Battle of Westport in the American Civil War

Battle of Westport in the American Civil War Battle of Westport - Conflict Date: The Battle of Westport was fought October 23, 1864, during the American Civil War (1861-1865). Battle of Westport - Armies Commanders: Union Major General Samuel R. Curtis22,000 men Confederate Major General Sterling Price8,500 men Battle of Westport - Background: In the summer of 1864, Major General Sterling Price, who had been commanding Confederate forces in Arkansas began lobbying his superior, General Edmund Kirby Smith, for permission to attack into Missouri.  A Missouri native, Price hoped to reclaim the state for the Confederacy and damage President Abraham Lincolns re-election bid that fall.  Though he was granted permission for the operation, Smith stripped Price of his infantry.  As a result, the strike into Missouri would be limited to a large-scale cavalry raid.  Advancing north with 12,000 horsemen on August 28, Price crossed into Missouri and engaged Union troops at Pilot Knob a month later.  Pushing towards St. Louis, he soon turned west when he realized that the city was too heavily defended to assault with his limited forces. Responding to Prices raid, Major General William S. Rosecrans, commanding the Department of the Missouri, began concentrating men to deal with the threat.  Having been deterred from his initial objective, Price moved against the state capital at Jefferson City.  A string of skirmishes in the area soon led him to conclude that, like St. Louis, the citys fortifications were too strong.  Continuing west, Price sought to attack Fort Leavenworth.  As the Confederate cavalry moved through Missouri, Rosecrans dispatched a cavalry division under Major General Alfred Pleasonton as well as two infantry divisions led by Major General A.J. Smith in pursuit.  A veteran of the Army of the Potomac, Pleasonton had commanded Union forces at the Battle of Brandy Station the previous year before falling out of favor with Major General George G. Meade.   Battle of Westport - Curtis Responds: To the west, Major General Samuel R. Curtis, overseeing the Department of Kansas, worked to concentrate his forces to meet Prices advancing army.  Forming the Army of the Border, he created a cavalry division led by Major General James G. Blunt and an infantry division consisting of Kansas militia commanded by Major General George W. Deitzler.  Organizing the latter formation proved difficult as Kansas Governor Thomas Carney initially resisted Curtis request to call out the militia.  Further problems emerged regarding the command of Kansas militia cavalry regiments assigned to Blunts division.  There were ultimately resolved and Curtis ordered Blunt east to block Price.  Engaging the Confederates at Lexington on October 19 and Little Blue River two days later, Blunt was forced back both times.   Battle of Westport - Plans: Though victorious in these battles, they slowed Prices advance and allowed Pleasonton to gain ground.  Aware that the combined forces of Curtis and Pleasonton outnumbered his command, Price sought to defeat the Army of the Border before turning to deal with his pursuers.  Having retreated west, Blunt was directed by Curtis to establish a defensive line behind Brush Creek, just south of Westport (part of modern-day Kansas City, MO).  To attack this position, Price would be required to cross the Big Blue River then turn north and cross Brush Creek.  Implementing his plan to defeat Union forces in detail, he ordered Major General John S. Marmadukes division to cross the Big Blue at Byrams Ford on October 22 (Map). This force was to hold the ford against Pleasonton and guard the armys wagon train while the divisions of Major Generals Joseph O. Shelby and James F. Fagan rode north to attack Curtis and Blunt.  At Brush Creek, Blunt deployed the brigades of Colonels James H. Ford and Charles Jennison straddling Wornall Lane and facing south, while that of Colonel Thomas Moonlight extended the Union right south at a right angle.  From this position, Moonlight could support Jennison or attack the Confederate flank. Battle of Westport - Brush Creek: At dawn on October 23, Blunt advanced Jennison and Ford across Brush Creek and over a ridge.  Moving forward they quickly engaged Shelby and Fagans men.  Counterattacking, Shelby succeeded in turning the Union flank and forced Blunt to retreat back across the creek.  Unable to press the attack due to a shortage of ammunition, the Confederates were forced to pause allowing the Union troops to regroup.  Further bolstering Curtis and Blunts line was the arrival of Colonel Charles Blairs brigade as well as the sound of Pleasontons artillery to the south at Byrams Ford.  Reinforced, Union forces charged across the creek against the enemy but were repulsed.   Seeking an alternative approach, Curtis came across a local farmer, George Thoman, who was angry about Confederate forces stealing his horse.  Thoman agreed to aid the Union commander and showed Curtis a gully that ran past Shelbys left flank to a rise in the Confederate rear.  Taking advantage, Curtis directed the 11th Kansas Cavalry and the 9th Wisconsin Battery to move through the gully.  Attacking Shelbys flank, these units, combined by another frontal assault by Blunt, began to steadily push the Confederates south towards the Wornall House. Battle of Westport - Byrams Ford: Reaching Byrams Ford early that morning, Pleasonton pushed three brigades across the river around 8:00 AM.  Taking a position on a hill beyond the ford, Marmadukes men resisted the first Union assaults.  In the fighting, one of Pleasontons brigade commanders fell wounded and was replaced by Lieutenant Colonel Frederick Benteen who would later play a role in the 1876 Battle of the Little Bighorn.  Around 11:00 AM, Pleasonton succeeded in pushing Marmadukes men from their position.  To the north, Prices men fell back to a new line of defense along a road south of Forest Hill.   As Union forces brought thirty guns to bear on the Confederates, the 44th Arkansas Infantry (Mounted) charged forward in an attempt to seize the battery. This effort was repulsed and as Curtis learned of Pleasontons approach against the enemys rear and flank, he ordered a general advance.  In a precarious position, Shelby deployed a brigade to fight a delaying action while Price and the rest of the army escaped south and across the Big Blue.  Overwhelmed near the Wornall House, Shelbys men soon followed. Battle of Westport - Aftermath: One of the largest battles fought in the Trans-Mississippi Theater, the Battle of Westport saw both sides sustain around 1,500 casualties.  Dubbed the Gettysburg of the West, the engagement proved decisive in that it shattered Prices command as well as saw many Confederate partisans leave Missouri in the armys wake.  Pursued by Blunt and Pleasonton, the remnants of Prices army moved along the Kansas-Missouri border and fought engagements at  Marais des Cygnes, Mine Creek, Marmiton River, and Newtonia.  Continuing to retreat through southwest Missouri, Price then swung west into the Indian Territory before arriving in Confederate lines in Arkansas on December 2.  Reaching safety, his force had been reduced to around 6,000 men, approximately half of its original strength. Selected Sources Battle of WestportCWSAC Battle Summary: Battle of Westport

