jacksona18

Essay (research paper)

Angela Jackson

Persuasive essay

English 4

12/21/11

Chechnya: A people in conflict

The conflict between Chechnya and the Federation of Russia is one of the conflicts the western world has not heard much about. In 1991 under Dzhokar Dudayev the republic of Chechnya in the north Caucasus (a mountain range that runs through the federation) declared itself independent of the Russian federation. Gaining power in 1993, the Chechen government headed by Dudayev issued a declaration of full independence. The Russian Federation and Chechnya have been fighting except for a cease fire between 1996 and 1999 (Global Security).  After years of military action Russia debated; should Chechnya be allowed to secede or be forced to stay? Chechnya should not be allowed to secede because; a lasting peace might be more obtainable by staying in the Federation.

Peace had already been established between the two nations from 1996 to 1999. Chechnya and Russia had agreed on a cease fire and while the process to obtain this cease fire on both sides was hard work it eventually, was achieved with the halt of Russia sending in its troops. With this agreement also came de facto sovereignty which was obtained to make the rebel factions happy. In 1999 the cease fire ended because there were attacks on Russian soil (Pipes); there were several bombings that took place in Dagestan for which there were many casualties (Sobchak).  Terrorists in Chechnya were blamed for this and Russia again sent troops into Chechnya to eradicate this perceived threat.

Russian involvement in Chechnya also stemmed from the amount of Russian citizens living in Chechnya. Out of Chechnya’s population of 1,088,816 people, according to the 2002 census, (Myers) 100,000 of them consider themselves Russian, meaning they speak Russian and practice Russian culture. In 1990 the Russian population in Chechnya numbered 300,000 but rebels targeted the Russians within the country for robbery and assault forcing 200,000 to flee their homes and causing 20,000 casualties (Maksudov). The current president of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, says that the Russian Federation has the right to defend citizens from these terrorist attacks (Sobchak). These attacks reiterate the need for a lasting peace between the two countries. Even if the Chechen rebels were to stop the attacks outside the country, there is no guarantee for the safety of Russian citizens already in Chechnya.

Chechen’s form of government is a republic which means it is a state governed by elected representatives voted in by the citizens. It is well known that the current president Ramzan Kadyrov does not want sovereignty for the country. Being elected by the people, it shows that the majority of Chechen voters want to remain a part of the Russian Federation, or Kadyrov would not have been elected.  Mr. Kadyrov stated in an interview, “I will explain why I don’t need sovereignty”. Then goes on to definite very clearly the main reason Chechnya should stay part of the Russian Federation “Our territory is small, there is little room to sow and plough, and the birth rate is high. Oil will run out and what am I going to do then as an independent state?” (Sirs) While Chechnya is a land rich in oil and has major gas and oil pipelines running through it into neighboring countries, it does not have a stable economy (Global Security). Two wars have devastated the financial system and the crime rate has skyrocketed. Since 2002 over 68,000 Chechen have left their homes because of the violence and crime (Maksudov), and taken refuge in Ingushetia and other to scattered European countries (Myers). Leaving Chechnya alone in its current state will entice rebel leaders to try and gain power, which would cause more civilian causalities and more displacement of the citizens, both Russian and Chechen.

Since 1991 the Russian Federation and Chechnya have been fighting (Global Security). One to combat a force they perceive as a terrorist threat, while the other is a significantly smaller portion of the population is fighting to gain freedom. The cease fire between the nations was enough to show that peace is possible, while it was an uneasy peace, it existed.  Peace is needed between the two countries to stop the rise in casualties which have raised to over 20,000 on both sides (Myers) and the displacement of citizens of both nations.  Chechnya should not be allowed to secede from the Federation because with the help of Russia the Chechen’s might be able to obtain lasting peace.

Works Cited

“First Chechnya War – 1994-1996.” Global Security. N.p., 7 Nov. 2011. Web. 19 Dec. 2011. <http://www.globalsecurity.org/‌military/‌world/‌war/‌chechnya1.htm&gt;.

“Kadyrov: Chechnya Doesn’t Need Sovereignty.” Daily News Bulletin. SIRS Issues Researcher, 7 Apr. 2009. Web. 19 Dec. 2011. <http://sks.sirs.com/‌cgi-bin/‌hst-article-display?id=SNH63546-0-2725&artno=0000311068&type=ART&gt;.

