Why Athletes are Role Models Essay Example

Why Athletes are Role Models Essay A role model is a person who is admired and emulated by many. The term role model was for the first time used by Robert Merton after he noted that people compared themselves with others. In sports, those athletes who perform to the expectations of the fans are taken as role models and are emulated by their fans. Role models are often under heavy scrutiny of the media and so the chances that their negative aspects of life are brought to the light are very high but despite this, they still shine as role models. Because of their outstanding skills and uniqueness when it comes to sports, they are admired by people of all ages, the young and the old. This research paper will try to bring an understanding to the question, why athletes are role models despite the fact that they are highly scrutinized by the media.Most athletes shine in areas where they are even not expected to shine. For example, when a certain popular athlete is involved in scandal he/she tends to become more popular becau se of the publicity he/she receives. People focus on what they have achieved in the past but not on that one single bad event. It is not by choice that athletes become role models but it is their status, wealth and determination that makes them admirable by the public and a case in hand is of Marion Jones who despite the fact that she tested positive to performance drugs and sentenced for six months, she still is a role model to many. People cannot forget the achievements and good things that have been by the said athlete in the past but this is only different when it comes to sports where achievements are based on ones extra ordinary character traits but in other fields it is different. (Lensky, 2008, 78-80)Most of the things that are done by athletes outside the field are not publicized as much as those done in the field but the fact is that, although they are not reported people cannot fail to recognize them. It is their virtues and character in general that make them who they ar e for example their diligence, sportsmanship, perseverance and the value of training that make them to be taken as role models by many people but according to Julian Morrow, some of the character traits that make them shine such as high temperedness and dare daring behaviors make up somebody who you cannot like to stay the next door. (Schaller, T. 2004)According to Putnam, (87) athletes occupy a unique position in the pantheon of celebrities and it is for this reason that they become famous. Unlike comedians, television presenters and actors who spend much of their time on stage and televisions to be popular, the case is different when it becomes to sports because here it is their sheer ability and hard work that counts. When people realize their uniqueness, they become attracted to them and even begin to emulate what they do or what they say.The mass media plays a very vital role in informing the public on what is happening in the sports’ field. According to various surveys that have been done in the past, (Lensky, 2008, 78) the number of people who rely on the media (television and internet) to know what is going on in sports are more than those that attend the live shows. Even some people who seem to know much about sports as if they attend these shows get that information from the media. For this reason the role that media plays cannot be down played for if it does not keep us posted, then we would know very little about sports.Many athletes who are successful have admirable and extra ordinary lifestyles because they have a lot of money and this makes them to be highly envied by their fans. Due to the scrutiny that they are given by the media they are forced to act in a more responsible manner rather than how they would have behaved behind the scenes. Some people even expect athletes to become role models in matters that do not pertain what they do in the field and this gives them a hard time to meet such expectations. Some people think that this is expecting too much. â€Å"†¦It is unfair to ask athletes to serve as role models because they live their lives in a kind of moral vacuum, created by years of pampered treatment from parents, friends, fans, coaches, team officials and agents. They are ill prepared for the task.†(Putnam, 80)The irony with the media’s close scrutiny of the athletes is that it can give a person who might not have gotten a chance to become role model to become one. Not all that the media airs is taken by the public no matter how positive or negative it is, in fact the final judgment as to who should become a role model or not lies with them. According to Putnam (80), Charles Berkley became a role model not because of his outstanding skills in sports but because of the simple reason that he initiated the public debate that was featured in the media many times. He was opposed to the role that athletes are given by the public as role models.In short, though athletes are heavily scrutiniz ed by the media, they are still seen as role models. It is true that almost everything that we come to know comes from the media but it is the people who know who their role model is. Media may try to paint dark the name of an athlete but still remain a role model again; this negative publicity might work to their advantage. Another thing that favors athletes despite the fact that they are always under the eyes of the media is that they too realize that they are being watched and thus they behave more responsibly than they would do in normal circumstances.

