Biography of John F Kennedy

Biography of John F Kennedy Free Online Research Papers With Harvard behind him, John F Kennedy briefly attended Stanford Business School and along with most Americans of his age registered for the draft in October 1940. His number was called, but he used his status as a student to defer entry into the military until the summer of 1941. Meanwhile, he left Stanford Business School and took a rather aimless trip through South America in the spring of 1941. John failed the physicals for both the army and the navy. His failed them from his health problems such as, stomach trouble, was far too thin, and while playing football on the Harvard JV squad during his sophomore year he had a bad fall that led to a rupture of his spinal disc. This left him with back troubles that would plaque him for the rest of his life. His father’s connection prevailed and a friendly doctor gave John a clean bill of health. He was sworn in as a naval ensign on September 25, 1941, less than two months before the bombing of Pearl Harbor. This was the day that would drag America into World War II. After the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, Kennedy applied for sea duty. He begged his father to pull strings to get him assigned to sea duty. Joseph Kennedy Sr. obliged and in late 1942 Kennedy was given an assignment on a Patrol Torpedo Boat better known as a PT boat. After six-months of training, he and his crewmates shipped out from San Frisco bound for the South Pacific and in combat with the Japanese. Kennedy was promoted to lieutenant and was given command of a boat designated PT -109. On the night of August 02, 1943 the PT-109 stood at her station in Blackett Strait, south of Kolombangara . This strategy was bad planning and even worse communication. Kennedy and fourteen other PT boats set out to engage, to damage and maybe even turn back the well-known â€Å"Tokyo Express† the Japanese navy more or less regular resupply convoy that enabled resistance to the advance of United States forces in the islands farther south. When the patrol actually did come in contact with the Tokyo Express, for three Japanese destroyers acting as transports with a fourth as escort, the encounter did not go well. Thirty torpedoes were fired with no more effect than to make the Japanese even fierier than they had been. The PT boats that had used up their torpedoes were ordered home and the few that still had torpedoes remained. In the doubtful hope of catching the action was that if the Japanese had not been damaged, neither had Americans yet. PT-109 was one of the boats left behind. Lieutenant Kennedy gathered his boat with PT-162 of his own patrol section and PT-169, which had been separated from another section. The three PT’s spread out to make a picket line across the strait. Around 2:30 in the morning, a shape loomed out of the darkness three-hundred yards off from the PT-109’s starboard bow. So difficult to see that at first it was believed to be another PT. When Kennedy seen it was one of the Japanese destroyers, he attempted to turn to starboard to bring his torpedoes to bear, but there was not enough time . The destroyer later identified as the Amigari, the escort ship of the Tokyo Express struck PT-109 just forward of the starboard torpedo tube . This ripped away that side of the boat and this happened less than a minute since Kennedy sighted the escort ship. The impact tossed Kennedy around the cockpit, and his radioman John E. Majuire was actually thrown from it. Most of the crew were knocked or fell into the water. Engineer Patrick McMahon, the only man below decks escaped, although he was badly burned by exploding fuel. Fear that PT-109 would go up in flames drove Kennedy to order the men who still remained on the wreck to abandon ship. The destroyers wake dispersed the burning fuel and when the fire began to subside, and then Kennedy sent his men back to the boat to see what was left of it. Two of Kennedy’s crew was kille d outright, several badly wounded, while the others managed to hang onto the half of the PT boat that was still afloat . From the wreckage of the PT-109, Kennedy ordered the men with him, Edgar Mavier and John E Majuire to identify the location of their shipmates still in the water. Ens Leonard Thom, Gerald Zinser, Ens George Ross and Raymond Albort were able to swim back on their own. Kennedy swam out to McMahon and Charles Harris. Towing the incapacitated McMahon by a life-vest strap Kennedy returned to the PT-109 alternately cajoling and berating the hurt. Harris exhausted, followed behind Kennedy to get him through the difficult swim. Thom pulled in William Johnston, who was debilitated by the gasoline that he had accidently swallowed and the heavy fumes that lay on the water. Finally, Raymond Starkey swam in from where he had been flung by the shock. The men were afraid to fire their flare gun for fear of attracting the attention of the Japanese who were on islands on all sides. After a discussion of options and aware that time was running out, the men abandoned the remains of PT-109. They struck out for an island that was three and a half miles away and hoped it was unoccupied. Kennedy had been on the swim team at Harvard, so even towing McMahon by a belt through his teeth, he was not worried about the distance. Several of his men were good swimmers, several were not and two of them could not swim at all. Kennedy arrived first at the island, named Plum Pudding, but called â€Å"Bird Island† by the men because of the guano that coated the bushes. Kennedy collapsed and waited for the rest of the crew. Alarmed by a Japanese barge that passed close by, Kennedy was determined to swim down the Ferguson Passage through which the American PTs passed when they were operating in Blackett Strait Island. He was hopping and clinging to reefs and he made his way out into