Analyzing Timo

In the poor urban area of Richmond, California, the only thing more common than the violence is that deliquesce within the high school system – especially on the Richmond basketball team. With inflated rates of murder, violence and local crime students have affiliated themselves with negative forces that will have detrimental results. Many youth end dropping out of school and of that, majority will wind up in prison. However, Ken Carter makes it his objective to be the catalyst for a massive social shift. Taking the position of the Richmond basketball team coach, Coach Carter plans on inspiring the youth to continue their education and create safe, happy and successful lives for themselves. But, this of course is easier said than done. Many have tried to halt Carter’s process for social change and Timo Cruz, A player on the Richmond basketball team was the first. Cruz was the initial impediment against Coach Carter’s attempt shift the dynamic of the Richmond basketball team. When the team was first introduced to Carter and the new regulations he brought Cruz revolted against Carter’s authority. Doing this by roaring vulgar threats towards Carter and claimed he wasn’t aware of the struggles that accompanied living in Richmond. Cruz’s actions can be justified based on his living conditions. Residing in a low-income, hostile, violent neighborhood, Cruz has not been socialized to deal with issues with sophistication and maturity. Rather, in Cruz living conditions, it is far more beneficial to create a guise of strength and solve issues through force. Carter did not tolerate this hindrance to his objective nor was he fazed by Cruz’s foul behavior. This resulted in Cruz leaving the team and deserts his team members. At this point, Cruz has become alienated. Which has resulted in his drug affiliation with his emotionally absent uncle, Renny. No longer sharing the commonalty of playing on the basketball team Cruz feels a sense of division from their players – especially when they win. As an academic delinquent who had was only familiar with failure Cruz greatly desires to taste success and return to the team. However, Carter’s rules were firm and he wouldn’t allow any lack of consistency in his team. He assigned Cruz with the nearly impossible task of completing 10,000 pushups and suicides. When Cruz inevitable fails this task and his dreams of rejoining the team are crushed, the team members he had deserted early now help him complete the task based on the virtue of teamwork Carter invested in them. Cruz dependency on the basketball team can be seen in the most extreme case in the string of events that followed the shooting of his uncle, Renny. Cruz finds himself blood splattered at Coach Carter’s house, pleading for a spot of the Richmond basketball team. This is because through the basketball team, Carter had created a safe haven, shielding the members from the horror of their violet urban community. For Cruz, the being a member of the team was for more than playing the game, it was being accepted into a safe family. Now accepted, polarizing where Cruz was at the beginning of the movie, he is now a condition to Carter’s movement. It is also thanks to Carter’s social change that Cruz is now excelling in many aspects of his life where he had previously given up on. Member to an undefeated team, thriving academically, the prospect of attending college is now conceivable. Now, more than ever, Cruz has felt a sense of belonging and true friendship with his fellow players. From a sociological standpoint, Cruz can be defined as the extremist in the movie. His character is used to display the extremities in emotions and changes that occur within the story. In the beginning, Cruz passionately revolts against Carter’s administrative roles and represents an extreme social impediment that Carter must hurdle over. Then, ostracized for his actions, Cruz desires to feel acceptance and success of the Richmond basketball team. This desire only increases when his Uncle had been shot in front of him. At this point Cruz is contrasting his beliefs and is a strong condition to change. Timo Cruz was a youth in revolt, possessing a strong hatred towards Coach Carter and the change he was bringing to Richmond. However, over the duration of the film Cruz recognizes that the social alterations Carter has brought have only enforced positive virtues of; respect, teamwork and effect upon the basketball team. Ultimately, Cruz is the unsung role model of Coach Carter, if he has the capacity to change – anyone can.

