Essay on 8 Ball Chicks by Gini Sikes - 1955 Words

8 Ball Chicks by Gini Sikes The book 8 Ball Chicks, written by Gini Sikes is a thrilling yet shocking book about girls in gangs. The book explains in horrific detail the roles and existences of the girls in these gangs. Sikes traveled to several different cities to experience the life of girl gangsters. She traveled to Los Angeles, San Antonio, and Milwaukee. Through these travels, she became immersed in the lifestyles of each gang and had first hand accounts on what it was like to be in a gang. Sikes met many girls whom she could not believe what had persuaded them to live like they did. Most of the girls wanted to just fit in with something, to have power or be safe. Sikes recognized that all these girls were victims of†¦show more content†¦They would call it a â€Å"train†. Most girls would choose that option. Once in a lot of these girls who joined gangs were basically viewed a sex objects. These girls would end up a pregnant at a young age . They were raped and beaten by their boyfrien ds. The abuse was endless , violence was just a way of life for them. By the end of the book some or most of these girls quit these gangs due to motherhood or the desire to want more. Here is one of their stories. TJ was a member of the Lennox gang and the â€Å"Play Girl Gangstas.† When TJ was in the 9th grade, her mother moved to Lennox for cheaper housing due to her parents split. TJ was a good student until she moved to the Lennox, because TJ didnt like her new school her grades dropped. When her grades dropped, she was put into lower classes. In these classes, she meet Lennox gang members and so became influenced by them. Soon some male gang members began to notice her because of her looks. She enjoyed the attention she received so soon enough TJ began partying and hanging out with the guys at night. She felt love in comfort with them. She met a guy named Shotgun ( who beat her up so bad once that she had endured a miscarriage), which in turn made her even more popular w ith in the gang. As a result of her growing popularity she had a choice either to join the Play Girl Gangstas or get beaten up. Soon after she wasShow MoreRelatedThe Book 8 Ball Chicks1979 Words   |  8 PagesEight Ball Chicks concise By Laura Anderson The book 8 Ball Chicks, written by Gini Sikes. It is a thrilling yet shocking book about girls in gangs. The book explains in horrific detail the roles and existences of the girls in these gangs. Sikes traveled to several different cities to experience the life of girl gangsters. She traveled to Los Angeles, San Antonio, and Milwaukee. Through these travels, she became immersed in the lifestyles of each gang and had first hand accounts on what it