the passage where he treaded water for an hour before deciding that the PT’s were in action elsewhere for that night. The return trip nearly killed him, for strong currents spun him out into Blackett Strait and then back into Ferguson Passage. On August 04, 1943, Kennedy led the men back into the ocean striking out for Olasana Island in hopes of finding food and fresh water, but also trying to get closer to Ferguson Passage. It was a disappointment, for it only had coconuts that made some of the men sick. On August 05, 1943, Kennedy took a canoe into Ferguson Passage once more, with little success. On August 06, 1943, Kennedy returned with two Solomon Islanders Gasa and Kumana to Naru. Gasa showed Kennedy how to scratc h a message into a green coconut husk. The message read NAURO ISL COMMANDER†¦NATIVE KNOWS†¦POST’IT†¦HE CAN PILOT†¦IIALIVE†¦NEED SMALL BOAT†¦KENNEDY. Gasa and Kumana took the message to the hideout of a nearby Australian coast watcher who arranged rescue . On August 07, 1943, eight islanders appeared at Naru shortly after Kennedy and Ross awoke and brought food and instructions from the local Allied coast watcher, for Lt. A. Reginald Evans wanted Kennedy to come over to Evan’s post. They stopped long enough at Olasana to feed the crew. The islanders hid Kennedy under a pile of palm fronds, so they could paddle Kennedy to Gomu Island in Blackott Strait. Evans had already notified Rendova of the discovery of PT-109’s survivors and the base commander was proposing to send the rescue mission directly to Olasana. Kennedy insisted on being picked up first, so he could guide the rescue boats PT-157 and PT-171 among the reefs and shallow s of the island chain. The night of August 07, 1943, the boats met Kennedy at the rendezvous point exchanging a prearranged signal of four shots. Kennedy’s revolver was down to only three rounds, so he borrowed a rifle from Evan for the fourth. Standing up in the canoe to give the signal, for he did not anticipate the rifle’s recoil. In which it threw Kennedy off balance and dumped him into the water. It was a wet and thoroughly exhausted navy lieutenant who climbed aboard PT-157. The PT-157 crossed Blackett Strait under Kennedy’s direction and eased up to Olasana Island early in the morning of August 08, 1943. The rescue went forward without incident and the men of PT-109 reached Rendova at 5:30 in the morning on August 08, 1943. Kennedy was awarded the Navy and Marine Corps for his courage and leadership. He also received the Purple Heart for his injuries suffered during the incident. Ens. Leonard Thom also received the Navy and Marine Corps Medal, but the event for Kennedy was far more reaching than simple decorations. The story was picked up by the writer John Hersey, for which he told it to the readers of the New Yorker and Reader’s Digest and it followed Kennedy into politics. It provided a strong foundation of his appeal as a young veteran and for he was a war hero who had not won battles but who had shown courage, dogged will, responsibility for those he led, the ability to inspire them, and it would be otherwise inexperienced political leader. The ordeal made Kennedy a war hero, but Kennedy’s frail health gave away, for he contracted malaria and his old back problems flared up. He was rotated back to duty in the United States and by spring of 1944 he found himself laid up in Boston†™s Chelsea Naval Hospital and was diagnosed with a chronic lower back disease. By this point Joe Kennedy Jr., Kennedy’s brother, had been flying missions against the Nazis for some time. Joe Kennedy Jr. even turned down a chance to return to the United States in order to keep flying. Later some would claim that Kennedy’s sudden celebrity from the PT-109 incident bothered his older brother Joe Jr. and drove him toward a reckless pursuit of heroism. What became Joe Jr’s final mission was an almost suicidal dangerous operation that consisted of dropping ten tons of high explosive TNT on a German target in France. The mission proved fatal, as Joe Jr’s plane exploded in the air over southern England on the evening of August 12, 1944. The devastating news reached the Kennedy family’s summer home in Hyannis, Massachusetts, a day later. The family was united in grief and their sorrows only increased in September, with the news that Kathleen’s husband had been killed in the war. Kennedy’s back trouble continued and the he ro of PT- 109 left with a spinal injury received a medical discharge from the navy on March 01, 1945 . Returning to his family, Kennedy soon found himself the focus of his father’s thwarted ambitions. Joseph Kennedy, Sr. has seen his eldest son die in a war that he himself had opposed and he now channeled all of his energies and ambitions into a political career for his second –born son. Kennedy later described, â€Å"It was like being drafted. My father wanted his oldest son in politics.† â€Å"Wanted† isn’t the right word, He demanded it !† Later when Kennedy was President of the United States, he welcomed both Arthur Evans and Benjamin Kevu to the White House. The coconut that Kennedy scratched the message onto and Evan’s reply had pride of place among his trophies and souvenirs . John Fitzgerald Kennedy was assassinated on November 22, 1963 in Dallas, Texas to where he planned to make speeches on behalf of the space program, for Houston, Texas was the center for the manned space flight program . JFK at age 46 had been President of the United States for two years, ten months and two days. Research Papers on Biography of John F Kennedy19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraHonest Iagos Truth through DeceptionNever Been Kicked Out of a Place This NiceAppeasement Policy Towards the Outbreak of World War 2Open Architechture a white paperHip-Hop is ArtLifes What IfsQuebec and CanadaGenetic EngineeringComparison: Letter from Birmingham and Crito

