Same Sex Marriage Content Analysis Paper Essay Example for Free

Same Sex Marriage Content Analysis Paper Essay Homosexuality is a global topic of debate. The topic of homosexuality has been discussed constantly throughout various media outlets and is a hot topic in the republican primary. A number of debates have been argued in regard to the rights of homosexuals. One of the most hotly debated subjects is the rights of homosexual couples. This controversial topic has been widely debated for a number of years. However, the trend toward globally accepting same-sex marriage is on the rise. States such as Massachusetts have passed laws to make the union of same-sex marriages legal. Other states have taken initial steps toward accepting same-sex marriage. Whereas others are considering laws and constitutional amendments banning same-sex marriage within state borders. Some opponents of same-sex marriage argue that these unions should be prohibited due to the fact spouses cannot produce children in the way God intended. Additionally, those who contest same-sex marriages believe legalization of these unions would cause irreparable harm to our society as we know it. Given the significance of the issue, the value of widespread debate of the reasons for and against legalizing same sex-marriage should be apparent. Aside from societal and religious conventions, marriage entails legally imposed responsibilities. This paper intends to look into the content involved in this hot topic to see how religious views, politically focused stances, political and legal pressures, as well as our current presidents flipped flopped stance on such a controversial subject and how they appear in the media. Historically, as a nation the concept of separate but equal doesn’t work. Offering same-sex couples several of the rights married couples are afforded without allowing them to be married is unjust. If same-sex couples are to have equal rights, civil unions are not enough. Same-sex couples deserve the same right to marry that heterosexual couples currently possess. Although, same-sex couples live in relationships that are based on the same core values that heterosexual couples commit to which is a strong and loving relationship. Same-sex couples are still denied the right to go into a marriage with their partner of choice; they continue to be denied the human rights, legal and economic stability provided by the recognized institution of marriage. See more: how to write an analysis paper on an article examples Marriage is a right that currently cannot be exercised by all due to an individual’s sexual preference. Same-sex couples are repetitively discriminated based on societies resistance to amend the definition of marriage past sexual preference. Based on the material that I have covered so far I expect to find more cases where same sex marriage is still a hot topic where people will still be fighting for their rights. In the political arena, especially with the fight for republican nominee in the upcoming election, I hope to see politicians fighting for same sex marriage but I feel as if some will say its not right and bring in the hot topic of religion into the equation. Some of the media outlets that I have chosen to investigate the subject of same sex marriages come from online news sources Huffington post, CNN, and New York Times. I chose these because I felt that it would give me a wide range of viewpoints and opinions based on different reporters. Most of the articles come from February 2012 to the present. In some of the articles it occasionally referenced to previous cases all the way back to 2008 with proposition 8 in California. To help organize my research, it helped to divide the information up into a series of categories that I later broke down even further by the content and tones expressed and by paragraph. The four categories that I was able to narrow it down to were: 1. Religious views and stand points based on different religions a. Example: Catholics, Mormons, Christians 2. Politically focused standpoints / Directed towards the Republican primary b. Example: What different politicians are saying such as how Rick Santorum said â€Å"It would ‘Invalidate’ marriages† 3. Obama’s views and things he has done to defend / support his stance c. Example: Laws and proposals put into act or being worked on and previous laws like Proposal 8 in California 4. Political and legal pressures from citizens if favor of same sex marriages d. What citizens feel on the subject around the country and why some are opposing it rather than accepting the idea and the ideas that come with it The rules that I used to help choose what category the content and tones the articles I read fell under were fairly simple. Something such â€Å"Surprisingly speeches were encouraging to organizers of the movement† would be marked as something positive. A paragraph with something like â€Å"Activists were under attack in Washington† would be noted as a negative. A main goal through out this process was to make sure I remained constant. This provided for the most and accurate results throughout the content analysis process. CHART INSERT HERE The first category, Religious Views, almost everything I read was written in a neutral context by the author and took up 14.192% of the content in my categories that I was looking into. When it came down to what was being covered I found that most organizations to either be positive or very negative. The only neutral stance I found was the Mormons. Catholics and Republicans seemed to be very against the idea saying that it would infringe on people rights and is against the constitution. Almost all of that articles that I read towards faith based organizations at first preached against same sex marriage left and right with negative tones. The Catholic and some Christian religions refuse to defend the rights of those who love differently than what their beliefs suggest. In an article from the Huffington Post Greene suggests, â€Å"The need to discredit or destroy a taboo object of desire is enacted in the violent attack on gay men and women and transgender persons.