What led to the decision to drop the atomic bomb?

President Truman had to make a decision about what methods should be used to defeat Japan, which would bring World War II to an end. The United States could have used conventional methods to defeat Japan. We could have blockaded the coast of Japan, bombed Japan, and then sent our military into Japan. Another option was available. This option was to use the atomic bomb to end the war.

President Truman decided to use the atomic bomb. He knew that the invasion of Japan could lead to a huge loss of American life. It was believed there could be one million American casualties in an invasion of Japan. President Truman believed it was his responsibility to save as many American lives as possible. Using the atomic bomb would allow him to do that.

Some historians also believed we used the atomic bomb to demonstrate our military might to the Soviet Union. We were having issues with the Soviet Union. They weren’t following some of the agreements we had made with them. Some people believed the use of the atomic bomb would send a message to the Soviet Union. We hoped it would encourage the Soviet Union to follow agreements we made with them.

Done properly, product placement can create a realistic scene and a general feeling of familiarity. Is there more to it than that? Do you think...

Product placement in movies and TV shows involves more than just invoking a feeling of familiarity. It also involves targeting a specific demographic or age group, particularly those who tend to skip ads, to make them become more emotionally connected to a product and develop an association with it. 

Research shows consumers remember product placement and that it has conscious and unconscious effects. For example, people tend to recall the product to a greater extent when they see it placed within a show or movie, which is a conscious effect. They also tend to exhibit a higher intention to purchase a product after seeing it placed within entertainment, which is a subconscious effect of product placement. Research suggests effective product placement can also lead the audience to reject that product's competitors, which also operates on a subconscious level. The less disruptive the placement is to the content, the more effective it is shown to be. 

Which product placement you choose to write about is up to you. Famous examples include the placement of Reese's Pieces in the movie E.T., which resulted in a major increase in the product's profits in the weeks after the movie was released. The TV show Sex in the City famously mentioned Manolo Blahnik shoes in a way that equated the brand with have-to-own luxury and increased brand awareness. James Bond films have featured famous car brands over the years, such as the Aston Martin DB5 featured in the earlier film Goldfinger and the more recent Skyfall. 

Who are the main characters in Markus Zusak's The Book Thief and what are their goals and conflicts?

Two main characters are Liesel and Max, who both desire to belong and be free.

The protagonist of The Book Thief is Liesel. Her first goal is to get parents. Because her father is gone and her mother seems to be a Communist, Liesel and her brother are sent to live with the Hubermanns as foster parents, but her brother dies on the train. Liesel’s second goal is to learn how to read, as she finds refuge in words and books. She learns how to read by stealing books, which is the origin of her nickname Book Thief.

She hadn’t learned to speak too well, or even to read, as she had rarely frequented school. The reason for that she would find out in due course (Chapter 1).

Liesel finds belonging with the Hubermanns. She has a family at last. In Hans’s loving arms, Liesel learns how to read. Liesel’s other conflict is the individual vs. society conflict of World War II, especially since she has befriended a Jew hiding in her basement.

The individual vs. society conflict of World War II also affects Max, the Jew hiding in Liesel's basement. Max’s conflict is that he is fighting for his life. He is Jewish, and therefore outlawed. The Hubermanns are sheltering him in their basement, and he tries to keep a positive outlook. Max feels the conflict with Hitler is personal, which is why he imagines himself in fisticuffs with Hitler.

“Come on, Führer,” he said, and this time, when Adolf Hitler set upon his Jewish counterpart, Max stepped aside and plunged him into the corner. He punched him seven times, aiming on each occasion for only one thing.

The mustache (Chapter 34).

Max fulfilled his wish to live life on his own terms by going outside at night during air raids, and by leaving even though it was at great risk to himself. Even when caught, Max was still himself. Max was a survivor. He lived because he was creative and positive.

A prison warden's managers have described him as distant, cold, uninvolved, and apathetic. How would you analyze his leadership repertoire?