The eNotes Blog 10 Popular Songs With LiteraryRoots

10 Popular Songs With LiteraryRoots Books, movies, music the media. They influence and mimic (and steal from) one another, resulting in a rich network of ideas and entertainment. At , we are unabashedly biased toward the written word (#BookNerdPride), and become  giddy when books are the source of motion pictures or other modern cultural benchmarks. While  bopping my head to some Lana Del Rey last week, hey, Lolita, heyyyy blasted through my headphones; I became  curious about other modern songs with bookish  Easter eggs. A bit of Wikipedia  studious research  later, and I was pleasantly surprised with all the hit  songs with literary inspirations. 1. Off to the Races by Lana Del Rey Ill start with another Lana Del Rey single because  Ive already spoiled her inclusion in this club. The lyrics of  Off to the Races  include the famous opening line  in  Vladimir Nabokovs Lolita: Light of my life, fire of my loins.  The aforementioned song Lolita also pays homage to  Nabokovs controversial, romantic narrative. 2. Poet by  Bastille Bastille has publicly stated this song is based on Shakespeares Sonnet 18. Poet is about eternalizing a lover by writing her into the pages of the song. One can speculate the crooners inspiration came directly from the sonnets closing lines: When in eternal lines to Time thou grow’st. So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see, So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.   3. Holland 1945 by Neutral Milk Hotel A hybrid of literature and historical influence, Holland 1945 includes several references to  Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl.  The opening lines of the song reference  Franks and her sisters deaths: The only girl Ive ever loved Was born with roses in her eyes But then they buried her alive One evening, 1945 With just her sister at her side 4. Jocasta by  Noah and the Whale UK-based indie band Noah and the Whale pays homage to the Greek tragedy  Oedipus Rex  by Sophocles with this tune. Jocasta is Oedipuss mother  and well we wont spoil anything if you havent read it yet (but try not to hit your head on the rock youre living under). The song follows her narrative  and her subsequent unavoidable doom. 5. Romeo and Juliet by Dire Straits / The Killers An oldie but a goodie, and a relatively recent reworkie by The Killers, this ballad was originally introduced in the 80s by the rock band Dire Straits and directly references Shakespeares infamous star-crossed lovers in  Romeo and Juliet. 6. Who Wrote Holden Caulfield? by  Green Day I think the answer youre looking for is J.D. Salinger, Green Day, and the book is actually  The Catcher in the Rye. Green Days song is named  after Salingers phony-hating main character Holden Caulfield, and expresses the novels  themes: Theres a boy who fogs his world and now hes getting lazy Theres no motivation and frustration makes him crazy He makes a plan to take a stand but always ends up sitting Someone help him up or hes gonna end up quitting 7. Sigh No More by Mumford and Sons Sigh No More by Mumford and Sons has direct  quotes from  Shakespeares Much Ado About Nothing,  such as the songs opening line: Serve God, love me, and mend (spoken by Benedick in Act 5, Scene 2). 8. Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen One of the greatest songs of all time, in my humblest opinion, is Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen.  This ballad is biblically rooted, specifically intertwining the stories of David/Bathsheba and Samson/Delilah in one verse: Well your faith was strong but you needed proof You saw her bathing on the roof Her beauty and the moonlight overthrew ya She tied you to her kitchen chair And she broke your throne and she cut your hair And from your lips she drew the Hallelujah This song also has dozens of covers (Rufus Wainwrights and Jeff Buckleys are probably the most popular ones) and even has a book written about it. 9. The Resistance by Muse George Orwells  1984  influenced this song as well as the entire album. While the theme of totalitarian government is blatant  in the lyrics, the band was particularly influenced by the love story between Julia and Winston, as is evident in this verse: Love is our resistance They keep us apart and they wont stop breaking us down And hold me, our lips must always be sealed 10. Samson by Regina Spektor Another biblically influenced song, Samson is about a lover lamenting and musing over the ol  what could have been?  thought that plagues so many experiencing unrequited love.  The song mimics Delilahs love for Samson, which at times is unreturned, and the loss of Samsons power with losing his hair, possibly representing vulnerability in a relationship. Check out the full list on Wikipedia, and let us know your favorites in the comments!