† The argument against same sex marriage has just as much to do about â€Å"disgust† as it does religious affiliation. The idea that marriage is a relationship between a man and a woman is a core religious belief for a significant number of Americans and could be picked up in a suttle undertone in some of the articles. Consequently, many religious leaders argue that marriage, as a social institution must remain in the intended concept of that between a man and a woman, for the means of bearing and raising children. Sider (2010) contends, â€Å"Legalizing gay marriage would weaken the connection between marriage and procreation.† Within today’s scientific arena, Sider and other religious figures views are constantly challenged. Women no longer need a male figure in their lives in order to bear children. Conversely, homosexual couples can have children without either party having to bear them. Moreover, Sider contends that the issue of same-sex-marriage has become a legal concern for religious institutions. Citing two cases Sweden and Canada in which pastors have been charged with hate crimes; Sider (2010) anticipates legal action imminent against clergy here in the United States. Ryan (2009) argues that traditional families hardly exist today. The role of women is no longer that of a servant, but one in which has equal say or are head of household. Thus, the argument that marriage is a religious institution is a flawed concept. Mainly, due to the fact in American culture â€Å"traditional marriage’ had been based on ownership within your religion. Due to the discrepancies between the definitions of â€Å"marriage† the legal and political argument of discrimination has been proposed by same sex-couples. My second category focused in on politically focused standpoint. This category took up 26.315% of my findings but I feel as if this percentage was so high because of the Republican primaries that are currently taking place. Normally I thought that this number would be slightly lower. Oppressive and discriminatory experiences have been a part of cultural history. In order to move beyond the mere categorization of groups as independent entities, this learner believes that we must encourage other to explore similarities, differences and controversies among and between diverse populations. As counselors, we must be expected to address these issues in several contexts; personal values, professional policy and practice. Conservative faith traditions have definitely had an impact on the social institution of marriage. This learner has observed throughout this course that as a counselor one must develop multicultural competencies. The third category covered in my analysis focused in on President Obama and his stance on same sex marriages. This category took up 27.192% of the content based on the categories I was looking into. I found that Barack Obama, the President of the United States, has recently decided to no longer defend the DOMA. In The Christian Century (2011), the president is stated to have said that DOMA is â€Å"unconstitutional when applied to same-sex couples married legally under state law† in a letter to Congress. The Christian Century (2011) also states that Congress has also repealed the â€Å"military’s ban on openly gay members†, and the Supreme Court has â€Å"declared that laws criminalizing homosexual conduct are unconstitutional†. Same-sex marriages are on the way into the law. What hurt can it really do? Denying same-sex couples to marry is denying those couples religious freedom. It is stated in the First Amendment of the Constitution that a person’s religious views or lack thereof must be protected. Marriage is a religious act as well as a legal act. In the same sense that a Christian marriage, or rather an opposite-sex marriage, is respected by law after taking place in a church, a same-sex marriage should be equally accepted and respected by those same laws. Just because Christians, and other religions groups, may be against homosexuality does not mean the government needs to adopt those views as well. The final category was based on political and legal pressures that are being felt by citizens and government officials. This wasn’t surprising to me that this category took up the highest percentage at 31.518%. When couples get married they are showing society of their romantic and legal commitment to one another. Why should this right be any different for same-sex couples? Heterosexual couples often take for granted basic rights that are denied same-sex couples such as, the ability to make medical decisions for their spouse. Basic right such as that, are not afforded to same-sex couples. Hence, the legal battle to redefine marriage to include same-sex unions has continued to gain momentum. After going through all of the articles the results and breakdown of what I found were fairly accurate to what I had expected to see percentage wise. The amount of positive, neutral, and negative statements and views wasn’t. It seemed that some writers wanted to speak out negatively about the subject but for the newspapers sake wouldn’t directly say anything negative.

