Baseball: Then and Now Essay

â€Å"The game of baseball has now become beyond question the leading feature of the outdoor sports of the United States†¦It is a game which is peculiarly suited to the American temperament and disposition:†¦ in short, the pastime suits the people, and the people suit the pastime†(Charles Peverelly, 1866). Although baseball is still America’s favorite pastime, the way it is played has changed greatly since it’s founding in the 1800’s. Baseball was originally created so there would be something the boys could do to keep busy during the summer months. Now, baseball has changed greatly because of technological and technique advancements, rule alterations, and the commercialization of the game. Since its origination in the mid 1800’s, baseball has undergone many changes and advancements in technology and technique. When it was first played, there was no such thing as a glove used to help catch the ball. The fielders would play bare-handed, making line drives automatic hits and ground balls even harder to handle. The bat has undergone many changes as well. Batters used to hit the ball with a bat that had a flat side. This was comparable to a cricket paddle except slightly longer and slimmer. Now, players of any age or level use bats that are cylinder shaped with a slightly wider section on the end. In the 1800’s, the general public was not as safety oriented as is today’s society. This is shown by the complete lack of helmets worn by players in the mid 1800’s. Now, helmets are required by rule to be worn by the batter when he is hitting. Helmets are made of a highly durable, shock absorbent outer shell with soft interior padding for comfort. Other advances were demonstrated by the change in pitching style and technique. The first pitchers threw two kinds of pitches: a high pitch and a low pitch. Then, they added outside and inside pitches. After that, change ups and fastballs were developed. Now, sliders, sinkers, curveballs, forkballs, screwballs, and knuckleballs are routine pitches. As a result of today’s pitchers like Pedro Martinez and Greg Maddux – who throw less hittable pitches – hitting techniques have been worked on, and players have become better hitters. For  example, the first great hitters such as Babe Ruth and Mickey Mantle would not be able to compete with Alex Rodriguez and Barry Bonds – the best batters of today. The advancements in technology and style have completely changed the way baseball is played, as have the many changes that were made to the rulebook. Since its early beginning in the mid 1800’s through 1975, baseball has developed and modified many old rules into new rules that keep the game flowing. In 1889, a rule was introduced that if four balls were thrown during the span of one player’s at-bat, the player was allowed to â€Å"walk† to first base. This was an immense change from the old rule, which stated that if nine pitches total were thrown during the at-bat, the hitter would â€Å"walk† to first base. Also that year, the batter could be thrown only three strikes before he was called out. In 1969, a standard strike zone was added that included the area from the batter’s armpits to the top of his knees. These three rules eliminated the lengthy at bats that slowed down the game, standardized play, and made less room for controversial called strikes or balls. Not only were changes made in the playing rules, there were also many changes in the equipment rules. In 1889, the catcher was allowed to wear a padded leather mitt and a chest protector. This rule made being the catcher more bearable. By 1893, bat size and shape was enforced, and in 1975, the last change was made; the baseball could be covered with cowhide because of the shortage of horses. Because of the plethora of changes that were made to the rulebook, baseball today contrasts baseball in the 1800’s. The most explicit cause of the changes in baseball is the amount of commercialization that occurs today. The professional baseball players of today are shown on TV and in newspapers; their replica jerseys are sold at around $70 per item; and the players make an average of $600,000 per year. Compared to the absence of salary until the 1920’s, this is a major difference. In 1922, Babe Ruth made $50,000 in 1989, Kirby Puckett made $3,000,000 and in 2000, Alex Rodriguez made $27,000,000. Many players of today play for money, not for their love of the game like they used to. This shows that baseball is no longer a game, but a job. Another change is the publicity baseball receives. Stadiums today can hold as many as 62,409 people (Veterans Stadium, Philadelphia). The first ball parks did not even have a place for spectators to watch. Not only do professional stadiums attract viewers, but they attract salesmen and the media. For example, Hormel ® does not provide 7th inning stretch entertainment to show their support for baseball; they do it simply to advertise to a very large crowd for a very small price. Baseball today has grown rapidly into a target for cheap advertising and money-making. With the emphasis and importance of baseball on Americans’ lives today, it has rapidly grown into America’s favorite pastime. Through technological and technique advancements, rule alterations, and the commercialization of the game, baseball has changed greatly from the unorganized backyard game into America’s favorite pastime. â€Å"I think Little League Baseball is wonderful. It keeps the kids out of the house.† (Yogi Berra, 1954)

