My Lai 4 A Book Report Essays - My Lai Massacre, William Calley

My Lai 4: A Book Report On March 16, 1968, "Charlie Company" was sent into a small Viet Cong village called (by the U.S.) My Lai 4. Their instructions by commanding officers were: "... kill every man, woman, child and animal in the village. Burn all the homes .... nothing should be walking, growing or crawling." Orders were followed, and as I read the first 65 pages of this book, I was exposed to the detailed death of 306 civilians, mostly women, small children, and old people. There was no threat to any American GIs ... there were no Viet Cong Solders in the area. I read of the rape of a 14 year old girl by twenty GIs ... in front of the parents. They were all shot after the GIs were "done with their business." This was only one of many. Most of the murders were conducted, BY ORDER OF OFFICERS, to round-up the families from their homes, forced into ditches, and shot. Women dove to cover their children. Later, children just old enough to walk crawled out from under their mutilated mothers' bodies, only to be shot as target practice by the GIs. It is later estimated that approximately 500 civilians were murdered, and (probably) no VC were in the area. I could go into detail about the killing. However, most of the book was devoted to the time before the massacre, and afterward. The officers and GIs of "Charlie Company" were introduced in the beginning of the book: the officers had been social outcasts all their life (LT. Calley Both had decided to devote their life to the military. The GIs were selected for "Charlie Company" specifically because they had all scored too low on the initial exam to be put into a regular battalions. After the massacre, nothing was done. As a matter of fact, "Charlie Company" was praised for having the "most kills" in one day. By late 1969, most of the GIs in Charlie Company were civilians again, and a few began to tell what they had seen (and participated in). A Government Investigation was called against Lt. Calley (who ordered, and participated in the murders). Some of the photographs from the massacre were published. You wouldn't believe what the civilian response was! The overwhelming public response was to drop the charges; they thought that there was nothing wrong with the massacre, OR they didn't believe it really happened. As a matter of fact, Lt. Calley had become a hero as an AMERICAN! There was a hugely- supported donation drive to pay for Calley's legal fees. The final outcome: nothing. Calley was demoted to a Army "Office Job" after the murders were proved. The soldiers of Charlie Company went on with life, most of whom are/were suffering mental disorders from the scaring event. Calley's officer above him (who REALLY gave the initial orders) was never investigated, though it was proven that he also participated in the massacre. The author, Seymour M. Hersh, wrote (I read that book 3 years ago), which is credited with having a major influence on this country's decision to stop production of biological weapons. Mr. Hersh began his journalism career as a police reporter for the city news bureau in Chicago, and later covered the Pentagon for the Associated Press. Mr. Hersh was press secretary for the Senator Eugene McCarthy early in his campaign for Democratic Presidential nomination. He won a special George Polk Memorial Award in February, 1970, and the Worth Bengham Prize in March, 1970, for his reporting on the My Lai 4 massacre. He is married and lives in Washington, D.C. As I have read 2 books by this man, I feel that he provides some really good, controversial information. He has obviously done a lot of studying. From the information I could find on him, I cannot determine if he has had any past occurrences that motivated him to find out about atrocities of war. However, he may be like me .... and has a bit of compassion for others, and hates to see others hurt by unnecessary wars! In the preface of this book, Mr Hersh made a point to outline his sources. Everything

Free Essays on The Importance Of The Boston Tea Party

Alfred Young describes the Boston Tea Party as â€Å"the most revolutionary act of the decade.† Indeed it was a very revolutionary act of the decade and it is considered to be one of the most revolutionary acts ever. To some people, however, the Boston Tea Party was not â€Å"the most revolutionary act of the decade.† This paper will analyze the Boston Tea Party and compare the opinions of Alfred Young and the author of this paper. The Boston Tea Party is a popular name for what took place on December 16, 1773. On the evening of December 16, a group of Boston citizens, led by Samuel Adams and many of them disguised as Indians, boarded the ships that brought the tea from Britain and emptied the tea into Boston Harbor. Although most provisions of the Townshend Acts, taxing imports to the colonies, were repealed by Parliament, the duty on tea was retained to demonstrate the power of Parliament to tax the colonies. The citizens of Boston would not permit the unloading of three British ships that arrived in Boston Harbor loaded with tea. The royal governor of Massachusetts, Thomas Hutchinson, however, would not let the tea ships return to England until the taxes had been paid. When the government of Boston refused to pay for the tea, the British closed the port. British parliament had passed the Boston Port Act in March 1774, in order to punish Boston for the dumping of the tea in Boston Harbor. The Boston Port Act is one of many of the Intolerable Acts. Provisions of the bill included the closing of Boston Harbor to all other business until the tax was paid and stripping the power of the government of the Massachusetts Bay Colony from Boston to Salem and replacing the leader with a crown appointed governor. British soldiers occupied Boston to enforce the new laws, and the harbor was blockaded. The surrounding New England towns also suffered from this because they heavily relied on Boston’s port for their goods and supplies. Towns in New ... Free Essays on The Importance Of The Boston Tea Party Free Essays on The Importance Of The Boston Tea Party Alfred Young describes the Boston Tea Party as â€Å"the most revolutionary act of the decade.† Indeed it was a very revolutionary act of the decade and it is considered to be one of the most revolutionary acts ever. To some people, however, the Boston Tea Party was not â€Å"the most revolutionary act of the decade.† This paper will analyze the Boston Tea Party and compare the opinions of Alfred Young and the author of this paper. The Boston Tea Party is a popular name for what took place on December 16, 1773. On the evening of December 16, a group of Boston citizens, led by Samuel Adams and many of them disguised as Indians, boarded the ships that brought the tea from Britain and emptied the tea into Boston Harbor. Although most provisions of the Townshend Acts, taxing imports to the colonies, were repealed by Parliament, the duty on tea was retained to demonstrate the power of Parliament to tax the colonies. The citizens of Boston would not permit the unloading of three British ships that arrived in Boston Harbor loaded with tea. The royal governor of Massachusetts, Thomas Hutchinson, however, would not let the tea ships return to England until the taxes had been paid. When the government of Boston refused to pay for the tea, the British closed the port. British parliament had passed the Boston Port Act in March 1774, in order to punish Boston for the dumping of the tea in Boston Harbor. The Boston Port Act is one of many of the Intolerable Acts. Provisions of the bill included the closing of Boston Harbor to all other business until the tax was paid and stripping the power of the government of the Massachusetts Bay Colony from Boston to Salem and replacing the leader with a crown appointed governor. British soldiers occupied Boston to enforce the new laws, and the harbor was blockaded. The surrounding New England towns also suffered from this because they heavily relied on Boston’s port for their goods and supplies. Towns in New ...

