Crisis of African Agriculture Essay - 2005 Words

Introduction The continent of Africa is home to over seven hundred million people. About half of these people do not get enough food to eat, partly due to low productivity on the farms, poor distribution networks and very little money for farmers to invest in improving their situations. This all contributes to the agricultural crisis going on in Africa. Poverty stricken farmers often cannot produce enough surplus to feed and provide for their families. African farmers have survived for thousands of years, living in harmony with their environment, developing agricultural systems that work for their subsistence economy. With the coming of globalization and greater populations, and the shift to more of a cash-based economy, many farmers†¦show more content†¦Africa can have the chance to do the same if it can successfully implement a Green Revolution of its own. Resource: If African countries were able to adopt and adapt some of the same practices used in Asia and Latin America, much more food would be available for consumption and sale by African people. ?Africa?s Fertilizer Summit was called to study ways of creating a agricultural breakthrough in Africa - a goal that Annan said was achievable despite environmental degradation, extreme reliance on rainfall rather than irrigation, high transport costs and undercapitalized farmers facing tough global tariff barriers. Participants of the conference said the problems could be overcome, but only if Africa gets help from the developed world.? (Annan p.1). Food aid provides much needed help for Africa?s people, however, it should not be thought of as sustainable way of feeding people in need. A country should use food aid to address emergency situations only and develop it?s own way to sustain food security for everyday feeding, through the country?s own internal resources. Economic: A huge proportion of African farmers are only at a subsistence level. If productivity doubled, it would greatly help in developing a marketable surplus, thereby generating more cash flow within the rural economies of Africa. As seen in figure 1, Africa?s productivity has remained stagnant andShow MoreRelatedAnalysis : President Olusegun Obasanjo1248 Words   |  5 Pagesyear, thousands of young Africans join an exodus from their families’ small, often struggling farms in the countryside...But ultimately we need people. Specifically, we need Africa’s best and brightest to embrace agriculture as a calling and a career† (Obasanjo, 2016). This quote brings out the context and reason of writing of President Obasanjo. H.E. President Olusegun Obasanjo, as an author, shows the ethos (credibility) because he was a former president of Nigeria, an African country. The subjectRead MoreImproving Agriculture For Self Reliance Kim839 Words   |  4 PagesAlthough Tanzania implemented different plans, including the five year plan to improve agriculture for self-reliance Kim (1986) for uplifting the poor, it might be said too that the country suffered from internal and external calamities plus the external debt crisis (Wade, Mwasaga, FJ Eagles, 2001; Sarkar, 2011, Sitta, 2010). The country became one of the indebted countries. Adding to that the war between Tanzania and Uganda in 1978-79 froze millions of dollars from Tanzania (Vavrus, Moshi, 2009;Read MoreThe Main Cause Of Famine On Africa1674 Words   |  7 Pagesfamines in the past and that is still the case today in the African continent. For instance,in 2011 to mid 2012,east Africa had an extreme climate change that brought on a drought that was sai d to be the worst in 60 years.The region faced a prolonged dry season, and the rain that followed the dry season fell in low quantity resulting to a severe food crisis to the countries of Somalia, Djibouti, Kenya and Ethiopia. The sudden food crisis is said to have threatened the livelihoods of 12 million peopleRead MoreGlobalization and Human Welfare1656 Words   |  7 PagesWhen we