girls alike.
Thursday, March 19, 2020
Afropithecus - Facts and Figures
Afropithecus - Facts and Figures Name: Afropithecus (Greek for African ape); pronounced AFF-roe-pith-ECK-us Habitat: Jungles of Africa Historical Epoch: Middle Miocene (17 million years ago) Size and Weight: About five feet tall and 100 pounds Diet: Fruits and seeds Distinguishing Characteristics: Large size; relatively long snout with large teeth About Afropithecus Paleontologists are still trying to sort out the complicated relationships of the early African hominids of the Miocene epoch, which were some of the first true apes on the prehistoric primate evolutionary tree. Afropithecus, discovered in 1986 by the famous mother-and-son team of Mary and Richard Leakey, testifies to the ongoing confusion: this tree-dwelling ape had some anatomical features in common with the better-known Proconsul, and it also seems to have been closely related to Sivapithecus as well (a genus to which Ramapithecus has now been assigned as a separate species). Unfortunately, Afropithecus isnt as well attested, fossil-wise, as these other hominids; we do know from its scattered teeth that it fed on tough fruits and seeds, and it seems to have walked like a monkey (on four feet) rather than an ape (on two feet, at least some of the time).
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