Abstract
This paper describes how Mark Twain's short story, "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County," made him an overnight sensation in the American literary scene. The reviewer gives a brief plot summary of the story, yet focuses on why this particular work gave Twain such widespread recognition. Also included are critic's remarks about whether Twain actually intended this short story to be humorous. The reviewer concludes that it is quite obvious why "Calaveras" made readers take interest in Twain. Besides its humor and interest, it is an insightful tale about the people who lived in the West during that time period.

From the Paper
"In the story, Twain described a betting man by the name of Jim Smiley (a unique name in itself) and his leaping frog. "He'd give him a little punch behind," Twain wrote, "and the next minute you'd see that frog whirling in the air like a doughnut--see him turn one summerset, or maybe a couple, if he got a good start, and come down flat footed and all right, like a cat." Smiley bet on anything he could, similar to unfortunate gambling addicts today."

Tags:Mark, Twain, The, Celebrated, Jumping, Frog, of, Calaveras, County, American, literature, humor, satire

Abstract
This paper takes a look at the book 'Celebrated Cases of Judge Dee', translated from Chinese to English by Robert Van Gulik. The paper discusses Judge Dee's unquenchable thirst for finding the truth, when solving legal cases. The paper further discusses how the Judge Dee novels are grounded in large societal ethical hermeneutic of Confucian and Taoist morals, where finding the truth is a sacred duty of Judge Dee's office and great dishonor would fall upon the head of any judge who accidentally condemns an innocent man.

From the Paper
"There are some features of Dee's detection are similar to modern police work, and do not cause a non-Confucian reader to raise an eyebrow. Dee deploys psychological insight and observation to come to the root of a mystery, noting that, good Confucian he is, he has studied carefully the ancient handbooks of detection, which values the importance of knowing the character, daily life and habits of the victim and that personality supplies the clues to solve the crime. Know a person's ethics, and know the man or woman. Know the person's place in society, and know how they 'should' behave. Having an upright character is also an essential component to being a good, that is, an ethical Confucian, and defects in character must be scrutinized and used as clues, as they leave a person open to the danger of becoming a victim."

Tags:Confucian, Taoist, hierarchy, social, status, morality, district, magistrate

Abstract
This three-page undergraduate paper focuses on the Independence Day celebrations in different parts of the world. The celebrations feature military parades and lively music but in some countries things like fairs and adorning the exterior of houses are also essential parts of the festivities.

From the Paper
" This study will examine Tang Dynasty law and courtroom procedures, focusing on the use of torture as a legal tactic, as described in Celebrated Cases of Judge Dee, translated by Robert Van Gulik. Van Gulik, translating this work in 1949, takes an extraordinarily understanding attitude toward his subject, which would seem to call more for horror. The Tang system of justice held that the defendant could not be found guilty without confessing, and if he would not confess, then he had to be tortured until he confessed. In fact, from the moment the defendant enters the courtroom, he has to kneel down on the bare floor in front of the bench, and remain this way for the duration of the case. Everything is calculated to impress the defendant with his own insignificance (xviii)."

Tags:CHINA

Abstract
In this article, the writer discusses the advantages and disadvantages of celebrating New Year's Eve. The writer maintains that celebrating New Years with a family or friends is a great way to remember the New Year, different cultures have different ways to celebrate the holiday, but New Year parties with alcohol involved should be carefully planned or otherwise the disadvantages of celebrating New Year are injuries and deaths. The writer argues that celebrating New Years have both pros and cons, which means that people should carefully consider their plans for the New Year's celebrations.

From the Paper
"A recent report from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administrations reports the number of deaths that occur from 6:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. as over 135. This is one reason that people should not celebrate New Year's Eve if they plan to use alcohol at their parties or even at different night clubs."

