African American Athletes Essay

American student athletes have always faced stereotypes in and out of the classroom, being seen as self-segregating or â€Å"dumb jocks† that really wouldn’t be at school if it weren’t for their athletic ability. Although these stereotypes are applied to both white and black athletes, African American students, especially men, feel it more than their white counterparts. African Americans are already, for the most part, seen as intellectually inferior, so when they are seen in an academic environment they are automatically judged. If they didn’t get into school just for being black, they got into school for being a black athlete. Excuses are made as to why African American student athletes and pro athletes dominate in the world of sports in general. From the time the black athlete stepped into the sports arena and began to compete with whites, white people have been looking for an explanation. In his article Sailes looks into the myths and stereotypes surrounding African American athletes, most of which have been created by whites. In loosely replicated the experiment that Sailes conducted with his students and in doing so I found that the stereotypes he discusses do exist and many people strongly believe in some of the myths. I interviewed both male and female athletes and non-athletes alike and surprisingly most of their answers to my questions were the same. I asked them all the same five questions; 1. Do you think African Americans dominate in sports? 2. Which Sports? 3. Are there certain positions they are better at? 4. Why? 5. Is their demeanor on the field or court different than that of a white athlete? and 6. Have you heard any myths about why black athletes are better? Interviewee #1, A white female on the basketball team at Gettysburg College felt that black athletes were better at all sports and in all positions, but particularly in basketball and football. She has learned from experience that black athletes are more loud and aggressive. It was her belief that African Americans are better at sports because of genetics. She also said that it could be because historically they have done hard labor and had menial jobs, so their physical condition has evolved. The one myth she has heard is that African Americans have an extra bone in their leg which makes them capable of jumping higher and running faster. Interviewee # 2, an African American football player stated that blacks are better at all sports, but especially football, in such positions as cornerback, running back, and wide receiver. When asked why he felt that this is true his answer was â€Å"because we’re just nasty like that. † In regards to myths he recalled one of his high school classmates expressing to him that the reason blacks were better was because they still had some monkey left in them. Interviewee # 3, a white college graduate, non-athlete articulated that blacks are better at any sport they try but not in any positions that require brain power or thought. He said that they are not usually good quarterbacks because they aren’t smart enough. When I asked him why, his response was, â€Å"because they are dumb N’s†. He believes that they become athletes because they have no other options to get a job or get rich, unless they can rap. He also stated that the reason they can run so fast is because they are used to running from the cops. Interviewee # 4, A white male who is a former athlete said that he believes that African Americans are superior in all sports except for lacrosse and hockey, and that the reason for this is because they are much more expensive to start up and maintain- as opposed to soccer/football/basketball where all you need is a ball really. He thinks black people on the whole start out life economically feeble compared to whites and believes in the myth that they have been evolved into more muscular and stronger people because of the process of natural selection during slavery where the slave owners bought the biggest and strongest, and they’re offspring are the ones that created the people that are dominating in sports now. My last interviewee was a female African American basketball player who felt that African Americans dominate in football and basketball because it is the only sport they want to play so they strive for it. She also said that blacks are more aggressive because it means more to them. In the majority of my interviews the participants mentioned what Sailes referred to as the Mandingo Theory, in which the physical superiority of African Americans is attributed to the selection and so called breeding process along with the manual labor performed during the days of slavery. The psychological and dumb jock theories were also articulated in the answers I received from the white students for they all said at some point or another during the interview that African Americans are intellectually inferior and all they have going for them is sports, and even in the world of sports there are positions that they are mentally incapable of occupying. The one thing that I believe all the participants agreed on both black and white is that African Americans are somehow genetically different. I was really taken aback by my findings. Even though I have learned throughout this semester that people are more racist than I ever thought they were, I didn’t realize that this racism is existent in literally everything. I’m not really into sports and do not pay attention to them, so I had no idea that people felt this way about African American athletes. So, it seems as though African Americans are battling this war on racism on yet another front.

