A mobile application tool, which uses persuasive design to encourage Literature review

A mobile application tool, which uses persuasive design to encourage young adults to make healthier food alternatives - Literature review Example Furthermore, the chapter is also based on reviewing the works of different authors about the aspects of balanced diet, the development of eating behaviour risks owing to unhealthy eating along with parents’ role in shaping the behaviour towards food choices. Different persuasive technologies that are used for shaping the attitudes of people towards healthy food choices have also been described in this chapter. 2.2 Unhealthy Eating Behaviours and Obesity Poor eating behaviour is regarded as a key public concern within young adults particularly during educational and early career life (Hampshire County Council, 2007). During this time, they are exposed to a lot of pressure from study and work related circumstances in order to meet the daily requirements and at times they find themselves in a prevalent scenario wherein they hardly find time to eat healthy foods in a regular expected duration, thereby they often revert to unhealthy food options (Hampshire County Council, 2007). Th ese aspects generate a barrier against the adoption of healthy behaviour such as unhealthy eating habits and substance abuse among others (Hampshire County Council, 2007). Although these behaviours are regarded as temporary, at this age, the unhealthy eating habits can persist in the life of older adults (Hampshire County Council, 2007). Rapid changes in physical health and psychological developments have positioned young grownups as a nutritionally vulnerable group with weak eating behaviours who are unable to satisfy the dietary requirements (Hampshire County Council, 2007). Therefore, it can be recognised that in order to tackle the scenario of unhealthy eating behaviours and allied obesity, there is a requirement for young adults to focus on consuming a balanced diet which can enable them to nurture desired physical developments. 2.2.1 What Is a Balanced Diet In order to encourage healthy eating practices, balanced diet is important for young adults. According to School of Publi c Health (n.d.), balanced diet supports good health and helps to maintain a fit body for individuals. The development of a healthy eating habit facilitates an individual to become easily accustomed to balanced food intake behaviour. . For any balanced diet, it is particularly important to obtain the right amount and right type of foods. Unfortunately, most of the young individuals do not consume healthy diets which at times result in the creation of heart related illness and overweight (School of Public Health, n.d.). Along with ensuring a focus on balanced diet, there is a profound need to derive an understanding of how eating behaviours of young individuals are developed. 2.2.2 How Eating Behaviours Are Developed of Young Adults There are several aspects which determine the eating behaviour among individuals. For example, according to King & et. al. (2007), at times environmental factors bring about unhealthy behaviours among young adults. The growing number of shopping malls, con venience stores, restaurants and fast

Gillette Companys Marketing Plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Gillette Companys Marketing Plan - Essay Example Gillette is such one brand of this corporation. It is a brand of safety razors and other personal hygiene range of products. The razors of this company protect the skin from all parts of the razor except the edge alone. The skin is in contact with the edge of the razor alone. This is as opposed to cut-throat razors also called straight razors. Here, the skin is contact with the whole of the razor. A safety razor reduces the risk of injury to the skin. That is the reason why they are preferred by men for shaving. Gillette used to be a company on its own. It was started in 1895 (Bonoma 56). The founder was King C. Gillette. He named the company after himself. It used to deal with a range of consumer goods, the safety razors included. However, in the year 2005, more than a century after been founded, the company was acquired by Procter & Gamble (Bonoma 57). That is how it ended up been a brand of this multinational corporation. It is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts. It no longer exists as a company now, but as a brand. Not only does Gillette produce safety razors for shaving, it also has a range of other products. It produces antiperspirants, hair care and body products. Its products are aimed for grooming, especially in males. It has Gillette shave gel and after shave (Cundiff 98). These products are designed to make the shaving experience for the man as comfortable as possible. Gillette's anti-deodorant is said to be of clinical status. The hair products are also designed for the man (Bonoma 25). They include stylers, shampoos and hair conditioners. It also has a wide range of shower gels for men (Ferrell 56). They include those aimed for dry skin, oily and normal skin. They also include face wash gels for men. The gels were hitherto thought to be the preserve of women. Target Market for Gillette Products The target market for Gillette Company products is the young