Athletes as role models

Athletes as role models First Draft: Athletes as Role Models Sports and athletic games is a very popular way of entertainment that has played a major role in people life and since the first years of man existence. From the Greeks and Rome culture to present day, so its so refluxed to society that athletics become an inspiration to a lot of people in body fitness and victory sides. However, recent media has made athletics and the people who play it as role models or heroes. Athletes are seen all over the advertisements and television, every one can watch them in commercials, on shows, read about them in newspaper, and watch them on cinemas too. As Sports plays a big role in the society. So people always seek for positive athletic role models in their society. This leads to this what some people call a role model. So that research is to show importance of having positive athletic role models in society and the influence they have on and off the field. As some teens miss the role of parents who are no longer devote themselves to the young childre n to sit with them, and dialoguing in proportion to the age that no longer benefit the treatment of children with behavior of kindergarten. So they look for their favorite athletics which have positive effect and negative too according to the athlete personality. So the argumentative point that athletes are not only role models but, in todays media driven world Due to circumstances of modern life, and less physical activity of the human person as a result of the development .Since the human body needs physical activity for both the development and its vital functions and motor or To keep them at a high emotional level, the physical education must play their part in this area .In order to provide the bodys physical activity organizer who works to maintain the vitality some sponsors encourage sports men to be role models so Many are interested in youth business, and specialists as well , the presence of role model in the youth lives, which would help them to continue their lives trying to approach the perfection and get their goals so they seek something as inspiration , and thus contribute and participate directly to the success of these athletic young people in their lives, which necessarily mean success in their community ,as success in sports today means success in the society as well ,and it is common that half of young people present an d to the future teenagers too. Are looking to the youth role model , nowadays, in general, whether in the Arab world, or at the local level, there is lacks the presence of such role models in teenager life as parents or friends or relatives , although an exception among the young is proud to achieve their own goals and having the positive attitude of any negative phenomena in their society   those are so energetic and others like painting or any other hobbies except sports, but it is still exception, So when the media deal with youth affairs, and trying to catch teen eyes so they use those popular sports figures to achieve their goals ,like any other type of media   they choose the most successful teen player or the most skilful and get him in poster and contribute in newspapers, magazines and television to reach this result, and also its discovered that many of these young men and women, due to many reasons, multi-colors, but are talking and looking at certain models in singing the present time an example that followed the example in their lives and proud of it, simply because the famous singer appeared more beautiful after surgery to inflate the lips and other plastic surgeries , as well as for the Sports Stars of the story just felt pretty strange, or perhaps shown by their owners New Look . There is much of definitions to the role model so True role models are those who possess the qualities and positive principles that people would like to be like those as the has effect in people way of thinking and affected in a way that makes nations want to be better people. And to make sure of personal goals, people need to take leadership on the facts and traditions that people believe in. Most of people often dont recognize the true role models until they have noticed their own personal growth and progress. However the idea of role model is not common for all youth some just wanted to learn and not to take those as role models the good role model encourages people and teenagers to believe that they can get their goal and be a living example however .Some think being role model means that. It is the smile that they give to others. It is the look of stars and all this advertisement things. Some define Good Role Model as a person who tells, and influences teenagers to make the righ t choice in hard ways of life. As they should teach people that everyone should prove himself to get his goal whatever that means .people may need a reminder to work harder .especially that some of nations are lazy. But the deepest meaning is that role model has to be not just someone who teens look up to or is successful, but someone they can go through similar struggles challenges in life. It is thought that athletics who are role model is a positive idea, as Athletes who are Against Drugs give a good hope to those children and mold their behavior at a young age. As those children can early to resist peer pressure and alcoholic drinks so early so they can protect them from getting into troubles, and teaches them to stay out of troubles and problems and street fight as some of those kids are involved with gangs. The reason why most kids get involved in gangs is because it is a place where they feel they can fit in. So by monitoring athletics themselves and be against those stuff they can act as positive role models. Athletes are role models, and it is the athlete decision to either use their gift and their powers in a positive or a negative cause. Some athletes believe that the responsibility of being role models, but it does not change the clear fact that they are considered as role models by lots of children. There is a strong need for positive athletic role models in society; there is no negative side to have a positive athletic role model in teenager life. As stated in some sources I believe the majority of professional athletes provide a positive influence on our society. Athletes