Obama’s Speech on Race free essay sample

Obama’s speech on race In the 2008 speech titled ‘A More Perfect Union,’ then-senator Barack Obama speaks about the current issues affecting the country. In this forum, Obama discusses the many challenges that were facing the nation heading into the upcoming election. This famous speech would later go on to be called ‘Obama’s speech on Race. ’ In a political forum telling stories of racially charged situations, Obama speaks on the need for unity in the nation. While explaining the effects of the racial barriers that exist in communities, he appeals to the American people. Obama does this by addressing the value that they place on being strong as a nation. The former senator starts off his historic speech with a quote from the preamble to the United States Constitution. â€Å"We the people, in order to form a more perfect union. † This introductory quote set the pace for an inspiring and motivational atmosphere. We will write a custom essay sample on Obama’s Speech on Race or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Obama then goes on to speak of the founding fathers of America, and their original intent when creating the constitution. He often reminds listeners of the struggle that between is occurring between people of different race and social class. Obama then goes on to encourage his listeners to come together and continue to work towards achieving those goals set out by the founding fathers, forming a more perfect union. When Obama speaks about race, he utilizes very personal situations to gain empathy from his followers. He speaks about his own family, and how race has played a part in their lives. Born the son of a black man from Kenya and a white woman from Kansas, Obama tells of how he was brought up in a very poor neighborhood but still managed to attend some of the best schools in the country. He acknowledges his multiracial family and declares that in any other country his story would never have been possible. Obama then goes on to speak about the controversy behind his relationship with the Reverend Jeremiah Wright. Wright had come under criticism for comments he made in a sermon. These comments were deemed unpatriotic, and because of his relationship with the Reverend Obama was also criticized. Obama explains that while he does not agree or support all of Wright’s political and social opinions, he has been a good friend for over twenty years. He describes the church experience, and how the experience there has made him a firm believer in unity. When Obama speaks of the church community, he says that â€Å"these people are a part of me, and they are a part of America, the country that I love. † When Obama speaks about the relationship between the races, he talks about the disparity between the black and white race. The black person who gave up on their American dream after suffering from discrimination, ending up so worried about one small injustice to see the bigger picture. Or the white person, who has worked hard for the things they have only to be called privileged. These are the people who hear of a black person receiving a free ride because of their race and develop resentment toward African Americans. Obama challenges everyone to work together to overcome all of the racial wrongs of the past. He asks that those same black people accepting the past burdens without making them present burdens. Instead Obama asks that the African American unite with all others and fight for the equal treatment of all races. And to the white community, Obama asks for a more empathetic approach. He says that whites should acknowledge that discrimination has been and still is a real thing in society for the African Americans. Obama asks the white community to take actions necessary to see to it that all races have equality and a fair chance at obtaining the American dream

