Reflect on the manner in which an musical artist(Mos Def) deals with Essay

Reflect on the manner in which an musical artist(Mos Def) deals with issues of identity or racism - Essay Example Born Dante Terrel Smith in 1973, Mos Def has also been called Mighty Mos Def, The Freaky Night Watchman, Boogie Man, Black Dante, Dante Beze, Pretty Flaco and Flaco Bey (wikipedia 2006) all in an effort to develop his identity. Urban Thermo Dynamics was his first group with his siblings. He began working solo in 1996 with De La Soul and da Bush Babees before his first single came out, Universal Magnetic. Working with Talib Kweli, he formed Black Star in 1998. His first solo album came out in 1999, Black on Both Sides, and his second, The New Danger, in 2004. Despite saying that he wasn’t â€Å"down with that commercial nonsense† and that he wouldn’t do an album with JayZ and RocAFella for that reason, he still made a commercial for General Motors that made his fans wonder. Still, Mos Def â€Å"keeps it real† with his fan-base by his ‘real’ lyrics and his excellent movie portrayals.

Strategic Marketing Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Strategic Marketing - Dissertation Example Therefore, Surviving in hard times requires a strong determination and a positive attitude. But in today's fast and merciless marketplace, more is needed than a winner's attitude. The following chapter is where the dissertation starts explaining in brief a number of small business hard time strategies to help steer the chopping waters of commerce. 2.0 Strategies for SMEs to fight Economic Crisis 2.1 Cost cutting For small business, cost-cutting needs to be implemented with the precision of a surgeon's scalpel. Cut too deep and your business will never recover. Cut too shallow and cash flow problems could force you to the back of the unemployment line. Look at percentages rather than dollars and cents. If your expenses are chewing up your profits, you need to take action. There are two ways to improve sagging profits: sell more or cut costs. However, if revenues and expenses grow at the same rate, selling more won't fix an anemic bottom line. "Mistake No. 1 is thinking that marketing is the best place to cut when businesses are looking to tighten their belts," says Ann Handley, chief content officer at Marketing Professionals. "But it's not the time to jettison marketing. If business is slow and you're reining in your plan to get your name out there, it means fewer leads, less business and, ultimately, less income." Exercise care and judgment in determining what and where to cut and by how much. I recently heard of companies getting rid of their marketing department, asking them to leave, but this is not the best solution, as marketing is the most important function in a business, without having to move your products and service, how is it possible to increase sales and profits. On the... For the small business, cost-cutting needs to be implemented with the precision of a surgeon’s scalpel. Cut too shallow and cash flow problems could force you to the back of the unemployment line. Look at percentages rather than dollars and cents. If your expenses are chewing up your profits, you need to take action. There are two ways to improve sagging profits: sell more or cut costs. However, if revenues and expenses grow at the same rate, selling more won't fix an anemic bottom line. "Mistake No. 1 is thinking that marketing is the best place to cut when businesses are looking to tighten their belts," says Ann Handley, chief content officer at Marketing Professionals. "But it's not the time to jettison marketing. If the business is slow and you're reining in your plan to get your name out there, it means fewer leads, less business and, ultimately, less income." Exercise care and judgment in determining what and where to cut and by how much. I recently heard of companies getting rid of their marketing department, asking them to leave, but this is not the best solution, as marketing is the most important function in a business, without having to move your products and service, how is it possible to increase sales and profits. On the contrary, there are some easier ways that would help you eliminate costs. Over the years we have looked at hundreds of marketing programs, and honestly, state that nearly all of them have some kind of hole that either drains money directly or allows leads to be lost.

Importance of Slavery Essay Example for Free

Importance of Slavery Essay Economic, geographic, and social factors all contributed to the rise of importance for slaves in the southern colonies as their position in American society changed from 1607 and 1775. Slaves not only influenced Jamestown in 1607, but they influenced America, all the way into the American Revolution in 1775. Slavery ultimately flourished and aided economic triumph in the southern colonies. With the hopes of making it big in the new colonies, indentured servants came through the headright system, usually people who lacked funds of any sort hoping to make money. During this time, English practiced mercantilism and since they lacked the proper agriculture to grow tobacco. John Rolfe made it a cash crop in the new colonies and they were able to sell it quite easily to their mother country, England. This lasted until about the time of Bacon’s Rebellion where indentured servants were mad due to them thinking they would get land after their 20 years of work. But with this the south turned to slavery as a viable option. Now they could tell by just the color of their skin what class they were in. The triangular trade made this even better. They got more and made slaves work on their large plantations. Since slaves were not citizens they had no rights. The South flourished with their labor. They had huge profits. America did not just depend on tobacco they also had rice and indigo that helped the economy an immense amount. Social factors in the south also encouraged growth. The American slave code is based off the barbatos slave code. Aristocrats who were at the top of the pyramid in social class had many slaves. The blacks were at the bottom and they had no rights. The slave owners often had there slaves reproduce to make them more slaves. The more slaves you had the more money, and the higher nobility you had. Racism was a huge social factor of slavery. The whites thought they were superior to the blacks and they showed it. with the social presser to hate blacks slavery would not have been so successful economically. The geography of the southern colonies was not suited to standard farming as that of the northern colonies. The soil of the land was not suited to the growing of standard crops like wheat and corn. Also, the hot weather of the south did not allow for easy farming, and its wet and temperate sub-tropical climates was best suited for the growing of tobacco, rice, and indigo. Along with this, the extensive river system which divided the southern colonies into tiny interconnected pieces provided the best transportation for mass goods and for wet soil. The many river parts of the south made it easy to transfer goods grown on plantations, and to facilitate the purchase of slaves.

