Thursday, May 7, 2020

The World Canal West Canal North And The London Avenue Canal

This essentially points to the complete breach of the floodwall that would follow the formation of the crack (or water-filled gap), as had happened at a certain point along the 17th Street Canal. The results of this study also demonstrate another major error on the side of the USACE: the penetration depth of the sheet piles. According to the centrifuge model tests carried out on the model of the Orleans Avenue Canal North and the London Avenue Canal, when the canal levels were increased from normal levels to Katrina flood level there was a small movement of the wall [Ubilia]. However, when the water level was held at Katrina levels for a long period of time, there was no further movement of the wall, and the levee remained stable. The level was then increased to one near the top of the floodwall, which caused movement of the wall and the formation of a crack. However, there were no failure of the levee was reported. So, we know that there was a failure of the 17th Street Canal, but n one with the Orleans Avenue Canal North. The difference in the structure of these two canals were that the sheet pile penetration depth of the Orleans Avenue Canal North was greater than that of the 17th Street Canal. This is a prime example of negligence on the part of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Further research into this matter reveals that this is actually the result of a misinterpretation of the results of a study carried out by the Army Corps of Engineers into the penetration depth ofShow MoreRelatedWhat Is The Power Of The Government In The United Kingdom?1043 Words   |  5 Pages The United Kingdom is located in Western Europe and includes England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. It is a group of islands bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west and the North Sea to the east. The United Kingdom has one of the most advanced infrastructures and military’s in the world, and with one of the longest continuous monarchies, the power of the throne is sl owly dwindling. At the present time, in the United Kingdom political system, there are 650 Members of ParliamentRead MoreBuffalo Bill and Disney Essay2756 Words   |  12 PagesBill â€Å"taught† the history of the West to a curious nation, Disneyland embarked on a strikingly similar course. Relying on creative marketing, star appeal, the American fascination with all things western, and, most important, an exceedingly glib portrayal of history, Disneyland in a strange way completed the story that Buffalo Bill started in 1883. Although the eras, to be sure, were decidedly different, history was delivered in exactly the same way. The west is an idea that has always fascinatedRead MoreWater as a Source of Future Conflict in Sa26984 Words   |  108 Pagesidentify that disagreements over water are expected to occur. 5. The necessity of water has been emphasized in such a way throughout the world, that states and nations are being dragged into the battle zone to take control of it. May it be for the human survival, agriculture or industrial purpose, water has been put into priority by the nations all over the world. The scholars and the body of scholarships have stated the positive aspects of water keeping a lime light upon the fact about how the ongoingRead MoreThe Industrial Revolution : A Great Period Of Time Essay2283 Words   |  10 PagesHST101A Short Essay The period of time known as â€Å"The Industrial Revolution† was a great period of time filled with rapid industrialization. The industrialization began in Great Britain, but did manage to spread quickly throughout the rest of the world. Managing to leave a rather substantial impact on the United States. So much so that the industrialization that took place in America is commonly referred to as â€Å"the second industrial revolution†. 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Food Resources: World food problems, Changes in landuse by agriculture and grazing, Effects of modern agriculture, Fertilizer/ pesticide problems, Water logging and salinity e. Energy Resources: Increasing energy needs, Renewable/ non renewable, Use of Alternate energyRead MoreOne Significant Change That Has Occurred in the World Between 1900 and 2005. Explain the Impact This Change Has Made on Our Lives and Why It Is an Important Change.163893 Words   |  656 PagesLinda Shopes, eds., Oral History and Public Memories Tiffany Ruby Patterson, Zora Neale Hurston and a History of Southern Life Lisa M. Fine, The Story of Reo Joe: Work, Kin, and Community in Autotown, U.S.A. Van Gosse and Richard Moser, eds., The World the Sixties Made: Politics and Culture in Recent America Joanne Meyerowitz, ed., History and September 11th John McMillian and Paul Buhle, eds., The New Left Revisited David M. 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Advertising is not an expensive but, rather, is a strategicRead MoreRastafarian79520 Words   |  319 Pages Rastafari This page intentionally left blank Rastafari From Outcasts to Culture Bearers Ennis Barrington Edmonds 2003 198 Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10016 Oxford University Press is a department of the University of Oxford It furthers the Universitys objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education by publishing worldwide in Oxford New York Auckland Bangkok Buenos Aires Cape Town Chennai Dar es Salaam Delhi Hong Kong Istanbul Karachi Kolkata KualaRead MorePrimary Sector of Economy17717 Words   |  71 Pagescovers the effects of the Green Revolution. Below is a list of countries by agricultural output in 2011. 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Wednesday, May 6, 2020