Pearson and Mcdonal Lawsuit Analysis Essay

Executive Summary There are two major lawsuits which the main populace has defined as frivolous. One of those cases is the McDonald’s split coffee case. This is the case where the plaintiff spilled her coffee and was rumored to sue McDonald’s for 2.7 million dollars and win. The other’s case is the Pearson dry cleaning case where a man sued Chung Dry Cleaner’s 54 million dollars for losing his pants. The plaintiff won in the McDonald’s Case and the Plaintiff lost in the Dry clearance’s case. In this paper we are going to dissect each case by the facts, the law, the issues, the ethical issues, the defendants preventative measures, and then the analysis of it all. Introduction Frivolous lawsuits have over taken our society by storm. Anywhere from someone suing over a pair of lost pants to a person suing over a coffee burn. But what is Frivalous? Perhaps there is more to see in each of these suits that was originally thought. In 1992 79-year-old Stella Liebeck spilled coffee on herself and sued McDonald’s for the coffee being too hot. In May 2005 Judge Roy Pearson sued Custom Cleaners for losing a pair of his pants. On paper both of the lawsuits look ridiculous and should be dismissed as soon as the titles are read. But when looking into the details one discovers propaganda hugely blown out of proportion on one case and the other being exactly what it looks like. What are the Facts? Factual evidence is what gives a case its meat, its substance, so without worthy facts it is very easy for a case to lose any of its stimuli. On the other hand sometimes the facts of a case with swift ones initial opinion in a complete 180. The Pant’s Suit and the McDonald’s Coffee Suit both have information to back the claim, however, only one can truly be deemed as proof. In My 2005 District of Columbia Administrative Law Judge Roy. L. Pearson claimed Custom Cleaners lost his pants. Judge Pearson said he â€Å"dropped off blue Saks Fifth Avenue suit pants with burgundy pinstripes at Custom Cleaners for $10.50 alteration and that the gray, cuffed pants they tried to return to him were not his (Andrea, 2007).† Pearson then proceeded to request Custom Cleaners, owned by the So Jin and Sooo Chung, pay him over $1,000 for a new suit. The Chungs refused and Pearson proceeded with a lawsuit asking for 65 million dollars. Before the suit went to trial the Chung’s tried to settle, offering Pearson up to 12,000 dollars but Pearson refused and instead lowered his suit to 54 million dollars (O’Rourke, 2007). The suit then proceeded to the court. Stella Liebeck was burned by coffee going through a McDonald’s drive-through. Her grandson, Chris Tiano, stopped the car in the drive through so she could put cream and sugar in the coffee. Ms. Liebeck placed the coffee between her legs, and when she pulled the top off the coffee it spilled on her (Press & Carroll, 1995). She suffered severe third degree burn injuries to her buttocks, groin, and inner thighs. She was hospitalized for eight days because of the severity and had to receive multiple skin grafting procedures. Ms. Liebeck was disabled for two years due to her injuries. McDonald’s had 700 previous customer burning cases prior to Ms. Liebeck’s case, and the company decided to keep their coffee temperature at 190 degrees Fahrenheit. Prior to going the lawsuit path, Ms., Liebeck originally requested McDonald’s settle for injury costs; however, the company offered her $800 instead. Ms. Liebeck did not receive 2.7 Million Dollars as most assume, inste ad she received a total of $640,000 included the complementary damages and the punitive damages (Litant, 1995). When laying out the facts of the â€Å"McDonald’s Coffee Case† as most call it, one is shocked to find themselves on Ms. Liebeck’s metaphorical side of the matter rather than McDonald’s. One must always review the facts to have any true understanding on the matter. After reviewing the facts given by the Pant’s Suit and the McDonald’s Coffee case, a person can identify what suit is missing necessary information. In the Pant’s Suit Pearson has no proof that Customer Cleaners lost his pants, it is all alleged. He could have forgotten them at his house or lost them himself, there is not any way to prove Custom Cleaner’s even lost his pants. But in the McDonald’s case it is easy to see the facts because they are all in statistics, in photographs, the facts are all in the evidence. One case is already losing it’s steam while another is gaining momentum, lets move on. What are the Issues? An issue is why a case is even occurring. One issue is burns from an overly hot cup of coffee. The other issue is emotional distress and financial loss due to a pair of missing pants. There may be isssues though that grow from these or are the issues really that simple? In the missing