The eNotes Blog Ten Things You (Probably) Didnt Know About the Fourth ofJuly

Ten Things You (Probably) Didnt Know About the Fourth ofJuly There are lots of things we expect on the Fourth:   fireworks, friends, family. There are things we love (sparklers, Roman candles, cold beer) and things we despise (sauerkraut, ambrosia, Lee Greenwood all right, haters this was from a friend. Direct all your spittle-filled anger elsewhere). Here are a few unexpected things about the Fourth you can share tomorrow, if only to divert moms attention away from Uncle Collin while he takes the youngest   kids round back to set off three packs of taped-together Blackcat firecrackers 10.   No Rush to Get God Bless America to the People Famed American composer Irving Berlin gave his adopted nation one of its greatest and most iconic songs but it didn’t see the light of day because its author didn’t deem it worthy of being sung. Berlin was drafted into the military in the early 1900s and helped to draft a musical comedy for his fellow troops in which he composed the song for its final number - a tune inspired by a phrase his Russian mother would often utter after escaping to America from underneath the iron fist of the bloody Russian empire. However, the composer didn’t think it would fit in the show and kept it in his file for 20 years until singer Kate Smith wanted a patriotic song to sing on the radio as war broke out across Europe. The song became one of the most requested patriotic ditties almost overnight and a staple in American songbooks.   (Source) 9.   Ehhhh Well Get To It. Were Busy. July 4th was not declared a federal holiday until 1941.   Most federal holidays are observed on a Monday but despite the temptation of a Guaranteed Long Weekend,   that pesky date made lawmakers leave it be.   (Source) 8.   A B- for the High School Student Who Designed the Modern Flag High school student Robert G. Heft of Lancaster, Ohio was assigned to create a new â€Å"national banner† for America that would recognize the statehood of Alaska and Hawaii. Heft simply added two extra stars to the flag to give it an even 50 and stitched his own design. His teacher only gave him a â€Å"B-minus† for his effort, so he sent his project to President Dwight D. Eisenhower for consideration and a change of grade. Eisenhower chose his design personally and the new flag was officially adopted in 1960. His teacher then gave him an â€Å"A† instead.   (Source) 7.   Baseball Greatness on the Fourth Dave Righetti of the NY Yankees pitched a no-hitter on July 4, 1983. Two years later, on   July 4, 1985, the Atlanta Braves and the New York Mets went 19 innings and ended close to 4 AM.   The Mets won 16-13.   (Source) 6.   Nathans Fourth of July Hotdog Eating Contest How is this even a thing? Competitive NAPPING, now thats something I can get behind. Anyway, this tradition began in 1972 when four immigrants held a hot dog eating contest at Nathans Famous stand on Coney Island to settle an argument about who was the most patriotic. Why? MURRICA. Thats why. 5.   Whats More American Than Apple Pie? Not apple pie. The phrase â€Å"as American as apple pie† has made the dessert treat a staple of any patriotic holiday or celebration. The truth is that apple pie had its roots embedded in other cultures long before America came along and joined the world. All but one breed of apples aren’t indigenous to American soil and came to the States by way of early European settlers who brought the fruit and the original pie recipe with them.   (Source) 4.  Ã‚   A Good Day to Die John Adams, Thomas Jefferson and James Monroe all died on the fourth of July. Adams, the second president, and Jefferson, the third president, both died on the same day in 1826. 3.   A Good Day to be Born Americas thirtieth president, Calvin Coolidge, Jr. was born on July 4, 1872. 2.   Burn, Baby, Burn! Fireworks Trivia:   190 million pounds of fireworks   are sold in America each year. 8 million dollars in damage is incurred annually by fireworks in America. $40,000 is the average cost in dollars of a 20-minute professional pyrotechnic display. 10,000 Americans are injured by fireworks accidents each year. Sparklers burn at a toasty 1,200 degrees.   (Source) 1.   July 2nd! Wooooooooooooooooooot.? Perhaps the greatest misconception of this American holiday lies in the name and its equally iconic date. The true â€Å"Independence Day† depends on your definition of when such an official declaration was indeed truly official. It’s widely believed that America’s first Continental Congress declared their independence from the British monarchy on July 4th, 1776. However, the official vote actually took place two days before and the â€Å"Declaration† was published in the newspapers on July 4th.   (Source)

