How Jay Z Started His Entrepreneurial Projects

How Jay Z Started His Entrepreneurial Projects © Shutterstock.com | Debby WongIn this article, we will explore an inspiring example of a great entrepreneur, Jay Z. We start with the 1) introduction and going then to 2) how Jay Z started his entrepreneurial projects and 3) golden secrets of Jay Zs success.INTRODUCTIONWith a current net value of $520 million, Shawn Carter (Jay Z) was bought up in the darkest corners of Brooklyn, New York. He was born on 4 December, 1969 and was the last one in his siblings. When he was only 11 years old, his father left the family, and he was single handedly brought up by his mother, Gloria Carter.Since a very young age, Jay Z had experienced poverty, violence, and drugs in his surroundings. Therefore, rap served an escape from all the negativity he was facing in his life. Some of his songs also have a reminiscence of his childhood, which reflect the way he felt back then.At an early age, between choosing to get a low-paying ‘decent’ job, he opted to get a high-paying ‘indecent job’ â€" dr ug selling. Marcy Projects in Brooklyn, his place of upbringing, was heavily infested with drug abuse and hence it soon became a money prospect for the young Shawn Carter. It all ended when he surrendered himself completely to rap music.Right after he collaborated with Jaz-O to record “The Originators”, he adapted the name Jay Z, as he was called Jazzy back in his childhood.He started to earn a good name when he founded Roc-A-Fella Records with two of his friends, Kareem Burke and Damon Dash in 1996. This made his album ‘Reasonable Doubt’ a possibility. This is the stepping-stone in Jay Z’s career, and then there was no looking back. It developed him as a rising star in the hip-hop industry.The album Hard Knock Life brought recognition and success in his life, and the title song of the album won Jay Z his first ever Grammy nomination. This was followed by numerous hit singles and top ranking albums. The Blueprint became the most renowned album in that era. Some of his hit singled included I Just Wanna Love U”, 03 Bonnie Clyde and Big Pimpin”.Jay Z has sold around 100 million records worldwide making him one of the best-selling artists in the world. He has also been nominated for various awards and has received 19 Grammy Awards to date.HOW JAY Z STARTED ENTREPRENEURIAL PROJECTSJay Z is not just a rap artist who has stumbled upon an exciting net value â€" he is a businessman and a true entrepreneur. In fact, he can be directly compared to Warren Buffett as both of them are counted amongst the richest men in the world. However, Buffett could just wish that his life was half as interesting as that of Jay Z’s.The rapper Jay Z of the older times who was primarily known as a recording artist is now known in the world as an intelligent multi-millionaire investor. Not only does he enjoy the great success of his record label, he also invests huge profits in different industries. He has built a whole empire single-handedly, and he runs it without a flaw. You think that two leaders cannot make it work together in life? Well, Jay Z and Beyonce are here just to prove that wrong. In 2008, both of these powerhouses decided to tie a knot and have ever since worked towards earning huge profits and success in everything they do.Here is Jay Z’s portfolio of investments that led him to expand his empire:Roc-A-Fella RecordsNo one can take the glory of Roc-A-Fella Records away from Jay Z. He founded the label along with two of his friends as they began from the ground. Starting a label from the scratch is never an easy thing to do but the overwhelming talent of Jay Z ensured that he quickly built up an audience as other labels began calling into this newly found label legend. He maintained ownership rights of his whole catalog, which means that even after all of these years, Jay Z is receiving dividends of his early music that is being sold in the market.Def Jam paid an overwhelming $10 million to buy Roc-A-Fella Records in 2004. Jay Z was st ill the President and CEO of Def Jam as he continued growing his wealth alongside with other artists belonging to the label, such as Kanye West working towards the Platinum sales of their records.RocawearFor Jay Z, it was not all about being the proud owner of a successful record label. Therefore, along with Damon Dash, he took a leap from music to the clothing industry and hence Rocawear was founded in 1999. In just a matter of 8 years, the brand was purchased by Iconix Brand Group for a gigantic $204 million. Following his style, Jay Z is still the CEO of the brand. In 2007, the brand made sales worth $700 million. That is the power of Jay Z; everything he touches becomes gold.40/40 ClubAfter music and the clothing industry, Jay Z was all set for investing in nightlife. The 40/40 Club was founded in 2003 in New York City. Whenever you enter the bar, you will see ESPN playing on the screen as it is a top-notch sports bar. He is a frequent visitor of his bar and loves to hang out th ere in his free time. Just like everything else that Jay Z has put his