Kobe Bryant Essay Example for Free

Kobe Bryant Essay Kobe Bean Bryant (born August 23, 1978), nicknamed the Black Mamba, is an American professional basketball player who plays shooting guard for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He entered the NBA directly from high school, and has played for the Lakers his entire career, winning five NBA championships. Bryant is a 15-time All-Star, 14-time member of the All-NBA Team, and 12-time member of the All-Defensive team. As of June 2012, he ranks third and fifth on the leagues all-time post-season scoring and all-time regular season scoring lists, respectively. Bryant enjoyed a successful high school basketball career at Lower Merion High School, where he was recognized as the top high school basketball player in the country. He declared his eligibility for the NBA Draft upon graduation, and was selected with the 13th overall pick in the 1996 NBA Draft by the Charlotte Hornets, then traded to the Los Angeles Lakers. As a rookie, Bryant earned himself a reputation as a high-flyer and a fan favorite by winning the 1997 Slam Dunk Contest. Bryant and Shaquille ONeal led the Lakers to three consecutive championships from 2000 to 2002. A heated feud between the duo and a loss in the 2004 NBA Finals was followed by ONeals trade from the Lakers after the 2003–04 season. Following ONeals departure Bryant became the cornerstone of the Los Angeles Lakers franchise. He led the NBA in scoring during the 2005–06 and 2006–07 seasons, setting numerous scoring records in the process. In 2006, Bryant scored a career-high 81 points against the Toronto Raptors, the second most points scored in a single game in NBA history, second only to Wilt Chamberlains 100-point game in 1962. He was awarded the regular seasons Most Valuable Player Award (MVP) in 2008. After losing in the 2008 NBA Finals, Bryant led the Lakers to two consecutive championships in 2009 and 2010, earning the NBA Finals MVP Award on both occasions. At 34 years and 104 days of age, Bryant became the youngest player in league history to reach 30,000 career points. He is also the all-time leading scorer in Lakers franchise history. Since his second year in the league, Bryant has been selected to start every All-Star Game. He has won the All-Star MVP Award four times (2002, 2007, 2009, and 2011), tying him for the most All Star MVP Awards in NBA history. At the 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympics, he won gold medals as a member of the USA national team. Sporting News and TNT named Bryant the top NBA player of the 2000s. In 2003, Bryant was accused of sexual assault after having sex with a hotel employee in Colorado. In September 2004, prosecutors dropped the case after his accuser refused to testify. A civil suit was later filed and settled out of court.

Terrorism Essay -- essays research papers

Terrorism is the unlawful use of force against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population or any segment thereof, in the furtherance of political or social objectives". This definition includes three elements: (1) Terrorist activities are illegal and involve the use of force. (2) The actions are intended to intimidate or coerce. (3) The actions are committed in support of political or social objectives. The main topic here is Terrorism and Foreign Policy. The two terms that are going to be discussed is how the war against terrorism is expanding and how American President George W. Bush misnamed his National Security Strategy. In his State of the Union address, President Bush threatened to expand the war on terrorism to countries that are developing weapons of mass destruction and nations that are â€Å"timid in the face of terror.† The president singled out three nations, North Korea, Iran, and Iraq as the â€Å"axis of evil† and that he might take military action to pre-empt the threat from their weapons of mass destruction. Although such rhetoric may simply be sabre rattling to intimidate those nations, the possibility of an expansion of the war is a real and dangerous possibility. But those three countries hardly constitute an organized alliance against the United States, as did the much more dangerous collaboration among Japan, Germany, and Italy during World War II. In fact, Iran and Iraq hate each other. And despite North Korea’s continued harbouring of a few members of the Japanese Red Army, North Korea has not actively sponsored terrorist attacks in many years. Although North Korea, Iran, and Iraq are developing (or have acquired) weapons of mass destruction, so are many other nations. According to the Pentagon, 12 countries have nuclear weapons programs, 13 nations have biological weapons, 16 countries have chemical weapons and 28 nations have ballistic missiles. Is the president prepared to attack all of those nations? What if North Korea, Iran, or Iraq has already sent intelligence opera tives or terrorists to the United States with weapons of mass destruction to lie in wait in case a strike is needed in retaliation for a U.S. attempt at regime change? Iran or Iraq might do the same to Israel. The fact is that the United States must live with an increasing number of nations that have acquired weapons of mass des... ...tegy promulgated by President Bush in September 2002 does just the opposite. It prescribes a global security strategy based on the false belief that the best and only way to achieve U.S. security is by forcibly creating a better and safer world in America's image. A better approach would be a less interventionist foreign policy. It is too late to stop al Qaeda from targeting America and Americans. The United States must do everything in its power to dismantle the al Qaeda terrorist network worldwide, but the United States must also avoid needlessly making new terrorist enemies or fuelling the flames of virulent anti-American hatred. In the 21st century, the less the United States meddles in the affairs of other countries, the less likely the prospect that America and Americans will be targets for terrorism. In sum, an apparent widening of the current war designed to enhance U.S security could have the opposite effect. http://www.workersparty.org/expanding-war-against-terrorism.html http://www.asiasource.org/asip/bello.cfm http://www.cnn.com/2002/ALLPOLITICS/01/29/bush.speech.txt/index.html http://www.afa.org/magazine/oct1999/1099edit.asp http://www.dsausa.org/news/director.html

