Theodore Roosevelt Essays (898 words) - , Term Papers

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt "The life of Theodore Roosevelt (1858?1919) was one of constant activity, immense energy, and enduring accomplishments. As the twenty-sixth President of the United States, Roosevelt was the wielder of the Big Stick, the builder of the Panama Canal, an avid conservationist, and the nemesis of the corporate trusts that threatened to monopolize American business at the start of the century. His exploits as a Rough Rider in the Spanish-American War and as a cowboy in the Dakota Territory were indicative of his spirit of adventure and love of the outdoors. Reading and hunting were lifelong passions of his; writing was a lifelong compulsion." After graduating magna cum laude, from the Harvard University, Theodore began to lay the building blocks for his public career. He began one of the most historic political careers ever. Roosevelt put his early political years in these words, "I rose like a rocket". After being a New York Assemblyman, United States Civil Commissioner, Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Roosevelt played a significant role in the Spanish-American War. The Spanish, who once thrived in the new world, really only controlled Cuba now. But the Cubans attempted several times to receive their independence. The Cubans were mistreated, so the United States stepped in. War was declared against Spain by the United States. As the war went on Roosevelt began a group called the Rough Riders. This group consisted of largely cowboys, Indians, and college athletes. The group was led by Teddy and Colonel Leonard Wood. On June 30, the Rough Riders marched to Santiago. Then On July 1, the Rough Riders played a huge role in the American victory at San Juan Hill. Now with the Hills, Teddy the Rough Riders and the rest of the American troops, were ready to attack Santiago. Later, because Spain could not fight anymore, Spain asked for a peace agreement. Now Teddy was a war hero, this is nothing but help his chances for the U.S. President spot. After holding the governor spot over New York, Theodore ran as Vice President with William McKinley. On September 6, 1901 President McKinley was assassinated by, a anarchist named Leon Czolgosz. And the Rough Rider, cowboy, was now the President of the United States. "Although only 42, by far the youngest president in the nation's history up to that time, Roosevelt brought solid qualifications to the office." " No event had a more profound effect on Theodore Roosevelt's political career." As the President, Roosevelt look out for the best interest of the United States. In dealing with business, President Roosevelt was determined to see that no "Big Business" had a monopoly. As a result in early 1902, the attorney-general was ordered by Teddy to file a suit against The Northern Securities Company, which was a railroad investment company. The company controlled 3 major railroads in the Northwest. The Northwest Securities Company was charged with being a monopoly, under the Sherman Antitrust Act. The Supreme Court later ruled on the case a said the Northern Securities Company must be broken up because they were "combination in restraint of trade." Because of the success that Roosevelt won in this case, he brought charges on over 40 more Big Businesses. The most important businesses broken up by the Supreme Court, as a result of Roosevelt's actions were the Standard Oil Company and the American Tobacco Company. Because the antitrust cases were took so long to get to the Supreme Court, Roosevelt asked Congress to pass the Expedition Act, which sped the process. Roosevelt did not discriminate big businesses simply because they were big, he looked for the businesses that posed a threat to the public. "Roosevelt's action against big businesses won him the title ?trust buster'. One of the biggest challenge Roosevelt took on was getting the Panama Canal built. The United States and Great Britain signed a treaty which gave the U.S. exclusive rights to build, and operate a canal in Central America. There was some disagreement where the canal would be built, but the final decision was Panama, where a French company had been digging but went bankrupt. In June of 1902 congress passed the Isthmian Canal Act, which authorized the purchase of the French land for $40 million. But the United States also had to get control of the canal zone from what was then Colombia. Secretary of State made an agreement with Thomas Herran to purchase, the right to control the land, for $10 million plus $250,000 yearly. The U.S. Senate accepted it but, the Colombian senate rejected the offer, hoping to