Criminal Law 205 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Criminal Law 205 - Essay Example Thus, the defence behind the organised crime practice has played a significant role in enlightening the people about the crime that is in the streets. It has also been the avenue to reducing the crime by bringing to light the criminals that caught in the act and put them behind bars. In this regard, it is important to appreciate RICO and thus maintain it within this firm even under minimal chance. The society today has an outcry due to the constant increase of the organised crime. There are many cases of white collar crimes that are going on every new day. The main purpose for the defence teams in the legal firms is to ensure justice and eradicate such criminal activities in the society. Thus, is the role of RICO today in the legal firms. RICO defence practice pulls out the white collar crimes and the organised criminal activities that are affecting the well being of the nations. The RICO act was started so as to pin down all people involved in any organised crime. It was not to punish the defendants, but mainly to reduce the rate of the organised crimes in the society. RICO has since been used as a channel, to prosecute all people who violate federal regulations. Before RICO was started, there were many crimes that were not noted by the federal government. However, once RICO came into play, the number of crimes charged increase. Some of the white collar crimes noted includes the illegal drug usage and corruption amongst other white collar crimes. Through RICO, all the defendants found guilty get a sentence that equivalent tot he crime a person has committed. From the time RICO came into practice, the changes that have been made in the legal chambers are evident in the society. In the past, the federal government could not realize most of the white collar crimes that were taking place behind the scenes especially the criminal activities that were done in offices. All people practicing fraud and stealing public funds in

Reward Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Reward Management - Essay Example Employees in present times are no longer satisfied with mere cash-based rewards (Dewhurst, Guthridge, and Mohr, 2010). They are increasingly seeking alternate sources of reward mostly non-financial such as recognition of their work and contribution made towards organizational success, health benefits, policies that enable them to strike a perfect work-life balance, positions of authority that enable them to exercise control and take risks to accomplish challenging objectives, etc among others. Motivating such diverse and talented pool of human resources has hence become highly challenging for the organizations. They are now compelled to reassess their reward management strategies and revise them in accordance with the changing demands of the industry, and include novel strategies that appeal to the individual tastes and preference of their employees. This includes initiating organization wide changes in the management styles, re-organizing the design systems, and incorporating the principles of transparency and fairness, by seeking active participation of employees in the reward design process. The rules of the workplace have evolved during the last couple of decades and the realities of yesterday no longer hold true in present times. The drastic change brought about by information technology, globalization, and expansion of the marketplace has entirely changed the rule of the game. Organizations today are no longer chasing customers but are also compelled to come up with innovative strategies to retain their skilled pool of human resources. Employee retention through implementation of motivational reward oriented strategies has assumed a top priority for the management. This paper on reward management discusses the various issues concerned with performance oriented pay structures, including the effectiveness of rewards on employee performance, the relationship between non-financial rewards and employee performance, the application of flexible reward policies, impact of non-financial rewards, the relevance and significance of integrated approach to total reward, and the issue of employee entitlement trap. 2. Relationship between rewards and performance: Various studies have indicated that there exists a strong relationship between rewards and employee performance (Guzzo et al., 1995; Jenkins et al., 1998; Hansen, 1997; Stajkovic & Luthans, 2001). Employees play a key role in enhancing the organizational performance. Hence it is imperative for organiz ations to ensure that the employees are appropriately rewarded for their contribution towards organizational development through an effective reward framework. The significance of effective reward management strategies for organizations can be ascertained by the fact that rewards help the management in preventing employee burnouts and provides them with adequate strength and motivation to address the various challenges encountered on the job (Schaufeli et al., 2002). It has been observed that employees are often subject to severe stress. This is particularly evident in service industries such as banking and the hospitality sector where the employees are directly in touch with the customers. Consumers today are getting more and more demanding

