The Impact of Social Media in US Elections Research Paper

The Impact of Social Media in US Elections - Research Paper Example The 2012 US election is one of the areas of evaluation of the impact of media in the electoral process (Campaign tech panels 2012). The 2008 United States presidential campaign coincided with a period when social media were gaining fame globally. Barrack Obama extensively used Twitter and Facebook to reach voters. In 2008, President Barrack Obama’s campaign team successfully used the internet and social network solicit funds and effectively link up with campaign volunteers (Learmonth 16). Despite the fact that experts have no certainty on the extent to which social media impact the U.S election, they accept that opinion on across the social web sites influence election outcomes. The 2008 elections occurred at a time when social media was gaining fame in the society and becoming one of the most prominent aspects in communication and advertising (Metaxas & Mustafaraj, p.473). It offered a unique opportunity to evaluate the usefulness and the success of the different media platfo rms(Dylko, Beam, Landreville, & Geidner, 2012). However, for social media presence to be effective, it relies on access to the internet. According to American Life Project, the access to internet increased and by 2008 over 46% Americans were using the internet, email or text messaging to obtain news about the campaigns. Likewise, the same number shared their views and mobilized others. In specific reference to social networking, only 10% used the established social sites such as Facebook and MySpace. Compared to the 2002 elections, the 2008 elections registered an increase in social networking. While commenting on the increase, in social media use, Peter Daou, an internet advisor for Hilary Clinton states that virtually every platform including the social media was employed, in public dialogue. The social media, in both the 2008 and 2012 elections, was used to introduce stories into the public, which affected consciousness and had a direct impact on the news presented by the mass me dia organizations (Williams & Gulati, 2013 p. 64). The blogs and other social format helped set the agenda for the media and the discussion surrounding the elections. The findings of the day before elections indicate that the Obama campaign was more active in the social media than McCain. In fact on Facebook, Obama has over 2.3 million supporters against 620,359 followers for McCain. In addition, on twitter, Obama had over 100, 000 followers against a mere 4,603. Likewise, on You Tube, there were over 18 million views for Obama against two million for McCain (Gayo-Avello, 2011). The following on social media was reflected in the election results as Obama won the elections. Even on the traditional media platform, Obama enjoyed massive success with over 160,000 mentions against over 140,000 for McCain. The findings indicate that the Obama campaign used the media effectively in the 2008 elections which led to success in elections (Learmonth, 2009). The social media is useful both in fa cilitating and distributing the campaign message. It also offered a platform for engagement on the message presented. According to Learmonth (2009), the coverage of issues was similar regardless of the platform. In fact, the issues covered in the traditional media were reflected on the social media and vice versa. The finding indicates that information transfer between the traditional media and the social media

Corporate Social Responsibility in McDonalds Essay

Corporate Social Responsibility in McDonalds - Essay Example According to the research findings, McDonald’s corporation is the leading retail outlet in fast foods and hamburgers and has grown to be a major multinational in different parts of the world. Today, the company serves over 68 million customers in over 119 countries in different parts of the world including Asia, Africa, Europe and Latin America.Corporate social responsibility is defined as the relationship that exists between business entities and the society with an aim of giving back and empowering members of the society. Corporate social responsibility brings together business organizations, members of the society and government agencies in an enabling environment. Corporate social responsibility rises above the selfish interest of individual business owners who are motivated by the desire to increase profits at the expense of the society. Corporate social responsibilities engage the society in the process of achieving the missions and objectives of the business organizatio n. This is achieved through the engagement in a number of philanthropic exercises, conservation of the environment and upgrading the economic status of the members of the society. The engagement of business in corporate social responsibility programs is guided by a number of principles aimed at created a leveled playing ground and ensuring that all members of the society benefit from the program. First, corporate social responsibility is controlled by the legal compliance principle, which requires business units to understand and follow both local and international laws which affect its operations in a certain industry. Following procedures such as environmental regulations and treaties signed by the home country of the business demonstrates a commitment to the society and the environment. Corporate social responsibility is also governed by the need to adhere to the customary international laws that govern the operation of various for-profit institutions across the globe. Government agreements and declarations made are binding on all businesses and this must be done based on free will and an understanding of the sector of operation.

The Social Factual Norms By Durkheim Sociology Essay

The Social Factual Norms By Durkheim Sociology Essay Over the past years the headlines of newspapers have read everything from Neighbour says Nia chucked on line (NZHerald: 2008) to just this month very violent brain injury killed baby (NZHerald: 2011). In New Zealand on average one child is killed every 5 weeks due to Child Abuse. This figure should not come as a surprise; as over the past decade stories of fatal child abuse cases have been frequently covered in the news (Child matters: 2011). Norms are a social fact (Durkheim: 1982). These are the words from the famous French sociologist Emile Durkheim. He went on to explain that we are born into a pre-existing order, with rules and norms that have already been premade and set. And that if we want to live in this society we are born into, we must learn to abide by these pre-determined sanctions (Durkheim: 1982/1895, p56-57). These already set norms include those associated with the issue of child abuse. We dont have to think twice when reading horrendous articles in the newspaper of children being put in clothes dryers and severely beaten. We already know that it is morally wrong. Although in different cultures around the world different types of abuse may be seen as a form of, what they see as normal punishment. These social facts still exist around us. They were there before we were born and will still remain weather we choose to agree or disagree with them; most of which have consequences if you do chose to stray from them. This brings us Sharyn Roach Anleus 5 key questions surrounding norms; 1) whose norms? , in the case of child abuse it is our society/country of New Zealands norms. The norm is that it is not right to abuse children, or anyone. It is seen as a bad thing and as a country I am sure that there will not be many people who would say that it is ok to abuse. 2) How do some norms become official or legal? Harming a child is wrong and when hearing about these inhumane acts of violence against children we may be urged to do something about it, but if we are being real with ourselves, on our own; without economic or political power it would be difficult to put forth and solidify our beliefs into laws. Although with this issue there are many people with power who share the beliefs of our society. Such as Green MP Sue Bradfords; the anti smacking law was passed in 2007(NZ Herald: 2007). Since she had political power, with the support of the community the bill was passed. Three years have passed an d a new law will be passed that will see those people who turn a blind eye to child abuse prosecuted (DominionPost: 2011). This will be a positive thing as many cases of child abuse drag on for months as the people involved; who could have very well saved the Childs life have been to afraid or not bothered to report the abuse happening. Why are some norms more important than others? Does visibility make a difference? And can there be deviance without breaking social norms? As said in the book straying from these social norms can lead to deviance over a period of time. The example given is that of a soft drug user over time leads to hard drug use. This approach can be put into context with child abuse. Child abuse may be as obvious as bruises or as subtle as a parent neglecting their child. There can never be a good reason for child abuse to occur; but there definitely is a reason behind it .The straying could be the perpetrator; an adult being a parent, relative or friend showing their anger, due to various causes (e.g. stress in the home, work etc) through minor outburst such as yelling at the child or accidentally slapping them over time letting it get out of control and making it a regular occurrence of more severe abuse. Interactionist theory of deviance argues that deviant behaviour is learned. As is other behaviours. Just as deviance is socially constructed; Child abuse is considered as sociological fact as it is not an innate behavioral pattern for human beings to follow. It is mostly a learned behavior usually from interactions with the parents of the abusers. Sociology is the study of society, or to be more precise it is about group interactions within society. We are all part of groups such as school, cultural ethnic groups. One of the first groups that we interact with is with our families. This is where we learn much of what influences us as adults, and if abuse is what is learned as a child, it is most likely to be performed when the abused children grow up.The oxford dictionary of Sociology defines Child abuse as referring to: The maltreatment or injury of a child by an adult or adults. Such abuse can be physical, emotional, sexual, or a combination of all three. It might be perpetrated by one person or by several, within a family or outside it, and in public or in private. (Oxford: 2011) Over the years what may have been seen as an act of firm punishment is now; being discovered as a form of deviance. In the chapter Straying: Deviance in Being Sociological, Michael Lloyd makes it clear that norms are a key attribute when defining Deviance. The deviant is one to whom that label has successfully been applied; deviant behavior is behavior that people so label (Becker, 1963, p9).Behaviors that are considered deviant are highly biased.Crime/deviance is defined by those in power. In context in the Kahui child abuse case where the father of the twins was wrongly accused for months over the killing of his twin babies. A stigma was formed which led people to think badly of him. And because of this label it seemed to the public that he was the abuser and that he had done it. Instead of him fighting for his right, because so many people were already against him due to this label, there was nothing he could do about it as a majority of people would not believe him. Until it was found that it was actually the babys mother who was the abuser then was this stigma lifted, and peoples view towards him changed. The damage would have still been there today and will take a while for him to socially construct himself again. Another form of social construction can be seen in Georges Canguilhems analysis of normality. Ian Hackings looping effect links on to the labelling theory as stated in his example person A does not want to be person H. if others think of a person as someone they are not(false accusation, stereotyping) That person will change their behaviours because they are aware of what others are saying about them. For example the deviant; the person doing the child abuse. Or the abuser that becomes out of the child that has been abused, may because of the stereotype of there being previous abuse in their household they may or may not want to live up to that labelling .But because of what others are saying they will get treated like the deviant whether they like it or not creating a looping effect. Harold Garfinkels documentary of identification method revealed that the jury he was studying the jurors came up with the outcome then filled in the reasons. These theories show that deviants are socially constructed through social interactions; the way people are treated influence how they act . And without deviance there would be no social change (Lloyd: 2007) The authors main purpose to introduce the complexity of the relationship between straying and how over time can lead to deviance was supported by including the viewpoints, theories and ideas of different people. Lloyd did not make many assumptions apart from assuming that the reader knew the meaning of straying; saying that it is a term used in everyday talk so we can do without a definition'(Lloyd,2007,p317-318). Through this text Michael Lloyd could be seen as being biased towards deviance being a social fact in society. He addresses the five questions surrounding norms which Sharyn Roach Anleu summarised following Emile Durkheims theory of norms being a social fact. These questions prove that deviance is an area of sociology that is full of debate and competing theories (Lloyd, 2007, p319). By including this and a commentator Colin Sumners claim that, the field reached a dead -end by the late 1970s Lloyd has saved himself from being completely biased by taking into account differe nt viewpoints of the topic. The sociological theories; Beckers labelling theory, Ian Hackings looping effect theory of human kind Harold Garfinkels identification of the documentary method of interpretation and ideas from this chapter help to understand and explain what is happening in the very serious social issue of child abuse in New Zealand.