The Psychologicat Effects of the Dust Bowl Essays

The Psychologicat Effects of the Dust Bowl Essays The Psychologicat Effects of the Dust Bowl Paper The Psychologicat Effects of the Dust Bowl Paper The Psychological Affects of the Dust Bowl The Dust Bowl was an added devastation accompanying the Great Depression. It lasted from 1930 to 1939 and is sometimes referred to as the â€Å"Dirty Thirties†. (Bonnifield) Lack of crop rotation and a heavy drought caused this trying time in American history. Over one third of the United States was swallowed up by dust storms with the concentration of storms being located in northern Texas, the panhandle of Oklahoma, the entire western half of Kansas, south east Colorado, and north east New Mexico. Gazit) One psychological affect experienced as a result of this great historic disaster must have been depression. With over a decade of soil misuse and a severe drought that started in 1930 the top soil virtually turned to dust and blew away with the wind. This catastrophe could have been adverted with the practice of crop rotation. Crop rotation is a technique that has been traced back to Roman times. This method prevents the buildup of pests and/or pathogens. A known occurrence when the same crop is used season after season. Specifically the rotation of deep rooted and shallow rooted crops would have helped to prevent this era in American history. This grave agricultural mistake served to devastate a large population of people. Because of the lack of top soil crops could not grow therefore farmers and their families became stricken with poverty. Soon after the dust started blowing away it created dust storms which their most fierce covered the sky and there was little to no visibility on the ground, even worse than a blizzard of today the storms were given the name â€Å"Black Blizzard† (Gazit). Entire farm machinery virtually disappeared under a blanket of dust deposits left behind by these storms. Even with the aid of relief programs from the federal government entire families still had to pick up and leave behind their land, homes, and way of life. Most of these families were referred to as â€Å"Okies† because the majority came from Oklahoma and nearly all headed west to California to escape the storms. (Ganzel) Meeting basic human needs was a day to day struggle. Because the vast majority of the families were poor they had little to no money for food often fought over food that they may have shared with others just years earlier. Another health concern during this time was the onset of dust pneumonia which is the disproportionate exposure to dust where as dust literally fills the lungs. (Cook) The condition was so common that several musicians wrote song with the most famous being Woody Guthrie’s â€Å"Dust Pneumonia Blues†. Lack of employment was another common trauma that could easily lead to depression. Having previously been able to provide food and a place of warmth and wellbeing was no longer possible for males and single mothers of the day. The conditions were so extreme families were sometimes encouraged to give their children to government agencies so they could be better cared for. Not only did the Dust Bowl affect farmers but also white collar and professional workers who now had to fend for themselves in conditions and livelihoods they were not accustomed to. J. D. Bilbro, a child of the Dust Bowl recalls being trapped within a dust storm during a day known as â€Å"Black Sunday†. He talks about how he, a friend, and their two sisters ran through the storm and it was â€Å"black as midnight, rolling and boiling along the earth like a runaway tidal wave†. (Westbrook) The Grapes of Wrath written in 1939 by John Steinbeck and published by The Viking Press is a fictional story about a family traveling across the country to California during the Dust Bowl just in hope to find jobs as fruit pickers. In preparation for writing the book Mr. Steinbeck traveled as a migrant worker for two years so that he could get a feel and understanding for how the people of this era felt and survived. Bio) In the PBS history series American Experience: Surviving the Dust Bowl in an interview conducted in 2009 with Margie Daniel-Hooker of Oklahoma, she says that even as a child she could tell her father was depressed. She says it was noticeable by the way he would just stare off into space. In the same series Mrs. Daniel-Hooker goes on to talk about her younger brother who had pneumonia three times. She speaks about how she believes her brother caught pneumonia every time due to the dust storms. Mrs. Daniel-Hooker recalls her mother giving her