Mark Twain as a Realist Writer

Mark Twain as a Realist Writer Considered one of the great American Realist  writers, Mark Twain is not only celebrated for the stories he tells but also the way in which he tells them, with an unmatched ear for the English  language and sensitivity to the diction of the common man.  To flesh out his stories, Twain also drew heavily on his personal experiences, most notably his work as a riverboat captain on the Mississippi, and never shied from portraying everyday issues in starkly honest terms.   Dead-On Dialects Twain was a master of conveying the local vernacular in his writing.  Read The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, for example, and youll immediately hear the distinctive Southern dialect of that region.   For example, when Huck Finn attempts to help Jim, a slave, escape to freedom by paddling a canoe down the Mississippi, Jim  thanks  Huck profusely: Huck yous de  bes  fren Jims ever had:  en  yous de  only  fren olde Jims got now. Later in the story, in chapter 19, Huck hides while he witnesses deadly violence between two feuding families:   I staid in the tree till it begun to get ​dard, afraid to come down. Sometimes I heard guns away off in the woods; and twice I seen little gangs of men gallop past the log-store with guns; so I reckoned the trouble was still agoing on. On the other hand, the language in Twains short story The Celebrated  Jumping Frog of Calaveras County reflects both  the narrators upscale Eastern Seaboard roots and the local vernacular of his interview subject, Simon Wheeler. Here, the narrator describes his initial encounter with Wheeler: I found Simon Wheeler dozing comfortably by the bar-room stove of the old, dilapidated tavern in the ancient mining camp of Angels, and I noticed that he was fat and bald-headed, and had an expression of winning gentleness and simplicity upon his tranquil countenance. He roused up and gave me good-day. And here is Wheeler describing a local dog celebrated for his fighting spirit: And he had a little small bull pup, that to look at him youd think he wans worth a cent, but to set around and look ornery, and lay for a chance to steal something. But as soon as money was up on him, he was a different dog; his underjawd begin to stick out like the focastle of a steamboat, and his teeth would uncover, and shine savage like the furnaces. A River Runs Through It Twain became a riverboat cub- or trainee- in 1857 when he was still known as Samuel Clemens. Two years later, he earned his full pilots license. As he learned to navigate the Mississippi, Twain became very familiar with the language of the river. Indeed, he adopted his famous pen name from his river experience. Mark Twain- meaning two fathoms- was a navigational term used on the Mississippi. All of the adventures- and there were many- that Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn experienced on the Mighty Mississippi relate directly to Twains own experiences. Tales of Abuse And while Twain is rightly famous for his humor, he was also unflinching in his portrayal of abuses of power. For instance,  A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthurs Court,  while absurd, remains a biting political commentary. And for all his pluck, Huckleberry Finn is still an abused and neglected 13-year-old boy, whose father is a mean drunk. We see this world from Hucks point of view as he attempts to cope with his environment and deal with the circumstances into which he is thrown. Along the way, Twain explodes social conventions and depicts the hypocrisy of civilized society. No doubt Twain had a terrific knack for story construction. But it was his flesh and blood characters- the way they spoke, the way they interacted with their surroundings, and the honest descriptions of their experiences- that brought his  stories to life.

The Very First Mickey Mouse Cartoons

The Very First Mickey Mouse Cartoons In April 1928, cartoonist/animator Walt Disney had just had his heart broken when his distributor stole his popular character, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, from him. On the long, depressing train ride home from getting this news, Disney drew a new character- a mouse with round ears and a big smile. A few months later, the new, talking Mickey Mouse was first shown to the world in the cartoon Steamboat Willie. Since that first appearance, Mickey Mouse has become the most recognizable cartoon character in the world. It All Started With an Unlucky Rabbit During the silent film era of the 1920s, Charles Mintz, Walt Disney’s cartoon distributor, asked Disney to come up with a cartoon that would rival the popular Felix the Cat cartoon series that played before silent motion pictures in movie theaters. Mintz came up with the name â€Å"Oswald the Lucky Rabbit† and Disney created the mischievous black and white character with straight, long ears. Disney and his artist employee Ubbe Iwerks made 26 Oswald the Lucky Rabbit cartoons in 1927. With the series now a hit, costs rose increasingly higher as Disney wanted to make the cartoons better. Disney and his wife, Lillian, took a train trip to New York in 1928 to renegotiate a higher budget from Mintz. Mintz, however, informed Disney that he owned the character and that he had lured most of Disney’s animators to come draw for him. Learning a depressing lesson, Disney boarded the train back to California. On the long trip home, Disney sketched a black and white mouse character with big round ears and a long skinny tail and named him Mortimer Mouse. Lillian suggested the livelier name of Mickey Mouse. As soon as he reached Los Angeles, Disney immediately copyrighted Mickey Mouse (as he would all the characters he would later create). Disney and his loyal artist employee, Ubbe Iwerks, created new cartoons with Mickey Mouse as the adventurous star, including Plane Crazy (1928) and The Gallopin’ Gaucho (1928). But Disney had trouble finding a distributor. First Sound Cartoon When sound became the latest in film technology in 1928, Walt Disney researched several New York film companies in the hopes of recording his cartoons with sound to make them stand out. He struck a deal with Pat Powers of Powers Cinephone System, a company that offered the novelty of sound with film. While Powers added sound effects and music to the cartoon, Walt Disney was the voice of Mickey Mouse. Pat Powers became Disney’s distributor and on November 18, 1928, Steamboat Willie (the world’s first sound cartoon) opened at the Colony Theater in New York. Disney himself did all the character voices in the seven-minute-long film. Receiving rave reviews, audiences everywhere adored Mickey Mouse along with his girlfriend Minnie Mouse, who also made her first appearance in Steamboat Willie. (By the way, November 18, 1928 is considered the official birthday of Mickey Mouse.) The first two cartoons, Plane Crazy (1928) and The Gallopin’Gaucho (1928), were then released with sound, with more cartoons on the way with additional characters, including Donald Duck, Pluto, and Goofy. On January 13, 1930, the first Mickey Mouse comic strip appeared in newspapers around the country. Mickey Mouse Legacy While Mickey Mouse gained the popularity of fan clubs, toys, and worldwide fame, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit faded into obscurity after 1943. As the Walt Disney Company grew over the decades into a mega-entertainment empire, including feature-length motion pictures, television stations, resorts and theme parks, Mickey Mouse remains the icon of the company as well as the most recognizable trademark in the world. In 2006, the Walt Disney Company acquired the rights to Oswald the Lucky Rabbit.

