The election of Federico Peña Essay Example for Free

The election of Federico Peà ±a Essay Both the election of Federico Peà ±a as Denver City Mayor in 1983 and the campaign of Victor Morales for US Senate in 1996 were considered as historic firsts: Peà ±a was among the first Hispanics to be elected as mayor of a major US city; while it was also the first time that the senatorial candidate of a major political party in Texas was of Hispanic origin, in the case of Morales. Apparently, these two cases have given renewed interest on the study of participation of minorities in a pluralist democracy, such as in this case, the Hispanics in the US electoral exercises. Not only that Hispanics seldom ran for elected office, it was also the general observation that they were less politically active and were also reluctant to exercise their rights to vote as seen in the pattern of low voter turnouts across the US.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   However, the case of Peà ±a was historic not only because it was the first time that Denver had a Mexican American mayor, but also because of the record turnout in 1983. Peà ±a, as well as Morales, actively attempted to increase minority, particularly Hispanic voter turnout. To his credit, the high turnout which favored Peà ±a’s campaign did not consist solely of Mexican Americans, because he was able to build a liberal coalition of minorities which did not only include the ethnic and racial minorities but also cut across different socio-economic classes and interest groups. Morales, on the other hand relied heavily on the large Hispanic population in Texas. Even if the Morales campaign was able to encourage Hispanics to register – also at a record-high – only 45.4% of the registered Hispanic voters actually voted. Morales’ failure to lure more Hispanics to vote, compounded by his lack of appeal to the Anglo voters due to his disparaging racial remarks, resulted in his loss, albeit with a slim margin, to the incumbent re-electionist senator. On his part, Peà ±a was able to avoid a campaign divided on racial lines because his being active in Mexican American civic organizations and his stint as a legislator helped him project support to minority concerns without necessarily delving on racial issues.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   As such, experience had increased the quality of Peà ±a as a candidate, in contrast to Morales. Peà ±a is a lawyer and was a member of the state House of Representatives before he ran for the mayoralty race; while Morales, who is a public school teacher, only had his formal political experience when he became city councilman and a Democratic Party precinct chairman. Political experience had also tremendous impact on their organizational and coalition-building skills. Although they both operated their campaigns on relatively limited funds, Peà ±a in 1983, was able to use his strong ties with the labor sector, neighborhood organizations, environmentalists, young professionals and other sectors, and was able to come-up with a dynamic, well-organized campaign supported by endorsements of important societal groups, his clear positions on issues, and a large number of able volunteers. Wide knowledge on different issues also worked to Peà ±a’s advantage; while the lack of it had been a discredit to Morales, especially as it was also one of the reasons why he was not able to establish sustainable rapport with the free media. Moreover, Morales had not been a member of any local Mexican American organization which could have provided him with the necessary grassroots or volunteer support and fund-raising skills. Morales even shunned the Hispanic political elites when he missed a meeting of state Hispanic elected officials a very influential group who could have given him all-out support only because he is Hispanic. Morales also had poor organizational skills as his campaign was described to be supported by inexperienced and underfinanced staff that could not even return calls or answer simple questions about their candidate’s campaign, mainly due to insistence of Morales to decide on almost every matter. The lack of funds had also wasted a lot of campaign time for Morales who insisted on traveling in his truck instead of by plane to his campaign appearances in different locations in Texas. This and his reliance on volunteers, made him resort to the inexpensive but time- and energy-consuming â€Å"block walking† in his campaigns. The ordeal of walking or traveling on truck around a large US State, however, was not present in Peà ±a’s bid for city mayor; although like Morales, Peà ±a also preferred open and face-to-face interaction, as in the latter’s â€Å"town meetings†, which he often held when he was elected as mayor of Denver City. Morales’ difficulty in funding could also be attributed to his fund-raising principles. For one, he did not accept contributions from business political action committees or entities associated with the tobacco companies. He also believed that his amazing win in the Democratic primaries, wherein he spent only $15,000, would carry him through the state elections. He also probably expected the Democratic Party to fund his campaign, which in turn, did not support him because it did not believe that he stood a chance against the incumbent Senator who had been in the position for 12 years and was supported by a campaign machinery that was at least six times bigger than his. Morales should have accepted the importance of money in a state-wide campaign and realized that he could not run a city campaign headquarters with just $200 (his monthly budget allocation for his Houston office). Lastly, even if the Democratic Party did not support Morales’ campaign financially, his nomination helped him obtain the Democratic votes, which contributed to his close bid in the senatorial race, despite the apparent Republican character of the Texas state at that time. Denver’s mayoralty race in 1983, was however, nonpartisan because Peà ±a’s strong contenders were also democrats, His party membership only mattered in 1987 when he ran for re-election against a Republican candidate, to which he almost lost because many of his constituents were already disappointed for his failure to make Denver a â€Å"great city† after his first term, and because Peà ±a could not focus on specific minority concerns since he was constrained to form effective governing coalitions. Ironically, Morales’ campaign became a legacy not only because of his unquestioned status as an outsider in the political game, but also because he was overcame only by a slight majority even if he had to battle all the odds during his unusual campaign.