The Meaning of Jazz in African American Culture Particularly free essay sample

The Meaning of Jazz in African American Culture Particularly In Harlem During the essays In the Baldwin story, sonny Blues, the author portrays African ;Americans In the urban life. Even though he writes about reconciliation of two brothers, who are trying to overcome their differences and to come to understand each other, the story shows the meaning of Jazz In African American culture, particularly In Harlem during 1950.The urban life in Harlem has being described by many authors, including James Baldwin. The life of an African American man in this place during the sasss was a disaster, faces and bodies were trapped in the darkness (Baldwin n. Page). It was a time prior to the Civil Rights Movement, the time of segregation and unjust. Baldwin writes about black and very poor neighborhood In Harlem, where people were struggling to survive in the racist society.The author describes Harlem as a place where the wages of sin were visible everywhere, in every wine-stained and urine-splashed hallway (Baldwin n. Page).. The living conditions were horrible and not safe: Safe, hell! (Baldwin n. Page). In the sass most whites and black middle class ad left Harlem, the crime and drug addiction rates were higher than anywhere in the United States.Baldwin portrays Harlem as a place where people can feel danger- in every clanging ambulance bell, in every scar on the faces of the pimps and their whores, In every helpless, newborn baby being brought Into this danger, In every knife and pistol fight on the Avenue, and In every disastrous bulletin: a cousin, mother of six, suddenly gone mad, the children parceled out here and there; an indestructible aunt rewarded for years of hard labor by a slow, agonizing death in a rebel small room; someones bright son blown into eternity by his own hand; another turned robber and carried off to Jail.Crime became real, for examplefor the first timenot as a possibility but as the possibility. (Shearer n. Page) The story explains that there was not much hope for black people living there to beat the limits that were placed on their opportunities. It was very difficult to survive as a human being, keep your own Identity and social morals In the society that tolerates racism and discrimination. Baldwin refers to young African Americans as These boys (Baldwin n. G) that were growing up with a rush and their heads bumped abruptly against the low ceiling of their actual possibilities (Baldwin n. Page). The author explains why they were filled with rage. All they really knew were two darkness, the darkness of their lives, which was now closing in on them, and the darkness of the movies, which had blinded them to that other darkness, and in which they now, vindictively, dreamed, at once more together than they were at any other time, and more alone ( Baldwin n. Gag). James Baldwin Sonnys Blues is being told by the one of the main characters brother, which the author never names. He teaches Algebra in school, in the same place, Harlem, where he and his brother 1 OFF strongly believes that if he works hard he can improve his living standards and save himself and his family through assimilation of the values of the white myth (Reid n. Page). The narrator tries to play a father figure to his younger brother Sonny after the death of their mother.However, when he realizes that Sonnys plans for the future are impractical Sonny wants to become a musician he criticizes him. The difference between brothers is in their perception of life. The narrator worries that is brothers goals are dangerous because Sonny doesnt want to follow the footsteps of someone elses success. Sonny believes that people ought to do what they want to do, what else they alive for(Baldwin n. Page). In the story Sonny leaves the respectful world of his older brother: first, he Joins the Navy and then he returns to live in Greenwich Village.He struggles to survive as a musician and remove himself from the misery of ghetto once he used to live in. The story portrays that the conflict between two brothers is more complex than it seems to be. Sonny tries to prove that living by another mans definition of success, or worse, being hemmed in by discrimination that deprives one true freedom, is like being dead. Music, art, and even drugs are avenues out of that social death, even as they are, in their own ways, dangerous or subversive (Class Lecture). Sonny becomes a drug user and gets arrested for possession of narcotics. Those who try to escape on the streets find themselves encircled by disaster (Baldwin n. Page). In his adolescence, Sonny succumbs to the streets and ends up hooked on dope and in prison (Filbert n. Page). Even though, Sonny tries to explain himself, the narrator chooses not to be involved. Later in the story he reconciles with his younger brother after the death of his daughter. The pain of loss made him more sensitive to his brothers feelings. The narrator in the beginning assumes that he has escaped the underclass(Baldwin n. Gag), but what he discovers later is that his younger brother is still stuck there addicted to heroin, and he will never find a peace until he saves him(Reid n. Page). What he begins to discover with Sonnys arrest and literal imprisonment is that he cannot free himself from responsibility for his brother. He is his brothers keeper and the vision that will make life and freedom from bondage possible is not the Platonic, Apollonian vision of his white brothers inheritance, but the vision that grows out of the darkness to which he is condemned.The darkness lived is transformed into the tragedy that is the story. The vision provides the experience of the spirit of the people in their finite struggle and transcends the death inherent in the bondage (Reid n. Page). One of the major themes in the story is music, especially jazz music in Harlem. The author shows that music is not only as a symbol of African American identity, heritage, and racial issues in society, but also as a means of communication between people. Historically Harlem is rich in history and culture. Throughout its development it has seen everything from poverty to urban growth (Hilliards n. Page). Many black people have migrated to this community, bringing with them heritage and traditions of their own(Hilliards n. Page). One of these traditions was music blues and spirituals. This tradition deeply rooted because of their African heritage provided a source of employment for on the Harlem streets, at house parties, bordellos, or Just about anywhere for a meal, a alular or two'(Hilliards n. Page).During these years many musicians who have migrated In the story Baldwin tries to explain why music plays such an important role for people living in Harlem. In the opening paragraph, the narrator reads about Sonny in the newspaper while riding the subway from Harlem to the school where he teaches: l stared at it in the swinging lights of the subway car, and in the faces and bodies of the people, and in my own face, trapped in the darkness which roared outside (Baldwin n. Page). The image of the narrators face reflected in the window of the subway car, along with the indication of the roaring sound of the darkness (Baldwin n. Gag), which implies that roaring sound is Jazz music, and the darkness is Harlem in which the story takes its place. Or else, the subway itselffor Baldwin words comprise a curious moment of kinesthesiacertainly points to the transience of the railway Juncture as unique to the matrix of the blues, they always already of African American experience and culture (Shearer n. Page). The authors description of the movement inside the subway suggests the rhythm of change, movement, action, continuance(Ticktack n. Gag) of the always anatomically wandering(Ticktack n. Gag) blues; however, the narrator of Sonnys Blues does not feel the unsure hope, the possibility of unrestrained mobility and unlimited freedom that, according to Class Lecture from the US Davis University, the railway once symbolized to African Americans (Class Lecture n. Page). In the story Baldwin proves that music for black people was one of the most powerful tools to help them to deal with the reality of everyday life, and throughout the story he makes it possible to see the presence of music everywhere. One boy was whistling a tune; at once very complicated and very simple, it seemed to be pouring out of him as though he were a rid, and it sounded very cool and moving through all that harsh, bright air, only Just holding its own through all those other sounds (Baldwin n. Page). After the narrator listen to a boy whistling a tune he meats one of the Sonnys friends, who James Baldwin describe being always high and rag'(Baldwin n. Page), they commence a conversation about Sonny, which argues about his fate, along with a Jazz music on the background.The main theme of the story is a conflict between two brothers and their attempt to come to understand each other. Therefore, the portrayal of the sass Jazz music scene illustrates a division in the black commu nity represented by the brothers themselves. The division within the black community can best be described as between those of middle class, like the narrator, who downplay the barriers to their success[ ] who would readily assimilate into white society if given the chance(Class Lecture n. Page), and Sonnys group more radical and less accepting of the status quo.They suspect that as blacks their struggles will always be fierce, and that, unless drastic social change were to occur, they will always be shut out from the privileges most whites enjoy (Class Lecture n. Gag). Therefore; music was the only way for many black people to be able to express their hopes, pain, frustration, or sorrows. They would not want to hide from them by denial, they would rather to confront their pain and except the real life. In the story Baldwin emphasizes that all these boys leaving in Harlem are not bad: they may be wild (Baldwin n. Gag), but never hard, or evil or disrespectful, the way kids can, so quick, so quick, especially in Harlem (Baldwin n. Page). Baldwin tries to make us readers understand that people overcome their sorrows and sufferings in different ways some through unaffected, but dangerous also. The author explains that years of struggle living as an oppressed minority can be reclaimed only through the creation of some sort of original art, in this case, blues music(Class Lecture n. Page). In the story Baldwin talks about the new movement in Jazz called Bebop.This movement was known as the music that was forced underground. The music shifted from dancing to listening. Bebop was also known as modern reflected the resentment black musicians felt over the rewards and benefits reaped by white big bands from swing developed by blacks (Hilliards n. Page). Sonny admires the new Jazz, mainly because it as not accepted by mainstream culture. He wants to play music that will challenge the conservative status quad (Class Lecture n. Page). The culmination of the story is when the narrator agrees to go with Sonny to hear him play.He finally comes into his younger brothers world and start to understand what the blues all about. They were not about anything very new for, while the tale of how we suffer, and how we are delighted, and how we may triumph is never new, it must always be heard. There isnt any other tale to tell, its the only light weve got in all this darkness (Baldwin n. Page). Moreover, with the understanding of the Jazz music, the narrator realizes that it is imperative in life to be able to leave the shoreline and strike out for deep water (Baldwin n. Page).He witnessed that deep water and drowning were not the same thing (Baldwin n. Page). The author proclaims that music is the greatest tool to help people to heal from sorrows, to come to understand each other, to evoke feelings in both performers and listeners, and make them to except changes. The jazz music up there were keeping it new, at risk of ruin, destruction, madness and death, in order to find new ways to make us listen (Baldwin n. Gag). In conclusion, Music in Sonnys Blues, specifically Jazz music helps examine questions of heritage, society, and racial relations in America.

