American Civil Liberties Union

The American Civil Liberties Union more commonly known as the ACLU is one of the most prominent advocacy groups in contemporary American society. The ACLU is a non-profit and non-partisan organization based in New York.ACLU’s primary advocacy has always been the protection of the constitutional rights of US Citizens. Moreover, it is part of the ACLU’s mission to extend those rights to demographics which have been traditionally denied the same constitutional rights as the average American citizen.These groups include Native Americans, the poor, transsexual and transgender people, and prisoners to name a few. The major activities of the ACLU in advancing its advocacy include   community education efforts, lobbying for desired legislation as well as supporting litigation which seeks to establish protection for civil rights (â€Å"About Us†).HistoryThe ACLU can trace its roots to World War I. A forerunner of the ACLU, the American Union Against Militarism (AUAM), w as established in 1914 to oppose American entry into the war. With the eventual entry of America into World War I, Crystal Eastman, the executive secretary of the AUAM together with Roger Baldwin, a social worker, founded a Bureau of Conscientious Objectors.The Bureau worked to oppose the draft as well as to advise conscientious objectors. In 1917, the AUAM created a new independent organization – the National Civil Liberties Bureau. Eastman and Baldwin then shifted their focus on the NCLB after which the AUAM folded soon after (â€Å"The Roger Baldwin Years, 1917-1950: Finding Aid†).Baldwin continued his opposition to the draft, himself deliberately violating the Selective Service Act which resulted in his imprisonment in 1918. Upon release from prison, Baldwin helped establish the ACLU in January 19, 1920.Unlike the NCLB, the ACLU was established as a permanent organization which shall live on even after the war. At the time of the ACLU’s founding, the US Supr eme Court has failed to uphold even a single free speech claim. The infant ACLU quickly got itself involved in noteworthy cases such as Sacco & Vanzetti, the Scopes Trial and the Scottsboro boys (Cottrell).The early ACLU concentrated on fighting the causes of the labor movement, believing that advancing labor causes would result in their desired changes in society. During the 1920s most of ACLU funding came from Albert Desilver, another founding member of the ACLU and the Garland Fund.Media mileage during the Tennessee Scopes Trial helped the ACLU gain reputation and raise funds for its efforts (â€Å"The Roger Baldwin Years, 1917-1950: Finding Aid†).

It was the worst thunderstorm in 36 years

Wednesday night, 9th October 2002. It was the worst thunderstorm in 36 years. The rain was like stones hammering onto you from the pitch-black sky. Long streaks of bright lightning were jumping from the sky. A few seconds after each bright light there was a gigantic roar, like a furious lion. The weather was wet, cold, dull, dark and miserable with horrendous winds, travelling at the speed of a cheetah. There were two boys. Andy was quite tall and skinny with short blonde hair. He had legs like long twigs and hands the size of a giants, but very brittle. The other boy, Paul, was big and obese. He was built like a tank. His fists were like big balls of steel. But he was very shy. Andy and Paul were walking home through the fields. It was dark and windy. Paul pulled out a torch. He turned it on, but all it gave out was a dull light that kept flashing on and off every time lightning strikes. Andy started to get scared and he walked faster and faster. Paul was dragging his big heavy feet though the wet muddy grass. Andy started to run but they were getting no where. Paul was dragging behind and was having problems keeping up with Paul. Andy looked behind him and saw Paul in the distance. So Andy shouted â€Å"hurry up Paul, we gotta get outa here†. So Andy slowed down and waited until Paul caught up with him. Then continued running. Andy shouts, â€Å"I can see a house†. So they both started to run towards the house. They both stop. Every thing is silent. Paul and Andy walk towards the front door. Paul nocks on the door and it opened. Nobody was in the house. Andy said, â€Å"is any body in†. Nobody answered so they both carefully walk in the house. There was not a bit of dust in the house. Paul and Andy hung up there soaking wet coats on a hanger and closed the door. The house was bright and warm. The two boys walked into the living room, which was straight in front of them. In the living room the fire was lit and there was stuffed animals every where. There was a huge old wooden staircase. They decided to sit down on the big black leather sofa. They sat down for a while. Paul quietly said, â€Å"let's go up stairs†. So they both went up stairs. They got to the top of the stairs and went to open one of the doors in front of them. The lights started flicking on and off. Andy started shaking. All of a sudden the house went cold. Paul opened the door. A body fell from behind the door. Both of the boys jumped back. The front door creaked open and then slammed closed. A deep mans voice yelled up the stairs, â€Å"who the hell is in my house†. The man ran up stairs with a dead squirrel in one hand and an axe in the other. The boys were so scared that they could not move.

