Who Influenced Michael Jordan To Become The Player And Person He Is To

Who Influenced Michael Jordan To Become The Player And Person He Is Today? Davis 1 Who Influenced Michael Jordan to Become the Player and Person He is Today? I. Introduction A. Background B. Thesis Statement II. Body A. Childhood of MJ B. MJ the Child Player C. The College Years D. MJ- The Pro Athlete 1. Life in the NBA 2. Life in the MLB E. Back to the NBA 1. Bye, Bye, Bye (Retirement from the Game) III. Conclusion IV. Appendixes A. Charts and Statistics V. Bibliography Page Davis 2 Introduction Well everyone has they're own opinion about Michael Jordan, but one thing is certain, he is a phenomenal athlete with a unique combination of grace, power, artistry and the improvisational ability. He is not only the top player of his Era, but is quite possibly the best player to wear the uniform of a NBA team. He is the most recognizable athlete in the world and is believed to be the best there ever was, is, or ever will be. (NBA.com) A person to this magnitude has obviously a success, being able to have a family of his own and, knowing that there are thousands of people looking up to him, and being many people's idol. To be able to stand the pressure of being a national symbol of greatness, you have to have a driving force. This driving force has been known to be the edge a lot of people have needed to make it over. Michael Jordan's family helped him to fight and become one of the most influential, successful, and professional sports figures ever. Body Michael Jeffrey Jordan was born on February 17, 1963, in Brooklyn, NY, to a proud Deloris and James Jordan. (Nba.com; BioLife.com) Now this very first point may seem like no big deal but it's something in itself. Jordan almost wasn't born. In 1963, when Deloris was carrying Mike her mother died unexpectedly causing her to fall into a deep depression and stress period. Fearing a miscarriage the family doctor ordered her to bed rest. (Greene 12; NBA.com) ?I Davis 3 always said that Michael's birth was like a sign. I lost my mother while I was carrying Michael, and he was my godsend. Michael was the happiness he sent me after a very sad time in my life.? ?Deloris (qtd. In Halberstam 48) ?The near miscarriage was very bad.? ?James (qtd. in Halberstam 49) Michael the Jordan's 4th child lived in a pretty much average house, which was on the lower end of the economic pool. When Mike was 2 he had a really close brush with death. James (Mike's father) was outside tuning up his car at his parents house. The ground was still soaked from the earlier downpour. Two extension cords let him stretch a lamp from the kitchen outlet to under the hood of his car. During his labor he saw something out of the corner of his eye. Mike had escaped his playpen and, was on his way to make it a father- son- project. James ran towards him bit it was too late. Mike walked right into the junction of the wires and began playing with them. A sudden surge of current sent him flying back about 3 feet, where he landed in too much shock to cry. (Greats of the Game.com; BioLife.com) James put a net up in the backyard and the boys played all the time. Michael's older brother Larry always beat him. Growing up Mike's favorite sport was baseball, and he was quite good too! He was the MVP of Dixie League and received a scholarship to Mickey Owen Baseball Camp. Michael got better at basketball and, decided to try out for the Varsity Laney High Basketball Team but, wasn't good enough as a sophomore. Jordan, as a sophomore, played on JV and, averaged 27.8 PPG. Jordan after junior year was Davis 4 invited to play at the 5-star Camp where colleges recruited. MJ won 10 trophies including 2 MVP's. The University of North Carolina recruited Jordan. Dean Smith the winningest coach in NCAA basketball history coached Mike. (Greene 52; Halberstam 27, BioLife.com) Most people thought that Mike would come and sit the bench. They were startled when they found out he was a season opener starter. (NBA.com) Mike had a great time playing for UNC, and his nest move was to become eligible for the NBA draft. Mike was 3rd pick behind Hakeem Olajuwon (Houston)

