The Truth About Thanksgiving Essays - Plymouth, Massachusetts

The Truth About Thanksgiving The truth behind the tradition is surprising. Thanksgiving and the Pilgrims seem to go together, but the truth is, the Pilgrims never held an autumnal Thanksgiving feast. However the Pilgrims did have a feast in 1621, after their first harvest, and it is this feast, which people often refer to as The First Thanksgiving. This feast was never repeated, though, so it can't be called the beginning of a tradition, nor was it termed by the colonists or Pilgrims a Thanksgiving Feast. In fact, a day of thanksgiving was a day of prayer and fasting, and would have been held any time that they felt an extra day of thanks was called for. Nevertheless, the 1621 feast has become a model that we think of for our own Thanksgiving. The Pilgrims were not the first people to have a celebration of this kind. Many other civilizations held festivals to celebrate the harvest. The ancient Greeks and Romans prayed to the gods and goddesses of the harvest, and also originated the idea of the cornucopia--the h orn of plenty. The Jews celebrate the holiday Sukkot, which honors the awards of the harvest, and the Chinese enjoy the celebration of the Harvest Moon. Even native New Yorkers commemorate the harvest long before Thanksgiving arrives. Pumpkins, apples and corn are abundant in the open-air markets of the city beginning in late September. The autumn of 1621 yielded a plentiful harvest and the Pilgrims, gathered together with the Massasoit Indians to reap the awards of hard work. Celebrating Thanksgiving is like celebrating an even that includes the dead of over 11,000 Wampanoag Indians died due to illnesses that they contracted from white settlers. The truth of the matter is, when the Pilgrims arrived, they found an abandoned Wampanoag village and moved right in. In 1618, a massive epidemic of an unknown disease left by English explorers swept across Wampanoag country and decimated many of the villages. This epidemic caused the death of ten to thirty percent of the total population an d all but a few of the 2,000 people of the village of Patuxet. When the Pilgrims arrived in 1620, they landed at Patuxet with no idea of what had occurred. At this point, there were only about 2,000 members left in the Wampanoag tribe, down from 12,000 in 1600. Despite the incredible losses to his people, Wampanoag leader Massasoit and 90 of his men sat down for a harvest celebration offered by the white men. For three days the Wampanoag and Pilgrims feasted on deer, wild turkey, fish, beans, squash, corn and other foods native to North America. Although the celebration was good-natured, this event truly signifies the beginning of a drastic decline of native culture and Thanksgiving would be more fittingly observed as a day of mourning rather than a celebration. In the years that followed, skirmishes occurred and more Native Americans were killed. In 1637, English soldiers massacred 700 Pequot men, women and children as an example of the English way of war, yet we still celebrate Th anksgiving as a joyful event. So, as we sit down for our Thanksgiving dinner, let us consider the words of Frank James in his 1970 speech: Today is a time of celebrating for you... but it is not a time of celebrating for me. It is with a heavy heart that I look back upon what happened to my people. When the Pilgrims arrived, we, the Wampanoags, welcomed them with open arms, little knowing that it was the beginning of the end. American History