analyze trade in terms of agriculture, investment, intellectual property rights we can see that the 1994 trade Agreement on Agriculture provided framework for the long term reform of agriculture trade and domestic policies, made a decisive move towards the objective of the increased market orientation in agricultural trade and advocated universal reductions in trade protection, farm subsidies and government intervention (WTO, 1994). Agreement on Agriculture reconstructed food security as marketRead MoreAfrican Prisons Are Human Rights Friendly1473 Words   |  6 Pagesworst in the world many other prisons systems are worse off in terms of violence, overcrowding and a host of other problems. This is not to argue that African prisons are human rights friendly. Many are in a deficient condition and their practices are at odds with human rights standards. However, prisons in many parts of the global are in crisis. Never before have there so many problems within penal systems and such large numbers of people in institutions of incarceration. 1.2 Background of theRead MoreIndustrialized Farming And Food Systems Essay842 Words   |  4 Pageswith organic food in his article â€Å"Attention Whole Foods Shoppers† published in Foreign Policy magazine in 2010. In his article, Paarlberg addresses the current issues of global hunger and food crisis, particularly in Africa. He argues, contrary to popular belief, that slow, organic, and sustainable agriculture is an ineffective method to correct these issues. Paarlberg instead states that conventional and modern farming techniques, along with industrialized food production, are the solutions to solvingRead MoreFinancial Globalisation Is The Cross Boarder Financial Flow Through Global Linkages1336 Words   |  6 Pageschanged when the Bretton Wood system exchange rates amongst the industrial countries came to an end. The Bretton Wood system dictated fixed exchange rates. The functioning of the IMF, influence Myriad factors such as the downfall of communism as well as crisi s in rapidly growing market economies financial. In 1990 s globalisation started to gain prominence and South Africa decided to re-join the scene of international economy. They were requested to adjust to the demands of the globalisation forces, andRead MoreFarming Methods And Food Crisis Essay1623 Words   |  7 PagesFarming methods and food Crisis The ongoing worldwide food crisis results from a dysfunctional food system and farming methods. The world’s population is growing at a very high rate and this calls for better farming methods in order to have enough food to feed the growing population. There are approximately five farming methods that are used in the world today; organic farming, factory farming, traditional farming, village farming, and vertical farming (Ruthenberg, MacArthur, Zandstra, and CollinsonRead More Poverty in Africa Essay example1470 Words   |  6 PagesAfrican nations regularly fall to the bottom of any list measuring economic activity, such as per capita income or per capita GDP, despite a wealth of natural resources. The bottom 25 spots of the United Nations (UN) quality of life index are regularly filled by African nations. In 2006, 34 of the 50 nations on the UN list of least developed countries are in Africa. In many nations, the per capita income is often less than $200 U.S. per year, wi th the vast majority of the population living on muchRead MoreElectoral Pressures In Africa Case Study1531 Words   |  7 Pagespressures of the post-1990 period reshaped the economic policies pursued by African governments? Why or why not? In you answer, be sure to contrast the pre- and post-1990 periods, and use the experience of two African countries to support your answer Electoral pressures and economic policies in Africa: Past records and prospects Introduction: The 1990s represent a period of electoral pressures for most Sub-Saharan African countries as governments faced external influences for political liberalization