Technology and Health Play Free Essays

As of today, technology plays a vital role in almost every aspect of human existence. In the same way, this research paper treats technology as a vital part of the full swing implementation of health information systems as the new way of addressing and managing health issues. Information systems by elementary definition is the integration of technology based components that is used for the collection, storage, processing and communication (transmission) of information (Britannica, 2010, p. We will write a custom essay sample on Technology and Health Play or any similar topic only for you Order Now n.pag.). This research paper integrates the same meaning in its discussions regarding the policy planning and implementation of information systems in the field of health. More particularly, this research paper strives to explain the Public Health Informatics Institute policy issues through its extensive discussions of information systems. The World Health Organization (WHO) stresses that the integration of information systems in health care profits many individuals. Even if the full swing use of information systems in health care is still far from being realized, most health institutions such as the WHO deem that the creation of health information systems will make the identification, addressing and implementation of health policies comparatively easier. Addressing endemic health problems can be more efficient, even before an outbreak is declared due to the simultaneous monitoring capabilities of health information systems (Eldis.org, 2010, p. n.pag.). Information systems allow performance data to be easily disseminated to communities and individuals allowing the creation of a more timely consciousness regarding health issues (Eldis.org, 2010, p. 1). The data from the information systems can be treated as the evidence base of health policy making; the precision of data in information systems allows policymakers to determine the issues needed to be addressed (Eldis.org, 2010, p. 1). Finally, information systems empower health institutions’ customers with the accountability of their health institutions by making their transactions recorded and managed (Eldis.org, 2010, p. 1). The advantages projected with the blooming of health information systems can easily move health institutions to integrate their operations to information systems. However, such decisions cannot be easily made without a preliminary assessment of the current health industry’s policies and structures. The technological bias of health information systems creates a completely new dimension for the health care industry. Due to this, health institutions such as PHII oblige themselves to assess not only the practicability of such systems but also its feasibility to start with. PHII pushes for the issue of integrating information systems to the health industry by integrating it on existing health structures such as immunization registries. The integration of immunization registries to information systems insures that the registry will be efficiently managed without compromising the needed confidentiality of the population-based data of the registry (Saarlas, Edwards, Wild, Richmond, 2003, p. 47). The policies of many health institutions toward health information systems are founded in the premises set by population based data such as immunization registries. The massive information needed to address even the smallest health problems can be found in population based health information (Hinman Ross, 2010, p. n.pag.). In line with this, PHII pushes forth the integration of information systems in the health structure of immunization registries to insure that the structure can function at its optimum level. The new features of information systems are seen by PHII as the needed essentials to take the health care industry into a more efficient and accountable state. Conclusively, the integration of immunization registries is a start but not the end of the bloom of health information systems. Bibliography Britannica. (2010). Science and Technology: Information Systems. Retrieved August 4, 2010, from www.britannica.com: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/287895/information-system Eldis.org. (2010). Health management information systems. Retrieved August 4, 2010, from www.eldis.org: www.eldis.org/healthsystems/hmis/index.htm Hinman, A. R., Ross, D. A. (2010). Immunization Registries Can Be the Building Blocks for National Health Information Systems. Retrieved August 3, 2010, from www.phii.org: http://content.healthaffairs.org/cgi/content/full/29/4/676?ijkey=GH9RmlBCqfpKAkeytype=refsiteid=healthaff Saarlas, K. N., Edwards, K., Wild, E., Richmond, P. (2003). Developing Performance Measures for Immunization Registries. Public Health Management Practice , 47-57. How to cite Technology and Health Play, Essay examples