little brother a spoonful of medicine each night and how the both of them sat up all night with him. Then one time as her mother was giving him a spoonful of medicine he leaned back in her arms and died. She tells how her mother screamed and held him very tightly then goes on to talk about how she had many more children but after the loss of that one child was never the same again. Mrs. Daniel-Hooker spoke about how she cried herself to sleep for an extensive period and how she will never forgive herself for bringing home the Measles and how he caught them. She explains how one could overcome pneumonia but never pneumonia and measles coupled together. Both Mrs. Daniel-Hooker, and her mother suffered long term from these experiences. As with the beginning of national media photography showed and still shows today the affects the Dust Bowl had on America. Dorothea Lange was a photographer who worked for the Farm Security Administration to document the plight of the Dust Bowl and was made famous for six pictures (one in particular) she took of Florence Owens-Thompson. (Dunn) Although the pictures accurately depicted life during this era Mrs. Thompson said she was told the pictures that were taken of her would not be published. But Ms. Lange sent the pictures to the San Francisco News and the Resettlement Administration in the nation’s capital. The most well known was entitled â€Å"The Migrant Mother†. Over forty years later the nation was enlightened as to whom the Migrant Mother was. In December 2008 Mrs. Owens-Thompson’s daughter, Katherine who was also seen in the picture at an early age publicly said the picture shamed the family because it pointed out just how poor they were. Gutierrez) Although the famous photos did much for public awareness and government change, they disturbed the family members depicted for a lifetime. As a result of the Dust Bowl and complications of the Great Depression large numbers of families lives were drastically changed. Loss of homes, jobs, and poor healthcare would have encouraged psychological complications such as depression. The day to day struggle to meet basi c family needs and difficulties arising from trying to accomplish these tasks led many Dust Bowl sufferers to develop and suffer with this depraved mental state. About The Dust Bowl. Welcome to English  « Department of English, College of LAS, University of Illinois. N. p. , n. d. Web. 28 Nov. 2010. . Biography Page. Welcome to the Official Woody Guthrie Website. N. p. , n. d. Web. 28 Nov. 2010. . Bonnifield, Paul. â€Å"May, it seemed like the wind, and dirt had been blowing for an. 1930 Dust Bowl. cimarron county chamber of commerce. N. p. , n. d. Web. 28 Nov. 2010. . Cook, Ben, Ron Miller, and Richard Seager. Dust storms in the 1930s Dust Bowl. Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory | . N. p. , n. d. Web. 28 Nov. 2010. . Drought in the Dust Bowl Years. Welcome to the National Drought Mitigation Center website!. N. p. , n. d. Web. 28 Nov. 2010. . Dunn, Geoffrey. New Times San Luis Obispo Cover Story Photographic license. Internet Archive: Wayback Machine. N. p. , n. d. Web. 28 Nov. 2010. . Freedman, Russell. Children of the Great Depression . New York: Clarion Books, 2005. Print. Ganzel, Bill. The Dust Bowl of the 1930s. The Wessels Living History Farm, the Story of Agricultural Innovation. N. p. , n. d. Web. 28 Nov. 2010. . Gazit, Chana. WGBH American Experience . Surviving the Dust Bowl . Complete Program Transcript | PBS. PBS: Public Broadcasting Service. N. p. , n. d. Web. 28 Nov. 2010. . Gerrig, Richard J. , and Philip G. Zimbardo. Psychology and life . 19th ed. Boston: Allyn Bacon, 2010. Print. Gutierrez, Thelma, and Wayne Drash CNN. Girl from iconic Great Depression photo: We were ashamed CNN. com. CNN. com Breaking News, U. S. , World, Weather, Entertainment Video News. N. p. , n. d. Web. 28 Nov. 2010. . Hariman, Robert, and John Louis Lucaites. No caption needed: iconic photographs, public culture, and liberal democracy. Chicago: University Of Chicago Press, 2007. Print. John Steinbeck Biography Biography. om. Biography. com. N. p. , n. d. Web. 28 Nov. 2010. . Popper, Deborah Epstein, and Frank J. Popper. Outstanding Articles. Internet Archive: Wayback Machine. N. p. , n. d. Web. 28 Nov. 2010. . RuneHQVideos. YouTube-Woody Guthrie Dust Bowl Blues . YouTube. N. p. , n. d. Web. 28 Nov. 2010. . Steinbeck, John. The grapes of wrath . New York: Viking Press, 1939. Print. s The Dust Bowl. United States History. N. p. , n. d. Web. 28 Nov. 2010. . WGBH American Experience . Surviving the Dust Bowl . Timeline | PBS. PBS: Public Broadcasting Service. N. p. , n. d. Web. 28 Nov. 2010. .