Chemical Castration for Repeat Sex Offenders Essay

Chemical Castration for Repeat Sex Offenders Child molestation and sexual assault is an ever growing problem in the United States today, but an even bigger problem is that these pedophiles are being released after only serving as little as one quarter of their sentence. In California alone (at the time the bill was first passed), there was an estimated 680 individuals on parole for molestation and other sexual assaults including sodomy by force with a victim under the age of thirteen as well as child molestation with foreign objects. The practice of castrating violent criminals can be traced back to Germany in the 1930s, and throughout Europe. It has shown to be one of the most effective deterrents for sexual†¦show more content†¦Chemical castration is a reversible treatment for those with urges to commit sex crimes, as well as those who have had a history of convicted sex crimes. This drug treatment helps to lower sex drives and decrease aggressive and violent tendencies. There are side effects to this drug just as there are for every other medicine on the market. Although it was not created for men, they suffer no extra side effects than the women. Chemical castration is an exceptional alternative to prison time or it works as a stepping block for integration back into society. It is a more cost effective alternative as well as being more efficient in correcting the problem as opposed to locking it up. With strict guidelines and continual use it can be the most effective course of ac tion for sexual offenders today. Monitored chemical castration should be the only alternative to full sentence prison time for repeat sex offenders, and child molesters, unless he voluntarily requests surgical castration. â€Å"Sometimes the gangrenous toe has to be sacrificed for the well being of the rest of the body† UNKOWN. Chemical castration in short, is the suppression of sex drive through injections of anti-androgen drugs, one commonly known as Depo-Provera. Once every three months, the offender is injected intramuscularly with a concentrated version of Depo-Provera, which inhibitsShow MoreRelatedCastration for Child Molesters1843 Words   |  7 PagesChemical castration should be given to child molesters to help control them from having urges to violate children and make them less likely to reoffend again. Can chemical castration really help to decline the way that children are violated? And could it help to relieve some of the molesters’ desires towards children. This paper will explain the research done in areas where chemical castration has been used and how effective it is in helping control urges to molest children. There are some thatRead More castration Essay1194 Words   |  5 Pages Should Chemical Castration be performed on Sex Offenders? nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Okay suppose your five-year-old daughter was brutally attacked and raped by a known sex offender, would you rather the offender to be sentenced to a few years in prison, only to get out and destroy another innocent victim’s life or have them chemically castrated? Chemical castration is the process of injecting male sex offenders’ female hormones to eliminate their sex drive. Honestly until someone is in the position;Read MoreEssay on Is the Use of Castration Constitutional?1809 Words   |  8 PagesThe issue of castration has many layers in terms of its use punitively. The biggest area of debate is the rate of success and if sex offender’s problem is physical or psychological. In addition, is the use of castration constitutional? Some people argue that compulsory castration is a violation of the Fourteenth Amendment and the Eighth Amendment. However, does the unconstitutional nature change when castration is voluntary and the decisio n is made by the offender? Moreover, does labeling castrationRead More Recidivism of Sex Offenders Essay example2488 Words   |  10 PagesSex offenders have been a serious problem for our legal system at all levels, not to mention those who have been their victims. There are 43,000 inmates in prison for sexual offenses while each year in this country over 510,000 children are sexually assaulted(Oakes 99). The latter statistic, in its context, does not convey the severity of the situation. Each year 510,000 children have their childhoods destroyed, possibly on more than one occasion, and are faced with dealing with the assault forRead MoreChild Molestation Is the Most Horrible Crime an Adult Can Commit1466 Words   |  6 Pagescrime. Who are child sex offenders? Do they look like monsters? The fact is a child sex offender can be anyone. A child molester is often a person the victims parents or the victims think they can trust. The devastation these people cause their victims is tragic. Their victims are certain to suffer a lifetime of emotional trauma. Child sex offenders should not get a second chance. They should get life in prison for their first offense. More than one-half of offenders (about sixty percent)Read MoreSexual Assault Against Women Essay953 Words   |  4 Pagesa lot of attention and investigation. In the mid-1990s, a number of violent crimes were being committed by recently released sex offenders. The media attention motivated many states to pass laws that specify that communities must be notified about paroled sex offender living in their communities. This caused a fear of the people in the community that released sex offenders may commit assaults in their community as well. Alice Walkers The Color Purple is an excellent account of the life of a womanRead MoreSexual Offenders And Sex Offenders1842 Words   |  8 Pagespopulation I do want to work with. After long thought, I decided I do not want to work with sex offenders, I’d rather work with children and perhaps that is where I get my bias against sex offenders or perhaps it stems from other reasons. Through my research, I am hoping to discover new information about sex offenders that may change my opinion and help me to see them in a new light. When I think of a sex offender what automatically comes to my mind is a creepy middle aged white man who lives in closeRead MoreHistory of Depo Provera2300 Words   |  10 Pagesinjectable form. Alternative Uses In the past few years, researchers have been studying the effects of Depo-Provera as a method of chemical castration for sex offenders. A link was noticed between high testosterone levels and violent, aggressive behavior in men. For this effort, male sex offenders are recently being given the option in some states for chemical castration. This is accomplished by the man being injected with Depo-Provera, just as it is administered to women. When the shot is administeredRead MoreThe Sexual Assault Of Sex Offenders1748 Words   |  7 PagesDraft For many people the term sex offender brings up extreme emotions. However, it is the nature of the crime that needs to be considered before the label. The laws and punishments that are enforced during and after prison varies by where the offender lives and the severity of the crime. But, there is much more that needs to be considered. First , the things that are considered sexual assault, if the child is forced to have sex without consent, if the person is having sex with a minor, or sexuallyRead More The Psychology of Pedophiles Essay4421 Words   |  18 Pages In the news today we frequently hear about pedophiles and child molesters. We have heard the horror stories of priest and bishops molesting boys, public school teachers having sex with students, and family members molesting children. While it is still taboo, the public view of a child molester has changed in the past years. It used to be that when we thought of a pedophile, we thought of a scary man lurking behind the bushes. This is not the case today, most of the cases of child molestation are

