Economical Effect of Michael Jordan

I had originally planned to write a paper on Michael Jordan's economical effect on today's sports in America. I had even researched and written two pages before I stopped and realized that I would like to instead discuss Michael Jordan's life and mystical career. Over the last twenty years Michael Jordan has captivated and awed me with his brilliant success both on and off the basketball court. I have wanted for some time to write about him and try to rationalize his seemingly unbelievable life and this paper has given me a chance. The legend began in 1981 with seventeen seconds left on the clock and seventeen feet between Michael and the basket. It was a shot any coach drawing up a play for a talented player for the final shot would die for. He knocked it in and North Carolina had its first National championship. Even though North Carolina had the best college player in the country in James Worthy and other great stars in Sam Perkins and Matt Doherty, it was the scrawny freshman who had come on the scene that year to become the first Carolina freshman to ever start that took the biggest shot in the program's history. It was Michael Jordan who was the man that night and he was determined either consciously or unconsciously to never let anyone question who the man is again. Michael went on to become two-time national college player of the year and in 1999, was voted the greatest college basketball player ever. (CNN/Sports Illustrated) After his junior year, having accomplished everything possible for a college player, Michael decided to turn professional. (He later completed his degree taking summer school courses) But first he would go on to dominated the 1984 Olympics and lead the United States to the gold medal. It could be left up to Spanish Olympian Fernando Martin to sum up the Michael Jordan phenomenon, circa 1984. â€Å"Michael Jordan? † he asked. â€Å"Jump, jump, jump. Very quick. Very fast. Very, very good. Jump, jump, jump. † No NBA scouting report could have been more pertinent. By the time Michael detonated on the league in 1984, he had sprouted from a precocious and exciting young talent into a full-fledged human event. As his rookie season marched on, Jordan upstaged proven giants like Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, and Dr. J. and already was becoming the first player to transcend team affiliation on the road. Fan's didn't come out to see their hometown heroes beat the Bulls; they bought tickets to watch Michael Jordan fly. In his rookie year Michael averaged an astonishing 28. 2 points per game (third overall) and was selected to the all-star game. He also led the team to the playoffs for the first time in four years. A feat he would continue to ensure every year of his career. It was in his second year that Jordan's bitter relationship with Bulls general manager Jerry Krause and owner Jerry Reinsdorf began. Michael had broken his foot three games into the season and had spent the next months rehabilitating in order to come back as soon as possible. When he was finally healthy to play the Bulls record was 24-43. Michael believed that the team could still make the playoffs and was excited for the challenge. Krause and Reinsdorf had other ideas. They wanted to keep Michael from playing so that they could keep losing and secure a place in the draft lottery. To someone as competitive as Michael Jordan, this idea was simply sinful. It meant that the people who employed him were not as committed to winning as he was, that they accepted the idea of defeat as he did not, and that they were wiling to bag the current season and any chance at the playoffs in order to improve their roster for the future. Even on a bad team with marginal players like the early Bulls, the remarkable thing about Michael Jordan was that he never accepted the idea of defeat. He believed that as long as he played, the Bulls could make the playoffs, and that if he got there, he could carry them on to victory. Management finally did let him play and the Bulls did make the playoffs where they faced the best team in the league, the Boston Celtics. It was the stage that Michael lived for and he took full advantage. Although the Bulls were swept by the eventual champions, Michael's fame and notoriety had a quantum increase after the series. No one was really prepared for what happened. In the first game Michael came out blistering and scored forty-nine points. A great performance against the top defensive team in the league, but not extraordinary. In the second game Michael performed at a playoff level that no one had witnessed before. The CBS sports broadcast seemed more like a personal highlight reel than an actual game. By the end of the double