Supplier Responsibility and Supply Chain Management

http://www.apple.com/supplier-responsibility/

While I was researching the work quality at Apple, they claim to have a strict "Workers' Rights are Human Rights" policy, stating that excessive work hours, underage labor, and bonded labor are not acceptable for their company. They also state that they are going deep within the supply chain to make sure their materials are acceptable. They even give a yearly progress report to the public, telling how they have lived up to their code of conduct. This makes me wonder whether or not these progress reports are accurate

Supply Chain Management

Supply Chain Management is the oversight of materials, information, and finances as they move in a process from supplier to manufacturer to wholesaler to retailer to consumer.

http://searchmanufacturingerp.techtarget.com/definition/supply-chain-management

Smoke Signals Essay

           The history of the Native Americans, in relation to the whites encroaching on their territory and their way of living, contains a plethora of trials and hardships, as well as triumph and glory. After being treated so horribly by the whites and constantly being discriminated against, the Indians are given their rights to exercise their culture. But while legally they are admitted into the United States, the Native Americans still suffer plenty of hardships socially. This is extremely prevalent in the film Smoke Signals. This film shows how while the Native Americans are allowed to legally thrive in the country, the social injustice of the systematic oppression is still alive. This is shown through the historical grudges from the Native Americans, as well as the imagery of struggle throughout the film.
             Throughout the film, they illustrate multiple references to the historical trials of the Native Americans. These references are shown in order to illuminate the fact that there is still some tension, socially and politically, between the white people and the Native Americans. There is one scene that comes displays this quite vividly. During the scene where Thomas is having a conversation with a white Olympic gymnast from Mississippi. She tells Thomas how difficult it is to be a gymnast and how hard her life is. Then Victor chimes in and tells her that she has got it easy and that he is the one who has a hard life. While this is relevant on a more personal level, this is also important to the understanding of their cultures and ancestry. This conflict between the gymnast and Victor is also referring to the past, and how the Native Americans were truly the ones who had it hard, due to the constant oppression from the white people. He is saying that the white people have no room to complain, for they were privileged and free, while the Native Americans were far from that. This shows  that Victor, who in this scene represents the Native Americans, is still holding the white people accountable for their actions of discrimination in the past.
              This film contains a large amount of imagery and symbolism hinting towards struggle and hardships that the Native Americans have faced. To start, the scene with the two Native American women driving in reverse, but going forward symbolizes the will to push through the hardships. While it is difficult to drive a car only in reverse, it is doable, and this represents how the Native Americans are still struggling to be treated equal, but they are pushing through. Another example would be Victor's mother. During one scene, Victor is having a conversation with his mother about how Thomas wanted to go with Victor on his journey. His mother is kneading bread, and is struggling to do so on account of her arthritic hands. At this point, she tells Victor that it is his decision whether or not he wants to let Thomas go with him. But the film is using this symbolism of her arthritis to emphasize that with struggle comes reward. This illustrates how the Native Americans are still fighting for their social justice, and that there will be a reward of freedom and acceptances after the struggle.
              The Native Americans have faced many difficulties dealing with the mass hate, and then attempted assimilation of their people. But they never gave up, and it is slowly paying off in the end. This film uses these hints of fighting for what you believe in to illuminate this concept.

Snapshot of Carlos Nakai Native American Music

I have learned from take a brief look at Carlos Nakai, a Native American flautist of the Navajo tribe, that the reason he takes the Native American style of music and blends it with more modern and popular styles in order to create something unique and appealing to modern society while still retaining the ability to spread his culture. I also learned that his inspiration is his want to spread his culture throughout the world with his music.




https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19nm5_nAwQg