Why Fairy Tail Is a Bad Manga Free Essays

Why Fairy Tail is a Bad Manga One of the most popular manga in circulation today is Fairy Tail. It is about a wizard guild named Fairy Tail, and the adventures of two of its members, a boy named Natsu and a girl named Lucy. In all, it seems like it could be a good story, but the writer could just not pull it off. We will write a custom essay sample on Why Fairy Tail Is a Bad Manga or any similar topic only for you Order Now Fairy Tail has one of the worst plots and character backgrounds of all the mangas still going today. To start off, we can review the problems with the main characters. Natsu, a boy who uses â€Å"Dragon-slayer† magic was found in the woods and brought up by a dragon. The dragon taught him too read, speak, and learn a secret technique that could be used too kill dragons! Not only does the author, Mashima Hiro, ruins the character background with an almost alternate version of â€Å"Tarzan† he also screws up the girl, Lucy, role in the story. She can’t really do anything. She just has a set of keys that summon magical spirits that she sends to fight for her. But, usually they are useless since she can only use each key on certain days. Her spirits also hardly ever follow her directions, so her whole character I completely useless. Her only real contribution too the story, is the comical situations that she is put in, and her figure, which consists of blond hair, brown eyes, and large breasts, which add sex appeal. Natsu on the other hand gains the ability to â€Å"eat† and control fire, from his â€Å"dragon-slayer† magic. The next problem in the story is the character development. In most well written mangas, the main characters either, mature or get considerably stronger while the story goes on. Yet, in for Fairy Tail, this is not the case. Instead, the main character remains the exact same way throughout, most of the story. For instance, Natsu, only gets stronger for brief periods of time every now and then, before going back too his normal level. Lucy acquires more keys, yet is still at the same level she started off as, because her spirits hardly ever do anything right so she still ends up becoming useless. In other famous manga, the main sometimes, goes off for a couple years in the story, too do some kind of intense training, then comes back, extremely strong, like One Piece or Naruto. However in Fairy Tail the main characters disappear for seven whole years, and still don’t get stronger, as they were supposedly frozen in time! Finally, we have to look at the emotional aspect. Mashima Hiro, fails too bring out emotion in the reader. Whenever a bad something bad happens, it is almost immediately resolved. For instance, in volume 25 chapter 257, Lucy finds out her father has died, after the time skip. She starts crying, but not three pages later, gets over it, and goes on another adventure. Fairy Tails only good point in the whole manga, is its entertainment factor. If anything, it is funny and again, has a certain sex appeal, since most of the women in the manga have large breasts and wear revealing clothing. It has a more upbeat kind of theme, were the villains practically say, â€Å"O well. You beat me too a pulp. I have now found the error in my ways and am going too join you/be good. † Besides its entertainment factor, there is no way; Fairy Tail would be as popular as it is now. The character development majorly lacks, the backgrounds of different characters are unsophisticated, and the author fails at creating emotion. So if you enjoy a manga, with a good plot and story line, please do not choose to read Fairy Tail, as you will be extremely disappointed. How to cite Why Fairy Tail Is a Bad Manga, Papers

Jazz Anecdotes by Bill Crow free essay sample

This book looks into the personalities and humor of the Jazz world. Being a Jazz player himself, Crow is obviously familiar with the life of a Jazz musician, and he has written down some hilarious tales that Jazz players have passed on to one another. This book shows how the jazz world as it really is. The entire book Is filled, page by page, with hilarious stories of pranks, goofs, getting hired, getting fired, stuff that happened while on the road, Jokes, nicknames, and unforgettable moments while playing at clubs.It also fives you a good feel for what the lives of Jazz musicians were Like the camaraderie and competition, the struggles over money, and the terrible working conditions. It also offers chapters on great Jazz players such as Duke Elongating, Louis Armstrong, and Charlie Parker. There are many memorable stories In this book. When I would read about people performing and Jumping off of risers and getting stuck, or artist trying to start fires in the middle of a bus because they were cold, you cant help but laughing out loud. We will write a custom essay sample on Jazz Anecdotes by Bill Crow or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page (l almost did during class. ) There were many funny stories in this book.One of them was how Less White fires band members. Instead of firing just one person, he would fire the whole band and then hire back the men he wanted. He would say, Im breaking up my band, everybodys fired, and then say, l want you, you, and you in my new band. He said it was better than pointing at one person and telling them to get out. Thats exactly what happened to Dizzy. Another was when Basiss band was France, and Buddy Tate got the wrong interpreter. They went to Lyon and Jimmy Rushing was ordering for them. So they go to the restaurant and Jimmy talked to waitress to order some weal chops.The waitress goes away and brings back six hard boiled eggs. Jimmy talks to her again and comes back with more eggs but fried. They start arguing saying that the waitress cant speak English. She over heard the conversation and comes back and says, Excuse me, what would you like to have? speaking better then either of them. One of my favorite chapters was pranks. The book has many stories on pranks that were often pulled by jazz musicians to other Jazz musicians. Limburger cheese was a favorite among pranksters. When Eddie Condone was working in the pit at the Commercial Theater, the band took an apartment near the theater. When the wind was right they got perfume smells in their apartment from the stockyards. One night Mezzo rubbed limburger cheese on Bud Freemans pillow and Bud thought It was coming form the stockyards. Dick Morgan would also use limburger cheese In his pranks. He would rub the cheese on the mimic Ben Pollack used, and make his well rehearsed accompaniment difficult. This book wonderfully captures the essence of Jazz and Jazz musicians. It Is packed with great stories, unique personalities, and hilarious moments. Jazz Anecdotes by Bill Crow By Eskimo the Jazz world as it really is. The entire book is filled, page by page, with hilarious gives you a good feel for what the lives of Jazz musicians were like the camaraderie and Charlie Parker. There are many memorable stories in this book. When I would book. One of them was how Less White fires band members. Instead of firing Just one pranks. The book has many stories on pranks that were often pulled by Jazz limburger cheese on Bud Freemans pillow and Bud thought it was coming form the stockyards.