hands into, the bar has also tremendously grown and expanded. The club has multiplied to various locations and has just piled up more returns for this super mind-set entrepreneur.Brooklyn NetsBrooklyn Nets is one of the most high profile investments made by Jay Z. He is a stake holder in the Nets NBA Franchise and has thus revolutionized the team ever since he became a part of it. His involvement in the team was particularly publicized when it was moved to Brooklyn, Jay Z’s hometown. Moreover, their uniforms were changed (for the better), and new branding strategies were adapted for the team.In 2013, Jay Z sold his stake against a high return of investment of 135%. It took him 9 years to gain a return of $2.35 million for the initial $1 million that he invested. Forbes even compared this return to the business-minded attitude of Warren Buffett.He sold his share because after exploring great success in music, ni ghtlife and clothing, he was all set to do something big in the sports industry. In 2013, Roc Nation Sports was launched by Jay Z through collaborating with CAA to handle the marketing operations and representation of athletes.It was a legal requirement for him to sell his stake if he wanted to pursue the sports agent industry, and that is exactly what he did. Not only did this enable him to gain a huge profit but also gave him a chance to start something of his own in the sports industry.Barclays CenterMr. Carter knows how to put his money to great use. Therefore, as he was selling his stake in the Brooklyn Nets, he shifted his stake in the Barclays Center. Barclays Center is of the of the world’s most intriguing and fresh arenas. It is expanding its horizons as the Nets is gaining incredible popularity in Brooklyn. Apart from that, it also hosts high-end events like it hosted the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards.The financial gurus say that if you are successful in one investment, it will just transcend into other future investments and Jay Z has truly practiced this art and wisdom. All of his investments have been successful, and he has just expanded his empire with his queen like a total boss. He has left an incredible mark not only on the music industry but also the apparel, sports and nightlife industry. Therefore, his glory is not just limited to music.AspiroThe tale of his amazing investments is still continuing with Jay Z bidding a great sum of money on the Sweden-based company â€" Aspiro. This was just reported earlier this year and is predicted to give Jay Z strong foothold in the immensely expanding industry of streaming music and enable him to compete with well-known players such as Spotify and Apple. The bid was a whooping offer of a $56 million and it was made through a company known as Project Panther, which is indirectly controlled by Jay Z. The reports show that the offer has already received the basic acceptance by the company.GOLDEN SECRETS OF JAY Zs SUCCESSRecording artists come and go, and the record industry is famous for exploiting musicians and giving them a few seconds of fame before they could bid farewell to them.Obviously, Jay Z was never the type.In the past 20 years, Shawn Carter has earned a net value of $520 million while taking the music industry by the storm. He has toured and had hit records, but the real money has come from the businesses that he invested in as he founded Roc-A-Fella Records and Rocawear.Here are some work ethics of Jay Z that can fuel up some enthusiasm in the future entrepreneurs.#1: Know the art of hustlingThe work ethic that Jay Z embodies is his only hustle. It is a cliché, but Jay Z is all about working hard along with working smart. He was inspired by the hard work of his mother as he saw her raising four children single-handedly. Marcy Projects â€" the area he belonged to did not present a lot of opportunity to people like Shawn. Therefore, he decided to do the dirty work rather than choosing the clean path â€" drug dealing.His ambition was clear to him even as a drug dealer. He had his eyes on fame and rapping as he relentlessly practiced rapping techniques with his friend Jaz.#2: Get on the road even if your hands are emptyJay Z did not have professional music equipment in his early years, and that did not stop him from creating rap beats. Rock-A-Fella records did not have air-conditioning, computers, and desks when it first started and grew out to be one of the most successful record labels in the world.Focus is Jay Z’s forte, and he believes that if you truly want something, you should just go for it and become serious about it rather than waiting for the right time. Circumstances do not always have to be perfect in order for an entrepreneur to do well in life and to achieve his goals and dreams.#3: Help yourself firstPeople will only help you if they see that you are actively pursuing a goal and helping your self. However, that will not happen if yo u are just seeking help without ever helping your self. Jay Z’s mother bought him a boom box as a birthday present after seeing him play tunes on the kitchen table. It would not have happened if Jay Z kept silent. Therefore, it is important to show passion in things and work towards them in order to achieve excellence.