"If Clark [Kent] wanted to, he could use his super-speed and squish me into the cement. But I know how he thinks. Even more than the Kryptonite, he's got one big weakness. Deep down, Clark's essentially a good person. ....And deep down...I'm not." - Batman (Hush, DC Comics #612, 2002)
Batman is the most humanized and relatable character in all of superhero fiction, a quality that has kept his stories popular in diverse forms of media for decades, since his creation by Bob Kane for National Publications (which would later become the legendary DC Comics) in 1939 (Daniels 1999). He is a flawed hero in the finest tradition of tragic literature, which makes his motives more complex, and his plights more compelling, than those that unfold in story arcs belonging to other superheroes. The above quotation perfectly illustrates the reasons so many comic-book readers and movie or television viewers have found Batman's persona and quests so engrossing over the years: his anger and guilt are emotions with which we can all identify, because they often lead him to danger and ruin, and his fragile mortality is constantly in evidence, inducing a palpable fear in both himself and his audience. Bruce Wayne is only a man, after all, driven though he is by his own inner demons to fight injustice and save Gotham City, and he holds strong and occasionally contradictory sentiments just like the rest of us.
By now, we all know the story: Bruce Wayne watched his parents die, after a mugging gone wrong, as a young child on the way home from an opera. This deeply personal trauma is heart-wrenching enough in itself to secure young Bruce's place as a sympathetic character; however, as we follow him through adolescence, when he is a lost soul searching for direction and meaning, we also recall the emptiness and yearning that often filled our days at that age, though few of us can truly identify with the (surely frustrating) knowledge that immense wealth is no substitute at all for the loss and loneliness felt after the deaths of the ones we love most. The protagonist embarks on a journey of self-discovery, the longing (and even planning) for which is something else that many readers can personally empathize with, although it must be said that few people make their pilgrimage in the form of a submersion into the criminal underworld! Bruce desires to know the mind of the outlaw, in order that he can understand why his parents were killed, and he desperately needs to find a way to absolve himself from the extraordinary guilt he feels (the fact that he does not know how to go about doing so is merely another way in which we can feel his pain; everyone has embarked on a personal quest without knowing what the end would look like). Unfortunately, this is an ultimately misguided attempt, as reason is rarely a factor in the action of violent crime; Bruce returns to Gotham with a new resolve, and becomes the storied crimefighter known as Batman.
Batman's most human aspect is, of course, that he is merely human like the rest of us. He doesn't have Superman's laser-vision, or Wolverine's adamantium skeleton, or the Flash's incredible speed, or the superhuman strength of the Hulk, or the mutant arachno-abilities of Spiderman. Batman is just some guy who is dressed in a ridiculous vinyl suit and cape, and who also happens to be a martial arts master and brilliant detective: nothing the average reader couldn't become, given the proper motivation and sufficient practice. Commentators have even noted that Batman need not be particularly skilled at either trade; deception and surprise are his primary tools and compensate for any lack of physical or intellectual skill, and his bottomless checking account allows him to use equipment that far outclasses anything a mere criminal can obtain (Friedman 2006). One imagines that Bruce Wayne would have made an excellent undercover detective, if he had chosen to eschew vigilantism in favor of more lawful methods.
Another, more emotionally trenchant connection between the character of Batman and his devoted fans is the constant undercurrent of righteous anger that betrays itself in both his actions and his internal monologue (to which we are fortunate enough to have access, given the generous quantity of thought-bubbles in the typical comic). His guilt over the deaths of his parents has transmuted into a directionless anger at the world for denying him vengeance and for its propensity for senseless violence towards the innocent. This is surely a feeling that is familiar to those of us with a social conscience; injustice is prevalent in our world, and we often feel discomfort or even rage when confronted with the sight of others' misfortunes. However, we, unlike Batman, lack the means (if not the resolve) to pursue justice by any means necessary, instead being forced to rely on government or social pressure to eradicate evil. This subconscious wish to be the arbiter of vigilante justice, even if it is never acted upon, is a powerfully connecting force between Batman and even the most casual reader. We have all wanted to be the guy or girl who saves the world, or at least the damsel in distress, and Bruce Wayne provides an outlet for those fantasies while simultaneously holding true to his own convictions.
Batman's ideals are often quite utilitarian, that is, his motives are frequently intended towards the end that will do the greatest good for the greatest number of people. He has often made personal sacrifices in order to ensure the safety of Gotham, and this is something the reader can identify with in an abstract way (having probably never had to choose between a lover and a city), but it is not the most salient point of Batman's personal ethos. When it comes to the matter of taking the life of an enemy, Batman has steadfastly refused (at least since his earliest and roughest incarnations in the late 1930s) to commit murder, no matter how justifiable or beneficial to the public it may seem. This deontological tenet holds true in his beliefs and actions, due to his conviction that such an act would be morally irredeemable in and of itself, regardless of the future evil that could be avoided, and that by killing he would become no better than the villains he struggles to overcome (White 2008). If this is not a quality we could all necessarily share in every possible dangerous circumstance, it is certainly something worth aspiring to, and thus deepens our admiration of Batman's mental strength and devotion to justice. This contrasts mildly with the absolutist ethics portrayed by the Punisher, whose backstory and nature are otherwise similar, since that hero has no qualms about killing if it should prove to advance the victory of good over evil -- a willingness that has earned him the label of "anti-hero".
The story of Bruce Wayne and Batman (which is the true alter-ego?) has captivated audiences for many years, and will continue in popularity for the foreseeable future. This ongoing fascination is due in large part to those aspects of the character that humanize him to a degree unequaled by any other superhero: his internal emotional conflicts and the ever-present darkness within his psyche, his unquenchable drive to fight injustice and protect the innocent, his strict adherence to an admirable moral code -- but most of all, audiences are drawn closer to him as a person by his ingenuity and ability to rise above the defects and incapacities of mortal men, despite being one himself, in order to achieve his worthy goals. Batman can be bruised and even fatally wounded, but in his own words, "I need to become more than a man. I need to become a symbol. A man can be killed, but a symbol can't be stopped, only feared."
References
Daniels, Les. (1999). Batman: The Complete History. San Francisco: Chronicle Books.
Friedman, Cary A. (2006). Wisdom From the Batcave: How to Live a Super, Heroic Life. Linden, N.J.: Compass Books.
White, Mark D., Arp, Robert, & Irwin, William. (2008). Batman and Philosophy: The Dark Knight of the Soul (The Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture Series). Hoboken, N.J.: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
As a child I always thought I lived in paradise. I did not know how paradise was for other people and I did not know it could be subjective but I was sure that were I lived had to be it. Growing up I realized that paradise, like I called my homeland, had things that were not so pleasant and I realize that the same place that was safe and beautiful to me was dangerous and ugly to others. I could not see Colombia the way the rest of the world saw it and it was shocking for me the first time I heard in the news: “Colombia is the most dangerous country in the world.” I could not help but wonder: who made that decision? According to whom? And how many people agree with this? Now, as a grown up, I have the knowledge and enough reasons to tell people that Colombia is not the most dangerous country in the world. There are three main misconceptions about safety in Colombia: it is said that Colombian crime rate is the highest is the world, that everyone in Colombia produces or knows someone who produces cocaine, and that foreign tourists are not safe at all there. Colombia has shown really high rates of crime throughout the years. Everything started with a civil war called “El Bogotazo”, which was a conflict between two political parties for the power, leading to years of constant corruption and tragedy. An illegal army called FARC was created to defend people from the government, but this army had no ideals and as the years went by, the FARC started hurting and killing those people they said they wanted to defend. It has been over fifty years since this all started, and most governments have given more power to this group than what they have done against them, leaving Colombian people in the middle of a war. Now, when people actually want to change this path, they realize that it takes more than one government period and a good heart to do so. The current president of the country, Alvaro Uribe, has been a great leader, the slogan of his campaign was “soft heart but strong hands” meaning that with assertiveness and a hearth full of good intentions things can change. Crime rate in Colombia has lowered considerably, the crime per capita, which means per every thousand people, is 4.99 putting Colombia in the 44th place out of 66 countries analyzed. The assaults per capita are 0.58 putting Colombia in the 35th place out of 57 countries; rape rate is 0.04 per capita so Colombia is the 53rd out of 60. None of those are 1st place. That alone says a lot about Colombia not being the most dangerous country in the world.
Another very well known issue is that everyone in Colombia produces or knows someone who produces cocaine. I have never seen or met someone who actually worked in the drug business but if this is not enough reason for people to believe I have valuable information to prove that at least 90% of Colombian people make a leaving out of clean and honest jobs. Colombia has made it in the news as Columbia, people little know about the correct spelling of its name, let alone its real story. Hollywood and the news have done a great job selling the image of Colombia as a cocaine jungle, where parents live their kids in a little house while they go to work growing cocaine, poppy, and marijuana. Movies like “XXX” and “Clear and Present Danger” show how in Colombia people walk around coca plants and the danger of getting shot as soon as they arrive. “If you say that Colombia is so dangerous like now it is Iraq, you mean that the Colombian cities are under heavy attacks, bombs in any public place and many other kind of terrorist attacks. Surely, it is not what the ones who like to do world classifications are meaning. They want to mean that in Colombia there is a political conflict and you have to take care if you travel to Colombia, but such conclusion is not understood like that for citizens if they see the name of Colombia near to Iraq as violent alike. What we want to say is that you can not compare the violence of Colombia with the violence of Iraq. It would be more exact to the comparison with the violence of the USA”•. Developed countries give their people warnings before traveling to Colombia, some even try to persuade people on not going there, but if we were to compare violence from one country to another then governments should advise people from Chile or Argentine not to travel to U. S. A since its crime rate is a lot higher than in those two countries. It is clear we cannot compare opinions about what is really dangerous since this changes depending on people experiences, the way they were raised and hot they lived. I can personally say that I lived in Colombia for 21 years, and I was never robbed, I never saw a gun, I never saw, grew or worked with cocaine, and I never saw an assassination. On the other hand, I have lived in U. S. A for three years, and I have already seen a robbery where guns where used and I saw a woman being physically abused by her husband; and I live in Laguna Beach one of the cities with the lowest crime rates in California. This just proves that circumstances can change and a place could be the safest place on Earth and still be dangerous for some.
All of this could be proved, but how do you explain to foreigners that Colombia is beautiful and that they are not going to get killed as soon as they set foot on Colombian ground? Peter Van Dijck lived in Colombia, and he answered some questions about his experience; he was realistic yet respectful to Colombia: “The dangers are both real and exaggerated. I've never experienced any hostility, but it is true: Colombia is a violent society. However, the expectations of most foreigners are completely overblown, chances are if you come to Colombia you'll never have anything worse than a sunburn. It does make for a continuing conversation topic, and often I found it hard to strike that balance between careful and careless. But once you get it you'll be fine. The only real danger is when travelling on the road, and if you are really worried, that's easily avoided by taking planes”•. Hundreds of people travel to Colombia and never encounter any danger; there is risk, we cannot or should not hide that, but as long as tourists go to safe places, and there are thousands of those all over the country, and as long as they have a group of people to guide them then they would be safe. People go to Colombia to teach other languages, and are able to enjoy its reality. Tourist should be warned, yes, but not discourage to go there. Since the new safety caravans, which are special dates organized by the government and located all along Colombian roads, tourism in Colombia has increased on a 65%, even Colombian people are doing what they were afraid to do for so long, travel around their own country. Crime rate keeps lowering and tourism increasing, that is a good sign and it is about time people stop calling Colombia the most dangerous country in the world.
Colombia has great things to offer: culture, history and even art; Colombia has the biggest theater festival in the whole entire world, and people come to it from many different countries to enjoy it, nobody has been killed at it. Colombia has 14,000 species of butterflies, and it is the third country in biodiversity. There is a lot more to Colombia than a cocaine jungle. I know that its past has shown a bad side of it, but most Colombians are trying to show the good side, but as long as people keep destroying its image, Colombia will stay as the most dangerous county in the world and the three points I made here: low crime rates, honest people and a great touristic destinations would not be valid to show that Colombia is a wonderful place, and that perhaps Colombia could be really close to paradise.
http://www.nationmaster.com/country/co-colombia/cri-crime Stats about crime per capita.
Information from a YouTube video. Available at http://youtube.com/watch?v=qgW8Y7F8DN8
• Colombia Passport: Economics, society and culture of Colombia. http://colombiapassport.blogspot.com/2007/08/violence.html
Matthew Lujan 7-16-08 English 1B DW#16-Essay #4 Argument of Evaluation Zero Draft
Research Paper Outline Paragraph 1 – Thesis: Based on Iran’s rich and diverse history of anti-imperialism, a U.S. invasion into Iran would be catastrophic for the United States national security and access to the worlds natural resources based on the constitutional revolution, the Coup D’etat of Mosaddeq, the subsequent rise of the Shah, and the events of the Iranian Revolution which instilled an Islamic Republic Paragraph 2 – Anti-imperialism background: Iranian constitutional revolution Paragraph 3 – Anti-imperialism background: Coup D’etat of Mosaddeq Paragraph 4 – Anti-imperialism background: Rise of Shah Paragraph 5 – Threats of nuclear weapons that Iran suspiciously posses. Paragraph 6 – Consequences of a potential invasion in Iran due to strong Islamic ties Paragraph 7 – Conclusion: Americans should look to the visionary George Washington for advice on wars against a country.
