Symbolism in Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison

Symbolism in Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison Progress Report #2?Invisible Man? by Ralph Ellison is scattered with symbolism. Especially the first scene, which is widely known as the ?Battle Royal.? This is an important section in the novel, for the reader is introduced to the Invisible Man as someone who is not listened to by most, interrupted by many and instructed to know his place at all times.From the very beginning of the novel the narrator values his education. His education first brings him a calfskin briefcase, when the superintendent rewards him for his success, saying, "Take this prize and keep it well. Consider it a badge of office. Prize it. Keep developing as you are and some day it will be filled with important papers that will help shape the destiny of your people." (Ellison; pg. 32) The Invisible Man treasures the briefcase that included a scholarship to the state Negro college so much but it represents the life that the white authority figures have planned out for the Invisible Man.Invisible Man Living Statue, Thames South Bank, Lo...It was covered in white tissue paper, symbolizing the white control over his planned life.The last few paragraphs of this chapter are embedded with symbolism and foreshadowing. For example when he arrives home after the ?Battle Royal? the Invisible Man believes that he has actually accomplished something by accepting the scholarship. ?When I reached home everyone was excited. Next day the neighbors came to congratulate me. I even felt safe from grandfather, whose deathbed curse usually spoiled my triumphs. I stood beneath his photograph with my brief case in hand and smiled triumphantly into his stolid black peasant?s face. It was a face that fascinated me. The eyes seemed to follow everywhere I went.? (Ellison; pgs. 32-33) The eyes in his picture represent the Invisible Man?s constant feeling that his...

AP Exams vs SAT Subject Tests Whats More Important

AP Exams vs SAT Subject Tests What's More Important SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Many high-achieving students end up taking both SAT Subject Tests and AP Tests during their time in high school. SAT Subject Tests are required for admission to mostcompetitive colleges, and AP Tests and coursework are encouraged. Is one more important than the other? In this article, I’ll give details on how these two types of tests compare to each another and whether it's a good idea to take AP Tests and SAT Subject Tests in the same topic areas. What's the Difference Between AP Tests and SAT Subject Tests? SAT Subject Tests are hour-long multiple-choice exams that are scored on a scale of 200 to 800.AP Tests consist of multiple choice and essay sections, last for several hours, and are scored on a scale of 1-5. Many more students take AP tests every year than SAT Subject Tests (2.3 million versus about 500,000). This is becauseAP Tests are tied directly to the corresponding Advanced Placement classes. In recent years, the AP program has spread to more and more high schools across the country. To get college credit for these classes, students must pass the tests. SAT Subject Tests are less popular because students only take them for certain selective colleges that ask for them in the application process. The most selective schools usually require or recommend two or three subject tests. These tests are not directly tied to specific classes, so students typically have more freedom in deciding which ones they want to take. SAT Subject Test scores can showcase your unique interests and talents on your college application. SAT Subject Tests are rarer than AP Tests. This red panda is also rare, but it's much cuter than anything the College Board will ever create. What Is the Purpose of an AP Test Compared to That of an SAT Subject Test? AP Tests measure a student’s mastery of college-level subject matterthrough questions that touch on the main points of a year-long AP curriculum.Your AP Test scores validate the hard work you did in class and confirm that you learned the material. The dean of admissions at Harvard says, "We have found that the best predictors [of grades] at Harvard are Advanced Placement tests and International Baccalaureate Exams, closely followed by the College Board subject tests."Students who do well on AP Tests are likely to be successful in college classes, so selective schools are interested in them for their predictive value. AP Test scores alsohelp admissions officers decide whether your grades are an accurate reflection of your academic ability. If you got a 1 on the test but an A in the class, the class was probably way too easy. If you got a 5 on the test but a B- in the class, the class was probably very challenging. This will affect the judgments that admissions officers make about your potential. Your AP scores also make a difference in whether or not you earn college credit for the work you did in your AP class.At most schools, an AP score of 4 or 5 will either lead to college credit or allow you to place out of introductory college courses. SAT Subject Tests are slightly different because they measure students’ readiness for college-level work. SAT Subject Tests are sometimes used to place students out of courses in college, but you can’t earn college credits for doing well on them. They're also less relevant for predicting college grades, although they still have some value. Since SAT Subject Tests don't correspond with specific classes on your transcript, they can be used to emphasize your abilities in the subjects that are most relevant to what you plan on studying in college. Colleges view subject tests as assessments of how much you learned in high school and where your academic strengths lie. High scores on AP Tests might allow you to ascend the college escalator more quickly. Are AP Tests Harder Than SAT Subject Tests? Most students find the material on AP Tests to be more difficult than the material on SAT Subject Tests because it's intended for students who are working at a college level. AP Tests also require more stamina.As a rule, essays are almost always harder than multiple-choice questions because you have to come up with an answer entirely on your own. Even within the multiple choice sections, AP Tests demand a deeper understanding of the material than SAT Subject Tests.They also require students to possess more in-depth knowledge and analytical abilities when it comes to interpreting primary source materials. Still, it is technically easier to get a 5 on an AP Test than an 800 on an SAT Subject Test. On most AP Tests, you can still earn a 5 if you get a fair amount of questions wrong, whereas there’s almost no room for error on subject tests if you want a perfect score.A student who gets 70% of questions correct and a student who gets 100% of questions correct may both end up with 5s on an AP test depending on how strong the curve is. However, this is deceptive, since the actual content and test format for AP Tests is significantly more difficult.A student who earns a high score like a 700 on a subject test might not get a 5 on an AP Test due to the greater complexity.I'll do a comparison with real questions to show you how the two tests differ. Come with me on this journey down two divergent paths that wind through the strange wasteland of Collegeboardia. Here’s a sample multiple-choice question from the US History SAT Subject Test: "If the Creator had separated Texas from the Union by mountain barriers, the Alps or the Andes, there might be plausible objections; but He has planed down the whole [Mississippi] Valley including Texas, and united every atom of the soil and every drop of the water of the mighty whole. He has linked their rivers with the great Mississippi, and marked and united the whole for the dominion of one government, the residence of one people." This quotation from the 1840's can be viewed as an expression of: A. The New NationalismB. popular sovereigntyC. Manifest DestinyD. the Good Neighbor PolicyE. the frontier thesis (the answer is C) And here’s a sample multiple-choice question from the AP US History Test (multiple choice questions refer to excerpts from primary sources): Excerpt: â€Å"We conclude that in the field of public education the doctrine of ‘separate but equal’ has no place. Separate educational facilities are inherently unequal.† -Chief Justice Earl Warren, writing the unanimous opinion of the United States Supreme Court in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, 1954 Which of the following was the most immediate result of the decision excerpted? A. Radicals critiqued government actions as doing too little to transform the racial status quo. B. Education advocates raised awareness of the effect of poverty on students’ opportunities. C. Civil rights activists became increasingly divided over tactical and philosophical issues. D. Segregationists in southern states temporarily closed many public schools in an effort to resist the decision. (the answer is D) Notice the differences between these two questions.The SAT Subject Test question is much more straightforward.It requires basic knowledge of terminology related to US History.Most students who took any standard class in US History would probably answer it correctly. The AP Test question, on the other hand, is more nuanced.It asks for the â€Å"most immediate† result of the Supreme Court decision.All of the answers are true to some degree, but only D reflects the â€Å"most immediate† initial response.This is tricky, and it requires students to think more carefully about the question.It expects a certain degree of advanced knowledge of larger trends related to racial tension in US History and when and how the responses of different groups to legislative changes played out. You can also see this difference between the two tests magnified in the open response section of the AP Test. Here’s an example of an AP open response question: Using your knowledge of United States history, answer parts a and b. a) Briefly explain why ONE of the following periods best represents the beginning of a democracy in the United States. Provide at least ONE piece of evidence from the period to support your explanation. Rise of political parties in the 1790s Development of voluntary organizations to promote social reforms between the 1820s and the 1840s Emergence of the Democrats and the Whigs as political parties in the 1830s b) Briefly explain why ONE of the other options is not as persuasive as the one you chose. This question requires students to formulate a coherent definition of American democracy, make a decision about which time period best exemplifies its roots (while backing up their point with historical knowledge), and refute a counterargument.This is college-level analytical thinking.You won’t encounter questions like this on an SAT Subject Test. Choose your responses carefully. Uncle Sam is watching. Should You Take SAT Subject Tests and AP Tests in the Same Subjects? Is it OK to take SAT Subject Tests and AP Tests in the same subject? Yes, colleges won't think you're being lazy if you have overlap in the two exam types. The key factor when deciding which SAT Subject Tests to take isn't how similar or different they are to your AP Tests, it's if those SAT Subject Tests fit the subject test requirements of the schools you're applying to. If the colleges where you’re applying simply request that you take two or three unspecified SAT Subject Tests, it makes a lot of sense to take the tests that correspond with your APs. Since SAT Subject Tests are less challenging than AP Tests, you will already be prepared and may not have to do any extra studying.AP Tests are typically held in May, and you can take SAT Subject Tests in June. Certain college programs do require you to take specific subject tests to be eligible for admission.This is often the case at engineering schools that want to ensure students are well-versed in math and the hard sciences.For example, the California Institute of Technology requires prospective students to take the Math 2 subject test and one of the subject tests in Biology, Physics, or Chemistry.Math 2 is the most commonly required SAT Subject Test. If you aren’t taking an AP Test in the same subject area as the SAT Subject Test you want or need to take, you should plan to take the subject test at the end of your most relevant high school class.For Math 2, this will most likely be at the end of your junior year after you’ve taken classes in algebra, geometry, trigonometry, and precalculus.In general, it’s always a good idea to take an SAT Subject Test right after you finish a class in the subject.That way, you can just do a quick review and avoid having to refresh your memory on material you learned a while ago. You, radiating confidence during your SAT Subject Tests. Conclusion AP Tests and SAT Subject Tests differ in many ways, although they both can have an impact on your chances of admission at competitive colleges. SAT Subject Tests are only an hour long, and they are comprised entirely of multiple-choice questions. AP Tests, on the other hand, can last for over three hours and always include both multiple-choice and essay questions. AP Tests are associated with specific AP classes, and their content tends to be more challenging than that of SAT Subject Tests. AP Tests ask students to demonstrate college-level analytical skills while SAT Subject Tests require more basic knowledge of high school curriculum. Your scores on AP Tests may also earn you college credit or allow you to place out of introductory college classes if they are high enough. SAT Subject Tests are only occasionally used for placement purposes. Both types of tests may be important for you in the admissions process, so make sure that you prepare accordingly! What's Next? Curious about AP? Learn how you can register for Advanced Placement classes and tests. If you're looking to delve deeper into variations in difficulty on AP tests, read this article on the hardest AP tests that you can take. If you're planning on taking SAT Subject Tests, take a look at this article to get a better sense of your ideal score range. Need a little extra help prepping for your Subject Tests? We have the industry's leading SAT Subject Test prep programs (for all non-language Subject Tests). Built by Harvard grads and SAT Subject Test full or 99th %ile scorers, the program learns your strengths and weaknesses through advanced statistics, then customizes your prep program to you so that you get the most effective prep possible. Learn more about our Subject Test products below:

How science textbooks provide philosophical normative or celebratory Essay

How science textbooks provide philosophical normative or celebratory -- accounts of science - Essay Example However, the main aim of philosophy is to uncover what exactly qualifies as a science, the efficiency of scientific theories it comes with and the primary rationale for science itself. Scientific textbooks act as basis for understanding various accounts of science in different perspectives. Basically, this essay recognizes the fact that these textbooks are indeed fundamental in understanding both philosophical normative and celebratory accounts of science. Perhaps, the principal question is whether they offer adequate normative and celebratory accounts of science. The above thesis is supported by a look at both normative and celebratory accounts as follows. Usually, normative accounts of science involve an attempt to relate certain reasoning to an ultimate model while basing such reasoning to what is perceived to be right and normal. Scientific textbooks do make claims on how things should be, how to rate them, the identity of good and bad, and recognition of the wrong and right components of the claims. Arguably, the normative nature of a statement is independent of whether it is verifiable, can be verified or majority held. Significantly, normative claims and their meanings are an important part of human life. They help man in his daily organization and thought planning. Thus, they are essential to decision making especially those involving distinction of political and ethical discourses. Therefore, the use of scientific textbooks in understanding philosophical normative contexts is without doubt a beneficial way of appreciating scientific accounts (Achinstein 51). On the other hand, these textbooks also offer a basis for understanding philosophical celebratory accounts of science. Science attempts to unravel certain happenings and explain why they are exactly so. Scientific realists assert that the main aim of science is to state the truth and that individuals should consider

Why was democracy facing collapse in the wake of the Great War Research Paper

Why was democracy facing collapse in the wake of the Great War - Research Paper Example Although it was meant to make the world safe for democracy from the destruction that millions of civilians recruited for the war experienced and lost their lives, some empires collapsed and some civilians were left homeless from the civil war, the western economies, trade patterns and flow of goods were interfered in the regions.1 In the long run, the democracy struggled for, faced numerous obstacles in operation and seemed unsafe in application with the consequences of the war. The introduction of democracy in most nations involved in the First World War had not strongly been established, and their effectiveness was not appreciated by the people being governed within the short period. Instead, they opted for the former autocratic leadership, which between the WW1 and WW2 some forms of government that exercised full control of the people, the society, and state affairs were formed in some states that failed to retain democracy. According to Brym and Lie, the aftermath of the war, within 1922 to 1942 under the totalitarian rule, 2/3 of the world’s democracies failed because of the communists, fascists and military movements. 2The rule suppressed the rights and will of the people to express themselves in all activities, including occupational, social, and political affairs. Germans, Italians, and Russians democracies were overthrown by the totalitarian or authoritarian rules that imposed dictatorship in the states. In Germany, where the political leadership has a long history of shifts between democracy and dictatorship, the social democratic party that had led to the establishment of the first democratic constitution and government was undermined by the existing legislative house, the reaction of the people due its signing of the Treaty of Versailles in 1919, and further by the rebellions from the communists. 3 The national socialists (Nazis) later got the opportunity