Leadership Skill-Building Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 3

Leadership Skill-Building - Essay Example The indicators are engaged in the measurement of performance drivers such as organizational vitality, productivity gain and market position strength. The metrics also measure the financial performance outcomes as well as stakeholder value generated. Research on life cycle model shows different organizational growth stages in the model’s growth through a basic illustration of revenues (for profit) and budget (non-profit) activities. Evaluation reports may illustrate absence of extensive predictors for international executive success while agreeing that open flexibility; drive, language, and personality skills contribute towards successful international leadership. More teams are comprised of people from different nationalities, languages, ideas, behaviors, cultures and ways of achieving objectives. A section of a given team may argue that international business language negates the communication issues for which cross-cultural teams are involved in developing hands-on experience for such disagreeing teams (DuBrin, 2013). People of different backgrounds of culture gather come together within settings that are always in a position of promoting interaction. The implication of such a balance is the energizing elements of the organization. Such a dimension also reflects a truthful culture and organization under which decision-making policies are traditionally held closely by smaller groups of individuals. The systems and mechanics of broadening senior teams vary based on organizational and cultural considerations. The scope of leadership includes creation of common contexts within the item and reason of the strategies that serve as critical milestones for broader leadership teams. In a number of cases, the approach prefers creating groups of between 50 and 100 people recognizing collective accountability for success of entire strategies (DuBrin, 2013). The steps present effective partnering

Sandin v. Conner Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Sandin v. Conner - Essay Example In said action, the District Court granted the officials summary judgement, which was however reversed by the Court of Appeals. The CA ruled that Conner had a liberty interest to be free from disciplinary segregation, for which reason there was a question of fact whether he had been denied due process, under Wolff v. McDonnell (418 US 539). 1. According to the decision in Wolff, states may in certain circumstances create liberty interests that are protected by the Due Process Clause. Those interests, however, will mostly be in the nature of freedom from restraint, in the sense that the punishment imposes an atypical and significant hardship on the inmate in relation to the ordinary and usual conditions of prison life. 3. The punitive measure taken against Conner, which is disciplinary segregation, is not the atypical, significant hardship in which a State might conceivably create a liberty interest. Aside from the fact that Conner’s record was subsequently expunged, segregation was administered as a usual condition of prison life, not more burdensome than similar measures imposed upon inmates in administrative segregation and protective custody. Conner’s discipline did not exceed similar but totally discretionary confinement, in either duration or degree of restriction. This writer agrees with the decision. It is true that prisoners do not shed all constitutional rights at the prison gate, (Wolff, 418 U.S. at 555), but it must be remembered that â€Å"lawful incarceration brings about the necessary withdrawal or limitation of many privileges and rights, a retraction justified by the considerations underlying our penal system† (Price v. Johnston, 334 U.S. 266, 285 (1948)). The court has determined that while the case involves a punitive measure imposed on Conner, it is not a â€Å"dramatic departure† from the basic conditions of his sentence. Within bounds of reason and where abuse is absent, the