King Oedipus as The Classical Greek Tragic Hero Essay -- Oedipus Tragi

King Oedipus as The Classical Greek Tragic Hero In his Poetics, Aristotle defined the term 'tragedy' as 'a man not preeminently virtuous and just, whose misfortune, however, is brought upon him not by vice or depravity, but by some error in judgement' the change in the hero's fortune must not be from misery to happiness, but on the contrary, from happiness to misery'. From this definition, he further expanded it by defining the profile of the Classical Greek tragic hero, basing it on what he considered the best tragedy ever written, Sophocle's Oedipus Rex. He felt that a tragedy should comprise of the hero's goodness and superiority, a tragic flaw in which the hero makes fatal errors in judgement which eventually lead to his downfall, a tragic realisation in which the main character understand how he has unwittingly helped to bring about his own destruction and the absence of freewill in the tragic hero's life. Oedipus was a good ruler: just, compassionate and sympathetic. When the priests of Thebes approached him, pleading for help on behalf of the people of Thebes who were suffering from death and famine. Oedipus immediately agreed and promised them that he would do his best in solving the problems, saying that his heart bore ?the weight of his own? and ?all of his people?s sorrows?. He promised to ?bring everything to light?. Oedipus was also a filial son. When he first learnt about the prophecy in Corinth, he was unwilling to stay and left immediately, in case circumstances would ever lead him to kill the King and marry the Queen of Corinth, whom he had then thought of as his natural parents. Oedipus? superiority was also evident in the play, not only through his ranking of the king of Thebes, which automatically placed him far above the nobles, priests and common people, but also through his intelligence. When the Sphinx ?plagued? the city by blocking the city gates and eating those who could not answer its riddle, which was "what is it that goes on four feet in the morning, two feet at midday, and three feet in the evening?" Oedipus was the only person able to chase the Sphinx away with the correct answer of ?man?. This led to him becoming the king of Thebes which in turn led to his superiority of ranking. However, Oedipus was not a perfect man. His tragic flaw was that of stubbornness, impulsiveness and most of all, his grandiosity (wh... ...d that Oedipus find Lauis? killer. This sparked off a whole chain of events which led to Oedipus finding out the truth, Jocasta killing herself, Oedipus blinding himself and finally leaving Thebes. The man who once was envied and respected was now an outcast, despised and hated. A tragedy must be an imitation of life in the form of a serious story that is complete in itself. In other words, the story must be realistic and narrow in focus. A good tragedy would evoke pity and fear in its viewers, causing the viewers to experience a feeling of catharsis. Catharsis, a Greek word in origin, means "purgation" or "purification". Running through the gamut of these strong emotions would leave viewers feeling elated, in the same way we often claim that "a good cry" would make a person feel better. Oedipus Rex is a perfect example of what Aristotle meant by a tragedy. It talks about a man who has no say in what path his life would take, a man who once had everything. He was a king, a good husband and father, a man contented with his lot in life who eventually lost his status, wife, children and home. He evokes sympathy simply because he was not evil or foolish, just human and fallible.

Financial analysis Essay

The analytical audit of the company’s capital structures of the two companies shows that shows Arizon is highly geared as compared to AT & T. Gearing AT& T is 43. 3% for long term debt and 51. 76% for total equity which is not very high. In case of Arizon, the ratio is very high at 59% for long-term debt to equity while total debt to equity is 74. 91%. The Verizon case indicates that the firm does not have sufficient and steady internal financial resources to finance its assets. These get depleted compelling management to use external financial instruments. This usage of external sources to finance its assets increase chances of the company suffering financial risk that may lead to bankruptcy after technical default. The audit of inventory ratio of the two companies supplied reveals a AT $ T does not have stock while verizon has. This may be that AT & T is a service sector or in the business of manufacture at order or operate Just In Time method of stock refurbishing. While Arizona has inventory which is increasing gradually except in year 2004 when it down from 1. 50% in year 2003. we are not supplied with income statement to be able to determine the firms’ efficiency in utilizing its resources (inventory) to generate sales is. The close analysis of the two companies ratios provided indicates that AT $ T payable account that fluctuates from time to time. While Arizona have payables with down ward trend. This indicates that Arizona is managing her trade creditors well as compared to AT & T. if payables are not well managed may cause financial stress to the company. The working capital of the Verizona contains a significant proportion of cash fluctuating from time to time. In case of AT & T it is insignificant and it is in the down ward trend. The firms cannot therefore, meet its obligating with the most liquid resources. Additionally, there are no marketable securities that can be easily converted into cash when a financial need arises. What this implies is that the firm may find it difficult to meet its short term maturing financial obligations as and when they fall due for payment. The same conclusion about financial position can be made using both the acid test and cash ratios. From the ratios, the firm’s ability to meet its financial obligations from the liquid assets is also questionable. REFERENCES Luecke R (2002) Finance for Managers; Harvard Business School Lindsay R. (1967) Financial Management, An Analytical Approach; R. D Irwin, 1967

My Inspiration

All throughout life, we come across people who, in the course of our mingling with them, become an inspiration to us because of different reasons. He or she could be a parent, relative, a friend, a neighbor, teacher, or anybody who we deal with on a daily basis. In my case, the person who serves as my inspiration is my next door neighbor. My parents are both very busy working in order to provide our family's daily needs. So raising me was a bit of a predicament for them. As luck would have it, we have a next door neighbor who is a motherly soul. She came forward and volunteered to keep an eye on me while my parents were at work. She does not have any children of her own and as far back as I could remember, spends most of her time in her home tending to her garden. She is like a second mother to me.   My parents were so glad to leave me with her because she made sure to instill discipline and values in the child left in her care. She says that I am the child she never had. She is proud of me just like my parents are. I am so close to her that sometimes, my mom gets jealous because I ask our neighbor for her opinion on anything I want to do. What my parents do not know is that this neighbor of ours was there for me at a very trying time in my life. When I was being bullied and failing my subjects in school. She helped me realize my potential as a student and learn to respect myself as a human being. Since I would come over to her house directly after school, she spent her afternoons tutoring me and helping me with my other schoolwork. Even when I was at my dumbest and when my parents had given up on me learning the task at hand, she always supported me and told me that I could do it. I just needed to figure out how I could accomplish things in a way that made me comfortable. Each time, I would amaze my parents because of what I was able to accomplish. My life is going great right now. I like the person I have grown up to be and I know that I can accomplish more, as I grow older. All of this is because of the unconditional, inspirational support my next door neighbor gave and continues to give me.    My Inspiration All throughout life, we come across people who, in the course of our mingling with them, become an inspiration to us because of different reasons. He or she could be a parent, relative, a friend, a neighbor, teacher, or anybody who we deal with on a daily basis. In my case, the person who serves as my inspiration is my next door neighbor. My parents are both very busy working in order to provide our family's daily needs. So raising me was a bit of a predicament for them. As luck would have it, we have a next door neighbor who is a motherly soul. She came forward and volunteered to keep an eye on me while my parents were at work. She does not have any children of her own and as far back as I could remember, spends most of her time in her home tending to her garden. She is like a second mother to me.   My parents were so glad to leave me with her because she made sure to instill discipline and values in the child left in her care. She says that I am the child she never had. She is proud of me just like my parents are. I am so close to her that sometimes, my mom gets jealous because I ask our neighbor for her opinion on anything I want to do. What my parents do not know is that this neighbor of ours was there for me at a very trying time in my life. When I was being bullied and failing my subjects in school. She helped me realize my potential as a student and learn to respect myself as a human being. Since I would come over to her house directly after school, she spent her afternoons tutoring me and helping me with my other schoolwork. Even when I was at my dumbest and when my parents had given up on me learning the task at hand, she always supported me and told me that I could do it. I just needed to figure out how I could accomplish things in a way that made me comfortable. Each time, I would amaze my parents because of what I was able to accomplish. My life is going great right now. I like the person I have grown up to be and I know that I can accomplish more, as I grow older. All of this is because of the unconditional, inspirational support my next door neighbor gave and continues to give me.   