pants case, the issue is Judge Pearson’s pants were allegedly misplaced by Custom Cleaners. So how is it a pair of missing pants led to a suit battle that lasted over two years? There must have been other issues involved. First lets assess the facts we received, the pair of pants Custom Cleaners gave Mr. Pearson he claimed were not his, but they were his size and matched the alteration specification requested (Goldwasser, 2007). Other issues that grew from the case was the loss of business and harassment the Chung’s received due to Mr. Pearson’s harassment. Mr. Pearson would regularly go door to door in the neighborhood asking the community in which Custom Cleaners was centered for his support in the case against him. The Chung’s had to eventually close down the store. The issue that started this entire fiasco was a pair of missing pants, which ended up leading Judge Pearson not being re-appointed and a Custom Cleaners being shut down. After the suit Judge Pearson received a letter from the Commission on Selection and Tenure Administrative Law Judges they elected not to re-appoint him as judge and cited his pour performance as a judge and the Pants suit (Cauvin, 2007). The issues are simple to spell out for Ms. Stella Liebeck’s case. The issue, which brings about the other issues, is the plaintiff, Ms. Liebeck, received third degree burns when Mc. Donald’s coffee was spilt on her lap. The plaintiff requested the defendant pay for medical bills and work loss, the defendant refused and offered a minimal sum, which would not even cover attorney costs. The defendant does not want to lower temperature they keep their coffee at as it would lower the â€Å"optimum taste† of the product. The plaintiff was partially at fault for spilling the coffee; however, experts said if the coffee was not that hot then the injuries would never of occurred regardless of who spilled the coffee. Subsequently the issues are but they aren’t that simple. From one issue can spur another and that is the case for both lawsuits. Ms. Liebeck was severely burned by McDonald’s coffee and requested an accurate amount for her injuries, they refused, and it went to court  causing the issue of monetary loss and embarrassment for McDonald’s. The issue that grew from the Pearson case was the business loss the Chung’s received. In both cases the defendants each ended up having an issue of their own. What Law Applies? Law’s can be manipulated and misinterpreted easily. There is even a branch of the government solely dedicated to translating the constitution accurately and ethically. In both cases there are law’s that come about, but in one case it is clear the law was perversely utilized. In the Custom Cleaner’s case the suit stated Judge Pearson was, â€Å" defrauded by the owners of Custom Cleaners and by the ‘Satisfaction Guaranteed’ sign they had (Cauvin, 2007). He also sued for emotional distress and legal costs (O’Rourke, 2007). Under Tort Law Pearson could be under Negligent Tort for damages, if he illustrates actual damages. Judge Pearson chose to sue under Intentional Torts, more specifically under Emotional Distress. The problem most defendants have come to is that emotional distress is ambiguous. Anyone can claim emotional distress for everyone is different with his or her tolerances. The most intriguing aspect in this case, is that the Chung’s never sued Pearson for defacement. The Chung’s had proof, witnesses, everything they needed for a successful trial. So under law the Plaintiff stretched manipulated the law definitions with very little proof for a lawsuit and the defendant did not even attempt to gain retribution. In the case of Stell Liebeck vs. McDonald’s several torn law come into the play. The definition of a tort law is â€Å"an injury to another’s person or property.† In this case there were severe damages done to the plaintiff according to the facts. There are there separate types of torn cases, compensatory nominal, and punitive. Ms. Liebeck’s case fit under compensatory and punitive. Compensatory for the injuries she received to include the special damages of doctor bills. She also is covered under punitive damages for the company was fully aware of how hazardous their product was and still refused to change the temperature of their coffee. Also Ms. Liebeck is covered under the ‘Cause-in-Fact’ of negligent Tort, since McDonald’s never went forward with any preventative measures. Her esquire Mr. Reed Morgan noted three specific charges against McDonald’s; the first being their product was  unduly hazardous due to its temperature; the second being McDonald’s failed to give its consumers the necessary warnings of the temperature; the third being the consumers could not drink the coffee at the time it was served; therefore there was breach of warranty (Press & Carroll, 1995). Mr. Morgan had the