Catcher in the Rye Vs Huckleberry Finn essays

Catcher in the Rye Vs Huckleberry Finn essays J. D. Salingers Catcher in the Rye Compared to Mark Twains Huckleberry Finn All famous American authors have written novels using a variety of characters, plots, and settings to illustrate important themes. Throughout literary history many of the same themes have been stressed in different novels. In J. D. Salingers The Catcher in the Rye and Mark Twains The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, each author writes about the common theme of coming of age. The two novels were written more than half a century apart about two boys who seem like complete opposites, yet they bear striking resemblances to each other. Each author wrote his book depicting settings from his own past and based the plots on personal experiences. While the two novels are in different times and places, they have remarkably similar characters, plots, and themes. To completely understand the two novels, it is necessary to know about each authors background and how he got the ideas to write them. J. D. Salinger was born on January 1, 1919 in New York City. His father was a Jewish importer, his mother a Scott-Irish housewife, and he had one older sister. His parents were divorced in September 1947 before he began his career as an author. He grew up in Manhattan and attended public school until he was enrolled in Valley Forge Military Academy, where he had trouble adjusting. Later he attended New York University, Ursinus College, and Columbia University. Before he became a writer he worked as an entertainer on a Swedish cruise ship in the Caribbean and had a four-year military career as a staff sergeant in World War II (Salinger CA 332-334). Salinger began writing popularly in the late 1940s and 50s in the Post-Modernist period. Authors of this period showed despair, paranoia, and irrational violence due to threatening implications of the world after WWII. In this era, Salinger wrote his most creative ...

The Oklahoma City Bombing, 1995

The Oklahoma City Bombing, 1995 At 9:02 a.m. on April 19, 1995, a 5,000-pound bomb, hidden inside a rented Ryder truck, exploded just outside the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City. The explosion caused massive damage to the building and killed 168 people, 19 of whom were children. Those responsible for what became known as the Oklahoma City Bombing were home-grown terrorists, Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols. This deadly bombing was the worst terrorist attack on U.S. soil until the September 11, 2001 World Trade Center attack. Why Did McVeigh Plant the Bomb? On April 19, 1993, the standoff between the FBI and the Branch Davidian cult (led by David Koresh) at the Davidian compound in Waco, Texas ended in a fiery tragedy. When the FBI tried to end the standoff by gassing the complex, the entire compound went up in fire, claiming the lives of 75 followers, including many young children. The death toll was high and many people blamed the U.S. government for the tragedy. One such person was Timothy McVeigh. McVeigh, angered by the Waco tragedy, decided to enact retribution to those he felt responsible- the federal government, especially the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF). In downtown Oklahoma City, the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building held numerous federal agency offices, including those of the ATF. Preparing for the Attack Planning his revenge for the second anniversary of the Waco disaster, McVeigh enlisted his friend Terry Nichols and several others to help him pull off his plan. In September 1994, McVeigh purchased large amounts of fertilizer (ammonium nitrate) and then stored it in a rented shed in Herington, Kansas. The ammonium nitrate was the main ingredient for the bomb. McVeigh and Nichols stole other supplies needed to complete the bomb from a quarry in Marion, Kansas. On April 17, 1995, McVeigh rented a Ryder truck and then McVeigh and Nichols loaded the Ryder truck with approximately 5,000 pounds of ammonium nitrate fertilizer. On the morning of April 19th, McVeigh drove the Ryder truck to the Murrah Federal Building, lit the bombs fuse, parked in front of the building, left the keys inside the truck and locked the door, then walked across the parking lot to an alley. He then started to jog. The Explosion at the Murrah Federal Building On the morning of April 19, 1995, most employees of the Murrah Federal Building had already arrived at work and children had already been dropped off at the daycare center when the huge explosion tore through the building at 9:02 a.m. Nearly the entire north face of the nine-story building was pulverized into dust and rubble. It took weeks of sorting through debris to find the victims. In all, 168 people were killed in the explosion, which included 19 children. One nurse was also killed during the rescue operation. Capturing Those Responsible Ninety minutes after the explosion, McVeigh was pulled over by a highway patrol officer for driving without a license plate. When the officer discovered that McVeigh had an unregistered gun, the officer arrested McVeigh on a firearms charge. Before McVeigh was released, his ties to the explosion were discovered. Unfortunately for McVeigh, almost all his purchases and rental agreements related to the bombing could be traced back to him after the explosion. On June 3, 1997, McVeigh was convicted of murder and conspiracy and on August 15, 1997, he was sentenced to death by lethal injection. On June 11, 2001, McVeigh was executed. Terry Nichols was brought in for questioning two days after the blast and then arrested for his role in McVeighs plan. On December 24, 1997, a federal jury found Nichols guilty and on June 5, 1998, Nichols was sentenced to life in prison. In March 2004, Nichols went on trial for murder charges by the state of Oklahoma. He was found guilty of 161 counts of murder and sentenced to 161 consecutive life sentences. A third accomplice, Michael Fortier, who testified against McVeigh and Nichols, received a 12-year prison sentence and was fined $200,000 on May 27, 1998, for knowing about the plan but not informing authorities before the explosion. A Memorial What little remained of the Murrah Federal Building was demolished on May 23, 1995. In 2000, a memorial was built on the location to remember the tragedy of the Oklahoma City Bombing.

