Rodney King Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Rodney King - Research Paper Example It will also review whether the attack was a case of police brutality, racial discrimination etc or on the other hand whether it was a justified action on the part of the law enforcement officials of the City. Relevant statistical data will also be given that justifies either of the stands or viewpoints given above. The Unfolding of the King Story and its Aftermath It could be said that the incident sparked off indignation and disbelief followed by forms of illegal retribution from the minority community in the city. â€Å"On March 03 1991, a bystander videotaped Rodney King, an African-American resident of Los Angeles, being beaten up by four White officers of the Los Angeles Police Department, who used a sten gun on King and repeatedly kicked him and hit him with batons† (Sigelman et al, 777, 1997). The article goes on to explain the (initial) feelings of various individuals who expressed indignation regarding the action of the LA police department. The amateur video segment does show King being overpowered and eventually being brutalized by a superior force, the officers of the City Police Department. ... exited at the Sunland Boulevard off ramp and returned to the freeway to chase the speeding car at speeds of up to 117 miles per hour.   King ignored the flashing lights and sped off an exit ramp.   He ran a red light, nearly causing an accident, before finally coming to a stop near the entrance to Hansen Dam Park, at the intersection of Osborne Street and Foothill Boulevard.   Within seconds, three Los Angeles police cars and a police helicopter arrived at the scene† (Linder 2001). King apparently stopped at a busy neighborhood so that there were possible witnesses as to what would happen to him after his imminent stoppage and possible arrest by the police. But what happened was a scene of brutality that was beyond the any civilized action by a law enforcement agency considering the crime King committed, namely driving under influence (DUI), probation restrictions, exceeding speed limits, and avoiding police action. The cornered car contained three occupants including Kin g. Two of the occupants complied with police demands to lie down on the ground and King did not apparently did not do likewise. The four officers (out of other police personnel) involved brutally attacked an apparently unarmed King. The amateur video taken by George Holliday showed an instance of how police personnel tackle a person accused of breaking the law. King was repeatedly beaten with batons and kicked by the officers involved. It was always reported that other law enforcement officials of the LA police department were silent or passive witnesses to the incident. King was repeatedly beaten and sometimes kicked by the law enforcement officials without any apparent aggressive act by the former. â€Å"Mr. King at first said to have only 'cuts and bruises' received while resisting arrest had his

Reading response Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 32

Reading response - Essay Example The amazing thing is that most of the ideas extended by the original work and its critics are in the nature of fictitious blames and lack any substantial material to base them on. The article also shows how the nation has a long standing history of being scared of minorities and diversity. It was not without a reason that the book, The Awful Disclosures of Maria Monk won an avid readership, not only in her days, but even today. The irony that the American masses do have a history of being afraid of the foreign and the different does ensue from this article. The writer in a way does succeed in bringing out the fact that the work The Awful Disclosures of Maria Monk did intend to present the Catholic Church as a symbol of evil and it strongly intended to present the Catholic priesthood as embodiment of carnal pleasures and immorality. The author brings out the fact that Maria Monks never resided in a Catholic convent and that her mental capacities and morality were never beyond doubt. There is other side of the coin also. It is obvious that the writer Ruth Hughes is a Catholic and intends to unravel the lying and falsehood resorted to by Maria Monks and her supporters, to debase and vilify the Catholic Church. However, while doing so, Hughes did fail many times to show the kindness, compassion and forgiveness that so typically define the Catholic faith. Instead one is resorting to the kind of aggressive and base tactics that were resorted to by one’s opponents. Ruth Hughes is trying to do away with the accusation made by Maria Monks and her supporters by vilifying their character and sense of morality and ethics. It would have been much saner if Hughes had come down on this vilification of the Catholic by taking a higher ground. This would have presented one’s faith to the readers in a more favorable and benign light and would have brought out the irresponsible

