General Albert Sidney Johnston in the Civil War

General Albert Sidney Johnston in the Civil War A Kentucky native, General Albert Sidney Johnston was a notable Confederate commander during the early months of the Civil War. After graduating from West Point in 1826, he later moved to Texas and joined the Texas Army where he acted as aide-de-camp to General Sam Houston. Following service in the Mexican-American War, Johnston returned to the US Army and was commanding the Department of California when the Civil War began. He soon accepted a commission as a general in the Confederate Army and was tasked with defending the region between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River. Considered one of the finest officers available at the start of the war, Johnston was mortally wounded at the Battle of Shiloh in April 1862. Early Life Born in Washington, KY on February 2, 1803, Albert Sidney Johnston was the youngest son of John and Abigail Harris Johnston. Educated locally through his younger years, Johnston enrolled at Transylvania University in the 1820s. While there he befriended the future president of the Confederacy, Jefferson Davis. Like his friend, Johnston soon transferred from Transylvania to US Military Academy at West Point. Two years Davis junior, he graduated in 1826, ranked eighth in a class of forty-one. Accepting a commission as a brevet second lieutenant, Johnston was posted to the 2nd US Infantry. Moving through posts in New York and Missouri, Johnston married Henrietta Preston in 1829. The couple would produce a son, William Preston Johnston, two years later. With the beginning of the Black Hawk War in 1832, he was appointed as chief of staff to Brigadier General Henry Atkinson, the commander of US forces in the conflict. Though a well-respected and gifted officer, Johnston was forced to resign his commission in 1834, to care for Henrietta who was dying of tuberculosis. Returning to Kentucky, Johnston tried his hand at farming until her death in 1836. Texas Revolution Seeking a fresh start, Johnston traveled to Texas that year and quickly became embroiled in the Texas Revolution. Enlisting as a private in the Texas Army shortly after the Battle of San Jacinto, his prior military experience allowed him to swiftly advance through the ranks. Shortly thereafter, he was named aide-de-camp to General Sam Houston. On August 5, 1836, he was promoted to colonel and made adjutant general of the Texas Army. Recognized as a superior officer, he was named commander of the army, with the rank of brigadier general, on January 31, 1837. In the wake of his promotion, Johnston was prevented from actually taking command after being wounded in a duel with Brigadier General Felix Huston. Recovering from his injuries, Johnston was appointed Secretary of War by Republic of Texas President Mirabeau B. Lamar on December 22, 1838. He served in this role for a little over a year and led an expedition against Indians in northern Texas. Resigning in 1840, he briefly returned to Kentucky where he married Eliza Griffin in 1843. Traveling back to Texas, the couple settled on a large plantation named China Grove in Brazoria County. Fast Facts: General Albert Sidney Johnston Rank: GeneralService: US Army, Confederate ArmyBorn: February 2, 1803 in Washington, KYDied: April 6, 1862 in Hardin County, TNParents: John and Abigail Harris JohnstonSpouse: Henrietta PrestonConflicts: Mexican-American War, Civil WarKnown For: Battle of Shiloh Mexican-American War With the outbreak of the Mexican-American War in 1846, Johnston assisted in raising the 1st Texas Rifle Volunteers. Serving as the regiments colonel, the 1st Texas took part in Major General Zachary Taylors campaign in northeastern Mexico. That September, when the regiments enlistments expired on the eve of the Battle of Monterrey, Johnston convinced several of his men to stay and fight. For the remainder of the campaign, including the Battle of Buena Vista, Johnston held the title of inspector general of volunteers. Returning home at the wars end, he tended to his plantation. Battle of Buena Vista, 1847. Photograph Source: Public Domain The Antebellum Years Impressed with Johnstons service during the conflict, now-President Zachary Taylor appointed him a paymaster and major in the US Army in December 1849. One of the few Texas military men to be taken into regular service, Johnston held the position for five years and on average traveled 4,000 miles a year discharging his duties. In 1855, he was promoted to colonel and assigned to organize and lead the new 2nd US Cavalry. Two years later he successfully led an expedition into Utah to confront the Mormons. During this campaign, he successfully installed a pro-US government in Utah without any bloodshed. In reward for conducting this delicate operation, he was