To Believe or Not to Believe, Modern Urban Legends

To Believe or Not To Believe Modern Urban Legends Many people have heard the tale of the dotty grandmother who tried to dry off her damp poodle by placing it in the microwave oven. The dog exploded, sad to say the least , and Grandma has never been quite the same since. The story is not true; it is an urban legend, circulating by word of mouth since the 1970s (Brunvand, 108). Urban legends are popular stories alleged to be true and transmitted from person to person by oral or written communication. Legends tend to arise spontaneously and are rarely traceable to a single point of origin. They spread primarily from individual to individual through various communication, and only in atypical cases through mass media or other†¦show more content†¦Anyone can brush off a story from a complete stranger, but it is harder to ignore someone who is trusted. Why would they lie? In many cases, this trust runs so deep that a person will insist that an urban legend actually occurred, even when confronted with evidence to the contrary. M ost people do not investigate every piece of information they hear. As humans they need to trust people for their own comfort. Psychologically, we need to trust people...and if you trust somebody, youll believe almost anything that person tells you (Harris, 4). Some people find particular urban legends believable because they help to substantiate their personal worldview. Humans are prone to accepting stories that do not directly contradict their personal experiences as being true because they have an underlying need to increase their understanding of the world. In the areas where formal methods of information have been lacking, people rely on informal methods like oral stories to educate them about the world. Legends are also more likely to be believed if they are heard from an authoritative source. (Harris, 4) The reason for this is once again due to a trust between the reader and the source. People generally believe the stories they read in a newspaper or magazine because they tr ust the credibility. An example that surfaces year after year is the persistence of Halloween stories. There are noShow MoreRelated To Believe or Not to Believe, Modern Urban Legends Essay1485 Words   |  6 Pages To Believe or Not To Believe Modern Urban Legends nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Many people have heard the tale of the dotty grandmother who tried to dry off her damp poodle by placing it in the microwave oven. The dog exploded, sad to say the least , and Grandma has never been quite the same since. The story is not true; it is an urban legend, circulating by word of mouth since the 1970s (Brunvand, 108). Urban legends are popular stories alleged to be true and transmitted from person to personRead More The Impact of Urban Legends Throughout History and Around the World1737 Words   |  7 PagesThe Impact of Urban Legends Throughout History and Around the World Urban legends have always intrigued me. I am unsure if it is the scare factor that intrigues me, the way in which some of them are told, or some of the lessons that are supposed to be taken from them but one thing I know for sure is that I do not stand alone in this belief. In fact urban legends are told all over the world, even in countries that many have never heard of before. Many people of all backgrounds find them toRead MoreUrban Legends Essay1537 Words   |  7 PagesJordan Groll American Society: Urban Legends in the Classroom What is it about America that causes students and people to crave an education? Could it be the intense pressures of society, or could it even be the simple fact that we want to educate ourselves? 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Lakers Basketball Franchise - 818 Words

Have you ever wondered where the dominating Lakers basketball franchise first started? Well this paper will explain where it all began. It will tell you about some of the great players who played for the Lakers and also about the championships that they have won. The now Los Angeles Lakers began in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1947. During that same year of 1947, the Lakers acquired one of the top centers in the league at the time, George Mikan (â€Å"History† para. 1). Before Mikan played for the Lakers he played for the Chicago Gears where he earned sixty thousand dollars per year, which was the most of any player at the time (Rainbolt page. 12). George Mikan, a six -ten man, played four years of college basketball at the University of DePaul (â€Å"History† para. 2). Because his previous team was terminated due to low attendance at games, he was placed with the Minnesota Lakers (â€Å"History† para. 3).Surprisingly, George Mikan was the NBA’s first superstar by leading the Lakers to five world championships (Rainbolt page. 10). Growing up, Mikan had poor eyesight and was required to wear strong glasses while playing basketball (Rainbolt page. 10). However, the Lakers were a decent team even without the six ten gia nt. The coach of the team was John Kundla, who also coached at the University of Minnesota (â€Å"History† para. 4). In the 1947 season, the Lakers won their division by thirteen games over the second placed team (â€Å"History† para. 5). In the 1948 BAA finals, the Lakers faced theShow MoreRelatedSample Resume : Obtaining Funding For A Sports And Entertainment Organization834 Words   |  4 Pagesanalysis on five (5) various fundraising methods that can be used in order to obtain funding for a sports or entertainment organization. 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The Great City of Calicut Free Essays