#4: Do not discuss your goals too muchWhile Jay Z was struggling as an artist, his friend Jaz reached EMI’s record deal. At this point, Jay Z knew what he wanted â€" to sign a record deal. He shared the idea with his crew members, and they were all discouraging saying that the music industry just uses artists and musicians. Jay Z did not give way to their negativity and stayed focused on what he wanted. He also learned a great lesson: to not talk too much about his plans with people.Sometimes, when your vision is too huge, people have a difficulty accepting it and are, therefore, doubtful and discouraging about it. Therefore, Jay Z worked hard silently and kept his aims to himself because he knew his potential and what he could achieve in his life. Although it might be tempting to talk to other people about your plans, just keep them to yourself until you start gaining success.#5: Experience mattersJay Z founded companies that are worth $100 million and has served as Budweiser Select’s co-brand director, which makes him a top-of-the-line entrepreneur and businessman. However, he never attended business school.Jay Z learned all of the business skills from the streets he was living on. He learned how to promote, manage a business and how to make sales from the streets and thus was able to perform many roles as an entrepreneur. Experience does more miracles in the practical world than education and therefore one should never let go the chance of utilizing their talents in different fields and gaining relevant experience.#6: Take rejections positivelyJay Z tried his level best to hit a deal with numerous labels in the industry and faced rejecti ons from all of them. Did that stop his journey? No. Instead, he founded his record label. Iceberg Apparel offered Jay Z a low-paying endorsement although his promotion for their clothing line was heavily boosting their sales. Well, no. Instead, he founded his clothing line and gained $200 million through selling it after ten years.Jay Z always bounced back amazingly from rejections and shone like a star. You can either let rejections destroy you or make you successful, and the decision is completely yours.#7: Have a planWhen Roc-A-Fella Records was found in 1994, all of the three partners created business plans â€" both long term and short term. They kept their predictions realistic and wrote everything down which made the visualization easy.Writing down business plans helps to develop focus and makes it seamless to achieve goals.#8: Dream BigIn his childhood years when he was being raised in Marcy Projects, no one could have told him that one day he would become a millionaire. Thi nking big is the only way to achieve big in life. You get all you want and strive for in life so if you are struggling as a junior artist, that is all what you will be. Jay Z dreamed big and gave it all that he had.#9: Value your mentorsArtists and entrepreneurs are strong-headed individuals. Jay Z is both â€" an artist and an entrepreneur but that has not stopped him from valuing his mentors and asking them for help.Having successful and helpful mentors mean that you will not face the issues they faced in their lives, and the way of success will be easier for you. Mentors are very important in showing you direction and guiding you on important matters.Jay Z’s mentors comprise of big names such as the Co-Founder of Def Jam Records Russell Simmons, The Notorious B.I.G, and Michael Jordan.#10: Be a Trend SetterAuto-tune was the biggest trend in hip-hop in 2009. Jay Z could have followed the trend, but he did not. Instead, he broke it and introduced his style in his hit single ‘De ath of Auto-Tune’. It was off-pitch, noisy and dissonant. For Jay Z, if you adapt a style which does not define who you are as a person, then it will not work out for you. Therefore, it is important to find your style and voice for long-term success. You can be more successful through doing what you are passionate about rather than following the trends.#11: Entrepreneurship makes you help the worldAs an entrepreneur, Jay Z has had numerous opportunities of making a significant change in the world.Jay Z and P Diddy donated $1 million to the areas affected by Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans in 2005. He also pledged to assist the promotion of the global water shortage through his upcoming world tour after meeting with Kofi Annan United Nations Secretary General in 2006.Barack Obama asked him to support his campaign in 2008 as a presidential candidate. Jay Z did concerts to spread the word to get votes for him. Therefore, Jay Z has played a significant role in electing USA’s first black president in the history.Jay Z could have chosen to keep on selling drugs for the rest of his life and it might have earned him good money, but he had his eyes on the bigger picture. If he had not set his feet to become an entrepreneur, he would not have gotten the chance to help the world in a way that he did.