Aptitude In Second Language Acquisition English Language Essay

Aptitude In Second Language Acquisition English Language Essay In second language learning, motivation, attitude and aptitude relate closely to each other. It influences the learner and therefore dominates the particular individual motivation towards learning the target language. In casual observations in our daily life reveal to us that some people learn a foreign language easier, faster or better than others do (Grigorenko, Sternberg ‘integrative’ and ‘instrumental’ attitude to language learning. An integrative attitude is a desire to know and become friendly with speakers of a language, whereas an instrumental one is a desire to better oneself materially by means of the language. He adds, â€Å"an integrative attitude is more likely to lead to success than an instrumental one†. Brown (1994: 168), in his great work ‘Principles of Language Learning and Teaching’ adds: â€Å"Attitudes, like all aspects of the development of cognition and affect in human beings, develop early in childhood and are t he result of parent’s and peer’s attitudes, contact with people who are different in any number of ways, and interacting affective factors in the human experience†. Here it seems clear that there are many stimulants lead to positive or negative attitude of an individual. Nevertheless attitude can be simply defined as a set of beliefs developed in a due course of time in a given socio-cultural setting. Although it does not necessarily determine behavior but can have some impact on it. Chamber (1999) asserts that learning occurs more easily, when the learner has a positive attitude towards the language and learning. Gardner and Lambert (1972) in their extensive studies give evidence that positive attitudes toward language enhance proficiency as well. Language attitude studies explore how people react to language interactions and how they evaluate others based on the language behavior they observe. Language learning is affected by the attitude and motivation. Motiva ted, de-motivated and a motivated students have different perceptions. Their perceptions are responsible to for their attitudes.

In the instruction Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

In the instruction - Essay Example The trans-Atlantic trade was based on the need for raw materials in Europe, the ability of Africans to provide slaves and the productivity of the American continents (Gunn 102). Through the trading contacts between America and Europe, settlers gained a stronghold of the American continent and consequently became the primary producers. When they eventually sought independence, they relied on European technology to establish themselves (Gunn 113). In addition, since they came from Europe, the spread European culture and introduced European religion. Therefore, Europe played a key role in determining the course of the American history, hence the validity of the propositions of Eurocentrism. With the emergence of the age of enlightenment, there was a shift in human values and slave trade was no longer acceptable in Europe. However, slave labor was a primary source of income in other places such as in sugar cane plantations in America. However, Columbian Exchange implied that Americans relied on European values (Brown 26). Therefore, the slave trade was increasingly banned in many places. The relevance of the European values was so great that the plight for abolishment was a leading reason for the outbreak of the American civil war. This shows the dominance of European values in the rest of the world, despite the existence of differences (Brown 35). Therefore, the concepts of Eurocentrism are valid because changes in Europe produced changes in the rest of the world. The implication is that Europeans determined, and continue to determine, the course of history It is true that the world history from the 18th century is centered on the impact of the Europeans on the rest of the world. From the 18th century, Europeans became colonialists and spread European culture and values to the rest of the world (Vanhaute 76). In many parts of the world, there

Factors Influencing Process Design Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Factors Influencing Process Design - Essay Example The choice of materials is one factor that affects the process design of products. In the process of choosing the right material for products, there are a number of factors that are considered in relation to material choice (Cresswell, 2002). Quantity of products to be manufactured, market costs and product use are the factors associated with material choice. The material to be used should consider what environment and the product will be used. For example, when manufacturing cups for taking tea, the material used should be able to withstand hot or cold temperatures and washing. The quantity of products to be manufacturedrelates to the amount required to be sold to the target market. For example, a large amount of cups can be manufactured if many orders are required by the client. Moreover, marketing cost refers to the final product costs. The end costs of products should not exceed the cost that product will be sold in the market so long as it can perform the function it was manufac tured for and reflects the quality (Kalakul et al, 2014).Product purpose fitness and durabilityare other factors that influence product design. This means that the product should do the function it was designed for. For example, a cup is manufactured for the purposes of taking liquids such as tea. Other factors such as weight and size should be considered when designing products.The weight and size should be reasonable in order to perform its intended purpose. Therefore, when considering product fitness, designers should establish all the important elements of the product