computer purchase essays

computer purchase essays PROF. MARTINEZ COMPUTER PURCHASE Recently, I decided to purchase a new computer. Buying a computer can be a complicated procedure. A number of decisions must be made before making this purchase. I must decide what type of software and hardware I need for my everyday use. Another decision that must be made is how much money do I want to spend. There is no real budget for this purchase. I am not really concerned with the price of the computer. I am not looking to cut corners. My main concern is that I purchase a reliable computer that can support all the necessary functions for my day-to-day business and personal affairs for an extended period of time. The basic need for this computer is for writing documents and reports for college. In addition, I need the computer for my financial accounts. The Internet is essential for research and for that occasional surf. I would also like to purchase a number of games to keep myself busy while I download files. I am not in favor of proprietary computer systems. It is not fair to consumers for a manufacturer to produce hardware and software that has built-in obsolescence. It is not very realistic for a consumer to have to purchase totally new software when he wants to switch computer models or manufacturers. The only people who could ever be in favor of this type of manufacturing are the manufacturers themselves. Technology keeps changing and a lot of newer software is being developed which requires more powerful machines. Machines should be upgradable and not have this forced turnover feature. I must first determine what software I will need and then find hardware to match that software. I have a lot of experience with the Microsoft Office 97 software package and it supports all my word processing and spreadsheet needs. Although Office 2000 far surpasses Office 97, there is no real need to go for the upgrade at this particular time. Office 97 cov...

The Liberal Tradition in America Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The Liberal Tradition in America - Essay Example The Liberal Tradition in America (p. 20). America did not have a "genuine revolutionary tradition" and a "tradition of reaction† and had only â€Å"a kind of self-completing mechanism, which insures the universality of the liberal idea†. In order for American to hold this broad liberal tradition, Hartz said that, we must look for comparisons between America and Europe so that we can see the absence of conservatism and socialism and the presence of "moral unanimity" forced by "this fixed, dogmatic liberalism of a liberal way of life." Louis Hartz. The Liberal Tradition in America (pp. 5-6). In addition, presence of red scares is shown by the â€Å"deep and unwritten tyrannical compulsion" of American liberalism "transforms eccentricity into sin†, according to Louis Hartz. The Liberal Tradition in America (pp. 9-12). In conclusion, "the master assumption of American political thought" is "the reality of atomistic social freedom. It is instinctive in the American min d." Hartz the Liberal Tradition in America (p. 62).He also said that Americans’ had mutual commitment to "Lockian" liberalism. These enable them to keep away from upheavals at a price of enforcing agreement. Louis used â€Å"Locke† to mean self-interested, behaviors of liberal capitalism and profit-maximizing values. This opposed the revolutionary democratic dedication of Marxian socialist and Jacobins. Moreover, it was against the traditional morals of church elites and aristocrats of the ancient regime in Europe. Regrettably, Hartz never stop to explain what he knew about feudalism or liberalism or what he meant by Locke, therefore, the meaning of his words remain unclear, and his claims are uncertain. However, he focused on issues that played a vital role in religion, democracy, race, gender, and ethnicity in American history. (Hartz 1948) A social theory that talks about a particular economic system or political system as a fair system is a consensus theory. It con tracts with conflict theory, which says that any social change is achieved through conflict. Hartz is as a consensus theorist, for a simple reason: First, Hartz came up with the most daring and a theory complete argument for a consensus in any political tradition. In his book The Liberal Tradition in America, first, Harzt compares Europe and United States to justify much of harmony portrait of America. He is preoccupied with socialism through his work. He said that the French and American had very different revolutions .in France, there was a hugely complex social system, divided by internal separations caused by growing middle class challenging the lost of agrarian , feudal system. Kings were using bureaucrats to control the authority of nobles; therefore, monarchs became unfriendly to "the very system of society of which they were the traditional apex†, according to Harzt book The Liberal Tradition in America. In addition, in England like in France, there were independent ar tisans who were undermined by the spread of merchant capitalism. This lessened nobility in England because British aristocracy had the ability to take the wealthy bourgeoisie. However, America lacked a feudal heritage, as in the case of France and Britain. There was no aristocracy between the merchants, and nobody objected creation of permanent laborers. As a result, the American scene did not have the hostility marked by French and English. Relationship between consensus theory and â€Å"