Consulting Methodology Essay Example for Free

Consulting Methodology Essay Consultant Approach Quickly understanding problems, gathering relevant data, and synthesizing insightful results The Minto Pyramid Principle A set of rules that helps create groups in a way that is logical and structured. Groups help you communicate easily to others. Process that identifies issues, designs research, analysis, and communication Way of sorting data to compartmentalize complex details and organize info Only effective if you have a clear idea of what the issue or question is. Ideas should be top-down, with lower levels supporting upper levels. Avoid more than 3 categories (hard to remember). Sub-ideas = grouped as well. Consulting Process and Context Problem Definition Key issues are developed using a Situation-Complication-Question (SCQ) analysis The key issue is the client’s most pressing need.   A situation statement is a non-controversial description of stable conditions. A complication statement is what altered the stable situation and created the problem. The key question is the question implicitly raised by the complication statements. Step 1: Ask Probing Questions Get to the essence of the issue. Ask â€Å"Why?† and look for effects that may be masquerading as causes. Causal relationships can be very difficult to decipher. Take note of body language and subtext. Find evidence and document all of the answers. Step 2: Sort and Group Info Use the Pyramid Principle to join ideas. Start by grouping similar ideas. Then, summarize each group with a heading sentence. Sort each heading sentence into situation, complication, or question. Repeat these steps with all of the data. Step 3: Determine Key Objective There is only one key question. From the SCQ, determine the key question. It should be the natural question that is a logical progression from each of the complications. The overarching issue Framing the Key Question Can be as important as determining the question itself The form is dependent on what types of complications exist. Different frames will provide a different â€Å"lens† for the question. After determining the type, restate in a closed format; answered with YES or NO. Refrain from positioning one solution over another, unless complications explicitly require it. Make sure the question is broad enough (neither too specific nor too in-depth) to cover all of the relevant and related sub-questions Approach Issue Analysis Uses the Minto Pyramid Principle, which structures idea. Issues Analysis structures the analysis of a problem using questions. Issues Analysis is used to structure the questions that must be addressed to answer the key question. Step 1: Identify All Sub-Questions What other information is required to answer the key question. Use the closed question format and be stated in a positive-yes format. Step 2: Sort and Group Questions Use the Pyramid Principle to help connect questions. Step 3: Build the Issues Tree Reflect what your brain has already done and the work you’ve already completed. To begin, put the key question at the top of the tree. Underneath the key question, write down each of the heading questions at the same level. For each of the heading questions, add sub-questions at the next level. No need to have more than four levels of questions. Step 4: Test for MECE * There are 2 qualifications. ME = Mutually Exclusive and means questions are not similar to each other. CE = Collectively Exhaustive means you have covered all important questions and is comprehensive. Step 5: List Tasks for Getting Evidence Identifying the tasks that need to be completed to answer the sub-questions. At the lowest level of each part of the Issues Tree, determine what needs to be done to answer the lowest level question. If all of the lowest level questions can be answered, the questions above can also be answered, since each question is in a closed, positive-yes format. This means that work does not need to be repeated or added later on in the process. Work Plan Way to keep track of multiple projects. Knowing the scope of the work can help define (or redefine) content. Help clarify whether there are issues to address. Makes it easy to assign work. F our-step process: Rotate the Issues Tree Rotate the Issues Tree 90 degrees counterclockwise with the key issue on the left and as you move to the right, questions will get more and more detailed. On the far right will be the list of activities and tasks. Determine Resources Needed Establish the duration of each task and what will be needed and then assign. Align Work Plan with Resources Create a high-level work plan including designate resources. Include the individual tasks, which people are assigned to each task, and how long each task will take to complete. There are three basic elements of a work plan that determine scope: activities or tasks, resources, and a timing or project schedule. Define and Request Client Support Revisit important issues with the client. It will become clear what additional resources are needed and why. Because each resource is linked to an activity, and each activity is tied to an explicit question, requests for more time, people, or information are very easy to validate. Data Gathering and Analysis Primary and Secondary Research Equally important. Secondary is mining existing data. Important because it can be validated by multiple sources and supporting details. Beneficial because it uses different pieces of data to draw conclusions without emotional bias. Primary data gathered through interviews and is important because it includes nonverbal signals. Interview Techniques Not merely asking the right questions. 4 step process. Plan Interview and Define Objectives Important to know three things about finding the appropriate source for an interview: Who knows the answer to the questions? Who is willing to answer the questions? And who will be a credible source? Contact a large number of people. Call back if a subject is unavailable; it is more effective than leaving a message. Allow for additional time. Conduct background research on interviewees. Prepare a Script Execute the Interview Introduction: introduce self and state the purpose of the interview. Core: ask the questions you’ve prepared. Closing: Thank the interviewee and allow for them to ask questions. Record and Summarize Findings and Recommendations Presentations Convert the Issues Tree to an Outline Replace Each Question with a Statement Build the Presentation Slides Each phrase that answers a question will be the top line of the slide and findings will take up the rest of the slide. At the end of the presentation slide, repeat the first slide of the key issue and heading questions with an answer to reiterate the primary message When to disclose the â€Å"answer†? Can provide answer at the beginning of the presentation so that the audience is immediately aware. Or hold the answer until the end so the conclusion seems inevitable. Answer at the beginning when the audience already understands the situation, agreement is likely, and the audience is impatient. Answer at the end when the audience is unfamiliar with the facts, the conclusions are controversial, and the audience is detail-oriented and story-motivated. Ensures agreement and make the conclusion viewed as objective and inevitable. Framework and Tools Client Profiling Tool used to rapidly get up to speed with new clients. First step is understanding the client’s strategic direction, which is classified as either goals or objectives. Objectives are broad and describe general direction, are intangible, abstract, non-measurable. Goals are narrower and specific, concrete, tangible, measurable, with deadlines. Scope of the project is important in outlining what work your team will and won’t be expected to complete. To create the scope, you need to think carefully about what sorts of opportunities and threats the client is facing. Understand what the client is and isn’t willing to do. Business and Customers: start with examining the basic client business, the geographic area, financial status, recent news. Examine the value chain to analyze what the client does. Use the buying criteria to understand how customers interact with what the client is offering. The buying criteria are a number of things about a product that impact if the customer will choose it. Anything that is essential in order to have customers is called a â€Å"must have†. If a feature is something that changes a customer’s mind is called â€Å"differentiating†. Features that are interesting but may not be willing to pay for are called â€Å"nice to have†. Marketing Mix: help determine the best combination of marketing for customer awareness and loyalty. Called The Four P’s: Product, Place, Promotion, Price. The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) Matrix: analyzes how product investment should be managed. Stars need added investment to maintain and can be potentially bring added profit. Question Marks may need more investment to succeed or should be divested. Dogs should be divested to invest in more profitable markets. Cows make excellent margins and don’t need more investment. Sources of Competitive Advantage: 3 types: Scale advantage means being larger than most competitors and manifests when a company creates standard products and can come from different sources like cost leadership, efficiency, economies of scale, market share, etc. Differentiation advantage is when the company has a premium because of value that is created by products that are unique. Creates an industry environment or imperfect competition in favor of client (example: Apple). Unique Access advantage is when the company reaches customers that others can’t or has resources others don’t; leads to price premium and imperfect competition. Macro and Industry Insight Need to understand the environment the client is working in. Generate insight around which forces drive client behavior. PESTEL analysis: examines the macro forces and trends beyond the immediate competitive landscape. Quick reference for drivers. 5 Forces Analysis: Porter is an MECE way to approach any industry and provide a quick litmus test for attractiveness. 5 forces are: supplier power, buyer power, threat of substitutes, barriers to entry and competitive rivalry. Magnitude and direction of each force will indicate attractiveness. If buyer power is high the result for the firms is negative and the industry is less attractive. If supplier power is high, the result for the firms is negative and the industry is less attractive. If competitive rivalry is high the result for each firm is negative and the industry is less attractive. If threat of substitutes is high, the result for each firm is negative and the industry is less attractive. If threat of new entrants is high (in other words, there are many barriers to entry) the force’s impact is dependent on what type of player the client is. If the client is an established player, having high barriers to entry is a positive force. If the client is a potential new entrant, high barriers to entry are negative and the industry is less attractive to enter, but more attractive to stay in. SWOT: only tool for examining a company directly. Competitor Analysis Usual and unusual competitors. Usual competitors are easy to recognize; they have a similar offering and/or target a similar market to serve the same needs. Unusual competitors are harder to find and come from lots of different sources; any competitor that is not usual. Professional Behavior and Ethics Maintaining Professionalism The goal of being a Trusted Advisor is to do business ethically, lawfully and collaboratively through an unwavering dedication to the highest standards of professional conduct. The ability to behave professionally establishes credibility in the client’s eyes. Exhibiting Interpersonal Skills Establishing and Honoring Agreements Successfully establishing and honoring agreements gives consultants integrity Take Action To integrate these skills into your daily routine, find a list of action items to start first thing on Monday morning. Practice sorting and grouping the elements of your daily e-mails, do an SCQ and issues analysis for a company you find interesting, and work hard to demonstrate integrity and credibility in any work that you do.