We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America. (U.S. Constitution) The United States of America was founded on the birth of this statement by our founding fathers: this statement holds truth to all testaments of society and the basic guideline for our government to uphold. However, the unprecedented constitutional powers claimed by the President since 9/11 subtracted national security and have been asserted for non-national security purposes. “Congressional oversight of the executive branch to prevent secret government has diminished. This exact cause undermines self-government and invited lawlessness and maladministration.”(Paul) Yet the United States government continues on with the war on global terrorism that has no end and a preemptive war on Iran much like the war on Iraq is inevitable. Based on Iran’s rich and diverse history of anti-imperialism, a U.S. invasion into Iran would be catastrophic for the United States national security and access to the worlds natural resources based on the constitutional revolution, the Coup D’etat of Mosaddeq, the subsequent rise of the Shah, and the events of the Iranian Revolution which instilled an Islamic Republic. Notions of democracy, constitutionalism, and freedom in Iran date back to the Constitutional Revolution of 1906. Under Mozzafar-al-din Shah, the Iranian people enjoyed little to no freedom at all. The Shah put Iran in an extensive debt, mainly due to his extravagant lifestyle. The Shah had also acquired concessions from Russia and Britain in an attempt to lower the national debt. But these concessions further injured Iranian pockets, especially the merchant class. One of the most famous concessions was the Tobacco concession to a British company to sell tobacco in 1892, which triggered a rebellion. The public was outraged; the emergence of a foreign company in the Iranian market would seriously would the income of many Iranians. Subsequently, the merchants approached Ayatollah Shirazi, asking him what their shari’a duty was to the infidel company. He replied that to work for the company would be haram, or forbidden. The next day, following Ayatollah Shirazi’s fatwa, all the cafes and stores took all the tobacco paraphernalia and burned and smashed it in the streets. In one account, it is said that the Shah’s servant was beaten severely for not preparing the Shah’s after-breakfast water pipe. The servant’s refusal to disobey a religious fatwa demonstrated that the Ayatollah has more power than the Shah, and raised the question, “of whom do you serve?” Ensuing the rebellion, the Shah had to cancel the concession, which put Iran into more debt, because the Shah had to cover the company’s loss in attempting to establish their business in Iran. The Tobacco Protest of 1892 initiated the notion that the public could question the legitimacy of the Shah, whereas before they blindly accepted his rule. The United States and Britain agreed to overthrow Mosaddeq in what is called Operation Ajax. Secret service agencies M16 in Britain and the CIA in the United States paid wealthy merchant families, for example the Rashidians, to entice riots against Mosaddeq. Eventually, the riots forced Mosaddeq into custody, and the politically weak Shah replaced him with Fazlollah Zahedi. The following day, the United States Treasury sent Zahedi a check for 45 million US dollars to help out with the new government. After the coup d’état, the Nationalization Bill was reversed, and American intervention in Iran increased. America went from having 0% of Iranian oil to 40%, British Petroleum received 40%, and other European companies received 2%. This event drastically changed the way the Middle East viewed the West. Whereas before, the West represented technology, innovation, and progress, it now symbolized imperialistic greed. America had successfully replaced a progressive leader with a dictator, and Iranians would never forget it. Despite the advent of the 1953 coup d’état of Mosaddeq, Iran experienced economic growth under the Shah. The Shah’s White Revolution included revisions in land reform, nationalization of Forests, sale of state-owned enterprises to the public, workers profit sharing in 20% of net corporate earnings, voting and political rights for women, formation of the Literacy Corps, formations of the Heath Corps, the Reconstruction and development corps, and establishment of the House of Equity (Gheissari). Among one of the negative aspects of the Shah’s reforms was closing the Majles, but no one complained, until SAVAK (secret police) began to raid homes at night, resulting in the torture and ultimate disappearances of thousands of people. Iranians rushed to court houses to report these abuses in violation of their Constitutional rights, but officials dismissed the cases. Animosity toward the Shah intensified, claiming him to be a puppet of the West because of his many American advisors, and visits with President Jimmy Carter. Initially, Iranians had faith in President Carter, hoping that he would shed light on the obvious lack of human rights in the region, but instead, Carter did nothing, and went as far to say that Iran was the United States’ best friend.
Animosity against the Shah intensified as he denied the existence of and responsibility for the numerous tortures that occurred during his reign. The people were looking for someone to lead them, something that would be hard to find, considering that opposition to the Shah were “taken care of” by SAVAK. But out of Qom came light, Ayatollah Khomeini. Khomeini would scrutinize the Shah in public, something that would usually get one “offended”. But neither SAVAK nor the Shah could do anything to silence Khomeini, he had a huge following, nor the disappearance of such a public figure might evoke riots. So, the Shah exiled Khomeini to Iraq, where he was further exiled to France. But this did not silence Khomeini; he continued to draw support in France, and send messages to his audience from exile, making him almost a celebrity. His audience was further influenced by the ideas of Ali Shariati and Jalal-al-e-Ahmad, and “Gharbzadegi”, the notion of being struck by the West. Iranians experienced a new wave of self-image, a pure, authentic, Islamic identity that was culturally conscious of itself and anti-colonial. This new wave of an Islamic community united under a moral cause was not a peasant movement like the Chinese Revolution, but an urban phenomenon that flirted with the idea of armed struggle that was very popular in Latin America at the time with the Che Guevara episode. For the first time, Iranians were united, and had an openly Islamic leader to guide them into a government that could offer them salvation and protection, mandated by the Qur’an. In this sense, Khomeini was seen as a messianic figure, he wasn’t afraid of the Shah; he was bold, blunt, and brave in standing up for his people. Also, he was coming from outside Iran, from exile, and this seemed to provide an image of a redeemer coming to rescue his people after a long-awaited return, just as the Mahdi is seen. “As President Bush scans the world’s horizon there is no greater potential flashpoint than Iran, the President and his Foreign Policy team believe the Islamic regime in Tehran is actively pursuing nuclear weapons.”(FOX) Contrary to popular belief, no such “weapons program” exists in Iran. All of this sounds quite familiar when the U.S. labeled Iraq as possessing weapons of mass destruction. And in the end no such weapons were ever found. It was simply an under minding tactical and marketing move to make the American public believe a justification into going into Iraq for the sole purpose of oil. And from that there are many beliefs on why to this day we are still there. Hence, the same alleged belief about Iran is being professed by our own government. “The world will not permit the Iranian regime to gain nuclear weapons,” as President Bush addressed the media after the warning by the IAEA report of suspicious nuclear activities. Our media outlets are reporting that the U.S. government and current presidential nominees have claimed certain Iranian organizations as terrorist groups. The Mujahedin Klaq is an example of such organization that has been labeled by the U.S. government as secretively developing nuclear arms. “The alert and decisive nation and government of Iran will not pay attention to these threats.” (Khamenei) Indeed, they are currently involved with a program that involves enriching uranium. Iran signed the Nonproliferation Treaty and insists that the treaty assures signatories the right to pursue nuclear programs for peaceful use. (McGovern) If the U.S. had done it’s homework (just like it should of done before killing thousands of innocent lives while invading Iraq) it would be clear that in 1975, Dick Cheney, then chief of staff to Gerald Ford, bought Iran’s justification to creating a nuclear program to meet the countries future energy requirements. It is backed up by energy experts who have noted that Iran is near its end of oil extraction and will need an alternative source to oil in the near future. If plans are underway for an air and land attack by U.S. warheads on any Iranian nuclear base and the American empire so happens to disturb that, the U.S. will be at war with the entire Islamic Republic. Stretching from the deserts of Morocco to the islands of Indonesia, Islam is the main religion in these regions. Any disturbance that involves Iran will be subjected to the Muslim world and a decisive factor of an all-out-war. This wouldn’t just be one countries war, but the participation of many countries due to the strong Islamic ties. “The Americans should know that if they launch an assault against Islamic Iran, their interests in every possible part of the world will be harmed,” states President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Iran has consequently strengthened their military resources as well political and religious influence since the fall of Saddam Hussein. An Iranian nuclear negotiator, Javad Vaeedi, spoke in Vienna in 2006 and warned of such a attack to Iran: “The U.S. may have the power to use harm and pain, but it also susceptible to hair and pain. So if the U.S. wants to pursue that path, let the ball roll.” If the U.S. decided to forge a war with Iran, we would see a nuclear retaliation, a first of its kind. After passing $75 million to pursue activity on the Iranian government, Iran’s parliament reacted by approving $13.6 million to counter the U.S. what it calls “plots and acts of meddling.”(Washing Post) European counterterrorism officials were stated as saying “Iran certainly wants to remind governments that they can create a lot of difficulty if strikes were to occur. They might react with all means, Hezbollah inside Lebanon and outside Lebanon, this is certain. Al-Qaeda could become a tactical alliance.” Certainly not good news for the U.S. if such preemptive strikes were to occur at nuclear bases that Iran has been operating. Even at the highest command, the U.S. military officials are weary of a possible attack against Iran: “The tempo of operations in Iraq would make it very hard for the military to respond to a major crisis elsewhere. Besides, it’s not the bombing part this is difficult, it’s the morning after and all the days after that. Haven’t we learned that from (again) from Iraq.”(Casey) McGovern was also laid out likely plan and response to such an invasion if one did occur. He labeled a potential U.S. air strike as threefold: mobilizing worldwide terrorist cells that would make Al-Qaeda look like a girls netball team - utilizing its cruise missile arsenal to attack US ships and sending fighters into Iraq to attack US forces. (McGovern) The U.S. action declared because of the possible conspiracy of nuclear weapons would make the U.S. regain their nuclear program and the turmoil resulting from this would be opening a new Pandora’s Box of chaos to the entire world. In conclusion, the American government would be wise to look to one founding father’s vision: “A passionate attachment of one nation for another produces a variety of evils. Sympathy for the favorite nation facilitates the illusion of an imaginary common interest in cases where no real common interest exists, infuses into one the enmities of the other, and betrays the former into participation in the quarrels and wars of the latter without adequate inducement or justification.... It also gives to ambitious, corrupted, or deluded citizens, who devote themselves to the favorite nation, facility to betray or sacrifice the interests of their own country.”(George Washington, Farewell Address, 1796)
Works Cited Barsamian, David. Targeting Iran. San Francisco: City lights books, 2007. Yaghmaian, Behzad. Social change in Iran. New York: State University of New York Press, 2002. Alavi, Nasrin. We are Iran. New York: Soft Skull Press, Inc., 2005. Gheissari, Ali. Democracy in Iran. New York: Oxford University Press, Inc., 2006. www.antiwar.com, Ray McGovern. 2008. www.ronpaul.com, Ron Paul. 2008. www.washingtonpost.com, 2008
Summer Bailey July 17, 2008 English 1B, Distance Learning Argument of Evaluation Zero Draft
What Happened To Hollywood?
As soon as I step through the doors of any of the dozens of multimillion-dollar Las Vegas Strip nightclubs the lights are flashing, the go-go dancers are shaking their hips through rings of fire, or a puffy daddy look-alike is sitting in the corner with his sunglasses on bobbing his head to the music, and I feel like a super star. Like Hollywood, Las Vegas was founded on entertainment and constructed for adults. Hollywood was once an alluring star haven. It was the home to the rich and the beautiful, and it still is. The problem is we hardly see them anymore, unless we’re in Vegas. Hollywood has transformed into a culture that is more focused on being trendy then entertaining. Meanwhile Las Vegas is surpassing the glam that Hollywood was founded on. Las Vegas nightlife is glamorous, innovative, and entertaining, it’s far transcended the duplication of the Hollywood nightlife that it dubbed itself from. I must admit that it took me awhile to come to terms with my own disillusionment on the current condition of Hollywood nightlife. Tourists once flocked to Hollywood to taste the good life. Now they only want to see Disneyland. It’s become a withering and dreary reminiscence of the fabricated culture that was staged there for so long. One things for sure, it’s not what it used to be. The Hollywood premise appears to be more grimy then glitzy. Just look at the cemented Hollywood Stars along the Hollywood walk of fame. They are painful, dingy, and dismal reminder of what Hollywood used to be and what it is now. It’s important to me for you to know that I am a southern California native. My intent is not to slander southern California or the pride that we have in the history that made Hollywood so infamous. But the reality is, the bright lights of Las Vegas have outshined it. Hollywood Blvd was a “happening spot”. I can remember 9 years ago driving down the streets of Hollywood with my friends on a Saturday night. You didn’t even have to enter a nightclub to see people dancing in the streets or young kids hanging out of their cars exchanging phone numbers at the stoplight. It was a fun place to be, it was “the” place to be. Hollywood had character. According to The Ultimate Guide to Celebrities and Hollywood, Hollywood Blvd is planning on rebirthing itself by bringing in corporate investors to renovate many of the former tourist attractions. Speaking on the current Hollywood status they wrote, “For decades, Hollywood has been a major disappointment, a case study in urban decay and neglect - a seedy, run-down area populated by a virtual freak-show of young runaways, homeless transients, wannabe heavy-metal rockers, frenzied traffic, and harried crowds of bewildered tourists wandering the dirty sidewalks while trying to find some hint of former glamour left on the famous boulevard.
For the most part, the Boulevard contained one shabby storefront after another, some vacant, but most housing tacky shops offering t-shirts & cheap Tinseltown souvenirs, fast food, and the occasional x-rated movie. (And that's not to mention the giant, pink & grey Frederick's of Hollywood building.) This is definitely not what springs to mind when most tourists think of "Hollywood."