Monday, April 27, 2020

Sweatshop Labor Wearing Thin Essay Example For Students

Sweatshop Labor: Wearing Thin Essay For most people in the United States, the term slave to fashion relates to anindividuals desire always to be wearing the latest fashions from trendy clothing lines. Ina twist of supreme irony, the designation applies much more literally to the legions ofpoverty-stricken sweatshop laborers worldwide who toil away under miserable conditionsto produce the snappy apparel that Americans purchase in droves on a daily basis. Conditioned by a media that places considerable emphasis on possessing a stylishwardrobe, the majority of U.S. consumers are far too awash in their own culture onethat is notorious for the value it places on material wealth to be sensitive to the plightof these indigent foreigners. And although the US medias fleeting scrutiny of sweatshopconditions five years ago did make the issue a greater part of the national consciousnessthan ever before, not enough people changed their buying habits as a result or at leastnot enough to make a dent in the all-important bottom line of guilty corporations. Indeed,major American retailers of clothing and other apparel products have not changed thisdespotic element of their business practices in the least despite the negative publicity; infact, they continue to exploit laborers in foreign, mostly Third-World countries to analarming degree. The scope of the problem is such that hundreds of residents in a town as small andisolated as Santa Cruz have at some point been employed in sweatshops in impoverishednations. Santa Cruz resident Lorenzo Hernandez endured years of mistreatment at aDoall Enterprises factory in El Salvador before immigrating with his wife and two sons toSanta Cruz in September, 2000. He now works full-time as a cook at Tony and AlbasPizza in Scotts Valley, and while he scarcely earns above minimum wage in his currentposition, it represents a substantial improvement to the abject conditions under which helabored for so many years in his home country. They treated us very badly (in ElSalvador), Hernandez said. I earned not enough to live on. My family could only buytwo shirts and pants (per person), and we were always hungry. I worked 14, 16 hours aday but still did not make enough. Hernandez speaks and moves with the languor of a man who has spent his entireadult life working 80-hour weeks at physically-taxing jobs for domineering bosses whoaccepted nothing short of continuous effort without complaint and gra nted onlyoccasional, monitored bathroom breaks. Years of constant use have rendered his handscallused, decrepit, and scattered with patches of scars and discoloration. His face ismarkedly cragged, his eyes convey a vacant though faintly sad quality, and his blackscalp is blotted by manifold gray strands of hair. He is only 34, but his rugged featuresand frail demeanor strikingly approximate those of a typical 60-year-old. I think my jobshave caused me to lose lots of time with my family in the future, he said of his prospectsto live a long, fulfilling life. We will write a custom essay on Sweatshop Labor: Wearing Thin specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now A National Labor Committee study conducted earlier this year revealed that theaverage Salvadoran family (4.3 people) requires an income of $287.21 per month. Hernandez earned just .60 cents an hour working for Doall only 51% of a basic basketof goods necessary to sustain life in relative poverty. His wife, herself a portrait offragility, worked odd jobs for meager wages to supplement the family income and ensureits survival. Hernandez story is a familiar one not only to those in his native country, but topeople in poor nations worldwide, some of whom face conditions even more desperatethan those endured by many Salvadorans. For instance, wages in Indonesia and Burmahave dropped to as low as what corresponds to nine cents per hour in the U.S. In Mexicogarment workers are paid a lowly average of .50-.54 cents per hour. In Thailand thatnumber is .65 per hour. In addition, many laborers are required to work in generally unhealthy anddangerous surroundings for outrageously-long hours. Ninety-six hour work weeks andfourteen-hour days are routine for employees in the garment industry, who, like theaforementioned Hernandez, often find themselves subject to the demands of tyrannicaland obdurate bosses charged with increasing levels of productivity at the expense of theirworkers welfare. They would yell at us every time they walked by, Hernandez said. Sometimes they would (physically) punish people with straps or sticks to make themwork harder. .u02156d970bd4b0735d056b371828bc26 , .u02156d970bd4b0735d056b371828bc26 .postImageUrl , .u02156d970bd4b0735d056b371828bc26 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u02156d970bd4b0735d056b371828bc26 , .u02156d970bd4b0735d056b371828bc26:hover , .u02156d970bd4b0735d056b371828bc26:visited , .u02156d970bd4b0735d056b371828bc26:active { border:0!important; } .u02156d970bd4b0735d056b371828bc26 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u02156d970bd4b0735d056b371828bc26 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u02156d970bd4b0735d056b371828bc26:active , .u02156d970bd4b0735d056b371828bc26:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u02156d970bd4b0735d056b371828bc26 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u02156d970bd4b0735d056b371828bc26 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u02156d970bd4b0735d056b371828bc26 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u02156d970bd4b0735d056b371828bc26 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u02156d970bd4b0735d056b371828bc26:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u02156d970bd4b0735d056b371828bc26 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u02156d970bd4b0735d056b371828bc26 .u02156d970bd4b0735d056b371828bc26-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u02156d970bd4b0735d056b371828bc26:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: The Disadvantages of Homeschooling vs Traditional Educations EssayGender equity and child labor issues in the garment industry have also emerged asan increasing concern of sweatshop-opposed human rights organizations. Of theestimated four million garment workers in China, most are women agedsixteen-to-twenty-three who have migrated from rural areas to live in small rooms in thefactory building in which they work, often with ten-or-so other laborers with whom theymust share only a few beds. Generally, these women are fired if they become pregnant orwhen they reach twenty-five and are worn down by years of working in such physicallystressful conditions. The labor forces in m any factories are comprised of children asyoung as six who are born into poor families and must lead their entire lives in the mostdismal circumstances. The poorest citizens of other countries with substantialworking-class populations like Bangladesh, the Dominican Republic, Indonesia, andPakistan exist under similar desperate conditions. The companies responsible for these excessively-capitalistic business practices arehighly visible at any shopping mall throughout the United States. The countrys largestretailer Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., which employs around 825,000 worldwide has, morethan any other company, been the posterchild for third-world labor exploitation since thedeluge of sweatshop publicity struck around five years ago. However, if anything, thecompany relies on sweatshop for the bulk of its production more now than ever before. According to a Washington Post survey, 85% of Wal-Marts private-label clothing iscurrently produced overseas, a 10% increase over 1996 levels. Large corporationsostensibly find third-world nation workforces attractive because those countries do nothave minimum-wage laws or labor unions that might interfere with maximizing profits Managers in some companies are making efforts to ameliorate the situation. Some are responding voluntarily, while others are reacting as a result of pressu re broughtto bear by human rights organizations. The National Labor Committee has