overtime war, he'd hit for 63 points, the most points ever scored in playoff history. Celtic Danny Ainge later said, â€Å"We knew when we had gone into the game that he was very good, but none of us knew yet that he was going to be the best player who ever laced up sneakers, but we were in the process of learning it, and that afternoon was a good beginning. Perhaps Larry Bird, the MVP of the league at the time, put it best, â€Å"That was god disguised as Michael Jordan. † In his rookie year Michael already had become one of the top product endorser in the league. He had signed a then unheard of contract with Nike that paid him $250,000 a year for five years with an annuity, incentives, and royalties on all Nike basketball related items. Michael had originally wanted to sign with Addidas even if they offered him less money than Nike, but Nike threw in the kicker. They offered to name a shoe after him. The first Air Jordan shoe was a high-top black and red shoe. Three games into the season, the NBA did Michael and Nike a huge favor. The league banned the shoe because it didn't conform to the rest of the Bulls uniform. Michael continued to wear the shoe and the league subsequently fined him $5,000 a game. Nike didn't blink. They paid every penny and Michael continued to wear the shoe. It would have cost millions of dollars to come up with a promotion that produced as much publicity as the league's ban did. The first commercial showed Jordan's head, and the camera slowly moved down his body to his feet. When the camera hit the shoes a big â€Å"X† was stamped on the screen and the announcer said, â€Å"Banned†. After that sales went crazy. But it was Michael's third year when his remarkable qualities where able to be portrayed through the television. Nike had hired a little known film producer named Spike Lee to direct Michael in commercials. The commercials that they make together were able to show Michael's innate charm and wit, and his obvious confidence. He knew who he was and liked who he was. There was nothing threatening about him. He was judgmental- you had to win his respect, and he was clearly shrewd about how he was used- but there was an innate coolness and elegance about him. If this was not yet expressed in anything he said, it was self evident in the smile, in the deft facial gestures, in the ability to roll his eyebrows at just the right moment. He was good looking, he was likable, he had that luminescent smile, and he was the greatest basketball player in the world. The Nike commercials were so good, that they fed on themselves and inspired other companies such as McDonald's, Coke, Hanes, Gatorade, Wilson, and Ballpark Franks among many others to do comparable commercials. And so it was that a true American icon was born. Michael continued for the next three years to grow in both his basketball achievements and his fame. Michael won every single individual basketball award possible and was already considered one of the best players in the history of the game. And outside of basketball the public became more and more fond of him. But in his mind and the mind of many others, Michael was missing something. A championship. For years Michael had carried a seemingly inferior team to the brink, only to succumb to either the great Celtic teams of the early 80's, or the great Pistons, led by Isaah Thomas, in the late 80's. But in 1991 the basketball world could no longer contain Michael Jordan's destiny. After the first championship against the Lakers and Magic Johnson, Michael's fame again skyrocketed. He went from being the most famous athlete in America to being the most famous person in America. By the time Michael had claimed his third championship in a row, his notoriety transcended not only sports but American culture. He was unquestionably the most well known human on the planet. More famous in many distant parts of the globe than the President of The United States. American journalists and diplomats on assignment to the most rural parts of Asia and Africa were often stunned when they visited small villages to find young children wearing tattered replicas of Michael Jordan's Bulls jersey. Michael Jordan's life from 1980 to 1993 was that of a storybook. The success that he achieved in that short time frame quit possibly is unparallel in American history. But at the same time it seemed possible by a very unique and gifted individual. However, the events that occurred in Michael Jordan's life from 1994-1999, in my and many others opinion, at times do not seem possible and in fact almost immortal. You could almost get a sense watching him over the years that you were not in fact witnessing a real story, but one made of fiction. As if all the major media sources in the world got