The Need For Peace In The Middle East Essays -

The Need For Peace in the Middle East The quest for peace in the Middle East has been going on for decades. It all started in 1948 when Israel declared its independence and fought Arab nations to secure it. However, the Arabs were left unsatisfied while the Israelis wanted more control over land. In 1967, the ?six-day war' erupted, resulting with Israel seizing the West Bank, Gaza, Sinai, East Jerusalem, and the Golan Heights. The war left the situation unchanged and the Arabs and Israelis have been fighting ever since. Middle East peace is important because without an agreement, both sides will remain hostile towards each other and wars will be constantly taking place. Numerous people will be killed and a settlement won't be reached. Jerusalem, the creation of a Palestinian state, and American and International aid are the top three issues that need to be resolved. Jerusalem is the holy city for Jews, Muslims, and Christians. Jerusalem is the sticking point of the peace summit and is the most difficult issue as it is virtually impossible to please both sides. Presently, Israel has control over the city. Israel insists on retaining sovereignty over the "eternal" city and hopes a deal will win world recognition of that right. Palestinians, on the other hand, wish to reclaim east Jerusalem for the capital of a new Palestinian state and want to share sovereignty. This issue should be resolved by making Jerusalem ?no man's land'. Jerusalem should be governed by an independent, neutral third party. Palestinians and Israelis would share it, as neither party would have control. If the Christians can share it with the Jews and Arabs, why can't the Jews and Arabs share with each other? The creation of a Palestinian state is one of the main issues the Palestinians are fighting for. In order to become a state, territory, government, population, and sovereignty are needed. Palestinians already have a population and government and need control over territory in order to acquire sovereignty, which would enable them to become an independent state. The Palestinians feel that an independent state is necessary. It will relieve those who wish to escape from religious persecution in Israel and allow Palestinians to have what they've always wanted. Ehud Barak, the Prime Minister of Israel, fears that the creation of a Palestinian state will threaten Israel, as the Palestinians will be given such a status that they may try to take over Israel in the future. The best solution is to give the Palestinians total control over the West Bank. The Palestinians will be pleased to have their own independent state and Israel will still have control over Gaza and the Jordan Valley. American and International aid needs to be distributed fairly between the Israelis and Palestinians. The Palestinians are in need of more financial assistance to compensate for refugees and to help form a new Palestinian state. Yassar Arafat has asked for $40 billion in International Aid to resettle and compensate for refugees. Israelis are seeking an upgraded security relationship with the United States and feel that they need money and weaponry for political security. Palestinians should receive more of the American and International aid because they are in more need of it. They should be granted with the full $40 billion to compensate for refugees and set up a new state. Israelis should receive a much lower suffice of money as they are not in desperate need. Japan and Europe should provide them with their needed weaponry. These solutions fulfill the desires of both sides and provide the needed support and financial aid. Having Jerusalem controlled by an outside party eliminates the endless disputes over territory and who has the right to control it. Giving the Palestinians their own independent state, satisfies their wishes to control the West Bank, yet also does not take too much power away from the Israelis. American and International aid given to both sides provides the help and support needed in both cases. These solutions will end the three main disputed topics and will finally ensure peace once and for all.