Issues and Controversies in Management Project Essay

Issues and Controversies in Management Project - Essay Example Hence, workplace efficiency is observed only when employers enjoy smooth and cordial relationships with employees through creation of a discrimination free shared-value and family-based internal atmosphere (Liechty & Anderson, 2007). Quite unequivocally, clever employers minimise the probability of employee – employer and organisation – employee conflicts that actually result from role overloads, unrealistic expectations and targets, and the absence of links between instrumental and terminal values (Mullins, 2007). The researcher would like to critically review the existing literature on Workplace Flexibility to study how it impacts, either positively or negatively, the employee behaviours, attitudes, job satisfaction, need fulfillment, morale, confidence, trust, normative and affective commitment and finally the overall performance. This chapter will first include a discussion on importance of workplace flexibility in today’s unpredictable, unstructured, unclear and uncertain business environment followed by a discussion on various methods and policies that could be used for implementing flexibility across new workplaces (Bauer, 2004). It must be recalled that the core features and characteristics of an old workplace were authoritative leadership style, stability and control, centralisation, individual accountability and adversarial approach (an employee had inclination towards personal achievements only) and task – orientation. The new workplace, in contrast, is more decentralised and focuses on employee empowerment, relationship – orientation and employee – centred behaviour, democratic and leaderless leadership styles, team work and mutual accountability, Management by Objectives (MBO) and Total Quality Management (TQM) principles, delegation, R&D, innovation, change management process, automated assembly lines and induction of information systems etc. This is primarily because 21st century organisations have been o perating in unstructured and complex general environment; therefore, they are obliged to attain productive efficiency and cost leadership for maximising financial profits as well as shareholders’ wealth (Mullins, 2007) ; (Daft, 2009). The researcher will then evaluate how workplace flexibility affects employees as well as organisations. 2.1 – Workplace Flexibility Mangel & Konrad (2000) have defined Workplace Flexibility as a blend of procedures, policies and arrangements that allow employees to balance their family and corporate life. Indeed, the flexibility at organisations allow employees to continue making productive contributions to the organisation, since their need fulfillment is ensured that in turn enhance their affective and normative commitment. These arrangements include flexible working hours, job sharing, provision of computers to facilitate communication and phased retirement of older workers with retirement benefits and pension plans. According to Diane (2010), flexibility is measured after analysing answers to following questions: where an individual works, how many hours are spent, what are job responsibilities and assignments, what is the nature of contract (part-time or full-time) and what schedule does an individual have? There are three factors that drive the need to identify and support flexibility. These factors are legislation, unpredictability and nature of

Bloom Energy Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Bloom Energy - Research Paper Example Even though one can view energy in relation to the full functioning of urban areas, this analysis may focus on the energy features of a contemporary urban settlement, such as Delaware. Bloom Energy, through its revolutionary effort with fuel cell technology, aspires to aid businesses and homes in fueling their own automobiles and producing their own power, giving light and electricity to outlying communities and even decreasing dependence on existing electricity grids. The technology at the core Bloom Energy’s aim to support the environment and the planet was initially designed for utilization in deep space (Schenker 2009). K.R. Sridhar, the co-founder and CEO of Bloom Energy, received a request from NASA to formulate a way to make Mars suitable for human habitation. His original plan was an instrument that would utilize Martian water and solar energy to power a reactor cell that produced hydrogen to fuel vehicles and oxygen to breathe (Schenker 2009). The plan formed a brilliant idea in Sridhar. If the reaction will be reversed, putting fuel and oxygen into the cell to produce power, he could transform the way people produced and used energy. He created the prototype of his purported Bloom Boxes to perform the reaction reversal, but required a lot more effort to make the mechanism reversible (Schenker 2009). In that manner, when attached to a source of renewable energy like solar panel, the Bloom Boxes produce and amass oxygen and hydrogen. And when the renewable energy source disappears, it shifts direction and utilizes the amassed gases to produce current. As disclosed by Sridhar, â€Å"I quit doing my NASA work because I believe this particular technology can change the world. Just like developing nations leapfrogged over fixed telephony to mobile, we think our technology will allow developing nations to do the same thing for