Maksudov, Sergei, et al. “Chechens and Russians: Victories, Defeats, and Losses.” Carnigie Endownment. N.p., 2011. Web. 20 Dec. 2011. <http://carnegieendowment.org/‌2010/‌06/‌04/‌chechens-and-russians-victories-defeats-and-losses/‌11s&gt;.

Myers, Steven Lee. “World Briefing Europe: Russia: Population and Politics in Chechnya.” The New York Times. N.p., 2011. Web. 20 Dec. 2011. <http://www.nytimes.com/‌2002/‌10/‌15/‌world/‌world-briefing-europe-russia-population-and-politics-in-chechnya.html&gt;.

Pipes, Richard. “Give the Chechens a Land of Their Own.” New York Times. SIRS Issues Researcher, Sept.-Oct. 2004. Web. 19 Dec. 2011. <http://sks.sirs.com/‌cgi-bin/‌hst-article-display?id=SNH63546-0-2725&artno=0000311067&type=ART&gt;.

Sobchak, Anatoly. “Western Fears about Putin Are Baseless.” Global Viewpoint. SIRS Issues Researcher, 14 Feb. 2000. Web. 19 Dec. 2011. <http://sks.sirs.com/‌cgi-bin/‌hst-article-display?id=SNH63546-0-2725&artno=0000113081&type=ART&gt;.

Essay (Progression)

Angela Jackson

College composition

Process Essay

10/24/11

The Occupy Movements Momentum On September 17th 2011 around 1,000 people gathered together to protest on Wall Street in downtown Manhattan. They called themselves the 99 percent. This group was protesting many causes such as; how corporations are running the government instead of people, the outrageous price of getting a college education, the amount of people out of work and the standard of living that they feel has declined too greatly to be ignored. These protestors had signs and shouted slogans that they were using to try to get across. Chief among them was the idea that 99 percent of people are being overlooked financially; while the 1 percent of people, that are the heads of big industries, bankers and CEOs, will just grow richer through lack of proper taxation and restrictions on corporations. What started as a modest protest then later as an even smaller encampment at Zuccotti Park (which protestors renamed Liberty Plaza) started to grow. It grew into a huge number of supporters, other occupy protests started around the country, then across several European, Asian and African nations. The Occupy movement, even without a selected leader or series of feasible demands has become a global event The main support of these protests comes from a group called the 99 percent. The 99 percent group was started on a website called Tumblr, a social networking website that follows the outline of Facebook where you can make statuses, message friends, and post pictures. There was a Tumblr account started declaring We Are the 99 Percent where it listed the group ideals; fighting against rising debts and unemployment, also protesting the costs of getting an education and gathered all its followers. Most of the people who have supported this movement through posting pictures on why they are in the 99 percent are current college students, college grads, veterans and lower and middle class people with varying ages. The movement decided to start getting there message to the public officially on August 2nd 2011, where they gathered on Wall Street for the first time in smaller numbers. They had two other gathers since August 2nd 2011, but the protest on the 17th 2011 was the largest and got the most media attention because of their methods. There methods included a peaceful protest on Wall Street all day and instead of going home at night some of the protestors camped out in homemade structures in Zuccotti Park. The encampment of Zuccotti Park brought the attention of the media, but also the attention of the police. Because of the arrests made by the police, and the groups own coverage of their now two websites (one on Tumblr and one simply called Occupy Wall Street) the protests have grown to an immense size. Recent polls have put the amount of protestors somewhere around 15,000, and the amount staying camped in Zuccotti Park is indeterminable because of the disorganization of the encampment. Since the Wall Street protest has become so big in number of people, the protestors around the country decided to pick up the banner and stage their own peaceful protests. On October 1st protests started in Washington D.C and Los Angeles, then on October 3rd protests also started in major cities like Boston, Memphis, Minneapolis, St. Louis, Hawaii, and Portland, Maine. These all had numbers at least in the hundreds of people who came out to protest. On October 15th the Occupy movements sprang up all around the world in major cities; just a few of them were around one thousand protestors in London UK, around 800 protestors in Sydney, Australia, and approximately 500 in Stockholm, Sweden. Germany had thousands of demonstrators spread out over 50 cities, while Spain hosted half a dozen marches and converged into a mass rally in Madrid. Rome also had a note worthy amount of people protesting, but the protest turned though because of violence on the side of the protestors against the police. Demonstrations also appeared in the nations of Canada, South Africa, Switzerland, Portugal, Japan, Hong Kong, South Korea, and the Philippines. There were many diverse reactions to the Occupy Wall Street protests. Many authors, economists, celebrities and politicians stepped forward to support the movement and just as many stepped up against it. When President Obama was asked about the movement he responded with “The movement expresses the frustrations that the American people feel”. Also Obama Stated “We had the biggest financial crisis since the Great Depression-huge Collateral damage throughout the country, all across Main Street, and yet, you are still seeing some of the same folks who acted irresponsibly trying to crack down on abusive practices that got us into the situation in the first place”. While prominent politician Herman Cain had the exact opposite reaction, saying the protestors were “jealous Americans”. This feeling was mirrored by the counter protest group the 53 percent, referring to the 53 percent of Americans who pay taxes. They also have a tumblr and websites but no physical protests to their name, which the group is proud of. The 53 percent group’s message states that while the 99 percent are out protesting, they are working their jobs (often with more than one) and that the 99 percent are being selfish. Some of the more astonishing reports come from police action against the movement. While protestors and policemen alike try to keep everything peaceful, there have been arrests and violence that is usual for a protesting group of such a large size. On September 24th 2011, 80 occupiers were arrested, and then on October 1st 2011, more than 700 protestors were arrested on the Brooklyn Bridge. These arrests don’t help the occupier’s mission for peace or earn them a good reputation. Though the arrests have helped them gets wider media coverage meaning more news stations and head lines are focused on the group, this recognition might not have been possible without the attention the arrests brought them. This media spotlight has helped make their Occupy protests a worldwide success. The Occupy movement started with a number of only about 1,000 people protesting. To have this protest grow to several thousand people, and have people even starting their own protests around the world is astounding. The occupiers and the 99 percent movement have no established leader or list of actionable demands. Yet more and more of these protests are springing up around the world. The original Occupy Wall Street movement is still going on today, over a month later. The success of this movement was due largely in part to prevalent media coverage. The 99 percent group has gained massive amounts of support throughout the world and don’t seem to want to give up their protesting anytime soon. http://theweek.com/article/index/220100/occupy-wall-street-a-protest-timeline http://occupywallst.org/ http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/oct/16/occupy-protests-europe-london-assange http://articles.nydailynews.com/2011-10-15/news/30303710_1_protests-spread-german-cities-rally http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20116707-503544.html http://articles.latimes.com/2011/oct/09/news/la-pn-cain-occupy-wall-street-20111009