Countries Analysis Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Countries Analysis - Assignment Example SOUTH AFRICA LABOUR ISSUES Labor force in South Africa has increased since the days of Apartheid. During Apartheid, most of the Blacks were working in the informal sector and mostly provided unskilled labor. In 1994 and 1995, officials revised employment statistics to join into national accounts employment in the former black homelands which were home to almost one-half of the black South African population subject to the revisions, in mid 1995, the government estimated the national work force to 14.3 million people.1 Section 23 of the Constitution of South Africa2 provides for labor relations that everyone has the right to fair labor practices, right to join a trade union and the right to engage in collective bargaining. In 1997, the country3 adopted a new constitution which set out the regulations and basic conditions of employment and the labor laws were to comply with the Republic. The Act applies to all employees save for the members of the National Defense Force, the National I ntelligence Agency, the Secret Service and unpaid volunteers. Section 7 of the Act gives the proviso for regulation of working times. It goes ahead to provide for the allowed rest period to include a rest period of at least 12 hours between ending and recommencing works daily. WAGES An employee must provide written particulars of employment before commencing employment which include place of work; designation of job; the rate payable for overtime and the employee wages. An employer has a duty to pay an employee remuneration that is paid in form of money, the payment has to be calculated by reference to the several hours the employee works, that is 45 hours a week, or 9 hours a day. Notice of termination has to be given to the employee some months or days before an employee is dismissed, this is provided for in the Act. The state enacted Labor Relations Acti which has undergone numerous amendments to change the law governing labor relations and, to give effect to section 27 of the Co nstitution. The Act regulates the rights of the organization; it regulates the rights of the trade unions; it promotes and facilitates collective bargaining at the workplace and at the sector level. The Labor Act also provides for the legal effect of collective agreements, Disputes about collective agreements, Agency shop agreements, Closed shop agreements, Establishment of bargaining councils, Powers and functions of bargaining council, Registration of bargaining councils and the Constitution of bargaining council. LABOR AND POLITICS South African Industrial development had relied on an abundance of low-wage labor for centuries in order to ensure profits,4 but as time went by, economic and social problems associated with implementing apartheid emerged. The development of new technologies during the 1960s and 1970s made most industries to increase their capital stock so that they could invest in machinery and employ a few skilled technicians rather than adopt a labor intensive metho d that would need training and managing a large work force. The trend towards capital-intensive operations led to a lower labor costs and increased productivity. As a result, there was an increased rate of unemployment and poverty which fueled resentment and this made the government to raise the costs of preserving apartheid. Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) was establishment in 1985 by 1990ii more than

MKTG 4050 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

MKTG 4050 - Essay Example The Strength and weakness are within the organization. And the opportunity and threat are from the respective markets. Strength: the main strength is the brand name McDonald’s. However, the brand name is been maintained by the highly skilled professionals within the organization and the new product, that is the Healthy meal is having a great strength within the name itself. Most of the people buy the brand instead of buying the product. And if the McDonald’s can sustain the internal strength then the new product will be a successful approach. Weakness: The weakness is one of the factors which pull a product down from the top to the bottom. One of the main weaknesses is the fixed menu of the new product. It is true that the new menu for the Healthy meal is suitable for the kids and the elders as far as the health issues are concern. But, there are many competitors are there who are having optional items in the meal menu. Opportunity: Obesity has become one of the major issues for the fast food industries. Sixty three percent say that obesity has become one of the major issues globally (Levi 49). The fast food is among the main reasons for the alarming rate of obesity due to the calorie contains in the fast foods. The Healthy Meal has mashed potatoes instead of fried and baked food instead od deep fried and that is the main opportunity within the industry. Threat: the threat is the competition. There are many competitors are there who provided healthy food and they are Subway, Taco Bell, and Berger King. The Taco Bell has a menu option for the healthy meal and that is very much threatening for the new product of the McDonald’s. However, McDonald’s healthy meal for kids has all the foods which are healthy. The opportunity and the strength are very much closely related. In this health conscious market the healthy meal is the primary opportunity for McDonald’s and at the same time the well trained staffs can make it big. The

