...Today’s world is full of different cultural beliefs and statements that are often cast off the wayside. That is people keep things to themselves in order to keep peace among a population. We tend to not speak our minds on a position unless we feel that it can make an impact on what others are thinking at the time. When a crime is committed such as in the Laramie Project it creates an opportune moment for people to discuss and bring to light their personal and cultural philosophies because it finally gives them a legitimate reason to do so. The beating and eventual death of Matthew Shepard could have gone unnoticed by the entire nation and just been a state wide issue had it not been for the fact that Matthew was gay. His being gay garnered national attention for the simple fact that he was gay. Laramie was known for it’s larger than average gay population, and that it didn’t bother most people. In the words of Marge Murray, “As far as the gay issue, I don’t give a damn one way or the other as long as they don’t bother me. And even if they did, I’d just say no thank you. And that’s the attitude of most of the Laramie population.” (Kaufman). So as you see most of the population in Laramie did not have too much concern with the gay population as long as they kept to themselves and weren’t coming onto people they shouldn’t. When people found out that the person who had been brutally beaten, was gay word spread fast and before the town knew it the whole nation was watching...
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...their responses to the murder of Matthew. In addition to the various themes suggested by the play, the author wanted to present the varying perspectives toward homosexuality in the Laramie community at the time of Matthew’s death. The author also wanted to explore how these perspectives may have changed as the result of Matthew’s death. Even though the citizens of Laramie persisted that hate is not a value they practice, they still showed contrasting and puzzled views towards homosexuality. Some of the citizens of Laramie, together with Reverend Fred Phelps and his people, displayed extreme hatred towards homosexuals. Reverend Phelps and his people gave an emphasis that Matthew Shepard deserved to die, for he was a sinner and a disgrace to God. They displayed placards with the picture of Matthew burning in the eternal flames of hell. Reverend Phelps says, “If God doesn’t hate fags, why does he put’ em in hell?” (79). Reverend Phelps wanted to tell every member and supporter of the LGBT community that God hates them. The undeniable proof of God’s hate to them was how he didn’t welcome Matthew into heaven and sent him to hell instead. Doug Laws, together with other citizens, showed dislike toward homosexuality. Doug says, “A family is defined as one woman and one man and one child. That’s a family” (25). Doug emphasized that God labeled the families and that there’s no such place for homosexuals in it. A family is consists of a wife, a husband and a child. Another person who displayed...
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...I will be the most famous marathon swimmer in the world. This is where my life is headed and how I will get there. The University of Southern California is my number one pick! I imagine my future and a couple of things come to mind. Firstly, "Who am I?". In the future, I will be a professional marathon swimmer. Having completed the first ever triple crossing of the Catalina Channel and the youngest to complete a double crossing of the Catalina Channel. I will also hold a world record for longest unassisted solo swim at 80+ miles. I will be a business owner. I love helping others and something I have always found passion for is the overweight. I will be opening a weight loss clinic specializing in the obese, utilizing my aquatic aptitude to proved a unique service in aquatic aerobics. I will volunteer myself to my community. Providing help to those who are not as fortunate as others. I believe every person deserves a healthy life. No one should ever have to say I can't do that. Can't is not in my vocabulary. Secondly, I ask myself "Who is with me?". There is no greater reward for me than being able to bring friends and family along on the ride of my life. Bear with me as I explain. It is undeniable I put myself in far out situations, but I love throwing everyone else in there with me. Experiences in life are what make you who you are. I have a lot of them. I was a D2 swimmer when I was 18, young and immature I was unfocused and quit. I joined the Navy shortly after. In...
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...are many of them living in loneliness? Studies have shown that one of the primary sources to human happiness is the close and confident relation we can have to our fellow men. Therefore, the ability to communicate is crucial for how we will evolve in the future. Such issues are being handled in Richard Knight’s short story “Sorry for Disturbing You”, from 2008. In the short story, Michael Phelps is described as an old man, who one evening is knocking on Ian’s front door. He wants to borrow the phone so he can call a taxi. Phelps is intoxicated by alcohol and claims that he used to know the previous owners of Ian’s house, Edie and George Higham. Ian invites him in and tries to help him. To find what connection the drunken man has to this couple; he calls them, but without success. They will not help him at all: “Look, if he’s bothering you I suggest you call the police. I’m sorry he’s disturbing your evening but… I really must go. Sorry.” George Higham seems frustrated and dismissive towards Ian. This reaction is due to the fact that Edie Higman is the daughter of Michael Phelps. The reason why they do not stay in touch anymore is caused by Michael’s drinking problem. In addition, his family has rejected him. Furthermore Michael mentions that he should have been there for his daughter’s wedding: “It’s the alcohol you see. I should have walked her down the aisle you know.” Several times it is seen that Michael...