The Saint Patricks Battalion (Los San Patricios)

The Saint Patricks Battalion (Los San Patricios) The St. Patricks Battalion- known in Spanish as el Batallà ³n de los San Patricios- was a Mexican army unit comprised primarily of Irish Catholics who had defected from the invading US army during the Mexican-American War. The St. Patricks Battalion was an elite artillery unit which inflicted great damage on the Americans during the battles of Buena Vista and Churubusco. The unit was led by Irish defector John Riley. After the Battle of Churubusco, most members of the battalion were killed or captured: most of those taken prisoner were hanged and the majority of the others were branded and whipped. After the war, the unit lasted for a short time before being disbanded. The Mexican-American War By 1846, tensions between the USA and Mexico had reached a critical point. Mexico was enraged by the American annexation of Texas, and the USA had its eye on Mexicos sparsely populated western holdings, such as California, New Mexico, and Utah. Armies were sent to the border and it didnt take long for a series of skirmishes to flare into an all-out war. The Americans took the offensive, invading first from the north and later from the east after capturing the port of Veracruz. In September of 1847, the Americans would capture Mexico City, forcing Mexico to surrender. Irish Catholics in the USA Many Irish were immigrating to America at about the same time as the war, due to harsh conditions and famine in Ireland. Thousands of them joined the US army in cities like New York and Boston, hoping for some pay and US citizenship. Most of them were Catholic. The US army (and US society in general) was at that time very intolerant towards both Irish and Catholics. Irish were seen as lazy and ignorant, while Catholics were considered fools who were easily distracted by pageantry and led by a faraway pope. These prejudices made life very difficult for Irish in American society at large and particularly in the army. In the army, the Irish were considered inferior soldiers and given dirty jobs. Chances of promotion were virtually nil, and at the beginning of the war, there was no opportunity for them to attend Catholic services (by the end of the war, there were two Catholic priests serving in the army). Instead, they were forced to attend Protestant services during which Catholicism was often vilified. Punishments for infractions such as drinking or negligence of duty were often severe. Conditions were harsh for most of the soldiers, even the non-Irish, and thousands would desert during the course of the war. Mexican Enticements The prospect of fighting for Mexico instead of the USA had a certain attraction for some of the men. Mexican generals learned of the plight of the Irish soldiers and actively encouraged defections. The Mexicans offered land and money for anyone who deserted and joined them and sent over fliers exhorting Irish Catholics to join them. In Mexico, Irish defectors were treated as heroes and given the opportunity for promotion denied them in the American army. Many of them felt a greater connection to Mexico: like Ireland, it was a poor Catholic nation. The allure of the church bells announcing mass must have been great for these soldiers far from home. The St. Patricks Battalion Some of the men, including Riley, defected before the actual declaration of war. These men were quickly integrated into the Mexican army, where they were assigned to the legion of foreigners. After the Battle of Resaca de la Palma, they were organized into the St. Patricks Battalion. The unit was made up of primarily Irish Catholics, with a fair number of German Catholics as well, plus a handful of other nationalities, including some foreigners who had been living in Mexico before war broke out. They made a banner for themselves: a bright green standard with an Irish harp, under which was Erin go Bragh and the Mexican coat of arms with the words Libertad por la Republica Mexicana. On the flip side of the banner was an image of St. Patrick and the words San Patricio. The St. Patricks first saw action as a unit at the Siege of Monterrey. Many of the defectors had artillery experience, so they were assigned as an elite artillery unit. At Monterrey, they were stationed in the Citadel, a massive fort blocking the entrance to the city. American General Zachary Taylor wisely sent his forces around the massive fortress and attacked the city from either side. Although the defenders of the fort did fire on American troops, the citadel was largely irrelevant to the defense of the city. On February 23, 1847, Mexican General Santa Anna, hoping to wipe out Taylors Army of Occupation, attacked the entrenched Americans at the Battle of Buena Vista south of Saltillo. The San Patricios played a prominent part in the battle. They were stationed on a plateau where the main Mexican attack took place. They fought with distinction, supporting an infantry advance and pouring cannon fire into the American ranks. They were instrumental in capturing some American cannons: one of the few pieces of good news for the Mexicans in this battle. After Buena Vista, the Americans and Mexicans turned their attention to eastern Mexico, where General Winfield Scott had landed his troops and taken Veracruz. Scott marched on Mexico City: Mexican General Santa Anna raced out to meet him. The armies met at the Battle of Cerro Gordo. Many records have been lost about this battle, but the San Patricios were likely in one of the forward batteries which were tied up by a diversionary attack while the Americans circled around to attack the Mexicans from the rear: again the Mexican Army was forced to retreat. The Battle of Churubusco The Battle of Churubusco was the St. Patricks greatest and final battle. The San Patricios were divided and sent to defend one of the approaches to Mexico City: Some were stationed at a defensive works at one end of a causeway into Mexico City: the others were in a fortified convent. When the Americans attacked on August 20, 1847, the San Patricios fought like demons. In the convent, Mexican soldiers three times tried to raise a white flag, and each time the San Patricios ripped it down. They only surrendered when they ran out of ammunition. Most of the San Patricios were either killed or captured in this battle: some escaped into Mexico City, but not enough to form a cohesive army unit. John Riley was among those captured. Less than a month later, Mexico City was taken by the Americans and the war was over. Trials, Executions, and Aftermath Eighty-five San Patricios were taken prisoner in all. Seventy-two of them were tried for desertion (presumably, the others had never joined the US army and therefore could not desert). These were divided into two groups and all of them were court-martialed: some at Tacubaya on August 23 and the rest at San Angel on August 26. When offered a chance to present a defense, many chose drunkenness: this was likely a ploy, as it was often a successful defense for deserters. It didnt work this time, however: all of the men were convicted. Several of the men were pardoned by General Scott for a variety of reasons, including age (one was 15) and for refusing to fight for the Mexicans. Fifty were hanged and one was shot (he had convinced the officers that he had not actually fought for the Mexican army). Some of the men, including Riley, had defected before the official declaration of war between the two nations: this was, by definition, a much less serious offense and they could not be executed for it. These men received lashes and were branded with a D (for deserter) on their faces or hips. Riley was branded twice on the face after the first brand was accidentally applied upside-down. Sixteen were hanged at San Angel on September 10, 1847. Four more were hanged the following day at Mixcoac. Thirty were hanged on September 13 in Mixcoac, within sight of the fortress of Chapultepec, where the Americans and Mexicans were battling for control of the castle. Around 9:30 a.m., as the American flag was raised over the fortress, the prisoners were hanged: it was meant to be the last thing they ever saw. One of the men hanged that day, Francis OConnor, had both his legs amputated the day before due to his battle wounds. When the surgeon told Colonel William Harney, the officer in charge, Harney said Bring the damned son of a bitch out! My order was to hang 30 and by God, Ill do it! Those San Patricios who had not been hanged were thrown in dark dungeons for the duration of the war, after which they were freed. They re-formed and existed as a unit of the Mexican army for about a year. Many of them remained in Mexico and started families: a handful of Mexicans today can trace their lineage to one of the San Patricios. Those who remained were rewarded by the Mexican government with pensions and the land that had been offered to entice them to defect. Some returned to Ireland. Most, including Riley, vanished into Mexican obscurity. Today, the San Patricios are still a bit of a hot topic between the two nations. To Americans, they were traitors, deserters, and turncoats who defected out of laziness and then fought out of fear. They were certainly loathed in their day: in his excellent book on the subject, Michael Hogan points out that out of thousands of deserters during the war, only the San Patricios were ever punished for it (of course, they were also the only ones to take up arms against their former comrades) and that their punishment was quite harsh and cruel. Mexicans, however, see them in a vastly different light. To Mexicans, the San Patricios were great heroes who defected because they could not stand to see the Americans bullying a smaller, weaker Catholic nation. They fought not out of fear but out of a sense of righteousness and justice. Every year, St. Patricks Day is celebrated in Mexico, particularly in the places where the soldiers were hanged. They have received many honors from the Mexican government, including streets named after them, plaques, postage stamps issued in their honor, etc. Whats the truth? Somewhere in between, certainly. Thousands of Irish Catholics fought for America during the war: they fought well and were loyal to their adopted nation. Many of those men deserted (men of all walks of life did during that harsh conflict) but only a fraction of those deserters joined the enemy army. This lends credence to the notion that the San Patricios did so out of a sense of justice or outrage as Catholics. Some may simply have done so for recognition: they proved that they were very skilled soldiers -arguably Mexicos best unit during the war - but promotions for Irish Catholics were few and far between in America. Riley, for example, made Colonel in the Mexican army. In 1999, a major Hollywood movie called One Mans Hero was made about the St. Patricks Battalion. Sources Eisenhower, John S.D. So Far from God: the U.S. War with Mexico, 1846-1848. Norman: the University of Oklahoma Press, 1989Hogan, Michael. The Irish Soldiers of Mexico. Createspace, 2011.Wheelan, Joseph. Invading Mexico: Americas Continental Dream and the Mexican War, 1846-1848. New York: Carroll and Graf, 2007.

Free Essays on Colonial America

Assignment 2 – â€Å"Colonial America† The colonization of America started around 1520, when the Spanish entered North America after the fall of Mexico. St. Augustine in Florida became the first European settlement, based on North American soil. Today these areas are American, but many of them still bare Spanish names such as Albuquerque and San Antonio. In 1608 the French founded the city Quà ©bec, in what is now called Canada. They colonized land along the St Lawrence by the 1630s and in 1663 they were in possession of their own colony named New France. Expeditions along the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico discovered lands now known as Louisiana. More examples of colonized areas in the name of France were Detroit in Michigan and Mobile in Alabama. England founded their first colony in 1607 at Jamestown, Virginia. The period from 1607 to about 1624 was characterized by sickness and hunger, and many colonists died. However, by 1934 Virginia’s population was increasing, reaching 40000 in the 1670s. The inhabitants tried to grow sugar canes, lemons, oranges and more without success, before tobacco was discovered in 1612. This was the beginning of something the South has become well known for: its plantations. When we speak of colonial America, we divide it into three areas; the South, the Middle Atlantic and New England. The Middle Atlantic was a tolerant colony, and had a broad variety of nationalities; English, Dutch, Irish, Norwegian, Swedish, Italian, German and more. This became the home of the radical Quakers. Other groups like Baptists, German Methodists and Lutherans and various sects also thrived here. In 1620 the Mayflower containing a hundred pilgrims arrived in Plymouth. Boston was soon inhabited, and became the capital of the colony New England, which is normally associated with puritans. These hard working people with strong religious beliefs made use of the harbour and the sea to become a prosper... Free Essays on Colonial America Free Essays on Colonial America Assignment 2 – â€Å"Colonial America† The colonization of America started around 1520, when the Spanish entered North America after the fall of Mexico. St. Augustine in Florida became the first European settlement, based on North American soil. Today these areas are American, but many of them still bare Spanish names such as Albuquerque and San Antonio. In 1608 the French founded the city Quà ©bec, in what is now called Canada. They colonized land along the St Lawrence by the 1630s and in 1663 they were in possession of their own colony named New France. Expeditions along the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico discovered lands now known as Louisiana. More examples of colonized areas in the name of France were Detroit in Michigan and Mobile in Alabama. England founded their first colony in 1607 at Jamestown, Virginia. The period from 1607 to about 1624 was characterized by sickness and hunger, and many colonists died. However, by 1934 Virginia’s population was increasing, reaching 40000 in the 1670s. The inhabitants tried to grow sugar canes, lemons, oranges and more without success, before tobacco was discovered in 1612. This was the beginning of something the South has become well known for: its plantations. When we speak of colonial America, we divide it into three areas; the South, the Middle Atlantic and New England. The Middle Atlantic was a tolerant colony, and had a broad variety of nationalities; English, Dutch, Irish, Norwegian, Swedish, Italian, German and more. This became the home of the radical Quakers. Other groups like Baptists, German Methodists and Lutherans and various sects also thrived here. In 1620 the Mayflower containing a hundred pilgrims arrived in Plymouth. Boston was soon inhabited, and became the capital of the colony New England, which is normally associated with puritans. These hard working people with strong religious beliefs made use of the harbour and the sea to become a prosper...