Grover Cleveland essays

Grover Cleveland essays Grover Cleveland was born March 18th, 1837 in Caldwell, New Jersey. He was the fifth child in the family of four brothers and five sisters. His fathers name is Richard Falley Cleveland, who was a Presbyterian minister and relative to the founder of Cleveland Ohio. Grovers mother, Ann Neal Cleveland was the daughter of a publisher. The family had little money and moved frequently. He attended schools such as Fayetteville and Clinton, New York, and began working at the age of 14 as a clerk for Fayetteville general store. When Grover was 16, his father died, leaving him and his brothers to support their mother and sisters. Cleveland joined with an older brother of his who was teaching at the New York Institution for the blind and worked there for a year. At 17 years old, Grover decided to head west for more opportunities. He wanted to settle in Cleveland Ohio, but instead stopped at Buffalo N.Y. to see his mothers uncle. His uncle persuaded him to stay and Grover worked with him for six months. Afterwards he decided to be a lawyer. He worked as a clerk in the law office of Rogers Bowen, and studied there. Working hard for $4.00 a week, which had to pay for room board at the home of a fellow clerk. Two of Grovers brothers served in the Union Army during the Civil War, Cleveland had to stay and support his mother and sisters. Cleveland entered in the politics scene as a ward worker for the Democratic Party in Buffalo. He served as a ward supervisor in 1862 and as an assistant district attorney of Erie County. Was elected sheriff in 1870. The city of Buffalo at the time had a corrupt administration. As demand for improvement grew, the quicker Grover was elected to run as mayor in 1881. Cleveland vetoed so many padded city contracts that he became known as the veto mayor. Clevelands reputation for good government made him a national figure. The Republ ...