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...Michael Phelps: Strategizing for Gold Firm undertake various measures with the aim to succeed however goal directed actions a firm intends to take in its quest to gain and sustain competitive advantage defines it strategy (Rothaermael, 2013). Strategic actions by firms typically lead to the creation of superior value at competitive price resulting in widening the difference between value creation and cost. Firms which thrive at this create greater economic contribution hence establishing competitive advantage. Michael Phelps and his team most importantly Peter Carlisle Manager and longtime coach Bob Bowman set a bold goal of winning nothing less than gold medal during his Beijing Competition. At the same time Peter Carlisle foresaw the need to expose Michael Phelps to the Asian Market thereby creating a brand. Such goal required tremendous strategic planning which entails actions geared toward the realizing such goal. The accomplishment of such goals will entail a framework of analysis, formulation and implementation. 1. Michael Phelps transitioned to a global brand through the acquisition of eight gold medals in Beijing Games in China (Rothaermal, 2013). In the presence of a global audience MP was able to raise the standards of the Olympics swimming games by setting seven world records. Such feat set standards that separate one from the competition. Again through technological innovation MP was available to his followers by personal managing his social media sites...
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...Where is the Line Drawn? Freedom of speech: The right, guaranteed by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, to express beliefs and ideas without unwarranted government restriction. The issues of language and whether or not there should be regulation of students’ First Amendment rights can be a summarized in one word for me. Bizarre. College campuses should not be able to put restrictions on students’ right to free expression. Contrary to popular belief that “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me,” I understand that words do hurt; however, it is impossible to regulate language “because we don’t really know how to classify any kind of speech, which we would have to do before we could safely legislate against it”(314). You cannot prescribe a single remedy for the millions of different people on campus. How one person reacts to a word is completely different than how another person would. This is why our First Amendment rights cannot be restricted because there are too many variables attached to it. A UCLA student, Alexandra Wallace, posted a video on YouTube in which she complains about Asian students’ behavior. Wallace's three-minute video had triggered a national discussion about racial stereotyping and what authority, if any, colleges have over students' speech and opinions. When you are given the opportunity to express free speech, you have to act responsibly. Just like if you are given a license, you have to drive responsibly...
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...MINICASE 1 Michael Phelps: Strategizing for Gold DISCUSSION QUESTIONS Review Chapter 1: What Is Strategy and Why Is It Important? 1. How did Michael Phelps turn into a “global brand”? Michael Phelps and his manager began with a goal of winning a gold medal in each of his events in the Beijing Summer Olympics. Starting with this goal in mind, Michael and Peter Carlisle mapped out their strategy, and each had a mission: Michael would prepare for the Olympics while Peter prepared Michael’s stardom. Phelps had been gradually building up his exposure on the global market for years in both the real and virtual world. Michael Phelps’s unprecedented eight Olympic gold medal wins and seven new world records, further exposed him as “one of the greatest athletes of all time.” 2. What does the story of Michael Phelps have to do with strategic management? In order to market Michael Phelps as a “global brand,” Michael Phelps and Peter Carlisle followed the AFI framework, allowing them to reach their goals. They analysed Michael’s situation, formulated a strategy on how Michael would win at the Olympics and Peter would increase Michael’s worldwide recognition, and implemented the workout routine and marketing of Michael Phelps. 3. Following the Beijing Olympics, a photo published by a British tabloid showed Michael Phelps using a “bong,” a device for smoking marijuana, at a party in South Carolina. Kellogg’s withdrew Phelps’s endorsement contract. What does this incident...