PROJECT DESCRIPTION Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

PROJECT DESCRIPTION - Essay Example Particularly, I focused on the water conditions, depth, and flow. The experimental research took various routes; however, my first observational study was the water conditions. Apparently, the samples of the water revealed a substantial amount of Algae, which is a type of bacterial substance produced by duck week and sewage residues. Through further research into algae, I found that there is a way of filtering this algae bacterium into a mineral. According to research, this is said to be good for muscular a joint conditions. Having found out this possible, I wanted to talk this further. Therefore, I decided to design a thermal pool whereby I would use the algae as the healing mineral. In the course of enriching the discovery, I will have a three-floor building beside the thermal pool. The ground floor will serve as the changing rooms as well as toilet facilities. The first floor would be the lab area for important experiments and presentation of findings. Subsequently, it will constitute a gallery space where the bacterial findings and different filtration as well as a recycling processes display. Most importantly, this will include the bacterial filtration process for the Algae collected, the sand filtration process which is used to recycle the canal water to the thermal pool and third the recycling process of the used thermal water channelled back into the canal. In essence, the water is pumped from the canal into pipes using a pressure pump, which then pumps to the roof of the building. Conceivably, this is where all the filtration processes take place, opened into a valve, which lets the waterfall down into the pool

Brief Analysis of Music Essay Example for Free

Brief Analysis of Music Essay In Joel and Ethan Coen’s unique take on referencing Homer’s Odyssey in the form of a 1930’s Great Depression comedy-adventure film, â€Å"O Brother, Where Art Thou? †, the most noticeably intelligent attribute was the genius song and music choice that, in more ways than one, dictated scene build-up, characteristic, and transition, thus keeping the theme of the â€Å"old-time,† old-country† atmosphere well intact throughout. The variety of American roots music songs used in the scenes gives cinematic emphasis to the characters’ circumstances and plot situations. Moreover, the assortment highlights the realness of time and setting presentation in telling the story of trio convicts and just where, when, and how their adventure unfolds. Brief Analysis of Music Selection in Joel and Ethan Coen’s â€Å"O Brother, Where Art Thou? † As the film opens with a lengthy line of hard-toiling inmates along the rail-road iron linings, collectively and heavily chanting verses from a rather hauntingly soothing blues tune entitled â€Å"Po Lazarus† (Track 1), the audience is at once audio-visually oriented and introduced into the state of the times, surroundings, over-all atmospherics, and mood of the film. The relative simplicity of life through the rather depressed and trying times is kept through notable scenes. An example of which is when the odd trio of Ulysses Everett McGill, Delmar O’Donnell, and Pete, together with Cousin Wash, all enjoyed an after-meal, quality-entertainment radio offering via Norman Blake’s country classic â€Å"You are My Sunshine† (Track 3). Moreover, the music presented in each of the scenes not only offers musical genre variety of roots country and folk, blues, bluegrass, gospel, and much in between through certain scene transitions, but more importantly highlights the tone of each separate scene in between dialogue, one distinct from the other, effectively and memorably. An example of this was the on-going quarrel of Everett and Pete which was overshadowed by the mass baptismal gathering and singing of a traditional gospel hymn â€Å"Down to the River to Pray† (Track 4), wherein all except Everett opted to clean his spiritual slate. Another was the scene seduction by the sirens, which is musically accompanied with â€Å"Didn’t Leave Nobody but the Baby† (Track 10) by Emmylou Harris, Alison Krauss, and Gillian Welch, and also with Tommy’s would-be hanging in the sound of â€Å"O Death. † All of these scenes are observably different from one another, but the rather musically enchanting versed sung melodies even give the scenes both an emotionally accessible and later-on cinematically nostalgic feature which stays with the viewers even after the film is over. The song selection provides the proper build-up, eventual transition through, and even main story twists which fuel the story’s eventualities. An example of this was when the trio headed to a local radio station in hopes of garnering a means of self-financial aid, they sang â€Å"Man of Constant Sorrow† (Track 7), disguised on the airwaves as the â€Å"Soggy Bottom Boys† accompanied by musically skillful, guitar-equipped Tommy Johnson—who played a particularly important scene role for the film’s story. The song performed was not only quite entertaining, but its definitions also constituted what a traditional American folk song truly is, which gave the scene much credibility and realness in every extent. The music also provides the film with a sense of scene consistency without compromising the story and, as the quality of song recordings are kept to its truest form even more enriching the old-time aspect of the film. As Evan Cater (2009) points out, â€Å"These recordings, which were made without the meddling clarity of digital technology, give the film much of its power and authenticity† (n. p. ). The excellent selection and execution of music and scene inter-play gives the film a characteristic of its own and none like other. References Burnett, D. (2000). Man of Constant Sorrow [D. Tyminski, H. Allen P. Enright]. O Brother, Where Art Thou Soundtrack [CD]. Nashville: Mercury Records. Cater, E. (2008). O Brother, Where Art Thou?. AllMusic. com. Retrieved January 21, 2009 from http://www. allmusic. com/cg/amg. dll? p=amgsql=10:hifixqu0ldse. Coen, J. (2000). O Brother, Where Art Thou?. California: Touchstone and Universal Pictures. Davs, J. Mitchell, C. (2000). You are My Sunshine [N. Blake]. O Brother, Where Art Thou Soundtrack [CD]. Nashville: Mercury Records Harris, E. , Krauss, A. , and Welch, G. (2000). Didn’t Leave Nobody but the Baby [E. Harris, A. Krauss, G. Welch ]. O Brother, Where Art Thou Soundtrack [CD]. Nashville: Mercury Records. Lomax, A. (2000). Po Lazarus [J. Carter]. O Brother, Where Art Thou Soundtrack [CD]. Nashville: Mercury Records. Traditional (2000). Down to the River to Pray [A. Krauss]. O Brother, Where Art Thou Soundtrack [CD]. Nashville: Mercury Records. Traditional. (2000). O Death [R. Stanley]. O Brother, Where Art Thou Soundtrack [CD]. Nashville: Mercury Records.