Research 101 Going to the Library in the Internet Age - Freewrite Store

Research 101 Going to the Library in the Internet Age - Freewrite Store â€Å"Let me Google that.† Today’s guest post is by Anne E. Johnson. Anne, based in Brooklyn, has written several novels and nearly 100 short stories. She is also an arts journalist. â€Å"Let me Google that.† For someone who loves research, those are four of the saddest words in English. Somehow the belief has spread that any information you need- about anything- is available by simply typing into a search engine. Yet libraries still exist. Don’t be one of those people who ignores them. You’re wondering why you should bother. What could some underfunded collection of books sticky with other people’s fingerprints possibly offer that the internet can’t? Glad you asked. Why Go to the Library? One of the best things about going to the library is what it can do for your work. As someone who has experience pitching both historical fiction manuscripts and journalistic article ideas, trust me: you want to stand out from the crowd. Anybody can Google. Not everybody can coax gems from library stacks. Potential agents and publishers can see those gems gleaming, and they’ll like what they see.       Another great reason to go to a library is psychological. It’s good for your brain and it’s good for your spirit. Let me count the ways: After a few hours of staring at your computer or tablet screen, do you feel kind of hollow and stale, as if you’ve wasted your day? I call that â€Å"Web Laziness† syndrome. You could just power down and go to the gym. But if you’re in the middle of a research project, try going to the library instead. The more time you spend in a library and get comfortable with it, the more you’ll get out of it. Your enthusiasm for your topic can’t help but grow. And a bonus: you’ll feel like a pro, and won’t hesitate to hit the stacks next time you need to do research. Unlike sitting with your laptop in a coffee shop or on your own couch, a library is a place where everyone is there to read and learn. Being in that environment can alter your powers of concentration. And learning is energizing. Treasures galore! There’s a lot to be gained from being near lots of physical books. When you wander along a library bookcase, looking for a call number, you scan the spines of hundreds of nearby volumes. Guaranteed, you’re going to find some amazing stuff that you didn’t know existed. And there’s also the possibility to see physical documents that almost no one else has ever been in contact with. Primary sources – letters, diaries, drafts of plays or musical compositions, captain’s logs, or anything else that is an original representation of a time or place are absolute gold if you write history or historical fiction, or just want to jazz up something with cool details.       A research library in a big city or at a university is the best place to find such things, but even your neighborhood public library might offer high-quality scans of rare documents. Libraries subscribe to scholarly databases that an individual can’t afford to buy access to. To use these databases, you will probably need a library card. Some might be accessible at home once you log in as a card-holder, but some will require you to show up at the library and use their computers. Planning your library visit If you really want to get a lot out of a day at the library, put in some time before you go. This is where the internet and physical libraries become one: You can use the library’s catalog from the comfort of your couch! Your prep experience can be practically paperless. Online catalogs allow the option of digitally bookmarking entries you’re interested in, or emailing them to yourself. Personally, I always make a working bibliography of every resource I want to explore, and I print it out and bring it with me so I can scribble notes on it (things like â€Å"out until Aug. 31† or â€Å"saw it, but not that helpful†).       And remember not to limit yourself to looking up books. Libraries also have periodicals, which nowadays are usually entirely electronic. The online catalog will probably include a way to search those magazines and journals for your topic. And then there are documentary films or historical radio broadcasts that might help you. Your list of resources doesn’t have to be perfect. You just need a starting point. Once you spend some time in the stacks, you’ll add some items and cross others out. Oh, and don’t forget to check the hours before you go, so you don’t waste a trip. What happens once you’re there? You walk in with your list. Now what? Libraries post maps to show where each call number can be found. Often you can snag a nice little bookmark with that info printed on it, and carry it with you. Pick a call number from your bibliography to start with, then go looking for that book. If the book isn’t where it’s supposed to be, or if you can’t figure out where the call number is kept, or if you’re just feeling overwhelmed by the whole process†¦don’t despair. There’s a living, breathing app for that.       That human over there is called a â€Å"librarian.† Approach him or her with a smile, and they’ll give you all the help you need. These folks went to school for this, so their skills go well beyond answering â€Å"Where is this book?† and â€Å"Where are the restrooms?† You could tell them what you’re working on, and see if they have any ideas! And, if you’re in a research library, there might even be a librarian who specializes in your topic. If you’re looking at rare or primary documents, the key is patience. Whether you’re lucky enough to get to handle the actual documents (a rare thrill, indeed) or you are instructed to look at an online database, take your time. Obviously, rare documents can be damaged, so don’t flip pages like it’s a cheap mystery novel you picked up at the airport. But more than that, remember that this is a special privilege. Savor it. Explore not just the words on the page, but what the pages are made of, what kind of ink and font is used. Take careful notes about everything you see and feel. Using all your senses will inform whatever you’re writing later. Need a photocopy of something you can’t check out of the library? Depending on what it is, that might not be allowed. But you have that nifty phone in your pocket; photograph the pages you need! If the material is not rare, you might be able to take it home for two or three weeks. You’ll need a library card (a good idea anyway, as we’ve discussed, so you have full access to all materials). More and more e-books are also available to check out. You order them via the library’s catalog, and they’ll show up on your e-reader, and disappear after the due date.    Try it. You won’t be sorry. Hey, I’m not knocking Google. There’s no disputing that internet search engines are ingenious tools that have changed the world. Still, sitting at your laptop is sometimes not enough if you want to understand a topic deeply. You can’t find what isn’t there, and you’ll never know what you’re missing unless you change how and where you look. So, next time you need to do research, give the ol’ library a chance – it might end up being your new favorite place to hang out. What do you love most about libraries? How have libraries helped your writing craft? Let us know in the comments!    Anne E. Johnson is a freelance writer based in Brooklyn, NY. Her published science fiction and fantasy novels include Space Surfers (YA science fiction) and the Webrid Chronicles humorous space opera series: Green Light Delivery, Blue Diamond Delivery,and Red Spawn Delivery. She also has two published historical novels for kids aged 8-12. Nearly 100 of her short stories have been published in magazines, webzines, and anthologies. She is a longtime story judge for the RateYourStory website. Anne has an undergraduate degree in classical languages and a master’s in musicology, specializing in the Middle Ages; for over 15 years she taught music history and theory in New York. As an arts journalist writing about music and theater, she contributes a biweekly column and monthly CD reviews to Copper Magazine: The Journal of Music and Audio, and she’s been published in The New York Times, Stagebill Magazine, Chicago on the Aisle, WomenArts, Teaching Theatre Magazine, and Classical Voice North America.