The Bell Jar By Sylvia Plath - 1753 Words

The Bell Jar is a book written in 1963 written by Sylvia Plath. It is a story about a girl who under goes many different traumatic life events that had the destiny to make or break her. The things she used to enjoy in life are no longer bringing joy to her life. She can’t find anything that gives her importance of the will to go on. The Bell Jar is a story that will take you on a journey with a girl who lets the gender roles of 1950s get the best of her. She lets people tell her what she can and can’t do and loses what it means to become your own person. The Bell Jar teaches the audience a lot about the expectations, opportunities or restrictions on American Women in the 1950’s. As gender roles have become more diverse between a man and a†¦show more content†¦Ester was constantly pushed around by men which was a stereotype in the 1950’s that men controlled the women and were always in charge. Ester had a relationship with a man named Buddy who was expecting that she was just going to marry him. Men believed that they had everything a woman may desire but actually they didn’t. Women were forced to marry men because of their fortune or family relations. The Bell Jar teaches us that every opportunity a woman had received in the 1950’s was a gift and should be taken immediately. Women had certain expectations they must meet and ways they must look in order to be accepted by society. Women were compared to the look of models, they were expected to look just as good as they still are nowadays. For example, â€Å" A model named Bettina was known for her tall, slim figure, youthful movements, short bobbed hair, shapely eyebrows and bright red lipstick† ( Sherrow, Modeling and Models). This shows how women were expected to be slim, with youthful energy and have short hair. Ester was one of those women who were expected to look like this. She used to have youthful energy but events over her life started to take aw ay that energy. Women in the 1950’s had to compete with the models image. â€Å"Women in Beauty Pageants were judged basis of physical appearance and named best looking or most beautiful† (Sherrow, Beauty Pageants). The idea that people would be considered beautiful or best looking just because of

Friendship, By Ralph Waldo Emerson And Friendship Sonnet...

Friendships are special. Friendships to famous poets can be seen in different ways. The two poems â€Å"Friendship by Ralph Waldo Emerson and Friendship Sonnet by William Shakespeare talk about the idea of friendship and what it means to them. These poems however are different in nature. One poem talks about how great it is to have a friend, and how that friend will care for you for eternity. The other poem is talking about a friend that he has lost, and this makes him sad and the difficulty dealing with his lost. In these two poems they use different types of imagery, and this makes them unique in their own way. Friendships similarity will be seen through two famous poets using imagery and different writing styles to describe the theme of friendship. In â€Å"Friendship† by Ralph Waldo Emerson he talks about friendship and the relationship we have with that friend. In this work, he says that when two people meet each other who have the same idea of what they are thinking abo ut, also grow intellectually and grow spiritually together. This poem is implying that we truly enjoy being with people we like and we are happy for what the other person does, even if it is small in nature. Another thought that Emerson is implying is that when we are with our best friend time flies by, and we have to cherish the little time we have with our best friends. Also, our friends will not criticize us but just admire our good qualities and ignore our bad qualities. This is what a friend should do andShow MoreRelatedThe Friendship, By William Shakespeare And Friendship `` By Ralph Waldo Emerson1346 Words   |  6 PagesThese two poems are the â€Å"Friendship Sonnet† by William Shakespeare and â€Å"Friendship† by Ralph Waldo Emerson. The poems talk about the idea of friendship and what it means to them separately. These poems are kind of different in nature. One poem talks about how great it is to have a friend and that friend will care for you for eternity. The other poem is talking about a friend that he has lost and this makes him so sad that he cannot take it anymore. In these two poems they use a different type of

One Hundred Years of Solitude by Marquz †Destructive Consequences of Solitude IOP Free Essays