Music Comes and Goes :: Exploratory Essays Research Papers

Music Comes and Goes    Different styles of music effect people in many ways. The different styles could be different in religion, culture, and their messages towards the public. Because of the many styles , many questions are found concerning how different music effects people in different ways. Every style of music have their own beats, melodies, and instruments which give different effects to the human year. From that difference people percieve these styles of music in many ways. Some people seem to fancy one type of music more than the others, some people can listen to almost any type of music without haste while some do not really care for music at all.    What kind of music do different age groups listen to? That really is a matter of young people preferring fast beats compared to the adults that prefer easy listenning tunes. Young people from ages fourteen to around the early twenties seem to get into music that have lyrics that contain stories or thiemes on sex, violence, and relationships. Especially music that contain explicit lyrics are popular among the teenagers. The reason behind that is that teenagers are put into a situation where they aren't aloud to do many things concerning their age such as drinking, smoking or seeing highly rated movies. That makes teenagers want to do things that are against the rules to show more individuality among their peers and to appeal their social sides.    Also being in a compressed environment makes the teens to want to rebel in one way or another to feel more independent and strong. On the other hand once you are an adult facing many responsibilities and have true independence, people seem to listen to music with slower beats or music with a realistic point of view on life. Because the person reached adulthood doesn't mean they get calmed down. there is no proof for that . But because of the difference between independence among the teenagers and the adults , adults seem to listen to whatever music they 've chosen as their type of music during their teenage years while teenagers are in the process of searching for what music is the ultimate for themselves . So in a easier way it means that adults are more concervative and teenagers are more liberal about listening to music. Another factor concerning what the different age groups listen to is that music has its biorythm, saying that some types are more popular than the other at certai n times until another type of music takes over.

The Fall of Innocence in A Separate Peace :: essays research papers

â€Å"Holding firmly to the trunk, I took a step toward him, and then my knees bent and I jounced the limb. Finny, his balance gone, swung his head around to look at me for an instant with extreme interest, and then he tumbled sideways, broke through the little branches below and hit the bank with a sickening, unnatural thud, It was the first clumsy physical action I had ever seen him make. With unthinking sureness I moved out on the limb and jumped into the river, every trace of my fear forgotten.† (Knowles 59-60). Gene Forrester, one of the main characters in John Knowles' novel A Separate Peace, describes his best friend Phineas' fall from a â€Å"tremendous tree, an irate steely black steeple beside a river,†(Knowles 6) at their all boys boarding school, Devon. Gene is an introverted young boy who is very academically gifted. Finny, however, is an extremely extroverted childish young boy who is very athleticaly gifted. Finny's fall eventually leads to terrible thi ngs, such as death and guilt. Throughout the novel Knowles uses Phineas' fall from the tree to symbolize his loss of innocence, to show Gene's guilt, and to develop Phinea's death. After Phineas, also known as Finny, falls from the tree, he slowy begins to change. He begins to lose his innocence, It can be seen in the beginning of the novel that Finny acts very innocent. For example, Finny's game of Blitzball shows his spontaneous style of play, and his innocent child like personality. However after Finny's tragic fall from the tree, he begins to seem less innocent and childish. He begins to reveal secrets to Gene, such as when he tells Gene about trying to enlist in the war. â€Å"I've been writing to the Army and the Navy and the Marines and the Canadians and everybody else all winter..†(Knowles 190). War is not an event for innocent little boys. When readers find out that Finny had been trying to enlist in the war all winter it shows that after the fall Finny becomes less and less innocent. He no longer begins to play his childish games, and no longer tries to preform his crazy stunts. Though he is hurt, he does not seem to want to watch or help pa rticipate in any of these activies. On the day Finny fell from that tree, he did not just plument down into the river beneath him, but also fell from innocence.

