Suchergebnisse

In 2006, khat was the object of a federal government operation, which dismantled a Somali trafficking organization and seized five tons of the plant valued at $2 million. Khat is an evergreen tree that grows in Africa. Its leaves are chewed as a stimulant by six million people every day. This paper describes the complexity of khat, beginning with an overview of its international usage and its contradictory portrayals. Primary concern, however, is focused on khat's complexity in terms of its criminal, chemical, and cultural dimensions. According to the FBI, khat is a controlled substance. But others disagree. A khat plant might contain cathinone, a Schedule I drug. But shortly after harvesting, cathinone decomposes. Throughout history, colonizers have used laws against khat to control indigenous Muslim populations. In the U. S., utilization of khat is central to the lives of many members of immigrant communities. Targeting khat can be viewed as targeting members of these communities.

In this paper an empirical comparison of a number of alternative multilateral index‐number formulae is undertaken. The magnitude of the effect of choosing one formula over another is ascertained using an appropriate cross‐sectional data set constructed under the auspices of the Eurostat‐OECD Purchasing Power Parity Programme. To this end, a new indicator is proposed that facilitates the measurement of the difference between two sets of bloc consumption shares, each computed using a different multilateral comparison method. JEL Classification: C31, C43, C81, E31, F31, O57 Quel impact est‐ce que le choix des formules a sur les comparaisons internationales? Ce mémoire propose une comparaison empirique d'un certain nombre de formules de nombres‐indices multilatéraux. On tente de jauger la magnitude de l'impact du choix d'une formule plutôt qu'une autre en utilisant une base de données transversales appropriée construite sous l'égide du Programme de parité du pouvoir d'achat Eurostat‐OCDE. On propose un nouvel indicateur qui facilite la mesure de la différence entre deux ensembles de patterns de consommation, chacun calculéà l'aide d'une méthode de comparaison multilatérale différente.

This study is a semiotic ethnography and ethnomusicological comparison of the rhetoric of violence found in two increasingly popular musical forms, rap and country. Based on the production‐of‐culture perspective, musical genres are considered socially constructed organizing principles and lyrics, the primary data, are viewed as ensembles of texts. The strategy is to address rap and country songs as they present claims concerning the focal concerns of trouble and toughness. First, analysis is framed in terms of three violent crimes–murder, manslaughter, and assault. Second, dimensions of toughness are specified–physical prowess and masculinity. This study illustrates the hidden resemblances between rap and country and highlights parallels between these essentially incompatible musical domains.