together and decided to concoct this seemingly unbelievable human that never seems to fail. To put the success that Michael Jordan achieved in the last six years in the proper perspective would significantly increase the length of this paper so I would like to instead let some well known others describe Michael Jordan. Harry Edwards, a sociologist at the University of California, talks about Jordan representing the highest level of human achievement, on the order of Gandhi, Einstein, or Michelangelo. If, he added, he were in charge of introducing an alien being â€Å"to the epitome of human potential, creativity, perseverance, and spirit, I would introduce that alien life to Michael Jordan. Doug Collins, once spoke of Jordan belonging to that rarest category of people who are so far above the norm, men like Einstein and Edison, that they were identifiable geniuses. Jordan's talented teammate B. J. Armstrong, frustrated in his early years with the Bulls by his failure to rise to Jordan's level and apparent expectations, had gone to the library and checked out a series of books on geniuses to see if there was anything he might learn about how to deal with Jordan. He's god's child,† teammate Wes Matthews said in Jordan's first year. And there were a number of players more talented than Matthews who agreed. â€Å"Jesus in Nikes,† in the words of Jayson Williams of the Nets. After Jordan led the Bulls to their second title, Larry bird said that there had never been an athlete like Jordan. I think author Scott Turow says it best, â€Å"Michael Jordan plays basketball better than anyone else in the world does anything else. â€Å"

Hurricane Names List for 2014

Hurricane Names List for 2014 Below you will find the listing of hurricane names for the Atlantic Ocean for the year 2014. For every year, there is a pre-approved list of tropical storm and hurricane names. These lists have been generated by the National Hurricane Center since 1953. At first, the lists consisted of only female names; however, since 1979, the lists alternate between male and female. Hurricane Naming Conventions Hurricanes are named alphabetically from the list in chronological order. Thus the first tropical storm or hurricane of the year has a name that begins with A and the second is given the name that begins with B. The lists contain hurricane names that begin from A to W, but exclude names that begin with a Q or U. There are six lists that continue to rotate. The lists only change when there is a hurricane that is so devastating, the name is retired and another hurricane name replaces it. The 2014 hurricane name list is the same as the 2008 hurricane name list with the exception of three names that were devastating hurricanes in 2008 and thus retired. Gustav was replaced by Gonzalo, Ike was replaced by Isaias, and Paloma was replaced by Paulette. 2014 Hurricane Names ArthurBerthaCristobalDollyEdouardFayGonzaloHannaIsaiasJosephineKyleLauraMarcoNanaOmarPauletteReneSallyTeddyVickyWilfred

Underclass in Britain Essay Example

Underclass in Britain Essay Example Underclass in Britain Paper Underclass in Britain Paper An increase in the number of jobs available wouldnt reduce unemployment or the underclass though as these unemployed illegitimate criminals dont want jobs as receiving benefits is a far more attractive alternative option. Not surprisingly Murrays views on the welfare state and the underclass attracted many criticisms, many of whom believe that the welfare state does not provide an underclass. In terms of illegitimacy J. Brown (In Murray, C. 1993:61) points out that Murray merely picked out the statistics he wanted to support his one sided arguments on illegitimacy, who choose not to work, marry and be dependent upon long term benefits. Whereas 25% if single mothers work part-time, they actually spend less time on benefits than widowed and divorced mother do and 60% if single mothers remarried by the time their child is 5 yr. old and 70% of them are married when the child is ages 7 yr. old, (Ermisch in Murray, C. 1993:63) therefore there are no a wave of children with no role models in terms of a father figure. Deakin (In Murray, C. 1993:75) further more supports Browns argument by suggesting that illegitimacy rates have not increased because of the welfare state but because there has been a decline in the popularity of marriage. If you cut benefits as Murray implies then single mothers will be forced to stay dependent upon them , with no means to go back to work or to find a job and if they did work when their child is still a baby and very dependent on the carer they would be seen as a bad mother. It seems that it is a vicious crucial, cutting benefits leads to problems and having benefits leads to an