No Magic in William Shakespeare’s Words Essay -- Biography Biographies

No Magic in Shakespeare’s Words A good work of fiction is greater than the sum of words the author invested in it. Shakespeare is a "great" playwright because his plays bear the load of much speculation and creativity from all its interpreters, not because he thought of every possible last detail and symbol and elucidated it clearly. The collaborative flexibility of a play is especially valuable to plays that predate the emphasis on originality and copyright that became more important to writing in the 18th century as authors like Coleridge and the other Romantics began to extol the virtues of imagination and personal creativity. In Shakespeare’s time, one’s work was not one’s own. When a work was sold to a publisher, it belonged to the publisher to be edited and altered how he chose. When writing for a theatre, like Shakespeare, the play was fair game for anyone in the company to edit and "fix." An acting company bought the play just as a publisher would. Plays were also frequently written in teams for speed, since in the late 1580’s and early 1590’s when Shakespeare was starting out, the canon of English drama was less than a decade old, all plays were premiere plays, with new ones being introduced every fortnight. Alterations were made constantly, as overworked actors added or transposed lines from others of the twenty roles they were performing at the same time, scenes were added to allow time for costume changes, or the censors required line or plot changes. The author, or one of the authors who each had written an act or parceled out scenes from the outlines play, or perhaps one of the actors or another playwright was on hand during the rehearsal process to make emendations to the play. The second half of Sha... ... This way, Shakespeare can remain our cultural hero, and what doesn’t work need not be completely cut, but is understood as the detritus of the time period in which he lived remaining in the work. Thus, "it is not so much that Shakespeare appears as a part of Elizabethan culture, but rather that Elizabethan culture appears as a part of Shakespeare"(Shepherd and Womack, 92). Theatre is collaborative in the extreme, and modern attitudes about authorship and originality cannot change that fact. Thus, it is not Shakespeare that preserves Shakespeare’s works as the English language’s greatest works; it is the people that continue to produce his plays. No matter how the work is performed, cut, altered, updated, this is what keeps Shakespeare alive. There is no magic in Shakespeare’s words that his readers did not bestow on it. We create or break a work’s greatness.