Coming unstuck Essay Example for Free

Coming unstuck Essay below. Anyone reading your response should have a clear idea of where your research will take place and what questions interest you. Here’s where you’ll identify-and plan to surmount-any potential obstacles. 1) Exactly which fieldsite did you select? Why? What is your prior experience with this site? Are you studying up, down or across? Explain. I selected the coffee shop as the field site of my planned study since the social interactions and behavior of the patrons and the coffee shop staff are interesting and so much can be learned from them especially in their relationships, the daily exchanges of pleasantries and information and for most, coming to the coffee shop is a habit that they do on a daily basis. I am interested at how a coffee shop can take on different meanings to those who frequent it and how they coactively share the space in the coffee shop as their own. I have been to this coffee shop a number of times, enough to become familiar with the waitresses and I had seen two or more people at the same seat whenever I visit the shop. I also had some friends come to the shop but take their orders on the go and they have regular orders which the waitresses seem to have memorized. I know that there has been a clamor for studying up (Priyadharshini, 2003), but since it involves the issue of power and authority which in a coffee shop is not so much evident, I would rather do a study across the relationships of the customers and the coffee shop staff as well as across customers. This would enable me to observe and understand the social rules, interactions, and codes in the shop which may or may not be evident to the customers and staff alike. 2) What preconceived ideas do you have about this space and the people that inhabit it? What are the obstacles an anthropologist might face in studying this place from an emic perspective? How do you plan to overcome these obstacles? I have always liked going to this coffee shop, the waitresses are friendly, they have a pretty good idea of what is happening to people, they are also quick to notice changes in their patrons and they have excellent food. The coffee is also very good and whenever I need a quick fix or when I am bored I like going to this coffee shop. This coffee shop is not like the modern al fresco types or like the ones frequented by young professionals and students. This coffee shop is more of the community diner which serves breakfast and coffee. This place has a comfortable atmosphere and everyone seems to know each other, some people drop by the shop on their way home or even have brunch here. However, since the place is homey and likely to be frequented by regulars, being accepted as a new customer is difficult. For example, a new customer may be noticed by everybody and the people there might not behave as they usually do in the presence of a stranger. I might face this difficulty if I start to frequent the coffee shop to conduct my observation because even if they are familiar with me, they know that I only go there twice a week, if I go there everyday, they might think it odd. The emic perspective focuses on the intrinsic cultural distinctions that are meaningful to the members of a given society or group (Haviland, Prins, Walrath McBride, 2008). An anthropologist might have difficulty in using this perspective because the coffee shop is a transitory, that is, people come to the place voluntarily and although some regulars do so on a daily basis, there are those who do so only when they can, but it does not mean that they are not part of the group or that they have no membership to this group. An anthropologist has to be able to penetrate the group to be able to learn the culture and social relationships of those in the coffee shop. I plan to overcome this obstacle by changing the pattern at which I visit the coffee shop and by indicating that I like being in the place prior to the start of my field observation. In this way, the people in the coffee shop would not become suspicious and they would not be always conscious of my presence. Since the goal of the study is to determine the inner cultural codes of the people in the coffee shop, I should not interpret any exchanges or interactions based on my own biases since the coffee shop members assign their own meaning and interpretations. 3) Generate at least five qualitative, ethnographic research questions that interest you about this site. Explain how these questions relate to what you have already observed. 1. How does the group define and assign membership to the coffee shop regulars? 2. Why do regulars frequent the coffee shop? 3. What is the quality of the relationship between the coffee shop customers and the waitresses? 4. How does the group resolve conflict within customers and waitresses? 5. How do the customers value the coffee shop and its services? I have noticed that there is clearly a sense of group membership in the coffee shop and I would like to find out how the group assign membership does and how meanings they attach to becoming a member. Since being a regular is predefined as frequenting the establishment, I would also want to find out the reasons for frequenting the shop. The relationship between the customers and the waitresses are evident, but I want to know what kind of relationship it is and how do both parties define their relationship and whether it extends to their lives outside of the shop. Conflict is a reality for most groups or when two or more people are involved, I am curious as to how the members respond to conflict and how they resolve it. Lastly, it is observed that the coffee shop is more than just the coffee and the food to the customers; I would want to find out how the customer values the coffee shop. References Priyadharshini, E. (2003). Coming unstuck: Thinking otherwise about Studying Up. Anthropology Education Quarterly, 34; 4, 420-437. Haviland, W. , Prins, H. , Walrath, D. McBride, B. (2008). Anthropology: The Human Challenge 12th ed. California: Wadsworth/Thomson.