can be role models in many different ways. You can have a role model like Cal Ripken who doesnt say too much, but has played in the most consecutive games in baseball ever. A majority of professional athletes provide hope for young athletes all over the world As. some players have done many positive things in their lives and the lives of millions of children in the world through projects focusing on the lives of the poor and the suffering nations and contributing positively at world disasters, and contribute ,help   many patients with serious diseases, so if every realize to be active in their community and how to help others, and positively react, as lots of those athletics suffered so much in their lives before their become billionaires, but they remained with the same habits, generous, and provides a positive model in the sports world so they contribute in the aspects of humanity so they deserve some respect and appreciation. Some are against role model as sports men as the idea of heroes are becoming less admirable as the years go by and turned much in cash. With the recent steroids and become more alike heroine ,the real athletics who plays fair games some thinks they are rare this days to be admired by younger players as well. As most of the currently teenagers college aged students were growing up, recently, it is difficult to locate the major good player to be considered as a good example for young people to look up to. Also some sports dont have any civilized role which affect teens and make theme more aggressive as inspired by athletes of these days, as most of them habitual drug users and general criminals. High school athletes are taking the lead from those professional players and athletics that should play respective sports and more which leads to real problem.Also some thinks that Athletes arent always who they seem to be on television and media, they always look like smiling, happy people who just love to help out people in need and give hugs to little children. Some thinks they have another face behind scenes; it is thought they are actors who are good at playing sports, Really some players do not show their real face as it seem on TV, as a lot of them are hard to deal with and heartless folks who are looking for some cash. They might have addiction on drugs or drinking alcohol or many other horrible things, and those things the real role models should not be doing. Steroid and protein supplements and the injections which used by those to increase their performance has high health risk is now used by high school seniors, a direct correlation to the mammoth statistics by superstars who cheated the game. A source stated that The White House said a recent survey found steroid use among 8th, 10th and 12th graders combined was down from 2001 by 40% for use during lifetime, 42% for the past year and 22% for the past month. So a lot of youth are very affected by their athletics to have that muscular body or that higher performance of those athletics in shorter time. Some years ago an athlete said that I am not a role model. Actually some thought that he is not only talking about him, but all athletes in general. He referred that he is like most of normal people who want to play a fair game for his team and have his own personal life .So; every athlete should think before he signs a multimillion dollar deal, there is a little kid will put their poster on his wall, its great responsibility to be a role model or hero. However being a role model is not athletic responsibility its the audience responsibility to choose whatever he is good enough to represent his society or no, as some athletics are good and some are bad. And also and each of those advertisement organizations can choose what sort of message they want their representatives to deliver to their customers. So a lot of people may not agree with this statement as being model something an athlete can do to himself. However Young and talented teenager athletes sometimes place professional sports above other goals. Which may lead their carrier life to edge, they show low school grades so they wont be able to be apart of their society and they got paid but without education as well. To summaries the point of views .It is thought from some people that those athletics did not choose to be role models and they were not prepared to be a role model and they may do not ever wanted to be a role model, as its not their responsibility however they carry even a major part of it and also the Given the number of poor examples of sportsmanship ,sponsors on display in the media today, the responsibility for finding models of desirable behaviors and attitudes rests heavily on the shoulders of those involved in the youth environment. Coaches, parents, athletes, teachers, etc must be determined in their promotion of the youth environment. Those professional athletes and other athletes are daily supposed to spotlights and it is so easy to expect that they are watched by millions of people and audience and fans who like their teams, So those people are watching every move. The athletes must realize that when they make mistakes people will be watching and judge and interact with th at and even magazines will post it later. But also life is not fair and some do mistakes but also those athletics should act in positive way and take the responsibility for the consequences that come after mistakes that has been made. But also .role models athletes can do many positive things such as educating the young youth at schools by letting them know the importance of going to school and importance of sports as well. Those Athletes who are Against Drugs should be doing as role models. Those great athletics when they are up to training or open sports schools, provide people with lifelong learning skills that can flourish other areas of people lives, enhancing their confidence, improving the way with dealing with the challenges facing them in life, elevate self esteem and change the way of thinking in their life, Those athletics know that they are in the spotlight, Good and bad come out of sports and with recent media, as it over react with the actions of some players And publi sh it in many forms. Everyone out there is watching and for a prime time, the athlete as a role model is not an issue; its a Part of everyday life.