brevetted to brigadier general. After spending much of 1860, in Kentucky, Johnston accepted command of the Department of the Pacific and sailed for California on December 21. As the secession crisis worsened through the winter, Johnston was pressured by Californians to take his command east to fight the Confederates. Unswayed, he finally resigned his commission on April 9, 1861, after hearing that Texas had left the Union. Remaining in his post until June when his successor arrived, he traveled across the desert and reached Richmond, VA in early September. The Civil War Begins Warmly received by his friend President Jefferson Davis, Johnston was appointed a full general in the Confederate Army with a date of rank of May 31, 1861. The second-most senior officer in the army, he was placed in command of the Western Department with orders to defend between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River. Raising the Army of Mississippi, Johnstons command was soon spread thin over this wide frontier. General Albert S. Johnston. Library of Congress Though recognized as one of the prewar armys elite officers, Johnston was criticized in early 1862, when Union campaigns in the West met with success. Following the loss of Forts Henry Donelson and the Union capture of Nashville, Johnston began concentrating his forces, along with those of General P.G.T. Beauregard at Corinth, MS, with the goal of striking at Major General Ulysses S. Grants army at Pittsburg Landing, TN. Shiloh Attacking on April 6, 1862, Johnston opened the Battle of Shiloh by catching Grants army by surprise and quickly overrunning its camps. Leading from the front, Johnston was seemingly everywhere on the field directing his men. During one charge around 2:30 PM, he was wounded behind the right knee, mostly likely from friendly fire. Not thinking the injury serious he released his personal surgeon to aid several wounded soldiers. A short time later, Johnston realized that his boot was filling with blood as the bullet had nicked his popliteal artery. Feeling faint, he was taken from his horse and placed in a small ravine where he bled to death a short time later. With his loss, Beauregard ascended to command and was driven from the field by Union counterattacks the next day. Believed to be their best general General Robert E. Lee would not emerge until that summer), Johnstons death was mourned across the Confederacy. First buried in New Orleans, Johnston was the highest-ranking casualty on either side during the war. In 1867, his body was moved to the Texas State Cemetery in Austin.

Parallel Structure for ACT English Grammar Rule

Parallel Structure for ACT English Grammar Rule SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Parallel structure is a grammar rule that is often referenced yet often misunderstood. After reading this article, you’ll comprehend parallel structure and be able to correctly answer ACT English questions that test your knowledge of parallel structure. Because you will most likely see parallel structure questions on the ACT, let’s learn this rule and raise your ACT English score. In this post, I'll do the following: Explain parallel structure. Detail the types of parallel structure questions on the ACT English section. Offer strategies to correctly answer parallel structure questions. Provide additional practice questions to test you on what you've learned. What Is Parallel Structure? Parallel structure means using the same pattern of words for two or more words or ideas in a sentence. Using parallel structure shows that the words or ideas have the same level of importance and makes the sentence easier to understand. The basic parallel structure rule is that the things in a list should be in the same grammatical form. If you're listing three things, the construction of that list should benoun, noun, noun,orverb, verb, verb,orgerund, gerund, gerund,etc. Any inconsistency within the list is an error in parallel structure. Here's an example of a sentence with an error in parallel structure: LeBron James often dunks, steals, and blocking the basketball. The sentence is listing three things that LeBron James does with the basketball. The first two things are verbs. The last thing, "blocking," is in the gerund form. A gerund is a verb that acts like a noun and ends in "ing." All three things should be in the same grammatical form. To correct the error in parallel structure, the last item in the list should be in the verb form, too. Here's what the sentence looks life after it's corrected: LeBron James often dunks, steals, and blocks the basketball. Now all the items on the list match. Excellent! So how does the ACT English section test your knowledge of parallel structure? Parallel Structure on the ACT There are two primary types of parallel structure questions that