First African-American in Baseball – “Jackie Robinson”

Jackie Robinson, the first African-American in Baseball, changed the face of sports for ever. Not only was he an outstanding athlete, but with the help of Branch Ricky, they worked for reforms in the sports community. There was work required, though, since many sacrifices were made. The face of not only segregation, but the face of sports was on his shoulders. Through his unique form of, Jackie Robinson was one of the greatest driving forces behind equality and helps to equalize many things most people Jack Roosevelt Robinson was born in January 31, 1919 in the town of Cairo, Georgia. Jackie, as most people called him, was stared in many sports through both High School and College. He stared in Baseball, Football, Track, and Basketball. He had many accomplishments, but one that stands out in his college years was when alongside Kenny Washington almost took UCLA to the Rose Bowl (â€Å"Jackie Robinson† 1). When Jackie's athletic eligibility ended he left UCLA and got a job with the National Youth Administration. While there he played football with the Honolulu Bears. When World War 2 broke out, the Army's Officers Candidate School accepted Jackie and ecame a second lieutenant. While stationed at Fort Riley in Kansas, Jackie was not allowed to play Baseball or Football (â€Å"Jackie Robinson† 1). Jackie, however, tried to play both Baseball and Football while stationed. When the Football team formed he was ordered to go home on leave. Then he was told to try out for the nonwhite baseball team, which he later discovered didn't exist. He was then sent Fort Hood. After a good deal of time, Jackie was court-martialed for breaking Jim Crow status. Although it he was found innocent, he was discharged on medical grounds, nd was given an honorable discharge (â€Å"Robinson, Jackie† 1). In 1945 Robinson signed a contract with the Kanas City Monarchs of the NAL (Negro American League) for four-hundred and fifty dollars a month (â€Å"Jackie Robinson† 1). Attention was brought to Jackie because of his great play. Branch Ricky, Brooklyn's General Manager, picked him as the most likely to overcome racism in sports In April 1945, ironically Jackie heard from the Boston Red Sox, who were the last to integrate the two leagues. On August 27, 1945 Robinson was brought to the Dodgers Office at 215 Montague Street. Jackie thought he was there for the Brown Dodgers, but on the contrary he was there to sign with the Montreal Royals. Ricky was really sure of Jackie but he wanted to see how he would put up with the pressure and abuse (â€Å"Jackie Robinson† 1). To test him, Ricky put him through several situations. One involved a white player hurling offensive racial slurs at Jackie and then punched him in the face. â€Å"Rickey took a mock swing at Robinson, and hollered, ‘What do you do know, Jackie? What do you do now? ‘ Robinson replied, ‘I get it, Mr. Rickey. I've got another cheek. I turn the other cheek'† (â€Å"Jackie Robinson† 1). That was all Rickey needed to hear and on October 23 he announced that Robinson had a contract with the Montreal Royals Jackie first appeared on April 18, 1946, for the first time in organized baseball. The house was packed and Jackie went four-for-five with one homer, four RBIs, four runs, and two stolen bases. As something of a trademark, Jackie danced away from the plate allowing Jersey City to commit two balks (â€Å"Jackie Robinson† 2). Rickey feared that resistance was soon to follow and it did. At Syracuse he was aunted, two Baltimore players protested, and Robinson's two black teammates that year washed out. He was a nervous wreak by the end of the season, but still he came out to be the International League's batting champion at . 349 (â€Å"Jackie Robinson† 2) Rickey decided that it was now time for Jackie to hit the major leagues, but he being very cautious. For Dodgers spring training in 1947, Rickey sent Jackie to Havana, but still keeping him on the Montreal roster. Rickey was being a cautious as he Could, trying to anticipate any countermove made against him. One move he may of issed was a number of players, including Dixie Walker, signed a petition against playing with ‘a black man'. One night Leo Durocher told them to take the petition and stuff it, after waking them up from sleeping. Rickey told them the same the next day Rickey had already thought this out, and he wanted Jackie's teammates not only to accept him but to want him. he scheduled seven exhibition games in order to show of what Jackie could do. He received an . 625 batting average, and that seem to turn some eyes in his direction. Rickey, although, didn't announce Jackie was on that seasons line p until three days before the first game. The news of this you would think would be headline, but it was overshadowed by the suspension of Durocher (â€Å"Jackie Robinson† 2). He played his first game at the age of 28. For several games he went hitless and he continued to struggle for most of the season. The behavior of other teams did not help though. Death threats were given in Cincinnati against both him and Reese, a long time friend and supporter. Problems continued and even the Cardinals almost went on strike until St. Louis management and National League President Ford Frick stopped it. â€Å"‘I do ot care if the league strikes,' Frick said, ‘those who do will encounter quick retribution. All will be suspended, and I don't care if it wreaks the National League for five years. This is the United States of America and one citizen has as much right to play as another. The National League will go down the line with Robinson, whatever the consequences'† Jackie had to stifle a lot because the verbal abuse, and the immense pressure continued, but through it all Rickey's experiment had worked. â€Å".. itcher Don Newcombe, ‘That's the one thing I didn't like about Jackie he always wanted to be right, and you an't be right all the time. You have to be wrong sometimes'† (â€Å"Jackie Robinson† 2). After a year or two of confusion Jackie was traded to the Giant for Dick Littlefield and thirty-thousand dollars. The Giants offered him sixty thousand to stay on, but the Dodgers accused him of saying something about retiring just to get a better and bigger contract. To prove him wrong Jackie retired and started busying himself with Financial games and such (â€Å"Jackie Robinson† 3). Once out of Baseball he got a position with a coffee company and then as board hairman of Freedom national Bank. Robinson grew ill with diabetes and died from a heart attack in his home in Stanford, Connecticut on October 24, 1972. The Dodgers retired his number 42, and he was elected into the hall of fame in 1962, the first year he was eligible. The National League Rookie of the year was renamed in his honor in 1986 Though most people now take segregation for granted, there where many people who helped change it. Jackie Robinson with the help of Branch Rickey worked to reform the major leagues of not only one sport but all of them.