American and British Labor

The dramatic rise of the British Labor Party to the position of His Majesty's opposition in the House of Commons has focused the attention of the entire Western world upon the British labor movement. On the benches where Burke and Gladstone once sat there are now over 140 miners, machinists, weavers, boilermakers and working class leaders ready to take over the government of Great Britain if the conservative parties fail. The movement which has brought the British working class to the thresh-old of power is not the sudden spurt of a handful of insurrectionists working upon the discontent of the people. It is a conscious and highly organized section of the state moving deliberately toward a new kind of industrial and political society. The movement has tremendous significance for America because it is a movement of kindred peoples, speaking a common language and struggling in the midst of industrial problems which are not unlike the problems of America. What British labor does in one decade may be done in America in the next. To understand the British labor movement it is well to note first of all that it is a movement of one hundred and twenty-five years' growth. Many of the issues which are today vital in the American labor movement were disposed of fifty years ago in Great Britain. When America was still predominantly an agricultural country Great Britain had passed through the first and worst stages of the Industrial Revolution. With the introduction of power  driven machinery great numbers of workers were brought together under one employer in factories and mills. They were forced to work fifteen and eighteen hours a day for   wages that would now be refused by an errand boy. They formed unions and went on strikes only to be beaten, imprisoned and exiled. When they demanded a ten-hour day   they were denounced as criminals. When they formed a picket line, they were imprisoned for intimidation. Although temporarily defeated in times of industrial depression they did not lose courage. Step by step they won the right to organize, the right to strike, collective bargaining, political power in the state, the reduction of hours, the enormous increase of wages, and a measure of joint control over working conditions. Every forward step which the British workers have taken has been bitterly fought by the employing classes and has been conceded only when labor demonstrated its superior economic or political power. With such a background of struggle the British labor movement is not a delicate thing. It does not depend on employers' sanctions: it is not concerned about its respectability. It is proud with the pride of a hard won success. The Rise of the Labour Party From the back bedroom of Ramsay MacDonald's house in No. 3 Lincoln's Inn Field to the front benches of Parliament in twenty years the Labor Party has come. Its growth is the most inspiring achievement of the British labor movement. It is a party of manual and brain workers, controlled by workers and led by workers. Fifty years ago there was no indication that the workers would ever reject the old parties and create a party of their own. The growth of the idea of a separate labor party was at first painfully slow. In 1892 Kier Hardie sat alone as the first independent worker to be elected to the House of Commons. He helped to organize the Independent Labor Party, a group of vigorous young socialists who set about to convert the trade unions to believe in the political action of labor. By 1900 they had so far succeeded that the Trades Union Congress appointed a Labor Representation Committee. Since the formation of this committee, the power of labor in politics has steadily grown. The Labor Party, officially   formed in 1906, startled the country in that year by electing 29 members to Parliament. In 1910 the party elected 42 members and in 1918 about 70. In November, 1922, the Labor Party returned 144 representatives and some 10,000 local and municipal officials. If the increase in the Labor Party vote continues to be as rapid as it was in the years from 1900 to 1922, Great Britain will have a clear majority of labor voters by 1926. The labor votes have increased from 62,000†¦ socialist societies affiliated in a body of individual members. The brain workers are joining the party in increasing numbers are being provided for by separate local organizations. The Labour party is controlled by annual conference of delegates from the affiliated organizations and by an execute committee of twenty-three members elected by the conference. The party carries candidate becomes official when he has been approved by the National Executive Committee of the Labor Party. In this scheme of nominating candidates the individual members of the Labor Party are not forgotten. Their candidates immediately before election, often a constituency has a â€Å"prospective† candidate who may be chosen shortly after an election and approved by the national Labour Party who have 43 representatives, but there has been no fundamental clash of interests between the trade-union leaders and the intellectuals. The chief reason for the opposition to the Communist International is that the British workers do not favor the method of revolution adopted by the Communists. Operation in international