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...Technology has changed in last years and it is everyday improving, being adapted to the necessities of people. Sport around the world is important due to the fact that technology in sports has evolved over the years and change the way that everybody sees it nowadays. Clearly, this situation has allowed that increase the performance of athletes in training or developing equipment that help them to be more competitive. However, this technology is not available for all countries because, it will require financial resources from companies or people like stakeholders to invest in this. Although some critic are disagree, there is some evidence that the consequence of technology will be positive for society. One advantage of technology in sports is the application assisting the umpires or referees. For example “instant replay” is used in some countries to help make the right call (decision). Additional another tool that has been applied by umpires is “hawk-replay”, the name of a computer and camera system which traces a ball's trajectory, aid the information is analyzed electronically and sent to the referee's headset or a device on them wrist. This is evident in sports such as the National Football League, the National Basketball Association, Major League Baseball and International Cricket. Due to this system, sports fans do not feel disappointed by a “human mistake” (“Technology in sports”). Another advantage is the creation of devices to improve the performance of sports players...
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...In the summer of 2009, swimming legend, Michael Phelps was just coming off a historic Beijing Olympics in which he earned a gold medal in every event he competed in. He was the fastest man in the world for eight events; yet, he was threatening to boycott international meets. Why would a world-class swimmer at the peak of his career intend to exit from the sport? Phelps wanted to bring the integrity of the sport back by refusing to compete in an environment that he deemed unfair. In Phelps’ words, “The one thing that has really really changed over the last few years has been the technology in the sport. It's changed the sport completely. Like I said before, now it's not swimming. The headlines are always who is wearing what suit. It's not swimming and I'm looking forward to the day when we can call our sport swimming again.” Phelps and many others in the...
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...broadcast. The second half of the hour that was referred to as “the bottom half of the hour” by Shepard Smith was said to contain the top stories. The stories that were talked about in this portion of the show had about at least 5 minutes of air time. The majority of the stories that were given air time on the show were showing the negative issues to topics that had happened. I believe that Shepard Smith did a great job providing the top stories to his audience with enough information facts and examples to make the stories and the issues believable. The current drought status, botched jewelry store robbery, tropical storm and drunk driver were briefly mentioned. The Olympics is a huge story at this point in time. They talked about Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte and the competition they have going against each other. By mentioning this they have made it more enticing and people will want to watch to see the outcome. They focus should be on beating the other team but the show is helping sell the story by focusing on their individual battle going on between themselves. Another story that they talked about that I found interesting was about Romney and how he unrealistically promising millions of jobs to help the economy. It was mentioned that statics show that this is impossible and President Obama does not agree with it. I also watched the O’ReillyFactor on channel 360 from 7:00pm to 8:00pm. This show did not broadcast stories on weather, robberies or even the...
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...Significant Legal Decisions Involving Hate Speech in America What exactly is Hate Speech? There are many different variations to this answer. According to dictionary.com, it is “speech that attacks a person or group on the basis of race, religion, gender, or sexual orientation” (“hate speech”). Anthony Lewis’ description of hate speech focuses more on the people it aims at: “Hate speech, it is called: virulent attack on Jews, blacks, Muslims, homosexuals, or members of any other group. It is pure hatred, not based on any wrong done by an individual” (157) Throughout history, many cases involving hate speech have been brought to court; each of them differ in their own ways and each brought a significant change to our Constitution. Our country prides itself in having freedom for all, and that includes freedom of speech. But when does freedom of speech cross the line? Many court decisions tried to come up with a solid answer, but there may not ever be a successful way to categorize hate speech. All of the cases covered here played a large part in transforming what the First Amendment covers. America started to recognize the significance of hate speech beginning in 1940, and policies began to form to protect offensive speech. At this point in history, hate speech was better known as “racial and religious propaganda” (Walker 62). The Holocaust was a major turning point for America, because we realized the destruction that it caused, and the government wanted to make sure nothing...
