Monthly Archives: April 2015

Presidents Warren Harding and Calvin Coolidge

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Presidents Warren and Coolidge where known for completely different qualities. While Warren surrounded himself with friends and wasn’t at all productive, Coolidge acted with diligence and integrity, and limited his actions for the greater good of the country.

Warren Harding was elected the 29th president on his birthday in the year 1920. He served only 2 years in office, from 1921 to 1923, his term immediately following World War I. Harding’s short presidency was marked with scandal, much of it due to his personal lack of direction.

As a young adult, Warren Harding pursued the career of a reporter, and become the owner of a newspaper. He changed to politics because of his wife, who urged him to look into a more stable job. His first position was a seat on the U.S. Senate for Ohio, from 1914 up until his presidency.

Warren Harding’s Cabinet was made up of his friends, and that lead to the Teapot Dome Scandal. One of the Cabinet members was accused of stealing property from the government, illegally selling it, and pocketing the money. This Teapot Dome Scandal ruined the reputation of Warren Harding even more.

Warren Harding was not known for great things. He was known as a lazy president, his term marked with scandal. He was known for doing nothing for the country, and indulging in parties and his friends.

President Calvin Coolidge was known as one of the greatest presidents, focusing honesty, and integrity, as well as diligence. He limited his actions, and was not a man to expand the government.

In the year 1898, Calvin Coolidge opened his own small law firm, and his integrity and diligence earned him a good reputation. He served as a lawyer until he was elected to Governor of Massachusetts, where he dealt with the Boston Police Strike of 1919. Calvin Coolidge rebuked the Union, and hired all new policemen after the strike. This act gave him national attention, and showed him to be a man of action.

Calvin Coolidge was chosen as President Warren Harding’s running mate in 1920. The vice president position held very little responsibility, but Coolidge became the first vice president to attend the Cabinet meetings. During his time as Warren’s running mate, he earned the nickname, “Silent Cal,” for he was a quiet man.

Calvin Coolidge suddenly became president after Warren Harding had a heart attack. Coolidge received the news after he was already in bed, but he got up and dressed himself, and left to meet the reporters.

Calvin Coolidge was an amazing presidents, and his qualities earned him a place among the greatest presidents of the United States. He is remembered as a strong president who limited actions for the greater good of the country.

President Warren surrounded himself with friends, and didn’t pay much attention to the country. He was known as a lazy president, who cared only for parting with friends. President Coolidge was an honest and diligent man, and he limited actions to help the people. His reputation is great, and he is known for being very productive with his time and resources.

Is Most of What People Buy Totally Unnecessary?

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Is it true that most of what people buy, in this day and age, is totally unnecessary? Have you ever heard the expression, “You are what you eat.”? Well, we are also what we purchase. From what I have experienced, there are two main reasons why we buy unnecessary products. Number one is to feel better about ourselves. The second reason is to make ourselves look better in the presents of others, or to impress others.

“Outside of that which is found in a few aisles in the grocery and hardware stores, most of what you consume is totally unnecessary.” That was adapted Living It Up: Our Love Affair with Luxury by James B. Twitchell. I find this partially correct. The many forms of electronic entertainment is one of the things that I find extremely unnecessary. I am not clear of fault, I enjoy engaging with games or movies. But if we look around at God’s great world, we will see that there is absolutely no need to electronic entertainment.

Nearly everything we own is unnecessary. The average American woman owns over 600 dresses, 1,116 tops, and over 400 pairs of shoes. We could live our lives with one outfit and one pair of shoes. Instead, we have multiple selections, many more that needed.

In conclusion, I would like to propose that we begin to limit ourselves to only purchasing products that are absolutely necessary. We have allowed ourselves to buy unnecessary things, and I agree with James B. Twitchell that the majority of the products that we own is just our love affair with luxury.

Are Quick Judgements Better than Thought out Decisions?

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Are rash judgments better than well thought out decisions? In decision making, we often follow a guide, we go down a virtual list. We begin by weighing pros and cons, then talking things over with a friend or loved one. Finally, we draw a conclusion based on out past actions and experiences. In snap judgments that we make on the spot, with no reflection or thought beforehand, we do not follow such a methodical decision-making process.