The Ethics Of Poverty

The Ethics Of Poverty I will begin this delicate topic with some information about poverty and then I will explain the differences between those who believe it is not our duty to provide support to the impoverished and those who do. Regardless of who is morally right or wrong or who is responsible for helping the poor, poverty will always be a part of life in this world. There will always be wealthy people and there will always be poor people. It is a fact of our life struggles that corresponds with Darwins theory, only the strong survive. With the economic condition of the world today poverty is a concern that is becoming a greater issue; despite its being overlooked around the world for many years. Most people would rather turn their heads and ignore the fact that there are millions of individuals who live in some state of poverty every day. It is easy for those who are well off to ignore the realization that poverty does exist; because those who choose to remain ignorant about poverty are not worried about where they will sleep that night or where they will get food from. They are also not forced to live in extreme conditions every day or wonder where they can get a shower or clothes, because they have their basic necessities in life. Maybe if they understood what those poverty stricken people were going through, they might reconsider their outlook on poverty. In the United States, poverty is measured by poverty thresholds and poverty guidelines. (Wikipedia, 2011) According to numerous surveys at one time or another, over forty percent of Americans have had to deal with some type of poverty caused by hardships, such as job loss, financial strains, natural disasters, death, divorce, poor economic conditions, and even war. According to the United States Census Bureau, poverty in the U.S. has spiked to an all-time high surpassing fourteen percent. (CNNMoney.com, 2010) According to National Public Radio online, poverty has not been the main issue for many Americans and in fact it has slowly faded from the headlines. (NPR, 2001) So with all that information; I will pose some questions that are always being asked about who are actually responsible for the lack of attention the poverty issue has received. Is the U. S. Government to blame? Do we blame Globalization? Who in the world can be the sole individual to blame? Do we blame Americans because our nation is more advanced than those third world countries? Whose duty is it to help those in need? These questions are the ones that many human rights supporters and their opponents are quarreling over. Despite this information and the questions I presented; there are Americans who believe poverty is a big problem and they are all in consensus that something should be done about it. Many of those individuals also agree that any aid our government/country gives to those in need is only done because it is in the best interest of our national government and not because the government feels they have to. If our government felt it was their duty as a nation to give continuously to the impoverished, then we wouldnt have poverty stricken people or homeless individuals here in the United States. The worlds poverty numbers would diminish extremely if our government felt it was their duty to help all those in need. There are many philosophers like Peter Singer, Ayn Rand, and Fyodor Dostoyevsky and numerous Human Rights Activists such as Thomas Pogge and Simon Caney as well as other humanitarian organizations that believe wealthy people have a moral obligation or duty to help those who are severely destitute. If the well-to-do opt not to help those who live a life of severe poverty, they are considered human rights violators and the same Activist protest there should be some kind of condemnation for ignoring those who are suffering from poverty. (Saddia, 2010) For example, Peter Singer suggests that if the well off have abundance and are well to do then it is their moral responsibility to assist those in need. (Wikipedia, 2011) Helping those in need comes down to ones beliefs and moral values. It really is up to individuals to decide for themselves as to whether or not they want to help the needy. If they feel bad for those in need, then the answer would be yes, those individuals should help the poor. But, if there are no deep feelings of sorrow, then the answer to whether they should help, would be no. Like I previously stated, it is what the individual believes in their mind and heart. Their moral judgment will give them the answer they are searching for as to whether they are wasting their time and money in trying to help the needy or if they feel helping the needy would make them feel better as a person. In the case of poverty, I believe an individuals morals are based off emotions, reflexes and what they feel in their hearts. Most individuals depend on these emotions, reflexes, and feelings to help them make decisions. There is a possibility the world could benefit from those who help the needy; the total number of impoverished families and people in the world might be reduced with help from the wealthy. But there are too many poverty stricken people in this world to help, that it would take much longer than we have on this earth to see the positive changes. All individuals have a right to basic necessities such as food, water, clothing, and shelter; however, providing the basic necessities to the needy should not be the sole responsibility of those who are better off. An individual who is well off can only do so much for so long and after helping those in need, individuals begin to assume they are being taken advantage of and they start providing less and less assistance to the needy. They tend to find a mindset of why am I the only one helping these people and why should I help them. Other individuals have concerns as to where their monetary assistance is actually going. People