Kill the Media

The formation of personal identity in present-day society can be seen as awkward and challenging. Many teenagers gravitate towards the media for direction on how to stay up-to-date and fresh on trends while going through a tumultuous puberty stage. The dominant influence of accepted media affects every individual’s sense of self. Lauren Moak, author of â€Å"Is This What You Really Want? † attempts to explain the effect media portrayal has on a younger audience’s stance on beauty and self-esteem. She states, â€Å"The media sends the same message on every commercial, billboard, and television show out there. If you do not have the perfect shape, clear complexion†¦well, you’re not â€Å"beautiful†. † (Moak). Moak verifies that the mainstream media crafts images that youthful individuals struggle to become. Every day many girls strive to fit the mold the media has created. Girls fixate over thin frames, tan skin, and unattainable facial features. What many fail to realize is that most, if not all, images are airbrushed or photo-shopped to transform the average face of a model to an unrealistic being. Moak further elucidates her point by saying, â€Å"The media says that if we all fail at achieving this â€Å"ideal† body image, we must try harder no matter what the costs. †(Moak). Attempting to assemble an identity in a media-saturated world is nearly impossible. Everything one does is inspiration from the media and what society deems as â€Å"right†. Self-individuality cannot coexist with popular media. Personal identity, as well as gender identity suffers from the media. Many images from popular media exhibit cliched, constricting, and naive perceptions on various issues, most commonly being gender. David Sedaris, author of â€Å"I Like Guys†, explains his self-awareness of his own sexuality and the portrayal of homosexuals by the media and close people around him. Early into his essay, he describes, â€Å"It was my hope to win a contest, cash in the prizes, and use the money to visit a psychiatrist who might cure me of having homosexual thoughts. † (Sedaris). By Sedaris wanting to instantly be cured from homosexual thoughts, it shows that homosexuality is not acceptable in his society. He also explains viewing homosexual men on television and looking down upon them. This is parallel to the gender identity issues in present-day society because the media is yet again forcing their viewpoints onto others and limiting individual’s perception of people. This, in turn, leads to new stereotypes and discrimination against sexes. One should not feel ashamed, but instead entitled to one’s own views and standpoints on issues. Sedaris expresses the immediate shame he felt after an encounter with another boy. He states, â€Å"My jealousy stemmed from the belief that he had been cured. One fistful of my flesh and he had lost all symptoms of the disease†¦why couldn’t I do the same? † (Sedaris). The media’s continuous backlash to painful topics causes gender identity issues to prevail. Judith Ortiz Cofer, author of â€Å"The Myth Of The Latin Woman: I Just Met a Girl Named Maria† attempts to explain the effect media portrayal has on a younger audience’s stance on beauty and self-esteem. She states, â€Å"The media sends the same message on every commercial, billboard, and television show out there. If you do not have the perfect shape, clear complexion†¦well, you’re not â€Å"beautiful†. (Cofer). Moak verifies that the mainstream media crafts images that youthful individuals struggle to become. Every day many girls strive to fit the mold the media has created. Girls fixate over thin frames, tan skin, and unattainable facial features. What many fail to realize is that most, if not all, images are airbrushed or photo- shopped to transform the average face of a model to an unrealistic being. Moak further elucidates her point by saying, â€Å"The media says that if we all fail at achieving this â€Å"ideal† body image, we must try harder no matter what the costs. (Cofer). Attempting to assemble an identity in a media-saturated world is nearly impossible. Everything one does is inspiration from the media and what society deems as â€Å"right†. Self-individuality cannot coexist with popular media. The formation of personal identity in present-day society can be seen as awkward and challenging. Many teenagers gravitate towards the media for direction on how to stay up-to-date and fresh on trends while going through a tumultuous puberty stage. The dominant influence of accepted media affects every individual’s sense of self.