Cell Phones and Highway Safety :: Cell Phones

Author; Matt Sundeen Wireless telecommunication technologies are rapidly becoming a significant concern in regard to highway safety. Almost 90 million people subscribe to wireless telephone services, and 85 percent of those subscribers use their phones while driving to conduct business, report emergencies, stay in touch with loved ones, call for assistance, and report aggressive or drunk drivers. It's not just phones on the road anymore. In 1999, two major auto manufacturers -General Motors and Ford- formed agreements with telecommunications companies that will enhance wireless features in even more vehicles. Future cars will provide drivers with concierge services, web-based information, online e-mail capabilities, CD-ROM access, on-screen and audio navigation technology, and a variety of other information and entertainment services. Telecommunications companies say that new technology in cars not only will improve commerce but highway safety as well. Already, an estimated 98,000 emergency calls are placed by cell phone users each day, and billions of dollars of business may be transacted by drivers each year. Studies published in the New England Journal of Medicine and by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) have concluded that cellular phones often reduce emergency response times and actually save lives. New technology also may make it easier for people to drive more safely on the road. State policymakers, however, must weigh the promises of wireless technology in cars against the growing evidence of the potential dangers. The 1997 study published in the New England Journal of Medicine concluded that the distraction caused by phone use in motor vehicles quadrupled the risk of a collision during the brief period of a call, a rate equivalent to the impairment caused by legal intoxication. Other studies - conducted in the United States as well as in Great Britain and Japan - have similarly concluded that speaking on mobile phones, even if they are hands-free, can make drivers a risk on the road. The basic conclusion of these studies is that the distraction of the call, not the actual act of dialing, impairs a driver's ability to safely operate the vehicle. Cell phones have been suspect in numerous motor vehicle crashes across the country. In 1999, a driver who was also using a cell phone killed a 2-year-old girl in Pennsylvania. Another driver, distracted by a cell phone, hit and killed a state corrections officer in North Carolina. This year, a 5-year-old Pennsylvania girl suffered severe head injuries in a crash caused by a driver who was distracted by a mobile phone. Cell Phones and Highway Safety :: Cell Phones Author; Matt Sundeen Wireless telecommunication technologies are rapidly becoming a significant concern in regard to highway safety. Almost 90 million people subscribe to wireless telephone services, and 85 percent of those subscribers use their phones while driving to conduct business, report emergencies, stay in touch with loved ones, call for assistance, and report aggressive or drunk drivers. It's not just phones on the road anymore. In 1999, two major auto manufacturers -General Motors and Ford- formed agreements with telecommunications companies that will enhance wireless features in even more vehicles. Future cars will provide drivers with concierge services, web-based information, online e-mail capabilities, CD-ROM access, on-screen and audio navigation technology, and a variety of other information and entertainment services. Telecommunications companies say that new technology in cars not only will improve commerce but highway safety as well. Already, an estimated 98,000 emergency calls are placed by cell phone users each day, and billions of dollars of business may be transacted by drivers each year. Studies published in the New England Journal of Medicine and by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) have concluded that cellular phones often reduce emergency response times and actually save lives. New technology also may make it easier for people to drive more safely on the road. State policymakers, however, must weigh the promises of wireless technology in cars against the growing evidence of the potential dangers. The 1997 study published in the New England Journal of Medicine concluded that the distraction caused by phone use in motor vehicles quadrupled the risk of a collision during the brief period of a call, a rate equivalent to the impairment caused by legal intoxication. Other studies - conducted in the United States as well as in Great Britain and Japan - have similarly concluded that speaking on mobile phones, even if they are hands-free, can make drivers a risk on the road. The basic conclusion of these studies is that the distraction of the call, not the actual act of dialing, impairs a driver's ability to safely operate the vehicle. Cell phones have been suspect in numerous motor vehicle crashes across the country. In 1999, a driver who was also using a cell phone killed a 2-year-old girl in Pennsylvania. Another driver, distracted by a cell phone, hit and killed a state corrections officer in North Carolina. This year, a 5-year-old Pennsylvania girl suffered severe head injuries in a crash caused by a driver who was distracted by a mobile phone.