Role of Family System And Business In Family Business Sustainability Essay

Role of Family System And Business In Family Business Sustainability - Essay Example the family system’s contribution to business enhancement include financial management practices, family functioning style, additional family income, and subjective measures such as functional integrity of the family, satisfaction with the family’s quality of life, and success in achieving the most important family goal. Similarly, other criteria related to family systems that help to improve business processes are reducing family tensions, living in a multi-generation family, undergoing sleep deprivation for devoting additional time to the business, hiring temporary help during hectic periods are other factors that will be taken into consideration to examine their impacts on business revenue. Olson, Zuiker, Danes, et al (2003) state that the family has a greater effect on the business than the business has on the family. The Family Business Research Group developed the Sustainable Family Business (SFB) model which equally recognizes the family and the business, and the dynamics between the two factors in achieving sustainability for both, state Heck, Jasper, Stafford et al (2000). The SFB model of empirical research portrays business system success as a systemic phenomenon. It includes research on several areas including â€Å"business performance, business strategy, subjective measures of business success and effects of the family on business performance† (Olson et al 2003, p.645). The research results will indicate the impact on business success by business characteristics, business owner attributes, and distinguishing features of the family system. Review of Literature The family system performs a â€Å"key integrating role for the business and at the same time meets the needs of the family† (Fletcher 2002, p.11). In this dynamic relationship, the family goals... This report stresses that Family and business are the two subsystems with their inherent and distinctive needs, â€Å"role requirements, rules, values and cultures†. Both subsystems are crucial in determining the extent to which sustainability of family business is achieved. Family types have been identified by characteristics including how a family communicates, resolves conflict and organizes itself, style of leadership and decision-making, and importance of traditions and values†. This paper makes a conclusion that the family system performs a â€Å"key integrating role for the business and at the same time meets the needs of the family†. In this dynamic relationship, the family goals are the most important, and influence business and family decisions. There may be a conflict when a family member’s behaviour calls for firing the person from the business system, yet the person continues to be accepted by the family system. Few family businesses consider firing a child, or other relative. Within family and business systems, individuals have different roles with specific expectations for behaviour. Thus, a child taught in the family system not to argue with the father, may have difficulty in expressing conflicting viewpoints in the business system when as a manager the individual is required to deal with the parent. â€Å"The confusion of roles such as parent/ founder/ owner/ child/ manager/ owner/ non-operating family member/ sibling, and the carryover of roles from one system to the other† are considered as critical sources of tension in the family business.

Jerusalem Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 2

Jerusalem - Movie Review Example Understanding the significance of the history of Jerusalem also creates a deeper understanding of the rooted conflicts and beliefs in religion that are a part of Israel today. The main concept which Jennings approaches when looking at Jerusalem is to identify the 4000 years of history that have been identified through the area. The approach which is taken comes in three segments, each which have an exclusive interview with a Christian, Jewish and Muslim family living in Jerusalem. As Jennings’ traces their history, there is a deeper sense of what has occurred during this time frame through the interviews. More important, there is the ability to create a deeper sense of how religion has affected the region, families and those that hold to specific beliefs in Jerusalem. The facts that Jennings’ provides are brief because of the context and main concept of the news story. The division of stories into 15 minute segments as well as the brief ideologies that are stated before these show a different understanding of the history. However, this is limited to the interviews as well as the main ideologies linked to one aspect of the religion. While the viewer is able to have a brief overview, the inability to tap into 4000 years of history with all the factual information leaves several gaps for those that are interested in the portrayal of Jerusalem. This also limits the historical components that are a part of the series, specifically by identifying one part of Jerusalem through exclusive interviews and brief concepts associated with the building of different religions in the holy land. While there is only a brief overview of what has occurred, there is a balance with the different religions. The report includes different backgrounds and practices that are within Jerusalem. For instance, when speaking with the Muslim family, there is history that is traced back for eight centuries. The generations which are traced back link

Protecting Your Child from Internet Pornography t Research Paper

Protecting Your Child from Internet Pornography - Research Paper Example According to Goessl, one merit of the internet is that it has increased the ease of access to information and news worldwide. With just a click, one can get access to news happening all over the world. One is also able to read newspapers from other countries online. In most cases, the publication of news on the internet is faster than on major media networks. In June 2009 for instance, the government enforced a ban on foreign media in the aftermath of the Iranian election. Through Twitter, however, news of street protests was able to get to the rest of the world. Actually, people were able to upload a video of one protester that the police had shot on you-tube (2). The internet has also positively contributed to the cementing of networking among individuals quickly and efficiently. In the wake of the 1995 Kobe earthquake in Japan, for example, the internet proved very useful in rallying volunteers to assist in evacuations (Nomura, 2). More recently, during the devastating earthquake in Haiti, charity organizations were able to help the victims by giving their contributions online. Additionally, Haitians in the Diaspora were also able to look for missing family members by submitting their names online and waiting for feedback from people on the ground. The internet has also been invaluable to companies and individuals who conduct business. They are able to advertise and sell their products online. A good example is that of the Google search engine, one of the world’s largest companies. Google has optimized the searches that people carry out by matching their searches with corporations that vend similar products. They do this using ad words and when one clicks on any of the adverts, the companies pay Google for that (Historyofthings.com, para8).