Does the Internet strengthens Social Connections Research Paper

Does the Internet strengthens Social Connections - Research Paper Example Alongside its benefits are its shortcomings. It is widely believed that the internet has alienated people from their surroundings. It has led many people to stay home and chat with their friends online rather than going out with them in person. Other than that the internet has been exploited by the sex industry. Free pornographic images are put up online which corrupt people’s mind and children often become the main target of such an action. On an overall basis, the internet has given us a lot to gain from it and social networking without any doubt has bridged distances between people and brought them together. There aren’t many people who wouldn’t know about Facebook. It has been the most famous social networking site of all time as it allows almost 600 million people across the globe to be socially connected to each other. Famous social networking forums on the internet do not only allow people to talk to each other, rather it enables them to share a lot of vit al and important information. The creation of organization wide pages on Facebook allows workers to socially reach with each other – something that they don’t really get much time for while they’re at work. Facebook has gained so much popularity that many people think that Facebook is like a new worldwide telephone network; only difference being it carries personal connections and profiles instead of voice (Feenberg, pp. 222-240). Another famous social connection tool is Skype. This software allows its user to make free Skype to Skype audio as well as video calls. Internet technology has no doubt reached great extremes as soft wares like Skype allow two people from across the globe to be socially connected to each other by making calls without even paying a single penny. This software has also enabled businessmen to schedule important business meetings online and thereby save on important time and costs. With technologies like Skype, parents worry less before se nding their kids to study abroad knowing they can see them and talk to them whenever they want (Stadler, pp. 29-42). Social connectivity has without doubt reached great extremes with the advent of internet related software. There aren’t many people who say they know they know all about social networking and don’t know about MSN Messenger. Not only does this software provide a common platform to chat with relatives and mates throughout the world, but it also comes with a lot of other exciting options for entertainment. It allows its users to play games with each other, do voice and video chat and set common backgrounds. In this fast paced world, the internet has done a lot to keep people close to each other and software like MSN, Facebook and Skype have defined what we call the twenty first century social connectivity. Had it not been for the internet, it would take the current world company CEO and presidents ages till they get to meet their family, given the fact that they’re always engrosses with tons and tons of workload. The critics of internet as a means of social networking come up with many arguments. One study available regarding the negative effects of internet on teenagers states, (Web) â€Å"The proliferation of pornographic materials is undeniably one of the alarming things that has brought about by the Internet. It does not only corrupt the minds of the young people that are exposed to them but also it paves the way for the degradation of human dignity. It also strains the moral make up of society. The Internet

Is There a Union Revitalisation in Europe and North America Essay

Is There a Union Revitalisation in Europe and North America - Essay Example It cannot be assumed that union revitalization will happen hassle-free. There have been signs of worker self- aggrandizement in certain areas, but there have also been instances of total relapse into passivity in certain spheres. But a new phenomenon that is emerging is the structural changes that have been happening on the union front, and if viewed from the backdrop, it can be argued that there is union revitalization in a new form in Europe and UK. The global alliances that are emerging in labor sector, the increased presence of women, and ethnic minorities in the global workforce, and the new forms of workers organizations like the ‘worker centers’ of USA, have been some indicators of change. Taking into account all these new factors and influences, we can argue that there is a non-traditional kind of union revitalisation in Europe and North America. North America and the European Union have been depending more and more on immigrant laborers to meet their workforce n eeds. There are also attempts going on to assimilate these migratory workers into the host country’s mainstream workforce. In the United States, one in five people is from another nationality (Ohlemacker, 2007). In 2006, the BBC reported that 70,000 people were waiting to get citizenship in the UK (BBC News, 2006). The European Union has made it mandatory for its member nations, â€Å"a ‘duty of equality’ in regard to pay† (Healy and Heery, 2004: p.4). This has opened up a whole lot of equal opportunities and has thus increased the social diversity of the workforce (Healy and Heery 2004: p.4). Women and migrant workers from developing countries have been getting better representation in the wok force in Europe, as a result of this. As this phenomenon alters the social landscape of the work force, it has influenced the general state of towards trade unionism as well. For example, â€Å"the creation of low-paid, insecure, temporary and part-time jobs, which are disproportionately filled by women, minority ethnic citizens and young people† has resulted in a weakening of the bargaining power of the workers and also an increase in â€Å"poverty and†¦ unemployment† among such vulnerable groups (Healy and Heery, 2004, pp.17). In such a scenario, the question is whether the conventional trade unions are waking up to face the new challenges and organize the totally changed work force. There are divergent opinions on this issue. Johnson and Jarley (2004) have drawn attention to the re-emergence of â€Å"social movement unionism in the United States with rhetoric centering on demands for ‘work place dignity’ and ‘social justice’† (543-44). Ongoing rejuvenation efforts inside the trade unions are supposed to aim at reforms that will change the attitude of trade unions â€Å"from passive service organizations, bulti largely on an economic exchange logic with members, to active organising-driven unions, built on a logic of social exchange† (Johnson and Jarley 2004: 544; Heery 2001; Turner and Hurd 2001). In the UK, it has been observed that decentralization of public sector enterprises into local level management, has led to new feelings of insecurity among the workers and has become a â€Å"catalyst for union revival† (Calveley and Healy 2003: 98).  