Managing Cultural Diversity Essay Example for Free

Managing Cultural Diversity Essay The following paper brie y debates the rhetoric of managing diversity and considers whether managing diversity is a distinct approach to managing people or a means of diluting equal opportunities in UK organizations. With respect to the realities of the concepts in UK organizations, empirical data from a survey of sixty UK human resource professionals and general line managers is presented. We pose a number of cautionary questions, including what does it matter and to whom? By doing so we intend to encourage further critique and challenges in respect to the concept of managing diversity in organizations. Keywords: Managing diversity, equal opportunities, HRM/D, rhetoric, reality Introduction Today the workforce does not look, think, or act like any workforce of the past, nor does it hold the same values, have the same experiences, or pursue the same needs and desires (Jamieson and O’ Mara 1991). The composition of today’ s workforce has changed signi cantly in terms of age, gender, ethnicity, culture, education, disabilities, and values. Running parallel to these changes is the shift in thinking by human resource theorists and practitioners with regard to addressing equality in the workplace (Cooper and White 1995; Liff and Wacjman 1996). This shift is underpinned by the emergence of the business case argument for equal opportunities, as opposed to the persuasive debate for social justice or equal opportunities as ‘ correcting an imbalance, an injustice or a mistake’ (Thomas 1990). There is now a view that, after twenty years of the ‘ stick’ of legal compliance (which has achieved little), the ‘ carrot’ of underpinning the business case for equal opportunities will perhaps achieve more (Dickens 1994). The business case argument for equal opportunities in organizations is often termed ‘ managing or valuing diversity’ , but, as with most contemporary Human Resource Development International ISSN 1367-8868 print/ISSN 1469–8374 online  © 2000 Taylor Francis Ltd http://www. tandf. co. uk/journals 420 Peer-Reviewed Articles anagement issues, the underlying principles and interpretation of this concept are open to mass interpretation, criticism, and indeed misunderstanding. D. Miller (1996) argues that the significant widening of the meaning of equal opportunities has brought with it more complex and confusing messages for employers and practitioners. By drawing on literature and empirical data, we consider whether mana ging diversity is a distinct approach to managing people or a means of diluting equal opportunities in UK organizations and pose a number of cautionary questions, including: what does it matter and to whom? By doing so, we intend to encourage further critique and challenges in respect to the concept of managing diversity in organizations. What is managing diversity? Thomas (2000) argues that, with the growing number of mergers and acquisitions, workforce diversity will become more of a priority for organizations and, therefore, in the future, people will become clearer on what diversity is and how to manage it. As with the debates surrounding de nitions of human resource management and development (HRM/D), managing diversity as a concept means different things to different people. It can relate to the issue of national cultures inside a multinational organization (Hofstede 1984); it can relate to the further development of equal opportunities or to a distinct method of integrating different parts of an organization and/or managing people strategically. Much of the literature regarding managing diversity relates to the US experience, where the concept is particularly popular; a re ection perhaps of the more pronounced diversity of workforce composition (Cassell 1996). In a recent report 1999), a Department of Education in America described managing and valuing diversity as a key component of effective people management, arguing that it focuses on improving the performance of the organization and promotes practices that enhance the productivity of all staff. Their dimensions of diversity include gender, race, culture, age, family/carer status, religion, and disability. The de nition provided also embraces a range of individual skills, educational quali cations, work experience and background, languages, and other relevant attributes and experiences which differentiate individuals.

Conflict Essay -- Character Analysis, Chuck, Li-Young Lee

Chuck and Li-Young Lee have no idea who the hell they are. Both are similar characters from two different books by two different authors; but they are looking for the same thing: identity and what space they occupy? Chuck identifies with the New York scene and type of people living there, but does not have a space or identity of his own just as Lee is confused about who he is and must dive into meta-poetics to find his space and identity. Both are lost in a haze of confusion, and must look very hard both within themselves, as well as friends, family, heritage, and the history surrounding their lives. This paper will examine the historical and ethnic conflicts of the characters and how they come to reconcile their space and identity in a foreign land dealing with these issues. Some of these issues stem from misrepresented information and initial prejudice while others rise from a lack of personal information, and building upon ones past and history and their personal perception of the mselves occupying a space. In the beginning of the text Chuck identifies with his New York â€Å"identity† as well as being a â€Å"renaissance man† rather than having a named identity (Naqvi, 1). He does notice forced identities that he is not part of or had been part of before; â€Å"We'd become Japs, Jews, Niggers. We weren't before† (Naqvi, 1). Chuck notices these identities and space being made; he feels something of forced inclusion into a space that had not been there before. Not apparent at first, Chuck has a severed connection with his heritage, when thinking of what food to eat, â€Å"eating home food, comfort food, alone made me shudder† (Naqvi, 32) He cannot even bring himself to eat the food he grew up on. This is further reinforced in that he does not cont... .... But he wants to accept the American identity as well, but â€Å"its sensual, salient nowness, punctuating the void from which such hunger springs and to which it proceeds† (Lee, 84). Through his acceptance of his East Asian identity his soul is â€Å"cleaved so that the soul might be restored.† His soul is split, but by his own doing, he must accept his hyphenated identity, embrace it, and accept it. Though both characters come to find their identity and space, historical and ethnic struggles haunt and follow them along the way. Neither characters are accepted in the American culture, and have to identify with others in their position. This causes much heartache and a sudden shock to the character. But with persistence, these characters find their identity; though not what they might have expected or originally wanted, they became part of something that would accept them.