men aged between sixteen and thirty-four years (Cundiff 36). The grooming products especially are targeted at this age bracket. Gillette has aggressive promotional campaigns aimed at this group. The challenge is to convince these men that grooming is not the preserve of women. It used to sponsor a soccer game every Saturday in the 1990's. This was called Soccer Saturday. It was aired by Sky Sports Channel (Ferrell 98). An average of one million young males watched this program in the year 2005-2006. This was an average of one million every month. This made up around a quarter of the target population for the Gillette products (Bonoma 98). Gillette has used Soccer Saturday to not only market the existing brands, but also as a launching pad for new products (Ferrell 78). This is what happened when the company introduced Mach3, Turbo and M3Power range of products. In terms of market growth, the company's products continue to enjoy popularity amongst the target population. They are the most famous. Gillette is likely to remain the leader in this market. A SWOT Analysis of Gillette Company Strengths Gillette Company has obvious strengths that work to its advantage. These are internal factors that help it to remain the most popular company in this area. First, the company is managed by qualified professionals (Cundiff 45). The staffs are also highly qualified professionals in their field. For a company to be productive, every sector must be headed by a qualified person. Every department in this company is headed by a quali

Psychological Contract: Work-Life Balance in Retail

Psychological Contract: Work-Life Balance in Retail Title: A contemporary analysis of the concept of work life balance and the effects of the psychological contract within the business. Geared towards retail. A compiled list of the 6 main sources of information that could be used with justification as to why they are relevant and a paragraph on key theories/models, analysis tools that would be used in this dissertation. A total of around 600 words. With regard to the paper recently completed, this addendum represents some further thoughts and resources which would be required to expand the work into a wider study. There are three themes which would need to be pursued in a more detailed examination of this topic. The nature of the generic Psychological Contract. The nature of the Psychological Contract in the Retail Sector, and its relationship with marketing. The nature of HRM and SHRM (Strategic Human Resources Management) in the Retail Sector. These themes would need to be explored across a range of material, beginning with secondary sources, and ideally extending into qualitative primary research involving HR professionals, and retail staff themselves. The six main related secondary and primary sources. Guest, D.E., and Conway, N., (2004), Employee Well-being and the Psychological Contract: A Report for the CIPD, Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, London. This source is essential because it provides an insight into both the agreed definitions of the psychological contract within the HR profession, and the application of that model in their vocational practice. Buchanan, D., and Huczynski, A., (2006), Organizational Behaviour: An Introductory Text, Prentice Hall/Financial Times, London. This source is essential as a prà ©cis of the relevant motivational theories, work of Herzberg, McGregor, Maslow, Adams, Vroom, Porter and Lawler. Analysis of the implications of McGregor’s X and Y theories of reward/coercion, and Herzberg’s concept of extrinsic and intrinsic rewards, as set out in Brooks, I., (2003), Organisational Behaviour: Individuals, Groups and Organisation, 2nd Ed, FT-Prentice Hall, London, and Fincham, R., and Rhodes, P., (2005), Principles of Organisational Behaviour, 4th Edition, Oxford University Press, Oxford. Within the extrinsic and intrinsic reward model, extrinsic rewards may be thought of as those of material considerations and working conditions, whilst intrinsic rewards are more honorific and interpersonal. Hofstede’s cultural dimensions index, as set out in Hofstede, G., (2003), Cultures and Organizations: Intercultural Cooperation and its Importance for Survival, Profile Business, London, and Gerte Hofstede Cultural Dimensions Website, INTERNET, available at http://www.geert-hofstede.com/hofstede_dimensions.php?culture1=95culture2=18#compare [viewed 26.10.08], would need to be employed to assess the different motivational models and tolerances which are increasingly visible in a multi-cultural workforce, and a globalizing retail sector. This would have to take account of Hofestede’s ideas of power distance, collectivism/individuality, long or short-term orientation, masculinity/femininity, and uncertainty avoidance. A comparative study of employee relationships between retail workers in Waitrose and the John Lewis partnership, and an other large retail group, i.e. Tesco’s, Woolworth or Argos. The rationale for this is that the John Lewis group is the only one to deploy an extensive profit sharing remuneration scheme with its employees. Comparative primary study of attitudes between retail employees and customers of the John Lewis partnership, and another, non-profit sharing retail group in the UK. To be