Forrest Gump: Marxist and Feminist Analysis

Forrest Gump: Marxist and Feminist Analysis In the 1990s, Paramount Studio produced some box-office hits and one of which, Forrest Gump, is a huge triumph that won the Oscar for Best Picture for 1994 and gained over $677 million dollars of box office throughout the world. The film is based upon the novel by Winston groom and directed by Robert Zemeckis; it portrays the leading role Forrest Gump (played by Tom Hanks), who is a normal American guy, with an IQ of 75 so called as idiot, but successfully getting through his bittersweet childhood, brilliant football career at collage, and brave performance in the army as well as a fortune in his shrimping business. Forrests story truly inspires the entire American with his significant achievements and positive attitudes towards life; in addition, the film reveals a history of America over the past decades in which take numerous historic events, representing the eventual American dream in a land of opportunity. Forrest Gump is wholly masculine film and Forrest Gump is no doubt the protagonist, two important females, his mother Mrs. Gump and his best girl friend ever Jenny, however do present their thoughtful images in the film, making a great impact on Forrests interior world and life. Accordingly, this article would like to concentrate on the above-mentioned women and explore how they influence Forrest with their unique characters and values. Furthermore, a deeper level of examination linked to patriarchal myths and values in social context will be also proposed to demonstrate the status of the 1990s American society. With the intention of arguing these points, some film theories should be certainly applied to the narrative in Forrest Gump. It has been predominant since the 1970s that film critics and scholars have turned from semiotics to psychoanalytical notions that been broadly utilized into the film analysis. Consequently, it is crucial indeed to employ these methods into this article, theoretically addressing feminist debates in terms of the texts in Forrest Gump. Furthermore, it can see through how the hegemony is constructed in a patriarchal society in relation to feminism by the analysis within Marxism discourse. Representations of Women in Forrest Gump The two females are depicted in the film: one is Forrests mother Mrs. Gump (by Sally Field), who makes great contribution to Forrests life; the other one is Jenny Curran (by Robin Wright), as Forrest says about her: she was my most special friend, my only friend. In general, these two females can be identified as stereotypical representations of women with their social, cultural and sexual definition, extremely influencing Forrest into another representation of men in a patriarchal society as Hollows, Hutchings and Jancovich (2000, P230.) states that It is a historical fact that women have formed an important part of the audience for commercial entertainment films. Mrs. Gump appears to be a single mother of Forrest. According to how Forrest values his mum, she is a very smart lady, responsible, brave, and independent. She is good at managing her property inherited from her family, renting all the empty rooms to make a living. Regardless Forrests low IQ, Mrs. Gump still insists on her sons attending public school rather than a special school as she says that my boy Forrest is going to get the same opportunities as everyone else; She tells Forrest that stupid is as stupid does, encouraging Forrest growing up to a normal and confident person. On the other hand, she really understands that life is full of ups and downs, giving Forrest lessons such as life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what youre gonna get. To Forrest, Momma is always an excellent model he learns from. Even though she is dying, Mrs. Gump calmly says to her son its just my time Dont be afraid, death is just a part of life. Its something were all destined to do. I didn t know it, but I was destined to be your momma. I did best I could. Generally, the character of Mrs. Gump is a strong and independent female presence. However, her existence is more than for herself; viewing all the way through Forrests story, Mrs. Gump becomes a signifier of independence which can be seen as answering to male desires and anxieties. Claire Johnston (2000), one of the first film critics to recognize the film text as a semiotic sign system, develops Barthesian semiotic point of view into her feminist inventions that the woman exists as a structure in the text of classical Hollywood films:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Iconography as a specific kind of sign or cluster of signs based on certain conventions within the Hollywood genres has been partly responsible for the stereotyping of women within the commercial cinema in general, but the fact that there is a far greater differentiation of mens roles than of womens roles in the history of the cinema relates to sexist ideology itself, and the basic opposition which places man inside history, and woman as ahistoric and eternal. (2000: 23) In this respect, Mrs. Gump is a sign being considered as a structure or a convention. Whatever Forrest recalls his mother, for example, he always starts with words like Momma always said this or Momma always said that, which emphasis his mothers huge influence on him. The mothers amazing characteristics of perseverance, independence and kindness are taken by Forrest who can overcome any difficulties through his life. It proves a system of exchange in classical films that the representation of women as the ideological meaning is for men rather than women. Hence, as Cook and Johnston (1990) argues: The male protagonists castration fears, his search for self-knowledge all converge on woman: it is in her that he is finally faced with the recognition of lack. Woman is therefore the locus of emptiness: she is a sign which is defined negatively: something that is missing which must be located so that the narcissistic aim of the male protagonist can be achieved. Besides, Jenny presents her distinct aspect of the representation of women in Forrest Gump, who is depicted as an extremely confused character. She spends most of her life finding herself, always expecting that Dear God, make me a bird so I can fly far, far away from here. Young Jenny is abused by her drunken daddy and stays with Forrest just because she is scared of loneliness. After high school, they go to different colleges. In Forrests eyes, Jenny and he are just like peas and carrots since she friendly offers a seat on his first bus to school. However, the film mostly presents the dark, lonely and weak side of Jenny whom is totally unlike strong and independent Mrs. Gump; Jenny makes wrong decisions of being naked model for magazine, singing at a strip club and taking drugs when Forrest sets off his successful life; particularly, a couple of times she wants to suicide. No matter when and where, Forrest always attempts to rescue Jenny out of trouble through her journeys but ends up Jennys running away every time. Jenny is Forrests only love and he really does care about her, trying his best to protect her. Finally, they go together as what Forrest hopes when Jenny decides to settle down and marry Forrest. Mrs. Gump and Jenny play important roles with respect to Forrest but in completely different ways. The semiotic investigation into the myth of women in the film text clarifies the women as a structure and how they works as a signifier of ideology. Psychoanalysis Concepts and Spectatorship Issues Apart from theoretically examining the representation of women in Forrest