appear in ACT English. Parallelism Type #1: Lists The example from above was a parallel structure list sentence. Generally, in list questions, three things are listed and you have to verify that all the items in the list are in the same grammatical form. This is another "list" sentence that contains a parallel structure error: Martin Luther King is admired for his courage, his dedication, and being intelligent. Can you recognize the parallel structure error? The first two items are nouns, traits that people admire in MLK. In the last item, "being intelligent," the word "being" is a gerund and "intelligent" is an adjective that describes MLK. We want all three items in the list to have the same construction. After fixing the parallel structure error, this is our sentence: Martin Luther King is admired for his courage, his dedication, and his intelligence. All of the list items are in the same form. The sentence reads better and the structure is parallel. Let's go over some tips for how to figure out parallel structure list questions on the ACT. ACT English Strategy To correctly answer parallel structure list questions, first identify that there is a list of items. Usually the list will look like this: x, y, and z. Make sure that the commas are separating items in a list and are not just separating clauses. Once you have identified the list, determine whether the items in the list are as consistent with the other items in the list as possible. How do we do that? Break down each item in the list by identifying the parts of speech of the words and make sure that all the items match. We want each item to be in the same grammatical form. After breaking down the list items, there should be no inconsistencies. Once we fixed our previous example sentence, the items in the list included "courage" (noun), "dedication" (noun), and "intelligence" (noun). While the list questions are relatively basic, there's a second type of parallel structure question that can be a bit more challenging. ParallelismType #2: Phrases Parallel structure phrase questions are slightly more complicated than list questions, but they follow the same principle. The parallel structure rule regarding phrases is that the construction of a phrase on one side of a conjunction must match the construction of the phrase on the other side of the conjunction as closely as possible. Definition of a Conjunction Conjunctions are words that connect phrases or clauses. Examples of common conjunctions includeand, or, but,andso.Some of you may be familiar with the acronym FANBOYS. It stands for For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, So. Those are all conjunctions. Additionally, there are correlative conjunctions, also known as word pairs. Literally, these words come in pairs. The items correlative conjunctions compare follow each half of the word pair. Examples of word pairs include either...or, not only...but also, as...as, and both...and. Conjunctions!! Example Sentences Now that we know the rule and the definition of a conjunction, we can learn how this rule should be applied. This is a sentence with a parallel structure error: The ACT English section challenges students and frustration is found in them. There are two items in the sentence: the two things that the ACT English section does. The two items are connected by the conjunction "and." Let's break down each item by the parts of speech of the words in each item. The first item, "challenges students," is VERB+ NOUN. The second item that follows the conjunction is "frustration is found in them." That phrase's construction is NOUN + VERB + ADJECTIVE + PREPOSITION + PRONOUN. Even if you struggle identifying the parts of speech of certain words, you should be able to immediately recognize that the phrases are not consistent and the sentence has a parallel structure error. So how do we correct the sentence? We change the wording in the phrase following "and" to match the VERB + NOUN construction of the first phrase. This is the corrected version of the sentence: The ACT English section challenges students and frustrates them. The corrected sentence should appear more consistent and read better to you. Now the phrases have the same construction and there's no longer a parallel structure error. Also, it's perfectly acceptable to use a pronoun in the place of a noun as long as the pronoun has a clear antecedent. In case there's any lingering confusion, let's go over another example: Kanye West displays both reprehensible behavior at awards showsandon late night talk shows behaving bizarrely. The two items in the sentence are two things that Kanye West displays. Those things are connected by the word pair "both..and." Again, let's break down the parts of speech of the words in those things. Phrase #1 is "reprehensible behavior at awards