who help out by donating money to those charity organizations that support the impoverished, wonder if their monetary support is actually making it to those in need in a third world country or if some organization leader is keeping a majority of the donated money to help cover costs of that organization. Like me I wonder the same thing, because I know there are millions of people and charity organizations who are helping the impoverished, but we cannot assume that all the aid is going to those needy because nothing is really changing for those who are poor. It seems those who support the poor are fighting a losing battle. On the other hand, there are many people world-wide who believe the well-to-do do not have a moral duty or obligation to provide support or provide assistance to those who desperately need it. Individuals who think this believe they have worked too hard to for what they have, that they shouldnt have to just give it away because someone else in another country is not working hard enough to alleviate their plight. They also believe that it is not their concern or their fault that people in other countries are so poor. Forcing the well-to-do to share their wealth with the poor would be considered a violation of their rights since they are not being allowed to choose whether to give or not. If we continue to just provide assistance instead of resources for them, to the impoverished we are just causing more problems down the road, because those who are poor will continue to expect support instead of using the resources to better themselves. Needless to say, the poor continue to reproduce at a greater number than the rich. So those third world countries are practically doubling in population and if we continue to provide some sort of safety net in the form of support from the wealthy, then how can the poor population ever recover. I dont want to venture into religious opinions, but the Bible does state there will always be poor amongst us. Yet many Archbishops state, the rich should help the poor. Garrett Hardin a philosopher as well was opposed to Peter Singers theory that the rich should be influenced to help the poor. There are many well-to-do individuals who claim they have no responsibility for the millions of poor people across the world, because it was not their fault the poor people ended up in that situation. Yet there are those who believe we have several options: we may be tempted to try to live by the Christian ideal of being our brothers keeper, or by the Marxist ideal of to each according to his needs. (Hardin, 2003) Those who believe we should not supp ort the poor are said to have more of an individual egoism (Philosophy Basics, ) which means they are more inclined to act in their self-interest. So with all that being said, what is the morally right thing to do and whos duty is it to help those in need? There is and always will be different views on who is to blame and who should help the impoverished. The absolute fact is that there will always be poverty stricken people in this world no matter if we as individuals feel it is our duty to help those in need or not. From the beginning of time to the present day, people have fallen into two categories, they are either hunters or they are gatherers. Those who fall into the hunter category or have the hunter persona are individuals who fight hard to ensure their families have the basic necessities and more if possible. Then you have those individuals who fall into the gatherer category or have the gatherer persona; they expect others, particularly the hunters to feed and take care of them. There are several reasons as to why people are severely poor and those people who are capable of helping would probably make the better decision and help those who fell into poverty because of a natural disaster, job loss due to businesses downsizing, or even medical related problems which keep people from working. Extreme reasons like that affects individuals differently and they are more inclined to help those who fell into poverty. But for someone to say we should help those in need because they fall victim to drugs or violence is not a severe enough reason to entice someone to help. People are not sympathetic to those kinds of reasons. I however, dont believe it is the rich mans responsibility to take care of the poor simply because we choose our own path in life and there is always room for change. Staying in a state of poverty just because there is a small amount of help is not a justifiable reason to avoid changing their situation. I also dont if someone who was extremely poor suddenly became rich, that they would turn around and give their money to the poor. I believe they would possibly donate some of their money to certain charity organizations or maybe give a little money to friends or family who helped them through the tough times. But how long would they continue to give their earnings to the poor is unknown, because they possibly would become tired of having to continuously support those who have less. So in the end, who is really to blame for the poor being poor? I believe their governments should rise up and do more to alleviate the poverty issues in their respective countries. For example, Africa is known for being a continent with a majority of the population being impoverished and not having basic necessities. Yet they export oil, diamonds, and other goods which would increase their Gross National Product and they could use the increase to help the poor. If the country where those needy live has a failing economy, then who is responsible or who do we blame? Do we blame it on Globalization? I believe the American welfare system does not help the poor or improve their situation, it merely allows them to get by and because of this they do not put enough effort into improving their status. It is true to this day, the rich get richer and the poor, poorer.