How would Xerox define diversity

Xerox defines diversity as a priceless resource and a key to their success. It more than just race or gender. By incorporating in a company like xerox different cultures and ways of thinking it expands the mind set of the company and leads toward creating innovative solutions and business opportunities (Xerox). How has the definition of diversity changed over the years? We live in a world where, because of the Internet and the Web, we can communicate with someone in Africa or Asia as easily as we can communicate with someone in the office next door. A company like Xerox represents businesses all over the world, and the diversity of its employees is a big plus. Acknowledging our differences and using them as a value-added for any clients needs is one of the keys to a companies success. The economic problems that the world economy is experiencing has only added greater emphasis to our beliefs in the importance of diversity. We are all in this economic situation together. It certainly is not the time to retreat from our strong belief that diverse perspectives are essential to prospering in today's world. What are the seven reasons why Xerox should be motivated to diversify their workforce? Illustrate how Xerox shows its values workplace diversity. Wider Talent Pool More talent will be employed at Xerox if employees of all cultures and race are hired. More Knowledge Sharing Employees can share cultural traits , market demographics and help develop companies develop robust knowledge management and market intelligence systems. Enhanced Productivity By processing varied skills , competencies and capabilities of different races and cultures, Xerox can increase its productivity worldwide (Xerox). Reduced Discrimination At Xerox woman and minorities make up for 52% of the workforce and 42. 5% of Xerox senior executives are women or people of color or both (Xerox). This motivates employees in a way that they feel like they are being treated equally and thus providing a better job performance. By the hiring of african americans and other employees of other cultural backgrounds they have achieved equality in their workforce (Xerox). Demographic Marketing The marketing of products and services at Xerox has become culturally and demographically segmented. This requires the company to hire people from different backgrounds and nationalities to better serve the marketed area. Human Capital Retention Diversity has been leveraged to attract the best most heterogeneous talent it also has been harnessed to retain talent and corporate integrity. Commitment and Willingness of employees to seek Growth Xerox Provides Equal Opportunity to all employees of any cultural background and race. By doing this employees of all types are more motivated and committed to provide good job performance to seek growth in the company. Research Question The Fortune 500 Company I chose to compare Xerox with is FedEx. While doing some research about the workforce diversity at FedEx I realized that FedEx and Xerox have much in common. FedEx as well as Xerox strives to promote the hiring of different cultures all over the world to increase their productivity and to meet the worldwide needs of their customer satisfaction. FedEx quotes that † We place a high priority on serving the needs of diverse communities; after all, we live in a country comprised of people from many different backgrounds and cultures. To show we're serious about promoting and supporting diversity, we've spearheaded a number of diversity programs — for our employees, our suppliers, our customers and our neighborhoods (FedEx). FedEx has various diversity groups to promote cultural awareness and to ensure the inclusion of all employees, these groups include The Asian Network Group,The African-American Network Group, The Hispanic Network Group, The Women's Network Group and the FedEx Gay, Bisexual,Transgender and Friends Network. Each network group operates as a separate entity, features chairperson and other group officer positions as needed, and meets monthly and sponsors/co-sponsors at least one corporate diversity forum with CCA annually (FedEx). Comparing FedEx to Xerox I would have to say the they pretty much have the same goal in creating a successful company by the incorporating a diverse workforce and policies to provide trust and respect to their employees and by doing this they are creating more productive employees who are highly motivated to achieve the goals of the company.