shows," and "reprehensible"=ADJECTIVE, "behavior"=NOUN, and "at awards shows"=PREPOSITIONAL PHRASE. The basic construction of phrase #1 is ADJECTIVE + NOUN + PREPOSITIONAL PHRASE. Phrase #2 is "on late night talk shows behaving bizarrely." What is the construction of phrase #2? Well, "on late night talk shows"=PREPOSITIONAL PHRASE, "behaving"=GERUND, and "bizarrely"=ADVERB. The construction of phrase #2 is PREPOSITIONAL PHRASE + GERUND + ADVERB. We want the constructions of the phrases to match as closely as possible. Think about how you could change the sentence to fix the parallel structure error. Here's the corrected version of the sentence: Kanye West displays both reprehensible behavior at awards shows and bizarre behavior on late night talk shows. I changed phrase #2 to match the construction of phrase #1. Both phrases are now in the form of ADJECTIVE + NOUN + PREPOSITIONAL PHRASE. Check it out: "bizarre"=ADJECTIVE, "behavior"=NOUN, and "on late night talk shows"=PREPOSITIONAL PHRASE.Success! The constructions of the phrases match and the sentence is easier to understand. ACT EnglishStrategy If you see a conjunction connecting or comparing two items, identify the items. Then, break down the words in each item by their parts of speech and determine each phrase's construction. Make sure that the phrases are parallel. The construction of the phrases should match as closely as possible. Also, a preposition used on one side of a conjunction or word pair must appear on the other side. Look at this example with a parallel structure error: The mixed martial artist was complimented not only for his tenacity but also in his technique. In the above sentences, the prepositions "for" and "in" correspond with "complimented." The sentence is saying that the mixed martial artist was "complimented for" this and "complimented in" that. Hopefully, your knowledge of idioms would tell you that it's incorrect to use the expression "complimented in." Even if you weren't aware of the idiom error, to keep the sentence consistent and follow parallel structure rules, use the same preposition before and after "but also." This is how the sentence should look: The mixed martial artist was complimented not only for his tenacity but also for his technique. Let's apply these strategies and our knowledge of parallel structure to actual examples from the ACT English section. Actual ACT Examples Look at the following question from a real ACT and determine if there is an error in parallel structure. As a young woman, she wrote of pining for a valentine and of visiting the Chinese museum in Boston. F. NO CHANGE G. visiting to H. of her visiting to J. of her visiting at Explanation: There is nothing grammatically incorrect within the phrase "of visiting." Let's look at the phrase's function within the sentence. It follows the conjunction "and," and it's one of two things that she wrote about. For the sentence to be parallel in structure, the phrases before and after the conjunction should have as close to the same construction as possible. Phrase #1 is "of pining." After breaking down the words in the phrase, we can determine that the construction of that phrase is "OF" + GERUND. Phrase #2, "of visiting," also has the construction "OF" + GERUND. The phrases are parallel. The answer is F. If you're wondering why I didn't include "for a valentine" and "the Chinese museum in Boston," those phrases just provide descriptive information about what she pined for and where she visited; they do not alter the basic construction of the sentence. Here's another parallel structure phrase question from an ACT. Others, salt-encrusted, "sleep" in ancient caverns, waking after centuries to feed and to be bred. A. NO CHANGE B. for breeding C. to breed D. breeding Explanation: There's nothing wrong within the phrase "to be bred," but what's the phrase's function within the sentence? It's one of two listed reasons why the others wake after centuries. The reasons are connected by the conjunction "and." Reason #1 is "to feed." The construction of that phrase is simply an INFINITIVE ("to" + verb). Reason #2's construction is INFINITIVE + PAST PARTICIPLE. Even if you were unsure of the part of speech of "bred," you should notice that the construction of reason #2 is inconsistent with that of reason #1. To make the phrases parallel, reason #2 should be in the infinitive form. The answer is C. Here are some general tips to help you correctly answer parallel structure questions on the ACT. General Strategies for Parallel Structure SAT Writing Questions #1: Any Word or Phrase Underlined Within a List Indicates a Possible Error in Parallel Structure When you see a list of items, make sure that all those items are in the same grammatical form. #2: Make Sure Phrases that Appear Before and After Conjunctions are Parallel The "phrase" parallel structure questions tend to be more difficult. Common conjunctions and correlative conjunctions (word pairs) include and, but, not only...but also, so...that, at once...and, both...and, either...or, as...as #3: Break Down the Construction of Items Within a List or Phrase Identify the parts of speech of words within a list or phrases that precede and succeed a conjunction. Make sure the construction of the items matches as closely as possible. I've created some realistic practice problems to test you on your knowledge of parallel structure. Additional Practice Apply what you've learned in this article to help answer the following realistic ACT parallel structure questions. 