Rise Of Totalitarian Dictators Essay

Rise Of Totalitarian Dictators Essay Rise Of Totalitarian Dictators Essay Name ______________________________ Date ___________________ Pd ________ The Rise of Totalitarian Dictatorships I. The Rise of Totalitarian Dictators A. The Impact of World War I 1. After WWI, many nations were struggling to __________________ 2. A global _____________________________ in the 1930s led to high unemployment & a sense of ________________________ in Europe 3. The Treaty of Versailles created _______________________ among many nations B. In this climate of postwar uncertainty, __________________________ increased & citizens turned to totalitarian dictators to rule the nation 1. _____________________________ leaders are ________________ who control all aspects of the government & the lives of the citizens 2. Totalitarian leaders gained support by promising jobs, promoting ________________________, & using propaganda 3. Dictators held on to their power by using censorship, secret _____________________, denying ________________________, & eliminating opposing rivals or political parties II. Totalitarian Dictators A. Stalin in the Soviet Union 1. Among the first totalitarian dictators was ___________________________ of the Soviet Union 2. Stalin was ____________________ & seized all property, farms, factories in order to ______________________ the economy & create equality 3. He used a _______________________________________ & the Great Purge to eliminate rivals 4. Stalin’s ___________________ Plans & collective farms improved the Soviet Union’s industrial & agricultural output B. Benito Mussolini in Italy 1. Fascism a. Not all totalitarian dictators were Communists b. In ____________, ___________________, & Spain, people turned to an extremely nationalist gov’t called fascism i. _________________ gov’ts were controlled by dictators who demanded _____________________ from citizens ii. Fascists did not offer _____________________________ & used one-party to rule the nation c. Fascism vs. Communism i. Unlike Communists, fascists believed people could keep their _______________________________ ii. Mussolini & Hitler believed in fascism: the idea that nations need strong ___________________, total authority by one party, but that people can keep private property iii. Stalin was a Communist believed that the government should control all ______________________ & business 2. In Italy, __________________________________ formed the Fascist Party a. Mussolini gained popularity by promising to revive the economy, rebuild the _______________, & expand Italy to create a new _________________ Empire b. Mussolini created the ________________________ (a secret police force) to enforce the goals of his Fascist Party 3. By 1922, Mussolini was popular enough to lead a â€Å"_____________________________________† & forced the Italian king to name him prime minister 4. As _________________________________, Benito Mussolini was known as â€Å"Il Duce† (the chief) a. Mussolini ended __________________________ & all opposition parties b. Mussolini built up the military to create new _____________ c. He planned to conquer new ____________________________ in Africa for Italy C. Adolf Hitler in Germany 1. The Nazis were a ___________________ group in Germany that wanted to overthrow the disloyal Weimar Republic 2. ______________________________ was an early Nazi recruit & quickly rose to power in the party 3. Hitler was ____________________ by Mussolini & used many of his ideas to make the Nazi Party strong in Germany a. The Nazis created their own militia called the ______________________________ b. Hitler planned a ____________________________________ but he was _______________ & jailed for 9 months 4. While in jail, Hitler wrote _________________________ which outlined his plans for Germany a. He wrote that Germans were members of a ____________________ called Aryans & all non-Aryans were inferior b. He declared that Germans needed lebensraum