Run- dmc's impact on rap and society Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Run- dmc's impact on rap and society - Essay Example ablished Rush Productions, a hip- hop management Company in the 80’s encouraged his brother Joey to form a rap duo with his friend Darryl McDaniels. They started out as a duo and later roped in another friend called Jason Mizell. The trio introduced a dress culture to suit their fancy and set them apart from the regular dress code. Their style was flashy with hats, untied sneakers and heavy gold chains that greatly appealed to the youth and left a deep impression on their suburban rock fan following. (Simon & Schuster, 2001) Run – D.M.C outshone their predecessors Grandmaster Flash and Whodini by being much more tougher and menacing while using samples from heavy metal and their popular spare beats. They helped to promote rap from a genre that was single oriented to a genre that became officially album oriented. Run – D.M.C was the very first hip – hop artist group to cut full- fledged albums and slowly made it into the mainstream of music. In the course of time Run – D.M.C had spawned many other groups and were even overtaken by them, yet they dedicated themselves to performing even into the 90’s. The group had cut their first single titled â€Å"It’s Like That† in 1983 which sounded like no other rap during that time. By 1985, they had become America’s most popular and influential band after their second album titled â€Å"King of Rock.† This album was succeeded by the R&B single which was a cover for the legendary Aerosmith titled â€Å"Walk This Way† which became Run- D.M.C’s biggest hit single which was recorded using Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler and Joe Perry. This was the very first hip – hop number that appealed to both rappers and rockers alike. This album was followed by their third album titled â€Å"Raising Hell† which became the first rap album to scale to number one on the R&B charts and then even go platinum. There was no turning back now for Run – D.M. C as they strengthened their position as the first rappers to make a

Deca Commissary - Providing Customer Confidence Research Paper

Deca Commissary - Providing Customer Confidence - Research Paper Example In this case, the commissaries ensure that the personnel and their families obtained goods at prices that saved them approximately 30percent the cost that civilians bought similar products (Skirbunt & Robinson, 2008). While the practice started long before organizations realized the important role of integrating customer’s needs in an organization, DeCA realizes the importance of integrating modern era practices that will ensure that the commissaries created customer confidence. First, it is important to point out that the core competency of commissary benefits were customers’ savings, which is also the main reason for its existence (Skirbunt & Robinson, 2008). In effect, DeCA works towards ensuring that the upholding and maintenance of these key competencies of the commissaries. In line with this, DeCA has integrated technology in its facilities to ensure that products offering were the same throughout their facilities. In addition, technology ensures that all facilities had enough stock and the replenishment of stock was timely since technology ensured that the supply of products was always constant with the facilities always stocked. It is evident that one way of ensuring customer satisfaction was ensuring a constant supply of goods and services. In effect, an organization that ensures customer satisfaction enhances the level of confidence amongst its customers. Therefore, ensuring constant supply of products in all is commissaries ensured that De CA created customer satisfaction, which led to establishing customers’ confidence in all its facilities. In the modern world, the safety of products is a key factor that determines the development of customers’ confidence in an organization. In line with this, Skirbunt and Robinson (2008) noted, â€Å"Food familiarity and safety were also key to success with commissary customers able to shop with