Friends of Scouting :: essays research papers

Friends of Scouting, Ladies and Gentlemen, and Eagle Scouts... I would like to start by saying: there are no more important people in this room than the two young men we honor here. If there were a Congressman, a United States senator, a governor, or even a chief executive officer of a FORTUNE 500 company here today, there would be no one in the room more important than our new Eagle Scouts. They are among the most important people in America. These two new Eagle Scouts are the worthiest members of the greatest youth organization on earth, â€Å"The Boy Scouts of America†. While not alone in serving the needs of children and youth, the BSA is almost the oldest and certainly the most successful. Tonight, you young men join the two percent of all Scouts who have achieved this highest and most noble goal. It is true. Of the millions of boys who have joined the Boy Scouts of America since 1910 (over the past 94 years) only TWO out of every 100 has became an Eagle Scout. By achieving the rank of Eagle Scout, each of you has proven to yourself, to your community, to your state, to your country and even to the World that you are Can Do, Will Try person. I’d like to quote, the words of Marian Wright Edelman - from her book The Measure of Our Success: A letter to My Children and Yours. "We need to teach our children--by example--not to be lazy, to do their homework, to pay attention to detail, to take care and pride in work, to be reliable, and not to wobble and jerk through life. Each of us must take the initiative to create our opportunities, not waiting around for favors. We must not assume a door is closed but must push on it. We must not assume if it was closed yesterday that it's closed today." "Set goals and work quietly and systematically toward them. We must all resist quick-fix, simplistic answers and easy gains, which often disappear just as quickly as they come." "Assign yourself. Don't wait around for your boss, your friends or your parents to direct you to do what you are able to figure out and do for yourself. Don't do just as little as you can to get by." "Be a can do, will try" person. As our newest Eagle Scouts, you need to understand that the happiness in a person’s life is directly proportionate to that person’s commitment to Excellence, regardless of the person’s position in life.

“Cat in the Rain” by Ernest Hemingway Essay

The story under the title â€Å"Cat in the Rain† was written by Ernest Hemingway, one of the most favourite American novelists, short-story writer and essayist, whose deceptively simple prose style has influenced wide range of writers. So, the story begins with the description of the hotel where two Americans stopped. It was raining, that’s why the couple stayed in and just a cat in the rain attracted the young woman’s attention. She wanted to get the cat inside but failed and was brought another cat. The problem of the story lies very deeply and we are to uncover it. The story is written in one mood which constantly and directly increases. It starts from the beginning where it’s created by a persistent and repeated use of the â€Å"rain† with a number of phrases associating it, such as puddles, deserted square, glistening war monument. Repetition is one of the widely used and favourite stylistic devices of Hemingway. Here he applies it to reveal the relationship of the protagonist to the old hotel owner (she liked †¦ , she liked†¦ ). As the verb â€Å"to like† is not used to characterize relations of the wife to her husband, this contrast is full of the concealed but easily read meaning. Though the cases of repetition in the story may seem a bit obtrusive, their modifications enter into the core of the narration very organically. They carry emotional character, however penetrating the story the deep sorrow becomes evident gradually. We realize that little, as if meaningless, capricious wishes of a young woman reveal the drama of her fate, the absence of comfort in her life, comparable with the cat in the rain. The title of the story anticipates this confrontation and the fact that the cat’s image makes great play twice – just increases the total effect. In fact, the young woman pines for love, for home, for her family. And the purring cat she’d like to have and to stroke is a traditional symbol of home and comfort she lacks so much. She wants warmth, attention, care, joy, happiness; however she is brought the cat – a pitiful substitution of that, what she, a young, beautiful woman needs incredibly. This is the main problem of the novel we tried to uncover. Perhaps the hotel owner didn’t get the reason of her yearnings and took her wish for whim. But dignity, deference and respectfulness of the old man are confronted to egoism and carelessness of George not occasionally. The war monument is also mentioned deliberately. The world George and his wife belong to – is uncomfortable, homeless after-war world, where the fates of young people joined with such hardships and troubles. If to speak about the text itself, it is told in the 3rd person narrative. the description is interlaced with descriptive passages and dialogues of the personages. The author makes extensive use of repetitions to render the story more vivid, convincing, more real and emotional. The author’s style is remarkable for its powerful sweep, brilliant illustrations and deep psychological analysis. Everything he touches seems to reflect the feelings of the heroes. The story reveals the author’s great knowledge of man’s inner world. He penetrates into the subtlest windings of the human heart.

