Matthew B. Brady Essay -- essays research papers

Mathew B. Brady: Civil War Photographer   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Mathew B. Brady: Civil War Photographer was written by Elizabeth Van Steenwyk. Elizabeth Van Steenwyk has written many good books for young people including: Saddlebag Salesmen, The California Missions, Frederic Remington, The California Gold Rush: West with the Forty-Niners, and Ida B. Wells-Barnett: Woman of Courage. Elizabeth now lives in San Marino, California with her husband.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Mathew B. Brady was born somewhere between 1823 and 1824. His early life is somewhat a mystery. He was born in Warren County in New York and his parents might have been Irish immigrants. His middle name was even a mystery, when asked what the â€Å"B† stood for he said that he inserted it because it seemed â€Å"more distinguished.† When he turned 16 he met William Page, a man wanting to become an artist. The both of them worked together, and Page’s artistic abilities were most likely Brady’s starting interest in becoming a photographer. In 1839 or 1840 Brady and Page moved to New York City. Meanwhile, a French inventor named Louis-Jacques-Mandà ¨ Daguerre was inventing something that would change Brady’s life.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In 1839 Daguerre invented his camera. Samuel F. B. Morse went over to France to check out Daguerre’s camera. He wrote back to a magazine saying that it was perhaps the greatest invention in this age. When Samuel Morse returned to New York City and started a school for lea...

Labor and American Football

The development of labor relations in American football has been marked by two periods in its century of existence.   During its beginning labor organizations were weakened by the fractured nature of the football league itself.   Various upstart leagues consistently threatened and weakened the original league, the National Football League (NFL) and at times put in danger the growth of the sport in the America. Yet, since the league consolidated in the second half of the century we have seen a new period in labor relations come to the forefront.   And while it was once held that players would probably never unionize, the player strikes in 1982 and 1987 and their results have proven past analysts predictions to be wrong.   The football of the 1980s and 90s was fraught with player/manager blowouts and the increasingly assertive nature of player’s organizations or player’s unions as they are now referred to came to the forefront. A Brief History of Football The big money problems facing the American football league today find its roots in the development of the sport and its growth in popularity as a notable aspect of American culture.   The incredible money making potential of professional football developed on principles of â€Å"rugby football ´Ã‚ ´ being played at universities in Eastern Canada and the United States. Professional American football can be said to have its starting point when William â€Å"Pudge ´Ã‚ ´ Heffelfinger was paid $500 by a club in Pittsburgh to play for them in a game.[1]   Towards the twentieth century the game would begin to accumulate loyal spectators across the country, though college football was the most popular form of spectator football.   Along with football’s growing popularity would come entrepreneurs eager to cash-in on the sport’s growth. The most significant signal of the sports growth was the forming of the National Football League (NFL) in 1920.   The NFL’s first official name was the American Professional Football Association and it was made up of five professional teams who’s main goal in uniting was to stop the stealing of team members from within their ranks.[2]   The cost of franchise was $25 and the teams met whenever it was determined that they could make money.[3]   In 1921 the group formally changed its name to the National Football league. It wasn’t long before the league was outshining college football and attendance at games went up radically.   Small-town teams got swallowed up by big-city teams and football and annual championships began in 1933.   The 1930s were extremely important in the development of the league. Gould and Staudohar state that, â€Å"Significant rules changes were introduced, most notably legalizing the forward pass from anywhere behind the line of scrimmage. Goal posts were put on the goal lines. And the league was divided into two divisions, leading to a championship playoff under regularized conditions at the end of the season.†[4] By the 1950s professional football was beating out college teams in the fight for spectators.   In addition, a new element had been added to the sport, television.   Television participation and attendance levels at games were constantly on the rise.   Fans turned on the tube and poured into stadiums to catch a glimpse of rising football stars such as Bobby Layne and Johnny Unitas.   In 1955 NBC paid $100,000, a 40 percent increase over the previous year, to televise the title game.[5] Since then football’s growth has been unstoppable and largely predominated by the NFL.   Currently the league is made up of thirty-two teams, which are divided into two conferences and then four sub-divisions.   At the nd of each year the league holds a twelve team tournament that eliminates the teams down to two teams which will play in the league’s most anticipated game of the year, the Super Bowl. Currently the NFL is â€Å"one of the most popular sports leagues in the United States, and has the highest per-game attendance of any domestic professional sports league in the world, drawing over 67,000 spectators per game for its most recently completed season in 2006.