Gump with the help of semiotics discourses, psychoanalytic theory is necessarily to be taken as a critical tool in order to clearly exemplify womens differences from men in terms of lack and castration as well as discuss spectatorship according to Hollywood classical cinema. According to Janet McCabe (2004), Psychoanalytic theory shifted from a semiotic concern with the text, to consider instead the unconscious processes involved in how the spectator is positioned in and through the film text (p.24). In this instance, Freuds and Lacans psychoanalytic approaches significantly contribute to feminist film analysis in terms of studying sexuality concerns within spectating practices. Drawing on Freudian theory regarding scopophilia, voyeurism and fetishism as well as Lacanian mirror phase, in her article Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema, Mulvey (1975) establishes her point of male gaze and demonstrates that film is structured according to male fantasies of voyeurism and fetishism. In Forrest Gump, the act of gaze employs a complex relationship between the characters, the audience and spectator. For example, during his childhood just before mum tries to enroll him to the public school, Forrest sits on a swing outside the house at night, hearing the principals grunts from inside the house. Forrest then grunts, imitating when the principal steps out, making him feel embarrassed. It is obvious that Mrs. Gump becomes an object for both the principal and her son to view, however, what reflect from them are varied: for the principal, she is an erotic impact and pleasurable looking; for her son, it seems his first time to recognize his mother does not own her penis but he previously assumes that she should have, so he thinks mothers one must have been castrated. The scene demonstrates Mulveys (1989) debate from a feminist perspective: it clearly conveys how male castration anxiety comes to be projected onto the female form, which is then appropriated as a fetish how w oman is represented adorned with phallic shapes (p 8). In addition, Forrests looking at Jenny throughout her journey displays Mulveys (2000) view of male gaze: woman plays a traditional exhibitionistic role her body is held up as a passive erotic object for the gaze of male spectators, so that they can project their fantasies on to her. For instance, Forrests sitting in the rain at night and staring at her kissing with a boy in the car make him in the position of passive voyeur; his another looking over Jennys breasts while she removes her bra in the dorm room presents Jenny herself as erotic spectacle for Forrest, then his active gaze renders her image into an object of sexual fantasy; before being sent to the War, Forrest comes to the night club, sitting in his seat in the same way as the spectator, watching Jenny and sharing with audience in the cinema his anxious gaze when she is topless, sitting on a stool and playing a guitar on the stage. All these Forrests looking over Jenny at his different occasions seemingly oscillates betwee n voyeurism and fetishistic fascination. Marxist Criticism and Cultural Studies Along with psychoanalytical, feminist and cultural criticism, Marxist criticism is an especial approach to expose a collection of hidden meanings in films rather than discussing representations of women or sexuality from a sociological perspective. According to Marxist theory, the film represents the Repressive State Apparatus as Forrest is going through his life: the assassination attempt on George Wallace, and the assassinations of John F. Kennedy and Robert Kennedy; the struggles over civil rights and the war in Vietnam. At this point, Lieutenant Dan (Gary Sinise) initially appears as a strong portrayal in the army with a long, great military tradition, but ends up losing his both legs in the war then being encouraged consistently by Forrests plain ideology, viewers thus see he eventually finds the real meaning of the life with his new mental legs, which convey a positive message towards the ideological issue that all the Americans wonder like Forrest Gump: whats my destiny? Regardless its nature of unspoken yet invisible, ideology generally defines the shared beliefs and values held by a culture, it therefore hugely influences upon the culture with its invisible power. To some extent, ideology forms the manners of people think and things look, which is so called hegemony. In the film, either Mrs. Gump positively disciplines Forrest that life is a box of chocolates or Jenny leaves him a negative advice that if youre ever in trouble, dont try to be brave Just run away, Forrest simply takes them at the unconscious level; nevertheless, running becomes his starting point to success and even leads a large group following behind him. Consequently, whatever the representation of women meaning to this male protagonist in the classical narrative cinema, or how he gains the fantasies of voyeurism and fetishism in light of psychoanalysis, it finally appears to viewers that Forrests story asserts possibility and hope even though difficulties, loneliness, and death, as he says that to put the past behind you and move on. Accordingly, behind the images on screen, Forrest Gump reflects positive values that Americans should hold; the main characters more or less, present these ideological state apparatuses in terms of Marxism criticism. The film not only entertains audience with erotic spectacle and pleasure, also offers its suggestion to audience with regard to the society and culture they are positioned. Marxism and feminism examine film studies individually; these discourses in fact have same desire to challenge the power structures in a patriarchal society. Meanwhile, both of them link to each other on the basis of psychoanalytic notions. Studying the main females of the film with feminism theory is certainly useful to explore the ways in which ideology has though been structured in the cultural context. Conclusion To sum up, Mrs. Gump and Jenny, the two females who relate to the protagonist Forrest Gump, have been mostly examined with the mechanism of feminist discourse in the article. By going through the feminism analysis with their representation and sexuality in the film text and ideological implication in terms of Marxism theory, we can conclude the film, as Comolli and Narboni (2000) state: on the one hand it is a particular product, on the other hand, as a result of being a material product of the system, it is also an ideological product of the system. References Comolli, J. and Narboni, P. (2000) Cinema/ideology/criticism[1971], in in Hollows, J., Hutchings, P. and Jancovich, M. (ed.) The Film Studies Reader. London: Arnold Presser. Cook, P and Johnston, C. (1990) The Place of Woman in the Cinema of Raoul Walsh[1974], in Patricia Erens (ed.) Issues in Feminist Film Criticism, Bloomington: Indiana University Press. Hollows, J., Hutchings P. and Jancovich, M. (2000), The Film Studies Reader.  London: Arnold Publisher. P 230. Johnston, C. (2000). Womens Cinema as counter-Cinema [1973], in E.A. Kaplan (ed.) Feminism and Film. Oxford: Oxford University Press, P22-23. McCabe, J. (2004). Feminist Film Studies: Writing the Woman into Cinema. London: Wallflower Press. P24. Mulvey, L. (1989). Fears, Fantasies and the Male Unconscious or You Dont Know What is Happening, Do You, Mr. Jones?' [1973], in Visual and Other Pleasures. Basingstoke: Macmillan. P8. Mulvey, L. (2000). Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema [1975], in Hollows, J., Hutchings, P. and Jancovich, M. (ed.) The Film Studies Reader. London: Arnold Presser. Dongjie Duan