The American Experience Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

The American Experience - Term Paper Example Thus, there were some forms in the eighteenth-century writing that did not conform to the general notions about genres and other forms. There were many interesting themes which could be found in the text of Letters from an American Farmer. The features included the nature of an American character such as their work ethic, the duties of an individual, anti-intellectualism, the farmer seen as a prototype representing the American character, the treatment of the slaves, the way of viewing new immigrants together with their ethnicity, literary resonances that showed the escape from the civilization as in Letter XII and stereotypical nature of the American characters. The Letter was divided into twelve sections that depict the way American soil, its life, slavery, and culture was perceived by Crevec?ur. He was probably the first writer who described Europeans by employing different American English terms. He emphasized the life seen on the American frontier and tried to explore the idea b ehind the so-called American Dream. In his writings, he portrayed American society to be characterized by the principles stressing on the equal opportunity as well as self-determination. His work was successful in providing a lot of useful information together with an understanding of the presumed "New World" which helped in creating utopian American identity (Crevecoeur xi). This was done for the prevailing European minds by describing the area as an entire country and not just another regional colony. The writing in The Letters celebrated the American ingenuity and its uncomplicated lifestyle. It was written to describe the inclusion and the acceptance of religious dynamics in a society that was created from several varieties of ethnic as well as cultural backgrounds. The letters that were written by him depicted the rural life of America. He introduced the cultivation of several European crops, notably the alfalfa, in the American country and the American potato in Normandy. He t ried to understand America from the purview of a farmer. He tried to find the answer to the question what actually consisted of American, this new American man. â€Å"He is an American, who, leaving behind him all his ancient prejudices and manners, receives new ones from the new mode of life he has embraced, the new government he obeys, and the new rank he holds† (Crevecoeur 54). â€Å"The American is a new man, who acts upon new principles; he must, therefore, entertain new ideas, and form new opinions. From involuntary idleness, servile dependence, penury, and useless labor, he has passed to toils of a very different nature, rewarded by ample subsistence. --This is an American† (Crevecoeur 56) Literary analysis Crevecoeur in his letters portrayed his love for nature from the perspective of a farmer. His respect towards nature and his compassion towards all living beings are obvious and is the principal backdrop of all his letters. Crevecoeur feels that man and natur e are interlinked, and without the right balance in nature, man cannot survive. Similarly, man’s compassion and caring attitude can preserve the sanctity of nature. He also feels that Americans do not display their compassion towards nature in the way that is needed.  

Descriptivism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Descriptivism - Essay Example Seriously, this is just too much and makes communication in any language unenjoyably at all. However, descriptivism is making this better by allowing users of the language to apply it in a context that fits them. For instance, courts, restaurants, interviews, and parties among others settings have a different way of communicating information, expressing feeling, or giving advice. Therefore, descriptivism conforms to the reality of changing times, generations, and endorse the fact that understanding each other using whichever language is the most important thing. The issue of native and nonnatives is a discriminative in nature in the world where globalization is taking root. The reality of globalization is making interaction between people from different regions of the world unavoidable. During interactions between people either for political, social, and economic purposes; the only way to achieve the objective of such cause is via use of a language comprehend by parties involved. Whi le this happens, the parties involved use either an exotic language or one that is native to one of them, or both. In this light, the most important thing is the sympathetic of each other using whichever appropriate language (Kachru Yamuna, and Cecil 703). Remarkably, descriptivism facilitates this since it does not bar nonnatives of a language from the benefits of globalization. Descriptivism dismisses the need to learn a language using formal setting such as classroom or by reading publication on the grammar of the language (Kachru Yamuna, and Cecil 711).