Hoggy's Restaurant Experience Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Hoggy's Restaurant Experience - Essay Example I was disappointed and frustrated by a recent experience at Hoggy’s Restaurant. I had very high expectations.   Numerous visits to the restaurant with family and friends led me to anticipate that the food would be served at the right temperature, that it would be tasty and delicious, the service would be prompt and attentive, and the restaurant would be clean and organized.   I had never had a negative experience with this restaurant chain, or with this particular location.   My most recent visit changed their winning streak, however.   The experience was poor, and I am unlikely to return to this location.A friend and I visited the restaurant over lunch.   We were not in a rush and were looking forward to a pleasant meal in great company.   Upon entering the restaurant, we noted that it took several minutes before someone greeted us and led us to a table.   On past visits, the hostess greeted us within a minute, so this was a surprise.   In fact, it took so lon g that we joked that they had closed the restaurant and had forgotten to lock the door.After the hostess led us to a table and provided us with a menu, we waited another five minutes before the waitress visited our table and took our beverage order.   This was frustrating, because we had picked a time to visit after the standard lunch rush time, and the restaurant was not busy.We received our drinks, gave the waitress our order, and visited with each other until the waitress returned with our food.   She placed the plates in front of us and indicated that she would get drink refills for us.   My friend started eating, but as soon as I picked up my sandwich, I noticed a long, black hair lying across the top of it.  

Global trends affecting the retail pharmacy industry in the next 5-7 Essay

Global trends affecting the retail pharmacy industry in the next 5-7 years - Essay Example Online merchants have been growing in number as well. The retail pharmacy industry must take advantage of websites in order to keep up with the technology. These two trends will impact the retail pharmacy industry within the next five to seven years. The first trend of more one on one consultation is due to the second trend of more patients. Doctors are becoming overwhelmed by the field of geriatrics. More and more elderly patients are seeking medical care, and thus prescriptions and other over the counter medicine. Doctors are seeing as many patients possible, leaving the prescription counseling to the retail pharmacy industry. Since doctors are busy, appointments take a month or more to receive. Thus elderly patients are coming to pharmacists with questions on routine nutrition, over the counter medicines, and common illnesses. The retail pharmacy industry is becoming the first stop for patients, instead of the doctor’s office. Thus more one on one consultation would be routinely done daily. If the rise in consultations continues, the need for more retail pharmacy industry consultants and pharmacists will also rise. This would mean more training for retail pharmacy industry jobs. That would create a need for teachers, curriculum, and students relating to the retail pharmacy industry. It would also be necessary to recruit individuals interested in this type of work field. A lack of personnel in the retail pharmacy industry could hurt the industry. In order to take advantage of the billion-trillion dollar need, personnel must be interested and trained for the retail pharmacy industry. Online services are showing up for most major retail pharmacies. These online services can be convenient. Doctors can place prescriptions on secure websites. Customers can transfer existing prescriptions. Consultants are made available online. This is through live consultants and