Email Newsletters How to Make One That Your Customers Love

Email Newsletters How to Make One That Your Customers Love Did you know email marketing drives a reported 4,400% ROI? Believe it. Email is low-cost and direct. If people are on your email list, it’s because they want to hear from you. So, give them what they want with an irresistible email newsletter. With strategic planning, a consistent schedule, and sharp curatorial and copywriting skills, any marketer can create one that drives results. Follow along with this step-by-step process to get started. in oneplace. Save 20 hrs this week alone and every weekafter. If youve ever kicked the tires on , nows the time to see what its reallylike. Schedule Your Demo Success! Your download should start shortly. Clean up the chaos with your editorial calendar! With , youll Save time with blogging, social, and email think HOURS every week Schedule your social posts in batches and increase your posting frequency super easily Get your sht together and hold yourself accountable to publishing like the boss you are! Now’s the perfect time to start your 14-day free trial to see for yourself! Start Your Free Trial

Cold War conflict Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Cold War conflict - Essay Example But was the defeat of the Soviet Union the only thing that happened during the Cold War' There is more to this story from which America emerged smelling like a rose and putting itself on the pedestal of world redeemer; after all, it had been the nation instrumental in freeing the world from the clutches of Hitler and then afterwards, barely snatching the world from Russia's snapping communist jaws. Who really paid the price of victory' It was the defenseless and even back then, marginalized third world countries which, depending on what kind of resources that the U.S could draw from them, controlled with the skill of a master puppeteer. This was mostly done by putting into place right wing dictatorial leaders who would ensure that these mostly new democracies would not be lured into communism and gang up with the Soviet Union against the U.S. The end results were disastrous to say the least, and it was these broken countries that were left behind to pick the pieces as America stood o n an international podium to receive accolades for her victory. It is no secret that with the abolition of slave trade in the late 1800s the little interest that the United States had in Africa simply petered out. The colonialists had divided the continent into territories that they claimed for themselves and ran ragged as they chose. America, being an anti-colonialism nation, disapproved from a distance but did not step in to intervene. However, after the Second World War and with the rise of the Cold War, America's interest in African states was on full alert1. America had this fixed perception of African countries and other third world countries as not being ready for their own democracy. She saw African countries as being too primitive and backwards for self governance. The U.S believed that African countries had to be guided into self governance as it was something completely beyond their comprehension. This resulted in years of U.S meddling with African affairs that has persisted to date. Why the United States suddenly took an interest in the affairs of African nations is because they believed that these nations were not ready for independence. The United States was afraid that the freshly independent nations, who had such limited experience of democracy, would be exposed to communism and that they would embrace it instead of capitalism. But the U.S could not afford to have an Africa aligned to the Soviet Union; hence they became active in African affairs because now they had a vested interest. The only way to avert such an eventuality was by determining what kind of governments that there would be in these 'unstable' African nations. The kind of governments that the U.S preferred were the authoritarian types which were not tailored on true democracy. Such governments would ensure that the people stayed in line and could feed propaganda to the masses as they deemed fit. The U.S took it upon itself to not only tell African states how to govern themselves but also chose African leaders who she felt would forward her own agendas. Right from the

The Scientific Proof behind Marijuana Effects on Humans Essay

The Scientific Proof behind Marijuana Effects on Humans - Essay Example The debate on the legalization of marijuana to be used as a medical substance has lasted for a very long time whereby there are those who are for the legalization of marijuana for medical purposes, and there are others who strongly are against its legalization. The argument on either side is based on the benefits and risks associated with such a move whereby those who think that legalizing marijuana for medical use is beneficial to support its legalization, however, those who think that it would be riskier to legalize marijuana oppose the move. In order to understand the raging debate over legalization of marijuana, it is critical to understand the different views expressed by both sides and it is only after establishing the underlying points and issues that we can be able to have an insight into the debate surrounding marijuana in the USA. There are advantages of marijuana as espoused by the supporters of its legalization whereby the scientific studies have proved that marijuana has some medical value. This is not a new idea because marijuana has been used in the past for medical purposes in the treatment of various ailments classified under therapeutic and palliative groups. In addition to that, smoked cannabis is not only safe but is also effective in the treatment and management of diseases and conditions such as; nausea, pain, AIDs-related weight loss, and palliative care diseases. Nevertheless, marijuana usually makes a person feel high, or have a sense of well being that is why it is abused.

Project on Recent Developments in Marketing Management Essay

Project on Recent Developments in Marketing Management - Essay Example Some advanced features have been added to the marketing management techniques by the companies which helped them to bring their business in front of global people. Some recent developments in marketing management offer various opportunities in business which contributed a lot for future. The recent economic crisis has been faced by almost all the companies who are involved in global businesses and that is the main reason why the companies are trying to bring some developments in their marketing management techniques (Lee, 2001). Most of the companies were dependent on manual marketing techniques like newspaper, Television advertising, radio etc but it was found that the companies were only able to attract their local customers through these marketing techniques and they were able to promote their products in local people. It was quite difficult for them to reach the potential customers of other countries and they were facing trouble in their business. The modern marketing techniques are mostly based on internet. Internet is a great source to reach global people at a very low cost. The modern inventions of search engines have changed the way to find information related to every business a lot. People can make their decision in a very short time and quite easily with the help of these search engines. The search engines can provide the detailed information on every business by entering a suitable search term which is often called as keywords. The most popular search engine â€Å"Google† can find all related results to the search term entered (Chaffey, 2001). People can visit the websites of the businesses which is searched by Google and they can make their decision. Website is a great way for the business owners to reach global people as the websites are not confined within a city or country. People from any country can visit the websites from any other country. There are some other developments in marketing management too. Today, people of a particular cou ntry can watch the television channels of another country which is quite a good way for marketing. People can watch the advertisements of the products of foreign countries and they can order for them. The online shopping method is quite popular now-a-day and people can buy everything sitting in their home by ordering through internet or telephone. It helped people a lot to buy products from foreign companies. The best thing about internet marketing is it is quite cheap. If we look at the earlier days we can see that the companies used to spend a lot of money in order to promote their business. The earlier sources of marketing like television, newspaper, radio etc charged a huge amount of money to place the advertisements of the companies and their products and it was not possible for the small and medium level companies to afford the amount of money but today, the companies can post their advertisements, details of their products in numerous social bookmarking websites for free and a major portion of modern people visit these websites in a daily basis. So, this technique seems to be very useful for small and medium level companies who do not have enough money to promote their businesses through television, newspaper and other sources. People are quite tech savvy today and they like to spend hours sitting in front of computer and surfing internet. There are lots of social networking

Effectiveness of Controversial Advertising (Marketing Communications) Essay

Effectiveness of Controversial Advertising (Marketing Communications) - Essay Example According to Hosford-Dunn, et al. (2000, p.163), the basic functions of advertising are: to inform, persuade, or remind and reinforce customers so that information about the products and services will be disseminated and eventually sell themselves. Advertising is one of the marketing strategies that is used in communicating information with a purpose of influencing individual about a certain product or services in order to stimulate market demand. Advertising is considered as a business activity for it involves money and time; however, this activity is naturally visible, in fact, it is prone to public criticisms particularly when it did not meet consumer expectations and satisfactions, and when it delivered false advertising. Advertisements are considered to be successful if they affect people purchase power and consequently increase sales turnover, sales revenue and elevate brand awareness. All advertising efforts are expected to originate from genuine, unique and eye catching idea; however, marketers nowadays are crossing the traditional line and run controversial advertisements. The main thrust of this paper is to discuss the effectiveness of controversial advertising as a method of successfully selling a product. Controversial Advertising During the 19th and the 20th century when competition is becoming more intense, companies have increased their interest in using advertisements just to be competitive. There are billions of advertisements appearing in a day and this number is growing rapidly. This overwhelming information received by the viewing public had made them saturated and lessen their attention toward every advertisements because they go unnoticed and viewed in an unconscious manner. In order for advertisers to hold new chances in gaining public attention and awareness, they downplay shocking advertisements that are morally daring and offensive to the public. According to Jeurissen (2007, p.158), â€Å"for those who have the courage to publish a c ontroversial advertisement, there is a chance that their message will become the subject of a lively discussion: people will start to talk about it...† Adventurous marketers preferred to use controversial advertising as a method of successfully selling a product because they believed it will cause curiosity in people awareness and make everyone remember. However, a great percentage of consumers said that these kinds of advertisements leave negative consequences. The Effectiveness of Controversial Advertising Nowadays, advertisements are made to execute themes that are beyond the line of creativity and are sometimes exaggerated, eye catching and more controversial than ever just to capture the attention of the viewing public. The print advertisements below are some of the controversial advertising campaigns whose concepts are extreme and shocking just to promote products or services (see figure 1). Figure 1: Controversial and Disturbing Print Ads Source: Huang, 2010 This patter n addresses organizational message that is beginning to emerge wherein advertisers use gore, violence, nudity, sexual connotation, etc., which used to show social, political, and moral conflicts. However, according to Wright (1997, p.141), â€Å"the messages of other controversial ads might be less bland, such as