Ethics Case Study Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Ethics Case Study Paper - Essay Example This is to be able to keep up with the standards and the basis of the economy. A socialist economy has a different set of value than a free economy. A socialist economy is focused more on equality while a free economy is more on individuality and independence. Business makes decisions based on a utilitarian perspective. Economics assume that humans make decisions based on their rational self-interest, which increases their individual values and utility. This is the same with businesses. Since economics studies and analyzes efficiency of using limited resources to achieve maximum satisfaction and benefits based on the economy’s wants and needs, businesses look for results that will increase their productivity and generated income. Though rational decisions may change on the given circumstances, the perspective of a business remains the same, to gain revenue and to increase productivity. Ethics and social norms are the factors that tends to hold back businesses in greedily assuming all values and profits they can get with the limited resources that the environment has and can produce. Ethics are the guidelines by which businesses consider when taking on projects or developing projects. The accompanying changes in ethical standards and considerations of different economies can be seen on how China, U.S. and Jamaica faced economic changes. Chinese business culture is based on the perspective of Confucianism and Maoism, which focuses on moral principles and standards. Jamaica, on the other hand, was willing to open its doors to capitalism, aiming to rise above from their colonial status. With this, Jamaica is more open to a capitalist structured norms and values, which is being open, free and independent. Thus, Jamaica shows a lower uncertainty avoidance showing that they are open to risks and challenges. U.S. being a proponent of capitalism and democracy has values set on individualism and independence. But all being part of the global

Journalist Martha Rountree Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Journalist Martha Rountree - Research Paper Example â€Å"At a time when the female's presence in television production was routinely dismissed as unfeminine, Martha proved that there is not only a niche for the female broadcaster; there is also potential for quality in any commentary regardless of gender†(Martha). Even though, Martha had no college degree, she mesmerized the anchor and journalist profession with her immense abilities and talents. This paper briefly analyses her life and contributions. At the age of sixteen, Martha’s father died which put her in major troubles in finding enough money for the completion of her education. She accepted a job in Columbia Record newspaper, mainly to find enough money for her education. However, she could not finish her college studies because of financial reasons. Since she started her career in a newspaper, she decided to continue her career in journalism and worked for many prominent publications like The Tampa Tribune in Tampa, Florida. In 1938, she resigned from Tampa tri bune and moved to New York City and started her career as a freelance writer. Along with her freelance writing career, she started a production company with the help of her sister which produced singing commercials and transcribed programs in 1944. Martha and her sister Ann succeeded in producing many unique programs which caught the attention of the public at that time. The interviews of women celebrities conducted by Martha and her sister gained much publicity and popularity in America during this period. Her first marriage was to Albert N. Williams, Jr. in 1941 which lasted around seven years and ended in 1948. She had no children in this affair. â€Å"Ms. Rountree married Oliver M. Presbrey in 1952. Mr. Presbrey, an advertising executive, died in 1988† (Files). She had two daughters in this affair. Rountree created a new radio show, called The American Mercury Presents: Meet the Press, on June 24, 1945. However, Meet the Press program which she started on NBC television n etwork, on November 6, 1947 is believed to be her master piece even now. Rountree developed her own ideas and implemented it successfully in this programs which resulted in huge popularity of this program. The major idea of this program was to have public figures respond to irritating questions without prior preparation. People enjoyed the agony and confusion of the celebrities in dealing with the unexpected questions of Martha, very much. Currently meet the press is the longest running television programs in the history of television. It is in the 57th year, at present. President Kennedy once referred to "Meet the Press" as the "fifty-first state," and since the Kennedy presidency, every man who has occupied the Oval Office has appeared on "Meet the Press" during his career. Every Sunday morning for 57 years strong, in times of peace or war, "Meet the Press" is welcomed into the homes of Americans to analyze, discuss and review the news of the week -- and to look ahead to the week to come -- with world-renowned guests (Martha). Foreign policy was the major theme discussed in the meet the press programs while interviewing political celebrities. Some of the prominent world leaders interviewed on this program are; Fidel Castro, Francois Mitterrand, Indira Gandhi, David Ben-Gurion, Golda Meir, Ferdinand Marcos, Jean Monnet, Mikhail Gorbachev, Anwar el-Sadat, Yitzhak Rabin, King Hussein of Jordan, Hamid Karzai, Pervez Musharraf, King Abdullah of