Strategic Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 10

Strategic Management - Essay Example Positioning of the organisation through strategy, responding to real time issues through strategic management and managing the resistance offered by the competitors through systematic planning are some of the broader aims of strategic management (Ayanda, M., n.d.). There are a few key attributes that strategic management addresses. It helps the organisation to move towards its goal and achieve its objectives. It helps the stake holders to be a part of the decision making body. The need of incorporating short term and long term goals can be identified. It also helps in understanding the trade off between efficiency and effectiveness in order to achieve the goals of the organisation. Some theorist do believe that the traditional approach is the standard approach to strategic management however it can no longer cope up with the complexities of the new demands (Dess, et.al., n.d). Brinkerhoff had a very simple way of defining strategic management. He defined strategic management as ‘looking out’, ‘looking in’ and ‘looking ahead’. According to Brinkerhoff looking out means, evaluating the environment in order to set organisational goals and also recognise the potential stakeholders. By looking in he means to identify the strengths that the firm possesses meaning the resources like finance and the man power. Looking ahead points out at formulating strategies and allocating resources to set targets and evaluate performance. Strategic management mainly consists of the following five factors. They are setting goals, analysing, strategy formation, strategy implementation and evaluating the strategy. These factors need continuous interaction and feedback between them (Susan. n.d.). The Balance Scorecard is an effective tool by which organisations can evaluate its performance which in turn helps to accomplish the vision.

Super Bowl Ads Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Super Bowl Ads - Assignment Example The commercial of this mega event is a trend setter in the industry due to high cost and quality. The Operah was marketing a jeep. At beginning the product was not clear, it revealed surprises at the end in emotional background. Patriotic emotions were triggered with the help of a very persuasive language. The theme itself was strong enough that it needs not any musical background. Without any music the theme sounds so real and natural. Female narrator suits the theme but the gender change might reduce the impact of the commercial The commercial does not leave a quick impact on a viewer and the Google Trends (Shaughnessy, 2013) shows that there it did not leave any significant impact on the Samsung search uptick. The theme of the commercial is good but it failed to win the viewership of a large segment of the society which may hint the future business, trends and gains. Shaughnessy Haydn (2013). Did Samsungs Superbowl Ad Make A Difference In Its Battle With Apple? . Retrieved from

Does Poverty Exist in the Uk?