Ex Post Facto Laws Essay

Ex post facto laws refer to laws that apply to acts committed before the enactment of such laws and are, therefore, disadvantageous to the affected persons. The United States constitution in article I, section 10 prohibits the state from enacting such retroactive laws. This prohibition protects individuals from unjust legislative acts. However, the ban on ex post facto laws applies only with regard to criminal and not civil laws (Zollar, 2002). I believe that the US constitution is reasonable and consistent by containing provisions that limit the enactment of ex post facto laws since this help in safeguarding the rights of individuals under existing laws. If the constitution did not contain the ex post facto clause, individuals would be unfairly subjected to laws that act retrogressively and deny them justice. For instance, an adult should not be prosecuted for crimes he committed when he was a minor if such crimes could not be instituted against him at that time due to limitation on juvenile court jurisdiction. I concur with the authors of the ex post facto clause that laws should not be applied retroactively. However, where the rule cannot be reasonably applied, various exceptions should be incorporated to make the rule workable. Like every other rule, I believe that it is important for the ex post facto clause to have various exceptions that would ensure its enforceability. While I agree that laws should not be enacted retrogressively, I feel that the biggest challenge facing the ex post facto clause is the obscure differentiation of criminal laws from civil laws. The clause that prohibits ex post facto laws bans several acts. First, it prohibits the creation of criminal laws and making them retroactive. Such retroactive laws have the effect of criminalizing acts committed before their enactments. The clause also prohibits laws that are made in order to retroactively aggravate a crime, for instance, by retroactively changing a misdemeanor to a felony. Retroactively increasing the punishment for a crime is also prohibited under US laws. Furthermore, the Ex post facto clause also bans the creation of laws that alter the rules of evidence and instead allow conviction based on different or lesser evidence than what the law proscribed at the time of the crime’s commission (Gardner & Anderson, 2011). There are several exceptions to the limitation of retroactive laws in the ex post facto clause. The rule is limited to penal law and is not applicable to cases where the new laws favor the accused. Moreover, the rule is not applicable to customary laws and precedent laws that are retrospective with regard to previous cases. Another exception to the ex post facto rule is a retroactive law that provides for retribution for certain acts that were illegal but not criminal when they were committed. An example of such a law is the London Agreement, which is retroactive to the extent of acts that constituted violations of international laws when they were committed (Bassiouni, 2011) One of the most important current aspects of ex post facto laws is taxation. Prohibition of retroactive laws is limited to criminal acts. Therefore, there is no ex post facto law prohibition in taxation since it is a civil act. In the case of Fernandez vs. Fernandez, it was ruled that prohibition on ex post facto laws was limited to criminal laws and that tax laws were civic. In September 2012, the U.S Commerce Department imposed an ex post facto tax of $ 100 million as an anti-dumping measure (Foldvary, 2012). I feel that there is need to address the lack of prohibition of ex post facto laws in taxation. It would be unjust if entrepreneurs would lose property through confiscation by the government in an effort to recover retroactive taxes. References Bassiouni, M. C. (2011). Crimes against humanity: Historical and contemporary application. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Foldvary, F. E. (2012). The Progress Report: Ex post Facto Taxation. Retrieved October 27, 2012 from: http://www.progress.org/2012/fold784.htm Gardner, T. J. and Anderson, T. M. (2011). Criminal Law. Belomont, CA: Cengage Learning. Zollar, J. (2002). Prohibition against Ex Post Facto laws. House Research. Retrieved October 7, 2012 from: http://www.house.leg.state.mn.us/hrd/pubs/ss/clssexpost.pdf