option of using a plethora of Tort law’s on behalf of his client Ms. Liebeck, and he took full advantage of that fact like any attorney would do for their case and client. In the McDonald’s case the law was not overly used, because the ones they referenced were enough for their case to be heard and be successful. But the Pearson case was another matter, the plaintiff was clearly stretching the law to try and manipulate it for his own base needs. What did the judge/jury decide? The McDonald’s case was a jury trial and the Pants case was a judge trial. Both cases were caught up in the legal battle for over two years. When the pants case finally made it to trial the case was dismissed in two days. The McDonald’s case did take a little longer for there was a lot of evidence for them to go through and there were multiple decision makers rather than just one. The Judge in the pants case held the decision not the jury. D.C. Superior Court Judge Judith Bartnoff found for the defendant on all counts. Judge Bartnoff denied any damage costs to the Plaintiff and ordered Pearson to pay the defendants court costs (Cleaners 1, Judge 0 in case of missing pants, 2007). Usually when one is in the judgment of ‘one of their own’ they find on behalf of their own. However it was clear Judge Bartnoff saw the absurdity of Pearson’s claim when she found in behalf of the defendants. In the case of the spilled coffee most of the jury had a 180 from their original inclinations of the case. Going into the case Jury member Roxanne Bell said, â€Å"she was insulted†¦the whole thing sounded ridiculous to me.† After the Jury heard testimony from three witnesses their opinions of the case started to alter. The first expert witness was Doctor Charles Baxter who spoke to the grotesque photographs of Ms. Liebecks’s injury and â€Å"testified that coffee at 170 degrees would cause second –degree burns within 3.5 seconds of hitting the skin (Press & Carroll, 1995).† And since McDonald’s kept their coffee at 190 degrees it is safe to say, It was extremely easy for Ms. Liebeck to get third degree burns. The other two  witnesses were actually defendant witnesses, the first was a quality-assurance supervisor at McDonald’s, and the second was a safety consultant. The first witness was Mr. Christopher Apleton who testified that even though McDonald’s had received over 700 coffee burn complaints in 10 years the company refused to lower their temperatures. The second defendant witness was Mr. Robert Knaff, who’s main problem was he contradicted himself in the middle of his testimony. As first he was tring to describe that 700 burn complaints in ten years amounted to only one in twenty-four million coffee cups, but then he later said in his testimony, â€Å"a burn is a very terrible thing (Press & Carroll, 1995).† By saying a burn was a terrible thing, then it was no longer a trivial matter. At the end of the case Ms. Bell defended the jury’s decision by exclaiming, â€Å" it was our way of saying, ‘Hey, open your eyes. People are getting burnedà ¢â‚¬â„¢ (Press & Carroll, 1995).† The Jury decided to teach McDonald’s a lesson for the over all negligence they displayed in their refusal to acknowledge the multiple previous warning they had received regarding the hotness of their coffee. The Jury awardee Ms. Liebeck a total of $2.7 million dollars in punitive damages, which at that time, is the amount of money McDonald’s would make in a two-day span. The jury was overzealous on Ms. Liebeck’s behalf for they wanted to reform and punish McDonald’s so the judge had to step in Where as in the Pants suit the judge quickly ‘put down the hammer’ on Judge Pearson. Did the judge or jury make an appropriate decision based on the applicable law controlling the cases? Why or Why not? The judge and jury both made the appropriate decisions in the verdict award, but no the appropriate decision on the fiscal award. In the case of the missing pants the judge appropriately awarded the fiscal and the verdict. The in McDonald’s case the jury appropriately awarded the verdict but inappropriately awarded the fiscal amount. Judge Judith Bartnoff made the appropriate decision according the appropriate definition of tort law in the missing pants case. In interpreting the law one must as a judge throw out the absurd cases but still justly review it. In her review of the missing pants case it was clear Mr. Pearson was unduly persecuting the Chungs over a pair of pants. Mr. Pearson did not have work loss because Custom Cleaners allegedly misplaced a pair of pants, and he was not harmed in any way. In the McDonald’s case the  jury made the correct decision in awarding the suit to Ms. Liebeck, but they made in the incorrect decision in obnoxious amount they chose to grant. Instead of awarding Ms. Liebeck the amount she was due, the jury decided to take a