Ayn Rands novel †The Fountainhead

Ayn Rands novel – The Fountainhead Free Online Research Papers Webster’s Dictionary defines fountainhead as â€Å"a fountain or spring from which a stream flows; the head or source of a stream.† In Ayn Rand’s novel The Fountainhead, which was first published in 1943, Howard Roark is the fountainhead. He is the fountain of knowledge, persistently providing a stream of wisdom wherever he goes to everyone he comes in contact with. The only way this is possible is for him to go outside the â€Å"box† of his society. By showing great independence and individuality in both his thoughts and actions, Howard Roark is looked at as an outsider, squandering his life away for an unworthy purpose. These individualistic traits are very uncommon and daring, but can prove to either be very beneficial, or more often than not, overwhelmingly detrimental and life ruining. A good example of this in the book was the life of Henry Cameron. By going outside of the â€Å"box† of society, he was considered a brilliant architect. Bam. All of the sudden he is living in a rundown shack, barely surviving off pocket change. After an immense amount of thought, I have discovered that I am not a chance taker, but instead just your average conformist. I intend to become an independent thinker someday. It seems that as a person’s knowledge level rises, their likeliness of becoming an individualist grows immensely. As a young child, I always attended church with my family and other social events which they deemed suitable for our position on the situation. That was just the problem. It should never be our choice. It should be mine or yours. We should all be free to decide what we believe is right or wrong, without the fear of being labeled an outcast for the rest of our lives. I think that I was 10 years old before I ever discovered any other religions besides Christianity. Most parents today unintentionally force their kids into their image, simply because that was the way they were raised! It is very important that as children we learn all of the major choices in life having to do with religion, sex, politics, etc. This ensures that we are making the right decisions for ourselves and not for someone else. There are of course chastisements for behaving just as you want, which is obviously necessary. If we all ran around doing what we wanted to do all of the time, there would be no sense of control in the world. Chaos. That is what we would be left in. By being your own person, others would still outcast you by means of their own opinions, and life would still be dreadfully intolerable. Advantages to this lifestyle are that you could find a place and a way to enjoy yourself significantly, with whomsoever you please. In the face of such a chaotic atmosphere, it would be easier to rise and shine, and if you were like Howard Roark, you could even put up buildings that you were satisfied with wherever you wanted. Physically and socially a person can afford to not be true to themselves, but there is an emotional decay taking place inside their soul at the same time. This hatred within yourself becomes a burning thorn in your chest, and will eventually cause you to let it out through actions or words that you would never on a normal occasion use. This can be done over time slowly, or through one bottled up burst of emotions gone wrong such as suicide or murder. Peter Keating never thought for himself. As he confessed in The Fountainhead, â€Å"Howard, I’m a parasite. I’ve been a parasite all my life . . . I have fed on you and all the men like you who lived before we were born. . . . if they hadn’t existed I wouldn’t have known how to put stone to stone. . . . I have taken that which was not mine and given nothing in return.† By admitting this to Howard Roark, Peter acknowledged that he was a conformist, using an independent thinkers ideas. This was killing him inside, and was all let out at once. The Fountainhead proved to be a noteworthy book, and as soon as I finish reading it I will probably hold a different outlook on life. Thanks once again for a long, but good book for your favorite class, and of course me, your favorite student. Research Papers on Ayn Rand’s novel - "The Fountainhead"Effects of Television Violence on Children19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraCapital PunishmentQuebec and CanadaThe Spring and AutumnHip-Hop is ArtPersonal Experience with Teen PregnancyComparison: Letter from Birmingham and CritoThe Effects of Illegal ImmigrationRelationship between Media Coverage and Social and