The Consequences Of Melting Polar Ice Caps Environmental Sciences Essay

The Consequences Of Melting Polar Ice Caps Environmental Sciences Essay The polar ice caps that we see today have taken centuries to form and they ve been melting from time to time in order to form lakes and rivers that are essential not only for animal and plant life, but for humans as well all over the world. Furthermore, as precipitation takes its toll the ice caps that melt gets replaced by fresh snow that is later on over time converted to ice. Thus it is safe to say that the melting of the polar ice caps is a normal occurrence, however it becomes a problem when the ice caps melt at a fast rate and turning into water faster and in more quantity than the fresh snow replacing it. This is the current situation of most of today s polar ice caps all over the world. As they reduce in size, stability, and strength they eventually break off and melt away thereby increasing sea levels among other things. The major consequences of melting polar ice caps can be said in the following order below: 1. Global Warming. We are currently experiencing warmer temperatures all over the world today as temperatures have gone high, and global warming is becoming more alarming day by day. This rise in temperature helps polar ice caps melt faster than it should be. Ice caps have even disappeared in certain parts of the world due to this. The melting of the polar ice caps increases global warming because ice glaciers deflects or bounces off about 80% heat from the sun and retain or absorb about 20% of it. However, when sunlight falls on earth, only 20% of the heat is deflected and 80% is absorbed. This in turn increases sea water temperatures, melting ice faster causing the earth to get warmer. 2. Shortage of Fresh Water. Earth looks sort of enveloped and covered with water when seen from space which causes people to think that we are self-sufficient with water. However, this is just the opposite as most of the water that we can see from space in pictures is just salt water that is not good for human use and only 2% of it is considered as freshwater good enough for human use in which 70% of it comes from ice caps and glaciers. People in certain parts of the world depend on this fresh source of water for not only drinking but for agricultural purposes as well. There are certain areas around the Himalayas that are currently in crisis due to this especially in dry months as populations rise. 3. Reduced Agricultural Output. To begin with, for the areas where agriculture mainly depends on rain, they won t be effected by melting of the ice caps. However these areas are few around the world. Areas that are affected are those that depend on fresh water coming from ice caps and glaciers. When ice caps keep on melting there will be lesser fresh water for agriculture which will make the lands dry and not suitable for agriculture thus reduce the total output leading to a shortage in harvest. 4. Excessive Flooding. There are ice caps all over the world and it should be understood that the difference between polar ice caps and ice caps is that the later are present also on lands. Melting of these ice caps causes excessive flooding which is very dangerous for the people and animals that are living in those areas as it would destroy homes, habitats, and lives. Furthermore, polar ice caps and ice glaciers on higher altitudes melt faster which form new lakes and raise river water levels as well causing floods. This is also a cause of concern as when these river water levels rise and lakes burst, they lead to major disasters destroying everything crossing its path. 5. Rise In Sea Level. As the polar ice caps melt at a faster rate, the more the sea levels rise. The consequences of this will be of dire magnitude and people living in coastal regions all over the world will have to relocate and live somewhere else, thereby decreasing amount of living space, due to soil erosion, flooding, and their fresh water being contaminated with salt water of the sea. It has been estimated that the sea level rising 1mm to 2mm per year. It has also been estimated that in the U.S there will be a 3-foot rise in sea level in the Gulf coast which will lead to the deluge of more tha 22,000 square miles of land. 6. Habitat Loss. There are plenty of animals, birds, and even fishes that depend on the polar ice caps and its temperatures for their survival. There are fishes depend on food such as phytoplankton and sea-plants that are underwater near the ice caps and there are birds such as snow owls that depend on these fishes near the ice caps and animals and humans who depend on certain birds for food. They are all connected. As sea water temperatures get warmer and sea levels rise, the sea plants in which these fishes feed off n live on will eventually die out n disappear and this in turn will lead to the increase in the death toll of fishes and birds will reduce due to lack of fishes to feed on, making survival for birds very difficult. Thus disturbing the whole ecosystem. Furhtermore the reduction of fishes has an impact on the polar bear as they have much less to feed on forcing them to take long journeys away from their habitat which also forces to eat what they don t normally eat. This journey is a risky one as some of the polar bear don t make it alive an die on the way as there are many threats as starvation and threats underwater such as killer whales and sharks. Seals, whales, and walruses are also adapting to this change to migrating patters which makes hunting for them by natives very difficult thus leaving the natives without food as well. In addition to the melting of the ice caps, blocks of ice are breaking off forcing seals to give bith underwater which causes many of the pups to die by drowning. Also separation occurs due to breaking of the ice at young ages leading to higher mortality rates. 7. Coral Reefs Will Vanish. Coral reefs need sunlight for photosynthesis not only for their own survival but also for the survival of the various types of fishes that depend on it. As sea levels rise higher making waters deeper, the presence of sunlight under water becomes lesser as the sunlight becomes harder to reach the coral reefs. This in turn corrupts the quality of corals and may even kill them. Certain fishes won t survive as they depend on the reefs for food and this will later have an impact on people who depend on fish for survival. 8. Recontamination Of Earth. Most people today have never even heard DDT and such pesticides as they were banned all over the world years ago. These substances were airborne and eventually wounded up in cooler areas near the ice caps and polar ice caps. Unfortunately the story doesn t end there as most of these harmful airborne chemicals got trapped inside the polar ice caps and glaciers, which later chunks of ice melt and break off, the chemicals, are then released back into the environment in seas, rivers, and lakes containing glaciers. 9. Melting Of The Polar Ice Caps Affects The Whole World. The melting of the polar ice caps is not only limited to specific parts of the world. The rapid melting of the ice is a global concern and its consequences affect the whole world in every continent, especially when it comes to global warming. Conclusion In conclusion, the consequences of the melting polar ice caps are not only limited to specific areas of the world but rather are a global consequence and one that has many concerns and should be dealt with immediately because the polar ice caps are still melting and sea levels are rising, effecting us all over the world as mentioned above. Unfortunately nothing can be done about the rapid melting of the polar ice caps at the moment but global warming is a major factor in the rapid decrease of the ice caps and everyone should contribute to reduce global warming as a first step.