Organizational Terminology and Concepts Paper Essay

Organizational Terminology and Concepts Paper - Essay Example Organizations these days strive to inculcate a healthy organizational culture that is composed of a diverse workforce with fair treatment of employees, enthusiasm towards work, equal distribution of rewards on the basis of performance, equal opportunities, right policies and investment in development of employees (Ulrich, 1996). It would be correct to say that leadership of the organization has the most impact on an organization’s culture and the practices and norms flow from upwards. An honest leader who prefers fairness in all acts would produce honest diligent and friendly managers while a Machiavellian leader would produce the same crop of employees under him. Organizational Behavior Organizational behavior is the study of behavior or practices exhibited by employees in the organization, it simplifies the relationship between organization and the employee with emphasis on enhanced relationships between individuals, teams, departments and the whole organization ultimately c ontributing to the fulfillment of individual, departmental or organizational goals and objectives. Organizational behavior drives the organizational culture and is itself regulated by organizational values and policies. Based on the organizational behavior certain motivation techniques are designed within the organization sometimes based on rewards and sometimes on authority and power. The most known organizational behavior models prevalent in organizations today are autocratic, informal, supportive and collegial. While different organizations use different techniques and relationship models amongst its practices in workforce, it is a collective agreement that the field of organizational behavior is a collection of many fields including sociology, psychology, communication and management.  By applying certain methodologies and techniques from these fields professionals belonging to the field understand, predict and manage the human behavior in the organization (Ulrich, 2009). A su ccessful leader understands its workforce and the required motivators that drive and motivate them to do the best for the organization and achieve objectives with a smile on their face. Diversity: Every human being is a different person; certain similarities may exist but differences are inevitable, differences that may be visible or invisible. Most visible differentiating factors among the workforce are protected by the law, such factors are caste, race, physical condition, gender, religion or beliefs and age etc. Organizations these days give much importance to the invisible factors of a diverse workforce such as culture, background, working style, weight, height accent or language and others (Ulrich, 1996). A diverse workforce brings diverse experiences and ideas, with more opportunities to learn and grow. Successful organizations not only discourage discriminating acts of any kind but they consciously create a diverse workforce to achieve maximum efficiencies and innovative prac tices. Communication Communication is a two way process, in an organization communication holds much importance and it is the nature of

Discuss the different issues related to IT-enhanced firm performance Essay

Discuss the different issues related to IT-enhanced firm performance - Essay Example Technology can become the main source of sustainable competitive advantage and a strategic weapon especially in the hospitality industry (Buhalis & Main, 1998). Information plays a pivotal role in the description, promotion, distribution, amalgamation, organization and delivery of hospitality and tourism products (Main, 2002). Technology can offer advantages in the management of operations, in the delivery of services and also be useful as a strategic support system. It helps in forming strategic alliances, in developing strategic distribution methods, communicating with customers and partners, and satisfying consumer demand. Camisà ³n (2000) contends that there are two approaches to introducing IT into business – the first focuses on the introduction and management of IT and the second is the management of the systems that use IT. There is abundance of information available in any business and through IT business re-engineering is possible which can help to enhance the intra-organizational information systems. Markets have become turbulent which enhances the need for managers to be able to predict change. There is a need for information and information has become a strategic resource which can give a firm competitive advantage. Hence the role of IT has to be strategic so that it can back the management functions. The information systems should allow effective measurement and monitoring of the strategic factors. It has been found that firms that take up IT as an asset and dedicate specific resources to the information system have achieved their business goals. Hence information and technologies t hat optimize its management should become the main resource used by the administration. This also help to free up resources – mostly people – who can devote their time and attention to focus on other jobs that add value to business. To increase competitive

Organizational Terminology and Concepts Paper Essay

Organizational Terminology and Concepts Paper - Essay Example Organizations these days strive to inculcate a healthy organizational culture that is composed of a diverse workforce with fair treatment of employees, enthusiasm towards work, equal distribution of rewards on the basis of performance, equal opportunities, right policies and investment in development of employees (Ulrich, 1996). It would be correct to say that leadership of the organization has the most impact on an organization’s culture and the practices and norms flow from upwards. An honest leader who prefers fairness in all acts would produce honest diligent and friendly managers while a Machiavellian leader would produce the same crop of employees under him. Organizational Behavior Organizational behavior is the study of behavior or practices exhibited by employees in the organization, it simplifies the relationship between organization and the employee with emphasis on enhanced relationships between individuals, teams, departments and the whole organization ultimately c ontributing to the fulfillment of individual, departmental or organizational goals and objectives. Organizational behavior drives the organizational culture and is itself regulated by organizational values and policies. Based on the organizational behavior certain motivation techniques are designed within the organization sometimes based on rewards and sometimes on authority and power. The most known organizational behavior models prevalent in organizations today are autocratic, informal, supportive and collegial. While different organizations use different techniques and relationship models amongst its practices in workforce, it is a collective agreement that the field of organizational behavior is a collection of many fields including sociology, psychology, communication and management.  By applying certain methodologies and techniques from these fields professionals belonging to the field understand, predict and manage the human behavior in the organization (Ulrich, 2009). A su ccessful leader understands its workforce and the required motivators that drive and motivate them to do the best for the organization and achieve objectives with a smile on their face. Diversity: Every human being is a different person; certain similarities may exist but differences are inevitable, differences that may be visible or invisible. Most visible differentiating factors among the workforce are protected by the law, such factors are caste, race, physical condition, gender, religion or beliefs and age etc. Organizations these days give much importance to the invisible factors of a diverse workforce such as culture, background, working style, weight, height accent or language and others (Ulrich, 1996). A diverse workforce brings diverse experiences and ideas, with more opportunities to learn and grow. Successful organizations not only discourage discriminating acts of any kind but they consciously create a diverse workforce to achieve maximum efficiencies and innovative prac tices. Communication Communication is a two way process, in an organization communication holds much importance and it is the nature of

Differences between men and women Essay Example for Free

Differences between men and women Essay What is the difference between males and females? We notice the different dressing styles, different roles in the workplace and how we spend our leisure time, how we wear our emotions, and also how differently we think. But a question arises. Are males and females really different in every aspect? The first question we ask when a baby is born is: Is it a boy or a girl? Though most people accept most of the socially prescribed roles for the gender they were born with, some struggle against what they see as rigid and arbitrary social norms. In this essay, I will describe and give my input on the roles of human sexuality and gender. Most people think of sex and gender as one and the same when in fact they are not. Wood, Wood, and Boyd (2005) define sex as a biological term, while gender is more commonly used to refer to the psychological and social variables associated with ones sex (p. 410). In the biological approach, when defining the sociocultural characteristics of masculinity and femininity, cultures look into the behaviors each gender should act upon. Males should be the dominant figure. They should be strong, competitive, be able to stand their ground, confident, and independent. Women on the other had are expected to be the exact opposite. They should be dependent, caring, encouraging, emotional, and nurturing. As children approach the age of two or so, they start to realize the roles such as attitudes, interest, and behaviors, in which males and females are supposed to portray. This is referred to as gender typing. When understanding which roles are to be taken, then they can start their development. In the psychoanalytic theory, Freud asserts that childrens thoughts about gender occur out of a clash relating to their feelings about their parents. Generally, they would like to tie a bond between the opposite-sex parent but end up doing so with the same-sex parent in order to settle this clash, taking on thats parents gender-related behavior and ideas. At the same time, they defer their love for the opposite-sex parent in the hope that someday they will be able to achieve a sexual relationship with a partner who is similar to him or her (Wood et. al., 2005, p. 411). I can agree with Freuds psychoanalytic theory to a certain extent. What  would the opposite-sex parent do in a family with no boys or no girls? Would he/she take over some traits that the same-sex parent would give to the children? My mother and father had four boys including myself. Being in the situation my mother was in considering there were no girls, she felt a need to rub off some of her traits to us boys. While my father taught us the game of baseball and how to mow the lawn, my mother taught us our table manners and to how to do the laundry. We shared a bond to both of our parents equally. But overall, we all feel the same way in which we want our future wives to be close to, if not exactly like our mother. In the social learning theory, children look for role models to follow, where they imitate that person and want to be like him/her. But say if a boy started doing something that is out of his gender role, such as trying on his mothers high heels, he will be informed by his father that it is not appropriate for him to do such a thing. Psychologists say that yes imitating and reinforcing may play a part in the gender role development, but it does not offer a complete clarification of this occurrence. Lawrence Kohlbergs cognitive developmental theory suggests that an understanding if gender is a prerequisite to gender role development (1966; Kohlberg Ullian, 1974, p. 412). This theory explains that children go through three stages that are necessary to developing the concept of gender. The first stage happens when the child is around the ages of two and three, which is gender identity, or the sense of being male or female. The next stage occurs at four and five, which is gender stability, the understanding that boys will be boys and girls will be girls forever. Then the last stage is when the child has reached six and eight. It is known as gender constancy, or the knowledge that gender will not change, despite the clothes they wear or the activities they participate in. But Kohlberg failed to mention why many gender-role appropriate behaviors and preferences are observed in children as young as age 2 or 3, long before gender constancy is acquired (Bussey Bandura, 1999; Jacklin, 1989; Martin Little, 1990, p. 412). I guess it just depends on the educational techniques used on the children. My brothers and I were taught a lot at a very young age, so we had a little bit of a head start. Like the cognitive developmental theory, Sandra Bems gender schema theory (1981) emphasizes that children begin to use gender as a way to pick up and sort out information. But the gender schema theory says that this process happens earlier with the gaining of gender identity other than gender constancy. Also like social learning theory, the gender schema theory indicates young children are motivated to pay more attention to and behave in ways consistent with the gender-based standards and stereotypes of their culture (Wood et. al., 2005, p. 412). I think television can become a major factor in a childs behavior because they can watch shows that are unsuitable for their viewing, and while growing older they can become more fascinated with sexual activity. When becoming sexually involved with another person, both males and females experience four phases of when engaged in sex, called the sexual response cycle. The first phase is the excitement phase, and this is simply when the female undresses for the male and the male uses verbal expressions of affection to stimulate the female. The blood flow starts pumping and the heart beats faster and faster until they reach the second phase, which is the plateau phase. Here excitement keeps rising for the preparation of the third phase, the orgasm. While males only have one, females can have multiple. After that, everything starts to slow down and goes back to its unaroused state. This is known as the resolution phase or the tapering-off period. Sexual activity varies from culture to culture. Furthermore, what is perceived as sexually attractive in males and females may differ dramatically (Woods et. al., 2005, p. 421). Agreed, differences in attraction may occur, even with the same sex. Someones sexual orientation describes the preferences at which someone is attracted to either the opposite or that of their own sex. Studies show that males are twice as likely to be homosexual than females. Berenbaum Snyder (1995) say that if the androgens, or hormones that make one masculine, are too high or too low, can make the brain develop more masculine or feminine which homosexual orientation is more likely. Most of the time it is all in the genes, but other times it is that persons choice to be homosexual, even  if others may not be on the same page. Some people can be homophobic, which in my view is extremely improper. Whoever thinks that it is wrong should take a step back, let those people live their lives and start worrying about their own. I have known many people who were homophobic and it just pushed my buttons to see how cruel they can be to someone with a different sexual orientation. I do see where they are coming from, on the other hand. I do think it is weird to see two homosexual men holding hands or kissing, but I always come to an understanding that they are who they are and nothing can change that. They want to feel the comfort of another. In general, they want to love just as much as heterosexual couples do, so I praise them for that. With homosexual activity and even heterosexual activity, there comes a price if a couple chooses to have unprotected sex. There are many sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), but the major ones are Chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis, which all can be cured by antibiotics. Chlamydia and gonorrhea are critical to women because if they in fact do have any of these, they do not have any early stages of infections. Since they do not treat it on time, then it can lead to infertility. Viral STDs include genital herpes, genital warts, and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), which cannot be cured. The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is the virus that causes AIDS. It attacks the immune system, and can cause cancer or other dysfunctions. In order to prevent spreading STDs one should avoid sex with multiple partners, and also use a latex condom with a spermicide. With the growing rate of STDs nowadays, and the amount of television commercials informing teenagers and adults to practice safe sex and get tested for HIV or AIDS, I do not understand why people still have unsafe sex. It is not that difficult to strap up before doing the deed or keep it in your pants, that is unless you are prepared to have a child and have been tested along with your partner. I have known many males and females who have had unprotected sex and regret ever doing so, a couple of which becoming pregnant. From their point of  view, they feel lost because they cannot support their children and give them the attention they need in order to have a secure, fulfilling childhood.