How to Write the Common App Essays 2016-2017

With the Common Application for the 2016-2017 live as of August, ’s essay team is sharing  the following tips on how to write the all-important Common App essays for the upcoming application cycle. Before discussing the specific prompts for the Common Application, it’s important to note that there are some general principles for approaching the Common App essay. First and foremost, the essay is about telling colleges why you are unique and/or what matters to you. It is absolutely critical that you nail the essay because the majority of your schools will see this essay. Y ou’ll want to paint a portrait of yourself that is relatively accessible and has widespread appeal to many colleges (for example, if you are only applying to engineering programs at some of your schools, don’t focus your Common App on STEM at the expense of your other applications. Save that for your supplemental essays). You have several avenues through which you can tell colleges what matters to you, including but not limited to highlighting a central theme of your application that is tied to one or several of your extracurricular activities, focusing on a specific personality trait or strength, or highlighting a particular challenge that you had to overcome. That being said, there are distinct topics and strategies that each prompt lends itself to especially well. Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it.  If this sounds like you, then please share your story. This prompt offers an excellent opportunity to engage with a particular extracurricular or academic area of passion, and it allows you to weave a narrative that displays personal growth in that subject or area. Particularly if you have an unconventional passion, such as blogging about Chinese basketball, or urban exploration, the combination of displaying your personality and the unique topic can be very eye-catching. This prompt also represents an opportunity to consider questions of personal identity, whether that takes the form of racial identity, sexual orientation, gender, or simply one’s place within a specific community (even communities as unique as, say, players of World of Warcraft). With the topic of racial identity, it’s important to keep in mind the audience (college admissions counselors tend to be progressive politically), so this might not be the best place to make sweeping claims about reverse racism against Caucasian-Americans. However, careful consideration of intrinsic cultural elements (such as the effect that Chinese American culture’s prioritization of academics had on your personal development) is certainly a strong essay topic. N ote: While claiming to have experienced discrimination based on race or claiming to have a different sexual orientation or gender than heterosexual and male/female respectively can be an effective way to talk about your ability to overcome adversity, faked or exaggerated claims about said topic are often very easy to recognize and will result in a severe penalization. The lessons we take from failure can be fundamental to later success.  Recount an incident or time when you experienced failure. How did it affect you, and what lessons did you learn? This prompt lends itself to consideration of what facets of your personality allow you to overcome adversity, as well as display your self-awareness. It’s okay to choose a relatively mundane â€Å"failure† such as failing to win an award at a Model United Nations conference despite putting in hours of research into the topics of your committee (and learning that you should focus on how you project yourself and interacting more cordially, even when debating and competing against your peers). However, you should be careful not to sound over-confident (as if you are incapable of any failure larger than this). You also want to avoid making the failure sound more devastating than it actually was. Another (perhaps more powerful) tactic with this essay is to write about a more foundational failure and then assess its impact on your development thereafter. This allows you to tackle more meaty questions about ethics (perhaps you cheated on a test and felt horrible about it), morality (maybe you stole something, your parents berated you for it, and now you hate theft to such a degree that if you find money on the street, you turn it in), or the human condition (perhaps you made an insensitive comment or were close-minded in a particular instance). You want to be careful to balance the severity of the failure with its recentness; in general, choose a failure from before high school so that it doesn’t color the admissions counselor’s view of your high school career. Also, be sure that any failure you choose is within reason (so in general, avoid talking about any felonies you’ve left behind you). Exercise good judgment! Reflect on a time when you challenged a belief or idea. What prompted you to act? Would you make the same decision again? This prompt is a difficult one to answer because most high school students haven’t participated in the types of iconoclastic protests against societal ills that lend themselves to an excellent response. However, a more tenable alternative here is to discuss a time that you went against social convention, whether it was becoming friends with someone who seemed like a social outcast and was ignored by most people but eventually became one of your best friends, by going against the popular opinion of your peers, or proudly showing off a geeky passion of yours. And if you ever participated in a situation in concert with adults and found some success (i.e., by blogging, starting a tutoring organization, or participating in political campaigns), you could discuss your experiences as a young person without a college degree in professional and adult circles. The one thing to keep in mind when responding to this prompt is to avoid sounding morally superior (as if you are the only person who went against this social convention, or that you are better than your peers for doing so). Describe a problem you’ve solved or a problem you’d like to solve. It can be an intellectual challenge, a research query, an ethical dilemma — anything that is of personal importance, no matter the scale. Explain its significance to you and what steps you took or could be taken to identify a solution. This essay prompt is difficult for many students who grapple with the type of challenge that they should write about. The prompt itself provides three specific suggestions, but it should be clarified that the phrase â€Å"anything that is of personal importance† gives you a lot of freedom, allowing you to center your essay around essentially anything that can be loosely called a â€Å"problem.† Our advice is to pick a problem that deeply concerns you and make it clear to your reader why that topic matters to you at all, either through an origin story of how you became interested in the query or through an explanation of the potential consequences of the dilemma (depending on your topic). Upon reviewing all the Common App questions to decide which to write about, astute applicants might realize that Common App prompts #2, #3, and #4 are all quite similar in that they ask students to identify some sort of conflict and how it was resolved. But there are subtle differences. Whereas #2 specifically refers to a failure and #3 is asking for a situation where you were the odd one out amongst a larger group, #4 is best saved for essays where the focus is on your thought process in response to a problem you’ve encountered. Thus, when answering this prompt, it is crucial that you explain in great detail how you solved/would solve the problem. The showcasing of your unique thought processes is just as, if not more, critical than the actual problem itself. Accordingly, stream-of-consciousness can be used to great effect here. One final note: Even though the prompt allows you to explore more academic and intellectual topics, it is important not to get carried away with esoteric details. Save the intensely intricate discussion of particle physics for class — for your Common App essay, the reader should still recognize that your discussion of particle physics was really about yourself, your interests, and how you think about the world. Discuss an accomplishment or event, formal or informal, that marked your transition from childhood to adulthood within your culture, community, or family. This prompt is probably the most expansive in that you can choose any event that had a major impact on your life. One option is to discuss a cultural process (such as Bar Mitzvah or Upanayanam in Judaism and Hinduism, respectively) that serves as a formal waypoint on a path to adulthood, but if you do so, make sure to discuss why the ritual made you â€Å"feel† like an adult, not just why you became one in practice. In other words, make sure that the reader comes away understanding why you are actually different in a meaningful way as a result of this event. Informal events are probably easier to use because you can show more of your own personality and what makes you tick. A good way to assess whether an informal event demarcates a transition into adulthood is if 1) it gave you a new perspective or degree of self-awareness, 2) taught you that idealism can still play an important role in achieving goals, or conversely, 3) helped show you that the world doesn’t often conform today to idealistic realities (a time when you learned realism). For example, perhaps after growing up in a multi-cultural environment, you finally witness a racist encounter in a more restricted environment. This could serve as a powerful eye-opener about the state of some parts of the world, informally achieving an implicit state of adulthood. However, your topic need not be so weighty when talking about your own growth, because when discussing personal development, almost any group can be massaged to form a â€Å"community,† which means you have a wide array of options to use as a point marking a transition to adulthood. In terms of strategy, an anecdote will be particularly effective here. With these tips, you should be well on your way to writing the perfect Common App. Best of luck from the   team! With a new year comes a new admissions cycle with its own set of unique challenges. In order to write exceptional essays that can help to secure a spot at your dream school, you should be aptly prepared. Check out the blog post How to Write the Common Application Essays 2017-2018 for the latest tips and tricks that will help you stand out in the applicant pool!