Customer Relationships and Marketing Communications Essay

Customer Relationships and Marketing Communications - Essay Example Technology has grown manifolds and has been a great boon to mankind over the past few years. Since the past decade, the intent of the Internet has provided man with a strong weapon to acquire every minute details pertaining to various products in a jiffy of a second. The Internet has provided mechanisms to obtain information related to diverse products by sitting at one spot. These technological trends provide an opportunity to the companies for carrying out a good marketing plan that would satisfy the consumer’s requirements up to a maximum extent possible (Embellix, 2000). The producers are not left with an option to modify the related details as the Internet is a vast field that possesses, the vendor’s site with the product details and also the information that the critics put up pertaining to the specific products. So, the vendors need to be careful about the impact that online information has over the consumer’s thought. Therefore, by the development of tech nology producers cannot fool the consumers with over budgeted advertising schemes. Technology trends are also offering scope for consumers to compare similar products based on their features and quality performance. These sorts of comparisons enable the consumer to purchase the necessary product that would serve the purpose based on all the requirements. Consumer convenience has been a key issue for the producers to add value to their products (Lindsey Partos, 2005). These issues have been mostly addressed by technology developments. The consumers are provided with e-commerce aspects wherein they can do a whole lot of shopping by sitting at home.

Ational Geographic photographers videos and responses Assignment

Ational Geographic photographers videos and responses - Assignment Example He has a specially improved camera Obscura helping him to reveal iconic landscapes from the unique perspective. He says his pictures are dreamlike and surreal, but are products of camera in recording, which is like a dream in the physical wake (National Geographic 1). He uses photography to reflect the influence of global warming. His time-lapse cameras have captured evidence of reducing glaciers and changing snow patterns across the world. He maintains that camera gives a language to communicate to the world because the pictorial language can penetrate people’s hearts and minds. He insists that the photographer’s highest calling is to challenge and alter the inherited wisdom (National Geographic 1). Professor Kashi describes the highs and the lows of the working as a photojournalist. During the interview, Kashi shares his beliefs that a photographer’s great work comes from the issues he or she genuinely cares. He maintains that a photojournalist has to examine the world and himself because of the challenges and risks involved to accomplish the mission (National Geographic 1). He gained access to North Korea where he stresses on seeing life from you because of the different passions possessed by various people. In his viewpoint, the lives of the photographers are not normal life. He expresses interest in the photos of people taking the bus, couple crying at the Pyongyang airport and kids throwing snowballs at each other (National Geographic 1). Brian Skerry has been diving with the camera for over 30 years capturing the unseen world below the water’s surface. The passion of protecting the planet for the future motivated his underwater photography. He says that photography is a discovery process as he spends time with different kinds of sea creatures underwater from the biggest to smallest (National Geographic 1). He photographed human rights abuses and conflicts in the Democratic Republic of Congo. He captured the lives of citizens in the

DEATH, DYING, & BEREAVEMENT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

DEATH, DYING, & BEREAVEMENT - Essay Example Infact children have an uncanny knack of imbibing more than we realise. They are tuned to picking up easily from what they hear and observe around them. It is just that when it come to expressing their feelings they are at a loss which is misunderstood and their actions are then misconstrued. Especially when a child is grieving we tend to make it more difficult by smothering them and making the situation even more complex than the experience itself. Ignorance of a Childs needs especially during the time of grief can make things worse not knowing how to react or help with the Childs emotional needs. We first need to realize that grieving is a normal process and not something to worry about. The grieving symptoms can be anything from loss of appetite to withdrawal and acute loneliness. The intensity can vary depending on the Childs attachment to the deceased person and how much the loss actually means to the child. In any case the parent’s role would be to support the child through the bad phase and not help them submerge their feelings. The child should be given the freedom to grieve in a way which they find comforting. Caring and listening can be the best tools to use when it comes to caring for a grieving child. The child might have questions which may seem irrelevant to an adult while in reality the answers we give them can go a long way in the recovery process and be a guide to their future as well. Children who are grieving usually tend to be aloof and withdrawn, giving them the assurance that it is normal and natural to feel sad would be the best way to start. It might be challenging for a widowed person to deal with the Childs trauma when he or she is grieving herself. The uncomfortable circumstances and our own denial can make it hard on children. Looking to the Childs needs in the stressful times and sharing their concerns with understanding