carried out through a combination of†¦ questionnaires comprising binary yes/no responses and written answers to set questions. A small number of in-depth and semi-flexible individual interviews. Key theoretical approaches here would be evolved around a balance of phenomenological and positivist research formats, to obtain qualitatively useful data, which could also support statistical models with a possible wider application. McGregor’s extrinsic/intrinsic scale model questionnaire could be employed to lend a positivist dimension to the attitudinal data produced. This paper outlines some key themes in contemporary retailing HRM, focusing particularly on the significance of the psychological contract within the business, and the concept of work life balance. It argues that contemporary economic and trading conditions have tended to expose the way in which both issues are treated in the retail sector, and attributes this to continued trends for tertiary and part-time employment patterns. As Hooley et al. observe, ‘†¦Well developed marketing resources (assets and capabilities), when deployed in the marketplace, can lead to superior market performance. Satisfied and well motivated staff (a prime marketing asset), for example, can make a significant contribution to creating satisfied and loyal customers’ (Hooley et.al., p.21). At boardroom level however, contemporary pressures on costs may impinge upon staff CPD and retention. In the first instance, it may be helpful to foreground the concept of the psychological contract itself. As Sonnetag observes, ‘There is relatively consistent empirical evidence for a positive relationship between specific aspects of individual well being and.performance.’ (Sonnetag, p.4110 ). One way in which this symbiosis between employee motivation and output can be achieved, is through a management style which exceeds the formal terms of the contractual obligation in terms of an equitable relationship. As Williams indicates. ‘..this interpersonal aspect to fairness reminds us that there is a social basis to the exchange relationship between employer and employee and we might expect this to be part of the psychological contract.’ (Williams,1998: p.183). The concept of the psychological contract rests on the idea that workplace relationships inevitably develop beyond those encapsulated in explicit frameworks, hierarchies, and job descriptions. It is there fore perfectly feasible for management to de-motivate staff even though they are formally empowered to do so – by breaching ‘informal’ or psychologically accepted principles. As Guest and Conway point out, ‘†¦built on the three pillars of fairness, trust and delivery of the deal between organizations and employees, a positive psychological contract is the best guarantee of good performance outcomes.’ (Guest and Conway, 2003: p.vii). There is much empirical evidence to suggest that retail employers are acting to redress percived inadequacies in this area. For example, as Murray reports, fast-food giant McDonald’s has acted to improve its image since the term ‘McJob’ entered the Oxford english Dictionary, denoting ‘†¦an unstimulating, low-paid job with few prospects†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ (Murray 2008: n.p.) Part of the response has been to initiate CPD programmes which combine flexible working arrangements with learning programmes to develop staff skills and accreditation. Other retail management and service sector managers also see this as the route to recruit and retain the best staff. As Jack Constantinides, vice-president HR and business partner for Monster for Europe West and Prague explains, ‘People are looking for more from their job than just a chunky pay package – including job satisfaction, career prospects, training, benefits and crucially work-life balance’. (Murray 2008: n.p.). This suggests that, where costs will allow, more mature businesses may see the creation of value as the route to business stability through intrinsic as well as extrinsic employee reward. However, contemporary trading conditions may militate against the expenditure of such on-costs, at least for the time being. As Taylor reports, ‘The disclosure last week that Marks and Spencer wants to reduce redundancy benefits for staff has sparked union fears that the retail group is preparing the way for large-scale job cuts.’ (Taylor 2008: n.p.). MS are obviously not the only high-profile high street victims: As Kilgren and Braithwaite observe of the troubled Woolworth chain, ‘Up to a third of the 1,000 retail division staff at head office may lose their jobs†¦ PwC, auditor to Woolworth’s, pointed to material uncertainties which may cast significant doubt about the companys ability to continue as a going concern.’ (Kilgren and Braithwa ite, 2008: n.p.). When discussing the issue of work life balance amongst retail employees, it is arguably unhelpful to regard this couplet as representative of a homogeneous and undifferentiated employee group. In a sector strongly associated with casualized, part-time, and often female labour, it is important to recognize the way in which different social groups may derive a satisfactory relationship between their home and working lives. As Kirby observes, ‘At a time when female â€Å"returners† are set to become an increasingly significant element in the UK workforce, British retailing remains highly dependent on part-time female labour. At the same time, working conditions appear not to be as attractive as they might be. Pay remains low and career prospects and training opportunities are poor, especially for part-time employees†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ (Kirby 1993: p.205). It is at this point that the psychological contract and work-life balance are arguably drawn closer together, a point which may be reinforced by considering the motivational theories of Adams. As Huczyinski and Buchanan explain, ‘Adams proposed that we compare our rewards (pay, recognition) and contributions (time, effort, ideas) with the outputs and inputs of others. Equity thus exists when these rations are equal. Rewards can include a range of tangible and intangible factors†¦Inputs similarly relate to any factor that you believe you bring to the situation†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ (Huczyinski and Buchanan 2007: p.249). In other words, employers face a range of competing challenges when balancing employee satisfaction with business objectives. Bibliography Braithwaite, T., and Kilgren, L., ‘Woolies plans job cuts in bid to reduce its costs’, Financial Times, 18 September 2008, INTERNET, available at http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/96ef9e80-8519-11dd-b148-0000779fd18c.html, [viewed 14.10.08], n.p. Murray, S., ‘Staff want more than just their pay packet’, Financial Times, 8 July 2008, INTERNET, available at http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/eafbdc08-46af-11dd-876a-0000779fd2ac.html, [viewed 14.10.08], n.p. Bromley, R.D.F., and Thomas, C.J., (ed), (1993), Retail Change: contemporary issues, UCL Press, London. Guest, D.E., and Conway, N., (2004), Employee Well-being and the Psychological Contract: A Report for the CIPD, Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, London. Hooley, G., Saunders, J., Piercy, N., (2004) Marketing Strategy and Competitive Positioning (3rd Edition) Prentice Hall, Essex Kirby, D.A. ‘Working conditions and the trading week’, in Bromley, R.D.F., and Thomas, C.J., (ed), (1993), Retail Change: contemporary issues, UCL Press, London, pp.192-207. Sonnetag, S., (ed), (2002), Psychological Management of Individual Performance, John Wiley and Sons, Chichester. Stacey, K., and Rigby, E., ‘Retail supply chain begins to turn rusty’, Financial Times, 8 Oct 2008, INTERNET, available at http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/a67ef3ae-94d3-11dd-953e-000077b07658.html [viewed 14.10.08], n.p. Taylor, A., ‘Inquiries on how to shed staff soar’, Financial Times, 25 Aug 2008, INTERNET, available at http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/6c8bed96-723c-11dd-a44a-0000779fd18c.html [viewed 15.10.08], n.p. Van der Lippe, T., and Peters, P., (2007), (eds), Competing Claims in Work and Family Life, Edward Elgar, Cheltenham. Williams, R.S., (1998) Performance Management: Perspectives on Employee Performance, International Thomson Business Press, St.Ives.

Graduation Speech: Thanks for the Good Times :: Graduation Speech, Commencement Address

Hello classmates of 2012. It is almost time for us to depart from one another. We will go our own ways and achieve our goals very soon, but before we go, I would like to share some memories with everyone. I have attended Tates Creek High School (TC) for two years. And during those two years, I have learned a lot from the school staff and from my peers. They all have taught me something new. This is what makes them so awesome. The school is small and so diverse that it makes it easier to meet everyone. It took me seven years in elementary school to get to know just about everyone, but at TC, I knew just about everyone in less than a year. The students are kind and very helpful. They help each other with assignments and help one another with catching up on homework when they have missed school. The staff here at TC are great. They help the students with questions on homework assignments and on just about anything. They are also here to listen to us and when we need someone to talk to, we can go talk to any one of them and they'll be there to help. We receive a lot of homework everyday, but it's no big deal. With many homework assignments, I am not able to slack off. I have to finish all of my assignmanets for one reason, and that reason is to not get any incomplete stamps. The homework load keeps me busy and keeps me from doing bad things that a lot of other middle school children are doing. There are nights where I have very little time or no time at all for fun, except for the weekends. On some days of the week, I have to do things after school. TC has set up enrichment classes for the students to do homework. I usually sign up for homework jumpstart, that way, I am able to get a jump start on my homework. The enrichment class helps me a lot, that way I'll have time to go do other things after school. TC has high standards for education. The staff here, at TC wants all of their students to be successful people in the future. They want what's best for us that's why they push us to try our best in everything we do. Our Basic Standard Testing scores are very high.