matter for McDonald’s company policy into their own hands to try and reform by ‘punishing’ the company so much they would have no choice but to lower the temperature of their coffee from 190 degrees Fahrenheit. The judge was correct in overturning the jury’s decision from awarding Ms. Liebeck 2.7 million in punitive damages to $480 in punitive damages. The judge recognized the jury was correct in deciding the defendant was guilty, but they were overzealous in their need to reform McDonald’s company policy. Overall the verdict for both cases was fairly awarded. What are the ethical issues in the cases? Do the ethical issues differ from the legal issues? If so How? There are ethical issues easily seen in both the Pearson and the Liebeck cases. In one case the Plaintiff was unethical and I the other case the defendant was unethical. In the Pearson case the ethical issues and the legal issues do not appropriately correspond. It was unethical for Mr. Pearson to be allowed a lawsuit of $54 million dollars for a pair of pants, but he was legally allowed. It was unethical for Mr. Pearson to deface Custom Cleaners by putting up signs in that community against them, but he was legally allowed to. It was unethical for Mr. Pearson to demand Custom Cleaners, at the time of the incident, over $1000 for a new suit, but he was legally allowed to. Many people do not take manipulate and take advantage of the freedoms the United States allows its citizens, but there are those who will not only take advantage but make others look on in disgust for why he was allowed to do what he did. There are multiple ethical issues in the Liebeck case. The main one being responsibility. It is the responsibility of the company to listen to its consumers and McDonald’s failed to do so on multiple occasions. The other is knowingly harming other, McDonald’s knew there coffee had caused severe burns on other customers in the past but had refused to do anything about it, even when they were approached by the National Burn Victims Association to do so (Howard, 1994). In this case the ethical issues do not differ from the legal issues as each ethical issue directly corresponds with a broken law by McDonald’s. there are major ethical issues by the press, congress,  and other entities continuing to further there own agenda by only giving half truths concerning Ms. Liebeck’s case. There has been a significant push by Tort reformers due to the jury decision made in Ms. Liebeck’s case, but those are using severe propaganda to do so. Both of these cases have been described as â€Å"frivolous† lawsuits. Based on your research what do you think? Is either one or both of these cases frivolous? Intro Pearson Based on the research given, the Pants Suit case was a frivolous suit. A frivolous case is considered to be absurd, unneeded, and previously thought impossible. Judge Roy Pearson, a legal professional, most likely originally thought he could use the scare tactic with Customer Cleaners for the initial $1000 ask because of his power position. Instead when the defendant refused to pay that sum, the plaintiff lost his temper and in doing so lost his professional mind. The Plaintiff was not hurt, and he did not have any significant financial loss due to the initial incident. McDonald’s On paper Ms. Liebeck’s case looks frivolous; however, after examining the facts in no longer appears to be so. A woman did spill coffee on herself and did get burned, but she was severely burned from the hazardous temperatures McDonald’s kept there coffee of hat was not fit for human consumption. The amount the jury awarded her it what most of society deems obnoxious, bringing the classification of her lawsuit to frivolous in nature. When just looking at the injuries Ms. Liebeck received from the coffee temperature, one could never deem it a frivolous lawsuit, but there are those who will seek to capitalize on a lawsuit such as this by exclaiming half-truths in order to further their own agendas. Combine Regardless of what you think of the lawsuits, how could the business owners have prevented them? What advice can you give them for the future? Intro Pearson When digging into the details of the case a very simple business practice alteration could have prevented the entire debacle in the missing pants case. Currently the Chungs have a ticketing system where they place the ticket number and article size on the clothing. However if they added to that ticket and item description the debacle could have been avoided. In doing this the customer is helped and so is the company. McDonald’s It was rather obvious when looking through the facts of the McDonald’s case how the company could have prevented their lawsuit, That is one of the main reason’s they lost the case, is because due to their sever negligence in ignoring their consumer complaints, the jury was abhorred by the company. Very simply put McDonald’s once receiving the first customer complaint should have completed testing to see what would keep their coffee at a great taste with a less hazardous temperature. Similar to other institutes had done at the advice of the Shriner’s Burn Institute lowering their temperature to 135 to 140 degrees (Litant, 1995). In the future, some advice McDonald’s should take is to listen to their customers, if there are several complaints regarding one item, then the item either needs to be altered or discontinued. Combine Conclusion