Skills Available For Acquisition and Career Building Strategies in Case Study

Skills Available For Acquisition and Career Building Strategies in Directing a Film - Case Study Example It is evidently clear from the discussion that directing film entails different aspects but all the aspects result in an action that makes the audience realize that a video is actually out for viewing. Elliott asserts that for a film director to reach his or her prime objective, he or she must have come from a long way just as far as from script cutting room all the way to the climax. There are number pathways how someone can become a film director for example; a person may start as screenwriter, actor or film editor. Film directors are such responsible individuals who need to facilitate the differences in film budget limit and the vision of the career. There is number of roles expected from a film director. The directing film assumes different approach and with regard to this, directors give a general outline of the film and letting the actors improvise the dialogue. Other directors are in control of every aspect where they demand the crew and actors to follow all their instructions accurately. Other film directors write the screenplay or edit their film and appear in their film as well. The researcher has thought of directing a film at one point or another. The researcher watched a great movie and believed he could do much better in one of his own films. The author choses this career because it is his passion career because telling a story as well as learning how to construct a movie has been one of the achievements the researcher has always wanted to attain in visual arts and film studies as a whole. Unlike the general trend in film direction, most of the new generation directors are young. In addition, unlike in the ancient time, filmmaking is both artistic and commercial venture.

Diffusion and osmosis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Diffusion and osmosis - Essay Example The solution subjected to the highest temperature demonstrated the fastest rate of diffusion. The effect of varying solute concentrations was demonstrated by adding 2 drops of blood to six test tubes each containing different solutes. Crenation was observed in cells put in hypertonic solution, while lyses were observed in cells put in hypotonic solution. Cells put in isotonic solution showed no change in morphology. The effect of detergent was determined by adding 3 drops of detergent on the sodium chloride solution. The packed cell volume was also determined with the use of the microhaematocrit reader. Patients with low hematocrit values suggest anemia, among others, while an increased value would indicate several conditions including polycythemia. The human body is one masterpiece that is made up of a complex series of processes that work in coordination with all other bodily systems to maintain a healthy and thriving organism. These processes all happen in a controlled fashion, such that they simultaneously complement the activity of the other processes taking place in the other parts of the body. This is exemplified at the cellular level by the efficiency of the plasma membrane in regulating the flow of substances in and out of the cell. This study has been This experiment was made up of three parts. The first part demonstrated the effect of temperature on the rate of diffusion. Crystals of potassium permanganate were placed in beakers which were subjected to different temperatures. Changes in the solutions were observed over a period of time. Observations were noted and recorded at 0 minute, 5 minutes and then at 10-minute intervals for the first hour, and then again after every 20 minutes thereafter. To demonstrate the effect of osmosis on red blood cells, six test tubes were prepared and were labeled test tubes A-F. Two (2) ml of different solutions were placed in each

ISLAM. Shi'i and Sunni Muslims Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

ISLAM. Shi'i and Sunni Muslims - Research Paper Example Islam is articulated by the divine book, Holy Quran, and is a monotheistic religion. Quran is the text, which is regarded as the perfect word of God by its Muslim followers and by the teachings of Holy Prophet (PBUH). Muhammad (PBUH) is the last Prophet of Allah and the seal on all the prophets and marks the finality of the prophethood. An adherent, or a follower, of Islam is known as the Muslim. The Muslims, without doubt, believe that there is only One and Incomparable God and the purpose of the existence of entire humanity is to serve and love the Almighty Power. They are also of the firm belief that Islam is a full universal adaptation of the primitive faith which was sent at various places and times through Moses, Abraham, and Jesus, who were the prophets of God before the arrival of Holy Prophet (PBUH) (Raana, 2010). Majority of the Muslims in Islam are the Sunni followers these days. According to the etymology of the word Sunni, it is a very broad terms which has been derived from the word Sunnah, which means a ‘normal practice’ or ‘habit’. Sunnis exist from the time of the Holy Prophet (PBUH), and are generally considered as the orthodox, or conventional, form of the religion. They are considered to be the followers of one of the four schools of thoughts: Hanafi, Maliki, Shafii, and Hanbali. These schools differ from each other in the methodologies of interpreting and practicing the Islamic laws (Marranci, 2007). The formation of Sunni sect was the outcome of the election of Abu Bakar as the first successor of the Holy Prophet (PBUH). Ali had already got the candidature for the caliph but when the community chose the closest companion of Holy Prophet, the entire community got divided into two sects over this dispute. Those, who accepted and respected the legality and authority of Abu Bakar’s caliphate composed the majority of Muslims, were later called as â€Å"Sunni,† which means the â€Å"followers of [the Prophet’s] customs [sunna].† The