1. More than twice as many people inhabit Nigeria as Ethiopia. A. NO CHANGE B. as in Ethiopia C. than Ethiopia D. as inhabit Ethiopia 2. Unsurprisingly, the diligent student completed his homework punctually, studied the material thoroughly, and his presentations were delivered well. A. NO CHANGE B. his presentations were well delivered C. delivered his presentations well. D. his delivery was good on his presentations. 3. Greg reached his dream not only of having a family but also of becoming a successful entrepreneur. A. NO CHANGE B. to become C. becoming D. became 4. Before leaving your house on the morning of the ACT, make sure you have pencils, a snack, and remembering a calculator. A. NO CHANGE B. a calculator C. to remember a calculator D. have had remembered a calculator 5. Because Matt does not get enough sleep, he has difficulty focusing and to stay alert. A. NO CHANGE B. stays C. staying D. OMIT the underlined portion Answers: 1. D, 2. C, 3. A, 4. B, 5. C What's Next? I commend you for putting in the effort to improve your ACT scores. Your investment should pay off. As you continue to study for the ACT English section, make sure you check out this post on 5 critical concepts to ace ACT English. Also, I highly recommend that you read this article about commas on the ACT. For those of you wondering whether the SAT or ACT is better for you, review this thorough breakdown of SAT Writing vs. ACT English. Want to improve your ACT score by 4 points? Check out our best-in-class online ACT prep program. We guarantee your money back if you don't improve your ACT score by 4 points or more. Our program is entirely online, and it customizes what you study to your strengths and weaknesses. If you liked this English lesson, you'll love our program.Along with more detailed lessons, you'll get thousands ofpractice problems organized by individual skills so you learn most effectively. We'll also give you a step-by-step program to follow so you'll never be confused about what to study next. Check out our 5-day free trial:

Arguments of Cause and Effect Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Arguments of Cause and Effect - Assignment Example When an argument of such magnitude is coming from an individual that has worked in NASA and who made the predictions that are happening today in terms of climate changes years before it happened, it tends to reinforce the prior ideas and theories on global warming making it much more compelling than other arguments (Hansen, 2012). According to Hansen, it is the increase in the greenhouse gases being emitted in the planet that increases the levels of CO2 in the atmosphere. This CO2 in turns blankets the earth creating an imbalance of heat and hence increasing the heat levels in the earth. It is as a result of the increased heat that rains have increased as well as glaciers started to melt. These arguments have been made purely from arguments of facts as the information is drawn from the research Hansen carried out with his team of the greenhouse gas emission and on the effects of these to the climate of the earth. Balog similar to Hansen is arguing that people are not taking the issue of global warming seriously. It is high time the matter is explained not only in plain language but using photography to bring the point home of the high rate at which glaciers are melting and the effect on the environment. The argument is presented in a series of photographs taken in different locations all over the world but presenting the same results in all of them. This method is effective as it is vivid and it helps show the real picture of what the earth is undergoing (Balog, 2009). This argument by Balog using photography reinforces the earlier arguments made through pure talk by other scientists and climate activists. With the information being illustrated and in different places all over the world as well, it becomes compelling and drives home the point about global warming and its effects to us. According to the speaker, the emission of CO2 in the atmospheres increases the temperature on earth which in turn starts melting the glaciers.