Analyzing the value of crime mapping

Analyzing the value of crime mapping in the first case, it revolves around consolidating specific strategies for law enforcers to address the situation with ABC precinct. Here, consideration should be made in the value of providing a hotpoint and focused means of facilitating policing measures. Since specific crimes indeed occur in a specific time frame and a given day, increased police presence indeed could prove to be vital towards apprehending criminals and furthering opportunities to induce changes in the environment.In particular, specific programmes can be implemented to infuse better means of communication with the community and establish partnerships with specific venues that are prone for these crimes to happen. Crime mapping can happen if people would consider addressing a facilitative manner of intervention and determination of how these hotspots can be used as instruments for preventive measures. On the other hand, the second scenario may need a clustered and diffused mea ns of crime mapping.Since the escalation of crime is not focused primarily on a specific location and time-frame, considerable attention can be made if proper policing measures are scattered and administered in using demographic analyses. Here, programmes may cater to the need of elaborating specific processes that are congruent to the needs of the citizenry and exploring what probable avenues can result to better coverage and protection. Since this is the case, careful collaboration with the citizenry is then essential because the scope of application remains expansive and may cater to many internal factors and processes.

Is There Such a Thing as Bad Art? Essay

Perhaps bad art closes oneself to it. One sees something one doesn’t like, and without giving it a further thought one turns away. Or when one does give it a further thought, one thinks only about how the piece of art was, but not about oneself in relation to it. But is having no response a response within itself. Perchance the judging of art cannot be decided by responses. But rather if one cannot speak negatively of an artistic statement, instead one can only speak of one’s inability to find artistic merit. And therefore, to speak negatively of art is really to speak negatively of one’s own lack of imagination or emotional responsiveness. Or maybe one simply does not understand what the function of art is. However, maybe good art IS only good when it provokes a response. And when one looks back at ones response it is only significant if one notices a change in oneself. Still, these feelings may or may not exist when viewing a piece of art. And if those feelings do not exist it is not because the art is universally bad or good. Instead it is because the piece is bad or good to you. Conceivably art’s sole reason for existence is to provoke emotion. But then what type of emotion? One may see a gory painting that makes one revolt, but is that good art? Is a piece of art only good because it is popular or trendy? And if so then does bad art become good art when it is decided popular. Perhaps a painting is considered good measuring by how much money it costs. Or maybe it can only be considered good by the qualifications of the artist who made it. If so, would a finger painting by a kindergartener automatically be considered bad art while a blank canvas by a distinguished artist be genius? That is if in fact a finger painting can be determined as art at all. What even is art? Is it only considered art if it is on a canvas? Or can art be on the walls of a building in graffiti form? Is doodling in your notebook when bored in Philosophy class art? Or are all these creative forms of expression meaningless because they do not have to professionalism of an art gallery? I can say in confidence that I take a reformed socialist view on this. There’s no such thing as bad art but in return there is no great art either. Everything is subjective. There are billions of people living in different worlds, bad only exists to the person and groups of like people. But to be fair so does good. Perhaps instead of questioning, we should simply just let art be. Acceptance that without yin there would be no yang and without bad there would be no good.