Corporate governance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Corporate governance - Essay Example uthor, difficulty of identifying a causal effect is aggravated due to lack of conclusive theories, which enable researchers worldwide to regard a specific corporate governance code as good or bad. Corporate governance framework established within companies need to incorporate core values of accountability, transparency, responsibility and fairness (ACCA, â€Å"Disclosures on corporate governance†). Even so, reported high profile financial scandals such as, those of Enron and WorldCom, suggest that the framework was not implemented at all. Weak corporate governance and untrustworthy financial reporting were cited as major reasons behind these scandals. These facts called for the need to establish robust corporate governance framework among organizations all over the world. Following this incidents, many laws were passed such as, Cadbury Report in United Kingdom, Sarbanes Oxley Act in the United States, the Dey Report in Canada, the Vienot Report in France, the Olivencia Report in Spain, the King’s Report in South Africa, Principles and Guidelines on Corporate Governance in New Zealand and the Cromme Code in Germany. Some authors claim that these laws have proven to be immensely successful in achieving objectives of transparent financial reporting; whereas, some authors have conveyed their options against efficacy of these laws. A significant proportion of research has investigated whether quality of financial reporting is influenced by various disclosure requirements of corporate governance. The results of these empirical researches are mixed. For example, research done by Armstrong, et al (2010) fails to provide conclusive results regarding ways in which managerial compensation influences quality of financial reporting. Cheng and Warfield (2005) have pointed out that a negative relation exists between managerial incentives and the standard of financial reporting. According to them, managerial incentives are amplified on the basis of their performance and not

Francisco Pizarro Essay Example for Free

Francisco Pizarro Essay Francisco Pizarro was born in 1474 in Trujillo, Spain. In 1502 he arrived in the Spanish colony of Hispaniola where he later joined the expedition to settle Panama in 1519. I can say that Pizarro’s victory over the Incas is considered to be the most shocking and the most incredible military accomplishments in history. Pizarro wanted to be famous, so he thought it would be great to conquer the great Inca Empire. His own personal goals were to become wealth and to be known as great. This time, he intended to conquer the Incas just as Hernando Cortez had crushed Mexicos Aztecsand he couldnt have picked a better time. In 1525, Pizarro and two ships set sail for Peru. He returned to Panama, where he lived, with gold, llamas, and Indians. In 1528, Francisco Pizarro returned to Spain to get permission from Charles V, king of Spain, to conquer Peru for Spain. Charles supplied him with funds for the expedition. Pizarro returned to Panama and organized the expedition. He had a tiny army of 100 foot soldiers and some 60 cavalry. In 1530 he reached Peru and went to inland in Andes, to in town where the Inca ruler, Atahualpa, was staying. However, Atahualpa was in a civil conflict with his half-brother, Huascar and he had just recently won the war against his brother when Pizarro arrived, and the empire was still unstable. Pizarro ambushed the ruler, forced him to collect an enormous payment, and then executed him. Although the Incas mounted significant resistance to Pizarro, they were soon broken. Soon, by November 1533 the conquistadores were in control of Cuzco, the Inca capital.

Les Miserables :: essays papers

Les Miserables "Les Miserables" is about a man, Jean Valjean, who has just been released from the galleys after 19 years of imprisonment. He is in search of food and shelter, but all the taverns and inns in D----- have rejected him, because he is a former convict. He then meets a woman in front of the church who tells him to go to the house where the bishop lives. Although the bishop knows Valjean is a convict, he takes him in, and gives him food and shelter. However, Valjean is still tempted to steal from the bishop. He takes his silverware, and flees. Valjean is caught by the police, and forced to return to the bishop's house. The bishop gives Valjean a second chance, by telling the police that the silverware was a gift, and giving him the silver candlesticks in addition. Valjean is instructed to start a new life as an honest man. In M---- sur M----, Valjean invents a new manufacturing process, and earns a great fortune. He has his own factory, and has been elected Mayor Madeline, a new name, to begin a new life. In his factory, works a woman, Fantine, who has given up her child so that she could work to begin a new life, as well. Her daughter, Cosette, was left with the Thenardiers. She was treated terribly, and was forced to eat under the table, with the dog. Meanwhile, Javert, an officer in the galleys where Valjean served, denounces Valjean, because he claims he recognizes him as a former convict. However, he later changes his point of view, claiming that he has found the real Valjean, who is being charged with stealing a branch off an apple tree. Valjean could not live knowing that someone else may be charged more harshly because of the crimes he had committed in the past. Valjean announced his true identity to save the man. He returned to his factory to collect all his money, and then to escape from the police. Javert eventually caught Valjean. At this time, Fantine, who was deathly sick, thought that Valjean had brought Cosette to her. When Javert arrested Valjean, Fantine died. Valjean was sent to the galleys again, but escaped, by faking his death.