Healthy Aging Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Healthy Aging - Essay Example In the six-year study carried out by the researchers at the U.S. National Institute of Aging participated by 302 high-functioning, community-dwelling older adults (aged 70-82 years), results showed that free-living activity energy expenditure was strongly associated with low risk of mortality in healthy older adults and may influence survival (Manini et al., 2006). Todd Manini, the head researcher of the team and an Exercise Physiologist, wanted to find out the beneficial value of the â€Å"just usual† daily activities to the elderly. Found out that 600 calories is equivalent to approximately 2 hours length of physical activity which could either be derived from a structured gym exercise or simply a variety of routine household activities such as washing the dishes, vacuuming the house, or gardening. Another study related to the significance of exercise for older adults was conducted by Martins, Verissimo, Coelho e Silva, Cumming, and Teixeira (2010).

Smart Grid Essay Example for Free

Smart Grid Essay The current electricity infrastructure in the Unites States consists of one way â€Å"communication† between the electric company and the homes receiving the electricity with the communication coming from the electric company to the homes. The current electricity infrastructure in the United States is more than 100 years old and because of this fact, it is outdated resulting in a great lack of efficiency. There is no way for the electricity company to obtain information from the individual homes pertaining to actual usage. Smart grids allows for two way communications between the electricity company and the homes allowing both electric companies and homes to operate more efficiently. This two way communication will allow home users to cut costs by efficiently utilizing energy. Smart grids will also allow the electricity companies to raise prices when the demand is high and lower prices when the demand is low. Mirroring the price advantage, smart grids will allow the user to dictate the usage of appliances that may have a significant impact on their utility bills. Knowledge of the user’s consumption will also help in making decisions that the electricity company can use to be more efficient. Smart grid technology is the evolution of the current electricity infrastructure that will continue to evolve if accepted. Development of smart grids will need management inputs especially when deciding the benefits, or lack thereof. The financial issues that are already on the table and future issues will determine whether or not smart grids will ultimately become a detriment or a true asset. Management will also have to make decisions in the design or redesign process so that the final product is as efficient as possible. Organizations could be affected depending on the opinion of the end user. If the end user, for whatever reason, decides that smart grids are not beneficial enough and refuse to buy into the system, the organizations will feel the negative impact throughout due to this lack of participation. If people decide to simply stop using appliances or turn down temperatures instead, the organizations will lose money. Issues with technology will essentially be based on the fact that the entire system will need to be redesigned and implemented. There will be great costs involved in all of the aspects needed for smart grids. Between the networks needed for two ways communication, monitoring devices at the electricity company as well as the dashboard needed at each home will result in a very high operating and implementation cost. There are various situations that would hamper the development of smart grids. I feel the main hindrance would be the attempt to get end users comfortable with the user interface. Although people are more tech savvy today, a poorly designed and difficult to use user interface will frustrate people to the point that they would no longer buy into the concept. On that same note, some people will question whether letting the electricity company control their devices is in their best interest. They will understandably question the integrity of electricity companies and wonder if they are actually and honestly trying to save them as much money as possible of just enough money to seem efficient. The ultimate cost of developing smart grids and the means of financing it is also a point that could hamper the development. Although assistance will be gained from the government, the remaining costs have to either be funded privately or by the end user. The transition itself could also hamper development. The simple concept of switching from the current infrastructure to smart grids will not be an easy task especially if there is some backlash from the consumer. Another area of our infrastructure that could use smart technology is water. Just like smart grids, some type of smart technology for water could curtail the over usage of water that is prevalent today. The over usage of sprinklers, showers, tubs, pools could be exposed if they were monitored. Most people do not and will not realize this over usage until it is shown to them. Smart water technology can show the consumer the adequate levels for pools or the tub, the adequate time needed to water a lawn or take a shower. There are always signs about being wasteful with water, â€Å"dry days† to conserve water, and â€Å"watering times† that people can use their watering devices. With smart water technology, these things can be done electronically and could alleviate the issues of having those people who do not care about water conservation ignoring the need. Water conservation is just as important as energy conservation and I feel that people would be more trustful and willing to let a company control this aspect of their everyday lives without feeling like profits are the forefront of the actions. I’m not for or against my home or community being a part of a smart grid but if I HAD to make a decision I would so no. I think that there is enough education out here to realize the need to conserve energy and the tools needed to do it. Mainly the simple fact of turning down or off appliances when it is not needed will suffice. A product such as the NEST thermometer does the same thing as a smart grid would without the intrusion of the electricity company. The cost of a NEST thermometer would be a great deal less than having to invest in the installation of a dashboard for the home. Also, would everyone be forced to buy into smart grids or would those on smart grids have a separate electricity company to deal with. And if so, what is the end result of having to separate the two in the same neighborhood, on the same street. Would they still pay the same rates or will those who decide not to switch end up paying more, or vice versa. I simply feel that there would be more issues to deal with if the switch was made instead of just educating people on how to personally conserve energy like we currently do.