Uncle Tom’s Cabin and the American Civil War :: Uncle Toms Cabin Essays

Uncle Tom’s Cabin and the Civil War   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Uncle Tom’s Cabin played a big role in starting the only war that was fought entirely on American soil. There were many factors that led up to the Civil War, but Uncle Tom’s Cabin turned the anger caused by the fugitive slave act into moral outrage which was then fueled by cases such as John Brown and Dredd Scott.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Fugitive Slave Act was seen by many Northerners as a violation of their personal freedoms. Why should any Northerner be forced to miss work and leave their family to take a runaway slave back to their master? Unfortunately they didn’t have a choice unless they wanted to go to jail and/or pay a $1000 fine. Uncle Tom’s Cabin included a slave family (Eliza, George, and Harry Harris) that was running away in order to keep their son. This made Northerners mad because they didn’t want to leave their life anyways and to leave it to destroy another family was completely against their will.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Most Northerners saw slave owners as lazy because they didn’t do their own work. With new ideas about human rights, dignity, and the sanctity of motherhood brought about by the social reforms caused by cult of domesticity. Harriet Beecher Stowe showed that slaves were people too through Tom and his role all of the plantations that he worked on. By humanizing slaves many the North saw the freedom of slaves as an issue worth fighting and dying for. John Brown started an uprising at Harper’s Ferry. His goal was to get the arms and ammunition at Harper’s Ferry and arm slaves to start an uprising, but the uprising was crushed and Brown was hung for treason. Brown became a martyr for the fight against slavery and caused the tension between The North and The South to reach a new high.

An Obsession the World Doesn’t Share Essay

In his essay, â€Å"An Obsession the World Doesn’t Share†, Roger Cohen describes in detail the way other countries view the actions of the United States Government and President Bush (New York Times, 2004). Mr. Cohen’s main idea throughout the article is how the United States government is reacting, or not reacting, to world issues due to the focus on 9/11/01. The author uses countries such as South Africa, and Brazil to make his point that these countries are facing severe problems and the USA, which has always been seen as a â€Å"helping country† is now focused on terrorism. Supporting viewpoints of his main idea are the fact that in Canada, a recent statue of President Bush was erected in the same form as Iraq’s past leader, Sadaam Hussein. In addition, the author notes the AIDS epidemic in South Africa; and the economic factors in Latin America. Mr. Cohen continues his main idea by making the suggestion that any good the USA government has done (i. e. – giving money to support AIDS education), is overshadowed by the fight on terrorism. Mr. Cohen’s point in this article is to inform Americans about how the rest of the world views their country. His central argument seems to be that despite the good our government has done, it is completely overshadowed by our dire need to revenge for 9/11 terrorist attacks. The author uses facts to back up his argument from what seems to be reliable sources, such as the government of these nations, and Ambassadors for these countries. The tone of this article is informative, the author presents his arguments without bias and his personal judgments are few. The author uses a logos appeal, presenting his argument as a logical, reasonable one. Although it does not appear that there are many weaknesses in his argument, some information is excluded, namely that of President Bush’s view, because Bush’s view was not clearly stated, this alone may make the author slightly biased towards the other countries, who are in effect asking for our help. This writer accepts Mr. Cohen’s argument. I believe that all the good the USA may be doing for other countries, IS overshadowed by what seems to be revenge for not only 9/11 but for the Gulf War as well. The fact that our government is intent on punishing Middle Eastern countries, which had little or no involvement in 9/11, speaks volumes about what is important (fighting and not assisting). In this article, the author states, â€Å"The problem is the perception that Bush uses immense power in an egotistical way. (NY Times, 2004) This writer strongly believes this to be the truth as evidenced by the fact that Hussein of Iraq was a main focal point of the terrorism instead of the one who committed the crimes (Bin Laden). As assumed from this article, President Bush is not well-liked by other countries and even Americans are growing tired of Bush’s so-called priorities. In sum, Mr. Cohen has presented an aptly named title of how the world negatively views our government. Unfortunately, most Americans do not differ on this viewpoint.