Impact of Boxer Rebellion on Chinas World Relations

Impact of Boxer Rebellion on Chinas World Relations What impact did the Boxer Rebellion have  on China’s relations with the rest of the world? The Boxer Rebellion instigated an unprecedented coordinated military response from international powers after The Righteous and Harmonious Fists more commonly known as the Boxers had mutilated and slaughtered thousands of Chinese Christian converts, Western missionaries and foreign nationals.[1] The atrocities occurred between 1898 and 1900 when the Boxers began targeting their perceived enemies in the Shandong region of China before spreading north to Beijing. The Boxers could not differentiate between the Christian missionaries’ desire to proselytise China’s peasants and forced westernisation. This paper contends that the Boxer Rebellion both wounded and opened relations between China and the outside world. Clearly, the discriminate violence of the Boxers shocked and angered the international community.[2] Therefore, far from achieving their objective of purging China from globalisation and the westernisation of Chinese peasants, it caused the world to hone in on Chin a. Inadvertently the Boxer Rebellion opened international relationships with China and the outside world. Countries like the United States refrained from argumentative dialogue and began to have meaningful diplomatic discussions with the Chinese government. Nevertheless, the Boxer Protocol, signed in 1901, seriously affected China’s relationship with the world. The protocol virtually bankrupted China’s economy. The Qing Dynasty was forced to pay three hundred and thirty three million United State dollars indemnity to foreign countries affected by the Boxer’s violence.[3] The Boxer Rebellion like the majority of insurrections has no narrative from the insurgents. The historiographies of rebellions are a combination of texts of victims, politicians, historians and other academics as in the case the Boxer Rebellion. The majority of eyewitness accounts are usually anonymous but reveal the harsh reality of death associated with insurrections. Cohen gives a perfect ex ample of this when he cites an eyewitness account of a Chinese individual who witnessed the scene of death during the Boxer Rebellion in Tianjing in 1900, the eyewitness describes the atrocities of the rebellion, they declare, ‘There are many corpses floating in the river. Some were without heads, others were missing limbs. The bodies of women often had their nipples cut off and their genitalia mutilated†¦ There were also bodies in shallow areas by the banks with flocks of crows pecking away at them. The smell was so bad we had to cover our noses the whole day. Still, no one came out to collect the bodies for burial. People said that they were all Christians who had been killed by the Boxers and the populace dare not get involved.’[4] Boyd contends that ‘most Westerners went to China to make money or to make converts.’[5] Neither reason was popular with the Righteous Harmonious Fists (Boxers). They viewed themselves as representatives of the Chinese peasantry and rigorously opposed all foreigners. Although, by the end of the nineteenth century, China’s population had reached three hundred and fifty million the majority of Chinese peasants had never encountered foreigners or Western missionaries.[6] Nevertheless, the Boxers held a strong belief that foreigners and Christian missionaries were responsible for the breakdown in the fabric of simple Chinese peasant society and they dishonoured their traditional spiritual and community. Furthermore, the Boxers attributed China’s natural disasters such as flood, drought and famine to the corruption of Christianity. Drought followed the great flood of the Yellow River in 1898 and left two million peasants starving and desperate. The Boxers a bott om up organisation without official leadership saw themselves as representatives of the peasantry in the Shandong region of northern China.[7] Likewise, the missionaries imposed power in the villages they occupied and they were involved in legal decision-making. The missionaries infuriated the Boxers even more because they were not just content to proselytise Christianity they also rejected Confucianism.[8] Harrison contends that the Boxers believed Catholic missionaries posed the greatest threat to Chinese morality. She argues that the Boxers targeted villages where the well-established Catholic missionaries had taken on the role of officials. The Boxers believed that because central government had failed to tackle the issue of village politics and moral issues they would take the law into their own hands.[9] However, this argument is neutralised by the excessive violence and murder of Catholics committed by the Boxers in the villages of central Shanxi.[10] The Boxers believed they were impervious to pain; they could withstand attack from both sword, and bullet. Their strange beliefs made them merciless fighters and a therefore a dangerous enemy of foreigners, Chinese Christian converts and missionaries. Even if their beliefs were well founded and justifiable, their methods of resolving their perceived problems were inexcusable and crude.[11] The Boxers fervent mystical beliefs are not a new phenomenon because allegedly, in preceding years Chinese peasants had experienced similar supernatural powers following natural disasters. Male peasants believed that they acquired special ‘religious’ spiritual powers to overcome the disasters.[12] However, the Boxers method of dealing with the threat was incomprehensible. Fleming’s contentious claim that at the beginning of the Boxer regime, ninety percent of the Boxers were just peasants in ‘fancy dress’ is debateable. However, he declares that as time went by thei r ‘sartorial costume’ of red and yellow turbans and sashes became less important and the majority of Boxers held strong political ideologies.[13] Following the suppression of the Boxer’s by the international counterinsurgency force,[14] each nation affected by Boxer violence sought retribution. However, some nations were less harsh than others were. For example, the United States highlighted this in their response. Secretary of State John Hay fearing China’s partition by European nations following the Boxer Rebellion issued a memorandum in July 1900 to those countries affected by the rebellion. Hay suggested that they should continue to support China’s ‘administrative and territorial integrity.’[15] In reality the United States were protecting their own trading interests in China. Furthermore, the United States practised a strict anti-imperialistic foreign policy.[16] However, the United States outward support of the Qing Dynasty was a contradiction of their policies towards Chinese immigrants. Ironically, the Chinese Exclusion Act 1882 and the Geary Act 1892 effectively prevented Chinese peop le from entering America.[17] After the suppression on the Boxer Rebellion, China supported American military presence in Beijing to repel any further rebellions following the defeat of the Boxers. The United States politely refused and withdrew from China in October 1900. The commander of the American counterinsurgency force stated, ‘Let us hope that this generous, charitable, and magnanimous treatment of the vanquished may prove an example to the nations of the world, and a step forward in the world’s progress toward a higher and nobler humanity. We are glad to know that this work is appreciated to you. It is needless to tell you, however, that the United States does not maintain an army for the purpose of furnishing the city of Peking with good municipal government, and as a business proposition your appeal for the United States forces to remain longer in Peking has little to stand upon.[18] Britain was slow to respond to the Boxer Rebellion.[19] However, retrospectively the Boxer Rebellion caused Britain to adopt a more vigorous foreign policy. Indeed, because of the inadequacies of the Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary Lord Salisbury in dealing with the Boxer Rebellion, the Conservative government made significant changes to the Diplomatic Service.[20] Sir Claude MacDonald the British minister in Beijing despite being fully aware of the Boxers violence against foreigners, Christian converts and missionaries in northern China refused to contemplate that the Boxer would spread across China.[21] Indeed, Otte contends that Britain’s blasà © attitude to the Boxer violence only changed after the siege of Beijing legation district that began on June 14th 1900. For fifty-five days, the Boxers laid siege to the square mile legation district in Beijing.[22] When the multilateral counterinsurgency force finally arrived in Beijing in August 1900, they displayed to the world for the first time that a sense of unity was possible. The multilateral force consisted of all the nations who had personnel in the legation. The force consisted of approximately twenty thousand troops. The Japanese were the dominant force with ten thousand troops. Japan demonstrated to China and the world that the importance of China was truly international and not just Eurocentric.[23] Furthermore, the multilateral force with the aim of rescuing the personnel and their families from the Beijing Legation district were given different instructions from their governments. German emperor Kaiser Wilhelm II commanded his troops to show no mercy to the Boxers after they had murdered the German Minister in Beijing Baron von Ketteler. The Kaiser declared to his troops before they left Bremerhaven, ‘Just as the Huns a thousand years ago, under the leadership of Attila, gained a reputation by virtue of which they still live in historical tradition, so may the name of Germany become known in such a manner in China, that no Chinese will ever again to look askance at a German.’ [24] Clearly, the Boxer Rebellion affected relations with Germany and this was borne out by the first point in the Boxer Protocol, it declared, ‘†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.Prince of the First Rank, Chun, was appointed Ambassador of His Majesty the Emperor of China, and directed in that capacity to convey to His Majesty the German Emperor the expression of the regrets of His Majesty the Emperor of China and of the Chinese Government at the assassination of his Excellency the late Baron von Ketteler, German Minister†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. The Chinese Government has stated that it will erect on the spot of the assassination of his Excellency the late Baron von Ketteler, commemorative monument worthy of the rank of the deceased, and bearing an inscription in the Latin, German, and Chinese languages which shall express the regrets of His Majesty the Emperor of China for the murder committed†¦[25] The first article of the Boxer Protocol clearly highlights China’s humiliation. Germany like other governments wanted to punish and embarrass China after the Boxer Rebellion. The proceeding articles in the protocol all required apologies, monument erections, the destruction of Chinese arms and fortresses, and the forfeiture of land to foreign powers.