ARGUMENTITIVE PAPER Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

ARGUMENTITIVE PAPER - Essay Example The continued cloning of animals is essential because this method will provide a more substantial and beneficial food source for a growing world population as does the cloning of plants. However, the cloning of humans is not in societies or an individual’s best interest, at least not yet. On February 23, 1997 Ian Wilmut, a Scottish scientist, with his colleagues at the Roslin Institute announced the successful cloning of a sheep by a new method. The technique concerned transplanting the genetic material of an adult sheep into an egg from which the nucleus had been removed. The resulting birth of the sheep, Dolly, was another landmark in mankind’s ability to rule over nature. The birth of Dolly and â€Å"the fact that humans might someday be cloned, created from a single somatic cell without sexual reproduction, moved further away from science fiction and closer to a genuine scientific possibility† (Wilmut, 1997). The sheep experiment was different from prior endeavors in that it produced an animal that was a genetic twin of one adult sheep instead of being the identical offspring from a pair of adults. Dolly was the first successful clone of a mammal as the sheep contained the genetic material of just one parent. For more than 40 years, the practice of transferring a nucleus from a somatic cell into an egg using nuclei derivative from non-human embryonic and fetal cells continued. Evidence suggested genetic material contained in differentiated somatic cells may retain the potential to direct the development of healthy fertile adult animals. Biologists had examined whether, once cellular differentiation transpires, this process is reversible. However, until Dolly was born, the capacity to do so remained unproved. â€Å"The demonstration that nuclei from cells derived from an adult animal could be reprogrammed, or that the full genetic complement of such a cell could be

Huckleberry Finn Essay Example for Free

Huckleberry Finn Essay The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, written by Mark Twain, takes place during the antebellum era, and revolves around a young boy, named Huck. The antebellum era was the years right before the Civil War, so Huck was living in a dark and murky time in American History. Huck starts off by living with The Widow Douglas and her sister, Miss Watson, who is trying to civilize him or make him to be what the perfect child should look like and make him act how a perfect child should act. Huck does not want that. He just wants to live how he wants, just like most youth want. In the novel, Huckleberry Finn befriends a runaway slave, Jim, and his adventures begin. According to Dennis Puopard, Mark Twain exposed many of the dark problems of antebellum United States. Some say Mark Twain wrote this episodic novel as a boys adventure story and that Huck is a character that children should look up to. (422) Modern readers do not see Huckleberry Finn as a childrens book because the book is racist, there a themes of lying, and characters object and criticize authority. Because, modern readers see the book as improper for children The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is on the banned books list on many school in the United States. In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn there are racial slurs, lies, and profanity. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is not a childrens book in todays society because of the prominent theme of race. The topic of race and racism is strong in todays society. If a modern American citizen uses racial slurs against another race in a hurtful way that citizen would be convicted with a criminal offense. A racial slur such as the word nigger is not tolerable todays society. The word nigger was used to belittle and dehumanize African American slaves, such as Jim, in antebellum United States. Through out the book, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, author Mark Twain includes racial slurs such as the word, nigger toward African American characters, such as Jim and other slaves. Good gracious! anybody hurt? Nom. Killed a nigger. Well, its lucky; because sometimes people do get hurt. ( Twain 109). This quote shows how the white society views Jim different then themselves. They view Jim as property rather than a human with a living breathing heart. This dialoged between two white characters just shows how hurtful and cruelly someone can sound just by taking. Barbra L. Jackson professor at Fordham University in New York City says, It is hard to teach The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in a diverse class because of its racial views. (63). If a college professor has a hard time teaching the book, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, to her class, how can it be easy for high school students who are studding the novel, or even young boys whom pick up the book and start reading it? Also, Barbra L. Jackson says, I always see a lack in participation, when studying the book, the students do not want to read out loud, (64). The students do not feel right saying nigger out loud because they do not want to offend any of their classmates. The students know that the word, nigger is a taboo in modern society. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn should not be taught or read to children because of the racial slurs. The type of racial language that Mark Twain uses in the book is offensive and crude. The exposure of the racial slurs to young children would be harmful. The young children will think it is okay to say the new words they discover from reading The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, which would get them into trouble in the future.