What is life

What is life? Is it a mystery? Is it an adventure? Is it a way to help others? Or is it so brief compared to the rest of the time in the universe it has no meaning at all? People have been wondering this for thousands of years, yet no one has found an answer. Many look for complicated ways to understand life, yet the answer is so simple; life is a book. Since the day the binding was opened for the first time,and the author began writting the story; every thought, action, and emotion that is experienced is written into the book. Memory is just rereading the book. Some pages torn, stuck together, smeared so we can’t remember it as well, but it is all writtten down. Every hope, every dream, every fear is recorded in time forever. Some books have flashy, tacky covers, but tell the most troublesome stories on the inside. Some have dull, nondescript covers, but tell the warmest, most adventurous stories that causes one to recall some earlier chapter in ones own life. Every experience is a chapter. Some chapters speak of friends and family, some speak of the most horrible fears and the most dreamed about opes, and some tell of Love and Loss that the author experienced. Some chapters are not finished and will be completed at a later time. Some chapters are blurred, because not even the author knows what happened, or what he wishes would happen. And some chapters are blank pages, waiting to be filled. More than once, the author has wished he could go back a few pages and rewrite it differently, but alas, the book has already been published, and cannot be changed. As the book ages, it loses some of its shine, pages tear and fade, and the binding becomes loose. Some pages suddenly become so clear, you can’t understand why you didn’t see it before, while others become so transparent that you can’t even remember reading them. And after the book has become so old that it can’t even be read or moved without falling apart, it is taken out of circulation and stored. Not only in a physical place, but in people’s heart, those who loved the book as if it was their best friend. It is stored with every other book of every person’s life back before humanity could even speak with more than grunts and body langauge. It is stored in the Great Library. As you look around this glorous library, the books stack higher than any mountain, and strech farther than any eye can see. And on every shelf are books, and in the center of the room are thousands of books open to different pages and chapters recording the author’s dictations from the start of the book until it is finished and published. And then there are the old books that are being called out of circulation, catalogued and stored. You reach out and begin reading one of the many books. It is the life of your friend. You take notice of how many times your own book overlaps with your riend’s book, and how similar the stories are. As you read this book, you see the meaning of life, not what the stories are, or what the cover looks like, but how every book tells a different story; and while many may overlap and share dreams, hopes, and fears, they each contain knowledge and together make up life. You see, you can’t judge a book by its cover, nor can you judge a person by appearance, each complete with fears, dreams, joys, sorrows, memories, friends and familes. Together we all make up life, and our stories inspire others to grow and to have the best story they can.

The Lost Tribes of Israel Claims by Herbert Armstrong

The Lost Tribes of Israel Catholic. com Around 926 b. c. , the kingdom of Israel split in two. Up to that point, all twelve tribes of Israel (plus the priestly tribe of Levi) had been united under the monarchies of Saul, David, and Solomon. But when Solomon’s son Rehoboam ascended to the throne, the ten Northern tribes rebelled and seceded from the union. This left only two tribes—Judah and Benjamin (plus much of Levi)—under the control of the king in Jerusalem. From that time on, the tribes were divided into two nations, which came to be called the House of Israel (the Northern ten tribes) and the House of Judah (the Southern two tribes).This situation continued until around 723 B. C. , when the Assyrians conquered the Northern kingdom. To keep conquered nations in subjection, it was Assyrian policy to break them up by deporting their native populations to other areas and resettling the land with newcomers. When the House of Israel was conquered, most people bel onging to the ten Northern tribes were deported and settled elsewhere in the Assyrian kingdom, including places near Nineveh, Haran, and on what is now the Iran-Iraq border.They were replaced by settlers from locations in or near Babylon and Syria. These settlers intermarried, together with the remaining Israelites, and became the Samaritans mentioned in the New Testament (a few hundred of whom still survive today). The Israelites who had been deported also intermarried with the peoples of the places where they had been resettled. They eventually lost their distinct identity, disappeared, and their culture was lost to history. Some refer to them as â€Å"the lost tribes of Israel. â€Å"A movement called â€Å"British Israelism† claims to have found the ten â€Å"lost tribes,† however, and in some very unlikely places. For many years, one of the leaders in the British Israelism movement was Herbert