Mills Utilitarianism Essays - Utilitarianism, Classical Liberalism

Mills Utilitarianism Essays - Utilitarianism, Classical Liberalism Mill's Utilitarianism When faced with a moral dilemma, utilitarianism identifies the appropriate considerations, but offers no realistic way to gather the necessary information to make the required calculations. This lack of information is a problem both in evaluating the welfare issues and in evaluating the consequentialist issues which utilitarianism requires be weighed when making moral decisions. Utilitarianism attempts to solve both of these difficulties by appealing to experience; however, no method of reconciling an individual decision with the rules of experience is suggested, and no relative weights are assigned to the various considerations. In deciding whether or not to torture a terrorist who has planted a bomb in New York City, a utilitarian must evaluate both the overall welfare of the people involved or effected by the action taken, and the consequences of the action taken. To calculate the welfare of the people involved in or effected by an action, utilitarianism requires that all individuals be considered equally. Quantitative utilitarians would weigh the pleasure and pain which would be caused by the bomb exploding against the pleasure and pain that would be caused by torturing the terrorist. Then, the amounts would be summed and compared. The problem with this method is that it is impossible to know beforehand how much pain would be caused by the bomb exploding or how much pain would be caused by the torture. Utilitarianism offers no practical way to make the interpersonal comparison of utility necessary to compare the pains. In the case of the bomb exploding, it at least seems highly probable that a greater amount of pain would be caused, at least in the present, by the bomb exploding. This probability suffices for a quantitative utilitarian, but it does not account for the consequences, which create an entirely different problem, which will be discussed below. The probability also does not hold for Mill's utilitarianism. Mill's Utilitarianism insists on qualitative utilitarianism, which requires that one consider not only the amount of pain or pleasure, but also the quality of such pain and pleasure. Mill suggests that to distinguish between different pains and pleasures we should ask people who have experienced both types which is more pleasurable or more painful. This solution does not work for the question of torture compared to death in an explosion. There is no one who has experienced both, therefore, there is no one who can be consulted. Even if we agree that the pain caused by the number of deaths in the explosion is greater than the pain of the terrorist being tortured, this assessment only accounts for the welfare half of the utilitarian's considerations. Furthermore, one has no way to measure how much more pain is caused by allowing the bomb to explode than by torturing the terrorist. After settling the issues surrounding the welfare, a utilitarian must also consider the consequences of an action. In weighing the consequences, there are two important considerations. The first, which is especially important to objectivist Utilitarianism, is which people will be killed. The second is the precedent which will be set by the action. Unfortunately for the decision maker, the information necessary to make either of these calculations is unavailable. There is no way to determine which people will be killed and weigh whether their deaths would be good for society. Utilitarianism requires that one compare the good that the people would do for society with the harm they would do society if they were not killed. For example, if a young Adolf Hitler were in the building, it might do more good for society to allow the building to explode. Unfortunately for an individual attempting to use utilitarianism to make for decisions, there is no way to know beforehand what a person will do. Furthermore, without even knowing which building the bomb is in, there is no way to predict which people will surely be in the building. A subjectivist utilitarian would dismiss this consideration and would examine only what a rational person would consider to be the consequence; however, even the subjectivist utilitarian must face the question of precedent setting. Utilitarianism considers justice and humane treatment to be good for society as a whole and therefore instrumentally good as a means

Creative Process Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Creative Process - Research Paper Example Warhol gained a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree at the Carnegie Institute of Technology in 1949 and went to New York right after his school days with the intention of working as a commercial artist. He became successful in his endeavor and thus begun his other works that made him famous, bringing out the genius in him not only with the camera and brush but included writing and sculpturing. His acquaintances with celebrities gave him the privilege of painting the famous during his time and were included in his subjects of interest. His list includes Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley, Elizabeth Taylor, Jackie Kennedy Onassis and Truman Capote, making them painted portraits which accelerated him to stardom, receiving commissions from wealthy socialites, musicians and film stars (Carnegie Museum of Pittsburgh). Georgia O’Keeffe was trained by a grammar teacher to draw along with her sister in their early age and taught to paint by a local water color painter (georgia-okeeffe.com). She we nt to the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 1905 then continued her studies at the New York’s Art Student League in 1907 through a scholarship. Five years later, she taught at the Catham Episcopal Institute and later worked as a drawing supervisor in Texas. After years of teaching, she went back to her passion and started drawing using charcoal, sending some of her work to a friend who showed it to an acquaintance who appreciated her work and later became her husband, Alfred Stieglitz. This introduction begun her successful career as a painter which lasted through the years despite the challenges of her life like the death of her husband and her blindness brought about by old age. Despite these, she continued to paint and in the later part of her life, was assisted in her works due to her blindness. Ralph Vaughan Williams, a musician who made his first composition at the very young age of six showed signs of a genius with his work and his learning to play the piano, o rgan and violin as a child. At fifteen, he went to the Charterhouse then to the Royal college of Music to study composition from Hubert Parry and Charles Villiers Stanford, to Trinity College to read history and take his Bachelor of Music (hymnsandcarolsofchristmas.com). Later, he went to Paris for an intensive training with Ravel, being unsatisfied with his work â€Å"Toward the Unknown Region† despite its acclamation at the 1907 Leeds Festival. Ravel’s music most probably made the distinction in Williams’ music so that later, his teacher said that William did not play his music. On his return, the composer finally found himself, found what he wanted in his music and begun composing with his own style reflecting the Williams genius in him in full originality (hymnsandcarolsofchristmas.com). Writing runs in the blood of Robert Graves which is usually stressed by biographers, mentioning his great uncle, Leopold von Ranke who was a highly accomplished historian an d Richard Graves, a relative who wrote a novel successful in the 18th century. Through a scholarship, Robert went to Charterhouse after preparatory school where he began writing poetry, performing well enough academically and earned yet another scholarship to St. Johns College in Oxford. However, with the declaration of the war, he enlisted and joined the Royal Welsh

