... in a way that reaches to the audience on a deep level and shows none of the nostalgia and nationalism that many war stories and poems utilize. The speaker of the poem, serves as the expert on war, as a veteran of it. But, unlike poems that may convey the bravery and courage of battle, this soldier and speaker focuses on the negative and pervasive state of battle. He brings the battle to light, so to ... and patriotism is just as important to note, as is the idea of sleeping and losing oneself by retreating from rational, lucid thought. The narrator in lines 5 and 6 uses both the nightma...

• Word Count: 633
• Approx Pages: 3
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... absolute living hell," Damien Echols, Jessie Misskelley, Jr., and Jason Baldwin were released from prison, where they were currently serving out their sentences for the murder of three second-graders in West Memphis, Arkansas in 1993. Steven Branch, Christopher Byers, and Michael Moore were found dead in a ditch with their bodies mutilated and hog-tied by their ... were driven by satanic ritual, regardless of the extreme lack of evidence that they had to indict the boys. Echols and Baldwin entered an Alford plea on three counts of first degree murder, while Misskelley entered his plea ...

• Word Count: 794
• Approx Pages: 3
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... 7:40 AM Hawaii time. Thousands will attend the ceremony, but the number of Pearl Harbor survivors gets smaller every year (Lynch). Unfortunately, because of the dwindling number of survivors, and the ill health and old age of the remaining ones, this ceremony will be the last one conducted by the survivors' association (Lovett). "We had no choice," said William H. Eckel, who previously directed the Fourth Division of the association. "Wives and family members have been ... can't do it. People are winding up in nursing homes and intensive care units" (Lovett). Harry Kerr, another survivo...

• Word Count: 589
• Approx Pages: 2
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

Millions of hotels across the United States nonchalantly discard their visitors' once-used bars of soap every day. In fact, hundreds of millions of soap bars are discarded each year in North American alone. As relatively wealthy Americans, no has thought anything of it - until Derreck Kayongo launched the Global Soap Project (Ruffins). The project began in the early 1990s after Kayongo's first hotel stay in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Ugandan native panicked when he noticed his bathroom soap was being replenished every day despite the fact that he only got one or two uses out of the bars (...

• Word Count: 1392
• Approx Pages: 6
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... that is controlled from El Salvador, and it has been decided by those in charge that the local organizations might need a little more training in drug trafficking, racketeering, extortion, etc. So the higher ups in the organization are sending those that can train in these areas, which of course does not look good for the Charlotte area. "There seems to be a concerted effort to better organize ... the gang here in Charlotte," says FBI Special Agent Ray Duda. "And that effort was initiated by leaders ... in El Salvador." The MS13s are not your average gang. They seem to be smart in thei...

• Word Count: 426
• Approx Pages: 2
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

U.S. security has seen a dramatic increase since the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Although the airlines have been cooperative so far, British Airways is finally voicing its frustration as the security becomes ever so tighter. As many of the traveling public would agree, chairman of British Airways, Martin Broughton, criticized the airport checks proposed by the U.S. Transportation Security Administration for being "completely redundant." At an annual conference of the U.K. Airport Operators Association in London, Broughton explained that the TSA is requiring foreign airports to increase checks on U...

• Word Count: 537
• Approx Pages: 2
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... now those involved with the case are not so sure. There are unanswered questions and details that do not add up. Experts and those involved in the case of the anthrax killer have yet to reach a satisfactory conclusion. Narrowing It Down To catch the killer, the FBI subpoenaed samples of a particular strain of anthrax from labs around the world. They examined these samples for four mutations that would ... help identify a match to the strain that was used to kill five people in 2001 ... . The first sample received from Dr. Bruce Ivins was not properly submitted and was ... ...

• Word Count: 417
• Approx Pages: 2
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... determined there were nine key errors in scientific fact. Mr. Justice Burton was quoted as saying that some of these points he determined as untrue had been "in the context of alarmism and exaggeration," according to The Times Online Edition of October 11, 2007. However, a look at recent news seems to show that Mr. Gore's critics are and will continue to be proven wrong at ... calling him an "alarmist." The following evidence is likely just the "tip of the iceberg." The Associated Press reported on August 27 of this year that "sea ice in the Arctic Ocean is at its second lowest level in...

