How Minority Voters Helped Obama Win Reelection

Americans from ethnic minority groups voted en masse to help  President Barack Obama win reelection. While just 39% of white Americans voted for Obama on Election Day 2012, staggering amounts of blacks, Hispanics and Asians backed the president at the ballot box. The reasons for this are multifaceted, but minority voters largely supported the president because they felt that Republican candidate Mitt Romney could not relate to them. A national exit poll revealed that 81% of Obama supporters said the quality that mattered most to them in a presidential candidate is whether he â€Å"cares about people like me.† Romney, born into wealth and privilege, apparently didn’t fit the bill. The growing disconnect between Republicans and the diverse American electorate wasn’t lost on political analyst Matthew Dowd. He remarked on ABC News after the election that the Republican Party no longer reflects U.S. society, using a television show analogy to make his point. â€Å"Republicans right now are a ‘Mad Men’ party in a ‘Modern Family’ world,† he said. The rise in minority voters reveals how much the United States has changed from 25 years ago when the electorate was 90% white. If the demographics had not changed, its highly unlikely that Obama would have made it to the White House. Loyal African Americans Blacks may be the second-largest minority group in the United States, but their share of the electorate is larger than any other community of color. On Election Day 2012, African Americans made up 13% of U.S. voters. Ninety-three percent of these voters supported Obama’s reelection bid, down just 2% from 2008. While the African  American community has been accused of favoring Obama precisely because he’s black, the group has a long history of loyalty to Democratic political candidates. John Kerry, who lost the 2004 presidential race to George W. Bush, won 88% of the black vote. Given that the black electorate was 2% larger in 2012 than it was in 2004, the group’s devotion to Obama undoubtedly gave him an edge. Latinos Break Voting Record More Latinos than ever before turned out at the polls on Election Day 2012. Hispanics made up 10% of the electorate. Seventy-one percent of these Latinos backed President Obama for reelection. Latinos likely backed Obama overwhelmingly over Romney because they supported the president’s Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) as well as his decision to stop deporting undocumented immigrants who arrived in the U.S. as children. Republicans widely vetoed the  legislation known as the DREAM Act, which would have not only protected such immigrants from deportation but also put them on the path to citizenship. Republican opposition to immigration reform has alienated Latino voters, 60% of whom say they know an unauthorized immigrant, according to a Latino Decisions poll taken on the eve of the 2012 election. Affordable health care is also a major concern of the Latino community. Sixty-six percent of Hispanics say the government should ensure that the public has access to health care, and 61% support Obamacare, according to Latino Decisions. Rising Influence of Asian Americans Asian Americans make up a small (3%) but a growing percentage of the U.S. electorate. An estimated 73% of Asian Americans voted for President Obama, Voice of America determined on Nov. 7 using preliminary exit poll data. Obama has strong ties to the Asian community. Hes not only a native of Hawaii but grew up partly in Indonesia and has a half-Indonesian sister. These aspects of his background likely resonated with some Asian Americans.   While Asian American voters don’t yet wield the influence that black and Latino voters do, expect them to be a bigger factor in the next presidential election.  The Pew Research Center reported in 2012 that the Asian American community has actually outpaced Hispanics as the fastest-growing immigrant group in the country. In the 2016 presidential election, Asian Americans are expected to make up 5% of voters, if not more.

The Individual Versus His Environment in The Stranger and...

The Individual Versus His Environment in The Stranger and Grendel Due to the multifaceted nature of literature, analysis thereof is prone to generalization. One of the most grievous generalizations oft encountered involves failing to distinguish between a character and the novel it inhabits. Take John Gardener’s Grendel and Albert Camus’s The Stranger, for instance. It’s far too easy, when analyzing for dominant ideologies, to slap them both with the label of existentialism and be done with it. However, closer scrutiny indicates that whilst both Meursault and Grendel are existential heroes, Grendel, unlike Meursault, exists in a solipsistic universe that runs contrary to his ideology and thusly never experiences the catharsis that†¦show more content†¦In Camus’s The Stranger, we have the platonic ideal of a book designed to promote a certain philosophy. In John Gardener’s Grendel, however, the message is not so clear-cut. Grendel, the ill-f ated anti-hero of the John Gardener novel which bears his name, acts primarily in the manner of an existentialist hero. He embraces his alienation, spending the majority of his time alone; he frequently evokes the absurd to mock those who would try and bring false meaning to a meaningless world; and though he meets characters who embody different ideologies, all trying to influence him towards one philosophy or another, his final whispered curse has a heavily existential flavor. But though Grendel may be an existentialist hero, Grendel is a hostile environment for existentialism to thrive; you see, Grendel does not live in an existential world, like Meursault does. Grendel’s universe is solipsistic, and because he never embraces this fact, there can be no catharsis for Grendel. Though solipsism and existentialism may appear similar at first glance, closer inspection reveals them to be philosophical oil and water. For conclusive proof that these ideologies do not play well tog ether, we need only recall the previously-quoted passage from Existentialism is a Humanism, â€Å"The other is indispensable to my existence, and equally so to any knowledge I can have of myself.† If this is so, then living in a solipsistic universe