Moral Views on Plastic Surgery Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Moral Views on Plastic Surgery - Assignment Example Second will be the evident willingness of surgical operators to offer layaway surgery plans that are arguably meant to help patients afford surgery while at the same time carry out illegal plastic surgery operations. Finally, this essay will explore the question of how the American pop culture as well as the different media channels have influenced personal awareness for millions of people, making them indulge into the modern ideals of attractiveness and, as a result, driving them towards having unnecessary plastic surgery. Sociocultural and religious aspects will also be explored. John Stuart Mill’s ethical theory of utilitarianism this suggests that the basis of morality is the action that one chooses to take. The ethical decision made in this regard should be focused on maximizing utility or pleasure. He states that people generally focus on the achievement of pleasure, meaning that they should engage in making decisions that are confined within the premise of utilitarianism (HAUSKELLER, 2011). In what he refers to as the greatest happiness principle, he adds that one’s action should be judged on its extent to rightness or wrongness based on the extent of pleasure or pain that it causes for the highest number of people. However, it has been argued that there are two different kinds of pleasure, which include bodily pleasure and intellectual pleasure. Intellectual pleasure should take precedence, owing to the fact that it stimulates the mind and amounts to more benefits for more people. For instance, a person that composes a good song creates p leasure for millions of people while one who listens to music creates pleasure for himself. As such, composing his of higher pleasure than listening, just like having sex to have a child than doing it for pleasure. Having discussed the ethical insights presented by Mill, a look at the

Judicial Decisions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Judicial Decisions - Essay Example In addition to this there seems to be differing schemes protecting both the landlord and the tenants found in the distinction of the equitable and legal leases. The distinction becomes extremely important as if an interest in land is found to be a lease then one is protected by the Rent Acts, while the licence seems to encompass only limited rights as according to the terms of the arrangement between the parties with minimal state intervention. It is one of the fundamental themes in accepting what a lease is that the period identified in the arrangement between the landlord and the occupier is for a fixed term. In Lace V. Chantler [1944], it was held that a lease for the duration of a war was not a certain period as one could not surely envisage when the war would be over, thus this would be a licence revocable when the war would be over. However, even a short term, for instance a month to month agreement would seem to be satisfying the requirements of the LPA 1925 as each party holds power by notice to determine the continuity of the lease at the end of each month and this saves the arrangement from being uncertain. (Prudential Assurance Co. Ltd v London Residuary Board [1992]) Even time sharing agreements have been held to be tenancies recently (Cottage Holiday Associates Ltd v. Customs and Excise Commissioners [1983], Smallwood V. Sheppards [1895]). Perhaps even here, the underlying fact remains the intention of the par ty which could be evidenced by virtue of the mode of payment and the time period even though this is not an essential element (Ashburn Anstall v. Arnold [1989]). The concept of exclusive possession is also a very important one in the determination of a lease. Essentially, where the occupier could exclude anyone at all and is free to use the land as he wants subject to certain restrictions, this arrangement could easily be termed as a lease. Where a landlord had rights reserved to enter the premises, empty meters and change linen, it was held to be a licence (Appah v. Parncliffe Investments [1964]. A similar analogy could be drawn with the occupation of rooms in hotels and motels. It is normally quite clear to the occupier that he does not have the rights of a tenant with regards to the room he is occupying and his rights only stem from and are limited to the service contract concluded between him and the hotel, etc. Hence, the traditional distinction between a lease and a licenc