[26] However, as previously mentioned, the most damaging article in the protocol was the three hundred and thirty three million dollar indemnity with four percent interest. Undoubtedly, the multilateral troops took revenge on the Boxers and their supporters, Boyd contends that rumours of looting, rape, and torture committed by multilateral troops spread throughout Beijing. [27] Schoppa argues that the Boxer Protocol is the lowest point in Chinese international relations and their ultimate humiliation. The protocol signed on the 7th September 1901 between China and the Powers of Germany, Austria-Hungary, Belgium, Spain, United State s, France, Great Britain, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, and Russia was yet another unequal treaty that humiliated the Chinese government. The terms of the protocol not only restricted China’s domestic privileges, they increased foreign interests in China. Therefore, the fifty years of humiliation that began with China’s defeat in the Opium Wars extended into a new millennium. Therefore, the Boxer Protocol crippled Chinese spirit, economy and international prestige.[28] Although, the Boxer Rebellion and the consequent protocol severely damaged China domestically and their international reputation it instigated the dismantlement of their biggest burden, the corrupt Qing Dynasty. The Empress Dowager Cixi deceived the international community by pretending that her troops were suppressing the Boxers. However, the reality was that she despised foreign intervention as much as the Boxers did. She cleverly encouraged the Boxers to turn the Chinese peasantry and country against the foreigners. The Boxers declared ‘Support the Qing, destroy the Foreigners.’ Foreigners included missionaries and Chinese Christian converts. As Esherick contends, the Boxer Rebellion was not a true rebellion, as they did not oppose the Chinese Qing government.[29] The rebellion failed to resemble the excepted definition as ‘an organized armed resistance to an established ruler or government.’[30] Once the Qing dynasty realised that counterinsurgency would overthrow the Boxers they soon renounced their involvement so they could continue in the eyes of the West as a legitimate government.[31] However, inevitably the Boxer Rebellion demonstrates that China’s international relations were damaged by the more primitive actions the Boxers and the more sophisticated and sinister intervention of the Qing Dynasty.[32] In conclusion, the Boxer Rebellion clearly left an indelible mark on China both domestically and internationally. The ruthless action of the Boxers against foreigners, Chinese Christian converts, and missionaries was viewed by the outside world as unjustified and inexcusable. The Boxers clearly believed that they were acting in the best interests of peasants who made up the majority of the Chinese population. Their violent activities led to the Boxer Protocol in 1901 that almost bankrupted China through the huge financial reparations. The further articles of the protocol heaped further humiliation on China and allowed international powers access to prominent trading areas. However, arguably inadvertently the Boxer Rebellion prevented China from being colonised by major international powers. The Boxer Rebellion undoubtedly stirred the United States to intervene in order to save their trading rights in China. They sent a clear message to Britain, Germany, France, Italy, Japan, and Russ ia to support China’s administrative and territorial integrity. Furthermore, the Boxer Rebellion was the catalyst for disintegration of the dishonest Qing Dynasty. Although, the Qing Dynasty under Empress Dowager Cixi supported the Boxers it was not to protect the interests of China’s peasantry. Even though the Boxer Rebellion eventually instigated improved foreign diplomacy, it is indisputable that their actions not only led to the massacres of foreigners, Chinese Christians and missionaries it led to thousands of deaths of their own people. The international counterinsurgency forces showed no mercy when they exacted retribution on the Boxers and their sympathisers. The ease in which the Boxers and Imperial guard were defeated by the multilateral counterinsurgency forces compelled the Chinese government to modernise their military. The Boxer Rebellion reiterated the Eurocentric ideology that the Chinese are uncivilised. Furthermore, the rebellion alienated the western community from China even though it inadvertently improved international diplomacy and rid China of the corrupt Qing Dynasty that ultimately led to China becoming a republic in 1912. The ease in which the Boxers and Imperial guard were defeated by the multilateral counterinsurgency forces compelled the Chinese government to modernise their military. Bibliography Books Boyd, J., A Dance with Dragon. The Vanished of Peking’s Foreign Policy (London: I. B. Tauris Co. Ltd, 2012). Cashman, D., America in the Age of the Titans: The Progressive Era and World War I (New York: New York University Press, 1998). Cohen, Paul, in ‘Humanising the Boxers’, in Bickers, R. Tiedemann, R. (eds), The Boxers, China, and the World (Plymouth: Rowman Littlefield Publishers Ltd, 2007), pp. 179-197. Cullinane, M., Liberty and American Anti-Imperialism: 1898-1909 (New York: Palgrave MacMillian, 2012). Durschmeid, E,. Beware the Dragon, China: 1,000 Years of Bloodshed (London: Carlton Publishing Group, 2008). Esherick, J., The Origins of the Boxer Uprising (Oakland: University of California Press). Fleming, P., The Siege at Peking (Edinburgh: Birlinn Ltd, 2001). Harrison, Henrietta, in ‘Humanising the Boxers’, in Bickers, R. Tiedemann, R. (eds), The Boxers, China, and the World (Plymouth: Rowman Littlefield Publishers Ltd, 2007), pp. 1-15. Otte, Thomas, ‘Heaven knows where we shall finally drift’: Lord Salisbury, the Cabinet, Isolation, and the Boxer Rebellion’ in Kennedy, G. Neilson, K. (eds), Incidents and International Relations: People, Power, and Personalities (Connecticut: Praeger Publishers, 2002). Schoppa, K., The Columbia Guide to Modern Chinese History (New York: Columbia University Press, 2000). Seonnichsen, J., The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 (Santa Barbara: Greenwood Publishing Group, 2011). Spence, J., The Searching of Modern China (London: Century Hutchinson Ltd, 1990). Steiner, Z., The Foreign Office and Foreign Policy, 1898-1914 (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1970). Journals Oulett, ‘Multinational counterinsurgency: the Western intervention in the Boxer Rebellion 1900-1901’ Small Wars Insurgencies. 20: 3.4 (2009): pp. 507-527. Radio broadcast Bragg, M., ‘The Boxer Rebellion’ In our Time. BBC radio 4 archive broadcast (21.30, 9 March 2009) Internet source ‘Rebellion.’ Oxford English Dictionary (03 April 2014). Available online: http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/159201?isAdvanced=falseresult=1rskey=nNKkrE Date accessed: 02 April 2014. ‘Boxer Protocol, 1901, Peace Agreement between the Great Powers and China 09/07/190’ (03 April 2014) Available online: http://china.usc.edu/(S(ivfmlzuvquerbb45edthpbze)A(irVj2QZVywEkAAAAYWQzZmNiZGMtZTBhNC00MDc1LTg5ZTItOGQ4OGU4MGI0NTk3Uo36FF2grKtLe_4GD64z6sKQqsw1))/ShowArticle.aspx?articleID=420 Date accessed: 03 April 2014 1 [1] Oulett, ‘Multinational counterinsurgency: the Western intervention in the Boxer Rebellion 1900-1901’ Small Wars Insurgencies. 20: 3.4 (2009): p. 511. [2] Durschmeid, E,. Beware the Dragon, China: 1,000 Years of Bloodshed (London: Carlton Publishing Group, 2008)p. 172. [3] Spence, J., The Searching of Modern China (London: Century Hutchinson Ltd, 1990), p. 235. [4] cited by Cohen, Paul, in ‘Humanising the Boxers’, in Bickers, R. Tiedemann, R. (eds), The Boxers, China, and the World (Plymouth: Rowman Littlefield Publishers Ltd, 2007), p. 186 [5] Boyd, J., A Dance with Dragon. The Vanished of Peking’s Foreign Policy (London: I. B. Tauris Co. Ltd, 2012), p. xvi. [6] Fleming, P., The Siege at Peking (Edinburgh: Birlinn Ltd, 2001), p. 36. [7] Bragg, M., ‘The Boxer Rebellion’ In our Time. BBC radio 4 archive broadcast (21.30, 9 March 2009) [8] Ibid. [9] Harrison, Henrietta, in ‘Humanising the Boxers’, in Bickers, R. Tiedemann, R. (eds), The Boxers, China, and the World (Plymouth: Rowman Littlefield Publishers Ltd, 2007), p. 12 [10] Harrison, Henrietta, in ‘Humanising the Boxers’, p. 7 [11] Oulett, ‘Multinational counterinsurgency: the Western intervention in the Boxer Rebellion 1900-1901’, p. 508. [12] Bragg, M., ‘The Boxer Rebellion’ In our Time [13] Fleming, The Siege at Peking, p.36. [14] Oulett, ‘Multinational counterinsurgency: the Western intervention in the Boxer Rebellion 1900-1901’, p. 508. [15] Cashman, D., America in the Age of the Titans: The Progressive Era and World War I (New York: New York University Press, 1998), p.436. [16] Cullinane, M., Liberty and American Anti-Imperialism: 1898-1909 (New York: Palgrave MacMillian, 2012), p. 4. [17] Seonnichsen, J., The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 (Santa Barbara: Greenwood Publishing Group, 2011), p. xiv. [18] cited in Oulett, ‘Multinational counterinsurgency: the Western intervention in the Boxer Rebellion 1900-1901’. p. 518. [19] Otte, Thomas, ‘Heaven knows where we shall finally drift’: Lord Salisbury, the Cabinet, Isolation, and the Boxer Rebellion’ in Kennedy, G. Neilson, K. (eds), Incidents and International Relations: People, Power, and Personalities (Connecticut: Praeger Publishers, 2002), p. 30. [20] Steiner, Z., The Foreign Office and Foreign Policy, 1898-1914 (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1970), p. 180. [21] Otte, Thomas. ‘Heaven knows where we shall finally drift’: Lord Salisbury, the Cabinet, Isolation, and the Boxer Rebellion’, p. 26 [22] Otte, Thomas. ‘‘Heaven knows where we shall finally drift’: Lord Salisbury, the Cabinet, Isolation, and the Boxer Rebellion’, p. 29 [23] Bragg, M., ‘The Boxer Rebellion’ In our Time [24] Fleming, The Siege at Peking, pp. 135-136 [25] ‘Boxer Protocol, 1901, Peace Agreement between the Great Powers and China’ (09/07/1901). Available online: http://china.usc.edu/(S(ivfmlzuvquerbb45edthpbze)A(irVj2QZVywEkAAAAYWQzZmNiZGMtZTBhNC00MDc1LTg5ZTItOGQ4OGU4MGI0NTk3Uo36FF2grKtLe_4GD64z6sKQqsw1))/ShowArticle.aspx?articleID=420 Date accessed: 03 April 2014 [26] Fleming, The Siege at Peking, pp. 250-251 [27] Boyd, J., A Dance with Dragon. The Vanished of Peking’s Foreign Policy, p. 22. [28] Schoppa, K., The Columbia Guide to Modern Chinese History (New York: Columbia University Press, 2000), p. 171. [29] Esherick, J., The Origins of the Boxer Uprising (Oakland: University of California Press), p. xiv. [30] ‘Rebellion.’ Oxford English Dictionary. 2014, Available online: http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/159201?isAdvanced=falseresult=1rskey=nNKkrE Date accessed: 02 April 2014. [31] Ibid. [32] Esherick, The Origins of the Boxer Uprising, p. 312