Energy Society Essay Example for Free

Energy Society Essay The Kyoto Protocol The official name of the Protocol is The Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. It is an agreement by 165 countries for mandatory targets for the reduction of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. These gases—carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and several fluorinated gases are believed to contribute significantly to global warming. The targets of the Protocol are primarily industrialized countries, which are expected to reduce their combined emissions to 95% of 1990 emission levels between 2008 and 2012. The Protocol was agreed on in 1997, although it only took effect in 2005. Between the years 1990 and 2000, the overall emissions of industrialized countries have been reduced by 3%, but largely because of the drastic reduction of emissions from former Soviet countries because of their failing economies. Other industrialized countries overall had an increase of 8% emissions. It is estmated that emissions from industrialized countries will be 10% above 1990 emission levels by the year 2010. For industrialized countries, the emission reduction target of the Kyoto Protocol is only around 5%, and many climate scientists are concerned that this is not enough to curb the effects of global warming. They believe that in order for the agreement to actually help solve the problem, the emission rates would be cut down by 60%. This has led to the opinion that the agreement lacks real value, more so without US backing. However, advocates believe that the Protocol lays out the groundwork for future negotiations. Emission reduction laws were already signed in many countries and would continue to take effect even when the Protocol itself has ceased to exist. â€Å"Happy Kyoto Day† – http://www.worldchanging.com/archives/002119.html This site has an unusual approach to the problem of determining the Kyoto protocol’s merit. According to the author, â€Å"In and of itself, the Kyoto treaty wont solve global warming or avert disastrous climate disruption.† The author states that the protocol is essentially a catalyst. It will put the world in an environmentally aware mindset—even if the Kyoto protocol fails, it will force the world to come up with something better. It will also encourage economic changes that strive towards greater efficiency and sustainability. Lastly, the protocol â€Å"is a symbol, a conscious step in the right direction for the planet. â€Å"Kyoto global warming: good stuff or part of a dark conspiracy to dominate the world?† – http://uspolitics.tribe.net/thread/e4978f31-0439-4b70-bbf3-f0ce93a09a42 According to this site, â€Å"global warming alarmism† is indeed the â€Å"mother of all environmental scares.† The author states that it is definitely not settled whether human activity has had any significant effect on global warming; global warming is a theory, not a fact. Some effects of the Kyoto protocol would include â€Å"impoverishing the USA and creating intense disaffection within the ranks of the working classes.† Basic necessities would become very expensive. â€Å"Electricity would double in cost, fuel would skyrocket.† Lastly, the author claims that the Kyoto protocol is a political â€Å"device to lead the Social Communists closer to world dominion.† One of the worst effects that global warming could have would be the rise of sea levels, due to the melting of ice caps and to thermal expansion of the world’s waters. A hundred years from now, if the worst global warming predictions come true, millions of people will be displaced from their homes, which will be submerged. This will have drastic economic and cultural impacts. The effects of the mass displacement on the economy could reach far into the future. The loss of farmland, of business districts, etc. may spawn another (much worse) Great Depression in many areas. Forced cultural dispersion will be commonplace, making the ubiquitous problem of the generation gap much more considerable. Many people who would call themselves environmentalists would not necessarily have good knowledge of environmental issues. They may pay lip service to the environmentalist cause without inconveniencing themselves in any respect to protect it. But I would venture to say that a majority of those who call themselves environmentalists would be willing to go out of their way to ‘serve’ the world. However, it is certain that, as in other controversial issues, there would be much hypocrisy. If by ‘environmentalists’ we mean those who are—or claim to be—‘concerned’ about the environment, then certainly most of them would just be claiming belief in the cause, but be too lazy. In them would be an awareness of an ideal—the preservation of the environment—but a lack of initiative, probably because of the lack of any immediate incentives. References    Kyoto Protocol, 2006, Department of the Environment and Heritage, Australian Greenhouse Office, Available at: http://www.greenhouse.gov.au/international/kyoto/index.html The Kyoto Protocol, New Zealand Ministry for the Environment, Available at: http://www. climatechange.govt.nz/about/kyoto.html Cascio, Jamais, 2006, Happy Kyoto Day, Available at: http://www.worldchanging.com/archives/002119.html Kyoto global warming: good stuff or part of a dark conspiracy to dominate the world?, 2006, Available at: http://uspolitics.tribe.net/thread/e4978f31-0439-4b70-bbf3-f0ce93a09a42 QA: The Kyoto Protocol, 2005, BBC News, Available at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/ 4269921.stm The Kyoto Protocol A brief summary, 2006, European Union, Available at: http://ec.europa.eu/ environment/climat/kyoto.htm Kyoto Protocol, 2006, Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., Available at: http://en.wikipedia. org/w/index.php?title=Kyoto_Protocololdid=80236719 Kyoto Protocol comes into force, 2005, BBC News, Available at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/ science/nature/4267245.stm

Compare The Young Ravens That Call Upon Him and When Twilight Falls Upon The Stump Lots :: essays research papers