Nowadays the streets of Hollywood are somber compared to what they used to be. Half of the clubs that I use to frequent 5 or 6 years ago are gone. Clubs such as White Lotus, Teddy’s, and Coconut Teaszer were once hotspots for many of Hollywood stars, according to losangeles.citysearch.com. All three of these clubs are closed. To get into a club that would be considered worthwhile. Meaning it doesn’t smell like vomit, and you can see your hand in front of your face, you need to be on some sort of VIP list. Hollywood is infamous for their “guest list drama”. If you don’t know someone who knows someone club lines can be up to a 2 hour wait to get in, if you’re able to get in at all. Up to 60% of bloggers on citysearch.com, yelp.com, and travel.yahoo.com gave Hollywood’s nightclubs bad reviews with 3 stars or less. For me to get ready for the night on the town is not a miniscule task. It starts with choosing the proper attire. That may entail sifting through the clothes in my closet or going shopping for something new. Next I set out to find matching shoes. Followed by an hour for hair and 30 minutes for make-up. By the time my ensemble is complete it may take me anywhere from 2-6 hours of preparation. All of that hard work only to arrive at a club at 11 PM (or 10 PM, but wait inline for an hour) and then turn around and leave 3 hours later. In Los Angeles “club hopping” is nearly impossible. By the time you get into one club and then order a drink it’s already been an hour. If you were to leave and try to do that at the next club you’re looking at another hour or two wasted, and then the nights over. “Clubbing” in Hollywood is a waste of time and money because nightclubs are only open for approximately 4 hours. The unfair California alcohol beverage control laws force nightclub owners to stop serving alcohol at 2:00 am. The enforcement of these harsh laws causes nightclub owners to close their doors early. Because alcohol consumption is the chief means of profit for nightclubs, club owners would sustain massive profit loss if their doors remained opened without being able to serve alcohol. The implementation of these laws indirectly forces club-goers to head off to sober up. In my opinion paying $20 to get into a club that is only open 4 hours is less advantageous than paying $20 to get into a club that is open 8 hours. To be fair there are still nightclubs that are “all the rave” as far as Los Angeles nightclubs go, but even those clubs can’t hold a candle to the dimmest club on the Las Vegas strip. On the best night at the best club in Los Angeles, last call for alcohol is at 1:45 am. That means, “You don’t have to go home, but you have to get the heck out of here”. According to www.wikipedia.com, “There are few restrictions on the sale and consumption of alcohol in Nevada except for age. State law also renders public intoxication legal, and explicitly prohibits any local or state law from making it a public offence [2]. In Las Vegas you get more bang for your buck. Las Vegas alcoholic beverage laws allow the nightlife to stay alive. Las Vegas nightclubs are open until at least 4 am, with after hours clubs that open their doors at midnight and operate until the sun is shining. According to govegas.about.com, “Las Vegas is all about after hours and in a city with no last call there are plenty of great options”. Las Vegas nightclubs have websites that promote long hours of operation. There are literally thousands of online reviews for many Las Vegas nightclubs where bloggers express their fondness of Las Vegas’ all-night nightclub experience. The official website for the Las Vegas chamber of commerce as well as a host of Las Vegas tourism guides use Las Vegas nightlife as a selling point to tourists. To fully understand the Las Vegas nightlife experience its imperative to take into account the surroundings. The backdrop of the Las Vegas creates a magical nightlife atmosphere. The vivaciousness of the casinos breathes life into the nightspots. There is a sea of sound, bright lights, and vivid aromas of food, liquor, and cigarettes that create a sensory awaking experience. Because the heart of Las Vegas nightlife is the Las Vegas Blvd strip, many of the multi-million dollar architecturally genius hotels planted along the strip are home to Las Vegas’ premier nightclubs, restaurants, and late night shows. The high-end hotels like Wynn, Venetian, Bellagio, and Trump set the precedence for the Las Vegas nightlife evolution. Jay Jones of the Los Angeles Times writes, “There's seemingly enough gold and crystal in Trump's lobby to renovate Buckingham Palace”. The enterprising cleverness of entrepreneurs whom concocted an enchanting fairytale land full of booze, half naked girls, and pounding music is unparalleled. The most effective counter argument to my claim is that because of the long hours of operation, alcoholic beverages in Las Vegas nightclubs are very expensive compared to most California nightclubs. According to negative reviews on posted on lasvegascityguide.com some Las Vegas nightclubs are overcrowded and the drinks are expensive. The overcrowding is a result of tourists flocking to Las Vegas to partake in the all-night club experience. Steep priced drinks are to be expected. It’s not cheap to run a nightclub with extended hours. Although Hollywood has fallen on hard times it’s not too late to revive the old girl. Longer hours of operation in nightclubs would allow nightclub goers more time to drink and enjoy themselves, as well as more time to sober up before driving. The extended hours of operation would help to re-generate more capital back to Hollywood. More currency would draw attention to investors who would potentially be able to help reface Hollywood Blvd. Until that happens I’ll be heading back to Las Vegas for my “fix”. Works Cited Page
1. “Las Vegas Nightlife” < http://govegas.about.com/od/nightlife/Las_Vegas_Nightlife.htm > July 16, 2008. 2. “Alcohol laws of the United States by state” < http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcohol_laws_of_the_United_States_by_state > July 16, 2008. 3. Jones, Jay. “High-end Las Vegas hotels go for the glamour”
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Stephen King is a great role model for aspiring writers. He is a great role model because he has good work ethic, passion for writing, he is imperfect and therefore very “accessible”, he promotes simple tools of writing such as good punctuation and grammar, he has overcome personal adversity, he has overcome professional adversity, he writes in a variety of formats, he has carved a niche for himself that is respected by the literary establishment while also being respected by the popular masses and he is very successful.
Stephen King is a great role model for writers because he has overcome great personal adversity. Stephen King’s family was abandoned by his father at a very young age. He was raised along with an adopted brother by his mother. He was moved around a lot and didn’t get to see his mother very much when he was growing up (as she was often out working two jobs just to try and support her sons). When Stephen King got older and graduated college, he and his wife lived in near poverty for many years. He often tells the story of having to write in the furnace room of their rented doublewide on a typewriter on a child-sized desk balanced on his knees. Don’t let outside circumstances stop you.
Stephen King is a great role model for writers because he has overcome great professional adversity and rejection. Many people don’t know this, but Stephen King wrote many stories and many novels before making his first sale, Carrie, when he was 26. He had written 3(?) novels before this that had been rejected and were in “the proverbial writers trunk.” He had also written many short stories, only some of which sold. He also had been writing since he was 12, submitting work to magazine, and collecting rejection slips. It is important as a writer to get your work out there, despite numerous rejections, and that’s what Stephen King did. He really shows just how important it is to put yourself out there. Once you start getting feedback on the rejection slips you know you’re getting better. It is a good feedback system. He wasn’t afraid of failure or of success. Don’t wait for perfection. Keep on trying.
Stephen King is also a great role model for writers because he is imperfect. While has written some truly works, he’s also written some real stinkers. While some might view this as a real flaw, I view it as an asset, especially when viewing Stephen King as a role model. Having the stinkers out there really makes him accessible to the average person. You see him at his best and at his worst and it’s obvious he isn’t perfect all the time. This makes me more likely to be able to feel motivated about my own work. Stephen King represents someone who is not on a high horse about his work. Some’s good, some’s not. This can help the aspiring writer to get over the fear of not being perfect, of not being the “best”…not even good writers win all of the time. Stephen King said it best himself when he said you can’t please everyone all of the time, you can’t even please some of the people all of the time, but you can at least please some of the people some of the time. He really lets you into his head; he isn’t trying to make writing some mystical art. He really just lays it out there. It’s a craft. It can be learned.
Stephen King is also a great role model for aspiring writers because he promotes the simple concepts of writing. He doesn’t treat writing like it is some unknowable mystical art. He talks about the nuts and bolts. Correct punctuation and grammar. Avoiding adverbs as a dialogue attribute. Forming sentences that aren’t wordy. He talks about having a writers toolbox that consists of everything you learn in school. Prepositions, modifiers, adverbs, active voice etc.
Stephen king is a great role model for writers because he really stresses what it takes to become a good writer. He states that you have to do a lot of reading and a lot of writing. Not reading about writing. Read what it is you hope someday to write. Write what it is you want to write. Writing is the only way to get better at writing. Stephen King has shown this with his life and personal habits. He writes for 4 hours every day, never takes a day off. He has written # novels, short stories, columns, epics and novellas. He is constantly writing. He started when he was 12 and hasn’t stopped. Writing is the only way to get better at writing. Having a good work ethic, keep your nose to the grindstone. Even when he was working horrible jobs, he would still come home and write.
Stephen King is a great role for writers because he has attained success. He is one of the bestselling writers in the world, and has also cracked the world of the literary establishment. He has received an O Henry award for one of his short stories. Misery, The Shining, and even Carrie (although King says Carrie really is no one’s intellectual treat) have all been recognized as having literary value. He has sold # novels. People like his writing. He obviously means something special to a large number of readers. Popular success isn’t important to every writer, but reaching an audience should be. Even if that audience is small. Stephen King represents someone who has reached an audience and is able to give that audience what they want without compromising his own integrity and writing. Pleasing his audience is important to him.
Stephen King is a great role model for writers because he is so humble about his writing. He has often referred to his writing as a “big mac and fries”. This just makes him more real and more accessible to someone looking for a role model to emulate. He is down to earth and humble. He has demonstrated personal integrity and seems to truly stick to his values.
Stephen King is a great role model for writers because he stimulates your imagination. Stephen Kings writing takes you places that are wild, scary, and sometimes thoughtful. He takes you places you want to go back to again, and that can inspire you to write about them. Misery. The Shining. Cujo. Carrie. Stephen king can show writers what is possible with just a pen, some paper, and an imagination. He also demonstrates what it means to create good characters, real dialogue, and description that really grips you and makes you feel as if you are there.
Stephen King is a good role model for writers because he successfully straddles the world of the literary and the world of the popular. This is a strength as a role model because he can work as a role model for either type of writer. He shows that a literary writer can in fact have popular successes, and that a popular writer can in fact write works that are more than fluffery and can stand in the literary world. This is important because breaking free of constraints is what writing is all about. This is why many people decide to write in the first place, to break free of the world they are in.
Stephen King is a great role model for aspiring writers because he promotes other writers. He actively pursues and reads other peoples writing and genuinely tries to give aspiring writers a boost. He is against the large scale book discounters because he believes that they only sell a limited number of bestselling authors and they don’t always leave room for smaller, less well selling books to get published and sold. This is bad for diversity and bad for writers who might not have a popular audience. Stephen King is not a snob when it comes to writing and he isn’t out to purposely dominate the market, he sincerely wants all sorts of writers to be able to make it and earn money from their writing just as he has.
Stephen King is a great role model for writers because he loves what he does, and that love is positively infectious. He obviously has a very deep passion for writing, for creating stories, and for making his readers happy. This passion rubs off and makes you want to go out and write your own book, tell your own stories. You get energized about all of the possibilities. Stephen King really makes you feel like it is all within reach, you can really do it.
Stephen King is a great role model for writers because he isn’t just a horror writer. Many people think he is, especially people who have never read his work, but who have seen some of the terrible movies made from his work. While he was made famous by his novels which used elements of horror, he is far from being “just a horror writer.” Stephen King has written many literary tales as well, dramas too. Many non-readers are surprised to find out that The Shawshank Redemption and Stand By Me are both movies made from Stephen Kings shorter works, Rita Hayworth… and The Body respectively.
Stephen King is a great role model for writers because of all of these things.
Debbie Maxwell Argument of Evaluation Eng 1B class 12215 Zero Draft [dw#16] Essay #4 7/17/08
Introduction:
Hook: In the words of philosopher Aristotle, “it is possible to fail in many ways…while to succeed is possible only in one way.” Thesis: Coffee giant Starbucks, known world wide, has proved itself to be a highly efficient corporation reaping much success in the process. Essay Map: Through the evaluation of Starbucks’ strong focus, attention to customer needs, and ability to generate publicity, taking care of their employees, it will become clear that Starbucks embodies the ideals of efficiency and success.
Body Paragraph #1 Topic Sentence: My subject would be the strong focus that the C.E.O. has and how that would effect the efficiency and growth of the company. Facts: Right now Starbucks runs 12,440 locations worldwide, but the goal is 40,000, which would trump even McDonald's. Starbucks, executives tenaciously hold on to the idea that every store is like an independent coffeehouse. "The battle within the company is making sure growth doesn't dilute our culture," says founder and chairman Howard Schultz. Asked the secret of his success, Schultz recounts four principles: "Don't be threatened by people smarter than you. Compromise anything but your core values. Seek to renew yourself even when you are hitting home runs. And everything matters." As the company began to expand rapidly in the '90s, Schultz always said that the main goal was "to serve a great cup of coffee." But attached to this goal was a principle: Schultz said he wanted "to build a company with soul." Everything I read about Howard Schultz was that he was hard working, diligent, cared for the underdog and really is the genius behind Starbucks success. He has very strong ideals and vision for the future, and knows the steps to carry it out. Body Paragraph #2 Topic Sentence: Awareness of Customer needs and treatment of the employee and how that has succeeded in retaining their workers, which in turn would affect efficiency in the stores and happy customers. Starbucks offers full benefits such as health, dental, and vision insurance, as well as stock-option grants and 401(k) with matching to employees who work an average of 20 hours per week over a three month period. Each employee can receive a box of tea or a pound (0.45kg) of coffee each week if they choose. Many of these benefits, including the weekly free coffee or tea continue in the case of temporary disability or familial leave. Employees also enjoy a 30% discount on all regular and sale-price merchandise. Beginning May 2008, all Starbucks employees receive complimentary wifi internet access at any U.S. Starbucks through the new Starbucks/AT&T partnership. As of 2008, Starbucks was ranked by Fortune magazine as the 7th best company to work for in the United States, up from 16th in 2007. In 2006 it was ranked 29th and in 2005 it was 11th. Starbucks was also voted as one of the top ten UK workplaces by the Financial Times in 2007. Body Paragraph #3 Topic Sentence: How Starbucks generates publicity without really using publicity. In 2000, the company introduced a line of fair trade products. Of the approximately 300 million pounds of coffee Starbucks purchased in 2006, about 6 percent was certified as fair trade. According to Starbucks, they purchased 4.8 million pounds of Certified Fair Trade coffee in fiscal year 2004 11.5 million pounds in 2005. They have become the largest buyer of Certified Fair Trade coffee in North America (10% of the global market). Transfair USA the only third-party certifier of Fair Trade Certified coffee in the United States, has noted the impact Starbucks has made in the area of Fair Trade and coffee farmer's lives by saying: Since launching {its} FTC coffee line in 2000, Starbucks has undeniably made a significant contribution to family farmers through their rapidly growing FTC coffee volume. By offering FTC coffee in thousands of stores, Starbucks has also given the FTC label greater visibility, helping to raise consumer awareness in the process.
Conclusion: It seems quite clear that Starbucks has no intentions of letting up on this fast-paced growth plan to make sure no one should have to hunt for a great cup of coffee anywhere in the world. The statistics prove that Starbucks’ claims to be the finest distributor of coffee in the world and will be the largest company to dominate the coffee industry.
DW#16 Essay #4 Argument of Evaluation (Zero Draft)
“Katie Casey saw all the games, Knew the players by their first names; Told the umpire he was wrong, All along good and strong. When the score was just two to two, Katie Casey knew what to do, Just to cheer up the boys she knew, She mad the gang sin this song: ‘Take me out to the ball game, Take me out to the crowd . . .”
The above quotation is an excerpt from Jack Norworth’s 1927 version of the commonly known song, “Take me out to the Ball Game” (http://www.baseball-almanac.com/poetry/po_stmo.shtml). It is a quotation that embodies the emotions related to baseball. Baseball represents so many things: athleticism, strategy, popularity and tradition. By evaluating those qualities, it can be argued that baseball is the ultimate sport. Baseball is America’s Pastime.
One evaluation that can be used to determine baseball’s ultimate standing in sports is athleticism. Baseball requires the most continuous athleticism of any professional sport. Each sport requires a great deal of strength, flexibility, endurance and natural ability. Athleticism is defined by these qualities. However, when looking at the sports individually, it can be understood that Baseball players display the greatest amount of athleticism. A baseball player uses strength in each activity during the sport. This includes throwing, running, swinging the bat, catching, and squatting. There is constant movement in the game, constant use of muscle. This is different from football, in that football players specialize. Some run, some throw, some tackle. In baseball, however, the players could be considered “jacks of all trades”. Though baseball players have a specific position, they each run, throw, catch and are constantly moving. Secondly, the flexibility required in baseball is very high. A baseball player must be able to squat, dive, and leap to get to the baseball. Baseball requires movements that are more finesse than the straightforward “throw your weight around” movements of football, or the legs only game of soccer. Thirdly, when it comes to endurance, baseball is arguably the only sport that practically lasts all year. Preseason begins in March and post season ends in October. Baseball teams are scheduled 162 regular season games a year (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Major_League_Baseball). Football plays only sixteen regular season games, hockey comes closer with 82, however, neither can even compare to baseball’s 162. The game itself is an endurance game (www.wiki.answers.com). Nine innings per game push the time of play to anywhere from two to three hours. Considering the wide range of necessary skills, muscle usage and stamina required for baseball compared to other sports, it can be argued that baseball has the most athletic players of any sport.