Essay (Narrative)

Relay for Life

It was a sunny and mild Friday in June when I had the pleasure of doing Relay for Life the first time. Our team was called Remember the Titans: Living Hope and we had spent a lot of time preparing for this night. The excitement and anticipation was running high especially for me because I’d never been to an overnight charity event before.  When we finally arrived on the site, on the track at Alvirne high school and had finally set up all our gear we knew we were ready. Relay for Life is a charity event to raise cancer awareness and funds for research. In Relay for life the goal is to walk around the track all night, doing as many laps as possible. Every hour there is a theme for the laps that dictates the music that they play and what costumes people walk around in. Relay for Life was an amazing experience and affected the way I thought about life, especially in the luminaria laps.

For Relay for Life if people wanted to participate in the event they had to make a team in their hometown or school, larger teams are better for fundraising purposes. Then the team had to register on the Relay for Life website run by the American Cancer Society. The website helped the event planners in charge know the amount of people that were coming to Relay. The website also helped the team captains keep track of who was on their team and the team fundraising. Most teams fundraising goals were to raise one hundred dollars per team member, and most teams had at least ten members. Then on a designated night all the teams met together at an area with a racing track, in New Hampshire it was at Alvirne High School. The event started around six at night and then stopped at noon the next day. The goal was to remain walking on the track and to walk as many miles as possible. Each team must have at least one person on the track at all times, and everyone was encouraged to walk. This constant walking was to symbolize the fight against cancer, because cancer never sleeps. So to help people stay awake they devised a system of lap themes that change every year. The themes for Relay had people dancing, changing costumes, or doing events off the track. The laps theme changed every hour, there was a Halloween theme lap which had people changing into their Halloween costumes or the toga lap which had people making togas out of anything available. There were also contests like an eating contest and a beauty pageant that were included in lap themes.