Critical analysis based on movie Jesus Camp Essay

Critical analysis based on movie Jesus Camp - Essay Example She brings a religious tract over to a suddenly befuddled blond, telling her "Hi, um, God's just telling me that you're on his mind and he just wants to take you and he just wants to love on you and he has special plans for your life." As the blond responds with a kind, yet confused "thank you," Rachael is congratulated by her mentor for listening to the voice of God and bravely sharing her love for Jesus with a lost soul. A weeping Tory, after a particularly emotional meeting, holds the microphone feebly as she cries with all the strength in her heart "I just pray for a change over our nation," illustrating the hidden political agenda with which she has been indoctrinated. At one point in the film, as the religious world crosses into the political realm, Levi states, "America is supposed to be God's nation." Pastor Becky claims that she "can go into a playground of kids that don't know anything about Christianity, lead them to the Lord in a matter of no time at all, and just moments later make them be seeing visions and hearing the voice of God." On all levels she appears to sincerely believe in her mission, though statements such as "They're so usable in Christianity" point to the frightening view of a larger "army of the Lord." She tells children that in the old days (under the Laws of God) "Harry Potter would've been put to death," a rousing call for exclusion, especially a few scenes later when several children tell another child that he resembles Harry Potter. In one scene she has the children "pray over" a cardboard cutout of George W. Bush, who is lionized in parts of the film. Michael Papantonio, who is the first person introduced...A weeping Tory, after a particularly emotional meeting, holds the microphone feebly as she cries with all the strength in her heart â€Å"I just pray for a change in our nation,† illustrating the hidden political agenda with which she has been indoctrinated. At one point in the film, as the religious world crosses into the political realm, Levi states, â€Å"America is supposed to be God’s nation.† Pastor Becky claims that she â€Å"can go into a playground of kids that don’t know anything about Christianity, lead them to the Lord in a matter of no time at all, and just moments later make them be seeing visions and hearing the voice of God.† On all levels, she appears to sincerely believe in her mission, through statements such as â€Å"They’re so usable in Christianity† point to the frightening view of a larger â€Å"army of the Lord.† She tells children that in the old days â€Å"Harry Potter would’ve been put to death,† a rousing call for exclusion, especially a few scenes later when several children tell another child that he resembles Harry Potter. In one scene she has the children â€Å"pray over† a cardboard cutout of George W. Bush, who is lionized in parts of the film. Michael Papantonio, who is the first person introduced in the film, presents a more moderate view of Christianity. Accusing the religious right of â€Å"dividing this country,† he presents an alternate view, one where the love espoused by Christianity is not tainted by the intolerance and agendas of the far-right as personified by Pastor Becky.