Community Based Disaster Risk Management free essay sample

Items such as emergency lights become flesh-devouring acid pools, yet only appearing as wet spots n walls. The severe dust, which is thick and annoying, contains every disease that has been safely buried for the past few hundred years Just waiting to find a nice warm moist home in your lungs. Your only defense from the hostile environment, in which you, the rescuer, will be thrust into, is the personal protection equipment. This equipment must be kept with the rescuer at all times, no matter what! The minimum personal protection gear is: Hard Hat preferably a climbing / rescue helmet. Safety Goggles will be worn for long periods, must be comfortable. Work Gloves at least double leather. Dust Mask preferably cartridge type respirator. Sturdy boots must provide ankle support. Coveralls good quality to provide another protection barrier. Whistle for reliable communication of distress. Duct Tape for securing hazards and everything else imaginable. First Aid Kit compact kit with large pressure dressing, minor wound care, disposable resuscitation shield, etc. Flashlight good quality with lots of batteries and spare bulbs Flagging tape marking routes, hazards etc. This is the minimum gear [see appendix] required. A small fanny pack will probably be required to keep the gear handy and available. The Rules: Some rules of conduct have been created to promote survival in structural collapse. But these are not replacements for sound rescue knowledge and competent training. A short list of rules and explanations follows. The Do Rules turn off the electricity. After a structural collapse the integrity of a buildings electrical system will be severely compromised. What was ground may now be hot, breakers wont blow and electrical fires can start at any time. Not to mention live wires will be hanging everywhere. Learn how to shut off all types breakers. There are many types of systems but here re a few guidelines: -Never look directly at the switch / breaker as you turn it off, the possible arc may blind you. Use your non-dominant hand in case a charge attempts to energize your arm, turning it into a Jelly-like instrument for some time. Place your other [dominant] hand behind your back to prevent completing a circuit to ground, a very nasty situation indeed. Turn off ALL local breakers [the small ones] prior to shutting tontine main breakers. This prevents a massive surge to current occurring when the main breakers are turned off thus reducing the chances of arc burns and/ r electrocution . Ensure the ground / floor youre standing on is dry and clear of debris, if not make it so before touching the breakers. Try at all costs not to touch, the actual metal of the box the breaker[s] are housed in. If you can not avoid touching the housing [I. E.. To open housing door] dont do it with a bare hand. check for flammable gases in the electrical area prior to throwing any switch. DO Turn Off The Water. Learn the many types of water main valves. It is vital to turn the water off as soon as possible, as the lower parts of a building may have become holding ankhs with trapped victims being drowned in a water-filled coffin. Turn the water off as close to the city main as possible [at curbside] in case the supply from the street to the building is ruptured. This may soon create a never-ending lake attempting to swallow the very s tructure you are about to penetrate. Finding the correct tool [many types] to shut off the main will be difficult, one may have to be improvised. The direction to turn the shut off is clockwise, but turn it very slowly to prevent a water hammer from developing. A water hammer may rupture a weak city main further up the line. DO Turn Off The Gas. Turn off all gas / fuel supplies to the building as close to the supply main as possible [street level]. -Use a non-ferrous wrench [non-sparking] designed for the purpose. Most gas valves are turned off by turning the valve 90 degrees, this places the straight of the valve against the direction of the gas pipe. DO Disconnect Telephone Cables. The Telephone Company will probably hate you but damaged lines may be incorrectly energize, or worse, charged via the power lines. This may lead to electrical hazards and fires in the structure. Use extreme caution with the telephone connections, have a qualified errors check for dangerous voltages p rior to getting the wire cutters out. Put up a large sign indicating the lines have been disconnected and where. Discuss the operation of disconnection with the Rescue Chief prior to disconnection in case the telephone system is been used to communicate to the trapped persons in the building. Keep in mind risk verses benefit. DO Mark Routes. Mark all routes to safety [triage area] for both rescue team and walking wounded. In case of structural stability loss, a well-marked route, as free from hazards as possible, will become a life line. A spray can of bright paint will prove invaluable in marking and labeling the route. Use different colors for different teams. DO Mark Hazards. Identify all hazards, possible hazards, and unknown wet spots, etc. , and mark them well. Use spray paint and flagging tape, lots of it, to prevent anyone from unexpectedly walking into hazards. Log all hazards in the teams notes so that in the 3rd rescue stage the teams will be aware of them. Eliminate any hazard if feasible, such as padding sharp protruding objects or duct taping fractured windows. DO Check All Doors. Check all doors all the time. The structure may shift during the course of the rescue so check the door overtime before attempting to open it. Check for heat, use the back o f your hand. Check the sound of the door, tap it if it doesnt have a dull thud sound its probably loaded [load bearing]. Opening it could cause the load from the floor above to meet you on your level so to speak. If the door is loaded mark it and log it as a hazard. Practice door checks on loaded and unloaded doors regularly, it may save your life. If a previously unloaded door becomes loaded, reassess the structure and prepare to rapidly evacuate. DO Mark Room Corners. Spray paint the floor and ceiling corners of safe and possibly unsafe rooms. If the structure shifts the paint will show movement. The practice of marking the corners acts as a DANGER warning but must be checked on a regular intervals for it to work. Assign someone to log and check all markings at set time periods. DO Check Closed Air Spaces. All closed air spaces [basements, manholes, etc. ] must !!!! Be checked with an Air Sampler {sniffed} to ensure there is enough Oxygen and dangerous gases are not present. If an Air sampler is not available, ventilate the area with fans and use extreme caution. If the above can not be carried out then only proceed with Self Contained Breathing Apparatus [S. C. B. A. ]. After a good shake trapped gases will find their way into closed tart spaces.