The Great City of Calicut Located on the Malabar (southwestern) Coast of India was its port city of Calicut. Calicut, Kozhikode, was the capitol of a state which served as an important, if not the most important, state in the region in which it lay. Although Calicut lay on the coast, there was no place along its shore deep enough for ships to anchor. We will write a custom essay sample on The Great City of Calicut or any similar topic only for you Order Now Still, as early as the fourteenth century, Calicut conducted a considerable amount of trade. According to the primary sources of Ibn Battuta, Ma Huan, and an annonymous crew member of Vasco da Gama’ s, Calicut flourished as a center of trade because of their resources and trade systems, among other factors, making lasting impressions on these and other foreign visitors. In the account recorded in the Roteiro (Logbook), of Vasco da Gama’s anonymous crew member, various resources of Calicut were given. Calicut was a supplier and producer of several desired spices, including ginger, pepper, and the cinnamon-like spice, cassia. By the fifteenth century, Calicut had established a system for cultivating pepper. Among spices that were brought to Calicut and traded with other countries were cloves from the island of Melqua and true cinnamon from Cillion. In addition to their natural resources, the people of Calicut created and sold silk. Once the silk was acquired from the silkworm, it was boiled, dyed, then weaved into kerchiefs. Not only was Calicut admired for their resources, but Calicut established trade regulations among foreign countries that was both respected and appreciated. For example, Moroccan traveler-ambassador Ibn Battuta chronicled in his ribla (around 1356), book of travels, that when a ship wrecked along the Malabar Coast, all items from the ship were taken to the treasury. However, in Calicut, the owner of the wreckage was permitted to recollect his items. Merchants appreciated this, thus attracting further business. This policy was strategic of Calicut in that although they did not gain an immediate profit from the wrecked ships, long-term, trade efficiency increased, ultimately benefitting Calicut even more. In Chinese Muslim Ma Huan’s book, The Overall Survey of the Ocean’s Shores, published in 1451, he gives a detailed description of Calicut’s trading process. Once a vessel arrived in Calicut, two chiefs were appointed to it to oversee transactions. The king of Calicut sends a chief, an accountant, and a broker to inspect the accountant books. After a date is chosen to fix prices, the price of each good brought to trade to Calicut is fixed, a description, much like a receipt, is given to both parties. Next, the chief, the accountant, and the commander of the visiting ship all shake hands and agree to never retract or change the price fixed for the goods. Then the accountant and wealthy men bring riches to be assessed and priced. This process takes between one and three days. This description shows that because Calicut had such a high volume of trade, a system was developed and practiced to a â€Å"T† in order to maintain trade efficiency. This also assured that no one was cheated out of goods/money. According to the accounts of the above travelers, the development of Calicut was aided in part by their natural resources and trading systems and regulations. Chief among other factors as to why Calicut was so significant is that it served as a trading route, allowing duties to be paid to the Sultan. However, during these times, the state of Calicut was in religious divide. The king and the people were Hindu, while the chiefs were Muslim. Although the two religions respected each other, this divide may have been seen as weakness among foreigners, which may have ultimately contributed to the decline of Calicut. How to cite The Great City of Calicut, Essay examples

Galileo Europes Global Navigation Satellite System free essay sample

A study on the European global navigation satellite system, Galileo. This paper examines the development of Europes own global navigation satellite system, Galileo. It describes the cost and technology involved in the project. The author writes many industries will also benefit from the launching of the system, but perhaps the greatest benefits of the program rely in the residual effects, as the program creates more jobs, and the European economy will improve as a result of it. Table of Contents Purpose and Mission Costs, Sources of Funding Operational Data: Launch Timeline Outlook: The Future of Galileo Agriculture and Fisheries Science and Engineering Transportation Benefactors of Galileo `Galileo is a global navigation satellite system which has been a project supported and funded by a consortium between the European Commission and the European Space Agency. European independence is the primary factor in the development of Galileo, prior to the development of Galileo Europeans had no other option but to take positions from the satellites of foreign countries. We will write a custom essay sample on Galileo: Europes Global Navigation Satellite System or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page There are a total of 15 countries working in consortium on this project either directly or indirectly.`