Research Paper: Marjane Satrapi Essay

Beset with the unthinkable, the Islamic Revolution defines turbulent times for many Iranians (Tehran). Numerous females including Satrapi were robbed of their social rights due to westernizing and secular efforts (Tehran). In turn, the Islamic Revolution undermined the younger Satrapi’s ability to come to terms with her own identity; nevertheless, she now writes to share her experience with oppression and her later journey towards cultural integration. It is a historical dispute that woman did not have their share of say in the revolutionaries’ political agenda (Mouri). In the months following the Revolution, obligatory hijabs were decreed (Mouri). Girls of every age rank were forced to wear a veil. Several active Iranian female revolutionists discharged into the street protesting what soon became the law of the land. Their male comrades did not offer support believing that the time was not appropriate. Instead, they simply encouraged solidarity with the new government in order to display a united front before their international enemies (Kar). Consequently, wearing hijab became mandatory, and the lack of it was disciplinary (Kar). Satrapi was 10 at the time, experiencing her first instances of Iran’s social and political transformations. (Kutschera). The compulsory hijab eventually assumed a government-sponsored and aggressive position (Kar). Various female and liberal minded organizations were marginalized and strip ped of their supremacy. The regime suppressed these crowds through methods such as coercion, enticements, deportation, and brutal force. Years later, Satrapi was spared the oppression of an Islamic regime at the peak of its worst (Leith). Her lack of unwavering obedience and expressive nature would have caused her immense trouble with government. Thus, afraid she’d be a victim of the regime’s repression and prejudice, her parents sent her to Vienna (Kutschera). Unfortunately, she was challenged with preconceived notions held by Europeans (Leith). While attending a boarding school ran by nuns, Marjane was expelled for calling the chief mother a prostitute when she claimed that Iranians were â€Å"uneducated† (Hattenstone). Marjane’s life eventually plummeted leading her to homelessness, bronchitis, and drug abuse (Hattenstone). Defeated, she escaped the havoc by returning home, ultimately surrendering herself to the lifestyle she once rejected (Hattenstone). Unfortunately, the hijab and restricted style options weren’t Satrapi’s mere concern. Upon her arrival home, Satrapi dealt with more prejudice than she had originally anticipated. She was known as the Western Iranian, which made her cultural transition in Iran especially difficult. Her later diagnosis with depression fostered even more mayhem within her life resulting in suicidal attempts. Her early 20’s were indeed tempestuous times as she struggled to establish and integrate herself into foreign customs. The end of the Islamic Revolution didn’t necessarily mean that the essence of corruption and repression were eradicated. In fact, the bitterness lingered for another 30 years shaping a void for many Iranian women. The marriage age for females was lowered to nine, and they lacked the rights to obtain divorce. Meanwhile, their male counterparts were able to assume full custody of their children, obtain unilateral divorce, and have as many wives as they desired. In all, females received a lot of harsh treatment if they failed abide by the restrictive nature of Islamic rule. For a female foreigner like Satrapi, simply bearing a different style of clothing or thought was enough to galvanize unwanted attention. It was remarkably problematic having to assimilate into a culture she had to escape from in the first place. In the end, Satrapi realized that although Iran is her home, the social oppression outweighed that one factor. She eventually returned to Europe to pursue an art degree and take on the next chapter of her life, Persepolis. Persepolis was written in efforts to share her experience regarding the Islamic regime. It is often a misconception that Iranians were religious fanatics versus being traditional, and for that, Satrapi wrote to bring light and understanding into the situation. She wanted to clarify that what people saw in the news didn’t bear the whole picture. Her other renowned writing projects such as Chickens and Plums and Persepolis II also entail political elements along with personal experiences. It is ultimately her way of preserving an evolutionary truth that could have succumbed had she not taken the time to share. Consequently, Satrapi’s story is now one of the most popular books known for embodying a realistic coming of age story during the Islamic Revolution. She undertakes a realistic portrayal of how private life and public life can be drastically assailed by political upheaval.