History of Network Interface Cards

History of Network Interface Cards Introduction Ethernet is a standard that enable two or more computer to share information and communicate. Ethernet network, also known as local area network (LAN), connects computers which can transfer data at the speed of 10Mbps or more. Since its invention, Ethernet standard has evolved a lot. Improved media access control methods, alternate physical medium and higher bandwidth are some of examples of evolution. This paper describes the network hardware which is used for establishing Ethernet connection. The pricing of the hardware is reducing day by day and they are very easy to maintain. Network interface cards (NIC) Most PC motherboard manufacturers offer a built-in Network Interface Card (NIC), also known as Ethernet Card, as Ethernet is now omnipresent and the twisted pair Ethernet requires small panel space. However, if a computer doesnt have NIC, it requires installation of a separate network card; CPU of the computer cannot process information at network speed. NIC is a kind of network adapter. It supports the Ethernet standard for high-speed network connections via cables; a connector in conjunction with NIC accepts cable to physical network. NIC come programmed with a globally unique 48-bit address, identified as MAC address of the machine. In the IEEE 802 LAN, the MAC addresses are used to identify both the source and the destination of each data packet. Generally, NICs do not accept packets addressed to other machines. NIC cards have evolved over the years; however, its different forms are used even today in older computers and these types of cards are available in market yet. Large ISA cards were the foremost standard for PCs and their installation required opening computer case. Modern Ethernet cards use the  PCI  standard and are usually installed inside the computer by the manufacturer. For laptop and mobile computers, smaller  PCMCIA  Ethernet cards that resemble credit cards are available. External USB Ethernet adapters are also available and they look like small boxes instead of cards. They are mostly used with video game consoles and as alternative to PCI cards. Transceiver: Ethernet interface can be either with 10BaseT or AAUI (Apple Attachment Unit Interface) connectors, in case of MAC computer. If there is AAUI port, then there is need to have a transceiver, actually AAUI-10BaseT transceiver. The transceiver has an AAUI cable at one end and 10BaseT connector jack at the other end. Cables Ethernet cables consists cable of at least Category 5 (Cat. 5) and 8P8C (often recognized as RJ45) connectors. This type of cables is used to connect all computers with Ethernet interface with 10BaseT connectors. CAT 5 UTP wire is required for basic 10/100 Mbps speed, whereas Cat 5e supports gigabit (1000BaseT) operation. Category 5 is the most popular of all twisted pair cables employed today and is the fifth generation of twisted pair Ethernet technology. Either Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP) or STP (Shielded Twisted Pair) cable can be used; later is used for extra resistance to external interference. Twisted Pair cable comes mainly in two varieties, solid and stranded. Stranded cables are better applicable in short-distance usage and patch applications for desktop use. They are more pliable and resilient than solid one. Solid Ethernet cable is used in longer length runs and in fixed wirings such as office building. Newer cable technologies like CAT6 and CAT7 are in development. Tho ugh Cat 6 or higher offers future proofing measure, CAT5 / CAT5e Ethernet cable stays the popular choice for most wired  local area networks (LANs) as it gives enough speed and is affordable. Due to their physical resemblance, the 8P8C modular connectors are often called RJ45. It looks like a large phone plug with an 8-position modular connector. These connectors come in a few variations; the primary variation is based on whether the connector is meant for solid or stranded wire. Hubs More than two computers in the LAN cannot be easily connected without using hub. Hub is a small, inexpensive and passive device that connects all devices and allows only one device on the network to talk at a time. To connect the computers to Ethernet hub, an Ethernet cable is first connected into hub and then other end is connected to each computers NIC. RJ-45 connectors are accepted by all Ethernet hubs. All devices must be running at the same speed on a hub. Ethernet Hubs vary depending on the speed they support. Earlier, hubs supported just 10 Mbps speed whereas today, hubs supporting 100 Mbps speed are easily available. Some also support dual speeds i.e. 10 Mbps and 100 Mbps. The number of ports supported by hub also varies. Hubs supporting 4-5 ports (for home usage) to 16 ports (for small office usage) are available. In order to increase the network to incorporate more devices, Ethernet hubs can also be connected to each other, to  routers or switches. Bridge   A  bridge  is a hardware device which filters data traffic at a network boundary. Bridges divide the traffic on a LAN in two segments and thus reduce the amount of traffic. This device functions at the layer 2 of the OSI model data link layer. Bridge scrutinizes incoming traffic and takes decision whether to discard or forward it. For example, an Ethernet bridge looks thoroughly each incoming Ethernet frame for its destination and source MAC addresses, and sometimes the frame size and accordingly makes independent forwarding decisions. In fact, Bridges serve a similar function as switches; both operate at Layer 2. Conventional bridges support one network boundary, whereas switches generally offer four or more hardware ports. Switch Like hub, switch also allows to connect multiple computers within a LAN. However, it operates at Data Link layer and permits multiple devices to talk at the same time. Switch can perform automatic speed conversations. Switch has more intelligence than a hub. Switches can inspect data packets as they are obtained, decide the destination and source device for each packet and forward them accordingly. A network switch gives better performance than hub as it preserves network bandwidth  by delivering messages only to the device intended. Traditional Ethernet switches support either 10/100  Mbps  speed or  Gigabit Ethernet  (10/100/1000) standards. There are various models of network switches which support varying number of connected devices; generally most of network switches offer either four or eight connections for Ethernet devices. To add increasingly larger number of devices to a LAN, switches can be connected to each other this approach is also called daisy chaining  method. Router Router is a physical device that connects multiple networks together. They look just like hubs and switches, small, box-type piece of equipment which numerous computers can connect to. However, compared to switch or hub, a router is far more sophisticated network device. Conventional routers are designed to connect multiple area networks such as WANs and LANs. For example, on a large corporate network or on the Internet, routers work as midway destinations for network traffic. They receive TCP/IP packets, look into each packet to recognize the source and destination IP addresses and then forward these packets as needed to make sure the data attains its final target. Technically, a router works at the layer 3 of the OSI model, network layer and works as a gateway. Home networkers often use an Internet Protocol (IP) router as IP is the widest employed OSI network layer protocol. An IP router, like a cable modem router or DSL, connects the homes LAN with the WAN of the Internet.