A Poker Addiction :: Personal Narrative Descriptive Papers

A Poker Addiction As Manny sits there, with half the chips he began with, he faces the hardest decision of the night. Does he call? Does he fold? There are so many things to consider, so much at stake. As the seconds tick by, flashes of frames from the World Series of Poker pass before his eyes; Johnny Chan slapping his cards down on the table, calling out â€Å"All in,† in front of God knows how many people. He sees Phil Hellmuth with his chin supported on his hands, shuffling chips and staring down his opponent. He smirks at the thought of Chris Moneymaker’s famous bluff against Sam Farha. He’s glad he doesn’t need to bluff this hand; he has very solid cards in front of him. At this point the adrenaline rush that is going through his body is one like no other. It is a mixture of excitement, nervousness, and competitiveness. It is a feeling players love to hate. They hate having it, but they love wanting it. As all these scenes pass before Manny’s eyes, he suddenly gets an urge to be bold and risky. He decides that calling his opponent would just weaken his position. â€Å"It would only make him think that I have a losing hand and am hoping for the best†, he reasons, â€Å"I’m all in† he then says, and slaps the cards down on the table in a Chan-like manner. Now it is up to Alex, it is his turn to decide whether to fold or call. Alex, though, is sure he has Manny beat, he gives Manny a smirk and says, in a Russian accent imitating the KGB guy from the movie Rounders, â€Å"I call.† All of sudden everyone is interested. One of these guys is about to lose all his chips. â€Å"Flip ‘em† somebody yells. As Manny flips his cards the whole table gets a look at them, A-K, an enviable hand. Alex flips his: 10-10, also a good hand. Alex definitely has an advantage, with a pocket pair. Both players look at each other and then back down at the table. Manny is hoping his bold move doesn’t backfire on him, and Alex just wants to finish the hand without having a heart attack. Here come the next three cards, also known as the flop, 7-9-K. Manny sighs as he sees his King, he is now in the lead. A Poker Addiction :: Personal Narrative Descriptive Papers A Poker Addiction As Manny sits there, with half the chips he began with, he faces the hardest decision of the night. Does he call? Does he fold? There are so many things to consider, so much at stake. As the seconds tick by, flashes of frames from the World Series of Poker pass before his eyes; Johnny Chan slapping his cards down on the table, calling out â€Å"All in,† in front of God knows how many people. He sees Phil Hellmuth with his chin supported on his hands, shuffling chips and staring down his opponent. He smirks at the thought of Chris Moneymaker’s famous bluff against Sam Farha. He’s glad he doesn’t need to bluff this hand; he has very solid cards in front of him. At this point the adrenaline rush that is going through his body is one like no other. It is a mixture of excitement, nervousness, and competitiveness. It is a feeling players love to hate. They hate having it, but they love wanting it. As all these scenes pass before Manny’s eyes, he suddenly gets an urge to be bold and risky. He decides that calling his opponent would just weaken his position. â€Å"It would only make him think that I have a losing hand and am hoping for the best†, he reasons, â€Å"I’m all in† he then says, and slaps the cards down on the table in a Chan-like manner. Now it is up to Alex, it is his turn to decide whether to fold or call. Alex, though, is sure he has Manny beat, he gives Manny a smirk and says, in a Russian accent imitating the KGB guy from the movie Rounders, â€Å"I call.† All of sudden everyone is interested. One of these guys is about to lose all his chips. â€Å"Flip ‘em† somebody yells. As Manny flips his cards the whole table gets a look at them, A-K, an enviable hand. Alex flips his: 10-10, also a good hand. Alex definitely has an advantage, with a pocket pair. Both players look at each other and then back down at the table. Manny is hoping his bold move doesn’t backfire on him, and Alex just wants to finish the hand without having a heart attack. Here come the next three cards, also known as the flop, 7-9-K. Manny sighs as he sees his King, he is now in the lead.