Does Poverty Exist in the Uk? Does Poverty exist in contemporary Britain? The answer to this question depends to a large extent on how poverty is defined and measured. It is, like many sociological issues, an ‘essentially contested concept’ and as such, there has been much debate around what exactly constitutes poverty. However, even accepting that poverty itself denotes different things to different people, it can still be argued that poverty or indeed ‘poverties’ are a real problem in Britain today which need to be addressed by government and society in order to optimise equality in our society. How should we define poverty? It is useful firstly to refer to some widely used definitions. Charles Booth writing in 1889 was one of the first to explore the area of poverty when he published a work showing that one third of Londoners were living in dire poverty. By ‘poverty’ he was referring to a ‘lack of basic requirements to sustain a physically healthy existence [and] sufficient food and shelter to make possible the physically efficient functioning of the body’ (cited in Giddens, 2001, p236). This is referred to as subsistence poverty- literally not having the means to survive. Benjamin Rowntree referred to primary poverty and secondary poverty. By primary poverty he meant those who were unable to afford a basket of necessities for ‘merely physical efficiency’. Secondary poverty referred to those who had more income than those living in primary poverty but who still suffered poverty lifestyles. (cited Flaherty et al 2004, p16) Another widely quoted definition of poverty is Townsend’s. In 1979 he stated, ‘Individuals, families and groups in the population can be said to be in poverty when they lack the resources to obtain the types of diet, participate in the activities and have the living conditions and amenities which are customary, or are at least widely recognised or approved, societies to which they belong. Their resources are so seriously below those commanded by the average individual or family that they are in effect, excluded from ordinary living patterns, customs and activities’ (cited Flaherty et al, 2004, p17). Whilst the World Bank described poverty as ‘the inability to attain a minimal standard of living’, the UN defines poverty as follows: ‘Poverty has various manifestations including lack of income and productive resources to ensure sustainable livelihoods; hunger and malnutrition; ill health; limited or lack of access to education and other basic services; increased morbidity and mortality from illness; homelessness and inadequate housing; unsafe environments and social discrimination and exclusion. It is also characterised by lack of participation in decision making and in civil, social and cultural life. It occurs in all countries: as mass poverty in many developing countries, pockets of poverty amidst wealth in developed countries, loss of livelihoods as a result of economic recession, sudden poverty as a result of disaster or conflict, the poverty y of low-wage workers, and the utter destitution of people who fall outside family support systems, institutions and safety nets’ (Flaherty et al 2004, p13). From this range of definitions can be seen the difference between absolute and relative poverty. Absolute poverty is based on the notion of subsistence which in itself is defined as the minimum amount needed to sustain life. As Alcock points out however, it is a contradiction to say someone is living below subsistence levels because, how can those without enough to live on, live? (1997, p68) The answer of course is that they do not- or at least not for very long. In contrast relative poverty is, in Alcock’s words, ‘a more subjective or social standard’ (1997, p69). This is the poverty which Townsend refers to where poverty and deprivation are judged in the context of the society in which an individual lives. Townsend also looked at poverty in terms of how it affected an individual’s ability to engage in social activities. From this the notion of social exclusion was developed and definitions of poverty broadened to include various types of deprivation. Townsend developed a deprivation index based on items which he saw as necessary to the whole of society and used these along with income levels to measure deprivation. However, there are some difficulties with this approach. For example as Baldock et al point out, where one of the deprivation indicators was not eating cooked meals, some people may prefer to eat salads and sandwiches from choice. (Baldock et al 2003, p119) Therefore it is difficult to differentiate where in some instances people may choose to be without what Townsend considered to be a necessity. Mack and Lansley further developed Townsend’s work by coming up with a ‘consensual approach top poverty.’ They asked respondents what they considered as necessities and from this feedback they measured poverty which they defined crucially as ‘an enforced lack of socially perceived necessities’ (cited in Baldock et al p119). By referring to ‘socially perceived necessities’ they avo ided having to make judgements on what constituted necessities. The difficulties with subsistence approaches to poverty is that it is inevitable that at some point an arbitrary decision will have to be made about what exactly is needed for subsistence. On the other hand, the problem with the relative measure of poverty is that where a society may have a small section of extremely wealthy people, the level of what is considered to be poverty relatively may be artificially high. For our purposes, it is easier to work with Sen’s assertion that ‘if there is starvation and hunger then, no matter what the relative picture looks like there clearly is poverty’ (cited Flaherty et al 2004, p17). However it is measured, it is clear that poverty exists and is even becoming a more acute problem in contemporary Britain. Flaherty et al cite statistics which reveal that between 1979 and 2001/2 the numbers of people living in households with below 60% of the median income after housing costs rose from 7.1 million to 12.5 million, that is, from 13% of the population to 22% of the population (2004, p31). Nearly a third of children in the UK live in poverty