Vimy Ridge :: essays research papers

Shock and Awe, 1917 Gary Graves, CBC News Online | April 9, 2003 We may marvel at the firepower of the hundreds of missiles and smart bombs used in U.S. attacks on Iraq, but an overwhelming battlefield fusillade creating shock and awe is not a new idea. In fact, Canadian soldiers fighting in the First World War were pioneers of the tactic. Click for map Source: National Archives It was at Vimy Ridge, a strategic 14-kilometre long escarpment that overlooks the Douai plain of France. German occupying troops controlled the ridge using a network of trenches that snaked along the crest and down into the valley, connecting with another network of natural caves. 150,000 French and British soldiers had died trying to take it back. Allied commanders believed the ridge to be impregnable. But the Canadians had a plan, the first battle strategy for this new nation's commanders to conceive and execute on their own. Even military "experts" of the time admitted dubiously that the Canadians' plan couldn't be any worse than the British tactics at the Somme, which cost 24,000 Canadian casualties. So the Canadian army – all four divisions, totalling 100,000 men – got the go-ahead. The ground assault had been planned meticulously for months. Full-scale replicas of the Vimy terrain were built to rehearse unit commanders on what to expect both from the enemy and from Canadian units on either side. Canadian spotters had identified and mapped about 80 per cent of the German gun positions. Five kilometres of tunnels were dug in order to move Canadian troops and ammunition up to the front without their being seen by German observers. And for a couple of weeks leading up to the battle, Canadian and British artillery pounded the Germans with 2,500 tons of ammunition per day. At 5:30 in the morning on Easter Monday, April 9, 1917, the assault began. It was raining. It was freezing cold. And it began with a huge artillery barrage†¦ shock and awe 1917-style. Canadians under fire at Vimy Source: National Archives Over 1,100 cannons of various descriptions, from British heavy naval guns mounted on railway cars miles behind the battlefield, to portable field artillery pieces dragged into place by horses, mules or soldiers just behind the Canadian lines, fired continuously – in some cases until they exhausted their ammunition. The Canadian battle plan was simple: the withering barrage provided a screen for the Canadian troops to hide behind.

Genetically Modified Food Essay

Did you know that 62 countries have strict laws against genetically modified foods? 30 of those 62 have eliminated or almost completely banned genetically modified foods from their market (Partovi). All of Europe has almost completely done away with these altered forms of comestibles and requires labeling for anything with even a trace of modified content. GMOs (genetically modified organisms) are in nearly 80 percent of the United States processed foods (Lowery). These genetically modified foods have been linked to several serious health conditions. Among these threats are: obesity, ADHD, and cancer. These foods should be restricted from our American markets. Obesity now kills more people than starvation and malnutrition (Barrow). In America, 63 percent of Americans are overweight (Fox). In places such as Europe, where GMO foods are highly restricted, there are lower rates. America has the highest number of obese people in the world (Fox). Places where GMOs are not present or are harder to find and labeled, there is a lower percentage of overweight people. Monsanto, the world’s largest GMO producer, conducted 3 separate studies of GMO foods affect on animals (Tencer). These findings were published in the International Journal of Biological Sciences. Their test concluded overall increases in the animal’s body weight as compared to the animals starting weight, and the control group. It also showed that â€Å"GM maize varieties induce a state of hepatorenal [i. e. kidney and liver] toxicity. † († Does Genetically Modified (GM) Food Increase the Incidence of Obesity, 2012). Another link to GMO foods has been ADD, and ADHD. I myself have ADD and have done very extensive research on it. I do my best to eat natural foods and do not touch fast foods or soda and a majority of most sweets and junk foods. In animals fed GMO foods, studies have shown that there are similar patterns of behavior and similar physiological issues that plague people with ADD and ADHD. These problems are signs that exhibit quick irritation, aggressiveness and hyperactivity (Daniels). One scientist commented on this study and said, â€Å"They have all of the