Though Relay for Life is put on every year and has different themes for each year, there are a few things about the event that remain the same. The announcements are always in the beginning; which updated the people attending the event on the latest statistics about the cancer research and how many more people were surviving now than before certain breakthroughs in science. Then after the announcements the first few laps are dedicated for only cancer survivors and their sponsors or families that pay and support them through treatments. I had been expecting to see grizzled, hardened, old people walking around, but I was wrong. There were people of all ages walking around on this lap, some were in there twenties to thirties and some had been even younger than my sixteen year old self at the time. The variation of people’s ages that were affected by cancer surprised me. Then after the survivors finished their one lap around the track the theme laps started up. So everyone could join in walking around the track or staying at with teams stuff and waiting for later in the night to walk. Walking with my team made the hours pass faster, and as the sun was descending they announced that the luminaria lap would be starting soon and started preparations. Then when the sun was completely gone from the sky and it was dark they announced the beginning of the luminaria lap. They turn off all the lights that were focused on the field, leaving the walkers in almost complete darkness.

The darkness was broken through by the soft glow of hundreds of candles that lined all the way around the edge of the track. Each candle was in a paper bag with a name written on it of someone who had lost their battle to cancer. Everyone walked by just candle light for an hour, it was beautiful. In that hour it also struck me that each one of these candles I was seeing had been a person at one point. That realization is what made me realize what that night was all about. It wasn’t just a fundraiser or a chance to stay out all night with teammates. It was about trying to help the people who were now gone from the world except for a burning candle in remembrance. It put in perspective for me how much of life I personally took for granted. I took for granted the fact that I have good health and don’t need to take medicine to survive, that my family or friends don’t have deadly illnesses that could take their lives tomorrow or the next day. I took all of this for granted on a daily basis. Even though I was ashamed of myself for doing this, it made me examine another aspect of Relay for Life. It wasn’t just to remember the dead but to help the living through support, and research and to celebrate the fact that we were all alive.

I walked nineteen miles in that night, but no laps were more special to me then the ones I walked during the luminaria laps. All those candles can make a person realize how everything they were doing was part of something bigger. It helped me conclude that it doesn’t matter how bad I think my life can gets should be grateful, especially for the parts of my life I might not have noticed without Relay for Life. The luminaria laps taught me that I should be appreciative my health, and the health of those close to me and that I need to celebrate my life while I still have it.

Essay (Comparison)

Sherlock Holmes vs. Hercules Poirot

Great Britain is famous for producing some of the most famous mystery writers in history, two of which are Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Agatha Christie. These two writers produced some of the mystery genre’s most famous fictional detectives, including Sherlock Holmes and Hercules Poirot. These two characters are famous worldwide for being the best in the business. Even though the characters share a profession, their personalities and methods for solving crimes widely differ.

The introduction to each character is the first thing that sets them apart from each other. Each of them is described by an outside source that notes different things about their appearance. Agatha Christie’s the Mysterious Affair at Styles the first appearance of Hercules Poirot notes his lack of height; his perfectly egg shaped head, his groomed mustache and his neat, trim clothes. The narrator Captain Arthur Hastings has met Poirot before and greets him as he would an old friend. In A Study in Scarlet the narrator, Dr. Watson has never met Sherlock Holmes before and does not describe anything about his appearance. With the exception that Dr. Watson thinks Holmes looks scrawny. When Dr. Watson shook his hand he thought that he was stronger then he originally gave him credit for. Besides this he does not mention his appearance. He is immediately shocked by Holmes’s intelligence, owe to Holmes inference of Watson having spent time in Afghanistan recently after shaking hands. While Poirot had a distinct appearance easily noticed, Sherlock Holmes could blend into a crowd.

Another thing that separates them would be their methods of solving crime. Poirot is known for being methodical and meticulous with evidence, but he also believes that people can solve a crime using psychology. He spends most of his time interviewing people and talking to them to try to understand their personalities. After meeting with his sources and suspects, he reflects on what he has learned a process he calls using his “little grey cells”. When Poirot has figured out the solution, he calls everyone together. Poirot theatrically tells how the crime was committed and who the perpetrators are, so everybody knows at the same time including the narrator Captain Hastings. Holmes is also noted for his methodical and hyperactive attention to detail. Words Holmes lives by are “To a great mind nothing is small”- (pg 13 Doyle). Unlike Poirot, Holmes is a man of science and uses physical evidence and deductions to solve the crimes. When the reader first encounters him he is working on making a chemical reacting agent to blood. He is also a professed expert on foot prints and can identify all kinds of tobacco ashes. Although Holmes does interview, he never does without a purpose, his interviews are to get the facts straight. Most of the time when Sherlock Holmes is interacting with the police he is trying to impress them, and show off his superior reasoning skills, because of this he is not on the best of terms with them. While Poirot is usually trying to impress the people around him as well, he is rarely on bad terms with the police. Poirot is much more sociable then Holmes because he has friends all around the world. While Holmes admits to only having Watson as his true friend and is the only person whose company he enjoys