†[6] The Era of League Splits The rise of professional football and the revenues that came along with it would be accompanied by numerous attempts of upstart leagues to wrestle viewership from NFL games.   The first attempts were made under the auspice of a parallel group of teams titled the American Football Leagues (AFL).   Before 1941 there were three such attempts made by the AFL to upstage the NFL, none of which were successful. The last of these attempts was particularly unsuccessful and Gould and Staudohar claim that, â€Å"The new league was woefully undercapitalized and almost from its first games exhibited dire financial trouble. Missed payrolls became routine. Not surprisingly, the league folded early in its second season.†[7]   The most successful of these leagues was the All-American Football Conference which appeared at the close of the Second World War, when there was an influx of interest in spectator sports.   The league lasted for four years and at its close three of its teams joined the NFL and were moderately successful within that league. Continued growth in televised games and stadium attendance would result in the most significant attempts by alternate leagues to break in on the action in the mid-60s and later in the 80s.   Lamar Hunt created another version of the AFL, after his attempt to purchase an NFL franchise to bring to Texas backfired.   Hunt set out on an aggressive campaign to win spectator interest by introducing gimmicks such as â€Å"wider-open passing offenses, players' names on their jerseys, and an official clock visible to fans so that they knew the time remaining in a period (the NFL kept time by a game referee's watch, and only periodically announced the actual time).†[8] But it was the bidding war for players that almost brought the whole of American football on its knees.   Fortunately, and as a result of the expansion and costly players, the leagues merged in 1966.   By 1970 the teams from both leagues had formed to make up the NFL’s American Football Conference.   The AFL-NFL championship game became the Super Bowl.   The only other league to be created after that was the United States Football League that, despite heavy financing, important players and a television contract, went under within three years due to low revenues. Meanwhile the NFL, along with the Super Bowl and Monday Night Football became an important aspect of American life.   It was thought that a new era of co-operation between labor and football was on the rise but there were more problems to come. Part 2   The Era of the Player/Management Split For most of football’s beginning years the idea that sports professionals would form into unions was inconceivable to many.   Today it is clear that Unions are highly important to professional football and baseball players alike.   The forming of unions in so many walks of American life and their increasing power in society brought football players to the same conclusion millions of other working Americans came to: unions strengthened a worker’s rights and provided a buffer against the rampant financial interests of owners, whether they be factories or baseball franchises. Currently NFL players are members of the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA).   The main duty of this organization is to help construct the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), which sets the minimum contract for NFL players.   The association also helps to negotiate individual player contracts.   The association has been up and working since 1993 and has been integral in the player’s negotiations with team management.   It is also important to note that since its creation there has not been a full-out strike since the 1987 season, â€Å"which is much longer than Major League Baseball, the NBA or the NHL.†[9] With such a track record it is safe to say that unions are here to stay although it did not always look as though that would be the case.   Despite the positive outlook, after the NFL’s consolidation, some analysts predicted that there would be growing trouble between the franchises and their players.   Their predictions largely proved to be correct.   Gould and Staudohar claim that â€Å"This view was myopic†, and that in fact, â€Å"The mid- 1970s saw the emergence of arm's-length bargaining and the resulting collective bargaining agreements in the major sports.   []   Despite progress toward resolving some long-standing disputes, the true character of player/ management splits was just being revealed.†[10] Before the seventies there had been little leeway made in player negotiations on issues such as pension funds and insurance coverage.   The first league wide strike would occur in 1968 and would be formed on these very issues.   As the situation reached never-before-seen levels of intensity, the players refused to show up for pre-season practices.   Managers responded with a lockout.   Eventually the players came back to the field after having gained almost nothing.   Yet this strike would set the stage for those to come in 1974, 1982 and 1987. For the last forty years changes in areas such as free agency rules and salary levels have largely been fought using anti-trust law.   Some analysts claim that, in fact, there are more anti-trust issues within professional sports cases than in many other industries.[11]   Scremin claims that, â€Å"As a result of antitrust litigation, professional sport leagues and teams had to abandon or at least modify rules and policies governing their businesses. This is a trend with no signs of slowing down.