Africa Essay

Between 600-1450, Africa went from governments with increased wealth from trade with varying religious traditions, also with some beliefs of polytheism; to governments with extensive powerful bureaucracies with many people converting to Islam. the more advanced forms of government ,trade and local traditions however, remained constant. Prior to the introduction of Islam as a religion, there were various belief systems with animistic beliefs. There was also some polytheism as well as monotheism. all the traditional religions remained, although Islam became the more prominent religion. Islam became an important religion because of trade and umayyad conquest out of the middle East into North Africa . Islam also became the more important religion because of the Kings of Ghana and later Mali, who had converted because it benefited them in that they got more money. The conversion of authority figures influenced people to convert, as well as they were convinced by an authority figure . The introduction of Islam and the connection to trade routes in the Dar-Al-Islam marked a turning point for Africa. During this time, after the fall of Rome, the power vacuum then led to the Umayyad conquest out of the middle East into North Africa.Also West Africa’s connection to Northern Africa via Trans-Saharan trade by Berber nomads allowed for the spread o9f islam to sub-saharan Africa. Trade and conquest brought Islam to North Africa, making it a slow ,but widely growing religion in Africa at the time. After the introduction of islam and the connection of trade routes in the Dar-al-Islam, political changes were prominent within africa. The Qur’an also promotes trade as a blessing to humanity, so trade had increased steadily. Because of the increasing trade, organized governments increased considerably. Increased Trans-Saharan trade of gold for salt led to the need to regulate trade. it also led to increased wealth. the increased wealth in turn led to a more powerful government with an extensive bureaucracy and also led to the government controlling and taxing their trade routes. the kingdom of ghana fell and became the Empire of Mali which had control over the greater region. The kingdom of Ghana went from governments to stateless societies. Although africa went through many changes, there were still some continuities. for example, although people converted to Islam, it was a very slow process and initially it was only the kings and merchants were converting because it benefited them; local traditions were still prominent because of thousands of years of the local animistic beliefs being passed down. Most people still practiced animistic worship and rituals. Another continuity would be the advances in government. There were still many advancements in government because of the steady increases in population and the need for regulation. Another continuity would be how trade is constant throughout the area. This is because it is needed to increase wealth and grow the economy to increase the population.