coordinateddemonstrations across the United States against sweatshops, targeting Wal-Mart inparticular, in what NLC attorney Al Meyerhoff described on the organizations Web siteas a Process that makes gains at a snails pace. In addition to promoting morediscriminating shopping habits among consumers, the National Labor Committee alsowants Wal-Mart and other stores to disclose the names of all factories and locationsaround the world. This intelligence would more effectively enable human rights activiststo select target areas for future campaigns. Thus far, Wal-Mart has refused to cooperatewith this request. The profits-first corporate approach that pervades Wal-Mart managementmanifests itself distinctly in the attitude of Gerald Saganovich, 34, manager of the SanJose branch of the company. Saganovich staunchly maintains that there is nothingfundamentally unscrupulous about the companys business practices in foreign markets. Were not doing anything that a number of other big businesses arent doing, and that istrying to sustain a healthy bottom line, especially in light of the bad shape the wholeeconomys in right now, he said. Thats the nature of big business. When asked how aware he felt customers are of Wal-Marts business methodsoverseas, he responded that they are Very aware I dont think most people care verymuch, to be completely honestwere not the bad guys here, and people know that. However, in a survey of 50 different shoppers at the San Jose Wal-Mart who were read astatement describing the dire conditions faced by Burmese Wal-Mart sweatshopemployees, only 5 (10%) described themsel ves as very aware of the problem. Twenty-one (42%) were somewhat aware, and 23 (46%) were not at all aware. Ofthe 23 who were previously unaware, only 5 said the information was likely to influencetheir future buying habits. I feel bad for those people (the Burmese), but I still need tobuy myself clothes, said Ashley Donoffrio, 26, of San Jose. Wal-Mart frequently defends against champions of the anti-sweatshop movementby asserting that numerous other dominant American companies that market andmanufacture shoes and attire internationally are equally culpable. And, of course,organizations like the NLC have cited some other very prominent manufacturingcompanies for sweatshop human rights violations, including Liz Claiborne, the Gap, AnnTaylor, K-Mart, Ralph Lauren, J.C. Penny, The Limited, Guess Jeans, Esprit, Nike andAdidas. While the bulk of attention surrounding the inhumane labor practices of thesecompanies center around Asian and South American markets, some of the worstcircumstances for garment workers exist much closer to home. Because of the abundantsupply of inexpensive labor, Mexican border towns are especially popular factory sites forU.S. corporate giants. The citizens of Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, a developing city near theTexas-Mexico border, are prototypical casualties of American industrys penchant forexpanding in to impoverished foreign towns. A series of factory buildings, most sportingthe names of popular U.S. brands like the aforementioned Guess, dot the townslandscape and provide subsistence-level employment for many of the citys population of1.3 million. Starting wages are $6 for a nine-hour day, a level that, despite inflation,barely exceeds that of thirty-five years ago. Cuidad Juarez native Ivan Bibriesca, who immigrated to Santa Cruz four yearsago and now works for Alvaros Steakhouse in Capitola, recalls working in the Guessplant as an excruciating experience. It was really bad there I dont think most peoplesurvived, he said. We were so close to the border, but I think most people didnt makeit. Some people tried to get (together) a union, but they got fired. .udc569c2a09d4a85b39d2c35cd5beabfa , .udc569c2a09d4a85b39d2c35cd5beabfa .postImageUrl , .udc569c2a09d4a85b39d2c35cd5beabfa .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .udc569c2a09d4a85b39d2c35cd5beabfa , .udc569c2a09d4a85b39d2c35cd5beabfa:hover , .udc569c2a09d4a85b39d2c35cd5beabfa:visited , .udc569c2a09d4a85b39d2c35cd5beabfa:active { border:0!important; } .udc569c2a09d4a85b39d2c35cd5beabfa .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .udc569c2a09d4a85b39d2c35cd5beabfa { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .udc569c2a09d4a85b39d2c35cd5beabfa:active , .udc569c2a09d4a85b39d2c35cd5beabfa:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .udc569c2a09d4a85b39d2c35cd5beabfa .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .udc569c2a09d4a85b39d2c35cd5beabfa .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .udc569c2a09d4a85b39d2c35cd5beabfa .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .udc569c2a09d4a85b39d2c35cd5beabfa .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .udc569c2a09d4a85b39d2c35cd5beabfa:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .udc569c2a09d4a85b39d2c35cd5beabfa .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .udc569c2a09d4a85b39d2c35cd5beabfa .udc569c2a09d4a85b39d2c35cd5beabfa-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .udc569c2a09d4a85b39d2c35cd5beabfa:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Christian evidences EssayIndeed, employers at border towns have consistently worked together toundermine any union movements that have materialized over the years. Invariably, thefactory managers are Americans who commute from nearby El Paso, unlike the laborers,who, for the most part, live in shanty towns without paved roads and sewers and cannoteven afford bus fare to and from work. Because these miserable conditions are prevalentthroughout Ciudad Juarez, they have earned it the nickname The Cardboard City. In any event, the problems of Ciudad Juarez lie deeper than poverty, according toBibriesca. Due to the availability of steady work in the area, there is a massive andnear-constant influx of Mexicans from the south and of deported immigrants from theUnited States, whose presence places a severe strain on the citys resources and hascaused a significant increase in its crime rate. As a consequence both of its burgeoningpopulation and its border location, Ciudad Juarez is not only a popular target for newfactories, but for drug smugglers as well. I would say most of the people there wereinvolved with drugs buying them or selling them, Bibriesca said. People neededmoney, so they sold them, and people needed to get away from how bad their life was, sothey used them. Naturally, the high level of drug activity has also resulted in an inordinate numberof drug-related crimes and murders. Because of the heavy traffic in drugs, substantialamounts of the illegal substances are left behind in the city to be consumed by the locals,many of whom seek to mask the pain of what Bibriesca describes as their impossiblelives. Directly correlated to the illegal immigration and drug smuggling is adisproportionately-high rate of rape and rape-related murders, mostly of female factoryworkers who have moved to the city from rural areas. Those who do not turn to drugs tomask the harsh reality of their existences often find consolation or escape in religion. Fittingly, while more affluent people in the United States disregard the reality ofsweatshop labor because they are preoccupied with trying to sport cutting-edge fashions,the people of Ciudad Juarez seek to disguise their realities because they are so painful. Faced with such unsettling tales of human suffering, Saganovich remains resolute:Wal-Mart is simply looking out for its best interests, and this alleged mistreatment offoreign laborers isnt anywhere near as bad as a lot of people make it out to be. Thepeople who are speaking out so strongly against us are little more than a type ofpropagandists with their own agendas. Nobody forces anyone to work anywhere, and alot of them are coming to America and making better lives for themselves. Hernandez is one of a relatively small number of lucky immigrants who haverealized a greater level of wealth and comfort in the States, but he will never forget theanguish his previous jobs brought him and his compatriots. Its great, I can affordclothes and food here now, he said. But I try to buy from stores (that) dont havesweatshops.