A Spiritual Journey

Ashwin Sathyanarayanan English 10 Professor Stanley Personal Essay That Once in a Lifetime Chance It is a great feeling going to a place where it’s a huge matter in one’s life. â€Å"Revisiting Sacred Ground† N. Scott Momaday had made a pilgrimage which his Kiowa ancestors. Momaday has said,† There are certain villages, and towns mountains and plains that, having seen them, walked in them, lived in them, even for a day, we keep forever in the mind’s eye. † Just like how Momaday relived his ancestor’s trails, I had a chance as well. I was lucky enough to be able to go on such a sacred journey that people would pay in thousands of dollars.The pilgrimage I would like to talk about is the one I took to a sacred city in India called Badrinath. I follow Hinduism, and in Hinduism there is a saying/belief that if we go on this enriching, and spiritual journey, we will go to heaven after we pass. I have a guru, like a living god, who I listen to and look up to. He took me on this spiritual journey. This spiritual journey had started for me 7 years ago in 2005, around June I had left San Francisco International Airport, and left to my motherland India. I landed in New Delhi, India to be exact. From there we drove to a city called Kasi.The city of Kasi is known for its sacred river. My guru had told me that in Hindu mythology if you bathe in the holy river of Ganges it will get rid of all your sins. We stayed the night there and we went to the sacred river and bathed early in the morning around 5. Then we went to the temple and did some prayer rituals that are performed after the bathing in the river. Later that day we took a bus from Kasi and drove into a city called Haridwar, one of the beautiful cities in the foothills of the Himalayas. When we reached the city of Haridwar, my guru told us a little about the place before we got out of the bus.That is where I learned the myth being told that Haridwar is one of the four citi es where amrit (the elixir of immortality) spilled from a pitcher which was being carried by a bird named Garuda. I was amazed by the fact, and my guru said, â€Å"this is nothing wait and you’ll see more amazing things. † He left me questionable that there were more amazing things than this. We got an auto (taxi) and went to the river because we heard that they do an extraordinary festive every night. This festive is known as Ganga aarti, and it happens at the river banks of the ganges (Har ki Pauri).At Har ki Pauri every night at both banks of the river, people are flooded, with an aarti in their hand. An aarti is a lamp lit by fire. After the priests finishing chanting the mantras and show the aarti to the gods, everyone lets the aarti down into the river and they pray what they want, and let the aarti go down stream. I was lucky enough to do that myself. We then went back to the hotel that we had checked into and left the next day back on our tour. We then travelle d to our next stop Rishikesh, which is another city in the foothills of the Himalayas.We were in Rishikesh for no longer than 4 hours because we had to get to our sleep stop. During the four hours that we were there we went to a lot of ashrams (meditation center) and saw many Saints. After the four hours had ended, we went back to our bus and left to our night stop, which was called Nanda Prayag. Since it was night time and we were all tired from the really long day, we went to bed, but I kept hearing the noise of the river really loud, and it sounded like it was just too close. Next morning the noise of the river and the animals woke me up and the noise was just so close that I had to go look how far it was.With all my curiosity when I went out to the balcony and I saw the most spectacular view. I saw two of the most holy rivers combine together, the combinations of the two rivers was just so distinct, the Alaknanda River and the Mandakini River confluence. At this place there was a temple ashore of the river. After I went and bathed in the river I had gone to the temple and I had learned the history of this place, it was fascinating. Then we all left the temple to the bus and we left and arrived at our longest stay in our tour, Badrinath. Badrinath was literally the whole reason we went on this trip.It was known as one of the most holiest, and sacred places to be at. We arrived there later in the Afternoon. After we checked into our hotel, we went and explored the city. And while exploring the city we saw many beautiful temples, and all these lead us to the main temple, the Badrinath Temple. We had to cross over a small walking bridge which went over the Alaknandha River, It went with such force, and if you sit in that water nonstop for more than ten – fifteen minutes, you will surely have a heart failure, because the water is that cold, and we are at an extreme altitude.And the most Ironic thing about this cold river is after we crossed it we have to bathe before we enter the temple, even if we had bathed in the morning. When we went to the place we were supposed to bathe, we came to find out that it was a hot spring and this hot spring was ten feet away from the extremely cold Alaknanda waters, ironic enough, I thought so. After we finished bathing there was a ritual which we had to perform. We had to get into brand new clothes and we had to give the clothes were wearing to the more unfortunate people.So after we did that, we went into the main temple, it was enriched with beautiful colors and sculptures all made since the time the temple was created. We had gone in and while we were coming outside, we had ran into a very famous priest, and we all greeted him, and he invited us to come to his ashram, so we all went. There he told us about the main reason of this temple. This temple is only open during Spring, Summer and Fall. They closes the temple, right before we end fall and enter Winter. The closing and opening of the temp le is a huge ceremony.This is the most important ceremony to come to if you have major problems which need to be resolved. He told us that during the ceremony they do many poojas (rituals and prayers) and they have an extremely huge lamp and they fill it to the rim with oil and they light the lamp, and during the lighting of the lamp we all must pray for what we all want most. After they light it they close and seal the temple for six months through the harsh winters. The most amazing part is that even though it snows and rains, and harsh winds blow, the lamp never goes out. I was dumb founded by this statement.It is said that it doesn’t go out because of the bonds of all the prayers and wishes the people had made, it is so strong, that nothing can affect it. He continued by saying that after the six months pass, for the wish you made to come true you, must come back for the opening ceremony of the temple. If indeed you do, you will see that the lamp that was lit is still lit and the glory of the light is just so divine. Since he had an urgent issue to deal with he left us in awe. My guru then told me,† I told you I would show you something which is even more fascinating. † I was speechless, and we left back to our hotel and slept.The next day my guru took us to the last village in India, Mana. My guru told me that this is the main source of the river Saraswathi, (the goddess of education) and he had told me that this river is so tricky and mischievous. My guru said that this river after 3 miles this river disappears, it is said that it runs underground and comes back up in a city more down south. After we saw where the main source had come from we saw this passage on the left and my guru had told me out of my whole family to go up because it was a very dangerous path/cave and he said I am the only one in the family that is very capable of going through it.As I went through this path I experienced the biggest fear of my life, snakes. They we re literally everywhere. I had gone through this extreme passage and I got out of this tight hole and I could not believe my own eyes, there it was, The Great Wall of China. I had come back down the passage I went up but this time the snakes were all gone, there was none there anymore, which shocked me even more. I had come down and my guru said do not tell us what you saw.I was bursting in excitement and he made me hold it in. It was the hardest thing in life for me to hold in. After we left the village and started going back down on the bus, my guru called me and I went and sat next to him on the bus and he told me,† now I want you to tell us all what happened. † I had then told them that I went up this cave of snakes and saw the great wall, and on my way back not even one snake was there, everyone was in shock. That was the biggest mystery in my life till now.After we came back down we had left back to our beginning destination New Delhi, India. On our way back though we went back in a helicopter, I asked my guru why we didn’t use the helicopter on the way up, and he said,† you wouldn’t have experienced all that you did now if you came on a helicopter. † This was the sacred pilgrimage that all Indians must take at least once in your lifetime, according to Hindu mythology. I now have a dream to go back once again and revisit the same places and relive what did in 2005.