The I&M Canal :: American America History

The I&M Canal "Didn't expect no town" -Early Chicago Settler Mark Beaubien The I&M Canal is universally considered the driving force behind the huge surge of growth that turned the tiny hamlet on the banks of Lake Michigan named Chicago, in to a huge metropolis and bustling center of trade. Ever since Joliet first crossed the portage between the Chicago river and the Des Plaines river in 1673, explorers, investors, politicians, and farmers alike all agreed that constructing a canal across the continental divide that separated the two largest water systems in the United States would not only create a continuous waterway between New York and New Orleans but more importantly, place Chicago on perhaps the most valuable piece of real estate in North America and in the position to become an international player almost overnight. The plans to build the Illinois & Michigan canal began in the newly christened Illinois legislature in 1818. It was driven forward by groundbreaking on work to construct the Erie Canal in New York. Once the Erie Canal was complete only a canal between the Des Plaines and Chicago rivers would be necessary to complete the chain of waterways connecting New York to New Orleans. In 1822, Congress ceded to Illinois a large portion of land on which to not only build the canal, but to sell to raise funds for its construction. The land contained the portage between the two rivers and about 100 miles of land to the south and west of it. It had just recently been coercively and dishonestly purchased from the local Blackhawk Indians in a treaty that ended the Blackhawk War. As soon as the Erie Canal was completed in 1825, eastern investors quickly realized Chicago's huge potential. The land around what would one day be the canal soon became heavily coveted by land speculators. They envisioned a huge city rising around this soon-to-be hub of international trade. Pieces of land offered by the state were bought dirt cheap and sold for many times their original value as investors braced for what they hoped would be a huge windfall after the canal was completed. Many men made fortunes that would last them a lifetime in a matter of months by buying land from the state and then reselling it months and sometimes weeks or days later for up too 5000% profit. After years of planning, ground was broke for the first time on the Illinois & Michigan canal in 1836.

 How Does Eating Healthy Affect Your Life? Essay

You already know healthy eating can have a positive impact on your life, but just how far do these benefits extend? Evidence suggests regularly eating healthy, well-balanced meals contributes to sustained weight maintenance, a better mood, increased energy levels, positive inspiration to others and the potential for a heightened quality of life. Weight Maintenance Following a healthy eating plan — one which emphasizes many fruits and vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy products and lean proteins, as well as low levels of saturated and trans fats and low cholesterol, sodium and sugar — contributes to weight maintenance. Staying within your recommended daily calorie intake and eating moderately sized meals also helps you maintain a healthy weight throughout your life. A healthy weight is linked to a reduced risk of many debilitating, chronic diseases, such as diabetes and heart disease, as well as improved self-esteem and mental state. Maintaining a healthy weight is also linked to a lower incidence of depression, meaning healthy eating can help significantly improve the quality of your life. Mood Healthy eating can have a positive impact on your life by leading to a more sustained elevated mood. According to Susan Biali, M.D., in â€Å"Psychology Today,† a healthy lifestyle — including a regular, healthy breakfast, balancing your lean protein consumption with whole-grain carbohydrates, getting enough folate and omega-3 fatty acids and cutting back on alcohol and simple sugars — has been linked to an improved mood and may even help alleviate depression. Carbohydrates allow the amino acid tryptophan to enter the brain where it produces serotonin — the mood-enhancing neurotransmitter, but whole-grain carbohydrates produce a more lasting effect on mood, while carbohydrates made with refined grains, like white bread, cause a quick crash. Energy Eating the right nutritive foods can also boost your energy levels, making you prepared to face each day. Sports nutritionist Rebecca Scritchfield  noted in â€Å"Washington Running Report† in 2009 that adequate levels of the mineral iron, which carries oxygen throughout the body, contribute to sufficient energy levels. Healthy, leafy greens, like spinach, are rich sources of iron. â€Å"Arthritis Today† recommends steering clear of fattening, fried foods — which give you a quick burst of energy but leave you feeling depleted soon thereafter — and stocking up on healthy snacks like nuts, fruit, yogurt and low-fat cheese for an energy boost. Drinking enough water and only consuming moderate amounts of caffeine and sugar also help regulate your energy levels. Inspiring Others Eating healthy doesn’t just directly impact your own life, it can help inspire those around you as well. Healthy eating, and even weight loss, is contagious, according to the â€Å"International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity,† and you can help the people you care about take care of themselves and achieve greater longevity. While eating better and maintaining your own weight, you can feel confident you have not only worked to improve your life, but also improved the lives of your loved ones. When the people around you — be they friends or family — are happy and positive, this contributes to a better quality of life for all. Healthy Eating Why should I make healthy food choices? Eating a healthy, balanced diet provides nutrients to your body. These nutrients give you energy and keep your heart beating, your brain active, and your muscles working. Nutrients also help build and strengthen bones, muscles, and tendons and also regulate body processes, such as blood pressure. Good nutrition can lower your risk of developing a range of chronic diseases. For example, eating more fruit and vegetables can help lower blood pressure and may lower your risk of certain types of cancer (such as colorectal, breast, lung and prostate cancer). Eating less saturated fat may also lower your risk of heart disease. Healthy eating can also help people that already have some types of disease or illness such as diabetes, high cholesterol and blood pressure. And, of course, improving your eating habits will contribute to you achieving and maintaining a  healthy weight. Try to achieve a balance with the foods you eat and include lots of variety and remember, all things in moderatio n.