Solitude is defined as remoteness from society or the state of being remote from others. In Marquez’ OHYOS, solitude is what ultimately brings the village of Macondo to its tragic end. Throughout the novel we explore the interesting theme of the various forms and reasons behind solitude and its consequences. We will write a custom essay sample on One Hundred Years of Solitude by Marquz – Destructive Consequences of Solitude IOP or any similar topic only for you Order Now Psychological studies show that, on the individual level, various needs are assumed to promote growth and self-actualization. For instance, John Burton’s Deviance, Terrorism and War specifies eight basic human necessities: the need for others’ response (and consistency thereof); stimulation; security (for instance, freedom from everyday preoccupation with death fears); recognition (through which individuals receive social confirmations that their reactions to social stimulations are relevant and approved); distributive justice (not merely a consistency in response but a response or reward deemed appropriate in terms of individuals’ experiences and expectations); the need to appear rational (which follows from the need for consistency of response– rationality calls attention to the fact that there is a need for consistent behavior in others); need for meaning to be deduced from consistent response; and the need for a sense of control. From this list are various â€Å"camps† promoting the centrality of their distinctive need systems. These include, for instance, the need to belong, to bond or connect with others; the need for meaningfulness and the need for transcendence. As put by Richard Nixon, â€Å"Unless a person has a reason to live for other than himself, he will die–first mentally, then emotionally, then physically. † Studies of terminally ill individuals reveal the need for assurance that they have a legacy, that their lives made a difference, and that others are who they are because of oneself and that these others will carry one’s memory with them. The mere fact that isolation is commonly known as a form of torture demonstrates that too much solitude leads to destructive consequences. These studies are relative to my topic because throughout the novel we encounter situations in which characters are driven to insanity as a result of their solitude, even if it is a self-selected decision. To quote Francis Bacon, â€Å"Whosoever is delighted with solitude is either a wild beast or god. † One is the example of Jose Arcadio Buendia, the first great solitary of the novel. He becomes so obsessed in his pursuit for truth and knowledge that he neglects his family and ultimately loses all touch with outer reality. Another is the example of Colonel Aureliano Buendia, who retreats into the solitude of his sadness and becomes incapable of expressing emotion other than sorrow and resignation. Aureliano Buendia is an interesting character because, in the novel, he first expresses his clear preference for solitude after his encounter with a girl who is forced to sleep with other men in order to pay her debt to her grandmother. Because he feels uncomfortable in society, he retreats into the comfort of his own solitude, which brings me to introduce psychologist Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. The hierarchy of needs is a sequential, graduating set of needs that a person must satisfy to reach one’s full potential or self-actualization. The needs are ranked bottom from top as physiological needs, safety needs, love and belonging needs, self-esteem needs, and self actualization. These needs must be satisfied in order to get to the top, but one may go backward as well as forward, which relates to the theme of time as a cycle, and the Buendia’s inability to progress. Because they are unwilling to communicate outside of themselves, the Buendia family is never able to move forward but moves instead in cycles, or a downward spiral, collapsing in on itself. According to Marlow, when one is unable to achieve the needs of love and belonging, it is assumed they regress back to the stage of securing their safety needs, which is most clearly demonstrated in Aureliano Buendias case. The solitary characters are often contrasted to the antisolitary characters of the novel such as Ursula Buendias and Pilar Ternera, and other characters who combat their solitude. Ursula Buendias and Pilar Ternera both live very long lives and devote their lives to strengthening social bonds. In her younger years, Pilar Ternera comforts the Buendia men with her sex and bear many of their children. She is extremely prosperous as the madame of a nunnery, which stands for a bountiful sexuality. Many other instances in the novel indicate that sex and love is used to combat solitude, especially the notion of free love. The most obvious example for this is perhaps the cold, barren relationship of Aureliano Segundo and Fernanda del Carpio in contrast with his relationship with Petra Cotes, in which his farm animals begin to proliferate and bring him great prosperity. This instance conveys the message that sexual liberation leads to progress and prosperity. Incest is a secondary theme of solitude. Essentially, incest is the practice of keeping family members