and this figure is even higher in Northern Ireland. In March 2003, 7.6 million British people were living on the safety net of benefits of income support or the jobseeker’s allowance. By the mid nineties, Britain’s child poverty rates were third only to the USA and Russia (2004, p69). The measure used to determine poverty by the British government is based on the Household Below Average Income Statistics. The HBAI looks at data along a number of income thresholds. The 60% of median income after housing costs, adjusted for family size, is a measurement tool used as a proxy for income poverty. As Flaherty et al state, ‘it is an explicitly ‘relative’ measure which looks at how people at the bottom of the income distribution have fared in relation to the median’ (2004, p31). As well as being used by the British government, it is also the headline indicator used by the European union to determine those who are at risk of poverty. Although the poverty we refer to here is largely to do with income and having the basic necessities in life- the term poverty is also used to describe people who are missing out on elements of social life which may be considered important by others. For example, cultural poverty or educational poverty. Whilst education is accepted as a basic human right, not having an education does not necessarily mean that a person cannot live a healthy and happy life, whereas not having food and warmth does. These poverties might be more aptly described in terms of social exclusion. Blakemore highlights the differences between social exclusion and poverty. Firstly, social exclusion focuses on relationships to society rather than material resources. Secondly social exclusion normally refers to exclusion from educational opportunities or from the labour market. Thirdly, remedies for social exclusion are different than those for poverty (2003, p85) What kind of people are at risk from poverty? Whilst it would seem natural to assume that unemployed people would be most at risk, this is not the case. Bilton et al (2002) outline which groups o people are more likely to suffer poverty and assert, ‘it is people in low-paid, insecure work who constitute the bulk of those below the income poverty line.’ The second largest group of people likely to suffer poverty are the elderly. ‘because life expectancy has increased, earlier retirement has become more common and state pensions have reduced in real terms, the elderly comprise an ever larger section of the poor. Unequal life chances continue through old age.’ Another group at risk are lone parent families and although less common, large families. In addition those who are sick or disabled are also more vulnerable to poverty(Bilton et al 2002, pp78-79). Millar argued in 1993 that three factors have contributed to the growth of poverty: a significant level of un employment; the increase in low-paid work; the growth of ‘precarious’ or ‘flexible’ employment (cited Bilton, 2002, p79). Such employment patterns tend to optimise profit and boost the economy but the downside is that vulnerable workers especially in unskilled occupations, are lacking in job security and all the benefits that brings. Another question which must be asked is whether it is possible to escape poverty. This depends on social mobility which Giddens defines as ‘the movements of individuals and groups between different socio-economic positions’ (2001, p229). The evidence seems to suggest that whilst those most at risk of poverty may be likely to always be vulnerable to extreme poverty, many people suffer regular periods of short-term poverty. As Jenkins et al state, ‘from a dynamic perspective, one may distinguish three groups: the persistently poor, the recurrently poor, and the temporarily poor’ (cited Flaherty et al 2004, p47) Jenkins et al’s studies over a number of years (1991-1999) found that a pattern emerged of ‘one of relatively short poverty spells for the majority, but relatively long spells for a significant minority.’ For many people life events can be the push factor in or out of poverty. For example exit from family poverty is most likely to co me through finding paid work whilst a change in household composition is more likely to assist a lone parents family’s exit from poverty. (Flaherty et al 2004, p48) In conclusion, the evidence is ample to show that poverty is a very real problem in Britain today whether it is measured in relative or absolute terms or whether it is conceptualised along lines of deprivation or exclusion. What is perhaps most worrying is that as a society, Britain is becoming more unequal than ever before. For example between 1979 and 1995, whilst the incomes of the richest tenth of the population rose by 60%, the incomes of the poorest tenth fell by 8% (Hills 1995, cited Baldock et al 2003, p121). This was still the case in the late 1990s when, according to Gordon et al, ‘the disposable incomes of the poorest and richest groups were still edging apart’ (cited Blakemore, 2003, p78). Those who are most likely to experience a reduction in income levels include ethnic minorities and women. Children are also more likely to suffer the worst effects of poverty. In 1999, Blair promised to end child poverty in a generation. It remains to be seen whether this w ill be achieved although with a mandate for a third term, it can only be hoped that important work already carried out to tackle child poverty will be consolidated. Some policy changes have already begun to make a difference in child poverty but poverty as a whole is still an issue which needs more time and resources devoted to it if poverty is to be eradicated. References Alcock P, (1997)Â  Understanding Poverty 2nd Edition Basingstoke: Palgrave Baldock J, Manning N, Vickerstaff S (2003) Social Policy London: Oxford University Press Bilton T, Bonnett K, Jones P, Lawson T, Skinner D, Stanworth M, Webster A, (2002) Introductory Sociology 4th Ed Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan Blakemore K, (2003) Social Policy an introduction Buckinghamshire: Oxford University Press Flaherty J, Veit-Wilson J, Dornan P (2004) Poverty: the facts 5th Edition London: Child Poverty Action Group Giddens A, (2001) Sociology Cambridge: Polity Press