Fashion Trend Forecasting Research Paper Example

Fashion Trend Forecasting Research Paper Example Fashion Trend Forecasting Paper Fashion Trend Forecasting Paper The environmental protection is one of the main concerns world-wide and the textile and fashion industries also started to respond for the cause of earth through eco-friendly clothing. Eco friendly textiles include fabrics which are non-toxic, carbon-reducing, recyclable, energy saving and biodegradable. The consumers are also more concerned about the environment and there is an increase in consumption of green products but at the same time fashion and style plays a vital role in setting the trend. Eco-friendly fashion is all about making clothes that take environment into account and at the same time producing fashion goods for consumers. The reason for forecasting the eco friendly clothing trend is that there is a rising demand in eco-safe textiles and garments. Though there is continuous development in almost all the products our focus is more on the kids wear, eco green T-Shirts and denim wears. Many big brands like Levis, Kuyichi and Nudie had already started their campaign on producing eco friendly denims and there is a continuous development in doing the same more fashionable and stylish (www.wgsn-edu.com). Fashion Trend: The eco friendly clothing is still in the developing stage which is a Fringe in terms of fashion trend forecasting. As eco fashion is gaining more and more awareness among the society and people. My focus will be on Denim and Kids wear trends. : In general Organic cotton is used for most of the eco friendly clothing production. Based on Manmeet (2009) article about Organic clothing, there is an increase in demand for organic cotton market, which was about 3.5 billion USD in 2008, and estimated to increase to 4.5 billion USD by this year 2009 and reach 6.8 billion USD in 2010. These figures shows us the increasing importance in the use of organic cotton in the field of eco friendly clothing production. Denim: The eco-denim products are the point of focus for many denim brands and their designers and consumers who are looking for sustainable clothing and also with the blend of style and fashion (Helen, WGSN, 2008). As there are many brands going through the process it looks like a positive growth and this trend is not looking like a short term passing trend. President and designer at Earnest Sewn, Scott Morrison said: It is my sincere hope that eco-conscience fashion is much more than a trend, but that remains to be seen for a long time (www.wsgn-edu.com). The main reason behind this is that people understand the importance of organic, environment friendly products and their place in consumer market. For autumn/winter 2008/09 most denim wears goes back to 70s styles. Levis Red Tab look at 70s urban tribes also Wrangler returns to 1970s bootcuts, high waists and flares are black. The flare becomes main collection for the men and women. The main factors here is that, the Denims in this range of collection are 100% organic certified eco-jeans dyed using natural indigo dyes (Amy, WSGN, 2008). In Denim Dyeing process there are many eco-friendly dyed product tried in winter 2008 by Levi Strauss Europe. They have tried small range of organic cotton T-shirts with plant derived tones. Natural indigo blues obtained from several plant sources were used by European brands. This increased the demand of Blue Blood, Evisu, Kuyichi and Howies denim pants (H ROs, WGSN, 2008). There is clear evidence of the growing importance of natural dyes in the context of contemporary environmental concerns, which include biodiversity and renewable resources. Based on the swatch report by WGSN Denim team (2008) the main trend is forecasted for coming spring/summer 2009. This is based on European trade shows and it clearly says there is a strong focus on coloured weft with natural indigo shades in denims and in the case of styles the 70s style is going to influence the denim shades continuing from the last session. The new look for this session for denim is blends like cotton linen blends which give slubby rustic look and it is also experimented with alternative natural fibres. Then, the lighter weight denims trend up and there is a return of bonded denim jackets. Kids Wear: Environmentalism is the high priority and biggest concern for the parents of coming generation kids. As there is continuous change in environmental factors and hazards followed by the same, parents nowadays takes extra care over their kids in everything they do and what they wear and play with. The kids wear companies are taking extra care and effort to give the parents what they expect. Apart from apparels simply made from organic cotton, the companies use many a more substitute products and use alternative materials for supporting environment. Danish brand Katvig has introduced sustainable bamboo and soya into the kids range: for autumn/winter 2007/08, its a knitwear blend of soya/cashmere and for summer 2008, its organic socks and printed essentials which are made of super soft bamboo/cotton/lycra mix. It is pretty clear that, bamboo is an important trend setter during the year 2008 being a newly introduced product in these kids wears range (Tess, WSGN, 2007). During Spring/Summer 2008, Bubsquash was introduced. Bubsquash exhibited its range of organic baby wear at premier kids as a brand new thing which contains vegetable and fruit photo prints with humorous statements appearing on it. In this session there are some new additions in childrens loungewear, to include sophisticated, beautiful, and functional pieces that can be worn with ease and comfort. This will include hand-printed T-shirts, wide-leg drawstring pants, tunics and pullovers (H Tess, WSGN, 2007). Latest trends: BBCs Thread features some of this seasons hottest looks from colourful skinny jeans to eco cargo shorts, boho chic to urban and tribal prints to stripes. Proving that you dont have to be non-environmentally friendly to be chic and glamorous, the online magazine claims to bring its readers the latest in eco-fabulous style. For fashion-conscious females, wearing environmentally-friendly fashion no longer means looking hippy and it is possible to look stylish (www.bbc.co.uk). Future demands: Buyers are becoming increasingly aware of negative effects of pollution and textile related allergies. An extreme rise in acceptance of ecological products in textiles is registered at the buyers end. Mounting demand of eco-friendly products has led manufacturers to adopt eco-friendly products and this led to increase in importance of eco-labels. Oeko Tex standard 100 is one of the main institution bodies which test the textile harmful substance standards all over the world. It approves and gives eco-labels. Eco-labels which depicts the eco-friendliness of the textiles and garments are widely amicable by the buyers, certifying that this products dont include chemicals, which may be harmful to the wearer (Gautham, 2006). There are many researches undertaken and observations were made on trade fairs by Oeko Tex standards to know in detail, the awareness for the consumers about the sustainability and product quality while purchasing and the demand for those products in the global market. In the Heimtextil trade fair (2009), there is an instinct view on increase in sustainability and quality demands. The research on retail market and the important issues when buying clothing and textiles (Jorg, 2008) shows us, product quality and skin-friendliness for the wearer are closely placed with fashion and social consideration. Based on this we could say that, In future the buyer will consider eco friendly materials as well as fashion and style. So there would be increasing demand for these garments in future. Conclusion: The emerging trends in eco friendly clothing and garments are analysed and it is found there is an increase in environmental awareness and the buying behaviour according to the global change. The trend showed us that eco fashion is not only about hippie skirts and shorts but also with more number of fashion and styles. The denim wears and kids wear trends are taken into consideration for my research on trend. Based on, Media scan on trade and fashion shows and observing the experts research in eco friendly clothing I came up with short term trend changes in denim jeans, as we know through trend forecasters website WGSN, the 70s trends are returning to denim fashion but with the organic cotton as a material and dyed using natural indigo dyes. This trend continuous for the Spring/Summer 2009 and new look is coming in form of denim blends in this session. In case of kids wear, the usage of new fibres soya and bamboo is the recent emerging trend and at the same time it gives stylish look . Finally, this eco friendly garment is considered as more than a trend as there is continuous environmental awareness building in the consumers mind; this eco fashion would stay longer as a classic.