†[12]   Yet, despite headway made in various cases involving anti-trust measures, the 1977 and 1982 NFL collective bargaining agreements are â€Å"two of the least effective agreements in professional sports on the issue of player mobility.†[13] It was during the 1982 strike that players gained the greatest ground in their battle with owners.   After a 57 day strike and a nine game season the Players Association won big concessions including a considerable raise in pay and the right to copies of individual contracts.[14]   Yet, issues such as free agency, pensions and severance pay remained on the bargaining table. The 1987 strike was a continuation of the demands of 1982 but this time around the player’s union was badly organized and many were reluctant to go on strike in the first place.[15]   The end result was that the players lost their check off privelege, in addition to be replaced by aspiring NFL players for a time.   Staudohar claims that, â€Å"By striking when so many players preferred not to, the union may have harmed itself.†[16] The strike of 1987 would be the beginning of a bitter relationship between the NFL Players Association and the NFL Commission.   The end result was that playing went on for six years without a labor deal and with considerable distrust between Gene Upshaw, head of the Players Association and Paul Tagliabue, Commissioner for the NFL.[17] By 1993 both sides were ready to talk and the end result was the granting of unrestricted free-agency rights for the players and a salary cap for the owners.   Fisher claims that, â€Å"The trade gave each side a key concession it had sought for years, but also tied them together at the hip. Veteran players finally could take full charge of their careers and maximize their incomes, but only within the overall limits set by the salary cap, which in turn reflects league revenues.†[18] Since then the contract has been re-signed with ease four times since 1993.   Currently the CBA covers areas such as the minimum salary for the league, the salary cap, the annual collegiate draft, and free agency rules.[19]   In May of 2006 the CBA was negotiated again with a salary cap of 94.5 million, 56.5% of football revenue to the players association and free agency for the players.   The talks were complicated by the talks around revenue-sharing policies of the owners.[20] Conclusion Labor relations within American football was largely put on hold for the first half of the century.   Struggles between the NFL and various aspiring football leagues such as the AFL took precedence over the creation of player’s unions.   It wasn’t until the second half of the century that the NFL would have to come face to face with player demands backed by an ever-strong NFLPA.   While the union suffered a set back in the 1987 strike by 1993 it had negotiated an essential issue for its players, free-agency.   Throughout the past forty years player’s unions have consistently fought against anti-trust measures and have to a great extent come out on top.   We can only wait to see what the future holds for them. Works Cited â€Å"Collective Bargaining Agreement Between the NFL Management Council and the NFL Player’s Association.†Ã‚   March 8. 2006,   nflpa.org Fisher, Eric.   â€Å"MLB Can Learn from the NFL: The Game Would Benefit If Owners/players Emulated Their Football Counterparts.†Ã‚   Insight on the News   January 7. 2002,   32-34. Forbes, Gordon.   â€Å"82 strike changed salary dealings forever.†Ã‚   USA Today   August 6. 2001,   http://www.usatoday.com/sports/comment/forbes/2001-06-08-forbes.htm Gould, William, B and Staudohar, Paul, D.   Labor Relations in Professional Sports.   Dover: Auburn House,   1986. â€Å"NFL sets paid attendance record.†Ã‚   NFL News   April 13. 2007,   http://www.nfl.com/news/story/9908132 Scremin, Glaucio.   â€Å"Impact of Antitrust Laws on American Professional Team Sports.† United States Sports Academy: The Sports Journal   2005, http://www.thesportjournal.org/2005Journal/Vol8-No1/SCJ_04_antitrust.asp Staudohar, Paul, D.   â€Å"The Football Strike of 1987: A Question of Free Agency.†Ã‚   Monthly Labor Review   111 (1988):   26-35. Weisman, Larry.   â€Å"NFL labor talks stall, free agency postponed again.†Ã‚   USA TODAY   May 3.   2006,  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/nfl/2006-03-05-labor-talks_x.htm [1] Gould, William, B and Staudohar, Paul, D.   Labor Relations in Professional Sports.   Dover: Auburn House,   1986: 88. [2] Gould and Staudohar, 89 [3] Gould and Staudohar, 89 [4] 91 [5] Gould and Staudohar, 92 [6] â€Å"NFL sets paid attendance record.†Ã‚   NFL News   April 13. 2007,   http://www.nfl.com/news/story/9908132 [7] Gould and Staudohar, 93 [8] Gould and Staudohar, 94. [9] â€Å"NFL sets paid attendance record.†Ã‚   NFL News   April 13. 2007,   http://www.nfl.com/news/story/9908132 [10] Gould and Staudahar, 2. [11] Scremin, Glaucio.   â€Å"Impact of Antitrust Laws on American Professional Team Sports.† United States Sports Academy: The Sports Journal   2005 [12] Scremin. [13] Gould and Staudohar, 109. [14] Forbes, Gordon.   â€Å"82 strike changed salary dealings forever.†Ã‚   USA Today   Aug 6. 2001,   http://www.usatoday.com/sports/comment/forbes/2001-06-08-forbes.htm [15] Staudohar, Paul, D.   â€Å"The Football Strike of 1987: A Question of Free Agency.†Ã‚   Monthly Labor Review   111 (1988): 26 [16] Staudohar, 26 [17] Fisher, Eric.   â€Å"MLB Can Learn from the NFL: The Game Would Benefit If Owners/players Emulated Their Football Counterparts.†Ã‚   Insight on the News   Jan 7. 2002: 33 [18] Fisher, 34 [19] â€Å"Collective Bargaining Agreement Between the NFL Management Council and the NFL Player’s Association.†Ã‚   March 8. 2006,   nflpa.org [20] Weisman, Larry.   â€Å"NFL labor talks stall, free agency postponed again.†Ã‚   USA TODAY   May 3.   2006,  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/nfl/20 06-03-05-labor-talks_x.htm