Compare The Young Ravens That Call Upon Him and When Twilight Falls Upon The Stump Lots  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Sir Charles G.D Roberts' stories "The Young Ravens That Call Upon Him" and "When Twilight Falls Upon The Stump Lots" are similar in a lot of ways.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The point of view in the Young Ravens story is told from the eagle, the point of view in the Stump Lots is omniscient. In the "young ravens" story the eagle is the protagonist and the ewe is the antagonist. In the "stump lots" story the bear is the protagonist and the cow is the antagonist.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In both stories the setting is beautifully described with a lot of description. They both take place in nature during the spring. One story however takes place in a valley wile the other takes place in the stump lots. There is pathetic fallacy in the description of both stories.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The plot of both stories is quite similar. They are both about hunting larger prey to survive, both about the motherly instinct of protectingà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? ones youngà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬?. However in the stump lots no one comes out a head and in theà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? ravensà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? story the eagles seem to come out satisfied, although the story does not go into great detail about the eagles fate. In the stump lots story man is present and the story ends with an irony of situation.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There is foreshadowing in the young ravens story because it keeps on mentioning how unsafe the valley was for the ewe and lamb to be wondering around alone with out the rest of the flock. Also the story kept saying how hunger the eaglets were.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The theme in the young ravens story is....... one animal destroys another while innocently fulfilling the laws of its own nature. The theme in the other story is.....size and strength does not always prevail against an animals motherly instinct in nature, however man can make all the efforts in vain.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the young ravens story a filling of piety is created towards the lamb because it had not yet had a chance to live. Also you feel sorry for the ewe because it is wondering around helplessly looking for her lamb separated in the wild from her flock.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the stump lot story you feel sorry for the bear because she is just trying to feed her cubs and she gets killed. Also when the dying bears last wish to get to her cubs is denied from her you cant help but feel bad.. You feel pity for the cow because all her efforts of trying to

Expiration Date on Marriages

According to a study from the Center of Women's Resources, for every two hours a woman is either slapped, beaten and subjected to other forms of abuse. In a day, twelve women submit to cruel acts caused mostly by their loved ones or people they know, making violence the number one crime against women. Statistics shows that there are too many victims of abuse yet no actions have been done. Margie Tajon, president of the 1-Babae Astig Aasenso (1-ABAA) party-list group, suggests that the proposal for 10-year expiration on Marriage would strengthen marriage and not destroy it. Tajon stated in an interview that this would allow couples to reassess the status of their marriage. In one of her points she states that it would benefit incompatible pairs who would like to be separated legally but have to undergo a tiring and lengthy process to annul their marriage. She stated that â€Å"Marriage annulment cases are clogging up our courts and we have to find a means to address the problem†. According to reports there were 8,000 annulment cases reported in 2008 and there are still more being deliberated in courts. A marriage license is a requirement for either a Civil or Church wedding to be held in the Philippines. The Application Form for a marriage license must be secured at the Local Civil Registrar from the city, town or municipality where the bride or the groom resides. The personal appearance of the couple is required in applying for the marriage license. Both parties involved shall file separately a sworn application for each license with the proper local civil registrar and proper supporting documents shall be submitted. According to Philippine law a ten-day waiting period is prescribed from the filing of the Application to the issuance of the marriage license. The license is valid for 120 days from date of issuance and may be used anywhere in the country. A marriage license is just like any other form applied for in the country. Like a passport or driver’s license which expires, why can’t a marriage expire too? According to Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano: â€Å"It’s a reflection of what is happening in our society,† referring to the growing clamor from women for more rights and social freedoms. Senate Minority Leader Aquilino â€Å"Nene† Pimentel, Jr finds the idea as funny. â€Å"It’s the funniest thing I’ve heard in my life. Does it mean marriage is just a trial? † Pimentel said of the proposal. Pimentel added that the issue of a marriage contract with an expiration date will go against the belief of the Filipino people that marriage is a sacred union done in the eyes of God. We are a predominantly Catholic country and the views of the people from the church are important. The Chairman of the CBCP’s National Appellate Matrimonial Tribunal said that the proposal is â€Å"some kind of desperate approach to right a wrong by something wrong. †. He says that â€Å"It is wrong for couples to separate and here comes a proposal for them to precisely separate,†. According to him there are dire consequences for this proposal. The most serious of which is the emotional trauma on the children whose parents are separated. It will also produce more children and result in a population explosion. He added that a man who gets married at age 20 and decides not to renew his marriage with his wife can go on and on until he marries his sixth wife at age 70. The question here is if we would allow such a thing to happen and I say yes. We may say that the family is the basic unit of the society and that it holds our society together but what about the individual? Families may seem happy on the outside but the inner workings are messed up. They may say that children will undergo emotional trauma if their parents separate. Children also undergo emotional trauma if they see or hear their parents fighting and if these situations worsen it will lead to abuse not only to the mothers but to the children as well. Our society has a problem indeed. We are stuck in the ways of the cavemen and our brain closes itself to the more liberated ideas which really benefit us.