within the family, which demonstrates the Buendias’ habit of isolating themselves from the rest of the community and their inability to reach out to others. The incest that occurs throughout the novel only perpetuates the Buendias’ solitude, and reflects the eventual destruction of the town. From the very beginning of the novel, Ursula warns of deformity as a result of incestuous relationships, and ironically, the last of the Buendias is born with the tail of a pig, and ends the family line. The novel ends with an interesting passage, in which the narrator explains, â€Å"He had already understood that he would never leave†¦ races condemned to 100 years of solitude did not have a second opportunity on earth. † Here solitude can be seen very differently, portraying the solitude of Latin America forced upon their race by the West, who denies their access to the opportunities of the developed world, in comparison to the Buendias inability to join the moving world. â€Å"The opposite of solitude is solidarity,† says Marquez. Solidarity is defined as a union of interests, purposes or sympathies among members of a group, or a fellowship of responsibilities and interests, an obvious lacking quality in the town of Macondo. Psychological studies show that social systems have various â€Å"needs† to function successfully. There is, for instance, the social need for a collectively shared sense of order and that rules for a society’s game board of life are understood and respected by all social actors. An ordered world is a predictable world and the essence of society is the predictability of its members’ actions. There are the needs for solidarity between social members (including, as anthropologist Clyde Kluckhohn observed, â€Å"a set of common values that give meaning and purpose to group life†), their willingness to accept their social duties and to make personal sacrifices for the welfare of others, and their cooperation with each other. Further, if we perceive social systems to be analogous to organisms struggling to survive in potentially hostile environments, there are such individual needs as defense, coordinated action toward collective goals, and the ability to adapt to challenging new internal and external conditions. The Buendias are obviously lacking in this cooperative quality and often struggle with their meaning in life, which is reflected in the destruction of the town. In quoting HG Wells, â€Å"A downtrodden class.. will never be able to make an effective protest until it achieves solidarity. † In order for the Buendias to leave their solitude, solidarity must first be achieved. From this it can be concluded that Marquez is promoting the same message for the solitude of Latin America, having been so long controlled by the West, before they must suffer the consequences of Macondo and the Buendia family. How to cite One Hundred Years of Solitude by Marquz – Destructive Consequences of Solitude IOP, Papers

The American Basketball Association And The Contributions It Made To P

The American Basketball Association and the Contributions it Made to Professional Basketball The American Basketball Association had a short and wild life, yet it made great contributions to professional basketball. It increased the level of talent, changed the way the game was played, and produced some of the greatest stars to ever play the game. It also caused an increase in player salaries and turned pro basketball into a financial institution. The ABA was a place for untapped talent to emerge. Many players proved themselves in the ABA while the National Basketball Association rejected them. This greatly increased the talent level throughout professional hoops. At the same time of the creation of the ABA, the NBA only had 120 players, which meant that many worthy players were not getting the chance to play (Sachare 178). With about 90 players in the ABA, they got their chance. The ABA started to draft college players to compete with the NBA. Because both leagues wanted the best players, the ABA made a rule which said that the draftee did not have to be a college graduate. The NBA had a rule which said that the draftee must have graduated from college. As a result, many college stars began to go straight into the ABA before graduating. One which did this was Moses Malone, he was the first player to come straight out of high school into professional sports (Pluto 435). This was a revolutionary event in the history of professional sports. Now days, most college stars go to the pros without graduating. The ABA had a style of its own. Newsweek once described them, "Sex, drugs, platform shoes, sideburns, slam dunks, midnight franchise shifts, million dollar deferred-payment player contracts, the three-point shot, Dr. J, Marvin (Bad News) Barnes, LaVerne (Jelly) Tart,and Pat Boone. Pro sports the way they oughta be!" (Pluto 465) They were the complete opposite