Free Essays on Apollo And Daphne

and rejoined, "Your arrows may strike all things else, Apollo, but mine shall strike you." So saying, he took his stand on a rock of Parnassus and drew from his quiver two arrows of a different workmanship, one to excite love, the other to repel it. The former was of gold and sharp pointed, the latter blunt and tipped with lead. With the leaden shaft he struck the nymph Daphne, the daughter of the river god Peneus, and with the golden one Apollo, through the heart. Forthwith the god was seized with love for the maiden, and she abhorred the thought of loving. Her delight was in woodland sports and the spoils of the chase. Many lovers sought her, but she spurned them all, ranging the woods, and taking no thought of Eros nor of Hymen. Her father often said to her, "Daughter, you owe me a son-in-law; you owe me grandchildren." She, hating the thought of marriage as a crime, with her beautiful face tinged all over with blushes, threw her arms around her father's neck and said, "Dearest f ather, grant me this favor, that I may always remain unmarried, like Artemis." He consented, but at the same time said, "Your own face will forbid it." Apollo loved her and longed to obtain her; and he who gives oracles to all the world was not wise enough to look into his own fortunes. He saw her hair flung loose over her s... Free Essays on Apollo And Daphne Free Essays on Apollo And Daphne Apollo and Daphne in Myth Daphne was Apollo's first love. It was not brought about by accident, but by the malice of Eros. Apollo saw the boy playing with his bow and arrows; and being himself elated by his recent victory over Python, he said to him, "What have you to do with warlike weapons, saucy boy? Leave them for hands worthy of them. Behold the conquest I have won by means of them over the vast serpent who stretched his poisonous body over acres of plain! Be content with your torch, child, and kindle up your flames, as you call them, where you will, but presume not to meddle with my weapons." Aphrodite's boy heard these words and rejoined, "Your arrows may strike all things else, Apollo, but mine shall strike you." So saying, he took his stand on a rock of Parnassus and drew from his quiver two arrows of a different workmanship, one to excite love, the other to repel it. The former was of gold and sharp pointed, the latter blunt and tipped with lead. With the leaden shaft he struck the nymph Daphne, the daughter of the river god Peneus, and with the golden one Apollo, through the heart. Forthwith the god was seized with love for the maiden, and she abhorred the thought of loving. Her delight was in woodland sports and the spoils of the chase. Many lovers sought her, but she spurned them all, ranging the woods, and taking no thought of Eros nor of Hymen. Her father often said to her, "Daughter, you owe me a son-in-law; you owe me grandchildren." She, hating the thought of marriage as a crime, with her beautiful face tinged all over with blushes, threw her arms around her f ather's neck and said, "Dearest father, grant me this favor, that I may always remain unmarried, like Artemis." He consented, but at the same time said, "Your own face will forbid it." Apollo loved her and longed to obtain her; and he who gives oracles to all the world was not wise enough to look into his own fortunes. He saw her hair flung loose over her s...