Accounting for Manager Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Accounting for Manager - Essay Example If the management expects the revenue to be $700000, then it must not accept the proposal of the landlord as this will increase the annual rent payment to $45500 which is more than the fixed annual rent of $40000. The company can accept the order as this will result in a profit of $400000. This is because the fixed costs remain fixed irrespective of the size of production (National Council on Economic Education, n.d.; Mankiw, 2008, P274). If the order size is 12000 units, the company must not accept the offer as this will result in a loss of $492000. The company has to spend an additional amount of $900000 as fixed costs because of an increase in the total capacity. This is because the fixed costs increase with the increase in the total capacity of the business The maximum order size that the company can accept is 100000 units. This is because beyond this capacity the fixed cost of the company doubles. For producing even one unit beyond the total capacity the company has to incur the total amount of fixed expense as this cannot be adjusted with the number of units produced. The costs have been allocated as direct and indirect costs. Direct costs include the cost of materials and labor cost that can be directly related to the product whereas indirect costs are the costs that cannot be directly identified with the product. The costs relating to general services are apportioned based on sales volume and the costs of the computer department are allocated based on the use. From this the operational income of the Tree division has been calculated as $480000. The net investment of the division is $1600000. This gives a return of 30% on the investment. The performance evaluation can be done using Variance analysis, EVA and return earned on investment. To earn profits the business has to be managed efficiently. ROI is an important tool for evaluating the

Corporate Social and Environmental Accouting Report Research Paper

Corporate Social and Environmental Accouting Report - Research Paper Example This research paper therefore seeks to elucidate the social accounting measures put into place by ANZ Bank in Australia and Citibank in the United States. In its basic connotation, social accounting refers to the process of relaying the information regarding the economic effect of the social and environmental activities of the organization. This is analyzed in the context of particular interest groups and social units within the society. The essence of social accounting is normally the concept of corporate accountability. According to Crowther (2000), social accounting is an approach used in reporting the activities of an organization in a manner that stresses the importance of socially relevant behavior while also stressing the fact that a firm should always be accountable for its social performance. In this regard, very appropriate reporting techniques become imperative as measures of the social responsiveness of the organization. It is imperative to realize that banks constitute t he largest players in the Australian Stock Exchange (ASE). Over 18 percent of the listed companies in the ASE are mostly banks while other financial institutions make up a larger portion of the top 20 companies listed on the exchange. This powerful presence presents the need for the banks to be socially accountable for their operations in the industry and society at large. Literature Review Despite the concept of Corporate Social Reporting being a topical aspect for more than two decades now, much analysis of the subject has always revolved around comparisons between the different CSR practices exhibited by different organizations across the world (Adams, 2004). In this regard, it is realized that differences in culture and national values normally account for differences exhibited in accounting practices between countries. Much literature existing on the topic basically focuses on the social disclosures of mainly firms from industrialized economies with little focus on the developi ng or recently industrialized economies (Hilmi, 2008). The idea behind social accounting presents much challenge to the concepts of conventional accounting regarding the limited image often portrayed as existing between organization and the society at large. As a normative concept, social accounting presents a more elucidative approach to the whole idea about social accountability in the sense that organizations should always extend their social accountability beyond mere economic events (Anderson, 2005). Social accounting advances the view that corporate responsibility should not simply be addressed in financial terms like it is often the case. Conventional practice has always dictated that society is the only recipient of the social responsiveness of organizations. However, in the modern setup, the stakeholders in this regard extend beyond the society and include entirely all the participants in the social world. In a way, it appears that social accounting seems to expose the emer ging tension between the realization of economic profits and the pursuit of environmental and social objectives. The idea behind social accounting is often geared toward two purposes, i.e. accountability purposes and management control. As a demonstration of accountability on the part of the organization, social accounting