Athleticism is not the only aspect of baseball that makes it superior to other sports. Baseball is a game of strategy. Planning, scouting, adaptability, and acute observation are necessary strategic elements for the game of baseball. There are many things for a coach to take in to consideration when planning a baseball game. The coach has to decide what pitcher to put up against the other team. This can be determined by the handedness of the other team’s batters, the other team’s ability to hit certain pitches, and even previous history between the pitcher and the other team. There is a lot of research required for one solitary game. A baseball team’s manager also has to decide which players will be included in the line up, which order they will be in and where in the field each will play. There is a lot of shifting in baseball. Many players are versatile. This is a lot different than other sports. You don’t often see the same player being a quarterback and being able to play wide receiver, in football. Though pre-planning is a major part of the strategy of baseball, there is much strategy involved during the actual game. Baseball teams have a general style. The Angels, for example, are known for their “short game”. They are known for using small plays to gain runs, rather than relying on the raw power of home runs. This general team strategy, however, can change during a game. If it comes to certain situations, certain timing aspects, certain player match-ups or situations, the manager may choose to change the strategy. For example, the manager may go into an inning thinking he will let the batters swing away for each of the first three at-bats. But then, the first player hits a single. Now, the manager may change his idea and decide to steal, or have the next player bunt, depending on the speed of the runner. There is a lot to think about and constant strategizing to be done. Football has strategy too. I am not denying that. But, in football, plays are made, and then executed. There is not much adapting during an actual play. These constant adjustments to plans are caused by observation. The baseball players and coaches are constantly observing and thinking to make instant strategic changes.
Athleticism and strategy aside, there is no arguing with prolonged popularity. When one thinks of the popularity of sports, the first thought is often football. Professional, arena and college football all have a huge following. They have many fans. But, if one considers the definition of popular, which is that something or someone is “regarded with favor, approval or affection by the people in general” (www.dictionary.com) Football is widely attended, profitable and discussed a lot, but mostly by men. Baseball has a wider fan base. Baseball is viewed by men, women, children, teenagers and the elderly. It is also a sport that is all inclusive when playing. There is little league for boys, softball for girls and even slow pitch for adults. Football has no woman counterpart and once one is too old, football is out of the question. Baseball and softball is a sport that can be played as young as three years old and as old as one can still walk. Football, on the other hand, usually doesn’t start until about age eleven or twelve and is over by forty. Besides playing, baseball is also a very popular sport to view and track. This is done via television, radio and the internet. In fact, “major league baseball already has the most profitable league web site” (http://www.cnbc.com/id/25693044).
A big part of baseball’s likeability is the tradition involved. The sport is different now compared to the past, but it has the nostalgia, the tradition. Almost anyone knows of baseball as “America’s Pastime”. “It was called ‘America's Pastime’ because during the late 19th and early 20th century it was probably the most widely played sport in the country. Baseball was to that time period as video games and television are to today. It was literally how America passed the time. (http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Why_is_baseball_called_America's_pastime ). This aspect of tradition keeps the fans fervent with desire to preserve the sport and support what it stands for. It is America’s fun, entertaining way to be patriotic. While football may be thought of as the most popular sport, “being the most popular sport does not make something the ‘national pastime’” (http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Why_is_baseball_called_America's_pastime ).
Baseball is America’s Pastime. It is the ultimate sport. Baseball requires flexibility, strength and endurance unlike any other sport. Baseball has a schedule that runs eight months out of the year and requires five to six days of work a week. It is a sport of strategy, a sport of observation, and a sport involving many quick changes. This pastime is watched by men, women, and children. It is attended by families, friends and complete strangers who become friends. It is the most “popular” sport considering the audience is all inclusive. Baseball is patriotic, it is tradition. Take me out to the ball game. Three strikes and you’re out. There’s no crying in baseball. Baseball is America’s Pastime.
Tammy L. Wood [dw#16] Essay #4 – Argument of Evaluation – Zero Draft red122557@hotmail.com
The Abolishment of Religious Observances
Christmas is a religious holiday and should remain so as one of the great traditions in American history. Activists groups in America are trying to change the calendar in reference to what should be considered as a federal government holiday. U.S. holidays and Holy days as we know them could possible be changed in the future if they can be proven as a religious observances, which many feel is the separation of the church from the state. The biggest controversy is over Christmas Day. The true meaning of Christmas has completely lost its meaning, but does that mean that we should take this off of our calendars and maybe call it “Winter Celebration” instead? With our society becoming such a diversified group of people with so many religious backgrounds, there are grumblings that this holiday and other ones like Easter, are stepping on the toes of the people’s constitutional rights. Christmas is a religious holiday and by us observing it, we are acknowledging that Jesus exists. Not everyone observes the Christian religion, so should everyone be forced to acknowledge this holiday? Should America observe other religious holidays and receive paid time off for those as well? Which religious holiday is the “right” religious holiday? Is that such a terrible thing to celebrate Christmas? These are all of the controversial topics concerning religious observances. Our government could pass laws concerning these holidays that would abolish them from our calendars as national holidays. This would change the very foundations that America was built on. The abolishment of religious holidays would not be a positive move and would only go on to further deteriorate life as we know it in the U.S.
Charles Krauthammer, a Jewish neoconservative, has plenty to say about this topic. In the article Christmas and the National Question: One Cheer for Krauthammer, he said that “The attempts to de-Christianize Christmas are as absurd as they are relentless”. He also said, “The United States today is the most tolerant and diverse society in history. It celebrates all faiths with an open heart and open mindedness that, compared to even the most advanced countries in Europe, are unique.” Krauthammer feels that, “Americans certainly enjoy a right to practice whatever religions they wish, Christianity remains the public religion of the nation---whether one believes in it or likes it or not.” Krauthammer goes on to say that going against Christmas it “ungenerous” and that it is “a failure to appreciate the uniqueness of the communal American religious experience. Unlike, for example, the famously tolerant Ottoman Empire or the generally tolerant Europe of today, the United States does not merely allow minority religions to exist at its sufferance. It celebrates and welcomes and honors them.” Every nation has an identity as to what religion their nation is connected to. China is Buddhism, England’s religion is Christianity; Iraq’s is Islam and so on. As with all religions, there are traditions that each country follows. Are we asking these other nations to change their ways to accommodate us? No we don’t! We should respect the traditions of other nations as others should respect ours. With the ability for us to relocate to other countries, this has truly spread our diverse populations to all ends of the earth. Should we then change our very traditions to accommodate other religions or activists groups or do we stick to what we know as traditions? Sam Francis states in the above article that, “it is precisely because Christianity is vital to our national identity that there is a war against it, and that’s the reason also there is now a nationwide resistance to that war by Americans who wish to conserve our national identity. Thus the major national holiday is and always has been the major Christian holiday, and throughout American history presidents and public leaders of all parties and persuasions have acknowledged the Christian identity of the country, without any supposition of controversy.” Christmas is not just a religious holiday but a day to be enjoyed by all and to offer gifts of love and friendship to those we know and in some instances to complete strangers.
So, with so much “love” floating around, why are the activists groups so adamant about seeing Christmas taken off of the list of national holidays? The ACLU, Americans United for Separation of Church and State and the FFRF, the Freedom From Religion Foundation is two groups that feel very strong about this subject. I don’t think they realize how many things would have to change if the U.S. took Christmas away. It would change everything that we know as the “Christmas Holiday Season”. Schools would be open, government offices and banks would be open for business, we might even loose our holiday pay for that day. The spirit of Christmas would still exist, but we would have to rename it something else that didn’t have any correspondence to religion. Somehow, I don’t think that it would be the same. The true meaning of Christmas would no longer exist. Gary DeMar made a proposal in the article Lets Abolish Christmas, “If you really believe what you claim, then go all the way. Go to court and stop the State celebration of Christmas by mandating that all government employees must work on December 25th.” I believe that most Americans would not stand for such actions because the Christmas traditions are too important to abolish them.
School is another topic that would undertake some drastic changes. There would be no more Christmas breaks. There might still be a winter recess, but nothing could be focused around Christmas and good cheer. Some teachers believe that the December holidays bring about an opportunity to teach about other countries traditions. Becky Carter, director of elementary learning services at District 49, said in an article A Holiday From Debate, “The primary purpose is education”. The Anti-Defamation League states in the same article that, “It is constitutionally permissible for public schools to teach about religion, but unconstitutional for public schools to observe religious holidays or practice religion”. In the same article, Ted Siewert goes on to say that, “You can teach the facts on anything without being biased”. Religion has been the force behind many wars and battles in every nation on this earth. This can not be taken away that easily without having to rewrite the history books as well as throwing out the Bible the Hebrew Bible and every other book that teaches religion. It has been the backbone of our very existence.
So, what is wrong with us celebrating Christmas? Are we breaking all of the rules when it comes to constitutional rights? Are we willing to leave behind what we have celebrated for so many years? There are laws put here to protect us and our rights, but should these laws go so far as to change the very essence of our being. America was a proud country and our traditions speak of that. We should not be taking away from our traditions, just merely adding to them. Other religions should be able to observe their holidays as well, but the emphasis should remain on the holidays of what this nation is about, who we are, where we came from, what our religious beliefs are and how we used all of this to build our great nation.. I don’t want to see us turn our backs on any of this. We need to stand proud and tall and keep our traditions in tact because that is who we are here in America. The celebration of Christmas goes deeper than eggnog and mistletoe. Yes, it is a religious holiday, but perhaps everyone needs to look a little closer at the true meaning of Christmas. Our nation could use more of what Christmas has to offer!
Works Cited: The Christmas Wars: Holiday Displays and the Federal Courts
A Holiday From Debate
Christmas and the National Question: One Cheer for Krauthammer
Being nineteen, all alone in this world is kind of a scary thing. No parents to watch me over, see if I come home late or any thing that has to do with control. I go to work full time and pay for all bills. It sucks, (find better work for suck) if I get caught up in a situation I can’t handle or get out of, I’m screwed. I find myself making older friends and by doing this makes the ones that are my age or older seem obsolete and annoying. They don’t know how it feels to really not have a home. Having to cook your own food which turns into spaghettios and peanut butter sanchwiches. Lonely nights when your looking for advice turn into just that, lonely. My parents live in Maine and yes, I could go live with them again but I don’t feel there is any thing for me in that part of the world. I have lived in California for 10 years and have made a life here. I am originally from the east coast but this is where my every thing is. Hobbies, friends, love, even weather. I have learned a lot of lessons being by myself. Priortizing and learning how to save money and I am proud of these accomplishments.
One thing that does not strike up my motivation, is the constant judgement that goes against me for being younger. I understand that “19” to most elders means rebellious and being irresponsible. I see every day as a constant struggle to stay on top. I go to school, pay for it as well which is pretty difficult considering raising prices in just gas, food, etc. By having a full time job as well, is a huge responsibility. I work 40+ hours a week, plus some overtime on the weekends if needed by my tenants. I manage residential properties for people that are three times my age. This is twist, I try to hide my age. Being surrounded by older people makes me feel more mature, and this is the persona I have to put on for these people and any other professionals I meet. If not, I don’t get the respect I deserve. People will start to discriminate me and not take what I say seriously. I have studied and trained for this position and feel I should get this respect no matter how many years I’ve been alive, but this is not how it works. I take great sympathy for those who slack off through their teen years because they are in for a rude awakening. These are the young adults that give us all a bad reputation. They make people like myself, look irresponsible and out to just cause chaos. With this outlook, I feel as though the perception of young adults will never change.
Star Trek has become one of the most popular series in the history of science fiction entertainment. The series and movies have a large fan base from all over the world. The Original Series achieved an iconic status in the television history. The adventures of Star Trek were new and fresh in the 1960’s. By that time television dramas were becoming less popular and people were hungry for new adventurous movies, for something they were not expecting, something that was not predictable. What genre could fulfill better this expectation than science fiction? “To boldly go where no man has gone before” said the opening tagline and the magic happened indeed. The technical background was less sophisticated than nowadays, but the costumes of various alien species and spaceship scale models were something new in that time. The Original Series was remastered a couple years ago, but if someone is caught by the adventures and the storyline than the scale models are not even that unbearably striking. Every episode is a different adventure, acquaintance with new life forms, new machines, new technologies people wish to own one day. A brand new world is introduced for the audience where earthmen live in relative peace, in a world where a large community of species can live together in the United Federation of Planets. The monetary system is just an outdated memory from the past. Man is ready to step out from his boundaries and see the vast world with his own eyes. The crew was cast from a diversity of ethnic groups, which was significant because integration was a usual occurrence in 1960s television. In this diverse crew everyone could and still can find at least one character of his liking. However, it is also true that the concept of the series was rejected first by MGM, but that was such a long time ago, so many spinoffs were created since then, and the fan base become so large, that maybe even the producers at MGM would like to forget how they gave the chance away for another company to make the series a huge success. What can be a better evidence of Star Trek’s popularity than the huge fan base? Thousands of people around the world admire the series. Some of them are financing, writing and creating their own version of the series. Everyone can get a role in the adventures and they upload the episodes to the internet. Others creating fan sites where they post information about the series, characters, actors, stories, writers, director, and forums where fans can talk and share their Star Trek experiences. Those who are more fanatics build their house to look like a starship or their living room is the main deck of a Galaxy class. They get together in December on the Star Trek Day, they put on costumes and pointing ears and they just enjoy their out of character experience. The fans’ imagination knows no limits. The Star Trek series’ popularity is so unlimited that a whole industry is based upon it. Six spinoffs, animated series, movies, dozens of computer and video games, hundreds of novels, comic strips, theme park in Las Vegas, hundreds of different merchandises, ship scale models, dolls, pins, clothes, posters you name it. The societal impact of the series cannot be dismissed. The fans say they share same ideals in their everyday lives as the Federation. The fans accept each other and they are open for new ideas and ways of thinking. As long as there will be people with such kind of an attitude, the popularity of Star Trek cannot fade away.