W. Armstrong, founder of the self-proclaimed â€Å"Worldwide Church of God. † Especially for Americans, Armstrong was just about the only person they ever heard advocating British Israelism. With his own paid television program, Armstrong regularly advertised his book The United States and Britain in Prophecy, which advocated the view. British Israelism was not Armstrong’s only eccentric view.Among other things, he believed in Saturday rather than Sunday worship and, most seriously, he rejected the doctrine of the Trinity and claimed that individual humans could be added to the Godhead. After Armstrong’s death, the Worldwide Church of God did a serious review of the doctrines it had taught up to that point and moved to a more biblically and theologically orthodox position. Today, the organization is basically another Evangelical Protestant church (they have even been admitted to the National Association of Evangelicals), though with a few distinctive practices.Many of their congregations still worship on Saturdays, for example, b ut they no longer regard keeping the Jewish Sabbath and feasts as points of doctrine. They have embraced the doctrine of the Trinity, denied that created beings can become part of the Godhead, and acknowledged that other churches contain true Christians. They have also rejected the distinctive idea behind British Israelism—the claim that the lost tribes of Israel are to be specially identified with the Anglo-Saxons.Unfortunately, there are still advocates of British Israelism out there (including some groups that split off from the Worldwide Church of God when it underwent its doctrinal renewal), and, though the book is out of print, Herbert W. Armstrong’s The United States and Britain in Prophecy continues to circulate. The United States and Britain in Prophecy teaches the notion that the Lost Tribes of Israel are really the descendants of Anglo-Saxons, which is to say the British and Americans of British extraction. This exotic doctrine had been around for decades be fore Herbert W.Armstrong founded his church in 1933, and it appeals, naturally enough, to those of British heritage. After all, who wouldn’t want to be a member of the â€Å"chosen race† (assuming there is one)? And according to Armstrong, that’s precisely what the Anglo-Saxons are—God’s chosen race, where can be found the direct descendants of King David and, even today, the true â€Å"heirs† to King David’s throne. The United States and Britain in Prophecy opens with this epigraph: â€Å"The prophecies of the Bible have been grievously misunderstood. And no wonder!For the vital key, needed to unlock prophetic doors to understanding, had become lost. That key is a definite knowledge of the true identity of the American and British peoples in biblical prophecy. † Only the first sentence of this epigraph is strictly correct, and a good share of the â€Å"grievous misunderstanding† is by people who put faith in the writing s of Herbert W. Armstrong. The Argument Begins â€Å"We know Bible prophecies definitely refer to Russia, Italy, Ethiopia, Libya, and Egypt of today. Could they then ignore modern nations like Britain and America?Is it reasonable? † This is how the argument begins, and notice what kind of argument it is. If these â€Å"lesser† countries are mentioned in Scripture, would it be fair for God to ignore us, important as we are? (We won’t examine here the highly dubious premise that Russia is mentioned in Scripture. ) You might call this an â€Å"appeal to pride. † Never fear, says Armstrong. â€Å"The fact is, [the British and Americans] are mentioned more often than any other race [sic]. Yet their prophetic identity has remained hidden to the many. Why is that? you ask. Because the Bible doesn’t refer to them by their modern names, but by an ancient name. And what is that name? None other than Israel. â€Å"Hold it! † you say. The people who ca me from Israel are Jews. Britons and Americans, for the most part, aren’t Jewish. How can one claim otherwise? Easily. Armstrong assures us that, â€Å"The house of Israel is not Jewish! Those who constitute it are not Jews, and never were! That fact we shall now see conclusively, beyond refute. † Actually, there is something of a point here.The term â€Å"Jew† originated as a way of referring to the people of the southern kingdom of Judah, whether their own tribe was Judah, Benjamin, or Levi. The term appears late in Israel’s history—after the division into northern and southern kingdoms—and it can be fairly claimed that the term does not apply to the members of the ten northern tribes, who are properly known as â€Å"Israelites† since they belonged to the House of Israel rather than the House of Judah. Armstrong asserted: â€Å"Certainly this proves that the Jews are a different nation altogether from the House of Israel,† cl aims Armstrong. The Jews of today are Judah! They call their nation ‘Israel’ today because they, too, descend from the patriarch Israel or Jacob. But remember that the ‘House of Israel’—the ten tribes that separated from Judah—does not mean Jew! Whoever the lost ten tribes of Israel are today, they are not Jews! † â€Å"By the year 721 B. C. , the House of Israel was conquered and its people were soon driven out of their own land—out of their homes and cities—and carried captives to Assyria, near the southern shores of the Caspian Sea! † So it was in 721 