The Omitted Essays - English-language Films, British Films

The Omitted Sherrie McIntyre ENG 321 3/31/00 The Omitted When watching the Branagh version of Much Ado About Nothing, I tended to realize lines had been omitted from the movie. I then got further into the movie and some of the lines that were ones that foreshadow what had happened in the text. The purpose of this paper will show that lines left out of the movie were in some way essential to character development and aided in the movie's plot confusion. The analysis took several watchings to create a vivid view of what lines were missing and why. So, as I was watching the movie I marked which lines were not spoken. This approximated to 1329. Wow! 1329 out of 2712 (give or take a few lines) were missing. Now I asked myself how is anyone going to get the full feel for this play, if there is 49% missing. Half an answer would be that the choices to leave out certain parts were to down play a character's attitude or behavior. Or I could be way off base, and producers could have wanted to just save time and money in producing, editing, etc. It is the first choice I would like to consider. When reviewing the lines left out, the first big chunk is in act 1 scene 1. Beatrice is describing Bene*censored*, In our last con-/ flict four of his five wits went halting off, and now/ is the whole man governed with one; (1.1,62). Which creates a dynamic that gives you a precursor to the rest of the play. This precursor being that Beatrice and Bene*censored* fight constantly, not like old friends, but old foes. The word choice that Beatrice gives in the opening of this play gives us that overall feeling that the two just do not see eye to eye. Hence, when they spar for the first time, 60 lines later, Beatrice seems a little more outspoken than is perceived, due to the omission of the lines. Bene*censored* comes off like a prince trying to defend himself. The lines make the sense of two friends giving each other a hard time, but the text gives them a sting. The omitted lines that help characterize the strength of words are needed for the sting to be apparent, which just lacks in th e movie. The Branagh version showed lots of areas where Bene*censored* was coming off as doing nothing to spite anyone, which allowed Branagh to make Bene*censored* a better character than is portrayed in the text. The next major spot in the text that is omitted from the movie is all of act 1 scene 2. This was an unusual choice, because this is where Leonato is shown to know that his daughter has a suitor. The wrong name is given, but still is an edited moment of comedy that allows a reader to know what is going on in the text, and who knows what and how. The movie did not let you know that Leonato was indeed aware of a suitor until he says Daughter, remember what I told you. If the/ Prince do solicit you in that kind, you know your/ answer.(2.1,65). When reading the text, this wrong information about the Prince being the suitor instead of Claudio being the suitor (the Prince just acting in Claudio's name), is revealed in the scene that is mentioned earlier. It would help to make the comic nature of these lines unfold, instead of the confusion that comes about when the movie has the viewer confused to the textual facts of what is happening. Also it is the first time that somebody overhears (not es) a conversation and gives out wrong information, but this is also omitted in the prior mentioned scene. Consequently when people start to spy, it looks uncommon for the movie, but the text gives the notions of spying from the start. The next major sets of lines that are not used in the movie are ones that foreshadow what is to happen in the rest of the play. Borachio has a set of lines in act2 scene3 that tell all about having Margaret in a chamber window having sex with Borachio using the name of Hero. The movie omitting