• Word Count: 379
• Approx Pages: 2
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... through the years, the common struggles of those who lived through the pioneering days of Florida's rich history. Floridians especially can easily relate to stories of malaria and mosquito swarms. They can relate to hurricanes, heat and crop devastating frosts, not to mention wildlife problems, from hogs, alligators, cougars, bears and wolves. This is a novel for both Floridians and history buffs and it gets at the essence of the human ... condition. No one is perfect. Everyone is flawed. Those we think are perfect are still susceptible to the forces of nature and of God. While many of ...

• Word Count: 399
• Approx Pages: 2
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

Argentine President Cristina Kirchner was recently in America this week for the UN General Assembly being held in New York City. The problem with this is, that puts her right in the fire, so to speak. She and her country have defaulted on billions in debt owed to U.S. creditors. President Kirchner has repeatedly ignored the U.S. federal court system and supposedly removed any of her country's assets to outside the U.S. and away from collectors. With her being in New York this week for the UN talks, U.S. bondholders' have become more upset due this obvious slap in the face to the U.S. Justice s...

• Word Count: 212
• Approx Pages: 1
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... to discuss the next proceedings in fighting for Davis' stay of execution and plead to the Georgia State Board of Pardons and Parole who had already denied the clemency. Those in support of Davis went as far as asking the prosecutor in the original case to persuade the original judge to reverse his order. The head of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People approached President Obama in hopes of getting a reprieve. Even the Innocence Project, which ... previously gained clemency for 17 ... ...

• Word Count: 815
• Approx Pages: 3
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

The trial of Dr. Conrad Murray, the personal physician of the late Michael Jackson, took a turn for the worse after the 911 call was played to jurors on September 29th. Murray chose not to call for an ambulance for nearly thirty minutes after he first realized that Jackson needed medical attention - a fact that prosecutors are calling an attempt at a cover-up (Los Angeles Times). Jackson's security guard, Alberto Alvarez, took the stand ... while Jackson was lying on his mattress, a soft surface. Murray then asked, "Does anybody know CPR?" although he was the doctor on hand. Murray then calml...

• Word Count: 528
• Approx Pages: 2
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... popularized back during World War I and World War II. They were meant to help citizens provide for themselves in an attempt to help the war effort. In fact, almost one third of the vegetables consumed in the United States in 1943 came from these Victory Gardens. This time the effort is aimed at helping the environment. What Is A Victory Garden? A victory garden is just a garden, but, at ... it was produced to where you find it in your own neighborhood. The cost is measured in terms of miles traveled and the gallons of fuel it takes to transport it. On average, it travels a distance of 1...

• Word Count: 464
• Approx Pages: 2
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... a showdown between government officials and pirates saw the latter holding a Ukrainian ship ransom for $20 million. That money, which has been as high as $30 million in some cases, has helped to finance the war in Somalia, according to some reports. Groups like Al-Shabaab, which the U.S. had designated a terrorist organization, are on the receiving end of some of these funds. According to Roger Middleton, author ... of a key report on the situation, "at the moment it's a five ... but that will end later this year, and there are no plans to replace their escort at that time. On June 2, t...

• Word Count: 419
• Approx Pages: 2
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... to them, with favorite songs, pictures and more. Some people even choose to personalize their key pad with different colors and options for each number on the phone. A cell phone is now such an integrated part of society, it is almost abnormal for someone not to own one. Unfortunately, cell phones have impacted society in a negative way, as well. Some people believe they have ... become impersonal; allowing people to text instead of actually talking to one another. Cell phone usage has increased the number of auto accidents from talking and driving, and is fast becoming illegal in a lot...

• Word Count: 418
• Approx Pages: 2
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... them know that you are going back to school and how this will affect your work. Will you need a special schedule? Will this schooling make you more valuable to the company? Playing up this angle will make for an employer who is glad to do whatever it takes to help you succeed. You will also have to talk to your family or ... that you set aside quality time just for them? What can they do to support you? Including them and letting them know that you will need your help as you take on extra responsibilities will help them to help you while making them a part of this new chapter of your li...

• Word Count: 434
• Approx Pages: 2
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... their size. Smaller particles can pose the greatest problem. Because of their size, it is easier for them to infiltrate the body via the lungs. Once they have made their way into the body, they can trigger an immune system response that can create even more problems. Depending on the pollutant, they can irritate the lungs, interfere with the supply of oxygen to parts of the body, or further complicate heart ... and lung issues. So What Are You Breathing? Some of the offending substances are ... depends on where you live and where you have to go on any given day. Your proximity to hotbeds...