A Brief Analysis of Reverse Discrimination

Racial discrimination is defined as unfavorable treatment, or having fine judgement or taste against a distinct race or minority. It is an epidemic that has been occurring for hundreds of years. Throughout different time periods people have been discerning others because of physical characteristics uncommon to each other. In 1607, English colonists in Jamestown, Virginia, became the first Americans to bring African slaves to the New World thus beginning hundreds of years of discrimination. There have been many improvements in the area of racial discrimination through laws and personal views, but racism still exists, and probably will for many years to come. In the workplace racial discrimination is so prevalent that there is one whole title in the Civil Rights Act of 1964 specifically dedicated to quelling this issue. The problem today is deciding where to draw the fine line between racial discrimination and making a choice for the better of your business, and when that line is crossed. But racial discrimination effects people other than those being directly discriminated. By definition, racial discrimination is due to a bias against minorities. But there is another form of discrimination – that of reverse discrimination. In this case it isn't the minority that is being discriminated against, it is the white man. Obviously both forms of biased views are, in simplest form, still discrimination, but reverse discrimination is sometimes not thought of as a serious problem and is an issue that must be addressed. Civil Rights legislature has made major strides in establishing equal rights in the work place but as minorities gain civil rights the issue of reverse discrimination becomes a problem. Before we can take a look at reverse discrimination, we must first look at the laws that establish our basic civil rights. There are two main pieces of legislature that frame these basic civil rights. They are the Fourteenth Amendment of the constitution and the C! The Fourteenth Amendment was ratified on July 9, 1868, and is one of the most important legal weaponS in Black America's struggle for equality (Davis, 11). Section 1 of the Fourteenth Amendment declares that † No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws† (Bagley A-6). The basic meaning of the amendment is that people are equally entitled to fundamental rights (Schwartz, 100). Its intention was for the individual to possess basic civil rights and to describe how he is affected by basic agencies of the states. In theory the â€Å"people† of the United States were now whites and minorities, and everyone should enjoy freedom equally (101). The Fourteenth amendment did have its shortcomings though. The way it was designed, lent itself to work on a state level rather than a federal level (Loevy 7). This meant that the federal government didn't have as much power as the individual states in enforcing the law and therefore allowed for discrimination by private citizens. There was the notion of a â€Å"free white jury that will never convict† (8). White southerners knew that a jury of their peers would never convict them for crimes such as murder, lynching, and blatant discrimination. It became routine that whites had their free will to personally enforce racial segregation. The first landmark case in the fight for racial integration and equality was Plessy v. Ferguson. In this case a railroad attendant refused to provide a sleeping car for an African American. It went to court under the fourteenth amendment and the Supreme Court eventually ruled that segregation of blacks and whites was constitutionally legitimate as long as the accommodations for each were equal. Separate but Equal† was now precedent and the fight for equality had won its first battle. This verdict soon came into question though when the notion of racial segregation in public schools was taken to court. Brown v. Board of education was probably one of the biggest landmark decisions in the fight for equal rights. The Supreme Court ruled that â€Å"separate but equal† was by definition – unequal. The court stated that segregation in public schools was unconstitutional and also implied that all forms of segregation were illegal (Loevy 17). Although this decision implied that segregation was illegal it did little to enforce the idea. There was still an opposition to integration that held the equal rights movement back. It was seen that there was a need for firm legislation that would not only lay down terms for equal rights but be able to enforce them too. >From 1866 to 1965 there were six Civil Rights Acts passed through congress. By far the most far-reaching Act was the Civil Rights Act of 1964 . It consisted of eleven titles and of those eleven; there was one that directly impacted discrimination in the workplace. Forty percent of all median income differences between black and white workers is the result of employment and occupation discrimination (Bell 717). Title VII forbids discrimination by employers (Karst 284) and makes it unlawful to even ask a prospective employee any information about race, color, gender, religion, or national origin (Zigarelli 2). The agency that enforces Title VII is the EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission). Since the creation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title VII has been the source of more litigation than any other titles in the act (Karst 285). The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was indeed firm legislation that did in fact protect the civil rights of Americans, but with the legislative laws of the act also came a host of Common Laws. When a judge makes a decision in court, that decision is said to create a precedent. If a similar case comes to court the precedent will be what is followed when making that decision, and the precedent, although not a legislated law, becomes in affect, a law – or Common Law (Zigarelli 11). Now the citizens of the United States had a strong backing to achieve racial equality. But what happens when the system that is in place to provide these rights actually does the opposite and allows for discrimination of another group other than the minority. Reverse discrimination in the workplace is defined as preferential treatment for minority group members in that workplace (Goldman 4). It can be either giving special treatment in considering an applicant for employment or in considering an employee for promotion or termination. Some of the ways that reverse discrimination is introduced is by the use of quotas, percentages, and set-asides. In an effort to speed up the process of racial integration in our society, the government put forth these certain employment policies. Quotas and percentages are held to encourage minority hiring while also keeping with the existing workplace standards (Goldman 22). The idea is that if the percentage of minority employees working at an establishment is radically lower than the percentage of non-minority employees it is probably because of past discrimination. A quota is established to raise these numbers and create a racially equal working environment. In its basic form a quota is intended to be a goal the company wishes to achieve to be more of an equal opportunity employer. The problem that arises with this type of policy is that it becomes very easy to instead of hiring minority workers based on their competence and skill level, just say â€Å"The next certain n! umber of minorities that apply for the job I'll hire regardless of how skilled they are or how skilled their non-minority competition is. † It becomes a case of white man applying for a job, and his race, not his credentials being the reason for not hiring him (Baer 135); therefore loosing the job to a less qualified minority simply because the company wanted to correct for its past discrimination practices. In January 1972 the NAACP sued the Alabama state police because they had one of the least racially integrated police organizations in the country. The court ordered them to integrate their organization by hiring one African American police man for every white one until they possessed a 25 percent minority work-force (Urofsky 19). Court orders were followed and twelve years later the Alabama state police had one of the most integrated police forces in the south. Obviously the policy worked in integrating their organization but what would happen if a more qualified white man applied for the job and was rejected only because he was white? Is there any difference between the discrimination of African Americans and the discrimination of whites simply because an organization is trying to erase past prejudices? There is a belief that compensation should be made for wrongs done and that there is a need to improve the economic status of minorities, but by making special treatment for some, it is inevitable that others are discriminated against (Fullinwider 2-5). The only thing that is accomplished by these reverse discrimination practices is that the injustice is merely shifted from one group to another (Urofsky 30) rather than working on a solution to abolish it . Alan Goldman, author of Justice and Reverse Discrimination states that strict quotas for raising the percentages of blacks will, unless carefully controlled, result in the decrease of competency standards (22). The reason for this decrease, is that the employer can much more easily resort to hiring less qualified minority workers than properly screening the competency of all people that apply, thus lowering that standard. Quotas also have another drawback. While minorities have long been discriminated against as groups, the process of installing a quota discriminates against non-minorities as individuals (Urofsky 29). Most people believe that African Americans as a group do deserve some sort of compensatory treatment for past prejudices against them (Fullinwider 58). But preferential hiring does not accomplish this. It only benefits individuals and does nothing to further the racial acceptance of that group. The concept of Equal Opportunity in America creates another problem with preferential hiring. As plainly as it can be stated, Equal Opportunity, is a concept that should lend opportunities to all races equally. But since the conception of quotas and preferential hiring, Equal Opportunity has taken on a somewhat different meaning. It now seems to mean; instead of an equal opportunity for all, if one is a minority he will sometimes receive better treatment than a non-minority. Robert Fullinwider in his book The Reverse Discrimination Controversy goes so far to state that preferential hiring is unconstitutional because it violates the â€Å"principle of equal opportunity† (23). Now certainly there is no â€Å"principle of equal opportunity† in the constitution itself, but Fullinwider puts forth the idea that equal opportunity is analogous to the constitutional right of a fair trial or even of free speech. When thought of this way it is easy to contend that there is in fact a â€Å"princi! ple of equal opportunity† that is somewhat similar to a constitutional right. In a simpler form it can be stated that preferential treatment to minorities can be considered if not unjust, at least unfair because it allows minorities to achieve less, and still be just as competitive as non-minorities (Fullinwider 21). It is interesting to note that while Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 is the main piece of legislature that frames our civil rights, it is also the main framework for allowing reverse discrimination. Section 706(g) essentially gives the court power to order preferential treatment if the accused employer â€Å"has intentionally engaged in an unlawful employment practice charged in the complaint. † The statement: â€Å"which may include but is not limited to, reinstatement or hiring of employees †¦ or any other equitable relief as the court deems appropriate,† is basically the court's right to impose any type of preferential treatment it sees as being necessary. It becomes more confusing to note that section 703(a) and (j) seem to give an opposite opinion of preferential hiring. 703(j) even goes so far as to state the following: Nothing contained in this title shall be interpreted to require any employer †¦ to grant preferential treatment to any individual or any group (Fullinwider 125). It seems to be an odd complement of ideas to be put together in the same Title. On one hand you have a part of the Title that states that the decision is up to the judgement of the court and on the other hand you have another section that states that it is actually not up to the court to decide – it is simply wrong. Fullinwider gives an explanation for this. He states that the two different sections can be thought of as two different rules that will be interpreted differently. Depending on the situation the court is given the power to propagate whatever remedy will work best. All the previously mentioned terms such as preferential hiring, quotas, and set asides are all part of a whole known as Affirmative Action. This plan undertaken by Lyndon B. Johnson as an extension of Kennedy's civil rights campaign was a series of steps made to overcome the present effects of past discrimination (â€Å"Affirmative Action† 241). Although the plan accomplished great strides for minorities it also gave rise to the issue of Reverse Discrimination. And while it did advance minorities it left behind one major idea. The whole concept of discrimination comes not directly from the fact that minorities are held back physically or economically in society. It comes from the idea that we live in a race-conscious society where minorities are sometimes thought of as being a part of a lower economic standard. Critics of Affirmative Action do not see it as being a way for minorities to become more equal in society because with Affirmative Action comes the unending belief th! at ultimately, there is such a thing as race. If we are to overcome racism we must first learn that there is no such thing as race – there are only people. Affirmative Action is therefore thought of as simply another way for America to become an even more race-conscious society, thus keeping minorities from progressing. A good way to further understand the intricacies of Reverse discrimination is to look at specific cases where the policies of preferential hiring, quotas, set asides were put to the test. The first case will explore the rights of a man who was working for ten years and finally had to sue his employer to get a promotion. His name is Joseph Ray Terry and he has been a civil rights attorney at the EEOC for more than ten years. It has been said that workers should roughly be represented proportionally with their numbers in the general population but fifty percent of the white-collar jobs at the EEOC are held by blacks, who make up less than ten percent of the civilian workforce. Terry decided to sue and in 1996, the U. S. district judge of Memphis Jon McCalla ruled that the EEOC violated the laws that it was supposed to defend. Over his career, Terry was overlooked for a promotion more than ten times, and the jobs were given to less qualified minorities. In 1987, the EEOC ha! d 21 district directors; 19 minority, and 2 white. Terry had the credentials; education, experience and high-level government training but he still didn't get the job. One minority who was appointed over him didn't even have a high school diploma and most of the minorities appointed over him had little, if any of the qualifications that he had. The judge ordered the EEOC to pay $150,000 in damages, $8,000 in stress, and ordered him to be given the position of deputy general counsel, and entitled him to back pay. In this case it can clearly be seen that quotas and preferential hiring, while advancing many minorities, did hold back a perfectly capable white man from a promotion he deserved. The next similar example is of a female denied a position because of a less qualified minority. Patricia Steffes, a forty-six year old white female was awarded 2. 6 million dollars by federal jury on Wednesday May 6th, 1999. In this reverse discrimination case she was denied a management position in favor of a less qualified black man. Pepsi claims she lacked sales in front line management experience. Steffes had worked her way up the corporate ladder from payroll clerk to a $73,000 a year management position when she applied for a higher position. She started at the age of eighteen in 1972, following in the footsteps of her father and other relatives. Steffes was promised the next promotion opportunity, which opened in Lansing, Michigan. Even though she happened to be well qualified for it, a black employee got the job. Pepsi was ranked by Fortune Magazine as one of the â€Å"Top 50 Best Places for Minorities to work† and reserved 285 million dollars of its budget for minority and women owned businesses. The recent 2. 3 billion dollar IPO was handled by a minority owned! firm. Two of the top eighteen paid employees are minorities and twenty five percent of the entire workforce is comprised of minorities while thirty six percent of their hires in 1998 were minorities according to Fortune Magazine. In Steffes case, a minority held the job initially and when the word got out that Steffes might get hired, other minority employees complained and another less qualified black male got the job. Steffes wrote a letter to the EEOC and senior executive at Pepsi with no response. She then mailed a letter to Mr. Charles Stamper, the Supervisor at Pepsi. The officials weren't pleased so they put Steffes in their process called â€Å"developmental feedback† which is designed to improve an employees job performance. It resulted in Pepsi offering Steffes a transfer to a different facility on a â€Å"take it or leave it† basis. Steffes rejected it and took a leave of absence as advised by her doctor due to stress. She returned to work in September and supervisors allegedly ignored her. She was then ordered to train another black man who was being promoted to a job similar to the one she didn't receive. Steffes quit that day. One can see this is a case of blatant discrimination against a perfectly qualified white female. In the next case we will finally look at the concept of the set-aside. In the case FayComm v. US Small Business Administration a set-aside – designed to leave a certain number of contracts for minority firms to claim, ultimately was the cause of lengthy court battles and FayComm's loss of a contract they deserved. FayComm was a promising but small video production company. They had been working with FEMA for many years when a new (and expensive) contract came up to bid. FayComm bid on the job but was told that it was going to be given to a minority firm. Apparently the US Small Business Administration had taken the matter out of FEMA's hands and given it to the minority, so FayComm sued for the right to bid fairly and competitively. The issue here is the idea of the set-aside. It is practice in some businesses to take a certain number of contracts and set them aside to give to minorities. This serves two purposes. One is to satisfy Affirmative Action supporters, and the other is to skip the time consuming process of bidding for the contracts by simply â€Å"giving† it away to the minority. The problem arises in the fact that the contract is usually given to the minority regardless of its qualifications. In one hearing on this matter the judge was quoted as saying: â€Å"You mean to tell me that if the ‘minority firm' can demonstrate that it is not competent to do the work, and therefore cannot win the award in open, competitive bidding, then the lack of competence qualifies them to be given the contract? Apparently that's how the idea of set-asides is written. To this day FayComm is still in business but never was given a chance to bid on the job. These cases clearly show that Reverse Discrimination is a serious issue in American Society. Through the use of preferential hiring, quotas, and set-asides the government while trying to end discrimination, only succeeded in creating more discrimination. It is obvious that there is a need for some kind of solution to stop all discrimination. Though this paper was not written to solve discrimination, only analyze it, we will offer this final thought. It became increasingly evident to us that the reason for discrimination in the first place is because humans have this preconceived notion that for some reason, all people are not equal. No matter what the Constitution states or what laws are passed this idea seems to be engrained so deeply that it is quite difficult to overcome.