Ancient Greek and Roman Names Information

Ancient Greek and Roman Names Information When you think of ancient names, do you think of Romans with multiple names like Gaius Julius Caesar, but of Greeks with single names like Plato, Aristotle, or Pericles? There is a good reason for that. It is thought that most Indo-Europeans had single names, with no idea of an inheritable family name. The Romans were exceptional. Ancient Greek Names In literature, ancient Greeks are usually identified by only one name whether male (e.g., Socrates) or female (e.g., Thais). In Athens, it became mandatory in 403/2 B.C. to use the demotic (the name of their deme [See Cleisthenes and the 10 Tribes]) in addition to the regular name on official records. It was also common to use an adjective to show place of origin when abroad. In English, we see this in such names as Solon of Athens or Aspasia of Miletus. Roman Republic During the Republic, literary references to upper-class men would include the praenomen and either the cognomen or the nomen (gentilicum) (or both making the tria nomina). The cognomen, like the nomen was usually hereditary. This meant there could be two family names to inherit. The statesman M. Tullius Cicero is now referred to by his cognomen Cicero. Ciceros nomen was Tullius. His praenomen was Marcus, which would be abbreviated M. The choice, while not officially limited, tended to be among only 17 different praenomina. Ciceros brother was Qunitus Tullius Cicero or Q. Tullius Cicero; their cousin, Lucius Tullius Cicero. Salway argues the three name or tria nomina of the Romans is not necessarily the typical Roman name  but is typical of the best-documented class in one of the best documented periods of Roman history (Republic to early Empire). Much earlier, Romulus was known by a single name and there was a period of two names. Roman Empire By the first century B.C. women and the lower classes began to have cognomina (pl. cognomen). These were not inherited names, but personal ones, which began to take the place of the praenomina (pl. praenomen). These might come from ​a  part of the womans fathers or mothers name. By the 3rd century A.D., the praenomen was abandoned. The basic name became the nomen cognomen. Alexander Severus wifes name was Gnaea Seia Herennia Sallustia Barbia Orbiana. (See J.P.V.D. Balsdon, Roman Women: Their History and Habits; 1962.) Additional Names There were two other categories of names that might be used, especially on funerary inscriptions (see accompanying illustrations of an epitaph and a monument to Titus), following the praenomen and nomen. These were the names of filiation and of a  tribe. Filiation Names A man might be known by his father and even his grandfathers names. These would follow the nomen and be abbreviated. The name of M. Tullius Cicero could be written as M. Tullius M. f. Cicero showing that his father was also named Marcus. The f stands for filius (son). A freedman would use an l for libertus (freedman) instead of an f. Tribal Names After the filiation name, the tribal name could be included. The tribe or tribus was the voting district. This tribal name would be abbreviated by its first the letters. The full name of Cicero, from the tribe of Cornelia, would, therefore, be M. Tullius M. f. Cor. Cicero. References Whats in a Name? A Survey of Roman Onomastic Practice from c. 700 B.C. to A.D. 700, by Benet Salway; The Journal of Roman Studies, (1994), pp. 124-145.Names and Identities: Onomastics and Prosopography, by Olli Salomies, Epigraphic Evidence, edited by John Bodel.

A Case Study of Green Computing and Environmental Impact in A Kurdish Essay

A Case Study of Green Computing and Environmental Impact in A Kurdish University (Salahaddin University Erbil) - Essay Example The use of green computing in the Salahaddin University Erbil entails embarking on various computer practices that encourage reduced consumption of electricity. According to Hu and Kaabouch (2012, p. 78), green computing brings about significant savings on the environmental wastes from technological machines and equipment, as well as contribute greatly to the conservation of the environment. This is a critical mechanism that is useful in this research as reduced consumption of electricity at the institution directly lessens the burden on the environmental resources that are used to generate the amount of power used at Salahaddin University Erbil. According to Gangadharan and Murugwsan (2012, p. 34), the use of green computing has a close relationship with the university’s environment, which should dictate the practices of green computing at the institution. Initiatives that encourage green computing at this university are important to the institution in the aspect that there w ill be reduced charges of electricity consumed. This is also essential to the research community in understanding reliable ways that could be used to cut down the cost of electricity consumed at Salahaddin University Erbil. This is also crucial in understanding the specific impacts that the use of green computing at the institution will have on its immediate and distant environments. Practices of green computing at Salahaddin University Erbil benefit this research in determining how the reduced use of electricity will affect the overall environment at the institution. It is significant in understanding the various attributes and effectiveness of green computing as an ideal practice that conserves the environment. Green computing is, therefore, the study and practice of using computing resources efficiently. As such, technologies already making

Telecommunication Technology & the delivery of Healthcare Services Essay

Telecommunication Technology & the delivery of Healthcare Services - Essay Example It is now widespread and is being integrated into the operations of hospitals, home health agencies, specialty departments, private physician offices and patient’s workplaces and homes (Blobel st al, 2008). It should be made clear that telemedicine is not a separate and independent medical specialty. The goods and services offered through telemedicine are most of the time part of a larger and higher investment by the medical institution. This investment is either on the delivery of clinical care or information technology. In fact during reimbursement, there is never a clear distinction specified between the services provided by telemedicine and those provided on site. The fee structure does not reflect a separate coding and billing for the remote services (Lewis, 2005). The terms telehealth and telemedicine can be used interchangeably as they as mean the same concept. Telemedicine encompasses the following services; Sometimes the term telehealth is used to refer to a wider description of remote health care which does not necessarily involve medical and clinical services. However, The American Telemedicine Association uses the two terms in a similar manner a person would refer to health or medicine in the local vernacular. There is a close relationship between telemedicine and health information technology (HIT). However, there is a slight difference; HIT more often than not refers to e-medical records and accompanying information systems. On the other hand, telemedicine is the actual offering of remote medical and clinical services by the use of technology. 2. Monitoring of patients remotely; Involves the use of devices to collect patient data remotely then send them to a remote diagnostic testing facility (RDTF) or a home health agency for interpretation. Such services assist the visiting nurses. In terms of improved access, telemedicine does not only improve patient’s access to medical services, but also gives health facilities