Illegal Imigrants Should Be Allowed Essay

This spring, approximately 2. 8 million high school seniors will graduate from various schools around the country. Many will continue their education at college; others will join the armed forces or take another path in life. However, a group of about 65,000 students will be unable to continue on their paths due to their status as illegal immigrants (Dream). Because of their status of illegal immigrants, it is extremely difficult for them to better their way of life. Therefore, illegal immigrants should be allowed to attend public universities. Illegal immigrants are already allowed to attend our public schools from the lementary level all the way through high school. The 1982 Supreme Court decision in Plyler v. Doe ruled that public schools are prohibited from denying immigrant students access to public schools (Plyler). The court found that undocumented children have the same right to a free public education and are obligated to attend school until they reach the age mandated by state law. Since then, many undocumented immigrants have passed through the public education system. Currently, it is believed that as many as 4. 9 million undocumented students are attending public schools (Immigration). However, it is difficult to know the exact umber because of their status as undocumented immigrants. One thing that is known for sure is the number will continue to rise, leaving more and more students with undecided futures after graduation. However, the ability for illegal immigrants to attend public universities has largely been left up to the states. Currently, South Carolina is the only state that prohibits illegal immigrants from attending public universities and colleges that receive state funding; although North Carolina and Alabama both prohibit undocumented people from attending community colleges (Coley). On the other end of the spectrum, nine tates including California, Nebraska, and Texas all offer in-state tuition to illegal immigrants (College). New Jersey is also in the process of deciding whether or not to offer in-state tuition to illegal immigrants. Although the states are the only ones to have passed legislation regarding undocumented immigrants attending public universities, there is legislation currently making its way through Congress. The Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act, also known as the DREAM Act, could bring about major changes. It was first introduced in 2007, but failed to make it past the Senate floor. Then this past spring, Senator Durbin from Illinois reintroduced the piece of legislation. Under the currently proposed DREAM Act, undocumented immigrant students would be given the opportunity to attend institutions of higher education and be able to obtain legal, permanent residency. According to the 2009 version of the Senate bill, DREAM Act beneficiaries must have proof of arriving in the United States before age 16 and live in the United States for five consecutive years since their date of arrival. They would also have to be between the ages of 12 and 35 at the time of bill enactment, btain a high school diploma, and have good moral character (Dream). Any opportunity to attend public universities and possibly achieve legal residency. This piece of legislation is expected to bring some heavy debate in the spring and could bring on some important changes if passed. One very important supporter for illegal immigrants attending institutions of higher education is the College Board. The College Board is made up of 5,000 schools and is best known for its SAT college admissions test. This past July, the board released a report citing a need for federal legislation that would provide in-state ollege tuition, financial aid, and legal status to many illegal immigrants in the United States (College). The report is the first time the College Board has spoken publicly about the issue. Undocumented immigrants should be given the right to attend public universities and colleges because we have a moral obligation to give them an equal opportunity to better their situation. Many of the undocumented immigrants that currently live in the United States were brought here by their parents. The children did not make the decision to enter the country illegally, their parents did. By not allowing illegal mmigrants to attend public universities, we are essentially punishing them for decisions they did not make. Also, undocumented immigrants are going to remain and live in the United States regardless of their ability to attend public universities. So if these undocumented immigrants are going to stay here, it makes sense economically to have them be productive as possible. The College Board report shows that with the ability for illegal immigrants to obtain a higher education and move into better paying Jobs, the economy would increase from increased tax revenue and consumer spending College). Additionally, if these undocumented immigrant students are paying for their college education, why not allow them the opportunity to further their knowledge. Under our current system, illegal immigrants are allowed to attend our public schools at no cost. But when these same illegal immigrants want to pay for a higher education, many of them are turned away because of their legal status. Plus, universities and colleges from all over the country already allow foreign exchange students to attend their universities. Here at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, pproximately 6 percent of the student body is from a foreign country (International). There is no controversy on whether or not to allow these students, who are not United States citizens, to attend our public universities. So if someone is willing to pay their way through college, they should be allowed to attend regardless of residency status. All of these reasons support the passage of the DREAM Act. As of today, it remains one of the last hopes for undocumented immigrants to obtain the right to attend public universities indefinitely. Although nine states have passed legislation allowing or in-state tuition for undocumented immigrants, states are increasingly moving towards not allowing them to attend public universities. Missouri and Virginia are currently considering a ban similar to South Carolina’s that would bar all illegal immigrants from attending public universities and colleges (College). So it is time now more than ever to stand up for undocumented immigrants’ rights. We have a public universities. One rebuttal often brought up in the discussion why illegal immigrants should not be allowed to attend public universities is they are breaking the law by being here in the United States. Although undocumented immigrants are breaking the law, it should not hold them back from furthering their education. Many illegal immigrants were brought here by their parents and did not make the decision to come here illegally. Illegal immigrants often spend close to their whole lives in the United States. Although they are still considered illegal in the eyes of the law, many are basically Americans because they have lived here for as long as they can remember. It is Just unfair to continue to punish someone for a decision they did not make. Another rebuttal often made against undocumented immigrants is the overnment is subsidizing an education for non-citizens because they do not pay taxes. The government already subsidizes an education from the high school level on down for everybody regardless of residency status. Also, many undocumented immigrants are unable to obtain residency status in the United States. The long, difficult process of obtaining American citizenship keeps many of these illegal immigrants from paying taxes. The current system we use for obtaining citizenship creates a continual cycle that does not allow for illegal immigrants to pay taxes. If it as easier for undocumented immigrants to obtain citizenship, more tax revenue would be brought in to subsidize their education. In conclusion, there are many factors to consider why illegal immigrants should be allowed to attend public universities. If they are paying their way through college like every other student, then they should be allowed to attend public universities. Plus, many of these undocumented immigrants are going to remain in the United States regardless of their ability to attend universities, so it makes sense to have them be productive as possible. It also does not make sense to punish someone because heir parents came into the United States illegally.

Alternative Energy Sources Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Alternative Energy Sources - Essay Example 74-75). In the result, there has been significant increment in researches related to the advancements of alternative energy sources and their impact on different aspects of human life (Simon, pp. 19-22). In specific, it is observation that until now, researchers (EIA, pp. 11-15) have focused primarily on the impact of alternative sources on business environment or global economies. However, the proposed research will go into a micro perspective while emphasizing on the impact of one of the alternative sources on the lives of average American people, and the effectiveness of such source in terms of its prices as compared to existing available sources. From this aspect, the proposed research will focus on the following research statement: Studies have shown that fossil fuels are playing a leading role in fulfilling majority of the energy’s requirements on global level. In specific, it fulfills more than seventy percent of the world’s energy demand (Ahmed & Anderson, pp. 240). However, analysis (Solarbuzz, 2009) has indicated that alternative energy sources are now heading toward competing with the fossil fuels in the form of solar, hydropower, nuclear, hydrogen fuel, ethanol, etc (World Bank, pp. 1-5). One of the major factors of increment in the demand of alternative energy sources is rapid reduction in fossil fuels. For instance, countries are now putting efforts to use solar energy sources to reduce the expensive costs related to the usage of fossil fuels, especially, oil that is an expensive energy source, as compared to the solar energy sources. In the United States, the government is currently depending on fossil fuels to fulfill more than eighty-five percent of its demand of energy; however, alternative energy sources are contributing to only ten percent of the requirement, and solar energy only five percent (SEA, 2007). Thus, it has now become very imperative to