Dunkleosteus - Facts and Figures

Dunkleosteus - Facts and Figures Name: Dunkleosteus (Greek for Dunkles bone); pronounced dun-kul-OSS-tee-us Habitat: Shallow seas worldwide Historical Period: Late Devonian (380-360 million years ago) Size and Weight: About 30 feet long and 3-4 tons Diet: Marine animals Distinguishing Characteristics: Large size; lack of teeth; thick armor plating About Dunkleosteus The marine animals of the Devonian periodover 100 million years before the first dinosaurstended to be small and meek, but Dunkleosteus was the exception that proved the rule. This huge (about 30 feet long and three or four tons), armor-covered prehistoric fish was probably the largest vertebrate of its day, and almost certainly the largest fish of the Devonian seas. Reconstructions can be a bit fanciful, but Dunkleosteus likely resembled a large, underwater tank, with a thick body, bulging head, and massive, toothless jaws. Dunkleosteus wouldnt have had to be a particularly good swimmer, since its bony armor would have been sufficient defense against the smaller, predatory sharks and fish of its briny habitat, such as Cladoselache. Because so many fossils of Dunkleosteus have been discovered, paleontologists know a good deal about the behavior and physiology of this prehistoric fish. For example, theres some evidence that individuals of this genus occasionally cannibalized each other when prey fish ran low, and an analysis of Dunkleosteus jawbones has demonstrated that this vertebrate could bite with a force of about 8,000 pounds per square inch, putting it in a league with both the much later Tyrannosaurus Rex and the much later giant shark Megalodon. (By the way, if the name Dunkleosteus sounds funny, thats because it was named in 1958 after David Dunkle, a curator at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History.) Dunkleosteus is known by about 10 species, which have been excavated in North America, western Europe, and northern Africa. The type species, D. terrelli, has been discovered in various U.S. states, including Texas, California, Pennsylvania and Ohio. D. belgicus hails from Belgium, D. marsaisi from Morocco (though this species may one day be synonymized with another genus of armored fish, Eastmanosteus), and D. amblyodoratus was discovered in Canada; other, smaller species were native to states as far afield as New York and Missouri. (As you might have guessed, we can attribute the profusion of Dunkleosteus remains to the fact that heavily armored skin tends to persist unusually well in the fossil record!) Given the near-worldwide success of Dunklesteus 360 million years ago, the obvious question presents itself: why did this armored fish go extinct by the start of the Carboniferous period, along with its placoderm cousins? The most likely explanation is that these vertebrates succumbed to changes in ocean conditions during the so-called Hangenberg Event, which caused marine oxygen levels to plungean event that definitely would not have favored multi-ton fish like Dunkleosteus. Secondarily, Dunkleosteus and its fellow placoderms may have been out-competed by smaller, sleeker bony fish and sharks, which went on to dominate the worlds oceans for tens of millions of years thereafter, until the advent of the marine reptiles of the Mesozoic Era.