Thursday, March 19, 2020

FundsforWriters to the Rescue

FundsforWriters to the Rescue I have been writing in my spare time for more than 40 years. My file cabinets are crammed full of research notes, ideas for future articles, and manuscripts in various stages of completion. Fortunately, I have sold many magazine and newspaper articles, as well as two dozen children’s books, but I still have quite a collection of rejected picture book and early reader manuscripts. I also have the letters stating why they were rejected in the first place. When I wrote about Cathy Williams, the only female buffalo soldier in U.S. history, multiple editors told me she was â€Å"too obscure† to be the subject of a nonfiction picture book. I protested, pointing out that teachers and librarians are always looking for new stories for Black History Month, Women’s History Month and even Veterans Day. But no, they still weren’t interested. Cathy, they insisted, was just not marketable. Editors also rejected my fictional children’s story, â€Å"Oh-So-Clever,† a tale inspired When I wrote a nonfiction reader for youngsters in first through third grades about Admiral Peary returning from Greenland with the largest meteorite â€Å"in captivity,† editors deemed the subject too obscure as well - even though that particular 34-ton space rock remains on display in the Hall of Meteorites at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. Thousands of school children take field trips there each year. From a marketing aspect, it would seem like a perfect book to sell in the museum gift shop there and at other museums with meteorites on display. Undaunted, I retrieved these rejected manuscripts from the file cabinet and looked at them again. I decided to think outside the picture book box and transform my manuscripts into articles instead. Reasoning that if children’s book editors considered my proposed topics too obscure, then children’s magazine editors might be equally shortsighted. Instead, I decided to use my extensive research notes to transform the original manuscripts into articles suitable for adult publications, which pay more generously than children’s magazines anyway. The market listings posted on the FundsforWriters website proved to be quite inspirational.   To my delight, the editor at Rural Missouri, (http://ruralmissouri.coop/submissions.php) the state where Cathy Williams was born and raised, promptly bought my article, â€Å"The Buffalo Soldier’s Secret.† It appears in the November 2014 issue. The Elks Magazine (https://www.elks.org/elksmag/WritersGuidelines.pdf) bought first North American serial rights to the Robert Peary meteorite article, as well as the one about the amazing globetrotting photographers, Osa and Martin Johnson - another topic I had hoped to pursue for a children’s book. This article appears in the May 2015 issue. â€Å"Oh-So-Clever† sold to the Center for Education Testing and Evaluation at the University of Kansas - a market mentioned in one of the weekly Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators electronic newsletters (https://cete.submittable.com/submit) that I receive each week. The center administers a variety of standardized tests and continues to accept submissions for poetry, informational and narrative texts suitable for students in grades 3-12. I have been successful in recycling this first batch of manuscripts and will retrieve another handful from the file drawer with the intention of giving them a makeover as well. I simply need to shift mental gears and think imaginatively outside the box - and review the market listing at FundsforWriters again.