Ednah Dow Cheney, Transcendentalist and Social Reformer

Ednah Dow Cheney, Transcendentalist and Social Reformer Known for:  involved in abolition movement, freedman’s education movement, women’s movement, free religion; part of the second generation of Transcendentalists around Boston, she knew many of the well-known figures in those movements Occupation: writer, reformer, organizer, speakerDates:  June 27, 1824 – November 19, 1904Also known as: Ednah Dow Littlehale Cheney Ednah Dow Cheney Biography: Ednah Dow Littlehale was born in Boston in 1824. Her father, Sargent Littlehale, a businessman and Universalist, supported his daughter’s education at various girls’ schools. While liberal in politics and religion, Sargent Littlehale found the Unitarian minister Theodore Parker too radical religiously and politically.   Ednah took a job caring for and tutoring her youngest sister, Anna Walter,  and when she died, friends recommended that she consult the Rev. Parker in her grief. She began attending his church.   This brought her into association in the 1840s with many of the Transcendentalists, including Margaret Fuller and Elizabeth Palmer Peabody as well as Ralph Waldo Emerson and, of course, Theodore Parker and Bronson Alcott. She taught briefly at Alcott’s Temple School. She attended some of Margaret Fuller’s Conversations, meetings that discussed a variety of themes including Emerson’s thought. Through the Conversations, she got to know L ouisa May Alcott. Abby May,  Julia Ward Howe, and Lucy Stone were more  of her friends starting from this period of her life. She later wrote that I always consider that, from the age of twelve, Margaret Fuller and Theodore Parker were my education. Marriage Supporting coeducational training in art, she helped found the Boston School of Design in 1851. She married Seth Wells Cheney in 1853, and the two went to Europe after a tour of New England and the death of Seth Cheney’s mother. Their daughter, Margaret, was born in 1855, shortly after the family returned to the United States, staying in New Hampshire for the summer. By this time, her husband’s health was failing.   Seth Cheney died the next year; Ednah Cheney never remarried, returning to Boston and raising her daughter alone.   Seth Cheneys crayon portrait of Theodore Parker and his wife was given to the Public Library of Boston. Womens Rights She was left with some means, and turned to philanthropy and reform. She helped to establish the New England Hospital for Women and Children, for medical training of women physicians. She also worked with women’s clubs to foster education for women.   She frequently attended woman’s rights conventions,   lobbied for womens rights at the Legislature, and served for a time as vice-president of the New England Womens Suffrage Society. She wrote in her later years that she had believed in the vote for women since she was a school girl. Abolitionist and Freedmans Aid Supporter Cheney’s reform involvements included support for the abolitionist movement.   She knew both Harriet Jacobs, an ex-slave who wrote of her own life and escape from slavery, and Harriet Tubman, the Underground Railroad conductor. Before and after the end of the Civil War, she became a strong advocate for education for the newly freed slaves, working first through the New England Freedman’s Aid Society, a voluntary association that tried to buy the freedom of slaves and also provide opportunities for education and training. After the Civil War she worked with the federal government’s Freedman’s Bureau. She became secretary of the Teachers’ Commission and visited many of the Freedman’s schools in the South.   In 1866 she published a book, The Handbook of American Citizens, to be used in the schools, which included an overview of American history from the perspective of progressive â€Å"emancipation.† The book also included the text of the US Constitution.   Cheney corresponded frequently with Harriet Jacobs after Jacobs returned to North Carolina in 1867. After 1876, Cheney published Records of the New England Freedman’s Aid Society, 1862-1876, mindful of hi story’s need for such documents. She was invited to lecture on the work with freedmen at the Divinity Chapel in Cambridge.   This created a debate at the school, as there had been no women speakers at that venue before, and she became the first. Free Religious Association Cheney, as part of the second generation of Transcendentalists, was active in the Free Religious Association, founded in 1867, with Ralph Waldo Emerson signing on as the first official member.   The FRA advocated freedom of individual thought in religion, an openness to the findings of science, a faith in the human progress, and a dedication to social reform: bringing the kingdom of God through working for the good of society. Cheney, through the years, was often a key organizer behind the scenes, making FRA meetings happen, and keeping the organization functioning. She also occasionally spoke at FRA meetings. She spoke regularly in liberal churches and in Southern congregations, and perhaps if clergy training had been more open to women when she was younger, she would have gone into the ministry. Beginning in 1878, Cheney was a regular teacher at the summer sessions of the Concord School of Philosophy.   She published essays based on some of the themes first explored there.   She was also the first woman to lecture at Harvard’s School of Divinity, not without controversy. Writer In 1871 Cheney published a juvenile novel, Faithful to the Light, which gained some popularity; it was followed by other novels.   In 1881 she wrote a memoir of her husband. Margaret Swan Cheney, Ednah’s daughter, enrolled at Boston’s Institute of Technology (now MIT), among the first women to enter that school, and her entry is credited with that opening of the school to women. Sadly, some years  thereafter, while still a student, she died of tuberculosis in 1882. Before her death, she published in a scientific journal  a paper describing experiments with nickel, including a method of determining the presence of nickel in ore. Ednah Cheneys 1888/1889 biography of Louisa May Alcott, who had died the previous year as had her father, Bronson Alcott, helped bring to life the early Transcendentalist years for another generation. It was the first biography of Louisa May Alcott, and remains an important source for those studying Alcott’s life. She included many passages from Alcott’s own letters and journals, letting her subject speak in her own words of her life.   Cheney, in writing the book, used a diary of Alcott’s during the time her family participated in the Transcendentalist utopian experiment at Fruitlands; that diary has since been lost. That same year she wrote a pamphlet for the American Woman Suffrage Association, â€Å"Municipal Suffrage for Women,† advocating a strategy of gaining the vote for women on issues close to their lives, including school elections.   She also published Memoir of Margaret Swan Cheney, her daughter.   In 1890, she published Nora’s Return: A Sequel to The Doll’s House, her attempt to deal with the feminist themes Henrik Ibsen’s play, The Doll’s House, opened. A number of articles in the 1880s described Emerson, Parker, Lucretia Mott and Bronson Alcott.   Cheney’s writing was not, in its time or since, considered particularly creative, fitting in more with Victorian sentimentalism, but they do give insight into the memorable people and events through which she moved.   She was much respected by her friends in the free religious and social reform movements with which she associated. Looking Back By the turn of the century, Cheney’s health was not good, and she was much less active. In 1902, she published her own memoirs, Reminiscences of Ednah Dow Cheney (born Littehale), reflecting on her life, rooting it in the 19th century. She died in Boston in November of 1904. The New England Women’s Club held a meeting on February 20, 1905, to remember Ednah Dow Cheney, who had been a member.   The club published the speeches from that meeting. Background, Family: Mother: Ednah Parker DowFather: Sargent Smith Littlehale, a grocerTwo older siblings, several younger; in total, four siblings  died in childhood Education: Private schools Marriage, Children: husband: Seth Wells Cheney (artist;  married 1853; artist; died 1856)one child:Margaret Swan Cheney, born September 8, 1855, died September 22, 1882.eight siblings, two sisters and one brother; at least five died in childhood Note: after further research, I corrected a line that was formerly in this biography that had Ednah Dow Cheney as a tutor to Theodore Parkers daughter.   Parker had no children.   The source I used may have misinterpreted a story from  Reminiscences of Ednah Dow Cheney.