The Advancement of Robot Technology

The advancement f robot technology is pointless in our world, other than to please the curiosity of the curios; Those who wish for a world full of robots intertwining with humans have not pondered the difficulty and the consequences that may come about with these advancements. An AIR is an advanced interactive robot that, in some cases, is a pet robot that can interact with humans and the environment around them. The Japanese have developed an AIR that is a pet seal named Paro. Paro is a white seal that can interact with humans and the environment by making baby seal noises as its response.Paro can be turned on and off at any time throughout the day, offering control over when it does and does not wish to be used by its users. In experiments, Paro has been found to reduce patient stress, stimulate socialization between patients and their caregivers, and even have the psychological effects of improving relaxation and motivation of its users. Some patients have experienced both positiv e and negative effects of using Paro. In the documentary, â€Å"Mechanical Love†, an elder woman used Paro while in a senior home and she loved it! The other elder women when living in hat same home, however, did not.They became annoyed with Paro as it continued to make noises during the evening game night. The next day, the patient using Paro was sitting alone with another elder woman while eating dinner, the patient said to the woman, â€Å"l really love my pet seal. † The other elder woman responded with a simple, â€Å"Hmpf†, displaying that she wasn't quite fond of Paro. Although some may not enjoy the company of Paro, I encourage the use of the pet seal for those who see a benefit in themselves with the use of it. Humans are born to interact with other humans.When a robot of any kind is introduced, there is always a level of caution and many questions arise during interaction with such robots. Along with the advancement of Paro, the Japanese have also deve loped a robot called a geminoid. A geminoid is a robot â€Å"twin† or clone of a human. One Japanese engineering scientist has developed a geminoid clone that looks almost identical to himself. As also displayed in â€Å"Mechanical love†, the scientists working with this geminoid put him to the test to see how his wife and his daughter would respond to interaction with the robot.The man that they cloned had sensors ttached to his body to portray the movements of his mouth and arms through the robot as ne talked into a microphone that projected his voice out ot the geminoid to mimic himself. The wife was first and she responded quite well to the geminoid. She stated that it was weird, she could deal with the robot but she would much rather prefer her real husband rather than the twin robot. On the other hand, however, the young daughter did not respond well to the robot twin. She found it to be scary and creepy while interacting with him.The father asked the daughter to touch the robot nd she refused because she was too scared. She explained that she wouldn't want the robot in her home in place of her real father in any case. As you can see, there is a high level of caution and awkwardness that is displayed by humans as they interact with the robots. Humans are not born to interact with mechanical beings. Humans are made to form relationships with those who are like them, not with specifically programmed beings. If there is such a day where robots are introduced into our everyday society, a numerous amount of difficulties and communication and relation roblems would arise.With the development of the AIR's and geminoids arises many difficulties of production and advancement of them. The elder women not using Paro thought that it was annoying. Engineering scientists are now attempting to make Paro more responsive to humans and its environment by programming it to know when to make its noises, when not to, and the loudness of its noise responses to e liminate turning it on and off multiple times throughout the day. The wife and daughter that were used in tests with the geminoid responded also saying that the its face and body ovements were awkward compared to a real human.The scientists are now working on making the geminoid's body and facial movements seem more natural, as well as programming the robot able to move and talk by itself, with out the sensors and microphone being used by the human twin. In the future they hope to engineer the robot function in everyday life along with humans. They plan for the robot to express emotion through its voice and body movements and even to perform specific jobs or become a universal robot that can respond to interaction with all humans, environments, and situations.As the scientists advance with such technologies, the robots become more prone to error and wrongdoing. There is always the possibility of a malfunction with the system of the robots, increasing the odds of the geminoid doing s omething that it normally wouldn't do. With the programming of emotion into the geminoid, they may express anger or frustration and become capable of crime or express violence towards its users in certain situations. As so many questions and complications emerge with the development of robot technology, is there really a point to their advancement?Because a large part of the development of robots is to allow them to take over some Job positions to make the production more efficient and more safe, there would be a lack of Jobs for humans. If geminoid technology advances to the point where they cant think, act, and work like humans(like in the documentary Mechanical Love), should our government pay them like we pay humans? There would be no point in paying robots because they cannot eat, they cannot drink, and they have no use in owning a house or any land, and they would have no family to care for. They merely would need a place to stay when they are not being used.Since the goal is to create a geminiod that can think and act like a human, we would have to treat them like a normal human being. Humans would nave to allow them to compete in sports and possibly even run tor president. Allowing them to compete in sports would create an unfair disadvantage to humans. They would be much more durable and be capable of much more athleticism and strength. If we were to allow them to run for president and other governmental positions, geminiods would have some rule over humans and for the majority of umans, that is a very hard subject to imagine.The development of robot technology would have little use a may negatively affect our society as a whole. The goal of the advancement of Paro is to aid certain people with their reduce patient stress, stimulate socialization between patients and their motivation of its users. The goal of the advancement of geminiod technology is allow them to think, act, and respond to their environment, like their human counter parts do. To repl icate the body movements, the responses, the emotions, the learning and emory functions, and Job specifications that humans have would be largely impossible.If this technology were to ever reach that point, there would be more room for error and malfunctions that may lead to crime or violence between humans and robots. Since the robots are clones of humans, we would be required to treat them like humans. This would allow for the next robot superstar sports competitor and possibly the next robot president. If future technology allows this to happen, how would you feel knowing that robots could potentially have rule over humans?