The Snake Cult of False Prophet Alexander of Abonoteichus

The Snake Cult of False Prophet Alexander of Abonoteichus It turns out that modern America isnt the only place suffering from scary and bizarre cults. Meet Alexander of Abonoteichus, who used a hand puppet to create his own cult centered on a snake. Alexanders story comes to us from the Greek satirist Lucian, who weaves a fascinating tale of faith and scams. External sources corroborated the existence of a Glycon cult, and even one of Lucians more spurious claims - that Alexander slept with married ladies - seems to have been possible, if not terribly likely. Early Life Alexander hailed from Abonoteichus, a hot-spot in Paphlagonia on the Black Sea. But  the story of this  Alexander,  Lucian says, is no mean feat to tell; Lucian might as well be speaking of Alexander the Great! As Lucian quips, The one was as great in villainy as the other in heroism. As a youth, Alexander was a prostitute. One of his  clients was a snake oil salesman/doctor, a quack, one of those who advertise enchantments, miraculous incantations, charms for your love-affair. This guy recognized trained him in the ways of trickery and selling scams. There was a long tradition of wandering scholars/magicians in this part of the world at the time, as Lucian attests: Alexanders master once followed the famed mystic Apollonius of Tyana. Sadly for Alexander, his master died when he hit his teens, so he formed a partnership with a Byzantine writer of choral songs to go around the countryside practicing quackery and sorcery. Alexander and his partner Cocconas followed one of their best clients home to Pella in Macedon.   At Pella, Alexander got the idea for his greatest  scheme yet, one that allowed him to  become the Professor Marvel of the ancient Mediterranean.  He bought one of those pet snakes and, having realized that people who provided hope to their worshippers earned a  lot of money in tribute and offerings, decided to  found his own snake cult based around prophecy. Serpents had  long been associated with foreknowledge in ancient Greece, so that was a no-brainer. A False Prophet Is Born Alexander and Cocconas started in Chalcedon, where they went to the temple of Asclepius, a healing deity and son of prophecy god Apollo. In that sanctuary, they buried tablets that foretold the coming of Asclepius to Alexander’s hometown of Abonoteichus. Once people â€Å"discovered† these texts, every mystic headed straight there to build a temple to Asclepius.   Alexander went home dressed as a prophet descended from Perseus (even though everyone who knew him from home was aware his parents were Average Joes). In order to keep up the pretense of prophecy, Alexander chewed soapwort root to fake fits of madness. He also created a snake hand puppet made from linen that â€Å"would open and close its mouth by means of horsehairs, and a forked black tongue ... also controlled by horsehairs, would dart out.† Alexander even stashed an extra snake egg near the temple in Abonoteichus; muttering words in Hebrew and Phoenician – which seemed like magical gibberish to his listeners – he scooped up the snake and said Asclepius had arrived! Alexander then snuck in a tame snake he bought from Pella and swapped it out for the baby serpent, telling everyone it grew up super-fast, thanks to magic. He also put tubes into his snake puppet and had a friend speak through them to allow Asclepius to prophesize. As a result, his snake, Glycon, was turned into a god. To interpret prophecies, Alex told supplicants to write down their questions on scrolls and drop them off with him; he secretly read them after removing their wax seals with a hot needle, then prepped his answers before they returned. He banned others from sex with young boys, but allowed himself to molest choirboys who served him. This fraud set a high price for his prophecies and sent people abroad to stir up good PR for him. Word reached as far as Rome, from which rich but gullible Rutilianus came to visit; the false prophet even manipulated this guy into marrying Alexanders own daughter. This helped Alexander establish a spy network in Rome and create  mystery rites  for his cult,  like those of Demeter or Dionysus. So great was Alex’s influence that he convinced the emperor to change the name of Abonoteichus to Ionopolis (perhaps after another of Apollo’s mythical sons, Ion); the emperor also issued coins with Alexander on one side and the snake Glycon on the other! Alexander once prophesied he’d live until 150, then get struck by lightning, but his real death was less dramatic. Before he turned 70, one of his legs rotted all the way to his groin; only then did people notice he wore a wig to look young.

Western Pop Culture Hip Hop Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Western Pop Culture Hip Hop - Essay Example The language used by Herc was â€Å"slang† And these terms were adopted as part of the Hip- hop culture’s lexicon. This culture caught on like wild fire and so the DJs around the world were rapping to popular numbers such as â€Å"The Sugar Hill Gang†, â€Å"Kurtis Blow†, â€Å"The Breaks† and â€Å"Rapper’s Delight†. (Nile Rodgers, 2008)This sort of language and style was also used to raise community issues or problems within their neighborhood or city. They used this media to raise awareness and create a consciousness among the others so that they would show interest in solving the problem or issue. During the later part of the 1970’s, the Billboard magazine produced an article on the local phenomenon titled ‘B Beats bombarding Bronx,’ making the mention of Kool Herc as an influential figure. (Forman M; Neal M, 2004, Pg. 2)Many of the artists used the Hip- Hop language to make social statements. For example, the s ong â€Å"The Message† by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five was an original Hip- pop song that was released by Sugar Hill Records in 1982. The song had a unique slow rhythm and beat with simple language used to bring out the suffering and frustrations experienced in the ghetto. Some of the lyrics in the song. Soon other artists like Puff Daddy, Ice Cube, Check Yo Self, Snoop Dogg, Andre Nickatina and others made use of the original song’s synthesizer riffs and other samples in their Rap songs creating social awareness on different situations among the people.