severe allergy responses, the inflammation and the reddening†¦ the intestinal lining is deteriorating. † (Daniels). This is reflected in people with autism, a mental disability that many psychologists believe umbrellas the ADD and ADHD disability. Another factor driving more children to develop ADD and ADHD are the pesticides used on GMO foods. A study discovered that pesticide by-products were found in the urine of the 1,140 children sampled. â€Å"Children with substantially higher levels of a breakdown product of neurotoxic organophosphate pesticides were twice as likely to be diagnosed with ADHD. † (Zerbe). These pesticides are designed to attack the neurological system of pest, but have been linked to harming humans as well. One of GMO foods worst problems is its link to cancer. In a 2 year study done with rats (yes, done with more animals), the results of GMO foods were shocking. The control group was fed only clean foods, while the test group was fed only GMOs. The test showed that 50 percent more of the test rats died prematurely and 50 percent more of the females developed large tumors and cancer. The tumors in the test group were two to three times larger than the control group and developed in half the time it took the control group (Poulter). Quite of few GMO foods have been linked to cancer through carcinogens. These foods contain small trace amounts of carcinogens. Milk containing rBGH (recombinant bovine growth hormone) is the more notable of these foods; containing higher amounts of carcinogens than most other GMO foods (Collier). Very few studies of the long term effects of GMO foods have been done in America. Short term studies show GMO foods don’t harm us in anyway because they only contain slight amounts of pesticide, poisons, toxins, or carcinogens. 62 countries have strictly regulated or banned these foods because of the possible effects and long term studies of GMO foods. The problems and medical conditions these foods have been linked to are very serious and affect our entire nation. Most of our food has some sort of genetically modified content. Monsanto itself has concluded that GMO foods are harmful to animals, yet they continue to produce and distribute the genetically modified foods anyway. In fact, the Monsanto Protection Act (officially named Section 735) actually â€Å"effectively bars federal courts from being able to halt the sale or planting of controversial genetically modified (aka GMO) or genetically engineered (GE) seeds, no matter what health issues may arise concerning†¦. † (Connor). This basically means we can be fed poison and our own government could not stop them. We should stop the process of all GMO foods until we have researched enough about them to develop safe, poison free foods. Partovi, Ali. â€Å"Are Un-Labeled Genetically Modified Foods Already in Circulation? † The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost. com, 08 Jan. 2013. Web. 28 Apr. 2013. Lowery, Kate. â€Å"Studies Show GMOs in Majority of U. S. Processed Foods, 58 Percent of Americans Unaware of Issue. † Studies Show GMOs in Majority of U. S. Processed Foods, 58 Percent of Americans†¦ Whole Foods Market, 07 Oct. 2012. Web. 26 Apr. 2013. Barrow, Martin. â€Å"Obesity Kills More than Hunger in March of ‘progress'† The Times. The Times, 14 Dec. 2012. Web. 26 Apr. 2013. Fox, Elizabeth. â€Å"Obesity in America Compared to Europe. † LIVESTRONG. COM. Live Strong, 21 Dec. 2010. Web. 26 Apr. 2013. Tencer, Daniel. â€Å"Monsanto, World’s Largest Genetically Modified Food Producer, To Be Charged With Biopiracy In India (VIDEO). † The Huffington Post. The Huffington Post, 10 Mar. 2011. Web. 26 Apr. 2013. â€Å"Global Research. † Does Genetically Modified (GM) Food Increase the Incidence of Obesity? Washingtons Blog, 20 Mar. 2012. Web. 26 Apr. 2013. Daniels, Diane. â€Å"Are Genetically Modified Foods Contributing to the Rise in Autism? † Brain Works. Brain Worls, 14 May 2012. Web. 26 Apr. 2013. Zerbe, Leah. â€Å"Pesticides in food linked to ADHD in kids† Msnbc. com. Rodale, 09 Nov. 2011. Web. 27 Apr. 2013. Poulter, Sean. â€Å"Cancer Row over GM Foods as Study Says It Did THIS to Rats†¦and Can Cause Organ Damage and Early Death in Humans. † Mail Online. Daily Mail UK, 19 Sept. 2012. Web. 27 Apr. 2013. Collier, Richard. â€Å"Bovine Growth Hormone (rBGH)/Recombinant Bovine Somatotropin (rBST). † Bovine Growth Hormone (rBGH)/Recombinant Bovine Somatotropin (rBST). Breast Cancer Fund, n. d. Web. 28 Apr. 2013. Sheets, Connor. â€Å"‘Monsanto Protection Act’: 5 Terrifying Things To Know About The HR 933 Provision. † International Business Times. International Business Times, 27 Mar. 2013. Web. 28 Apr. 2013.