My Brother the Drunk Essay -- Descriptive Essay Examples, Observation

My Brother the Drunk As he walked past me, I glanced up at him timidly. I looked into his eyes, realizing they were exactly like mine. Quickly I shifted my gaze to the floor, not wanting to make eye contact. It wasn't always this awkward between us, but something had changed. My brother stood tall a few feet in front of me. He was almost towering, and I felt myself become very nervous. With his head held high, he walked over to me. He asked how I was doing; I told him that I was fine. My brother flipped his head back in a cocky manner, as if to emphasize his ear-length hair. I secretly rolled my eyes. Making small talk, I asked him how school was going. He replied that it was great and that all his teachers loved him. He also commented on how he might be playing baseball for his college again this year. I smiled and said that that was wonderful. He didn't bother to ask how school was going for me. Feeling strange, I told him that I had to run. We said our goodbyes and he began to leave. As he left, I noticed the way he walked. It wasn't a normal walk. It was a walk that commanded everyone's attention. It was a steady stride. With his shoulders back and head up, I could tell that everyone at the grocery store was watching him. Unfortunately , so could he. As children, my brother and I were very close. Well, as close as a brother and sister can be. We played together all of the time, and he always tucked me into bed at night. Sometimes, when I was scared of the dark, he would take all of my stuffed animals and surround me with them. In elementary school, he was very protective of me. He always made sure that no one was ... ...pick him up. He started to scream and yell at me. "You never do anything for me," he said. I gave the phone to my dad, and he explained to my brother that he would be picking him up. My brother was mad at me for days. Along with an attitude, my brother had developed an ego problem. He would stand at the bathroom mirror, telling himself how gorgeous he looked. Moving his head back and forth, he commented on how he had no bad angles. He started to brag about cheating on his girlfriend. I couldn't stand to be around him anymore. He finally decided to move out a couple of months ago. He didn't even say goodbye to me. My mother told me he was leaving. Since then I can barely talk to him. Things have become so strained between us. I see him here and there, and I wish that things hadn't changed so much. My Brother the Drunk Essay -- Descriptive Essay Examples, Observation My Brother the Drunk As he walked past me, I glanced up at him timidly. I looked into his eyes, realizing they were exactly like mine. Quickly I shifted my gaze to the floor, not wanting to make eye contact. It wasn't always this awkward between us, but something had changed. My brother stood tall a few feet in front of me. He was almost towering, and I felt myself become very nervous. With his head held high, he walked over to me. He asked how I was doing; I told him that I was fine. My brother flipped his head back in a cocky manner, as if to emphasize his ear-length hair. I secretly rolled my eyes. Making small talk, I asked him how school was going. He replied that it was great and that all his teachers loved him. He also commented on how he might be playing baseball for his college again this year. I smiled and said that that was wonderful. He didn't bother to ask how school was going for me. Feeling strange, I told him that I had to run. We said our goodbyes and he began to leave. As he left, I noticed the way he walked. It wasn't a normal walk. It was a walk that commanded everyone's attention. It was a steady stride. With his shoulders back and head up, I could tell that everyone at the grocery store was watching him. Unfortunately , so could he. As children, my brother and I were very close. Well, as close as a brother and sister can be. We played together all of the time, and he always tucked me into bed at night. Sometimes, when I was scared of the dark, he would take all of my stuffed animals and surround me with them. In elementary school, he was very protective of me. He always made sure that no one was ... ...pick him up. He started to scream and yell at me. "You never do anything for me," he said. I gave the phone to my dad, and he explained to my brother that he would be picking him up. My brother was mad at me for days. Along with an attitude, my brother had developed an ego problem. He would stand at the bathroom mirror, telling himself how gorgeous he looked. Moving his head back and forth, he commented on how he had no bad angles. He started to brag about cheating on his girlfriend. I couldn't stand to be around him anymore. He finally decided to move out a couple of months ago. He didn't even say goodbye to me. My mother told me he was leaving. Since then I can barely talk to him. Things have become so strained between us. I see him here and there, and I wish that things hadn't changed so much.

The Cold War 1980’s-1990’s Essay -- World History

Upon hearing the mention of â€Å"The Cold War† most people begin to imagine and think of a time focused on political and military tensions between two main powers, the United States of the Western world and The Soviet Union of the Communist world. The context of the Cold War has traditionally been seen this way, as a nontraditional war without any engagement of battle, as a nuclear arms race between to profoundly different political and economic ideologies. Though being accurate this view of the Cold War is not complete. The Cold War was not just a nonviolent war between the United States and the Soviet Union but one affecting the entire planet in different fashions and on multiple plains. It is for these reasons that while events during the 1980’s-1990’s seemingly led to the conventional end of conflict, they ironically only facilitated the existence and continuance of the Cold War even until today. Probably one of the most recognized events of the 1980’s is the collapse of communism but first it is important to look at events that leading up to this collapse to provide a better context of events post collapse. One very significant period of time was the mid 1980’s when it seemed all eyes were on Africa in its entirety. The release of the song â€Å"We are the World† in 1985, the â€Å"Break the Chains† campaign of 1987, and the focus on the influential figure, Desmond Tutu, during 1986 are all examples of how the United States and other countries were focused on providing aid to africa. In her book, Enlightened Aid: U.S. Development as Foreign Policy in Ethiopia, Amanda McVety explains this aid and how United Sates foreign aid was a cold war project, â€Å"It offered a Cold War weapon that was not a weapon and promised peace through peaceful me... ... 8.4 (2006): 29-56. Print. McVety, Amanda Kay. Enlightened Aid: U.S. Development as Foreign Aid Policy in Ethiopia. New York: Oxford UP, 2012. Print. "Suppression of Communism Act, No. 44 of 1950 Approved in Parliament | South African History Online." South African History Online. Web. 03 May 2012. no-44-1950-approved-parliament>. Totten, Samuel, and Rifiki Ubaldo. We Cannot Forget. ; Interviews with Survivors of the 1994 Genocide in Rwanda. Rutgers UP, 2011. Print. "TED KENNEDY’S AFRICAN LEGACY." Africa Is a Country. Web. 03 May 2012. . Ye, Weili, and Xiaodong Ma. Growing up in the People's Republic: Conversations between Two Daughters of China's Revolution. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2005. Print.