B.C. that the Lost Tribes got â€Å"lost. † The Year Nothing Happened Had the tribes remained faithful to God, all would have been well, Armstrong explains. â€Å"But, if they refused and rebelled, they were to be punished seven times—a duration of 2,520 years—in slavery, servitude, and want. † They did rebel, and Armstrong theorizes that their punishment extended from 721 B. C. to A. D. 1800. And what remarkable thing happened in 1800? Well, if we don’t count the election of Thomas Jefferson to the presidency of the United States, not a whole lot.In fact, 1800 was a pretty dull year for history. But Armstrong disagrees, saying that from that date, Britain and America became world powers; the former (at that time) politically, and the latter economically (and later, also politically). According to Armstrong’s scheme, the figure of â€Å"2,520 years of punishment† is arrived at by multiplying the â€Å"seven years of punishment† by 360—the number of days in the year as it was reckoned by the ancients—on the principle that each â€Å"day† of punishment really stood for a whole year of punishment.If you think this is convoluted reasoning, just wait until you read the remainder of the argument in The United States and Britain in Prophecy. It’s enough to note here th at Armstrong determines from Scripture that the Lost Tribes ended up on islands in the sea, and these islands are northwest of Palestine. We’re told, for example, that the forty-ninth chapter of Isaiah begins with, â€Å"Listen, O isles, unto me. † Do you see how this suggests the British Isles? Armstrong says, â€Å"Take a map of Europe.Lay a line due northwest of Jerusalem across the continent of Europe, until you come to the sea, and then to the islands in the sea! This line takes you direct to the British Isles! † The skeptic might note that the line first comes to the Aegean islands, which are also in the sea—the Mediterranean Sea—but this would mean the Greeks are the Lost Tribes, therefore, the theory would not play into the desires of some British or Americans to identify themselves with the lost tribes. Linguistic Legerdemain You want more proof? Armstrong has it. The House of Israel,† he explains, â€Å"is the ‘covenant peopl e. ’ The Hebrew word for ‘covenant’ is brit [b’rith]. And the word for ‘covenant man,’ or ‘covenant people,’ would therefore sound, in English word order, Brit-ish (the word ish means ‘man’ in Hebrew, and it is also an English suffix on nouns and adjectives). And so, is it mere coincidence that the true covenant people today are called the ‘British’? And they reside in the ‘British Isles’! † This reasoning may impress some, but no linguist would take this seriously.The word â€Å"British† is not derived from Hebrew but from the Celtic word Brettas. It’s significant that the Celtic Brettas referred to the Britons, who were inhabitants of England before the arrival of the Anglo-Saxons that Armstrong claims were Israelites. One possible reason for Armstrong’s linguistic confusions may be that in Webster’s Diction-ary (for example, in the 3,200-page unabridged ed ition published in 1932—an edition Armstrong may have had access to) the entry for b’rith (Hebrew: covenant) appears sandwiched between the entries for â€Å"Britannic† and â€Å"Briticism. Perhaps he simply didn’t read carefully enough and assumed, wrongly, that b’rith must somehow be etymologically connected with the other the words before and after pertaining to things British. Neither does the common English suffix -ish derive from the Hebrew word for man. Instead, it derives from the Greek diminutive suffix -iskos It was bad enough to suggest that the word â€Å"British† is Hebrew, but he also made another claim: If you take the name â€Å"Isaac,† you see it’s easy for someone to drop the â€Å"I† when speaking quickly and to end up with â€Å"Saac† as the name of the patriarch.He had descendants, of course, and these may be called â€Å"Saac’s sons,† from which we get the word â€Å"Saxons. à ¢â‚¬  â€Å"Is it only coincidence,† asks Armstrong, â€Å"that ‘Saxons’ sounds the same as ‘Saac’s sons’—sons of Isaac? † This doesn’t even qualify as a coincidence, since Armstrong had to make up the nickname of â€Å"Saac† in order for the â€Å"coincidence† to exist. In reality, the term â€Å"Saxon† is derived from the Anglo-Saxon word â€Å"seax,† which means knife or dagger, not the Hebrew word â€Å"Isaac† (Yitskhaq), which means â€Å"laughter† (cf.Gen. 17:15–19, 18:9–15). Another Remarkable Coincidence? Armstrong found other coincidences. When the Lost Tribes were scattered, he says, they â€Å"brought with them certain remarkable things, including a harp and a wonderful stone called lia-fail, or stone of destiny. A peculiar coincidence is that Hebrew reads from right to left, while English reads from left to right. Read this name either way—and it still is lia-fail. Another strange coincidence—or is it just coincidence? is that many kings in the history of Ireland, Scotland, and England have been coronated sitting over a remarkable stone—including the present queen [sic]. The stone rests today in Westminster Abbey in London, and the coronation chair is built over and around it. A sign once beside it labeled it ‘Jacob’s pillar-stone. ’† Here Armstrong’s argument becomes even weaker. After all, one could note that Hebrew and English are not the only languages which, when contrasted, are read in different