Public v. Private Life Essay

In Milan Kundera’s book, Testaments Betrayed, he contends that people act very differently when they are in public compared to their private lives. Milan appropriately emphasizes the need for separation between one’s public and private life, and asserts that the real criminals are the ones who attempt to break that boundary. Logically, people will say and do things when they are alone that would be beyond the realm of appropriate behavior when they are in public. Therefore, I agree with Kundera’s claim that the curtain between these two worlds should not be tampered with and that the curtain-rippers are the actual offenders. There are many times where national chaos and embarrassment has been created through people meddling in the private lives of other people. For example, the paparazzi are constantly trying to expose the personal experiences of countless celebrities. Recently they succeeded with the infiltration of the universal picture-messaging application, Snapchat, as well as Apple’s coveted web-based storage facility, the iCloud. These hackers were able to obtain numerous explicit photographs of renowned actresses, including Jennifer Lawrence and Victoria Justice, and distribute them for the world to see. This is extremely embarrassing to those women and, much to their chagrin, those pictures meant for somebody close and important to them are now being hungrily consumed by the eyes of some 12-year old kid on their laptop. Since this barrier between private and personal life was broken by meddlers, these celebrities are now viewed as indecent, and have lost much of the admiration they had before the incident. How could the exposure of one’s private life to the entire world possibly be considered just? These ladies did nothing wrong, yet they are harshly criticized for their actions because somebody wanted to interfere in their private lives. This incident clearly demonstrates that the insatiable paparazzi, not the innocent celebrities, are the true criminals here. Our nation’s history also holds many instances of interferers meddling in the private lives of our elected officials. One such example would be Bill  Clinton’s affair with Monica Lewinsky. Yes, he did cheat on his wife, but was it really fair to let the entire world know that he did that? When the government was informed about the situation, the president’s unfortunate predicament was broadcast to the entire nation. The situation escalated to the point of unjustified impeachment hearings, but fortunately Clinton was acquitted by the Senate. Clinton nearly lost his beloved wife and his job because his private life was exposed by those who had no right to be sticking their noses into his personal affairs. The peeping Toms that yanked open the curtain between Clinton’s actions backstage and his affairs in the public’s spotlight completely ruined Clinton’s life. If these felons hadn’t intruded, Clinton would have been spared a world full of ignominy and embarrassment. Therefore, it is indisputable that the ones truly at fault are the criminals who exposed Clinton, because his lives, both private and public, were devastated by their irresponsible actions. In summary, past invasions of privacy have shown that many negative effects may result from such rash and unprovoked actions. It is therefore only just and proper that the steel grate between one’s private and public lives remain forever and eternally sealed.