of the NBA. The NBA was traditional and boring to watch. They played a much slower paced game than the ABA, who had an up tempo, fast paced game. The ABA made innovations such as the three-point shot, the tricolored ball, the defensive press, and most importantly, the fast break (Pluto 70). They were the pioneers which made today's game what it is. The defensive press and the fast break were attempts at creating an up tempo game, and they worked. They all helped to sell tickets which enabled the ABA to survive for the nine years that they did. The ABA and the NBA were always competing which brought about many new and exciting aspects to the game of basketball. The ABA created some of the greatest players ever. Players like Julius Erving and Moses Malone were the soul of the ABA. At its end in 1975, they introduced all of the great accomplishments and innovations into the NBA which made the combined league even greater. With the tradition of the NBA and the flair of the ABA, a new league was created which would become the greatest sports institution in the world. During the first combined season of the NBA, four of the top ten scorers and ten of the twenty-four all-stars were from the ABA. The first combined finals had five starters from the ABA (Sachare 186). The contribution which the ABA made to professional basketball was amazing. It gave it creativity along with history. The NBA may not have survived without the combination of the ABA. In essence, the ABA was the NBA's savior, and made huge contributions to the talent level and the history of the game. The ABA was a league which made great contributions to professional basketball by increasing the talent level, producing some great innovations like the three-point shot which is still used today, and producing some of the greatest players ever. The NBA of today was made from the ABA of old, and even though it had such a short life, it was one of the most important aspects in the history of professional basketball. Bibliography Brown, Kim (1996). The FIrst Dominant Big Man. HTTP: http://www.nba.com/nbaat50/mikan.html. Kirshenbaum, Jerry. "ABA Milestones". Sports Illustrated 17 May, 1993:15. Meely, Cliff. Personal Interveiw. 16 December, 1996. Pluto, Terry. Loose Balls. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster Inc., 1990. Sachare, Alex (Ed.). The Official NBA Basketball Encyclopedia. New York: Villiard Books, 1994.

Word Choice in English Composition and Literature

Word Choice in English Composition and Literature The words a writer chooses are the building materials from which he or she constructs any given piece of writing- from a poem to a speech to a thesis on thermonuclear dynamics. Strong, carefully chosen words (also known as diction) ensure that the finished work is cohesive and imparts the meaning or information the author intended. Weak word choice creates confusion and dooms a writers work either to fall short of expectations or fail to make its point entirely. Factors That Influence Good Word Choice When selecting words to achieve the maximum desired effect, a writer must take a number of factors into consideration: Meaning: Words can be chosen for either their denotative meaning, which is the definition youd find in a dictionary or the connotative meaning, which is the emotions, circumstances, or descriptive variations the word evokes.Specificity: Words that are concrete rather than abstract are more powerful in certain types of writing, specifically academic works and works of nonfiction. However, abstract words can be powerful tools when creating poetry, fiction, or persuasive rhetoric.Audience: Whether the writer seeks to engage, amuse, entertain, inform, or even incite anger, the audience is the person or persons for whom a piece of work is intended.Level of Diction: The level of diction an author chooses directly relates to the intended audience. Diction is classified into four levels of language: Formal which denotes serious  discourseInformal which denotes relaxed but polite conversationColloquial which denotes language in everyday usageSlang which denotes new, often highly informal words and phrases that evolve as a result sociolinguistic constructs such as age, class, wealth status, ethnicity, nationality, and regional dialects. Tone: Tone is an authors attitude toward a topic. When employed effectively, tone- be it contempt, awe, agreement, or outrage- is a powerful tool that writers use to achieve a desired goal or purpose.Style: Word choice is an essential  element in the style of any writer. While his or her audience may play a role in the stylistic choices a writer makes, style is the unique voice that sets one writer apart from another. The Appropriate Words for a Given Audience To be effective, a writer must choose words based on a number of factors that relate directly to the audience for whom a piece of work is intended. For example, the