10 comments:
"If Clark [Kent] wanted to, he could use his super-speed and squish me into the cement. But I know how he thinks. Even more than the Kryptonite, he's got one big weakness. Deep down, Clark's essentially a good person. ....And deep down...I'm not." - Batman (Hush, DC Comics #612, 2002)
Batman is the most humanized and relatable character in all of superhero fiction, a quality that has kept his stories popular in diverse forms of media for decades, since his creation by Bob Kane for National Publications (which would later become the legendary DC Comics) in 1939 (Daniels 1999). He is a flawed hero in the finest tradition of tragic literature, which makes his motives more complex, and his plights more compelling, than those that unfold in story arcs belonging to other superheroes. The above quotation perfectly illustrates the reasons so many comic-book readers and movie or television viewers have found Batman's persona and quests so engrossing over the years: his anger and guilt are emotions with which we can all identify, because they often lead him to danger and ruin, and his fragile mortality is constantly in evidence, inducing a palpable fear in both himself and his audience. Bruce Wayne is only a man, after all, driven though he is by his own inner demons to fight injustice and save Gotham City, and he holds strong and occasionally contradictory sentiments just like the rest of us.
By now, we all know the story: Bruce Wayne watched his parents die, after a mugging gone wrong, as a young child on the way home from an opera. This deeply personal trauma is heart-wrenching enough in itself to secure young Bruce's place as a sympathetic character; however, as we follow him through adolescence, when he is a lost soul searching for direction and meaning, we also recall the emptiness and yearning that often filled our days at that age, though few of us can truly identify with the (surely frustrating) knowledge that immense wealth is no substitute at all for the loss and loneliness felt after the deaths of the ones we love most. The protagonist embarks on a journey of self-discovery, the longing (and even planning) for which is something else that many readers can personally empathize with, although it must be said that few people make their pilgrimage in the form of a submersion into the criminal underworld! Bruce desires to know the mind of the outlaw, in order that he can understand why his parents were killed, and he desperately needs to find a way to absolve himself from the extraordinary guilt he feels (the fact that he does not know how to go about doing so is merely another way in which we can feel his pain; everyone has embarked on a personal quest without knowing what the end would look like). Unfortunately, this is an ultimately misguided attempt, as reason is rarely a factor in the action of violent crime; Bruce returns to Gotham with a new resolve, and becomes the storied crimefighter known as Batman.
Batman's most human aspect is, of course, that he is merely human like the rest of us. He doesn't have Superman's laser-vision, or Wolverine's adamantium skeleton, or the Flash's incredible speed, or the superhuman strength of the Hulk, or the mutant arachno-abilities of Spiderman. Batman is just some guy who is dressed in a ridiculous vinyl suit and cape, and who also happens to be a martial arts master and brilliant detective: nothing the average reader couldn't become, given the proper motivation and sufficient practice. Commentators have even noted that Batman need not be particularly skilled at either trade; deception and surprise are his primary tools and compensate for any lack of physical or intellectual skill, and his bottomless checking account allows him to use equipment that far outclasses anything a mere criminal can obtain (Friedman 2006). One imagines that Bruce Wayne would have made an excellent undercover detective, if he had chosen to eschew vigilantism in favor of more lawful methods.
Another, more emotionally trenchant connection between the character of Batman and his devoted fans is the constant undercurrent of righteous anger that betrays itself in both his actions and his internal monologue (to which we are fortunate enough to have access, given the generous quantity of thought-bubbles in the typical comic). His guilt over the deaths of his parents has transmuted into a directionless anger at the world for denying him vengeance and for its propensity for senseless violence towards the innocent. This is surely a feeling that is familiar to those of us with a social conscience; injustice is prevalent in our world, and we often feel discomfort or even rage when confronted with the sight of others' misfortunes. However, we, unlike Batman, lack the means (if not the resolve) to pursue justice by any means necessary, instead being forced to rely on government or social pressure to eradicate evil. This subconscious wish to be the arbiter of vigilante justice, even if it is never acted upon, is a powerfully connecting force between Batman and even the most casual reader. We have all wanted to be the guy or girl who saves the world, or at least the damsel in distress, and Bruce Wayne provides an outlet for those fantasies while simultaneously holding true to his own convictions.
Batman's ideals are often quite utilitarian, that is, his motives are frequently intended towards the end that will do the greatest good for the greatest number of people. He has often made personal sacrifices in order to ensure the safety of Gotham, and this is something the reader can identify with in an abstract way (having probably never had to choose between a lover and a city), but it is not the most salient point of Batman's personal ethos. When it comes to the matter of taking the life of an enemy, Batman has steadfastly refused (at least since his earliest and roughest incarnations in the late 1930s) to commit murder, no matter how justifiable or beneficial to the public it may seem. This deontological tenet holds true in his beliefs and actions, due to his conviction that such an act would be morally irredeemable in and of itself, regardless of the future evil that could be avoided, and that by killing he would become no better than the villains he struggles to overcome (White 2008). If this is not a quality we could all necessarily share in every possible dangerous circumstance, it is certainly something worth aspiring to, and thus deepens our admiration of Batman's mental strength and devotion to justice. This contrasts mildly with the absolutist ethics portrayed by the Punisher, whose backstory and nature are otherwise similar, since that hero has no qualms about killing if it should prove to advance the victory of good over evil -- a willingness that has earned him the label of "anti-hero".
The story of Bruce Wayne and Batman (which is the true alter-ego?) has captivated audiences for many years, and will continue in popularity for the foreseeable future. This ongoing fascination is due in large part to those aspects of the character that humanize him to a degree unequaled by any other superhero: his internal emotional conflicts and the ever-present darkness within his psyche, his unquenchable drive to fight injustice and protect the innocent, his strict adherence to an admirable moral code -- but most of all, audiences are drawn closer to him as a person by his ingenuity and ability to rise above the defects and incapacities of mortal men, despite being one himself, in order to achieve his worthy goals. Batman can be bruised and even fatally wounded, but in his own words, "I need to become more than a man. I need to become a symbol. A man can be killed, but a symbol can't be stopped, only feared."
References
Daniels, Les. (1999). Batman: The Complete History. San Francisco: Chronicle Books.
Friedman, Cary A. (2006). Wisdom From the Batcave: How to Live a Super, Heroic Life. Linden, N.J.: Compass Books.
White, Mark D., Arp, Robert, & Irwin, William. (2008). Batman and Philosophy: The Dark Knight of the Soul (The Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture Series). Hoboken, N.J.: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Luisa Vargas
Dw #16
Argument of Evaluation.
As a child I always thought I lived in paradise. I did not know how paradise was for other people and I did not know it could be subjective but I was sure that were I lived had to be it. Growing up I realized that paradise, like I called my homeland, had things that were not so pleasant and I realize that the same place that was safe and beautiful to me was dangerous and ugly to others. I could not see Colombia the way the rest of the world saw it and it was shocking for me the first time I heard in the news: “Colombia is the most dangerous country in the world.” I could not help but wonder: who made that decision? According to whom? And how many people agree with this? Now, as a grown up, I have the knowledge and enough reasons to tell people that Colombia is not the most dangerous country in the world. There are three main misconceptions about safety in Colombia: it is said that Colombian crime rate is the highest is the world, that everyone in Colombia produces or knows someone who produces cocaine, and that foreign tourists are not safe at all there.
Colombia has shown really high rates of crime throughout the years. Everything started with a civil war called “El Bogotazo”, which was a conflict between two political parties for the power, leading to years of constant corruption and tragedy. An illegal army called FARC was created to defend people from the government, but this army had no ideals and as the years went by, the FARC started hurting and killing those people they said they wanted to defend. It has been over fifty years since this all started, and most governments have given more power to this group than what they have done against them, leaving Colombian people in the middle of a war. Now, when people actually want to change this path, they realize that it takes more than one government period and a good heart to do so. The current president of the country, Alvaro Uribe, has been a great leader, the slogan of his campaign was “soft heart but strong hands” meaning that with assertiveness and a hearth full of good intentions things can change. Crime rate in Colombia has lowered considerably, the crime per capita, which means per every thousand people, is 4.99 putting Colombia in the 44th place out of 66 countries analyzed. The assaults per capita are 0.58 putting Colombia in the 35th place out of 57 countries; rape rate is 0.04 per capita so Colombia is the 53rd out of 60. None of those are 1st place. That alone says a lot about Colombia not being the most dangerous country in the world.
Another very well known issue is that everyone in Colombia produces or knows someone who produces cocaine. I have never seen or met someone who actually worked in the drug business but if this is not enough reason for people to believe I have valuable information to prove that at least 90% of Colombian people make a leaving out of clean and honest jobs. Colombia has made it in the news as Columbia, people little know about the correct spelling of its name, let alone its real story. Hollywood and the news have done a great job selling the image of Colombia as a cocaine jungle, where parents live their kids in a little house while they go to work growing cocaine, poppy, and marijuana. Movies like “XXX” and “Clear and Present Danger” show how in Colombia people walk around coca plants and the danger of getting shot as soon as they arrive. “If you say that Colombia is so dangerous like now it is Iraq, you mean that the Colombian cities are under heavy attacks, bombs in any public place and many other kind of terrorist attacks. Surely, it is not what the ones who like to do world classifications are meaning. They want to mean that in Colombia there is a political conflict and you have to take care if you travel to Colombia, but such conclusion is not understood like that for citizens if they see the name of Colombia near to Iraq as violent alike. What we want to say is that you can not compare the violence of Colombia with the violence of Iraq. It would be more exact to the comparison with the violence of the USA”•. Developed countries give their people warnings before traveling to Colombia, some even try to persuade people on not going there, but if we were to compare violence from one country to another then governments should advise people from Chile or Argentine not to travel to U. S. A since its crime rate is a lot higher than in those two countries. It is clear we cannot compare opinions about what is really dangerous since this changes depending on people experiences, the way they were raised and hot they lived. I can personally say that I lived in Colombia for 21 years, and I was never robbed, I never saw a gun, I never saw, grew or worked with cocaine, and I never saw an assassination. On the other hand, I have lived in U. S. A for three years, and I have already seen a robbery where guns where used and I saw a woman being physically abused by her husband; and I live in Laguna Beach one of the cities with the lowest crime rates in California. This just proves that circumstances can change and a place could be the safest place on Earth and still be dangerous for some.
All of this could be proved, but how do you explain to foreigners that Colombia is beautiful and that they are not going to get killed as soon as they set foot on Colombian ground? Peter Van Dijck lived in Colombia, and he answered some questions about his experience; he was realistic yet respectful to Colombia: “The dangers are both real and exaggerated. I've never experienced any hostility, but it is true: Colombia is a violent society. However, the expectations of most foreigners are completely overblown, chances are if you come to Colombia you'll never have anything worse than a sunburn. It does make for a continuing conversation topic, and often I found it hard to strike that balance between careful and careless. But once you get it you'll be fine. The only real danger is when travelling on the road, and if you are really worried, that's easily avoided by taking planes”•. Hundreds of people travel to Colombia and never encounter any danger; there is risk, we cannot or should not hide that, but as long as tourists go to safe places, and there are thousands of those all over the country, and as long as they have a group of people to guide them then they would be safe. People go to Colombia to teach other languages, and are able to enjoy its reality. Tourist should be warned, yes, but not discourage to go there. Since the new safety caravans, which are special dates organized by the government and located all along Colombian roads, tourism in Colombia has increased on a 65%, even Colombian people are doing what they were afraid to do for so long, travel around their own country. Crime rate keeps lowering and tourism increasing, that is a good sign and it is about time people stop calling Colombia the most dangerous country in the world.
Colombia has great things to offer: culture, history and even art; Colombia has the biggest theater festival in the whole entire world, and people come to it from many different countries to enjoy it, nobody has been killed at it. Colombia has 14,000 species of butterflies, and it is the third country in biodiversity. There is a lot more to Colombia than a cocaine jungle. I know that its past has shown a bad side of it, but most Colombians are trying to show the good side, but as long as people keep destroying its image, Colombia will stay as the most dangerous county in the world and the three points I made here: low crime rates, honest people and a great touristic destinations would not be valid to show that Colombia is a wonderful place, and that perhaps Colombia could be really close to paradise.
http://www.nationmaster.com/country/co-colombia/cri-crime Stats about crime per capita.
Information from a YouTube video. Available at http://youtube.com/watch?v=qgW8Y7F8DN8
• Colombia Passport: Economics, society and culture of Colombia. http://colombiapassport.blogspot.com/2007/08/violence.html
• http://www.escapeartist.com/efam16/Colombian_Expat.html
Matthew Lujan
7-16-08
English 1B
DW#16-Essay #4 Argument of Evaluation Zero Draft
Research Paper Outline
Paragraph 1 – Thesis: Based on Iran’s rich and diverse history of anti-imperialism, a U.S. invasion into Iran would be catastrophic for the United States national security and access to the worlds natural resources based on the constitutional revolution, the Coup D’etat of Mosaddeq, the subsequent rise of the Shah, and the events of the Iranian Revolution which instilled an Islamic Republic
Paragraph 2 – Anti-imperialism background: Iranian constitutional revolution
Paragraph 3 – Anti-imperialism background: Coup D’etat of Mosaddeq
Paragraph 4 – Anti-imperialism background: Rise of Shah
Paragraph 5 – Threats of nuclear weapons that Iran suspiciously posses.
Paragraph 6 – Consequences of a potential invasion in Iran due to strong Islamic ties
Paragraph 7 – Conclusion: Americans should look to the visionary George Washington for advice on wars against a country.
We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America. (U.S. Constitution) The United States of America was founded on the birth of this statement by our founding fathers: this statement holds truth to all testaments of society and the basic guideline for our government to uphold. However, the unprecedented constitutional powers claimed by the President since 9/11 subtracted national security and have been asserted for non-national security purposes. “Congressional oversight of the executive branch to prevent secret government has diminished. This exact cause undermines self-government and invited lawlessness and maladministration.”(Paul) Yet the United States government continues on with the war on global terrorism that has no end and a preemptive war on Iran much like the war on Iraq is inevitable. Based on Iran’s rich and diverse history of anti-imperialism, a U.S. invasion into Iran would be catastrophic for the United States national security and access to the worlds natural resources based on the constitutional revolution, the Coup D’etat of Mosaddeq, the subsequent rise of the Shah, and the events of the Iranian Revolution which instilled an Islamic Republic.