Life Is a Game Essay

â€Å"Each player must accept the cards life deals them: but once they are in hand, they alone must decide how to play in order to win the game. † – Voltaire â€Å"For when the One Great Scorer comes To write against your name, He marks – not that you won or lost – But how you played the game. † – Grantland Rice â€Å"My work is a game, a very serious game. † – M. C. Escher â€Å"A game is not won until it is lost. † – David Pleat â€Å"Play the game for more than you can afford to lose†¦ only then will you learn the game. † – Winston Churchill. â€Å"Daring ideas are like chessmen moved forward; they may be beaten, but they may start a winning game. † – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe â€Å"Most people give up just when they’re about to achieve success. They quit on the one yard line. They give up at the last minute of the game one foot from a winning touchdown. † – Ross Perot â€Å"It’s the game of life. Do I win or do I lose? One day they’re gonna shut the game down. I gotta have as much fun and go around the board as many times as I can before it’s my turn to leave. † – Tupac Shakur. â€Å"If you’re willing to put two thoughts into a picture then you’re already ahead of the game. † – Sean Penn † We know that we’re supposed to win all the games, but if we don’t, we just have to take the next game and focus on what we did wrong in the game before and just try to do better at the next game. † – Shaquille O’Neal â€Å"If past history was all there was to the game, the richest people would be librarians. † – Warren Buffett â€Å"At this stage of the game, I am not sure what’s going to happen. † – Bobby Rahal. â€Å"We didn’t lose the game; we just ran out of time. † – Vince Lombardi â€Å"You have to learn the rules of the game. And then you have to play better than anyone else. † – Albert Einstein â€Å"People have always doubted whether I was good enough to play this game at this level. I thought I was, and I thought I could be. What other people thought was really always irrelevant to me. † – Steve Nash â€Å"The goals made such a difference to the way this game went. † – John Motson â€Å"No coach has ever won a game by what he knows; it’s what his players know that counts. † – Paul Bryant â€Å"It’s more than a game. It’s an institution. † – Thomas Hughes â€Å"If life doesn’t offer a game worth playing, then invent a new one. † – Anthony J. D’Angelo â€Å"If you have the opportunity to play this game of life you need to appreciate every moment. a lot of people don’t appreciate the moment until it’s passed. † – Kanye West â€Å"I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed. † – Michael Jordan â€Å"I think it’s wrong that only one company makes the game Monopoly. † – Steven Wright â€Å"So if you want to have a great video game-based movie you have to keep the mood of the game, use the normal character setup – but you have to flesh out the story and provide more background for the characters. † – Uwe Boll â€Å"If you make every game a life and death proposition, you’re going to have problems. For one thing, you’ll be dead a lot. † – Dean Smith. â€Å"Winning that first game was so important; my mother always said that the first game of the second set was the chance to keep it going if you were ahead or change things if you were behind. † – Tracy Austin â€Å"Life is like a game of cards. The hand you are dealt is determinism; the way you play it is free will. † – Jawaharlal Nehru â€Å"We play fair and we play hard. If we win the game we win, if we lose the game, we lose. † – Jason Williams â€Å"The person that turns over the most rocks wins the game. And that’s always been my philosophy. † – Peter Lynch â€Å"Never change a winning game; always change a losing one. † – Bill Tilden.