underclass! How the welfare state promotes violent crime is bizarre to even suggest I feel, how can welfare increase crime, what benefits do criminals get from the welfare state? My opinion is supported by Deakin (In Murray. C, 1993:76) as a completely flawed correlation, Murrays use of British Crime Statistics actually forces the theory to it knees (ibid. ). Crime maybe inter-related with illegitimacy and unemployment but it doesnt increase because of the welfare state directly. Field, to a certain extent agreed with Murray in terms of the welfare state encouraging unemployment. Trying to get the young disillusioned unemployed worker back into work is a mammoth problematic task, YTS schemes and the new deal are not popular and are only a mere feasible attempt to address the problems created by the welfare state Murray might argue. YTS schemes are unpopular and unsuccessful in getting people back into work as they are just forms of slave labour, they seek to blame the victim or there own poverty and misfortunes very much like the Victorian Middle Class of the 18/19th century did, many people have little choice in their own making and are forced by uncontrollable circumstances to become unemployed and part of an illegitimate family, Walker (In Murray. C, 1993:69). The weight of Murrays argument and its criticisms it seems to suggest that welfare does not create an underclass to the extent that Murray believed. His ideas tend to be focused upon the moralising agenda of the underclass, where he refers to a type of poverty rather than to the degree of poverty that the underclass experience. He only focuses upon social welfare creating an underclass and ignores fiscal and occupational welfare, maybe he didnt believe these were responsible for creating an underclass or was it a case of those who are dependent upon these forms of welfare are generally the Middle Classes and these Middle Classes only use certain forms of social welfare such as the NHS and education and are not supcitible to a decline in their moral/values like the Working Class and underclass who use these forms of welfare? It is not the case that the welfare state is the cause of the underclass rather how the term underclass is perceived which depends whether you are part of the so called underclass or overclass (Walker in Murray. C, 1993:71) which relates back to the problem of such a strong derogatory term as underclass so much so that it is an unhelpful concept that cannot explain its own emergence in the welfare state of Britain. But even in todays government Tony Blair has been influenced by Murrays theory of an underclass in the welfare state by stating that the underclass are set apart from the mainstream of society pointing to the need to re-moralise the underclass/poor, what then for the future of the welfare state and the underclass? If Britain took literally and followed the inhumane radical suggestions of Murray would it necessarily make the underclass dependent? Looking back in history to Victorian times, where welfare was far from generous-but a deterrent for idleness, why was there a growing Working Class or underclass growing out of control? In line with Murrays seemingly Victorian attitude to poverty is the fact that he focuses upon the fact that poverty is the fault of the underclass in terms of their behaviour which diverts the attention away form the view that the phenomenon f the underclass could be caused by the failure of the economic and labour market polices and be a result of political causes mot that they are the ones making the wrong moral choices (Alcock. P, in Murray. C, 1993:140) Bibliography Deakin, N. (1990) Mr Murrays Ark.in Murray, C (1990) The Emerging British Underclass IEA London Dean H. and Taylor-Gooby,P. (1992) Dependency Culture Harvester Wheatsheaf, Ermisch, J. F. (1991) Lone parenthood : an economic analysis Cambridge : Cambridge Univeristy Press, Field, F. , (1989) Losing Out The Emergence of Britains Underclass, Basil Blackwell, Oxford. Fitzpatrick,T. (1996) Postmodernism, Welfare and Radical Politics. In Journal of Social Policy, 25. 3. pp303-320 Lister, R. (1996) (ed) Charles Murray and the Underclass The Developing Debate IEA Health and Welfare Unit. London. MacDonald, R. (ed) (1997) Youth, the underclass and Social Exclusion, Routlegde, London Mann, K. (1992) The Making of an English Underclass? Milton Keneys, Open University Press. Murray, C. (1990) The Emerging British UNDERCLASS. IEA Health and Welfare Unit, Murray, C. (1994) Underclass The Crisis Deepens I. E. A. Smith, D. J. (ed) (1992) Understanding the Underclass PSI London. Walker, A. (Ed) (1996) The New Generational Contract Intergenerational relations, old age and welfare. UCL Press. London. ANGELA ALCOCK FAO Banu.