The Engineering Of Electricity What Is This Magic

Ethics in the engineering of electricity†¦What is this Magic?! What happened that made the United States need a code of ethics for engineers? According to the National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE) heritage, people in the early 1900s employer’s didn’t require certification from an employee to be hired as an engineer, who caused lots of problems and deaths due to safety issues [1]. In comparison to today’s standards that is blasphemy. It was only 100 years ago that each state started requiring licenses for engineers, in order to protect the public health. There are several disciplines that have and need a code of ethics such as civil, electrical, nuclear, industrial, chemical, mechanical, and aerospace. The American Institute of†¦show more content†¦These codes also state that each member conduct themselves in a responsible and lawful manner [4]. These codes established firm restrictions on their members to avoid injury to the public which incorporates an individual’s physical person, property, reputation or employment by using false or malicious actions. The code also touches on that each member needs to perform in the areas where they are competent. Simply that each member needs to assist their colleagues in their professional development in addition to acting as a faithful agent for their clients and employers. The IEEE codes were developed to help engineers make informed thoughtful decisions by using explicit and implicit language because it is up to the reader for interpretation. Both the IEEE and the NSPE code of ethics are worded similarly, nevertheless IEEE code seems to be based off of the NSPE code of ethics. In contrast, the NSPE code is descriptive and longer than IEEE. The NSPE code of ethics is specific and offers solutions to some common ethical circumstances that engineers encounter on a day to day basis. IEEE codes are shorter than NSPE they are left open to the interpreter nevertheless they d on’t specify a certain course of action for different circumstances that happen. Unfortunately the IEEE codes are left open for interpretation that could be read by people, like myself, as unhelpful because they lack the experience and know-how of what to do in