American History A Multi Faceted Progression Of History

American history is a multi-faceted progression of time that cannot be explained through the simple statements of facts or events. In order to properly understand and analyze American history, one needs to account for the variety of perspectives available throughout history. Most often narratives of American history are written through the perspective of wealthy, elite white men, thus, it is important to also chronicle the history and perspectives of the minorities as well. Thus, in an attempt to properly understand the progression of American history, this essay will aim to compare the accounts of the wealthy elites to the small, non-farmers. In an effort to understand the progression of American history, it is pertinent to begin with†¦show more content†¦The elite class in colonial times was able to afford passage from England, and as such, did not experience indentured servitude. In addition, their wealth allowed them to make suitable husbands for the few women who emigrated, thus the elite class was able to maintain the initial outlook of prosperity in this new world. While there was still a glimmer of hope for economic prosperity for the non-landowning elite, they would have had a less positive outlook on starting a family life, giving their perspective a lower quality of life. Their indentured servitude led to a loss of valuable child bearing years and setbacks in beginning a new life, and as a result their perspective of colonial America is riddled with hardships. Moving forward to the industrial revolution, the gap between the elite upper class and the lower class began to widen. The elite class had always tasted the prosperity, however the introduction of the industrial revolution brought about a life of luxury for the elite class. They began to enjoy an extravagant lifestyle as a result of new technologies such as the power loom and the cotton gin, in essence the rich got richer. The upper classes success in the industrial revolution paints it as an event that changed all of America for the better, however that is not the case for the lower class. For the