Social Responsibilities of businesses :: essays research papers

"Outline the argument for and against business having social responsibilities beyond that of making a profit. In the light of this, do you think businesses should make charitable donations to the Tsunami appeal? Justify your answer." 26th April 2005 To best understand the nature of the posed question I propose the articulated finding of the widespread acceptance that cooperate official and labour leaders have a 'social responsibility' that extends beyond the realm of serving shareholder and its members (Friedman 1962, p. 133). The following essay is aimed at highlighting the role of businesses, whether they are to have interest other than solely making profit and if so what groups should benefit from the success of a company. According to Wilson (2004, Vol.23, p. 23) arguments, the nature of existence for business or corporations should be 'everything to do with service to society, and only secondarily to do with profitability.' But this is quite on the contrary to the apparently antediluvian view put forward by corporate executives Friedman and Levitt (cited in Wilson, 2004, Vol.23, p. 23) highlighting '.the business of business is making money, not sweet music.' So why is there discrepancy between the ideal view of business and which should be placed under higher priority the shareholders or stakeholders (society). To understand both points of view we need to identify the party's involved and the relationship they have to the business and business operations. A stockholder (shareholder) is one that owns or holds a share or shares of stock in company, enterprise or organisation (The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition, 2005). Shareholders are the financial backing in the organisation, they are generally people interested in making a profit (in the form of dividends) and they supply capital to the organisation. On the contrary stakeholder are seen as any party that has an interest in an organization. Stakeholders of a company include stockholders, bondholders, customers, suppliers, employees, and so forth (Scott, 2003). Given the definition or both involved parties it is clear to see that the success of the business in making a profit will please the shareholders however, to make long-run profits in turn requires compatibility and complacency from its revenue source; the stakeholders. This requires the need for mission and vision driven company which must be truly responsive to stakeholders not only its shareholders (Wilson, 2004, Vol.23, p.23). These 'social responsibilities' must however be driven directly at the stakeholders involved with the business dealings in order to serve equally the shareholders. A clear example of miss-aimed social contribution and one which resulted in strong shareholder opposition was outlined when a number of Australian companies pledged finances to the tsunami relief effort in

Importance of military history Essay

Military professionals should take out time from their busy schedules to read military history because military history is the very foundation of their knowledge of tactics and strategy. It is also the foundation on which the theoretical and practical training troops and the development of training directives are based. A careful study of objective military history with an open mind and with the determination of learning from the experiences of others will be of great benefit to any military professional. According to Gen. Charles L. Bolte, former Vice Chief of Staff, and Department of the Army; â€Å"The past must be studied as the basis for, and a guide to, the study of the future. To make a sound prediction one must project the past into the future. † The American Army has followed the advice of such great captains as Frederick the Great and Napoleon, as well as of others who have more recently made their mark on the pages of history. Napoleon has written, â€Å"†¦ the knowledge of the higher arts of war is not acquired except by experience and the study of history of wars and the battles of great captains. † Gen. George S. Patton Jr. , one of America’s great offensive battle leaders, also emphasized the importance of history. His words, written on the battlefield, were: â€Å"To be a successful soldier you must know history, reads it objectively- dates and even minute details of tactics are useless†¦ You must read biography and especially autobiography. If military professional do it they find war is simple. The study of past is fundamental to the preparation for the next, for current military problems cannot be solved without an understanding of the past from which they stem. The military professionals must be rooted in the past to understand the present that he may project himself into the future. Reference US Department of the Army. (2001). The Writing of American Military History: A Guide. New York: The Minerva Group, Inc. pg 1,7,10,9,12.