• Word Count: 396
• Approx Pages: 2
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... Time magazine one culprit is undoubtedly global warming. Global warming increases the amount of carbon dioxide in our air. While that is good news for plants since they breathe in carbon dioxide, it's bad news for our children who are being deprived of oxygen. Plants, especially the weedier plants, are thriving and producing pollen out of proportion to their growth. Our children's respiratory systems, already struggling ... heavy air as well. Perhaps it's no wonder that 250,000 asthma related deaths are reported to the World Health Organization each year. Urbanization is another culprit...

• Word Count: 391
• Approx Pages: 2
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... mother, Theresa Bennett, explained. His brother Bernie Bennett also refuses to believe that Jones would have killed himself, considering he was making many plans for the future. "I talked to him the other day and he was going to be back for my birthday and we were going to celebrate together," Bernie said (FOX23news.com). George Bennett, Jones' uncle, was first to be notified. ... There's no way this was suicide" (Grondahl). Also pointing to the fact that Jones' death could be more than a suicide is the cryptic message he left for his girlfriend. "I love you," he told her. "By the time y...

• Word Count: 539
• Approx Pages: 2
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... Their minds is affected that they do things that are unconventional, immoral and against the law. They tend to lose their identity and judgment. For some cases, it would be too late for them to realize that that they were already hooked with heroin and their lives are ruined. History of Heroin The heroin comes from morphine which is a natural substance extracted from seedpod ... of opium poppy. The opium poppy was discovered and cultivated in Mesopotamia about 3400BC. It was until the 19th century that the chemical analysis of opium was revealed. Most of its content could ... "heroic"....

• Word Count: 367
• Approx Pages: 1
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... not print warnings or instructions for breakage on their packages. According to the EPA, the first step in a CFL breakage cleanup is evacuating and airing out the room. Have everyone leave the area, then open all doors and windows to the outside of the room while closing doors to the rest of the house. Leave the area yourself. Air out the room for 15 minutes before the cleanup begins. After the room has been aired and ... the mercury dissipated, carefully sweep up the glass shards and place in a box or sealed plastic ... ...

• Word Count: 527
• Approx Pages: 2
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... challenges to build a stronger and more prosperous nation," said Panetta (Shanker). "After a lot of blood spilled by Iraqis and Americans, the mission of an Iraq that could govern and secure itself has become real," he continued. "To be sure, the cost was high, in blood and treasure for the United States, and for the Iraqi people. Those lives were not lost in vain. No words, no ceremony can ... provide full tribute to the sacrifices which have brought this day to pass. I'm reminded of what President Lincoln said in Gettysburg, about a different war, in a different ... time. His words e...

• Word Count: 292
• Approx Pages: 1
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... size has a chance of meeting a "chubby chaser" on the internet, the chances of finding such a man in real life in her locale are slim to none. Most men will overlook the wonderful things about Christina and never give themselves the chance to fall in love with the woman she is. Stuart, a fairly corpulent man himself, is a bit of a shy computer geek whose prospects for relationship were equally hampered ... before logging on and finding the love of his life. 3) Faster sifting with less invested- In real ... life, when relationships go south or when the parties simply don't click, often ...

• Word Count: 499
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

... market and mortgage lender meltdowns, two-paycheck families are busting the budget on necessities. Even conservative spenders are growing weary. During a recent small group discussion, a mother of three held back tears as she described the effects of the dollar's weakening buying power. She and her husband both work and have been steadily employed for the last twenty years. Three years ago, they felt financially secure ... . They could afford to eat out occasionally or shop at the mall. They bought into a timeshare in Florida. ... Now they"re struggling. A comparison shopper, the woman s...

• Word Count: 398
• Approx Pages: 2
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... events such as Farm Aid bring attention to the issues. The need to support local farmers is emphasized at this event with celebrities, bands, and speakers. Issues such as farming without the heavy pesticides that larger corporations tend to use are also brought to attention. "Family farmers are the bedrock of this country. They are always looking for new answers to problems and finding creative solutions ... that work," said Willie Nelson, president and founder of Farm Aid. "We need family farmers for our future and people can keep family farmers on the land with their good food choices...

• Word Count: 492
• Approx Pages: 2
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School