language chosen for a dissertation on advanced algebra would not only contain jargon specific to that field of study; the writer would also have the expectation that the intended reader possessed an advanced level of understanding in the given subject matter that at a minimum equaled, or potentially outpaced his or her own. On the other hand, an author writing a childrens book would choose age-appropriate words that kids could understand and relate to. Likewise, while a contemporary playwright is likely to use slang and colloquialism to connect with the audience, an art historian would likely use more formal language to describe a piece of work about which he or she is writing, especially if the intended audience is a peer or academic group. Choosing words that are too difficult, too technical, or too easy for your receiver can be a communication barrier. If words are too difficult or too technical, the receiver may not understand them; if words are too simple, the reader could become bored or be insulted. In either case, ​the message falls short of meeting its goals . . . Word choice is  also a consideration when communicating with receivers for whom English is not the primary language [who] may not be familiar with colloquial English. (From Business Communication, 8th Edition, by A.C. Krizan, Patricia Merrier, Joyce P. Logan, and Karen Williams. South-Western Cengage, 2011) Word Selection for Composition Word choice is an essential element for any student learning to write effectively. Appropriate word choice allows students to display their knowledge, not just about English, but with regard to any given field of study from science and mathematics to civics and history. Fast Facts: Six Principles of Word Choice for Composition Choose understandable words.Use specific, precise words.Choose strong words.Emphasize positive words.Avoid overused words.Avoid obsolete words.(Adapted from Business Communication, 8th Edition, by A.C. Krizan, Patricia Merrier, Joyce P. Logan, and Karen Williams. South-Western Cengage, 2011) The challenge for teachers of composition is to help students understand the reasoning behind the specific word choices theyve made and then letting the students know whether or not those choices work. Simply telling a student something doesnt make sense or is awkwardly phrased wont help that student become a better writer. If a students word choice is weak, inaccurate, or clichà ©d, a good teacher will not only explain how they went wrong but ask the student to rethink his or her choices based on the given feedback. Word Choice for Literature Arguably, choosing effective words when writing literature is more complicated than choosing words for composition writing. First, a writer must consider the constraints for the chosen discipline in which they are writing. Since literary pursuits as such as poetry and fiction can be broken down into an almost endless variety of niches, genres, and subgenres, this alone can be daunting. In addition, writers must also be able to distinguish themselves from other writers by selecting a vocabulary that creates and sustains a style that is authentic to their own voice. When writing for a literary audience, individual taste is yet another huge determining factor with regard to which writer a reader considers a good and who they may find intolerable. Thats because good is subjective. For example, William Faulker and Ernest Hemmingway were both considered giants of 20th-century American literature, and yet their styles of writing could not be more different. Someone who adores Faulkners languorous stream-of-consciousness style may disdain Hemmingways spare, staccato, unembellished prose, and vice versa.

All About Sadie Hawkins Day

All About Sadie Hawkins Day Sadie Hawkins Day is a holiday that turns the tables on male/female relationships as women take the lead in pursuing men. Named after a fictional character, Sadie Hawkins Day celebrates role reversal by sanctioning women to ask men out on a date or even propose marriage. Theres a common misconception that February 29th (better known as Leap Day) is Sadie Hawkins Day. Although that isnt the case, February 29th does hold significance for women thanks to an old Irish tradition called St. Bridgets Complaint, which granted women permission to propose marriage on that day. Sadie Hawkins Day is rooted in the story of Sadie Hawkins, a character created by Al Capp in the comic strip Lil Abner. Sadie Described as the homeliest gal in the hills, Sadie was unable ​to  get a date; so her father, a prominent citizen in the town of Dogpatch, named a day after her to help Sadie get a man. On Sadie Hawkins Day, a footrace was held in Dogpatch so the women could pursue the towns eligible bachelors. According to the Lil Abner website, Sadie Hawkins Day is an unspecified date in November which Al Capp observed in his comic strip for four decades.