Interview reflection Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Interview reflection - Essay Example Indeed, a calm disposition is an edge over this kind of activity. The question that asked candidates about qualities that commands respect in the classroom was full of insight. First, the personality of the person answering the question would be revealed. If â€Å"grades† were the answer , that reveals the person’s belief in positive or negative reinforcement. Another question that reveals the candidate’s belief is the one that inquires about the stating the goals of a school principal. This clearly shows what the person thinks or believes are the needs of the educational system according to his own perspective. Actually, almost all of the questions were very thought-provoking that required students to practice critical thinking skills and some ethics. The interview activity should always be a part of the class requirements. The activity helps students to understand themselves better and prepare them for real scenarios in the future. Applying concepts learned in the class and communicating them well to other people is a plus factor in one’s

FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT IN SHIPPING Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT IN SHIPPING - Assignment Example This report is a short study of some of the recent developments in international trade and finance and their impact on maritime transport, suggesting ways how shipping can weather the storm and manage itself financially to remain the most viable and popular mode of international transport. According to International Chamber of Shipping, the international shipping industry is responsible for the carriage of about 90 percent of world trade. Intercontinental trade, the bulk transport of raw materials and the import/export of affordable food and goods would simply not be possible without shipping. Notwithstanding the recent contraction in trade resulting from the present economic downturn, the world economy is expected to continue to grow and shipping will need to respond to the demand for its services. â€Å"Capesize Vessels† weigh from 175,000 tons to 400,000 tons and count as some of the largest craft in the World. They typically carry raw materials such as Iron ore, Steel, Coal and other raw commodities. Where you used to pay up to $230,000 per day to rent one, now you can have one for a measly $2800 per day. Lloyds even reported yesterday that one Capesize vessel was going for $1000 per day. These levels of payment are crippling the Shipping Industry and leading to cancelled orders with Shipyards where it is cheaper to let the shipbuilder keep the deposit. More and more older carriers are being scrapped as their value decreases. In October alone, more shipping tonnage was scrapped than in the previous 2 years. The inevitable result of this will be less tonnage available to transport raw materials. From an economic standpoint, supply will decrease thus theoretically lead to a commensurate increase in leasing prices, thus forcing the Baltic Dry Index up again. In the meantime though, there will be a large increase in job losses in the shipping

Obesity in Older Nurses Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Obesity in Older Nurses - Assignment Example The next part discussed an implementation plan that may help to reduce and prevent the problem. The plan will be implemented after the acquisition of permission from relevant sources. This plan aims at educating nurses about the foods that they should eat and the exercises that they should undertake to reduce excess weight in their bodies. This plan will be implemented by exercise and diet tutors using resources such as computers, handouts, questionnaires, and finances that will be used to purchase these requirements. The next section was the evaluation plan that aimed at discussing how to appraise the implemented plan to check if it achieves its goals. This plan indicated that it would use interviews, attendance, lists, measurement of weights, and questionnaires as the main techniques of appraising the results of the implemented scheme. The last section of this paper discussed the methods that would be used to disseminate evidence to the organization’s administrators, nurses, and the community. The techniques discussed include reports, workshops, websites, conferences, emails, and press releases. In conclusion, this research aimed at finding out the prevalence of obesity among older nurses and the methods that may be used to prevent and reduce this disorder in the nursing community. The analyzed sources of literature indicate that obesity is a common disease among the nurses of the United States. Since the nurses are mainly involved in giving other patient’s healthcare, it means that the continued prevalence of obesity among them may lead to the deterioration of the overall health of the country. Therefore, it is essential to address this problem before it leads to a destructible catastrophe of lack of health care givers in a giant economy. The main methods of addressing this problem are motivating nurses to eat healthy foods and undertake

Lab Report Banana Dna Essay Example for Free