Amyloplast Definition and Function

An amyloplast is an organelle found in plant cells. Amyloplasts are plastids that produce and store starch within internal membrane compartments. They are commonly found in vegetative plant tissues, such as tubers (potatoes) and bulbs. Amyloplasts are also thought to be involved in gravity sensing (gravitropism) and helping plant roots grow in a downward direction. Key Takeaways: Amyloplast and Other Plastids Plastids are plant organelles that function in nutrient synthesis and storage. These double-membrane, cytoplasmic structures have their own DNA and replicate independently of the cell.Plastids develop from immature cells called proplastids that mature into chloroplasts, chromoplasts, gerontoplasts, and leucoplasts.Amyloplasts are leucoplasts that function mainly in starch storage. They are colorless and found in plant tissues that do not undergo photosynthesis (roots and seeds).Amyloplasts synthesize transitory starch which is stored temporarily in chloroplasts and used for energy. Chloroplasts are the sites of photosynthesis and energy production in plants.Amyloplasts also help to orient root growth downward toward the direction of gravity. Amyloplasts are derived from a group of plastids known as leucoplasts. Leucoplasts have no pigmentation and appear colorless. Several other types of plastids are found within plant cells including chloroplasts (sites of photosynthesis), chromoplasts (produce plant pigments), and gerontoplasts (degraded chloroplasts). Types of Plastids This image of vertical section of a leaf was taken with a scanning electron microscope. Chloroplasts (green plastids responsible for photosynthesis) and other organelles are seen inside the cells. Clouds Hill Imaging Ltd./Corbis Documentary/Getty Images Plastids are organelles that function primarily in nutrient synthesis and storage of biological molecules. While there are different types of plastids specialized to fill specific roles, plastids share some common characteristics. They are located in the cell cytoplasm and are surrounded by a double lipid membrane. Plastids also have their own DNA and can replicate independently from the rest of the cell. Some plastids contain pigments and are colorful, while others lack pigments and are colorless. Plastids develop from immature, undifferentiated cells called proplastids. Proplastids mature into four types of specialized plastids: chloroplasts, chromoplasts, gerontoplasts, and leucoplasts. Chloroplasts: These green plastids are responsible for photosynthesis and energy production through glucose synthesis. They contain chlorophyll, a green pigment that absorbs light energy. Chloroplasts are commonly found in specialized cells called guard cells located in plant leaves and stems. Guard cells open and close tiny pores called stomata to allow for gas exchange required for photosynthesis.Chromoplasts: These colorful plastids are responsible for cartenoid pigment production and storage. Carotenoids produce red, yellow, and orange pigments. Chromoplasts are primarily located in ripened fruit, flowers, roots, and leaves of angiosperms. They are responsible for tissue coloration in plants, which serves to attract pollinators. Some chloroplasts found in unripened fruit convert to chromoplasts as the fruit matures. This change of color from green to a carotenoid color indicates that the fruit is ripe. Leaf color change in fall is due to loss of the green pigment chlorophyll, whi ch reveals the underlying carotenoid coloration of the leaves. Amyloplasts can also be converted to chromoplasts by first transitioning to amylochromoplasts (plastids containing starch and carotenoids) and then to chromoplasts.Gerontoplasts: These plastids develop from the degradation of chloroplasts, which occurs when plant cells die. In the process, chlorophyll is broken down in chloroplasts leaving only cartotenoid pigments in the resulting gerontoplast cells.Leucoplasts: These plastids lack color and function to store nutrients. Leucoplast Plastids This false-color transmission electron micrograph shows an amyloplast (large central body), a starch- containing plastid, found in a cell from the root cap of an onion. Amyloplasts contain large quantities of starch (blue globules). Dr. Jeremy Burgess/Science Photo Library/Getty Images Leucoplasts are typically found in tissues that dont undergo photosynthesis, such as roots and seeds. Types of leucoplasts include: Amyloplasts: These leucoplasts convert glucose to starch for storage. The starch is stored as granules in amyloplasts of tubers, seeds, stems, and fruit. The dense starch grains cause amyloplasts to sediment in plant tissue in response to gravity. This induces growth in a downward direction. Amyloplasts also synthesize transitory starch. This type of starch is stored temporarily in chloroplasts to be broken down and used for energy at night when photosynthesis does not occur. Transitory starch is found primarily in tissues where photosynthesis occurs, such as leaves.Elaioplasts: These leucoplasts synthesize fatty acids and store oils in lipid-filled microcompartments called plastoglobuli. They are important to the proper development of pollen grains.Etioplasts: These light-deprived chloroplasts do not contain chlorophyll but have the precursor pigment for chlorophyll production. Once exposed to light, chlorophyll production occurs and etioplasts are converted to chloroplasts.Proteino plasts: Also called aleuroplasts, these leucoplasts store protein and are often found in seeds. Amyloplast Development This image shows starch grains (green) in the parenchyma of a Clematis sp. plant. Starch is synthesized from the carbohydrate sucrose, a sugar produced by the plant during photosynthesis, and used as a source of energy. It is stored as grains in structures called amyloplasts (yellow). Steve Gschmeissner/Science Photo Library/Getty Images Amyloplasts are responsible for all starch synthesis in plants. They are found in plant parenchyma tissue which composes the outer and inner layers of stems and roots; the middle layer of leaves; and the soft tissue in fruits. Amyloplasts develop from proplastids and divide by the process of binary fission. Maturing amyloplasts develop internal membranes which create compartments for the storage of starch. Starch is a polymer of glucose that exists in two forms: amylopectin and amylose. Starch granules are composed of both amylopectin and amylose molecules arranged in a highly organized fashion. The size and number of starch grains contained within amyloplasts varies based on the plant species. Some contain a single spherical shaped grain, while others contain multiple small grains. The size of the amyloplast itself depends on the amount of starch being stored. Sources Horner, H. T., et al. Amyloplast to Chromoplast Conversion in Developing Ornamental Tobacco Floral Nectaries Provides Sugar for Nectar and Antioxidants for Protection. American Journal of Botany 94.1 (2007). 12–24.Weise, Sean E., et al. The Role of Transitory Starch in C3, CAM, and C4 Metabolism and Opportunities for Engineering Leaf Starch Accumulation. Journal of Experimental Botany 62.9 (2011). 3109––3118., .