Expansionist Tension :: American America History

Expansionist Tension From 1800 to 1850 territorial expansion tore the United States apart. Territorial expansion itself was not a debated issue. Spurred by the concept of Manifest Destiny, almost everyone believed that America should extend from sea to shining sea and maybe even farther. But it was the issue of the expansion of slavery into the new territories that pitted the North against the South and split our nation apart. The first real crisis over territorial expansion took place in 1819-1821 over the admission of the state of Missouri. The proposed state of Missouri was the first (beside Louisiana itself) to be carved out of the Louisiana Purchase. It lay out of the jurisdiction of the Northwest Ordinance, which prohibited slavery in the Northwest Territories, and had a long tradition of slavery. Therefore, in 1817 Missouri applied to the Union as a slave state. The extension of slavery so far north and the threat of further expansion of slavery into all new territories of the U.S. created havoc in Congress. In February 1819, Congressman James Tallmadge, from New York, proposed an amendment that would prohibit any new slaves to enter the state and provided that all slave children born after the date of admission would be set free at the age of twenty-five. Tallmadge's gradual emancipation proviso received almost unanimous opposition from Southern Congressmen. The amendment twice passed the North dom inated House of Representatives, only to be turned down by the balanced Senate. In December 1819, Maine applied for statehood as a free state. In the end a compromise was reached where Maine would enter the Union as a free state, Missouri would enter the Union as a slave state without restrictions, but in the remaining Louisiana territory slavery would be prohibited north of 36o30' (the Mason-Dixon Line). This is now known as the Missouri Compromise. The Missouri Compromise is commonly thought of the beginning of American Sectionalism, although signs were visible long before 1819. The Missouri controversy alerted the South to the need for political unity in order to maintain the "peculiar institution" of slavery and alerted the whole country to the political problems inherent to westward expansion. The next jolt to national unity was over the admission of Texas into the Union. Texas had petitioned for admission as early as 1836, and the ensuing arguments in Congress over upsetting the balance between free and slave states delayed its admission into the Union. Expansionist Tension :: American America History Expansionist Tension From 1800 to 1850 territorial expansion tore the United States apart. Territorial expansion itself was not a debated issue. Spurred by the concept of Manifest Destiny, almost everyone believed that America should extend from sea to shining sea and maybe even farther. But it was the issue of the expansion of slavery into the new territories that pitted the North against the South and split our nation apart. The first real crisis over territorial expansion took place in 1819-1821 over the admission of the state of Missouri. The proposed state of Missouri was the first (beside Louisiana itself) to be carved out of the Louisiana Purchase. It lay out of the jurisdiction of the Northwest Ordinance, which prohibited slavery in the Northwest Territories, and had a long tradition of slavery. Therefore, in 1817 Missouri applied to the Union as a slave state. The extension of slavery so far north and the threat of further expansion of slavery into all new territories of the U.S. created havoc in Congress. In February 1819, Congressman James Tallmadge, from New York, proposed an amendment that would prohibit any new slaves to enter the state and provided that all slave children born after the date of admission would be set free at the age of twenty-five. Tallmadge's gradual emancipation proviso received almost unanimous opposition from Southern Congressmen. The amendment twice passed the North dom inated House of Representatives, only to be turned down by the balanced Senate. In December 1819, Maine applied for statehood as a free state. In the end a compromise was reached where Maine would enter the Union as a free state, Missouri would enter the Union as a slave state without restrictions, but in the remaining Louisiana territory slavery would be prohibited north of 36o30' (the Mason-Dixon Line). This is now known as the Missouri Compromise. The Missouri Compromise is commonly thought of the beginning of American Sectionalism, although signs were visible long before 1819. The Missouri controversy alerted the South to the need for political unity in order to maintain the "peculiar institution" of slavery and alerted the whole country to the political problems inherent to westward expansion. The next jolt to national unity was over the admission of Texas into the Union. Texas had petitioned for admission as early as 1836, and the ensuing arguments in Congress over upsetting the balance between free and slave states delayed its admission into the Union.