Notions of democracy, constitutionalism, and freedom in Iran date back to the Constitutional Revolution of 1906. Under Mozzafar-al-din Shah, the Iranian people enjoyed little to no freedom at all. The Shah put Iran in an extensive debt, mainly due to his extravagant lifestyle. The Shah had also acquired concessions from Russia and Britain in an attempt to lower the national debt. But these concessions further injured Iranian pockets, especially the merchant class. One of the most famous concessions was the Tobacco concession to a British company to sell tobacco in 1892, which triggered a rebellion. The public was outraged; the emergence of a foreign company in the Iranian market would seriously would the income of many Iranians. Subsequently, the merchants approached Ayatollah Shirazi, asking him what their shari’a duty was to the infidel company. He replied that to work for the company would be haram, or forbidden. The next day, following Ayatollah Shirazi’s fatwa, all the cafes and stores took all the tobacco paraphernalia and burned and smashed it in the streets. In one account, it is said that the Shah’s servant was beaten severely for not preparing the Shah’s after-breakfast water pipe. The servant’s refusal to disobey a religious fatwa demonstrated that the Ayatollah has more power than the Shah, and raised the question, “of whom do you serve?” Ensuing the rebellion, the Shah had to cancel the concession, which put Iran into more debt, because the Shah had to cover the company’s loss in attempting to establish their business in Iran. The Tobacco Protest of 1892 initiated the notion that the public could question the legitimacy of the Shah, whereas before they blindly accepted his rule.
The United States and Britain agreed to overthrow Mosaddeq in what is called Operation Ajax. Secret service agencies M16 in Britain and the CIA in the United States paid wealthy merchant families, for example the Rashidians, to entice riots against Mosaddeq. Eventually, the riots forced Mosaddeq into custody, and the politically weak Shah replaced him with Fazlollah Zahedi. The following day, the United States Treasury sent Zahedi a check for 45 million US dollars to help out with the new government. After the coup d’état, the Nationalization Bill was reversed, and American intervention in Iran increased. America went from having 0% of Iranian oil to 40%, British Petroleum received 40%, and other European companies received 2%. This event drastically changed the way the Middle East viewed the West. Whereas before, the West represented technology, innovation, and progress, it now symbolized imperialistic greed. America had successfully replaced a progressive leader with a dictator, and Iranians would never forget it.
Despite the advent of the 1953 coup d’état of Mosaddeq, Iran experienced economic growth under the Shah. The Shah’s White Revolution included revisions in land reform, nationalization of Forests, sale of state-owned enterprises to the public, workers profit sharing in 20% of net corporate earnings, voting and political rights for women, formation of the Literacy Corps, formations of the Heath Corps, the Reconstruction and development corps, and establishment of the House of Equity (Gheissari). Among one of the negative aspects of the Shah’s reforms was closing the Majles, but no one complained, until SAVAK (secret police) began to raid homes at night, resulting in the torture and ultimate disappearances of thousands of people. Iranians rushed to court houses to report these abuses in violation of their Constitutional rights, but officials dismissed the cases. Animosity toward the Shah intensified, claiming him to be a puppet of the West because of his many American advisors, and visits with President Jimmy Carter. Initially, Iranians had faith in President Carter, hoping that he would shed light on the obvious lack of human rights in the region, but instead, Carter did nothing, and went as far to say that Iran was the United States’ best friend.
Animosity against the Shah intensified as he denied the existence of and responsibility for the numerous tortures that occurred during his reign. The people were looking for someone to lead them, something that would be hard to find, considering that opposition to the Shah were “taken care of” by SAVAK. But out of Qom came light, Ayatollah Khomeini. Khomeini would scrutinize the Shah in public, something that would usually get one “offended”. But neither SAVAK nor the Shah could do anything to silence Khomeini, he had a huge following, nor the disappearance of such a public figure might evoke riots. So, the Shah exiled Khomeini to Iraq, where he was further exiled to France. But this did not silence Khomeini; he continued to draw support in France, and send messages to his audience from exile, making him almost a celebrity. His audience was further influenced by the ideas of Ali Shariati and Jalal-al-e-Ahmad, and “Gharbzadegi”, the notion of being struck by the West. Iranians experienced a new wave of self-image, a pure, authentic, Islamic identity that was culturally conscious of itself and anti-colonial. This new wave of an Islamic community united under a moral cause was not a peasant movement like the Chinese Revolution, but an urban phenomenon that flirted with the idea of armed struggle that was very popular in Latin America at the time with the Che Guevara episode. For the first time, Iranians were united, and had an openly Islamic leader to guide them into a government that could offer them salvation and protection, mandated by the Qur’an. In this sense, Khomeini was seen as a messianic figure, he wasn’t afraid of the Shah; he was bold, blunt, and brave in standing up for his people. Also, he was coming from outside Iran, from exile, and this seemed to provide an image of a redeemer coming to rescue his people after a long-awaited return, just as the Mahdi is seen.
“As President Bush scans the world’s horizon there is no greater potential flashpoint than Iran, the President and his Foreign Policy team believe the Islamic regime in Tehran is actively pursuing nuclear weapons.”(FOX) Contrary to popular belief, no such “weapons program” exists in Iran. All of this sounds quite familiar when the U.S. labeled Iraq as possessing weapons of mass destruction. And in the end no such weapons were ever found. It was simply an under minding tactical and marketing move to make the American public believe a justification into going into Iraq for the sole purpose of oil. And from that there are many beliefs on why to this day we are still there. Hence, the same alleged belief about Iran is being professed by our own government. “The world will not permit the Iranian regime to gain nuclear weapons,” as President Bush addressed the media after the warning by the IAEA report of suspicious nuclear activities. Our media outlets are reporting that the U.S. government and current presidential nominees have claimed certain Iranian organizations as terrorist groups. The Mujahedin Klaq is an example of such organization that has been labeled by the U.S. government as secretively developing nuclear arms. “The alert and decisive nation and government of Iran will not pay attention to these threats.” (Khamenei) Indeed, they are currently involved with a program that involves enriching uranium. Iran signed the Nonproliferation Treaty and insists that the treaty assures signatories the right to pursue nuclear programs for peaceful use. (McGovern) If the U.S. had done it’s homework (just like it should of done before killing thousands of innocent lives while invading Iraq) it would be clear that in 1975, Dick Cheney, then chief of staff to Gerald Ford, bought Iran’s justification to creating a nuclear program to meet the countries future energy requirements. It is backed up by energy experts who have noted that Iran is near its end of oil extraction and will need an alternative source to oil in the near future.
If plans are underway for an air and land attack by U.S. warheads on any Iranian nuclear base and the American empire so happens to disturb that, the U.S. will be at war with the entire Islamic Republic. Stretching from the deserts of Morocco to the islands of Indonesia, Islam is the main religion in these regions. Any disturbance that involves Iran will be subjected to the Muslim world and a decisive factor of an all-out-war. This wouldn’t just be one countries war, but the participation of many countries due to the strong Islamic ties. “The Americans should know that if they launch an assault against Islamic Iran, their interests in every possible part of the world will be harmed,” states President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Iran has consequently strengthened their military resources as well political and religious influence since the fall of Saddam Hussein. An Iranian nuclear negotiator, Javad Vaeedi, spoke in Vienna in 2006 and warned of such a attack to Iran: “The U.S. may have the power to use harm and pain, but it also susceptible to hair and pain. So if the U.S. wants to pursue that path, let the ball roll.” If the U.S. decided to forge a war with Iran, we would see a nuclear retaliation, a first of its kind. After passing $75 million to pursue activity on the Iranian government, Iran’s parliament reacted by approving $13.6 million to counter the U.S. what it calls “plots and acts of meddling.”(Washing Post) European counterterrorism officials were stated as saying “Iran certainly wants to remind governments that they can create a lot of difficulty if strikes were to occur. They might react with all means, Hezbollah inside Lebanon and outside Lebanon, this is certain. Al-Qaeda could become a tactical alliance.” Certainly not good news for the U.S. if such preemptive strikes were to occur at nuclear bases that Iran has been operating. Even at the highest command, the U.S. military officials are weary of a possible attack against Iran: “The tempo of operations in Iraq would make it very hard for the military to respond to a major crisis elsewhere. Besides, it’s not the bombing part this is difficult, it’s the morning after and all the days after that. Haven’t we learned that from (again) from Iraq.”(Casey) McGovern was also laid out likely plan and response to such an invasion if one did occur. He labeled a potential U.S. air strike as threefold: mobilizing worldwide terrorist cells that would make Al-Qaeda look like a girls netball team - utilizing its cruise missile arsenal to attack US ships and sending fighters into Iraq to attack US forces. (McGovern) The U.S. action declared because of the possible conspiracy of nuclear weapons would make the U.S. regain their nuclear program and the turmoil resulting from this would be opening a new Pandora’s Box of chaos to the entire world.
In conclusion, the American government would be wise to look to one founding father’s vision: “A passionate attachment of one nation for another produces a variety of evils. Sympathy for the favorite nation facilitates the illusion of an imaginary common interest in cases where no real common interest exists, infuses into one the enmities of the other, and betrays the former into participation in the quarrels and wars of the latter without adequate inducement or justification.... It also gives to ambitious, corrupted, or deluded citizens, who devote themselves to the favorite nation, facility to betray or sacrifice the interests of their own country.”(George Washington, Farewell Address, 1796)
Works Cited
Barsamian, David. Targeting Iran. San Francisco: City lights books, 2007.
Yaghmaian, Behzad. Social change in Iran. New York: State University of New York Press, 2002.
Alavi, Nasrin. We are Iran. New York: Soft Skull Press, Inc., 2005.
Gheissari, Ali. Democracy in Iran. New York: Oxford University Press, Inc., 2006.
www.antiwar.com, Ray McGovern. 2008.
www.ronpaul.com, Ron Paul. 2008.
www.washingtonpost.com, 2008
Summer Bailey
July 17, 2008
English 1B, Distance Learning
Argument of Evaluation Zero Draft
What Happened To Hollywood?
As soon as I step through the doors of any of the dozens of multimillion-dollar Las Vegas Strip nightclubs the lights are flashing, the go-go dancers are shaking their hips through rings of fire, or a puffy daddy look-alike is sitting in the corner with his sunglasses on bobbing his head to the music, and I feel like a super star. Like Hollywood, Las Vegas was founded on entertainment and constructed for adults. Hollywood was once an alluring star haven. It was the home to the rich and the beautiful, and it still is. The problem is we hardly see them anymore, unless we’re in Vegas. Hollywood has transformed into a culture that is more focused on being trendy then entertaining. Meanwhile Las Vegas is surpassing the glam that Hollywood was founded on. Las Vegas nightlife is glamorous, innovative, and entertaining, it’s far transcended the duplication of the Hollywood nightlife that it dubbed itself from.
I must admit that it took me awhile to come to terms with my own disillusionment on the current condition of Hollywood nightlife. Tourists once flocked to Hollywood to taste the good life. Now they only want to see Disneyland. It’s become a withering and dreary reminiscence of the fabricated culture that was staged there for so long. One things for sure, it’s not what it used to be. The Hollywood premise appears to be more grimy then glitzy. Just look at the cemented Hollywood Stars along the Hollywood walk of fame. They are painful, dingy, and dismal reminder of what Hollywood used to be and what it is now. It’s important to me for you to know that I am a southern California native. My intent is not to slander southern California or the pride that we have in the history that made Hollywood so infamous. But the reality is, the bright lights of Las Vegas have outshined it.
Hollywood Blvd was a “happening spot”. I can remember 9 years ago driving down the streets of Hollywood with my friends on a Saturday night. You didn’t even have to enter a nightclub to see people dancing in the streets or young kids hanging out of their cars exchanging phone numbers at the stoplight. It was a fun place to be, it was “the” place to be. Hollywood had character. According to The Ultimate Guide to Celebrities and Hollywood, Hollywood Blvd is planning on rebirthing itself by bringing in corporate investors to renovate many of the former tourist attractions. Speaking on the current Hollywood status they wrote,
“For decades, Hollywood has been a major disappointment, a case study in urban decay and neglect - a seedy, run-down area populated by a virtual freak-show of young runaways, homeless transients, wannabe heavy-metal rockers, frenzied traffic, and harried crowds of bewildered tourists wandering the dirty sidewalks while trying to find some hint of former glamour left on the famous boulevard.
For the most part, the Boulevard contained one shabby storefront after another, some vacant, but most housing tacky shops offering t-shirts & cheap Tinseltown souvenirs, fast food, and the occasional x-rated movie. (And that's not to mention the giant, pink & grey Frederick's of Hollywood building.) This is definitely not what springs to mind when most tourists think of "Hollywood."
Nowadays the streets of Hollywood are somber compared to what they used to be. Half of the clubs that I use to frequent 5 or 6 years ago are gone. Clubs such as White Lotus, Teddy’s, and Coconut Teaszer were once hotspots for many of Hollywood stars, according to losangeles.citysearch.com. All three of these clubs are closed.
To get into a club that would be considered worthwhile. Meaning it doesn’t smell like vomit, and you can see your hand in front of your face, you need to be on some sort of VIP list. Hollywood is infamous for their “guest list drama”. If you don’t know someone who knows someone club lines can be up to a 2 hour wait to get in, if you’re able to get in at all. Up to 60% of bloggers on citysearch.com, yelp.com, and travel.yahoo.com gave Hollywood’s nightclubs bad reviews with 3 stars or less.
For me to get ready for the night on the town is not a miniscule task. It starts with choosing the proper attire. That may entail sifting through the clothes in my closet or going shopping for something new. Next I set out to find matching shoes. Followed by an hour for hair and 30 minutes for make-up. By the time my ensemble is complete it may take me anywhere from 2-6 hours of preparation. All of that hard work only to arrive at a club at 11 PM (or 10 PM, but wait inline for an hour) and then turn around and leave 3 hours later. In Los Angeles “club hopping” is nearly impossible. By the time you get into one club and then order a drink it’s already been an hour. If you were to leave and try to do that at the next club you’re looking at another hour or two wasted, and then the nights over.
“Clubbing” in Hollywood is a waste of time and money because nightclubs are only open for approximately 4 hours. The unfair California alcohol beverage control laws force nightclub owners to stop serving alcohol at 2:00 am. The enforcement of these harsh laws causes nightclub owners to close their doors early. Because alcohol consumption is the chief means of profit for nightclubs, club owners would sustain massive profit loss if their doors remained opened without being able to serve alcohol. The implementation of these laws indirectly forces club-goers to head off to sober up. In my opinion paying $20 to get into a club that is only open 4 hours is less advantageous than paying $20 to get into a club that is open 8 hours.
To be fair there are still nightclubs that are “all the rave” as far as Los Angeles nightclubs go, but even those clubs can’t hold a candle to the dimmest club on the Las Vegas strip. On the best night at the best club in Los Angeles, last call for alcohol is at 1:45 am. That means, “You don’t have to go home, but you have to get the heck out of here”.