Physics of the Human Body in Earths Gravitational Field :: physics human gravity

No Conclusion The force of gravity affects all "bodies" in the universe. How well each human falls into the imaginary line of gravity determines the energy they must have to expel to live within this force. The ideal axis for obtaining the greatest balance is one that is a strait line through the center mass of the body. This line should be identical to the one between the gravitational force between the body and the earth. The human body has adapted over many generations and there are markers that will show where a strait line should form to be properly aligned. This imaginary line connects points at the top of the head, middle of the ear, middle of the shoulder, midpoint of the hip joint, center of the knee joint, and center of the ankle joint. Finding the angles that this line forms from unevenness will explain some things about the amount of energy and mobility this person spends to stay upright. If a person is not consciously holding their muscles to stay up, they must have chronic tension in their muscles to even themselves out. Over time this tension has been programmed into their brain and the connective tissue has been bundled up to help hold the tension. This tension has most definitely limited mobility of the antagonist muscles because they must now use extra force to move. These tensions are most likely formed from the overall function of the individual. For example, if a person is a shot-putter they will build up connective tissue to reinforce themselves from the large amount of torque placed on their bodies outside of their Center of Mass. Over time, their body will adapt to resist the forces its put on it but outside of shot-put, those tensions will remain as part of the person. Eventually, the chronic torque t hat the tensions of the muscles put on the body will deform the lines of symmetry and be detrimental to the person. When people lift weights, it is almost impossible to isolate the lifting to a specific muscle due to the body's make up and connections in the brain. Phisiologicly, there are limitations to each muscle. When an isolated lift is attempted and one muscle can't do the job and more are called in that might not act directly on the lift but help in some way, it is called recruitment. Recruitment generally involves using more superficcial muscles than inferior ones and will result in a greater torque beacuse of this.

Confessions of an Economic Hitman

Confessions of an Economic Hit man John Perkins The reasons as to why I selected this book was heavily weighted on my personal interests. The fact that I am interested in matters of economics, imperialism, capitalism and deception and corruption on a government level, made reviewing Confessions of an economic hit man an enjoyable experience. â€Å"For them, this is a war about the survival of their children and cultures, while for us it is about power, money and natural resources. It is one part of the struggle for world domination and the dream of a few greedy men, global empire. † (prologue) If confessions of an economic Hit man had to be summarised in a sentence, the quotation above should give you the reader briefly; a general inquest into some of the main topics of discussion in the book. The author (John Perkins) describes in great depth the conflicts of interests between the developed and the developing world whilst integrating his life journey as part of a riveting and gripping novel. The book begins in the 1960’s and the author gives a personal account of his life, family and education threw till 1971, the year in which John Perkins became an â€Å"Economic Hit man†. Confessions of an economic Hit man tells a tale of how John Perkins amongst others exploited oil exporting countries such as Ecuador, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Venezuela and Indonesia but to name a few names, in order for them to become indebted to the United States of America. John Perkins goes into grave detail in explaining how America has become probably the most powerful political and economic force in the world. The elements of genius and deception mixed with the strategic approaches of the so called economic hit men (â€Å"EHM’s†) gives an insight as to how these oil rich countries become indebted to the powerhouses of America such as the large engineering corporations, banks, CEO’s and politicians. In order to explain how EHMs go about their work, the author has chosen to make references to the Mafia, through these references it can be understood just how these strategies where implemented in to helping the American economy grow according to the views, expressions and experiences of John Perkins. Like our counterparts in the mafia EHMs provide favors. These take the forms of loans to develop infrastrucure – electric generating plants, highways, ports airports or industrial parks. † (prolouge) EHMs pronounce the idea of taking out large loans to the leaders of some of the countries named previously. The main intention of providing countries these inflated l oans, is in the end for these countries to default on the loan payments and in turn to be indebted to the USA. An important part