affairs will be more successful than the similar pledge given by the European socialists before the war. THE POWER OF THE UNIONS There are more than twice as many members in trade unions in Great Britain as there are in the United States in proportion to population. Almost every industry has its union or unions with recognition and collective bargaining. The membership of unions affiliated to the Trades Union Congress increased from one million in 1895 to six and one-half millions in 1920. During 1921 and 1922 there was a serious loss in union membership because of unemployment and the financial depression but there were no indications that this loss would be permanent. The 1922 figures showed about five million union members. The Federation of British Industries, the largest employers' organization, representing 16,000 firms and over 19 billion dollars of capital, in its official report on the control of industry, says: â€Å"The principles of trade union representation and collective bargaining are now fully accepted by employers.† British employers do not use the term collective bargaining to mean dealing with â€Å"Company Unions† or employees' organizations set up by the employers themselves. There are virtually no â€Å"Company Unions† in Great Britain, except the organizations of foremen and supervisors. Most British employers bargain directly with their employees as members of a national or district labor union. It is generally recognized that the workers have the right to choose their own representatives without restriction. They are usually represented in negotiations with employers by their own elected union officers who are specialists in gathering and presenting information about the trade. In America, the unskilled workers are the last of the manual workers to be organized, with the result that strong craft unions may be found working with unskilled non union, demonstrated during the conduct of great strikes. In the coal strike of the spring and summer of 1921, over 1,000,000 miners were on strike, and approximately 3,000,000 other workers of organizers. It is controlled by the votes of the delegates who have power in proportion to the number of members they represent. (Paul Blanshard – author, Paul Blanshard – author. Publisher: George H. Doran Company. Place of Publication: New York. Publication Year: 1923. Page Number: 20.) The Labour Party was created in 1900: a new party for a new century.   Its formation was the result of many years of hard effort by working people, trade unionists and socialists, united by the goal of changing the British Parliament to represent the interests of everybody.   Ignored by the Tories and disillusioned with the Liberals, a coalition of different interests came together to push for change at a Conference on Labour Representation in London's Memorial Hall in February 1900. For many years the new organisation struggled to take root in the British political system.   The conference of February 1900 had not even created a proper ‘party.' Instead the new body was called the Labour Representation Committee and it had no members, only organisations affiliated to it.   In the elections of that year, the new group made little ground.   Indeed Labour's leaders worked closely with the 1906-14 Liberal Governments, and relied on their majority to agree measures to help Labour, such as the Trade Disputes Act of 1906, and the payment of MPs in 1911. But while Labour in Parliament was â€Å"hanging from the coat-tails† of the Liberals, Labour in the country was growing apace.   The number of constituency parties affiliated rose from 73 in 1906 to 179 by 1914 and before the outbreak of war prevented the expected election, Labour was prepared to field a record number of candidates.   When the Liberal Party split in 1916, the Labour Party was well placed to make a challenge for power. Until the early 1900s, people often worked long hours for low wages. The labor movement began as people started to work together to improve their work conditions. Although there are many laws to protect workers, there are still concerns about working conditions, particular the use of immigrants and children. In the 1930s, the labor movement gained momentum. With an abundance of labor, employers could easily replace workers. Labor unions were formed to help workers get organized and bargain for their needs and rights. Workers created unions because groups have more bargaining power than individuals. When large groups of employees make joint decisions, employers are forced to listen to their concerns. For example, if all the workers in a factory stopped working at the same time, it would be difficult to keep the company operating. Early unions in North America faced a difficult battle. Employers refused to accept the unions. The courts often declared the unions illegal. The National Labor Relations Act of 1935 and other laws required employers to bargain with unions. Political parties and other groups have also become involved with the labor movement. Organized labor is not as powerful today as it once was. However, many people such as construction, factory,and industry employees are members of unions. Although they have helped workers earn higher wages and better working conditions, some people think they are too powerful.