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...Going The Distance: Plan in place to ensure Michael Phelps’ legacy By Tripp Mickle, Staff Writer July 30, 2012 07:42 AM Font Size Resize Small Resize Normal Resize Large | Print | Share | Swimming icon Michael Phelps plans to retire after the London Games. GETTY IMAGES Call it Michael Phelps 2.0. Long before Phelps won his eighth gold medal in Beijing, his agent, Peter Carlisle, was developing a post-career plan for the swimmer. The time to put it to use will come later this week when Phelps pulls himself out of the pool after competing at an Olympics for the last time. The plan is designed to potentially fulfill Carlisle’s belief that the swimmer could make more than $100 million in his lifetime and further his aim of increasing interest in competitive swimming worldwide. To do so, Carlisle believes Phelps will need to continue signing endorsements, promoting his foundation, traveling to international markets and developing new lines of business like the Michael Phelps Skills Center, a remote training system being piloted in Maine. Octagon's Peter Carlisle has a goal of Phelps earning $100 million in his lifetime. SHANA WITTENWYLER “The goal is still there,” Carlisle, head of Octagon’s Olympic and action sports division, said of the career earnings target he set in 2008. “Just do the math over time. He’s young. He’s not going anywhere. People aren’t going to forget who he is. It’s burned in their memories.” Transitioning an athlete into...
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...¿Puede la clonación perpetuar el rendimiento deportivo? “Cristiano Ronaldo es el jugador más completo del mundo”. Esta es la frase que empieza a hacerse popular. Si para muchos el mejor futbolista del planeta es Lionel Messi, para otros el portugués no tiene comparación y ayer, 13 de enero de 2014, Cristiano Ronaldo fue galardonado con el balón de oro que la FIFA otorga al mejor jugador de fútbol del mundo del año 2013. Distanciándonos de los debates partidistas, pocos pueden dudar de las tremendas condiciones atléticas de Ronaldo. La potencia que exhibe en cada ocasión en la que se viste de corto no está al alcance de ningún otro jugador. No busquen que no encontrarán a un jugador con tanta potencia. Puede que más veloz sí, pero esa fuerza física está al alcance de pocos deportistas. Y en este contexto nos puede surgir la pregunta: ¿Podríamos clonar a Cristiano y preservar su riqueza genética para ser transmitida a futuros futbolistas? Muchos pensarán que es una pregunta digna de grandes éxitos cinematográficos como «Star Wars» o «Bladde Runner» y que hoy por hoy, esta posibilidad no está al alcance del ser humano y mucho menos en el ámbito de las grandes competiciones deportivas internacionales. Pues bien, lo que parece propio del género de la ciencia ficción ya es realidad en algunas disciplinas deportivas en las que el músculo, la fuerza y la potencia lo ponen atletas de cuatro patas: en Julio de 2012, hace algo más de un año y medio, la FEI (Federación Ecuestre Internacional)...
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...This documentary focuses on the Westboro Baptist Church which is located in Topeka, Kansas. The Westboro Baptist Church sends out people to picket funerals of American soldiers to spread news of how God doesn’t like homosexuals and if you believe homosexuality is okay that you are going to hell. It specifically interviews a family that is hated by a lot of society all across America. This family was very stuck on the belief that God hates homosexuals and went to a church that pretty much believed the same thing. The mom and dad would put their kids in danger by making them picket on the street. There was one instance where someone even threw a bottle at one of the kids. It also seemed like some of the kids didn’t know what the signs meant,...
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...337. SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES Syllabus SNYDER v. PHELPS ET AL. CERTIORARI TO THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE FOURTH CIRCUIT No. 09–751. Argued October 6, 2010—Decided March 2, 2011 For the past 20 years, the congregation of the Westboro Baptist Church has picketed military funerals to communicate its belief that God hates the United States for its tolerance of homosexuality, particularly in America’s military. The church’s picketing has also condemned the Catholic Church for scandals involving its clergy. Fred Phelps, who founded the church, and six Westboro Baptist parishioners (all relatives of Phelps) traveled to Maryland to picket the funeral of Marine Lance Corporal Matthew Snyder, who was killed in Iraq in the line of duty. The picketing took place on public land approximately 1,000 feet from the church where the funeral was held, in accordance with guidance from local law enforcement officers. The picketers peacefully displayed their signs—stating, e.g., “Thank God for Dead Soldiers,” “Fags Doom Nations,” “America is Doomed,” “Priests Rape Boys,” and “You’re Going to Hell”—for about 30 minutes before the funeral began. Matthew Snyder’s father (Snyder), petitioner here, saw the tops of the picketers’ signs when driving to the funeral, but did not learn what was written on the signs until watching a news broadcast later that night. Snyder filed a diversity action against Phelps, his daughters—who participated in the...
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