Independence Days of the Nations of the World

Independence Days of the Nations of the World Of the 196 countries on Earth, the vast majority became independent after 1800. Only 20 were independent before the start of the 19th century- a mere 10%- and by 1900, only 49 or 25% of the countries of today were independent. Countries by Independence Date Here are all the countries in the world, listed in order from the oldest to the youngest: 660 BCE: Japan221 BCE: China301 CE: San Marino843 CE: France976 CE: Austria10th Century CE: Denmark1001: Hungary1143: Portugal1206: Mongolia1238: Thailand1278: AndorraAugust 1, 1291: Switzerland1419: Monaco15th Century: Spain1502: IranJune 6, 1523: SwedenJanuary 23, 1579: The Netherlands1650: OmanMay 1, 1707: The United KingdomJanuary 23, 1719: Liechtenstein1768: NepalJuly 4, 1776: The United States of AmericaJanuary 1, 1804: HaitiJuly 20, 1810: ColombiaSeptember 16, 1810: MexicoSeptember 18, 1810: ChileMay 14, 1811: ParaguayJuly 5, 1811: VenezuelaJuly 9, 1816: ArgentinaJuly 28, 1821: PeruSeptember 15, 1821: Costa RicaSeptember 15, 1821: El SalvadorSeptember 15, 1821: GuatemalaSeptember 15, 1821: HondurasSeptember 15, 1821: NicaraguaMay 24, 1822: EcuadorSeptember 7, 1822: BrazilAugust 6, 1825: BoliviaAugust 25, 1825: Uruguay1829: GreeceOctober 4, 1830: Belgium1839: LuxembourgFebruary 27, 1844: The Dominican RepublicJuly 26, 1847: LiberiaMarch 17, 1861: ItalyJuly 1, 1867: CanadaJanuar y 18, 1871: GermanyMay 9, 1877: RomaniaMarch 3, 1878: Bulgaria1896: EthiopiaJune 12, 1898: The PhilippinesJanuary 1, 1901: AustraliaMay 20, 1902: CubaNovember 3, 1903: PanamaJune 7, 1905: NorwaySeptember 26, 1907: New ZealandMay 31, 1910: South AfricaNovember 28, 1912: AlbaniaDecember 6, 1917: FinlandFebruary 24, 1918: EstoniaNovember 11, 1918: PolandDecember 1, 1918: IcelandAugust 19, 1919: AfghanistanDecember 6, 1921: IrelandFebruary 28, 1922: EgyptOctober 29, 1923: TurkeyFebruary 11, 1929: The Vatican CitySeptember 23, 1932: Saudi ArabiaOctober 3, 1932: IraqNovember 22, 1943: LebanonAugust 15, 1945: North KoreaAugust 15, 1945: South KoreaAugust 17, 1945: IndonesiaSeptember 2, 1945: VietnamApril 17, 1946: SyriaMay 25, 1946: JordanAugust 14, 1947: PakistanAugust 15, 1947: IndiaJanuary 4, 1948: BurmaFebruary 4, 1948: Sri LankaMay 14, 1948: IsraelJuly 19, 1949: LaosAugust 8, 1949: BhutanDecember 24, 1951: LibyaNovember 9, 1953: CambodiaJanuary 1, 1956: SudanMarch 2, 1956: MoroccoMarc h 20, 1956: TunisiaMarch 6, 1957: GhanaAugust 31, 1957: MalaysiaOctober 2, 1958: GuineaJanuary 1, 1960: CameroonApril 4, 1960: SenegalMay 27, 1960: TogoJune 30, 1960: Republic of the  CongoJuly 1, 1960: SomaliaJuly 26, 1960: MadagascarAugust 1, 1960: BeninAugust 3, 1960: NigerAugust 5, 1960: Burkina FasoAugust 7, 1960: Cà ´te dIvoireAugust 11, 1960: ChadAugust 13, 1960: Central African RepublicAugust 15, 1960:  Democratic  Republic of the CongoAugust 16, 1960: CyprusAugust 17, 1960: GabonSeptember 22, 1960: MaliOctober 1, 1960: NigeriaNovember 28, 1960: MauritaniaApril 27, 1961: Sierra LeoneJune 19, 1961: KuwaitJanuary 1, 1962: SamoaJuly 1, 1962: BurundiJuly 1, 1962: RwandaJuly 5, 1962: AlgeriaAugust 6, 1962: JamaicaAugust 31, 1962: Trinidad and TobagoOctober 9, 1962: UgandaDecember 12, 1963: KenyaApril 26, 1964: TanzaniaJuly 6, 1964: MalawiSeptember 21, 1964: MaltaOctober 24, 1964: ZambiaFebruary 18, 1965: The GambiaJuly 26, 1965: The MaldivesAugust 9, 1965: SingaporeMay 26, 1966: GuyanaSeptember 30, 1966: BotswanaOctober 4, 1966: LesothoNovember 30, 1966: BarbadosJanuary 31, 1968: NauruMarch 12, 1968: MauritiusSeptember 6, 1968: SwazilandOctober 12, 1968: Equatorial GuineaJune 4, 1970: TongaOctober 10, 1970: FijiMarch 26, 1971: BangladeshAugust 15, 1971: BahrainSeptember 3, 1971: QatarNovember 2, 1971: The United Arab EmiratesJuly 10, 1973: The BahamasSeptember 24, 1973: Guinea-BissauFebruary 7, 1974: GrenadaJune 25, 1975: MozambiqueJuly 5, 1975: Cape VerdeJuly 6, 1975: ComorosJuly 12, 1975: Sao Tome and PrincipeSeptember 16, 1975: Papua New GuineaNovember 11, 1975: AngolaNovember 25, 1975: SurinameJune 29, 1976: SeychellesJune 27, 1977: DjiboutiJuly 7, 1978: The Solomon IslandsOctober 1, 1978: TuvaluNovember 3, 1978: DominicaFebruary 22, 1979: Saint LuciaJuly 12, 1979: KiribatiOctober 27, 1979: Saint Vincent and the GrenadinesApril 18, 1980: ZimbabweJuly 30, 1980: VanuatuJanuary 11, 1981: Antigua and BarbudaSeptember 21, 1981: BelizeSeptember 19, 198 3: Saint Kitts and NevisJanuary 1, 1984: BruneiOctober 21, 1986: The Marshall IslandsNovember 3, 1986: The Federated States of MicronesiaMarch 11, 1990: LithuaniaMarch 21, 1990: NamibiaMay 22, 1990: YemenApril 9, 1991: GeorgiaJune 25, 1991: CroatiaJune 25, 1991: SloveniaAugust 21, 1991: KyrgyzstanAugust 24, 1991: RussiaAugust 25, 1991: BelarusAugust 27, 1991: MoldovaAugust 30, 1991: AzerbaijanSeptember 1, 1991: UzbekistanSeptember 6, 1991: LatviaSeptember 8, 1991: MacedoniaSeptember 9, 1991: TajikistanSeptember 21, 1991: ArmeniaOctober 27, 1991: TurkmenistanNovember 24, 1991: UkraineDecember 16, 1991: KazakhstanMarch 3, 1992: Bosnia and HerzegovinaJanuary 1, 1993: The Czech RepublicJanuary 1, 1993: SlovakiaMay 24, 1993: EritreaOctober 1, 1994: PalauMay 20, 2002: East TimorJune 3, 2006: MontenegroJune 5, 2006: SerbiaFebruary 17, 2008: KosovoJuly 9, 2011: South Sudan