The Biggest Sharks in the World

The Biggest Sharks in the World The whale shark holds the title of the worlds biggest shark species. Growing to a length of about 65 feet (the length of about 1 1/2 school buses!) and weighing about 75,000 pounds, this streamlined fish is really a gentle giant.   Some areas frequented by these sharks, such as Ningaloo Reef  in Australia, have become popular tourist destinations because of their swim-with-sharks programs. Whale sharks live  in tropical and warmer temperate waters in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans. In addition to their size, these sharks can be easily recognized by their gorgeous coloration, which is formed from lighter spots and stripes over a gray, blue or brown skin. They also have very wide mouths, which they use to eat tiny prey primarily plankton, crustaceans, and small fish, which are filtered from the water as the shark swims. The second-biggest shark species is the basking shark, which grows to about 40 feet long. These animals are also plankton feeders. They live primarily in temperate ocean waters throughout the world. The Biggest Shark Filmed In summer 2015, a video swept the news, touting it was the biggest shark ever filmed. What many of the news reports failed to mention is the species. There are more than 400 shark species, and they range in size from the 60-foot whale shark to pygmy sharks and lantern sharks that are less than a foot long when fully grown. The biggest shark filmed was actually a white shark, also known as a great white shark. At average lengths of 10 to 15 feet, white sharks are generally much smaller than a whale shark or basking shark.   So, while the 20-foot white shark nicknamed Deep Blue may (or may not) be the largest white shark ever filmed, its by far not the largest shark ever filmed as there is plenty of video footage of much larger whale sharks and their slightly smaller relatives, the basking shark.   The Biggest Shark Ever Caught According to the International Game Fish Association, the largest shark ever caught was a white shark nabbed in  Ceduna, Australia. This shark weighed 2,664 pounds.   Another one of the largest white sharks caught is thought to be a 20-foot shark caught by a trawler about 12 miles off the coast of Prince Edward Island, Canada. The significance of the sharks size was underestimated at the time, and the shark was initially buried. Eventually, a scientist dug it up to investigate it and realized the enormity of the find. The shark was later estimated to have been about 20 years old, meaning it may still have had some growing to do Sources Bateman, D. 2015. Canadian Who Caught Real-Life Jaws Wishes He Hadnt. Toronto Star Newspapers. CBS News. 2015. Giant Great White Shark Caught OFF P.E.I. Was a Teenager. Grenoble, R. 2015. This Is Deep Blue, Probably the Biggest Shark Youve Ever Seen. The Huffington Post.Martins, Carol, and Craig Knickle. 2009.  Whale Shark.  Florida Museum of Natural History Ichthyology Department.