Monday, March 2, 2020

Biography of Mao Zedong, Father of Modern China

Biography of Mao Zedong, Father of Modern China Mao Zedong (Dec. 26, 1893–Sept. 9, 1976), the father of modern China, is not only remembered for his impact on Chinese society and culture but for his global influence, including on political revolutionaries in the United States and the Western world in the 1960s and 1970s.  He is widely considered one of the most prominent communist theoreticians. He was also known as a great poet. Fast Facts: Mao Zedong Known For: Founding father  of the  Peoples Republic of China, ruling the country as Chairman of the Communist Party of China  from 1949 until 1976Also Known As: Mao Tse Tung, Mao Zedong, Chairman MaoBorn: Dec. 26, 1893 in Shaoshan, Hunan Province, ChinaParents: Mao Yichang, Wen QimeiDied: Sept. 9, 1976  in Beijing,  Peoples Republic of ChinaPublished Works: The Warlords Clash (poem, 1929), The Tasks of the Communist Party in the Period of Resistance to Japan (1937), Maos Little Red Book (1964–1976)Spouse(s): Luo Yixiu, Yang Kaihui, He Zizhen, Jiang QingChildren: Mao Anying, Mao Anqing, Mao Anlong, Yang Yuehua, Li Min, Li NaNotable Quote: Politics is war without bloodshed while war is politics with bloodshed. Early Life On Dec. 26, 1893, a son was born to the Mao family, wealthy farmers in Shaoshan, Hunan Province, China. They named the boy Mao Zedong. The child studied Confucian classics at the village school for five years  but left at the age of 13 to help out full-time on the farm. Rebellious and probably spoiled, young Mao had been expelled from several schools and even ran away from home for several days. In 1907, Maos father arranged a marriage for his 14-year-old son. Mao refused to acknowledge his 20-year-old bride, even after she moved into the family home. Education and Introduction to Marxism Mao moved to Changsha, the capital of Hunan Province, to continue his education. He spent six months in 1911 and 1912 as a soldier in the barracks at Changsha, during the revolution that overthrew the Qing Dynasty. Mao called for Sun Yatsen to be president and cut off his long braid of hair (queue), a sign of anti-Manchu revolt. Between 1913 and 1918, Mao studied at the Teachers Training School, where he began to embrace ever more revolutionary ideas. He was fascinated by the 1917 Russian Revolution, and by the 4th century BCE Chinese philosophy called Legalism. After graduation, Mao followed his professor Yang Changji to Beijing, where he took a job at the Beijing University library. His supervisor, Li Dazhao, was a co-founder of the Chinese Communist Party and greatly influenced Maos developing revolutionary ideas. Gathering Power In 1920 Mao married Yang Kaihui, the daughter of his professor, despite his earlier marriage. He read a translation of The Communist Manifesto that year  and became a committed Marxist. Six years later, the Nationalist Party, or Kuomintang, under Chiang Kai-shek massacred at least 5,000 communists in Shanghai. This was the start of Chinas Civil War. That fall, Mao led the Autumn Harvest Uprising in Changsha against the Kuomintang (KMT). The KMT crushed Maos peasant army, killing 90% of them and forcing the survivors out into the countryside, where they rallied more peasants to their cause. In June  1928, the KMT took Beijing and was recognized as the official government of China by foreign powers. Mao and the Communists continued to set up peasant Soviets in the southern Hunan and Jiangxi Provinces, however. He was laying the foundations of Maoism. The Chinese Civil War A local warlord in Changsha captured Maos wife, Yang Kaihui, and one of their sons in October 1930. She refused to denounce communism, so the warlord had her beheaded in front of her 8-year-old son. Mao had married a third wife, He Zizhen, in May of that year. In 1931, Mao was elected chairman of the Soviet Republic of China, in Jiangxi Province. Mao ordered a reign of terror against landlords; perhaps more than 200,000 were tortured and killed. His Red Army, made up mostly of poorly armed but fanatical peasants, numbered 45,000. Under increasing KMT pressure, Mao was demoted from his leadership role. Chiang Kai-sheks troops surrounded the Red Army in the mountains of Jiangxi, forcing them to make a desperate escape in 1934. The Long March and Japanese Occupation About 85,000 Red Army troops and followers retreated from Jiangxi  and started walking the 6,000-kilometer arc to the northern province of Shaanxi. Beset by freezing weather, dangerous mountain paths, unbridged rivers, and attacks by warlords and the KMT, only 7,000 of the communists made it to Shaanxi in 1936. This Long March cemented Mao Zedongs position as leader of the Chinese communists. He was able to rally the troops despite their dire situation. In 1937, Japan invaded China. The Chinese Communists and the KMT halted their civil war to meet this new threat, which lasted through Japans 1945 defeat in World War II. Japan captured Beijing and the Chinese coast, but never occupied the interior. Both of Chinas armies fought on; the communists guerrilla tactics were particularly effective. Meanwhile, in 1938, Mao divorced He Zizhen and married the actress Jiang Qing, later known as Madame Mao. Civil War Resumes and the Founding of the PRC Even as he led the fight against the Japanese, Mao was planning to seize power from his erstwhile allies, the KMT. Mao codified his ideas in a number of pamphlets, including On Guerrilla Warfare and On Protracted War. In 1944, the United States sent the Dixie Mission to meet Mao and the communists; the Americans found the communists better organized and less corrupt than the KMT, which had been receiving western support. After World War II ended, the Chinese armies started to fight