Overdosed America The Broken Promise of American Medicine Essay

Overdosed America The Broken Promise of American Medicine - Essay Example To keep the lid sealed on this corruption of medical science-and to ensure its translation into medical practice-there is a complex web of corporate influence that includes disempowered regulatory agencies, commercially sponsored medical education, brilliant advertising, expensive public relations campaigns, and manipulations of free media coverage. And last, but not least, are the financial ties between many of the most trusted medical experts and medical industry". I choose this quote because it encapsulates the scope of this book. Overdosed America, by John Abramson, M.D. is a thought-provoking and riveting assessment of health care and the corruption thereof in America. Pointing to evidence which is concrete and shocking, we are forced to wonder what else is out there that we do not know about. We wonder how mistaken we are to put so much trust into the hands of doctors and the medicines that they peddle. He does not write the book in an attempt to sell a blockbuster best seller. Rather, he wants integrity to return to the field of medicine in a country that can well afford it. This book makes me wonder who is leading who. I had no idea that the majority (80 percent) of clinical research is funded by pharmaceutical companies. How does that amount to honest statistics There is an enormous conflict between the pharmaceutical companies and their influence over the studies that are conducted. Moreover, a tremendous amount of the studies which are reported in medical journals are not complete so not only are we as consumers being duped but so are the people that we rely upon to save our lives! For example, Dr. Abramson detected the frequent use of overblown statistics guaranteed to scare people into a life-long drug regimen. When the New England Journal of Medicine published a study about a new, inexpensive blood test designed to measure blood levels of inflammation in the body called C-reactive protein, or CRP, which supposedly can predict a person's risk of heart disease. The study followed 28,000 women over eight years and found that those with the highest CRP levels were more than twice as likely to develop heart disease. The study's authors concluded that identifying people with elevated CRP would allow "optimal targeting of statin therapy." Simply stated, it was a way to identify future customers for cholesterol-lowering drugs. A closer look at the statistics from this study showed that the 28,000 female participants were less than 55 years old and healthy. Their risk of heart attack, stroke, etc. was quite small. For "every 1000 women with the highest CRP levels, there was only slightly more than one (1.3) additional episode of cardiovascular disease each year than among the 1000 women with the lowest CRP levels." In other words, the twice-as-likely-to-develop-heart-disease statistic boiled down to a doubling of odds that were tiny to begin with! "The public needs access to independent expert opinion that can counterbalance the enormous influence that the medical industry wields over our beliefs about the best approach to health and medical care," writes Dr. Abramson. Indeed, Dr. Abramson clearly suggests that a regimen that has been promoted forever is still the best means by which to keep heart disease. Dr. Abramson promotes that regular exercise, smoking cessation, and a healthy diet accomplish more than just about every medical