Elon Musk Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Elon Musk - Essay Example Musk sold his Paypal shares for 165 million US dollars in 2002 and founded Space Exploration Technologies or SpaceX, which manufactures and develops space launch vehicles with the aim of advancing rocket technology. The company has a string of astounding successes including winning a 1.6 billion US dollars NASA contract. Musk views space exploration as part of the expansion of human life Tesla Motors on the other hand manufacture electronic cars and electric power train systems. His efforts to produce electric cars have seen him compared with Henry Ford. He is also associated with SolarCity the largest solar power systems manufacturer in the United States. Both Tesla and SolarCity aim to reduce global warming. His philanthropic nature goes further. His Musk Foundation focuses on clean energy. With this string of enviable achievements, there are many things we can learn from Musk including lessons in leadership. Musk says leaders must lead by example, and no task is too menial for a leader. He believes in working like hell and is known for a tenacious work ethic. His second lesson is that leaders should have a purpose. He believes leaders must develop a vision and work towards achieving it. His vision is to go to Mars. Next he believes in creativity and says without creativity innovation and progress are impossible. Collaboration and teamwork are important too, and leadership is about doing rather than telling. Musk encourages innovation and urges employees to come up with new ideas. He is a modern example of young and extremely successful innovators and entrepreneurs like Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg. He believes in being decisive as a leader and says this promotes efficiency. Strategy and action lead to results. He also advocates for adaptability and belief in change. Change will always present challenges and leaders need to be able to adapt. Musk believes in using scientific methods to assess the right people during

Toyota recall is not safe Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Toyota recall is not safe - Essay Example One of these companies is Toyota Motor Corporation, commonly known as Toyota. This is a multinational corporation with its headquarters in Japan. Toyota has factories in most parts of the world which makes it one of the world’s largest automaker (Toyota, 2010). The cars manufactured by Toyota were considered the best until the series of accidents that were caused by the cars’ design. Some say that the issue was not very serious and it was unnecessarily amplified by its competitors over the media. Very recently, several vehicles faced the problem of the accelerator pedal getting stuck which caused unintended acceleration and hence many accidents. As a corrective measure, Toyota has decided to recall its sold cars and fix them (Reed, P., 2010). According to a source, by January 28, 2010, Toyota had announced recalls of about 5.2 million cars for the pedal entrapment/floor mat problem, and an additional 2.3 million cars for the accelerator pedal problem. Out of these, almost 1.7 million cars have both these problems (Toyota Press Release, 2010). In addition to this, it cut down on its production to a great extent as well. Other companies that have faced the same problems include Honda, Ford, etc. However, the problem faced by these org anizations did not affect their image and financial condition at the same scale as Toyota. Now when we talk about this incident and Toyota’s reaction of recalling the cars that were potentially damaged, people often take two different sides. Some say that the Toyota recall was a good idea while some disagree. It is very important that all aspects of this issue are discussed so that we can understand the strategy better from all angles. Therefore, in this paper, we will discuss both sides of the argument in the coming paragraphs, firstly discussing the arguments for the Toyota recall. The Toyota recall is believed to be the best thing for everyone. We noted in the

Students with mental illness and depression Essay

Students with mental illness and depression - Essay Example Anxiety and depression disorders are common mental illnesses known to exist. Mental illnesses occur mostly in the times of uncertainty or stress which can be resulting from people’s daily life activities. It is worth to understand that mental illnesses and disorders are real illnesses. Just like other illnesses, such as asthma or diabetes, most mental disorders or illnesses are episodic. (U.S. Department of Education). That means there are periods when people will be well and productive, as well as other times being unwell and their overall production and functioning, becomes low. Depression is just a mental disorder, but not a disease. Psychiatrists have tried to help people who seek medication for conditions of mental disorders such as depression, but they have failed to explain the meaning of disorder or depression. These conditions are called disorders but not diseases with a reason. Disorder means something out of ordinary, where depression and other known mental illnesse s belong. According to a report in 2001, the US Department of Education reported that the rate of school dropouts among the students with mental illness is approximately fifty percent (U.S. Department of Education). The above disorder is characterized by the lack of ability to remain focused on a task, excessive activity, and impulsive behavior or inability to remain for a some moments. That means there are periods when people will be well and productive, as well as other times being unwell and their overall.