again in earnest. The turning point was the 1948 Siege of Changchun, in which the Red Army, now called the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA), defeated the Kuomintangs army in Changchun, Jilin Province. By October 1, 1949, Mao felt confident enough to declare the establishment of the Peoples Republic of China. On December 10, the PLA besieged the final KMT stronghold at Chengdu, Sichuan. On that day, Chiang Kai-shek and other KMT officials fled the mainland for Taiwan. Five Year Plan and the Great Leap Forward From his new home next to the Forbidden City, Mao directed radical reforms in China. Landlords were executed, perhaps as many as 2-5 million across the country, and their land was redistributed to poor peasants. Maos Campaign to Suppress Counterrevolutionaries claimed at least 800,000 additional lives, mostly former KMT members, intellectuals, and businessmen. In the Three-Anti/Five-Anti Campaigns of 1951-52, Mao directed the targeting of wealthy people and suspected capitalists, who were subjected to public struggle sessions. Many who survived the initial beatings and humiliation later committed suicide. Between 1953 and 1958, Mao launched the First Five-Year Plan, intending to make China an industrial power. Buoyed by his initial success, Chairman Mao launched the Second Five-Year Plan, called the Great Leap Forward, in January 1958. He urged farmers to smelt iron in their yards, rather than tending the crops. The results were disastrous; an estimated 30-40 million Chinese starved in the Great Famine of 1958-60. Foreign Policies Shortly after Mao took power in China, he sent the Peoples Volunteer Army into the Korean War to fight alongside the North Koreans against the South Koreans and United Nations forces. The PVA saved Kim Il-Sungs army from being overrun, resulting in a stalemate that continues to this day. In 1951, Mao also sent the PLA into Tibet to liberate it from the Dalai Lamas rule. By 1959, Chinas relationship with the Soviet Union had deteriorated markedly. The two communist powers disagreed on the wisdom of the Great Leap Forward, Chinas nuclear ambitions, and the brewing Sino-Indian War (1962). By 1962, China and the USSR had cut off relations with one another in the Sino-Soviet Split. Fall From Grace In January 1962, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) held a Conference of the Seven Thousand in Beijing. Conference chair Liu Shaoqi harshly criticized the Great Leap Forward, and by implication, Mao Zedong. Mao was pushed aside within the internal power structure of the CCP; moderate pragmatists Liu and Deng Xiaoping freed the peasants from communes and imported wheat from Australia and Canada to feed the famine survivors. For several years, Mao served only as a figurehead in the Chinese government. He spent that time plotting a return to power and revenge on Liu and Deng. Mao would use the specter of capitalist tendencies among the powerful, as well as the might and credulity of young people, to take power once again. The Cultural Revolution In August 1966, the 73-year-old Mao made a speech at the Plenum of the Communist Central Committee. He called for the youth of the country to take back the revolution from the rightists. These young Red Guards would do the dirty work in Maos Cultural Revolution, destroying the Four Olds- old customs, old culture, old habits, and old ideas. Even a tea-room owner like President Hu Jintaos father could be targeted as a capitalist. While the nations students were busily destroying ancient artwork and texts, burning temples and beating intellectuals to death, Mao managed to purge both Liu Shaoqi and Deng Xiaoping from the partys leadership. Liu died under horrific circumstances in prison; Deng was exiled to work in a rural tractor factory, and his son was thrown from a fourth-story window and paralyzed by Red Guards. In 1969, Mao declared the Cultural Revolution complete, although it continued through his death in 1976. Later phases were directed by Jiang Qing (Madame Mao) and her cronies, known as the Gang of Four. Failing Health and Death Throughout the 1970s, Maos health steadily deteriorated. He may have been suffering from Parkinsons disease or ALS (Lou Gehrigs disease), in addition to heart and lung trouble brought on by a lifetime of smoking. By July 1976 when the country was in crisis due to the Great Tangshan Earthquake, the 82-year-old Mao was confined to a hospital bed in Beijing. He suffered two major heart attacks early in September, and died September 9, 1976, after being removed from life support. Legacy After Maos death, the moderate pragmatist branch of the Chinese Communist Party took power and ousted the leftist revolutionaries. Deng Xiaoping, now thoroughly rehabilitated, led the country toward an economic policy of capitalist-style growth and export wealth. Madame Mao and the other Gang of Four members were arrested and tried, essentially for all of the crimes associated with the Cultural Revolution. Maos legacy today is a complicated one. He is known as the Founding Father of Modern China, and serves to inspire 21st-century rebellions like the Nepali and Indian Maoist movements. On the other hand, his leadership caused more deaths among his own people than that of Joseph Stalin or Adolph Hitler. Within the Chinese Communist Party under Deng, Mao was declared to be 70% correct in his policies. However, Deng also said that the Great Famine was 30% natural disaster, 70% human error. Nonetheless, Mao Thought continues to guide policies to this day. Sources Clements, Jonathan. Mao Zedong: Life and Times, London: Haus Publishing, 2006.Short, Philip. Mao: A Life, New York: Macmillan, 2001.Terrill, Ross. Mao: A Biography, Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1999.