Major General Edward O. Ord - American Civil War

Major General Edward O. Ord - American Civil War Edward O. Ord - Early Life Career: Born October 18, 1818 at Cumberland, MD, Edward Otho Cresap Ord was the son of James and Rebecca Ord.  His father briefly served in the US Navy as a midshipman but transferred to the US Army and saw action during the War of 1812.  A year after Edwards birth, the family moved to Washington, DC.  Educated in the nations capital, Ord quickly showed an aptitude for mathematics.  To further these skills, he obtained an appointment to the US Military Academy in 1835.  Arriving at West Point, Ords classmates included Henry Halleck, Henry J. Hunt, and Edward Canby.  Graduating in 1839, he ranked seventeenth in a class of thirty-one and received a commission as a second lieutenant in the 3rd US Artillery. Edward O. Ord - To California: Ordered south, Ord immediate saw combat in the Second Seminole War.  Promoted to first lieutenant in 1841, he next moved to garrison duty at several forts along the Atlantic coast.  With the beginning of the Mexican-American War and swift capture of California in 1846, Ord was dispatched to the West Coast to aid in occupying the newly-captured territory.  Sailing in January 1847, he was accompanied by Halleck and Lieutenant William T. Sherman.  Arriving in Monterey, Ord took command of  Battery F, 3rd US Artillery with orders to complete the construction of Fort Mervine.  With Shermans assistance, this task was soon completed.  With the beginning of the Gold Rush in 1848, prices for goods and living expenses began to outpace the officers salaries.  As a result, Ord and Sherman were permitted to take side jobs to make extra money.   This saw them conduct a survey of Sacramento for John Augustus Sutter, Jr. which established much of the layout for the citys central areas.  In 1849, Ord accepted a commission to survey Los Angeles.  Aided by William Rich Hutton, he completed this task and their work continues to provide insight in the citys earliest days.  A year later, Ord was ordered north to the Pacific Northwest where he commenced surveying the coast.  Promoted to captain that September, he returned to California in 1852.  While on garrison duty at Benicia, Ord married  Mary Mercer Thompson on October 14, 1854.  Over the next five years, he remained on the West Coast and took part in various expeditions against the Native American in the region. Edward O. Ord - The Civil War Begins: Returning east in 1859, Ord arrived at Fortress Monroe for service with the artillery school.  That fall, his men were directed to move north to aid in suppressing John Browns attack on Harpers Ferry but were not needed as Lieutenant Colonel Robert E. Lee was able to deal with the situation.  Sent back to the West Coast the following year, Ord was there when the Confederates attacked Fort Sumter and opened the Civil War in April 1861.  Returning east, he received a commission as a brigadier general of volunteers on September 14 and assumed command of a brigade in the Pennsylvania Reserves.  On December 20, Ord led this force as it won a skirmish with Brigadier General J.E.B. Stuarts Confederate cavalry near Dranesville, VA.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   On May 2, 1862, Ord received a promotion to major general.  Following brief service in the Department of the Rappahannock, he was transferred west to lead a division in Major General Ulysses S. Grants Army of the Tennessee.  That fall, Grant ordered Ord to direct part of the army against Confederate forces led by Major General Sterling Price.  This action was to be coordinated with Major General William S. Rosecrans Army of the Mississippi.  On September 19, Rosecrans engaged Price at the Battle of Iuka.  In the fighting, Rosecrans won a victory, but Ord, with Grant at his headquarters, failed to attack due to an apparent acoustic shadow.  A month later, Ord won a victory over Price and Major General Earl Van Dorn at Hatchies Bridge as the Confederates retreated after being repulsed at Corinth. Edward O. Ord - Vicksburg the Gulf: Wounded at Hatchies Bridge, Ord returned to active duty in November and held a series of administrative posts.  While Ord recovered, Grant embarked on a series of campaigns to capture Vicksburg, MS.  Laying siege to the city in May, the Union leader relieved the troublesome Major General John McClernand from command of XIII Corps the following month.  To replace him, Grant selected Ord.  Taking over on June 19, Ord led the corps for the remainder of the siege which ended on July 4.  In the weeks after the fall of Vicksburg, XIII Corps took part in Shermans march against Jackson.  Serving in Louisiana as part of the Department of Gulf for much of the latter part of 1863, Ord left XIII Corps in January 1864.  Returning east, he briefly held posts in the Shenandoah Valley. Edward O. Ord - Virginia:  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   On July 21, Grant, now leading all Union armies, directed Ord to assume command of XVIII Corps from the ill Major General William Baldy Smith.  Though part of Major General Benjamin Butlers Army of the James, XVIII Corps operated with Grant and the Army of the Potomac as they besieged Petersburg.  In later September, Ords men crossed the James River and took part in the Battle of Chaffins Farm.  After his men succeeded in capturing Fort Harrison, Ord fell badly wounded as he attempted to organize them to exploit the victory.  Out of action for the remainder of the fall, he saw his corps and the Army of the James completely reorganized in his absence.  Resuming active duty in January 1865, Ord found himself in temporary command of the Army of the James. In this post for the remainder of the conflict, Ord directed the armys operations during the latter stages of the Petersburg Campaign including the final assault on the city on April 2.  With Petersburgs fall, his troops were among the first to advance into the Confederate capital of Richmond.  As Lees Army of Northern Virginia retreated west, Ords troops joined in the pursuit and ultimately played a key role in blocking the Confederate escape from Appomattox Court House.  He was present at Lees surrender on April 9 and later purchased the table at which Lee had sat. Edward O. Ord - Later Career: Following President Abraham Lincolns assassination on April 14, Grant ordered Ord north to investigate and ascertain if the Confederate government had played a role.  His determination that John Wilkes Booth and his conspirators had acted alone helped calm demands that the newly-defeated South be punished.  That June, Ord assumed command of the Department of the Ohio.  Promoted to brigadier general in the regular army on July 26, 1866, he later oversaw the Department of Arkansas (1866-1867), Fourth Military District (Arkansas Mississippi, 1867-68), and Department of California (1868-1871).   Ord spent the first half of the 1870s commanding the Department of the Platte before moving south to lead the Department of Texas from 1875 to 1880.  Retiring from the US Army on December 6, 1880, he received a final promotion to major general a month later.  Accepting a civil engineering position with the Mexican Southern Railroad, Ord worked to build a line from Texas to Mexico City.  While in Mexico in 1883, he contracted yellow fever prior to departing on business for New York.  Falling severely ill while at sea, Ord was landed at Havana, Cuba where he died on July 22.  He remains were brought north and interred at Arlington National Cemetery.   Selected Sources Civil War Trust: Edward O. OrdTSHA: Edward O. OrdOhio Civil War Central: Edward O. Ord

Introduction Speech Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Introduction Speech - Essay Example Ronaldo was so influential that he helped his country, Brazil, lift the 2002 world cup. Brazil won 2 nil against Germany. The two goals were entirely scored by Ronaldo. Though he is now retired, Ronaldo, remains a football legend who greatly influenced my liking of the beautiful game and ever since then I have never looked back. I have been an ardent admirer and follower of mainstream teams as well as clubs, especially the English Premier League. I will briefly talk about soccer in the US which is governed by the US Soccer Federation, popularly referred to as US Soccer. This is the organization that is charged with the governing of soccer at all levels in the country; professional leagues, national teams as well as the amateur game. Soccer is the 3rd most played team (behind only basketball and baseball/softball) sport in the US having more than 13 million Americans playing it. Soccer popularity has been rising since the 60s and 70s and especially got a considerable boost when the US played host to the 1994 World Cup. Wangerin in his book; Soccer in a Football World, claims that the term football in the US refers to the sport of American football with the sport of association of football being referred to as â€Å"soccer† (Wangerin, 2006). In the US the highest professional soccer league is the Major League Soccer (MLS) which is an equivalent of the English Premier League.MLS started playing with 10 teams in 1996 and has grown to the current 20 teams (17 in the US and 3 in Canada) with more expansion in the pipeline. The MLS begins in March and runs up to December, with the overall season winner being awarded the Supporters’ Shield. The post-season winner gets the MLS Cup. Having an average attendance of more than 18,000 for every game, MLS has the highest average turn out of any sports league in the US. It is also the 7th attended professional soccer league in the world. In conclusion,