History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 16

History - Essay Example The blue dragon is pictured moving in up and down waves like a fancy kite dragon I once saw flying in the air. It is a good luck sign in most Asian countries and is a very happy creature as compared with western dragons. It is in the classic ginger Jar shape. This kind of porcelain was really popular and expensive, since the cobalt blue dye had to be imported from India through China, so it was only used for dragons. These made their way west on the Silk Road, along with the rare and coveted silk to western European courts all the way to Great Britain even during the most isolationist times. The motif and some of the shape and technique was copied in the UK, as I have seen these before outside of the museum, even in boot sales. (Dragon Jar 2009) Things like this, spices and silk made the trade with the east very profitable, and controlling the Mediterranean was the key to domination. Mostly the trade was dominated by the Mughal Empire, China or the Portuguese. The next artifact I noticed in this collection was another lovely round teapot with a bird on it. Since it also originated in Korea during the same time period, I have to assume the bird is the Phoenix, the alter-ego of the Dragon even though it is very small, because the painting is done with Cobalt Blue. The teapot is in lovely condition and sports a ropy handle and a lid. It could also have been used to serve wine. Clear bottles were likely very rare in Asia as they were using more porcelain and clay, so this would not have been an unusual way to use a teapot. In the Chinese artifacts there were many beautiful dishes in porcelain from China, even one with the same kind of dragon on it, also pictured moving like a flying snake with six legs. This plate was very colorful in red, blue and green. It was even decorated on the underside, and must have been some household head’s prized

Cambodia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Cambodia - Essay Example This is what will be dissertated in the following. One of Cambodia's major natural resources is its forests, but illegal logging has severely hurt this industry. Both the environmental groups Global Witness and Friends of the Earth have collected videotape testimony of logging officials admitting to the illegal exportation of timber. Vietnam stated that the government "firmly respects the forestry policy of Cambodia and has advised all provinces and competent authorities to carry out the Vietnamese Prime Minister's order to ban logging exports to Vietnam." (Vietnamese 'Furniture' Plundered from Cambodian Forests, p.2). The issue of deforestation in Cambodia is a major one, not only because of the fact that their forests are one of their major natural resources, but also because the act of deforestation takes away from another problem they are experiencing, which is wildlife extinction. Many measures have been taken in an attempt to at least cut down the element of deforestation, considering how terribly damaging it is to Cambodia as a whole. In February of 1999, the Prime Minister of Cambodia even tried to pass measures to crack down on illegal logging, and as well he asked for donors to give money in order to help protect the forests. "But despite the measures taken and an estimated 1.3 billion dollars in aid, Global Witness says that the illegal logging and exportation continue." (Leggett, n.d.). The root cause of the deforestation which is taking place in Cambodia seems most likely to consist of many elements. Not only a combination of governmental mismanagement and corruption and economic development, but also the ever-widening gap between classes continue to cause deforestation across Cambodia. The significance of forests both for their natural resources as well as for their innate beauty continues to decline, and environmental protection remains undervalued. Although there is not one sole cause, the element of guerilla factions can for the most part be considered as the root cause of Cambodia's deforestation. In regards to these guerilla factions, we are speaking namely of the Party of Democratic Kampuchea or Khmer Rouge. "During the Cambodian conflict, guerilla factions and the State of Cambodia used logging to finance their war efforts. The SOC exported timber to Thailand. Thailand depended on neighboring countries like Cambodia for timber as it had to adhere to a 1989 logging ban." (Think Quest, 2005). Another major environmental problem in Cambodia is that of their wildlife extinction dilemma. This issue includes the wildlife of many different species, including the freshwater dolphin. Wildlife preservation officials are extremely worried that Cambodia's rare freshwater dolphin species will be extinct in the next 10 years; with most of these dolphins dying in fishing nets. Studies have shown that an estimated 10 dolphin calves are born a year, but Fisheries Department data shows that 14 died in 2003, 18 in 2004 and 13 in 2005. Tourism Ministry Secretary of State Thong Khon said the ministry has begun patrols along the river and is further investigating the reasons behind the deaths of the dolphins to prevent their extinctions. Hunting is widely considered to be the greatest immediate threat to wildlife in the Dry Forests, as well as throughout the rest of Cambodia. Although people primarily hunt for