Security Issue s In Ecommerce Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Security Issue s In Ecommerce - Essay Example acy of result, frankness and convenience of payment processes, loss of collateral information, globalisation, and rise of new commerce models (Laudon & Traver, 2008). Small firms seek to venture into ecommerce with the main aim of increasing revenue through reaching new markets and winning more clients. Ecommerce will enable the small business shorten procurement cycles through the use of on-line cataloguing, checking and payment, gain access to global markets at a smaller portion of traditionalcosts, ensure product, marketing information and prices are always up to date, allow them to compete with large businesses over a common platform, and increase sales opportunities. In addition, ecommerce will enable these small firms ease the audits they conduct on their systems because electronic data is easier to audit. It will also enable them reach out to clients in remote areas, and ensure the goods are available 24/7 for anyone to purchase. This will surely lead to increased generation of revenues. As we all know, fraudsters would aim on the big firms in the ecommerce business. Their enormousconsumer base is like mouth-watering bait for fraudsters. That may safe to think, however, it has been a big misconception.While the aim of fraudsters is to access money, they are not aiming at big ecommerce stores. They go for the small companies for the key reason that smaller e-commerce sites appear to have disregarded one important element – strict security measures. The easy access to critical information and the susceptibility of security systems trap these fraudsters to these smaller stores that are engaging into ecommerce. Campbell et al (2010, p.37) estimates that 90 per cent of credit card safety compromises in the ecommerce industry originate from Level 4 Merchants (ecommerce websites that process fewer than 1 million total card payment dealings and less than 20,000 ecommerce dealings in a year. As a small business, it is important to understand the reasons that

Marketing analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Marketing analysis - Essay Example The following discussion seeks to assert the purposes of the target market in the organisation. Further, the discussion shall argue upon the marketing mix variables adapted by the organisation in increasing its competence in the provision of health care services. The organisation asserts that its devotion is to deliver health services to the UK population. It declares that every person in the country has a vital role, and acquainting them with relevant health services is the ultimate way of ensuring functionality (Stuart, 2013). Holding to the fact that nursing and midwifery are a continued health course, it is knowledgeable that the organisation’s target market is centred on the existence of health complications in the society. Every person is vulnerable to diseases, hence at a certain point, he will need medical attention (Scullion & Guest, 2007). The organisation beseeches the UK society to trust in the health practitioners from all of their obligations aim at delivering profound health services. Its target market includes children in schools, arguing that they should seek health care in case of health complications from the available school nurses (Kirpal, 2011). Secondly, the organisation asserts that expectant women should seek healthcare services during their prenatal and postnatal stages from the midwives and other relevant personnel. Further, the organisation extends its care to people suffering from mental health arguing out that they are of importance as any other groups of people in the community (Scullion & Guest, 2007). On a different account, the organisation declares its devotion in providing health care services to the ageing and aged population (Kirpal, 2011). Arguably, it is knowledgeable that the organisation’s target market combines all groups in the demographic segment as it declares the types of services that its personnel shall deliver to each category of people in the population. The organisation combines