Theme Of Gender And Ambition In Macbeth - 970 Words

By projecting a heavy focus upon the manipulation of gender and ambition, Macbeth manages to extract a seemingly alien abstraction of the 1600s into a significant narrative element. The tension that coexists between the relations of gender allow for the complete rupture of all social norms. Macbeth’s world becomes disjointed as his masculinity is questioned, his psyche manipulated, and his future incarcerated. Reaves is of the opinion that â€Å"the spiritual well being of Scotland in Macbeth suffers from an infection that festers as the play continues. Where â€Å"fair is foul and foul is fair† (1.1.12), the basic binary relationships become blurred† (21). Macbeth certainly possesses little power over his choices, submitting to the machinations his†¦show more content†¦Upon this realization, Lady Macbeth indicates a newfound desire to be rid of her feminine qualities, seeking instead to replace them with masculine counterparts. Crying out, Lady Macbeth declares, â€Å"Come, you spirits. That tend on mortal thought! Unsex me here, and fill me from the crown to the toe top full of direst cruelty† (1. 5. 38-41). Her abstinence towards the limitations of gender thus set her down the road to madness. Most significantly, Lady Macbeth is able to emasculate her husband repeatedly, possessing the knowledge that in his desperation to prove himself and his manhood to her, he will perform the sinister tasks she wishes him to perform. Macbeth in turn, later echoes Lady Macbeth’s actions as he questions the manhood of the murderers hired to kill Banquo. Such ambitions are further seeded as she continuously builds upon the prosperity the crown would provide should Macbeth be willing to claim it: nobility, power, and vast riches. Her attempts to manipulate are proven successful as Macbeth gives into her demands, proclaiming that, â€Å"I dare do all that may become a man; who dares do more is none† in (1, 7, 46-47). This line suggests Macbeth fears losing his masculinity and thus follows the commands of his wife in order to reclaim its solidarity. It is this lurking anxiety dwelling within the two that the reader may observeShow MoreRelatedShakespeare Writes About Issues That Are Still Relevant Today1303 Words   |  6 Pagesissues that are still relevant today because his themes are universal, his plays have been updated and remade and there are various schools of thought who argue about his plays. His universal themes of vaulting and corrupting ambition, a reliance on superstition and gender tell us that the play Macbeth explored themes that are still seen in today’s society. The updated and remade film versions of Macbeth (also known as The Tragedy of Macbeth) and Macbeth (BBC’s Shakespeare’s Retold Series) tell us thatRead MoreThe Tragedy Of Macbeth By William Shakespeare1582 Words   |  7 Pagesto you and told you would be king would you trust them? Macbeth did and ultimately it led to his tragic demise. The tragedy of Macbeth was written by famous poet William Shakespeare in the earl sixteen hundredth. The play dramatizes the destructive physical and mental effects of radical ambition for people who seek authority for the b enefit of an individual. Macbeth’s theme of ambition, lust for power, faith, and gullibility makes Macbeth his own antagonist, which is directly correlated to his deathRead MoreLady Macbeth and the Jacobean Society820 Words   |  4 Pagesages. Lady Macbeth was Shakespeare’s device to not only stimulate audience’s emotions, but to also provide historical context and elicit dominant themes which reflected Jacobean society. Her ambiguous character and remarkable influences in the play raised a lot of controversy and fascination amongst both modern and Jacobean audiences. She can either be seen as linked to the witches in a feminist bid to overthrow the balance of power, or as a representation of the evil side of Macbeth. NeverthelessRead MoreMacbeth Literary Essay : Fair Is Foul And Foul Is Fair1297 Words   |  6 PagesMacbeth Literary Essay: â€Å"Fair is foul and foul is fair† In the play Macbeth by William Shakespeare, the characters are often mislead by the impression of reality. The quote â€Å"fair is foul and foul is fair† (Shakespeare 1.1.12), is said by the three witches. This quote is very significant, as it is an elaborate theme throughout the play. Also, the word fair means good, and foul means evil. Fair is foul and foul is fair is a theme that demonstrates how appearances often differs from reality. ThisRead MoreWoven Messages Of Shakespeare s Macbeth1460 Words   |  6 Pagess Macbeth Megan Ball 16 June 2015 Double, double toil and trouble; fire burn ad cauldron bubble. (Macbeth, 4.1.10)King James I s obsession with witches and the supernatural sparked Shakespeare’s creation of his most famous tragedy Macbeth. Macbeth illustrates the story of the General, who ruthlessly murders the King in order to gain power which he did not deserve. Along with being an entertaining piece of literature, it also serves as a successful piece of political propaganda. Key themes inRead MoreTheme Of Shakespeare s Macbeth And Bronte Wuthering Heights 1095 Words   |  5 PagesDisastrous Love The theme of destructive love within relationships in Shakespeare’s Macbeth and Bronte’s Wuthering Heights are presented through sexism, jealousy, and betrayal. These stories both are portrayed with a theme of destructive love, the tragic love of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, along with Heathcliff and Catherine. When a relationship has become destructive it means there has been some kind of destruction, one or both individuals affection towards each other has become hostile or in someRead MoreMacbeth and Picture of Dorian Gray Essay1821 Words   |  6 Pagesnature. Hint of homosexuality Faustian Bargain – (decay of living standard) Cultural Values/Context: Values of humanity (fear of losing humanity/identity) Macbeth – Elizabethan Era Macbeth goes under manipulation by the witches, and is seen to swap his soul due to his pride and ambition, which eventually leads to his destruction. Quote: Macbeth says, The Prince of Cumberland! That is a step On which I must fall down, or else o erleap, For in my way it lies. Stars, hide your fires; Let not lightRead MoreMacbeth Secondary Character Analysis1063 Words   |  5 PagesHowever, this is erroneous. In the play Macbeth, by William Shakespeare, the secondary character, Lady Macbeth, has a huge impact in the development of the play. The change of Macbeth’s personality from a phlegmatic and melancholic character to a ruthless tyrant is only possible due to the intrusion of Lady Macbeth. Challenging Macbeth’s manhood, orchestrating Duncan’s murder and annihilating any suspicion upon Macbeth are the key highlights of the role of Lady Macbeth. Trigger. A gun simply cannot fireRead MoreVirtue and Evil in Macbeth Essay1029 Words   |  5 PagesVirtue and Evil in Macbeth There is a constant war waging between good and evil in everyday life. It may be a war between two fractions that feel they are both in the right or an internal battle of good and evil. In William Shakespeare’s Macbeth the titular character and his wife are battling against the true nature of themselves and in each other. Although they are known and seen by others as virtuous, their unsatisfactory greed and ambition lead both characters to become immoral. AlthoughRead MoreWilliam Shakespeares Macbeth638 Words   |  3 Pagesagree? Well, in Macbeth manhood is concurrent with power, physical strength, courage, and force of will. Rarely though, is it bound to the ideals of moral fortitude or mentality. The motif of gender recurs many times in Shakespeare’s work. Being a â€Å"man† in Macbeth means that you must be physically capable, cruel, and do what ever it takes to accomplish one’s goals. Women were supposed to obey their husbands and be good. Evil from a woman was absolutely not permitted. The women in Macbeth are the fire