Jerry Springer The Opera - 1572 Words

In this essay I will assess and explore the BBC’s decision to broadcast â€Å"Jerry Springer: The Opera† broadcasted on 8 January 2005, by drawing on Utilitarianism and Kantianism theories. Background â€Å"Jerry Springer : The Opera† is a British musical written by Stewart Lee and Richard Thomas (Freud, 2003). The opera is based on the famous American chat show which has been running since 1991 and is still a very popular television show to this date (AE Television Networks, 2015). The first time the musical was staged was at the Edinburgh Festival on ‘7 August 2002’ (Wikipedia, 2009) and due to its popularity it became a fully staged production at the end of 2002 (Freud 2003). The producers then moved the show to The National Theatre in London on 30 September 2003 (Freud, 2003). When the musical became very successful it was then decided to move the production to the West End, London later in 2003 (Baldock, 2004). One of the reasons the public and critics complained profusely was because of very bad language from the start. The opera has more than 400 curse words (Thorpe, 2005), a grown man is dressed in a nappy (who is meant to be Jesus later) and one of th e guests on the show is cheating on his partner with a woman who likes to dress up as a little girl (Wikipedia, 2009), which is a typical situation on the television show. At around 1 hour and 25 minutes into the Opera, Jerry has been shot, goes to hell and the devil wants an apology from Jesus, people were shocked to seeShow MoreRelatedBroadcasting Corporation s Decision On Broadcast Jerry Springer1685 Words   |  7 PagesCorporation s decision to broadcast Jerry Springer: The Opera back on 8th January 2005. In order to judge the decision, I will be looking at the reasons why the BBC made the decision to air it in 2005. I will be comparing the number of people who complained to the BBC to the total amount of people who watched the broadcast using viewing figures and charts. In addition, I will also look at the viewpoints of the Christian Voice Campaign who argued against the opera. Finally, I will also be using my knowledgeRead MoreTelevision is the Downfall of our Society Essay6 16 Words   |  3 Pages However, shows like the Jerry Springer Show, aren?t or shouldn?t be watched by teenagers, because it forces a way of being and thinking into their minds. If you have ever watched the Jerry Springer Show, you don?t want to be a guest, or you always say that won?t happen to me. But nowadays, a lot of teens are doing things that are seen in talk shows like the Jerry Springer Show, because they think it?s right, since they saw it on T.V., but it isn?t right. Soap Operas, and shows such as The PretenderRead MoreTalk Shows Essay624 Words   |  3 Pageshosts and talk about them as if they know them. 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He directed Jerry Springer: The Opera, at Carnegie Hall, and the off-Broadway hits Speech amp; Debate, Guardians and The Crumple Zone. He is currently working on Tales of the City, with music by the Scissor Sisters, which premiered last year at the American Conservatory TheaterRead MoreA Critical Analysis Of Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2192 Words   |  9 Pageshad and continues to have an important impact on the careers of actors/performers of both emerging artists and the continuous success of more established actors too. It has launched many popular original sho ws (i.e. Stomp, Black Watch and Jerry Springer: The Opera) and the careers of writer and performers like Rowan Atkinson, Emma Thompson, Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie. This makes the festival highly attractive as not only an arts community, but platforms that can be utilised to be potentially scoutedRead MoreA Rationale of the Outline Scheme of Work for Key Stage 32201 Words   |  9 PagesAnother role of RE has been to see it as teaching pupils religious literacy. That religion as formed part of our culture for centuries and without knowledge of this pupils would not be bale to understand Shakespeare or, even more recently, Jerry Springer: The Opera and Beshdi . I would argue that this is not a reason to have RE lessons. These points, if they are important, could be taught in Art or English Literature lessons. Also, it appears that when people mention this they are talking about ChristianRead More Dangerous Liaisons: Present and Past Essay1949 Words   |  8 Pagesthe late 20th century are quite in contrast with those of Dangerous Liaisons.   News programs are fraught with stories of gay rights activism, voyeurism, rape, child molestation, and pornography.   Our talk shows, such as the aforementioned Jerry Springer Show, give us daily accounts of transsexuals informing their lovers that they arent what their partners think they are; love triangles between women, men, or combinations of the two; and incestuous relationships between siblings who just cannotRead MoreHow Does Media Affect Children11485 Words   |  46 Pageschildren †¢ Soap operas and discussion programmes help parents discuss serious issues with their children †¢ Teenage girls are most influenced in their spending by magazines Parents and the media †¢ Parents want to see more programmes on television about parenting, children and family issues †¢ Television and radio programmes and articles in magazines and newspapers on parenting, children and family issues are helpful to parents in their role of caring for children †¢ Soap operas and drama as well