Articles written by Martin Reftorr

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About me - Martin Reftorr

Greetings to all other "citizen journalists", as Helium likes to call us writers. I am a college student who, of course (since I have found this site), has a passion for writing of all types, prose or verse. As for finding a suitable environment with others

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Sports & Recreation > Golf Should Alexis Thompson (age 12) be allowed to participate in golf's US Open tournament?: 2 of 9
Of course Thompson should be allowed to participate in the Open if she wishes to. Age should make no difference on entry to a sporting event or competition ever: it is the player's skill rather than her age that determine her eligibility for the event. And if she qualified, which she did at the Country Club at Heathrow, she o... More..
Arts & Humanities > 19th Century US History Assessing Jacksonian Democracy: 1 of 4
In the so-called "Revolution of 1828", Andrew Jackson became president and the common people thus gained a voice in government. This type of "bloodless revolution" accurately described the quick and easy change in government, and the new views ushered in with the Jacksonian Democrats. This new political party prided themselve... More..
Arts & Humanities > Colonial & Early American History Articles of Confederation: 1 of 4
After winning their independence in 1781 from the British Empire, the American colonies gained the full power to govern themselves. Although this self-governing theory seemed like a great idea, disputes arose on how the colonies would exactly govern themselves. People like the Federalists advocated a strong and centralized na... More..
Arts & Humanities > 19th Century US History The effectiveness of early Democratic reform movements: 1 of 3
In the era influenced by the development of Jacksonian democracy, a rise in the calls for democratic reforms also arose. Many of these reform movements stemmed from the Second Great Awakening, a time of religious and moral enlightenment. Most reforms emphasized sizeable progress toward a more democratic society, one focused o... More..
Entertainment > Music Genres, Trends & Scenes An introduction to Latin pop: 1 of 3
As an increasingly popular music style today, Latin pop (also known as "pop Latino" in Spanish) contains many elements that attract a wide range of supporters. While Latin pop draws upon characteristics of other Latin music styles such as the salsa and the tango, it also implements features from international brands of music.... More..
Politics, News & Issues > Baseball Should baseball get rid of the designated hitter rule?: 6 of 15
As baseball is usually recognized as the most conservative sport in the realm of popular sports, it has experienced very few changes to its set of rules in its storied history of about 150 years. One of the few changes was the institution of the designated hitter to the batting orders of American League teams in 1973. This id... More..
Entertainment > Music Genres, Trends & Scenes An introduction to Latin jazz: 2 of 4
As its name suggests, the style of Latin jazz resulted when Latin musical styles and classical jazz fused. More specifically, the rhythms and beats of the Afro-Cuban musical genre began being implemented into the improvisation and scales of jazz instrument players.This new Latin jazz style gained increasing popularity near th... More..
Arts & Humanities > American Literature Essay analysis: The Lure of Beauty, by H.L. Mencken: 1 of 2
"The Lure of Beauty" Throughout all of history where men and women have coexisted, attraction and superficial feelings occur between them. However, as criticized by H.L. Mencken in his essay "The Lure of Beauty", men constantly develop twisted views of beauty and women falsify their appearance to manipulative these perspectiv... More..
Entertainment > Movie Analysis Movie analysis: Pleasantville: 1 of 2
Pleasantville: The Human Condition In Pleasantville, much like in other literary works or films, Gary Ross employs the nature of contrasting settings to achieve a conclusion, in this case specifically a commentary on the human condition. Through the inclusion of the contrasts inherent in color vs. black-and-white, Ross define... More..
Arts & Humanities > American Authors Book reviews: The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne: 1 of 1
The Self-Absorption EpidemicRomantic characters often prove their author's belief that all people are capable of goodness. As all people have the capacity for goodness, they must also possess beliefs or views which initially hinder their morality and which they ultimately abandon to realize goodness. Many times, like in Natha... More..