Tags:family, celebrations, drinking

Abstract
This paper examines the relationship between the paparazzi (journalistic photographers) and celebrities, which has been bought into the spotlight by the death of Princess Diana in a car crash trying to escape from them. It evaluates the lack of clear cut boundaries when it comes to the paparazzi and their rights and proposes a new law to be enacted that will restrict the photographing of the famous to public events or events that the paparazzi is invited to by the star in question. Anything outside of those boundaries should be considered a crime. It reviews several famous court cases on the topic of invasion of privacy of celebrities and argues that celebrities should not have to give up their right to basic privacy simply by becoming famous.

From the Paper
"For many years the press and the famous were friends. The press attended openings of films, causes that were important to the stars, and other events in which the public had an interest, and the celebrity benefited from their presence. It began to change several decades ago when the press began to invade the private lives of the celebrities that they covered. Over the years there have been several famous court cases in which the celebrity has asked for relief from such stalking and harassment from the press."

Tags:Princess, Diana, celebrities

Abstract
This paper considers the ways in which celebrity culture has played a role in the marketing of luxury fashion products as a luxury experience. The paper begins with a brief history of conventional advertising and discusses the psychological, social, economic, and technological aspects of our culture and looks at how marketing has affected the ways in which brands are advertised using celebrities as endorsers.

From the Paper
"The struggle to make a good impression and foster customer loyalty toward a product has been part of marketing and advertising history since before the turn of the twentieth century in Europe and the United States. After the Industrial Revolution took hold in Western Europe and the United States during the nineteenth century, more and more mass-produced goods were manufactured and bought by customers who, in previous years, might have made their own goods or gone without. A focus on capturing a customer's attention and desire with advertising practices went..."

Tags:luxury, experience, celebrity

Abstract
The paper studies the use of celebrities in marketing communications. This includes the origins, rationale, advantages and disadvantages. The paper discusses the methods of gauging the effectiveness of celebrities in marketing communications.

From the Paper
"The use of celebrities in marketing is as old as marketing itself, at least in the organized mass-communications sense. Picture histories of advertising show that as soon as true advertising campaigns emerged from the background of storefront signs and the equivalent of classified ads in the th century they began using the images and endorsements of actors and actress sports stars and other public figures who in modern terms we would describe as celebrities."

Tags:celebrities, marketing, communications, advertising, advantages, disadvantages, effectiveness

Abstract
An expository essay which discusses celebrities who make political statements. The focus is on film actor George Clooney and his comments on U.S. foreign policy. The paper discusses his outspoken political activism and critically examines his credentials.

From the Paper
"The burning question; is George Clooney a political expert and if so when did he gain the credentials to be an authoritative commentator on the foreign policy of the U.S.? Clooney is entitled to his views but as a film star, his real expertise is in making entertainment and not in making foreign policy."

Tags:expository essay, celebrity, political, George Clooney, actor, citizen

Abstract
This paper explores the various reasons many celebrities and athletes develop eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia. The writer of this paper contends that although the causes for anorexia and bulimia are the same for celebrities as everyone else, celebrities are more prone to eating disorders due to intense pressure from the media to aspire to "perfection." The public's attitude towards female celebrities is defined by the media, which puts enormous pressure on celebrities to achieve and maintain an unattainable look. This paper examines the eating disorders of several celebrities including Paula Abdul, Karen Carpenter and Calista Flockhart. This paper also contains a brief yet concise overview of anorexia and bulimia, which includes the symptoms, causes and treatments for these disorders.

From the Paper
"Denial is a large part of any neurosis. By emphasizing Ally McBeal's attitude towards an obvious weight problem, the network belittles the problem, and in effect says it is cool to extremely skinny all this talk of Anorexia and Bulimia is silly. One of the problems for Paula Abdul was peer pressure and poor role models. Abdul fit the mold for eating disorders. She was a portly young girl who loved ballet and wished to look like her peers. The exact cause of anorexia varies in different patients. There are many factors to take into consideration. "A number of factors, including cultural and family pressures, chemical imbalances, and emotional and personality disorders collaborate to produce both anorexia and bulimia, although each disorder is determined by different combinations of these influences. "

Tags:media, perception, society, pressure, calista, flockhart, paula, abdul