The motivation for each detective also very dissimilar, Poirot was a Belgian police officer before coming to England so he has been doing detective work all his life. His motivation has always been a sincere belief in the justice of the law, that man can not take the law into his own hands. He demonstrates this belief in the book Murder on the Orient Express.  He had the option of reporting the man who committed a murder to the authorities or remaining silent. The murder thought he was justifed in killing the man because the man he killed also killed someone.  Poirot reported him to the authorities anyway and throughout the books there are only a few exceptions to this belief. A challenging case is precious to him but he is supremely motivated by the want of justice not for the want of a challenge. Holmes has a much more impersonal view on the cases he takes on. He doesn’t solve crimes because he wants to give the dead person justice. He does it because he is bored and needs something to keep him occupied he has even turned to cocaine on several occasions to achieve this end. He comprehends the legal system but has no problem breaking a law when the cause suits him. Poirot truly believes in getting justice from the law, while Holmes just uses it as a way to spend his time.

The two detectives are very different people. Hercules Poirot’s appearance is neat and tidy and he takes measures to keep it so, while Sherlock Holmes’s isn’t a very remarkable or immaculate person. Their methods of solving the crimes that are brought to them, also differ. Poirot will turn to psychology and the interworking of the brain to solve the crime, while Holmes would rather physical evidence to solve a crime with. Another thing that differentiates them would be there motives. Poirot wants justice for the law and for the people, while Sherlock is just trying to keep busy. Poirot is easier for the reader to relate to because he looks at crime from a more personal aspect. Sherlock Holmes and Hercules Poirot are both famous for being fictional detectives though each reached this status through different means of fictionally solving crimes

Essay (Common Application)

Angela Jackson

Hospitality and Tourism My Experience

A junior in my second semester, I walked into the Hospitality and Tourism room for the first time. There were posters of faraway places lining the walls. Traditional desks had been replaced by computer desks, each with their own computer. I took my seat unsure of what to expect. Then, our teacher Mrs. Hirni, walked in with her business attire and air of efficiency.  After our first class meeting I knew that this class would be hard work, but would be fun. Hospitality and Tourism was an experience that changed my life by helping me define my character and decide my career.

When I entered high school I had no plan about what career I wanted. In my freshmen year I wanted to be an archeologist, but decided against it. Sophomore year and into junior year I cycled through many career choices. I wanted to be a wedding planner, a book binder, and a bed and breakfast owner; I even wanted to be a firefighter for about a month. My interests were diverse and my future was smoky haze that got closer, without getting clearer. When I took the class it gave me the chance to explore my interests and decide on a final career choice.

Hospitality and Tourism allowed me to reflect on my personality. It also encouraged me not to constantly doubt myself and be outspoken with my ideas. It helped me gain confidence, and develop my speaking skills. Speaking to strangers was difficult, and even when I did I wasn’t intelligible. By putting me in situations where communicating clearly was essential the class gave me confidence. It also helped me not to hesitate. Doubting myself took up time, and slowed projects. The class also gave me motivation to take charge with my ideas. No matter what part in an event a person played, Mrs. Hirni encouraged their ideas.

The learning experiences from the class were easy to apply to anything in life. One big thing I learned that from that class is that anything that might go wrong most likely will go wrong, so plan ahead. The class exposed me to a variety of fields, which helped me narrow my down career choices. I experienced running events and fundraisers, planned trips for a client, and learned about running hotels. I walked out of that class knowing that I wanted to own a bed and breakfast, knowing that I will enjoy this activity and meet interesting people.

When I started high school I was a quiet girl with no goals. After taking this class I had a goal, motivation and the confidence to succeed. Without this class I wouldn’t have had the learning experience that led me to decide on a career, or grown enough as a person to believe I could actually achieve this goal. Hospitality and Tourism has changed my life for the better.