Lab Report Banana Dna Essay DNA is organized into genes and stores genetic information. DNA molecules are long, slender molecules that carry the heritable information of organisms on to future generations. Because of their size, it is impossible to see a single DNA molecule with the naked eye. It would take about 300,000 DNA molecules side by side to make a bundle as thick as a human hair. When subjected to certain conditions, it is possible to collect â€Å"large† amounts of DNA to make it visible. As part of the chromosomes, the information contained in genes can be transmitted faithfully by parents through gametes to their offspring. For the gene’s DNA to subsequently influence an inherited trait, the stored genetic information in the DNA in most cases is first transferred to a closely related nuclei acid, RNA or ribonucleic acid. In eukaryotic organisms, RNA most ofther carries the genetic information out of the nucleus, where chromosomes reside into the cytoplasm of the cell. In the cytoplasm, the information in RNA is translated into proteins, which serve as the end products of most all genes. The process of transferring information from DNA to RNA is called transcription. The subsequent conversion of the genetic information contained in RNA into a protein is called translation. DNA molecule exists in cells as a long coiled structure often described as a double helix. Each strand of the helix consists of a linear polymer made up of genetic building blocks called nucleotides. There are four types of nucleotides which vary depending on the four nitrogenous bases of the molecule. The four nitrogenous are A(adenine), G(guanine), T(thymine) and C(cytosine). These comprise the genetic alphabet which in various combinations, will specify the components of proteins. It was established in 1953 by James Watson and Francis Crick that the two strands of their proposed double helis are exact complements of one another, such that the rings of the ladder always consists of either A=T, or G=C base pairs. This complementarity between adenine and cytosine nitrogenuos base pairs and between guanine and cytosine nitrogenuos base pase pairs, attracted to one another by hydrogen bonds, is critical to genetic function. Complementarity serves as the basis for both the replication of DNA and for the transcription of DNA into RNA. OBJECTIVES * To learn basic DNA extraction processes. * To properly and successfully extract DNA from banana using cell disruption and separation techniques. * To investigate the effect of temperature on DNA extraction from bananas. * To observe the extraction of genomic DNA from plant cells. * To understand how a buffer solutions disrupts the plasma membrane and releasing cellular components into the solution. MATERIALS AND APPARATUS PER CLASS * (60-70 oC) Water bath * 95% Ethanol * Extraction solution * Cheesecloth Ice chest containing ice PER GROUP * 40g Banana * 2 ziplock bags (Label ‘Extraction 1’ and ‘Extraction 2’) * 2 funnels * 2 test tubes * 50ml conical tube (2 pieces) * 500ml beaker (2 pieces) * Glass Rod (2 pieces) * Shampoo 4ml * Distilled water 40ml * Table Salt (NaOH) 0. 3g PROCEDURE (A) Extraction solution recipe: 4ml of shampoo was mixed with 36ml of distilled water. The solution was stirred well and slowly. The mixture was divided into two 50ml conical flasks (20ml each). The conical flasks was labelled S and SS. 0. g of salt was added into flask SS. The salt was dissolved by stirring slowly to avoid foaming. (B) Banana Extraction 1. A water bath was prepared. (60 oC) 2. 20g of banana was added into each ziplock bag labeled ‘Extraction 1’ and ‘Extraction 2’ 3. Extraction solution ‘S’ was added into ziplock ‘Extraction 1’ and extraxtion solution ‘SS’ into ziplock bad ‘Extraction 2’. The bag was closed with minimum content of air. 4. The bananas were mushed carefully to avoid the bag from breaking. The bananas were mashed for about 5 minutes. 5. The banana mixtures were cooled in the ice chest containing ice for 2 minutes. Then the bananas were mushed more. The banana mixtures were cooled, the mushed again. This process was repeated for 4 times. 6. The mixtures were filtered through cheesecloths. 7. Approximately 3ml of banana solution were dispenced into each test tube. 8. The test tubes were carefully handled to avoid shaking. Approximately 2ml of cold 95% ethanol was added into each test tube. 9. The test tubes were then observed. Result Photo 1: Test tubes containing solution S and SS CONCLUSION We manage to learn basic DNA extraction processes. We are able to properly and successfully extract DNA from banana using cell disruption and separation techniques. We succesfully investigated the effect of temperature on DNA extraction from bananas. We are able to observe the extraction of genomic DNA from plant cells. We understood how a buffer solutions disrupts the plasma membrane and releasing cellular components into the solution. REFERENCES: BOOKS: * Neil A. Campbell, Jane B. Reece, Lisa A. Urry, Michael L. Cain, Steven A. Wasserman, Peter V. Minorsky, Robert B. Jackson, Biology (8th Ed), Pearson International Edition: Pearson, Benjamin Cummings. * Peter J. Bowler (1989). The Mendelian Revolution: The Emergence of Hereditarian Concepts in Modern Science and Society. Johns Hopkins University Press. * Pragya Khanna. Essentials of Genetics. I. K International Publising House. * Elof Carlson (The Unfit), Mendels Legacy: The Origin of Classical Genetics, Cold Spring Harbour Laboratory Press, USA * Benjamin Cummings(2005), iGenetics: A Mendelian Approach, Pearson; University of Chicago, USA