Saturday, February 15, 2020

Port Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Port Report - Essay Example This resulted in the reduction of retail gas price from USD 3.31 to USD 2.27 during the year 2014. While this has the positive effect on the consumer purchase pattern, the impact of such fall on the investment pattern, particularly the GCC stocks needs detailed investigation. As it is just the first quarter of 2015, the analysis of current oil prices fall cannot be done correctly since its effect on stock investment needs longer period of observation. Hence, this paper has taken an in-depth look at the relationship between oil pricing and stock investment, as well as general economic conditions, within GCC and across the world, during the recent past. Accordingly, 2008 financial crisis, coupled with cyclic fall in oil prices finds greater attention in the following paragraphs. As supply and demand equation determines the price of any commodity, political forces prevailing in the oil producing countries determine the supply position for oil, largely. Technological innovation also plays a major role here. Many political decisions by countries across the globe influence the oil pricing. For example, the cause of recent Russian currency debacle has relation to the falling oil prices. Although under normal conditions, falling prices would result in reducing the production, OPEC countries are not doing it, as they want to retain their control over oil production. This is also seen as an attempt to make oil production unsustainable by American producers, who are utilizing advanced technology to increase shale oil production in a major way.(Stefanova, 2014) Consumers in Western countries take falling oil prices as an instrument to result in lesser tax burden. This way the falling oil prices prove to be positive for the global economy, as these countries can look for heavy reduction in lower inflation rates. While many advanced economies may go for deflation measures, the falling oil crisis has hit the currencies of Norway and Canada in a major way.(Buttonwood,

Sunday, February 2, 2020

It is about culture(Anthropology) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

It is about culture(Anthropology) - Essay Example The end of First World War did not get any relief to the peasants. First the Socialists took over, and then the Fascists took over from the socialists. But it seemed that the condition of the peasants remained the same. They were first oppressed by the landlords, then by the Socialists, then by the Fascists and the Landlords. The food was always in short supply, meat was a rarity. Ironically during times of war the peasants in the villages fared a lot better than those living in the cities, as they could live of the wild. And many people in the cities use to go to the rural area to get some food of there. The Barter system was also very prevalent. People worked for food and traded various items to sustain themselves. The degradation of Women is also covered very thoroughly in this chapter. They were encouraged not to work. They were also not encouraged to educate themselves. They were generally encouraged to stay at home. The Fascists further painted women who did not marry or bear c hildren or selfish or unattractive. While Women were expected to be virgin till marriage, men were expected to show of their virility before that. This created a situation where prostitution thrived. This had a psychological impact on women in Italy long after the war was over. There is a brief coverage of the family structure as well. While the male was the titular head of the household, his wife generally ran the family. Sharing of food with less fortunate neighbors even though the quantity was low was common. The fascists and the socialists are also given their due coverage and it is not a flattering picture. While the socialist’s looted shops and farms, apparently to redistribute the wealth, but in reality it was to benefit a few. While the fascists did not make an attempt to cover up their intentions and joined hands with landlords and other wealthy people to wreak havoc on the peasants.