According to www.wikipedia.com, “There are few restrictions on the sale and consumption of alcohol in Nevada except for age. State law also renders public intoxication legal, and explicitly prohibits any local or state law from making it a public offence [2]. In Las Vegas you get more bang for your buck. Las Vegas alcoholic beverage laws allow the nightlife to stay alive. Las Vegas nightclubs are open until at least 4 am, with after hours clubs that open their doors at midnight and operate until the sun is shining. According to govegas.about.com, “Las Vegas is all about after hours and in a city with no last call there are plenty of great options”. Las Vegas nightclubs have websites that promote long hours of operation. There are literally thousands of online reviews for many Las Vegas nightclubs where bloggers express their fondness of Las Vegas’ all-night nightclub experience. The official website for the Las Vegas chamber of commerce as well as a host of Las Vegas tourism guides use Las Vegas nightlife as a selling point to tourists.
To fully understand the Las Vegas nightlife experience its imperative to take into account the surroundings. The backdrop of the Las Vegas creates a magical nightlife atmosphere. The vivaciousness of the casinos breathes life into the nightspots. There is a sea of sound, bright lights, and vivid aromas of food, liquor, and cigarettes that create a sensory awaking experience. Because the heart of Las Vegas nightlife is the Las Vegas Blvd strip, many of the multi-million dollar architecturally genius hotels planted along the strip are home to Las Vegas’ premier nightclubs, restaurants, and late night shows.
The high-end hotels like Wynn, Venetian, Bellagio, and Trump set the precedence for the Las Vegas nightlife evolution. Jay Jones of the Los Angeles Times writes, “There's seemingly enough gold and crystal in Trump's lobby to renovate Buckingham Palace”. The enterprising cleverness of entrepreneurs whom concocted an enchanting fairytale land full of booze, half naked girls, and pounding music is unparalleled.
The most effective counter argument to my claim is that because of the long hours of operation, alcoholic beverages in Las Vegas nightclubs are very expensive compared to most California nightclubs.
According to negative reviews on posted on lasvegascityguide.com some Las Vegas nightclubs are overcrowded and the drinks are expensive. The overcrowding is a result of tourists flocking to Las Vegas to partake in the all-night club experience. Steep priced drinks are to be expected. It’s not cheap to run a nightclub with extended hours.
Although Hollywood has fallen on hard times it’s not too late to revive the old girl. Longer hours of operation in nightclubs would allow nightclub goers more time to drink and enjoy themselves, as well as more time to sober up before driving. The extended hours of operation would help to re-generate more capital back to Hollywood. More currency would draw attention to investors who would potentially be able to help reface Hollywood Blvd. Until that happens I’ll be heading back to Las Vegas for my “fix”.
Works Cited Page
1. “Las Vegas Nightlife”
< http://govegas.about.com/od/nightlife/Las_Vegas_Nightlife.htm >
July 16, 2008.
2. “Alcohol laws of the United States by state”
< http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcohol_laws_of_the_United_States_by_state >
July 16, 2008.
3. Jones, Jay. “High-end Las Vegas hotels go for the glamour”
had trouble publishing HTML addresses in comment section
Lara Hafen
larahafen@gmail.com
Stephen King
Stephen King is a great role model for aspiring writers. He is a great role model because he has good work ethic, passion for writing, he is imperfect and therefore very “accessible”, he promotes simple tools of writing such as good punctuation and grammar, he has overcome personal adversity, he has overcome professional adversity, he writes in a variety of formats, he has carved a niche for himself that is respected by the literary establishment while also being respected by the popular masses and he is very successful.
Stephen King is a great role model for writers because he has overcome great personal adversity. Stephen King’s family was abandoned by his father at a very young age. He was raised along with an adopted brother by his mother. He was moved around a lot and didn’t get to see his mother very much when he was growing up (as she was often out working two jobs just to try and support her sons). When Stephen King got older and graduated college, he and his wife lived in near poverty for many years. He often tells the story of having to write in the furnace room of their rented doublewide on a typewriter on a child-sized desk balanced on his knees. Don’t let outside circumstances stop you.
Stephen King is a great role model for writers because he has overcome great professional adversity and rejection. Many people don’t know this, but Stephen King wrote many stories and many novels before making his first sale, Carrie, when he was 26. He had written 3(?) novels before this that had been rejected and were in “the proverbial writers trunk.” He had also written many short stories, only some of which sold. He also had been writing since he was 12, submitting work to magazine, and collecting rejection slips. It is important as a writer to get your work out there, despite numerous rejections, and that’s what Stephen King did. He really shows just how important it is to put yourself out there. Once you start getting feedback on the rejection slips you know you’re getting better. It is a good feedback system. He wasn’t afraid of failure or of success. Don’t wait for perfection. Keep on trying.
Stephen King is also a great role model for writers because he is imperfect. While has written some truly works, he’s also written some real stinkers. While some might view this as a real flaw, I view it as an asset, especially when viewing Stephen King as a role model. Having the stinkers out there really makes him accessible to the average person. You see him at his best and at his worst and it’s obvious he isn’t perfect all the time. This makes me more likely to be able to feel motivated about my own work. Stephen King represents someone who is not on a high horse about his work. Some’s good, some’s not. This can help the aspiring writer to get over the fear of not being perfect, of not being the “best”…not even good writers win all of the time. Stephen King said it best himself when he said you can’t please everyone all of the time, you can’t even please some of the people all of the time, but you can at least please some of the people some of the time. He really lets you into his head; he isn’t trying to make writing some mystical art. He really just lays it out there. It’s a craft. It can be learned.
Stephen King is also a great role model for aspiring writers because he promotes the simple concepts of writing. He doesn’t treat writing like it is some unknowable mystical art. He talks about the nuts and bolts. Correct punctuation and grammar. Avoiding adverbs as a dialogue attribute. Forming sentences that aren’t wordy. He talks about having a writers toolbox that consists of everything you learn in school. Prepositions, modifiers, adverbs, active voice etc.
Stephen king is a great role model for writers because he really stresses what it takes to become a good writer. He states that you have to do a lot of reading and a lot of writing. Not reading about writing. Read what it is you hope someday to write. Write what it is you want to write. Writing is the only way to get better at writing. Stephen King has shown this with his life and personal habits. He writes for 4 hours every day, never takes a day off. He has written # novels, short stories, columns, epics and novellas. He is constantly writing. He started when he was 12 and hasn’t stopped. Writing is the only way to get better at writing. Having a good work ethic, keep your nose to the grindstone. Even when he was working horrible jobs, he would still come home and write.
Stephen King is a great role for writers because he has attained success. He is one of the bestselling writers in the world, and has also cracked the world of the literary establishment. He has received an O Henry award for one of his short stories. Misery, The Shining, and even Carrie (although King says Carrie really is no one’s intellectual treat) have all been recognized as having literary value. He has sold # novels. People like his writing. He obviously means something special to a large number of readers. Popular success isn’t important to every writer, but reaching an audience should be. Even if that audience is small. Stephen King represents someone who has reached an audience and is able to give that audience what they want without compromising his own integrity and writing. Pleasing his audience is important to him.
Stephen King is a great role model for writers because he is so humble about his writing. He has often referred to his writing as a “big mac and fries”. This just makes him more real and more accessible to someone looking for a role model to emulate. He is down to earth and humble. He has demonstrated personal integrity and seems to truly stick to his values.
Stephen King is a great role model for writers because he stimulates your imagination. Stephen Kings writing takes you places that are wild, scary, and sometimes thoughtful. He takes you places you want to go back to again, and that can inspire you to write about them. Misery. The Shining. Cujo. Carrie. Stephen king can show writers what is possible with just a pen, some paper, and an imagination. He also demonstrates what it means to create good characters, real dialogue, and description that really grips you and makes you feel as if you are there.
Stephen King is a good role model for writers because he successfully straddles the world of the literary and the world of the popular. This is a strength as a role model because he can work as a role model for either type of writer. He shows that a literary writer can in fact have popular successes, and that a popular writer can in fact write works that are more than fluffery and can stand in the literary world. This is important because breaking free of constraints is what writing is all about. This is why many people decide to write in the first place, to break free of the world they are in.
Stephen King is a great role model for aspiring writers because he promotes other writers. He actively pursues and reads other peoples writing and genuinely tries to give aspiring writers a boost. He is against the large scale book discounters because he believes that they only sell a limited number of bestselling authors and they don’t always leave room for smaller, less well selling books to get published and sold. This is bad for diversity and bad for writers who might not have a popular audience. Stephen King is not a snob when it comes to writing and he isn’t out to purposely dominate the market, he sincerely wants all sorts of writers to be able to make it and earn money from their writing just as he has.
Stephen King is a great role model for writers because he loves what he does, and that love is positively infectious. He obviously has a very deep passion for writing, for creating stories, and for making his readers happy. This passion rubs off and makes you want to go out and write your own book, tell your own stories. You get energized about all of the possibilities. Stephen King really makes you feel like it is all within reach, you can really do it.
Stephen King is a great role model for writers because he isn’t just a horror writer. Many people think he is, especially people who have never read his work, but who have seen some of the terrible movies made from his work. While he was made famous by his novels which used elements of horror, he is far from being “just a horror writer.” Stephen King has written many literary tales as well, dramas too. Many non-readers are surprised to find out that The Shawshank Redemption and Stand By Me are both movies made from Stephen Kings shorter works, Rita Hayworth… and The Body respectively.
Stephen King is a great role model for writers because of all of these things.
Debbie Maxwell Argument of Evaluation
Eng 1B class 12215 Zero Draft
[dw#16] Essay #4
7/17/08
Introduction:
Hook: In the words of philosopher Aristotle, “it is possible to fail in many ways…while to succeed is possible only in one way.”
Thesis: Coffee giant Starbucks, known world wide, has proved itself to be a highly efficient corporation reaping much success in the process.
Essay Map: Through the evaluation of Starbucks’ strong focus, attention to customer needs, and ability to generate publicity, taking care of their employees, it will become clear that Starbucks embodies the ideals of efficiency and success.
Body Paragraph #1
Topic Sentence: My subject would be the strong focus that the C.E.O. has and how that would effect the efficiency and growth of the company.
Facts: Right now Starbucks runs 12,440 locations worldwide, but the goal is 40,000, which would trump even McDonald's. Starbucks, executives tenaciously hold on to the idea that every store is like an independent coffeehouse. "The battle within the company is making sure growth doesn't dilute our culture," says founder and chairman Howard Schultz. Asked the secret of his success, Schultz recounts four principles: "Don't be threatened by people smarter than you. Compromise anything but your core values. Seek to renew yourself even when you are hitting home runs. And everything matters." As the company began to expand rapidly in the '90s, Schultz always said that the main goal was "to serve a great cup of coffee." But attached to this goal was a principle: Schultz said he wanted "to build a company with soul."
Everything I read about Howard Schultz was that he was hard working, diligent, cared for the underdog and really is the genius behind Starbucks success. He has very strong ideals and vision for the future, and knows the steps to carry it out.
Body Paragraph #2
Topic Sentence: Awareness of Customer needs and treatment of the employee and how that has succeeded in retaining their workers, which in turn would affect efficiency in the stores and happy customers.
Starbucks offers full benefits such as health, dental, and vision insurance, as well as stock-option grants and 401(k) with matching to employees who work an average of 20 hours per week over a three month period. Each employee can receive a box of tea or a pound (0.45kg) of coffee each week if they choose. Many of these benefits, including the weekly free coffee or tea continue in the case of temporary disability or familial leave. Employees also enjoy a 30% discount on all regular and sale-price merchandise. Beginning May 2008, all Starbucks employees receive complimentary wifi internet access at any U.S. Starbucks through the new Starbucks/AT&T partnership. As of 2008, Starbucks was ranked by Fortune magazine as the 7th best company to work for in the United States, up from 16th in 2007. In 2006 it was ranked 29th and in 2005 it was 11th. Starbucks was also voted as one of the top ten UK workplaces by the Financial Times in 2007.
Body Paragraph #3
Topic Sentence: How Starbucks generates publicity without really using publicity. In 2000, the company introduced a line of fair trade products.
Of the approximately 300 million pounds of coffee Starbucks purchased in 2006, about 6 percent was certified as fair trade. According to Starbucks, they purchased 4.8 million pounds of Certified Fair Trade coffee in fiscal year 2004 11.5 million pounds in 2005. They have become the largest buyer of Certified Fair Trade coffee in North America (10% of the global market). Transfair USA the only third-party certifier of Fair Trade Certified coffee in the United States, has noted the impact Starbucks has made in the area of Fair Trade and coffee farmer's lives by saying: Since launching {its} FTC coffee line in 2000, Starbucks has undeniably made a significant contribution to family farmers through their rapidly growing FTC coffee volume. By offering FTC coffee in thousands of stores, Starbucks has also given the FTC label greater visibility, helping to raise consumer awareness in the process.
Conclusion:
It seems quite clear that Starbucks has no intentions of letting up on this fast-paced growth plan to make sure no one should have to hunt for a great cup of coffee anywhere in the world. The statistics prove that Starbucks’ claims to be the finest distributor of coffee in the world and will be the largest company to dominate the coffee industry.
Lauren Kulick
kulick414@cox.net
DW#16 Essay #4 Argument of Evaluation (Zero Draft)
“Katie Casey saw all the games,
Knew the players by their first names;
Told the umpire he was wrong,
All along good and strong.
When the score was just two to two,
Katie Casey knew what to do,
Just to cheer up the boys she knew,
She mad the gang sin this song:
‘Take me out to the ball game,
Take me out to the crowd . . .”
The above quotation is an excerpt from Jack Norworth’s 1927 version of the commonly known song, “Take me out to the Ball Game” (http://www.baseball-almanac.com/poetry/po_stmo.shtml). It is a quotation that embodies the emotions related to baseball. Baseball represents so many things: athleticism, strategy, popularity and tradition. By evaluating those qualities, it can be argued that baseball is the ultimate sport. Baseball is America’s Pastime.
One evaluation that can be used to determine baseball’s ultimate standing in sports is athleticism. Baseball requires the most continuous athleticism of any professional sport. Each sport requires a great deal of strength, flexibility, endurance and natural ability. Athleticism is defined by these qualities. However, when looking at the sports individually, it can be understood that Baseball players display the greatest amount of athleticism. A baseball player uses strength in each activity during the sport. This includes throwing, running, swinging the bat, catching, and squatting. There is constant movement in the game, constant use of muscle. This is different from football, in that football players specialize. Some run, some throw, some tackle. In baseball, however, the players could be considered “jacks of all trades”. Though baseball players have a specific position, they each run, throw, catch and are constantly moving. Secondly, the flexibility required in baseball is very high. A baseball player must be able to squat, dive, and leap to get to the baseball. Baseball requires movements that are more finesse than the straightforward “throw your weight around” movements of football, or the legs only game of soccer. Thirdly, when it comes to endurance, baseball is arguably the only sport that practically lasts all year. Preseason begins in March and post season ends in October. Baseball teams are scheduled 162 regular season games a year (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Major_League_Baseball). Football plays only sixteen regular season games, hockey comes closer with 82, however, neither can even compare to baseball’s 162. The game itself is an endurance game (www.wiki.answers.com). Nine innings per game push the time of play to anywhere from two to three hours. Considering the wide range of necessary skills, muscle usage and stamina required for baseball compared to other sports, it can be argued that baseball has the most athletic players of any sport.