Murakami as an Existential Writer Essay -- Philosophy, Writing

Existentialism is a 20th century philosophy and school of literature that holds that life is meaningless and chaotic, and any abstract theories about it are useless. All that exists is the world of phenomena as perceived by our senses. Whatever metaphysical concept that lies behind this world is not only impossible to know and understand, but also holds no significant value. The only choice we have to make in life is to accept this world with a kind of determined joy, to discipline ourselves, and to defy the emptiness and the chaos by finding our own meaning in life (â€Å"Friedrich Nietzsche Part 4†). Although Haruki Murakami does not directly express any existential views in What I Talk about When I Talk about Running and Norwegian Wood, he is a quintessential existential writer because so much of existentialism involves the working out of private dilemmas. There is much focus on introversion in existentialism, and it can be seen in the lives of Murakami’s chara cters. In What I Talk About When I Talk About Running, Murakami was facing the dilemma of participating in a 62-mile ultramarathon that took place every June at Lake Saroma in Hokkaido, Japan (104). According to Murakami, â€Å"The runners run around the shores of Lake Saroma, which faces the Sea of Okhotsk. Only once you actually run the course do you realize how ridiculously huge Lake Saroma is† (105). The weather gradually changed from being freezing to being too warm for heavy clothes during the ultramarathon (105). While Murakami was running, he began feeling intense pain in different parts of his body (109). Even so, he felt very happy upon reaching the finish line, not so much pride as a sense of completion (115). Through running, Murakami finds his own meaning... ... Through perseverance, we overcome obstacles and find happiness in this chaotic world of ours. We find our own reasons to live and we choose to hold our own values. All of these things are tenets of existentialism. There is no purpose in life but what we make for ourselves. Works Cited "Friedrich Nietzsche Part 4 - YouTube." YouTube - Broadcast Yourself. Web. 25 Sept. 2011. . Murakami, Haruki. What I Talk About When I Talk About Running. New York: Vintage, 2007. Print. Murakami, Haruki. Norwegian Wood. New York: Vintage International, 1987. Print. "Island of Freedom - Sà ¸ren Kierkegaard." RobertHSarkissian.com. Web. 27 Nov. 2011. . Murakami, Haruki, Alfred Birnbaum, and Jay Rubin. The Elephant Vanishes: Stories. (TEV)New York: Knopf, 1993. Print.

High School and Personal Hero

â€Å"A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself†. Heroes are usually superhero, celebrities and historians but the hero in my life is my mother. My mother is my personal hero because she overcame all the struggles in her youth; she has a caring heart and a hard worker. My mom is my personal hero because of how she overcame struggles in her youth. My mom has a strong sense of leadership even as a young child, due to the fact that she practically raised her 10 brothers and 9 sisters.When my mother was very young, her father had an illness that ended up killing him. Her mother tends to care about her man more than her kids. My mother threw away her dream to become a professional soccer player to help provide for her siblings. Also, my mom overcomes her struggles in school when she was younger. Partially junior high and early high school, my mother didn’t think or care about school and how important it was and she decided that providin g for her siblings was the number one priority.As the school years had gone by her attitude toward school changes, she is more dedicated and determines to get her high school diploma. All in all overcoming struggles in her youth has made mom my personal hero. Secondly, my mother is my personal hero because she is a caring person. My mom is part of the minority who make it a part of everyday life to help others. She’s passionate about teaching profoundly mentally handicap children, a job which may be considered undesirable, yet she wouldn’t trade it for the world.She is also the first to offer a helping hand to anybody any time. She has given people a home, a shoulder to cry on, advice, all the help she can give, and most importantly given someone in need the feeling of knowing that there is someone out there who cares. Also, she constantly encouraged me to further my education. She doesn’t want me to go through the same struggles as she went through numerous tim es. My mother knew growing up she was not given the same opportunities as I am today.My mother reminds me that she foresees a future in me and will not let me give up on my education. Therefore being a caring person is one of many reasons why my mom is a hero to me. Lastly, my mom is my personal hero because she is a hard worker. My mother would sacrifice anything she had to, to ensure our happiness and success. She works two jobs, her full time teaching career and her part time job working fast food just so she can afford to have a roof over our heads, food on the table, and some of the luxuries we may desire even though they aren’t ecessities. She sacrifices her time and energy to please us. There aren’t many people out there who are so giving, without asking for anything in return. Also my mom has think of quitting her job many of time because the hours she worked didn’t allow her to spend any time with her kids and husband. She started getting back pain, eat disorder and sleeping less. But that didn’t stop my mother from quitting her job. In conclusion being a hard worker is one of the most important reasons why my mother is my hero.With all the curves and obstacles life throws at us, somehow my mom manages to keep herself together and still manage to be the best mother I know out there by overcoming all the tough struggle she went through as a young child, have a caring personality and working hard. She always strives to do her best for us, and loves us unconditionally. My mom is the most compassionate person that I know. She cares much more for others than she cares for herself and put in time and energy to please us. My mother is my mom, my best friend, but most importantly she is my everyday hero.

Construction and De-construction of Race Essay

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