directions. For example, Arabic is read right to left, while Gaelic is read left to right.What does that prove? Nothing! Just as Armstrong’s muddled reasoning proves nothing at all about a connection between Hebrew and English. If it did, one could just as easily â€Å"prove† that the Lost Tribes were also responsible for bringing the Blarney Stone with them. And that ’s just plain blarney. Armstrongism’s Appeal What makes Armstrong’s notion so attractive to some folks? First, it appeals to their nationalistic vanity: â€Å"I’m of English descent, and now I see that I’m right in the thick of things, biblically speaking.Having English blood in my veins makes me special. It puts me above the rest of the crowd. † It also perpetuates ethnic prejudice: â€Å"Thank God I’m not Italian! I never liked Italians anyway, and now I see they aren’t descended from the Lost Tribes and so are only secondary players in the divine drama—something I always suspected. † At first glance, Armstrong’s argument seems to be based on a sophisticated understanding of Scripture: â€Å"Armstrong provides lots of citations, and I can’t find fault with his argument. It’s so convoluted and technical it

Beginning Of House Music Essays - African-American Music

Beginning Of House Music Essays - African-American Music Beginning Of House Music Early House To trace the origins of todays house music, one needs to time travel back to the 80s, following a bizarre trail that spans the Atlantic ocean, hits the Mediterranean dance floors of Ibiza, sneak into the backdoors of New Yorks recording studios, and have V.I.P. passes to the clubs of Chicago and London. Since we cant deliver any of that, heres a brief retelling of the birth of modern dance music. House musics earliest roots are found in the musical hotspots of Chicago around 1985. Transplanted New York DJ Frankie Knuckles had a regular gig at a club called The Warehouse. Knuckles would tinker with soul and disco tunes by laying down a drum machine-generated 4/4 beat on top of them. The clubbers loved this new sound and house music, named for the club, was born. More DJs took to the tables and the studios, and soon there was an abundance of new house tracks penetrating both the clubs and airwaves of Chicago. The new sound found its way to the East Coast, where DJs in Philly and New Yo rk spun their own interpretations of classic dance tunes with a house beat on top. But the biggest fans of the Chicago sound werent in the U.S. at all Simultaneously, pirate radio in Britain took to the Chicago sounds. Incidentally, at the time pirate stations were the only ones playing black music of any kind in the U.K. Before long, house was the new soundtrack of the underground clubs of London. The first house tune to break the underground ceiling was Farley Jackmaster Funks cover of Isaac Hayes Love Cant Turn Around, which reached the national charts in September 1986. The UK couldnt seem to get enough. Soon, commercial success beckoned several of the early artists. Steve Silk Hurley was the first to reach the ultimate accolade, the UK No.1, with Jack Your Body in January 1987. This success paved the way for a house-flavored single to hit internationally. The collaboration of British artists Colourbox and A.R. Kane, known as M/A/R/R/S, hit the big time with Pump up the Volume. Considered lightweight by many house purists, the track nonetheless took over dance floors worldwide and delivered house beats to the planets masses for the first time. But many fans werent receptive of houses sudden commercial success, and they went looking for a sound to drive it back underground. One inspiration for a house mutation came in the form of the Roland TB 303 synthesizer. One of the earliest instigators of this new sound was Britains DJ Pierre, whose work with the Roland dated back to 1985. Pierre cut drums on top of the 303s bassline, and gave the results to a DJ working at Chicagos Music Box club named Ron Hardy. Hardy renamed it Acid Trax (after a well-fabled incident in which the clubs water supply was dosed with LSD) and played it incessantly. It barely made a ripple outside Chicago in 1986, but Acid Trax was a sign of things to come. Acid, as it came to be known, was a hybrid of house with its roots on both sides of the Atlantic, and would define a new generation of dance music. Acid House parties sprang up over the U.K., scaring parents senseless with its double-entendre. Of course, the drug inferences and the trademark t-shirt symbol, a smiley face with a bullethole in the forehead, increased acid musics popularity with the kids, and the music world took note. Mainstream pop artists began exhibiting acid influence in their records, and more crossovers from the underground appeared on the charts. Chicagos house masterminds were busier than ever finding new grooves to lay down. College buddies Kevin Saunderson, Juan Atkins, and Derrick May all produced records both influential and resonating (Mays The Dance was sampled countless times for years to come) throughout the Windy City. Meanwhile, two other producers, Eddie Fowlkes and Blake Baxter fused Eurobeats with the funk of George Clinton. This was a creation they called techno. 1988 saw house branching out even more, as in the eclectic marriage of house beats with quasi-industrial music. K nown as the Balearic movement, it found an audience in the Mediterranean