of the process was making sure the infrastructure that was to be built, was built by American engineering firms such as MAIN, which John Perkins initially worked for. This factor was important as a large sum of the loan was instantly injected back in to the American economy via the engineering firms. If the EHMs are completely successful and the default on the loan payments occurs (which it inevitably will) then as the author puts it so well â€Å"when this happens, then like the mafia we demand our pound of flesh† (prologue). As a result America often try to command some of the following; control over United Nations votes, the installation of military bases, or access to resources such as oil. Thus a country has been added to the â€Å"global empire†. The author tries to diagnose what is wrong with the strategic decisions being made by the American government, himself and other economic hit men in the past by showing the consequences the strategic decisions have. Not only on the ones who reap the benefits from these decisions but of those who are affected negatively. An example of this is how the indigenous people of Ecuador were affected by the oil companies invading the very environments in which those people live and the destruction of cultures, habitats, wildlife and the people of Ecuador who lived in such areas. To give another example as to what is wrong with the strategic decisions made in the past in regards to the protagonist, the Mafia reference can be referred to once again. Mafia bosses often start out as street thugs. But over time, the ones who make it to the top transform their appearance. They take to wearing impeccably tailored suits and owning legitimate businesses. † â€Å"They are quick to lend money to those in desperate straits† They appear to be model citizens. However beneath this patina is a trail of blood† (page 139) Using the mafia analogy it is clear to diagnose what is wrong with the strategic decisions that have been made in the past and are still being made now in regards to, how governments and EHMs leave behind trails of blood just as Mafia bosses can in order to carry out their business. But the â€Å"model citizens† who are in disguise such as EHMs are seen in a completely different light in that to crime lords. Many strategies have been devised by empires over centuries, these strategies and decisions have helped shape the world as it is in its present state. The author explains how strategic decisions made in the past were the wrong decisions in his opinion, as John Perkins had seen first hand the devastation that could be caused by the American government in its pursuit for a â€Å"global empire†. An example of this is how in the 1960’s, a key strategy was being implemented by the world governments. This was the switch from neoclassical economics to Keynesian economics. In America this switch happened under the reigns of presidents Kennedy and Johnson. The switch to Keynesian economics meant that the government would play a major role in managing markets and in regards to welfare: health, unemployment, compensation and other forms of welfare. This now meant that government intervention was at an all time high. The author explains how a one Robert McNamara who at the time was the secretary of defense and then went on to become the president of the World Bank, had the single most important influence on the switch to Keynesian economics. â€Å"McNamara became a strong advocate of a Keynesian approach to government, using mathematical models and statistical approaches to determine troop levels, allocation of funds, and other strategies. His advocacy of â€Å"aggressive leadership† became a hallmark not only of government managers but also of corporate executives. It formed the basis of a new philosophical approach to teaching management at the nation’s top business schools, and it ultimately led to a new breed of CEOs who would spearhead the rush to global empire. (page 79) The author goes on to stress the importance of such an event and how the decisions which lead up to Robert McNamara becoming the president of the most powerful bank in the world. The strategic decision of developing and switching to Keynesian economics which lead to the World Bank becoming an agent in the â€Å"global empire† was described by the author as â€Å"Robert McNamara’s greatest and most sinister contribution to history†. page 79) Another key Strategic decision made in 1975 this time by John Perkins was one which shaped global economics at the time. It was that of an innovative approach to economic forecasting originally formed by a Russian mathematician. This was the Markhov method of economic modeling. The strategic decision made by the protagonist in this case John Perkins was one that would affect entire societies. Of course as explained before a EHMs role was to land large loans upon the shoulders of countries which would not be capable to afford the repayment of these loans. It was exactly what we wanted a tool that scientifically â€Å"proved† we were doing countries a favour by helping them incur debts they would never be able to pay off. In addition, only a highly skilled econometrician with lots of time and money would possibly comprehend the intricacies of markhov or question its conclusions†. (page 102) Together with the help of a Dr Nadipuram Prasad, John Perkins presented Markhov as a revolutionary method for forecasting investment on infrastructure. Now backed with â€Å"facts† and figures, EHMs such as John Perkins became very successful at what