Athleticism is not the only aspect of baseball that makes it superior to other sports. Baseball is a game of strategy. Planning, scouting, adaptability, and acute observation are necessary strategic elements for the game of baseball. There are many things for a coach to take in to consideration when planning a baseball game. The coach has to decide what pitcher to put up against the other team. This can be determined by the handedness of the other team’s batters, the other team’s ability to hit certain pitches, and even previous history between the pitcher and the other team. There is a lot of research required for one solitary game. A baseball team’s manager also has to decide which players will be included in the line up, which order they will be in and where in the field each will play. There is a lot of shifting in baseball. Many players are versatile. This is a lot different than other sports. You don’t often see the same player being a quarterback and being able to play wide receiver, in football. Though pre-planning is a major part of the strategy of baseball, there is much strategy involved during the actual game. Baseball teams have a general style. The Angels, for example, are known for their “short game”. They are known for using small plays to gain runs, rather than relying on the raw power of home runs. This general team strategy, however, can change during a game. If it comes to certain situations, certain timing aspects, certain player match-ups or situations, the manager may choose to change the strategy. For example, the manager may go into an inning thinking he will let the batters swing away for each of the first three at-bats. But then, the first player hits a single. Now, the manager may change his idea and decide to steal, or have the next player bunt, depending on the speed of the runner. There is a lot to think about and constant strategizing to be done. Football has strategy too. I am not denying that. But, in football, plays are made, and then executed. There is not much adapting during an actual play. These constant adjustments to plans are caused by observation. The baseball players and coaches are constantly observing and thinking to make instant strategic changes.
Athleticism and strategy aside, there is no arguing with prolonged popularity. When one thinks of the popularity of sports, the first thought is often football. Professional, arena and college football all have a huge following. They have many fans. But, if one considers the definition of popular, which is that something or someone is “regarded with favor, approval or affection by the people in general” (www.dictionary.com) Football is widely attended, profitable and discussed a lot, but mostly by men. Baseball has a wider fan base. Baseball is viewed by men, women, children, teenagers and the elderly. It is also a sport that is all inclusive when playing. There is little league for boys, softball for girls and even slow pitch for adults. Football has no woman counterpart and once one is too old, football is out of the question. Baseball and softball is a sport that can be played as young as three years old and as old as one can still walk. Football, on the other hand, usually doesn’t start until about age eleven or twelve and is over by forty. Besides playing, baseball is also a very popular sport to view and track. This is done via television, radio and the internet. In fact, “major league baseball already has the most profitable league web site” (http://www.cnbc.com/id/25693044).
A big part of baseball’s likeability is the tradition involved. The sport is different now compared to the past, but it has the nostalgia, the tradition. Almost anyone knows of baseball as “America’s Pastime”. “It was called ‘America's Pastime’ because during the late 19th and early 20th century it was probably the most widely played sport in the country. Baseball was to that time period as video games and television are to today. It was literally how America passed the time. (http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Why_is_baseball_called_America's_pastime ). This aspect of tradition keeps the fans fervent with desire to preserve the sport and support what it stands for. It is America’s fun, entertaining way to be patriotic. While football may be thought of as the most popular sport, “being the most popular sport does not make something the ‘national pastime’” (http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Why_is_baseball_called_America's_pastime ).
Baseball is America’s Pastime. It is the ultimate sport. Baseball requires flexibility, strength and endurance unlike any other sport. Baseball has a schedule that runs eight months out of the year and requires five to six days of work a week. It is a sport of strategy, a sport of observation, and a sport involving many quick changes. This pastime is watched by men, women, and children. It is attended by families, friends and complete strangers who become friends. It is the most “popular” sport considering the audience is all inclusive. Baseball is patriotic, it is tradition. Take me out to the ball game. Three strikes and you’re out. There’s no crying in baseball. Baseball is America’s Pastime.
Tammy L. Wood
[dw#16] Essay #4 – Argument of Evaluation – Zero Draft
red122557@hotmail.com
The Abolishment of Religious Observances
Christmas is a religious holiday and should remain so as one of the great traditions in American history. Activists groups in America are trying to change the calendar in reference to what should be considered as a federal government holiday. U.S. holidays and Holy days as we know them could possible be changed in the future if they can be proven as a religious observances, which many feel is the separation of the church from the state. The biggest controversy is over Christmas Day. The true meaning of Christmas has completely lost its meaning, but does that mean that we should take this off of our calendars and maybe call it “Winter Celebration” instead? With our society becoming such a diversified group of people with so many religious backgrounds, there are grumblings that this holiday and other ones like Easter, are stepping on the toes of the people’s constitutional rights. Christmas is a religious holiday and by us observing it, we are acknowledging that Jesus exists. Not everyone observes the Christian religion, so should everyone be forced to acknowledge this holiday? Should America observe other religious holidays and receive paid time off for those as well? Which religious holiday is the “right” religious holiday? Is that such a terrible thing to celebrate Christmas? These are all of the controversial topics concerning religious observances. Our government could pass laws concerning these holidays that would abolish them from our calendars as national holidays. This would change the very foundations that America was built on. The abolishment of religious holidays would not be a positive move and would only go on to further deteriorate life as we know it in the U.S.
Charles Krauthammer, a Jewish neoconservative, has plenty to say about this topic. In the article Christmas and the National Question: One Cheer for Krauthammer, he said that “The attempts to de-Christianize Christmas are as absurd as they are relentless”. He also said, “The United States today is the most tolerant and diverse society in history. It celebrates all faiths with an open heart and open mindedness that, compared to even the most advanced countries in Europe, are unique.” Krauthammer feels that, “Americans certainly enjoy a right to practice whatever religions they wish, Christianity remains the public religion of the nation---whether one believes in it or likes it or not.” Krauthammer goes on to say that going against Christmas it “ungenerous” and that it is “a failure to appreciate the uniqueness of the communal American religious experience. Unlike, for example, the famously tolerant Ottoman Empire or the generally tolerant Europe of today, the United States does not merely allow minority religions to exist at its sufferance. It celebrates and welcomes and honors them.” Every nation has an identity as to what religion their nation is connected to. China is Buddhism, England’s religion is Christianity; Iraq’s is Islam and so on. As with all religions, there are traditions that each country follows. Are we asking these other nations to change their ways to accommodate us? No we don’t! We should respect the traditions of other nations as others should respect ours. With the ability for us to relocate to other countries, this has truly spread our diverse populations to all ends of the earth. Should we then change our very traditions to accommodate other religions or activists groups or do we stick to what we know as traditions? Sam Francis states in the above article that, “it is precisely because Christianity is vital to our national identity that there is a war against it, and that’s the reason also there is now a nationwide resistance to that war by Americans who wish to conserve our national identity. Thus the major national holiday is and always has been the major Christian holiday, and throughout American history presidents and public leaders of all parties and persuasions have acknowledged the Christian identity of the country, without any supposition of controversy.” Christmas is not just a religious holiday but a day to be enjoyed by all and to offer gifts of love and friendship to those we know and in some instances to complete strangers.
So, with so much “love” floating around, why are the activists groups so adamant about seeing Christmas taken off of the list of national holidays? The ACLU, Americans United for Separation of Church and State and the FFRF, the Freedom From Religion Foundation is two groups that feel very strong about this subject. I don’t think they realize how many things would have to change if the U.S. took Christmas away. It would change everything that we know as the “Christmas Holiday Season”. Schools would be open, government offices and banks would be open for business, we might even loose our holiday pay for that day. The spirit of Christmas would still exist, but we would have to rename it something else that didn’t have any correspondence to religion. Somehow, I don’t think that it would be the same. The true meaning of Christmas would no longer exist. Gary DeMar made a proposal in the article Lets Abolish Christmas, “If you really believe what you claim, then go all the way. Go to court and stop the State celebration of Christmas by mandating that all government employees must work on December 25th.” I believe that most Americans would not stand for such actions because the Christmas traditions are too important to abolish them.
School is another topic that would undertake some drastic changes. There would be no more Christmas breaks. There might still be a winter recess, but nothing could be focused around Christmas and good cheer. Some teachers believe that the December holidays bring about an opportunity to teach about other countries traditions. Becky Carter, director of elementary learning services at District 49, said in an article A Holiday From Debate, “The primary purpose is education”. The Anti-Defamation League states in the same article that, “It is constitutionally permissible for public schools to teach about religion, but unconstitutional for public schools to observe religious holidays or practice religion”. In the same article, Ted Siewert goes on to say that, “You can teach the facts on anything without being biased”. Religion has been the force behind many wars and battles in every nation on this earth. This can not be taken away that easily without having to rewrite the history books as well as throwing out the Bible the Hebrew Bible and every other book that teaches religion. It has been the backbone of our very existence.
So, what is wrong with us celebrating Christmas? Are we breaking all of the rules when it comes to constitutional rights? Are we willing to leave behind what we have celebrated for so many years? There are laws put here to protect us and our rights, but should these laws go so far as to change the very essence of our being. America was a proud country and our traditions speak of that. We should not be taking away from our traditions, just merely adding to them. Other religions should be able to observe their holidays as well, but the emphasis should remain on the holidays of what this nation is about, who we are, where we came from, what our religious beliefs are and how we used all of this to build our great nation.. I don’t want to see us turn our backs on any of this. We need to stand proud and tall and keep our traditions in tact because that is who we are here in America. The celebration of Christmas goes deeper than eggnog and mistletoe. Yes, it is a religious holiday, but perhaps everyone needs to look a little closer at the true meaning of Christmas. Our nation could use more of what Christmas has to offer!
Works Cited:
The Christmas Wars: Holiday Displays and the Federal Courts
A Holiday From Debate
Christmas and the National Question: One Cheer for Krauthammer
The Secular Observances of Religious Holidays
Lets Abolish Christmas
Being nineteen, all alone in this world is kind of a scary thing.
No parents to watch me over, see if I come home late or any thing that has to do with control. I go to work full time and pay for all bills. It sucks, (find better work for suck) if I get caught up in a situation I can’t handle or get out of, I’m screwed.
I find myself making older friends and by doing this makes the ones that are my age or older seem obsolete and annoying. They don’t know how it feels to really not have a home. Having to cook your own food which turns into spaghettios and peanut butter sanchwiches. Lonely nights when your looking for advice turn into just that, lonely.
My parents live in Maine and yes, I could go live with them again but I don’t feel there is any thing for me in that part of the world. I have lived in California for 10 years and have made a life here. I am originally from the east coast but this is where my every thing is. Hobbies, friends, love, even weather.
I have learned a lot of lessons being by myself. Priortizing and learning how to save money and I am proud of these accomplishments.
One thing that does not strike up my motivation, is the constant judgement that goes against me for being younger. I understand that “19” to most elders means rebellious and being irresponsible. I see every day as a constant struggle to stay on top. I go to school, pay for it as well which is pretty difficult considering raising prices in just gas, food, etc.
By having a full time job as well, is a huge responsibility. I work 40+ hours a week, plus some overtime on the weekends if needed by my tenants. I manage residential properties for people that are three times my age.
This is twist, I try to hide my age. Being surrounded by older people makes me feel more mature, and this is the persona I have to put on for these people and any other professionals I meet. If not, I don’t get the respect I deserve. People will start to discriminate me and not take what I say seriously. I have studied and trained for this position and feel I should get this respect no matter how many years I’ve been alive, but this is not how it works.
I take great sympathy for those who slack off through their teen years because they are in for a rude awakening. These are the young adults that give us all a bad reputation. They make people like myself, look irresponsible and out to just cause chaos. With this outlook, I feel as though the perception of young adults will never change.
Argument of Evaluation Zero Draft
Star Trek has become one of the most popular series in the history of science fiction entertainment. The series and movies have a large fan base from all over the world. The Original Series achieved an iconic status in the television history.
The adventures of Star Trek were new and fresh in the 1960’s. By that time television dramas were becoming less popular and people were hungry for new adventurous movies, for something they were not expecting, something that was not predictable. What genre could fulfill better this expectation than science fiction? “To boldly go where no man has gone before” said the opening tagline and the magic happened indeed. The technical background was less sophisticated than nowadays, but the costumes of various alien species and spaceship scale models were something new in that time. The Original Series was remastered a couple years ago, but if someone is caught by the adventures and the storyline than the scale models are not even that unbearably striking. Every episode is a different adventure, acquaintance with new life forms, new machines, new technologies people wish to own one day. A brand new world is introduced for the audience where earthmen live in relative peace, in a world where a large community of species can live together in the United Federation of Planets. The monetary system is just an outdated memory from the past. Man is ready to step out from his boundaries and see the vast world with his own eyes. The crew was cast from a diversity of ethnic groups, which was significant because integration was a usual occurrence in 1960s television. In this diverse crew everyone could and still can find at least one character of his liking. However, it is also true that the concept of the series was rejected first by MGM, but that was such a long time ago, so many spinoffs were created since then, and the fan base become so large, that maybe even the producers at MGM would like to forget how they gave the chance away for another company to make the series a huge success.
What can be a better evidence of Star Trek’s popularity than the huge fan base? Thousands of people around the world admire the series. Some of them are financing, writing and creating their own version of the series. Everyone can get a role in the adventures and they upload the episodes to the internet. Others creating fan sites where they post information about the series, characters, actors, stories, writers, director, and forums where fans can talk and share their Star Trek experiences. Those who are more fanatics build their house to look like a starship or their living room is the main deck of a Galaxy class. They get together in December on the Star Trek Day, they put on costumes and pointing ears and they just enjoy their out of character experience. The fans’ imagination knows no limits.
The Star Trek series’ popularity is so unlimited that a whole industry is based upon it. Six spinoffs, animated series, movies, dozens of computer and video games, hundreds of novels, comic strips, theme park in Las Vegas, hundreds of different merchandises, ship scale models, dolls, pins, clothes, posters you name it.
The societal impact of the series cannot be dismissed. The fans say they share same ideals in their everyday lives as the Federation. The fans accept each other and they are open for new ideas and ways of thinking. As long as there will be people with such kind of an attitude, the popularity of Star Trek cannot fade away.
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