Mandarin Chinese Sentence Structure

Mandarin Chinese Sentence Structure Mandarin Chinese sentence structure is quite different than English or other European languages. Since the word order doesnt match, sentences which are translated word-for-word to Mandarin will be difficult to understand. You must learn to think in Mandarin Chinese when speaking the language. Subject (who) Just like English, Mandarin Chinese subjects come at the beginning of the sentence. Time (when) Time expressions come immediately before or after the subject. John yesterday went to the doctor.Yesterday John went to the doctor. Place (where) To explain where an event happened, the place expression comes before the verb. Mary in school met her friend. Prepositional Phrase (with whom, to whom etc.) These are phrases which qualify an activity. They are placed before the verb and after the place expression. Susan yesterday at work with her friend ate lunch. Object The Mandarin Chinese object has a great deal of flexibility. It is usually placed after the verb, but other possibilities include before the verb, before the subject, or even omitted. Conversational Mandarin often omits both the subject and the object when the context makes the meaning clear. I like on the train read the newspaper.

MAI Systems Corporation Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

MAI Systems Corporation - Case Study Example Recently, Softbrands purchased the Company back in August 2006. Since its inception in 1957, the Company has gone through significant changes. Being an opportunist and thanks to IBM and the Justice Department in 1956 when the entire computer industry was under the monopoly of IBM, Walter R. Oreamuno and his associate came up with an idea of re-purchasing the computer equipment from IBM customers and leasing it back to the customers at a lower rate than what was being offered by IBM. This idea was a great boast to the MAI's growth but did not last that long. During this time, the Company opted for an IPO with an Not realizing IBM's strategy of depreciating its punch card equipment and the innovation of 360 third generation computer, MAI invested substantially in the older equipment that resulted in MAI's growth to stall. During 1967, a major setback on merger plans with Transamerica, Oreamuno stepped down as the CEO and was replaced by Luther Schwalm an ex-IBM veteran. With a shift in strategy, the earlier investment in the older IBM equipment did not prove to be fertile, Schwalm decided to write-off the outdated older equipment. MAI's cash flow was impacted so substantially that its net worth in 1970 was negative $ 28 million. Oreamuno's decision proved out to be so wrong that even Schwalm was unable to bring the Company out of trouble. It was that when in 1971 MAI's CFO took over as the President. With a new strategy, Kurshan reorganized MAI into a holding company with various subsidiaries. Basic/Four and Sorbus subsidiaries of MAI did well in bringing MAI back to life. Sorbus took advantage of MAI's existing 1,200-person maintenance staff as its core, and expanding from there. Basic/Four was a major success instantaneously. In 1972, Basic/Four introduced the first multi-user transaction-processing mini-computer to use the Business Basic language. Basic/Four's revenue grew up to $43 million, and it was contributing around two-thirds of MAI's tot al earnings. Focused on software products, MAI in 1977 took over acquired Word stream Corporation. This company was producing word processing systems and IBM-compatible CRT terminals. MAI shipped its 10,000th computer system in the year 1980. The market for these computers began to shift drastically at this time, and small companies were turning to cheaper, newly available personal computers instead of the mini-computers that had been Basic/Four's forte. In 1983, the company introduced its MAI 8000, a super-minicomputer nearly as powerful as a mainframe computer, which was proficient enough of servicing up to 96 users at one time. In 1984, a New York-based investor Asher Edelman purchased 12 percent of MAI's stock. Edelman by means of a proxy war for control of the company won four seats on MAI's ten-member board of directors. In the course of the proxy battle, Edelman received a settlement in the $1 million range following a libel suit filed against MAI concerning company advertisements. During April 1984, MAI International Corporation, the company's worldwide marketing arm, was folded into