they did. This shows what was fundamentally wrong with USA at the time as the implementation of such devious strategy was used to exploit countries who had lesser knowledge economically and who were desperate to have a high flying economy like that of the US and also emulate some of the US infrastructure, such as shopping malls and airports. The author tries to make it fundamentally clear that the strategic decisions made by himself and the American government were wrong in every sense of the imagination. The author paints men such as George Bush, George Shultz and Robert McNamara with the same brush. He believes under their regimes people like himself were pawns in a game in which such men wanted the result to be: â€Å":an america that controlled the world and all its resources, a world that answered to the commands of that america, a U. S military that would enforce rules as they were written by america, and an international trade and banking system that supported america as CEO of the global empire. † (page 155) Through the experiences of the protagonist and the guilt that was felt through such a personal journey John Perkins makes his confessions clear but also tries to lead the reader into new strategic directions and influence society along the way. John Perkins essentially admits to feeling regret for some of his actions but through his writings he tried to correct some of his past mistakes as he aims to educate a new generation on some of the corruption which shapes all of our futures. â€Å"Most importantly this story must be told because today, for the first time in history, one nation has the ability, the money and the power t change all this. It is the nation where I was born and the one I served as an EHM: the United States of America† (page 219) An example of this is how John Perkins makes references and implications as to how the most powerful firms in the world have at their disposal, quite essentially the power and money to change global problems such as starvation and common diseases. â€Å"the big corporations, banks and government bureaucracies – that threaten the republic could be used instead to institute fundamental changes in the world. Such institutions possess the communications networks and transportation systems necessary to end disease, starvation, and even wars – if they could only be convinced to take that course. † page 128) To this example, John Perkins mentions it on numerous occasions but this quotation would best sum up how John Perkins tries to influence the reader on reviewing new strategic directions. John Perkins does not only attempt to influence entire societies or countries as shown with the previous examples but he also attempts to interact with the reader. In the epilogue John Perkins interacts with the reader and attempts to influence the reader in implementing new strategies in their lives in an attempt to make a difference on some of the issues discussed in this book review. An example of this is where John Perkins states â€Å"so the burden falls on to you to see the truth beneath the veneer and to expose it. Speak to your family and friends; spread the word. † (page 221). In regard to this John Perkins attempts to influence people’s day to day lives, from â€Å"downsizing† homes, wardrobes cars and to even consider meditation instead of shopping. He then goes on to mention household brand names such as Nike, McDonalds and Coca Cola in a clear attempt to influence the reader that these organizations have the ability to make their primary goals to clothe and feed the world’s poorest. John Perkins almost pushes the idea of equality on the reader as he uses his strong beliefs to try and make the reader consider new strategic directions as strategy after all is not just something that is implemented on a business level but something that can be implemented in one’s life. My opinion of this novel is that I have found it to be enthralling and the argument the protagonist makes is a very convincing and detailed one. It is clear to see that the feelings of the protagonist are extremely strong. So, however strong his argument, one must consider that the story is that of one man’s opinion and in all probability, possibly biased. The main argument the protagonist makes is that of one that takes me back to the very first quotation I had used from the book, that of â€Å"greedy men, and global empire† and how it is shaping the world and how essentially things must change. An example of why the story of John Perkins could be found so convincing is an example of today’s current economic climate. The greed of the some of the world’s largest banks has lead to a recession in which very few may have predicted. This recession has of course caused many of us to struggle. I believe steps could have been taken to stop this if such high levels of deception were not amongst the CEO’s and corporate leaders of some of the world’s leading financial institutions. As I do find the protagonists story and argument convincing I do not agree with it, as in a time of extreme capitalism and globalization many of us are powerless to stop events described in the novel and a current example of today’s recession from happening. Overall the book was a more than an interesting read and possibly an eye opener to many who do not have knowledge or understanding of some of the views expressed in the book. So I would not hesitate to recommend this to anyone who takes similar interest into economics, imperialism and government corruption as I have. Word Count: 2028