Enterprise Resource Planning (Erp) System

Enterprise resource planning (ERP) system is specifically designed to enable personnel throughout an organization to view the set of data rather than requiring it to be moved across applications. The new SAP Product Life-cycle Management (PLM) are based on the concept that personnel should have confidence that the information they have is as accurate and up-to-date as what others in the enterprise are receiving and, therefore, everyone is on the same page. It also intended to gather data using one piece of software to optimize the organization of that data and make it easier to access and manage. Because of that the enhanced SAP Product Life-cycle Management (PLM) helps to unify Acterna. Gain product and sales benefits are the potential the product has in collaboration with outside companies. By doing this, the outside company would have a up-to-date information and idea about the organization, and clarify the issue that they may have. It will also expanding the organization’s market reach. The enhanced SAP product is intended to make information available to all personnel in the enterprise who need it. It overcome the traditional functional silos that have historically inhibited the free flow of information in enterprises. A traditional data structure where each functional area has its own data, tied into separate applications. Communications between the silos is often difficult and expensive. On the other hand, centralized data structure where data are shared will reduce and eliminate the need for communication just to transfer data because all have access to the same data. Plus, the interface with users is standard across different company modules, it minimizing the training required for personnel who change their jobs within the company. Therefore, the convenience of data access and minimize cost are some of the main reasons why Acterna would make the investment in this software.

How to Get a Birthday Cake Delivered to a College Dorm

Whether youre a parent or a friend, sending a birthday cake to a students dorm room can be one of the most thoughtful things you can do during those stressful college years. Parents worry about their kids while theyre away, and friends want to celebrate in style with fun surprises. Whether youre long distance or just want to make your kid or friend smile, sending a little celebratory gift can make all the difference. Delivering Birthday Cakes to Dorms The first thing you want to do is see if the college you want to send a cake to offers special orders for birthday treats through their dining halls or student life services. This would be a fast solution, so scouting out the possibilities is key. Simply inquire when you visit the campus during orientation or give them a quick call. At the University of Delaware, for instance, you can send a YoUDee Gram –a 10 to 15-minute visit by the school mascot, who is a giant blue chicken that arrives at the students dorm with balloons, an autographed photo, and more than a little comic pizazz. Parents and friends can also call the University of Delawares dining hall to order a personalized birthday cake for dorm delivery or pick up. In fact, other colleges like Stanfords parent association  deliver birthday cakes, balloons, and flowers, as a fundraiser for the college endowment fund. Bakery Deliveries Some college town bakeries deliver on campus. However, if you cant find a local patisserie, there are plenty of bakers who will ship their wares overnight or via two-day mail. Simply check in with the campus mail room to see if any restrictions apply. Some accept FedEx or UPS overnight, while others prefer US postal service deliveries. Get creative with all the fun possibilities for your cake send by drawing inspiration from other colleges: Arizona’s Fairytale Brownies  mails a birthday box with brownies, a teddy bear, a kazoo, and a pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey game for around $50.The Delaware-based SAS Cupcakes ships assorted vanilla, triple chocolate, and red velvet cupcakes decorated for birthdays or Greek life events, accompanied by little flags with your child or friends Greek letters. Delivered by the dozen, this delivery costs around $45. A Homemade Birthday Box Forget all the headaches and assemble your own birthday-in-a-box. Frosted cakes dont do well in the mail, so you can bake a cake. The moister the cake, the better. Consider flavors like  pumpkin, carrot, or banana. Once youve baked your cake, youll want to make sure its wrapped before you ship it off. Include little additions to your care package, like a simple can of supermarket frosting, a box of candles, and a birthday tiara. Alternatively, you can bake up a batch of chocolate cookies that are  decorated to look like cupcakes, and ship them off. For something extra, add a birthday card or a small gift.