Everything tells us that relying on quick judgments is unwise. This is because we have no time to sort through pros and cons, or reflect on past experiences. We still make such decisions, however. Though it is unwise, some say that snap decisions ultimately work out better than those which we give much thought.

In some situations, we need to rely on quick judgments, else we will lose our limited window of opportunity. For other times, it can be very important to make the correct selection, and this can be done over time. So is making quick decisions better than thought out judgments? It all depends on the situation and the opportunity.

If given the choice, take some time to go down the virtual list. Weigh the pros and cons, and ask someone for their opinion, then reflect on past actions and experiences. Figure out the best path and seize the opportunity.
Yes, thought out decisions are more reliable that rash judgments. But they each have a place. Sometimes, snap judgments work better in a situation than decisions that take time. In other times, it is the other way around. It really depends on the situation and the opportunity.

The Titanic and American Entertainment

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The RMS Titanic was a great passenger ship. It was beautifully crafted, and was named “practically unsinkable.” American entertainment, such as baseball, football, basketball, the Olympics, and motion pictures, also played a huge part in what America has become today.

With the introduction of steel as a building material, it became possible to construct larger, taller, and stronger buildings. This new building with steel idea also applied to the shipbuilding industry. They also began to create larger and stronger ships. One of the ships made, the RMS Titanic, was built to be the largest of its day.

Construction of the Titanic began in the year 1908 and was completed in 1911, but wasn’t furnished and ready to carry passengers until the year 1912. The beautiful ship was made with state-of-the art watertight compartments and remote-activated hatches. This was so that they could close of specific sections of the ship if water began to flood into those compartments. Because of this genius idea, one of the local magazines of the day deemed it, “practically unsinkable.”

The Titanic departed from Southampton, England on April 10th, 1912. It was traveling to New York City. Captain Edward Smith pushed on at full speed, planning to sail across the Atlantic Ocean in just 6 days. As the Titanic was nearing the coast of Newfoundland on the evening of April 14th, the ship received many warning messages from other ships passing through the area.

Soon the passengers of the Titanic learned that the ship was not in fact unsinkable, like the magazines had assured them. The lookout crew, working without the aid of binoculars, were unable to detect the nearing iceberg before it was too late. The captain attempted to steer around the huge mound of ice, but was unable to miss it completely.
The water poured into the compartments too quickly, and the front of the ship began to sink. The Titanic didn’t have enough life boats for everyone, so the captain made the announcement that women and children would be loaded onto the boats first. Very few men survived the shipwreck that night.

The Titanic’s grim story has served as a warning to many over the last century and resulted in increased safety requirements. Though technology has continued to improve over the last century, many accidents still occur. The Titanic was a beautiful ship, and marked a great time in history.

In modern America, the entertainment industry has grown to enormous popularity. Many of the aspects that make today’s entertainment possible, weren’t even invented until the end of the 1800’s. The invention baseball, basketball, football, and movies all took place at the end of the 19th century.

Of all the sports played in the United States, baseball is the one nicknamed, “America’s Pastime.” Early forms of the game go far back to the beginning of the 1800’s, but the first version of the game, with official rules, took place in the year 1845. The first profession, traveling baseball team was the Cincinnati Red Stockings, organized in 1869.

American football can be traced back to the game of rugby, a simpler and faster game played by many countries around the world. Football was developed in America, and began as a collage sport. The sport became a profession game around the 1900’s, but wasn’t recognized much until the year 1959. Football, both professional and collegiate, has gone on to the most popular sport in America.

Motion pictures, also known as movies, are even more popular than any sport. The first motion pictures were short films made by a man named Thomas Edison in the 1890’s. By the 1900, others were captivated with the idea and began making short movies of their own. One of the first successes was The Great Train Robbery, which was released in 1903.

Baseball, football, basketball, the Olympics, motion pictures, and many more amazing things are the entertainment that helps make up the great country of America. Many more sports, competitions, and photography await Americans as they seek out entertainment.

The Titanic and American entertainment are a great piece of today’s history. The Titanic, a beautiful ship, suffered a tragic wreck. American entertainment still lives on, and we see it every day of our lives.