A "leadership repertoire" is the combination of leadership skills, drawn from leadership styles, that are put to use, when they are needed the most, for the common good of the organization. 

According to Daniel Goleman's book Primal Leadership, the six most common leadership styles stem from an individual's emotional intelligence. The six styles are:

• Afiliative: "Let's keep the group together. Everything will be okay."


• Authoritative: "Let us all work together to achieve the goal."


• Coaching: "I will take the time to mentor each of you."


• Coercive: "My way or the highway."


• Democratic: "Let's all decide together for an outcome."


• Pace-Setting: "Here's the goal. It may be high, but reach it anyway."

The warden described in this hypothetical scenario is described as cold, uninvolved, and apathetic. Let's define these adjectives and attach each to a potential style, or antistyle.

While "cold" is a descriptor that entails lack of physical emotion or emotional connection, it is also an adjective that depends entirely on the eye of the beholder. What may be considered "cold" or "unemotional" in one culture or group may not be considered so by another.

Therefore, the fact that someone chooses to remain emotionally disconnected to the dynamics of the workplace has less to do with leadership style and more to do with personal defense mechanisms, especially in a hostile environment like the prison system.

To give the warden credit, his choice to be "cold" may actually be a good one, and will be part of an authoritative style from which his repertoire includes:

• avoiding attachments with prisoners


• preventing mental manipulation from potential sociopaths (which a fair number of criminals are)


• maintaining objectivity 


• averting mistakes made by hindered objectivity

All of this affects the work environment, particularly the specific work environment of a prison, in a way that nulls any potential "enmeshment" of emotion and vulnerability. A warden may have to appear unapproachable and cold, especially to the prisoners. This skill can actually work well with supervisors. The less emotional connected the warden is, the more objective he can become (ideally speaking).

Part of being cold may also include remaining uninvolved, or aloof from what is going on. Being uninvolved in situations that require regrouping, voting, goal-setting, and active participation, however, negatively affects the work environment. 

Just think what would happen if this warden did not become involved in rule-setting, defining limits between wardens and prisoners, or voting on the proper consequences for infractions? This person's repertoire lacks all six of the leadership styles. Therefore, this person's  repertoire also lacks

• decision making


• authority


• initiative


• cohesiveness


• connection

Finally, the warden is also considered apathetic. Someone who is apathetic shows neither emotion nor interest. The latter is the real problem. Not having interest means not possessing the internal or external motivation to accomplish anything. The problem with lacking motivation is that it immediately cancels out any potential leadership skill because the primary factor is missing: wanting to do anything. This warden will, therefore, also lack

• initiative


• problem-solving skills


• goal-setting or -reaching 


• cohesiveness


• decision making

The warden may, however, be so self-absorbed that all he cares about is what is "in it for him." That is also a huge problem because it means he will not consider the best interests of the community for which he works. For all we know, the warden is a non-entity at work. He does not do much to better any situation, but his attitude can affect a lot of people: he has the potential of infecting others with his lack of spirit, and may even work his way into manipulating others to disregard the importance of teamwork. 

What impact did the triangle trade have on Europe?

Triangular trade was the name given to the voyage that began in Europe, where manufactured goods were loaded and taken to Africa.  Some of these goods included different types of clothing, gold and even weapons such as guns.  These goods were traded for African slaves provided by local slave traders.  These slaves were then taken across the Atlantic Ocean on the part of the voyage most commonly known as the Middle Passage.  Many slaves didn't survive the trip to the Americas because of how they were shipped.  Once they arrived in the Americas, the slaves were traded for goods such as raw cotton, molasses, sugar and tobacco which ultimately was returned and sold back in Europe.

The positive effects for Europe directly related to the economic benefit from having these new goods inserted into the market.  Exotic goods would catch a premium price, especially from the aristocracy that had extra income to spend to show off their wealth and status.

Another positive effect was to establish territorial dominance not only in Africa, but the Americas as well.  These areas served as strategic strongholds to expand in the future.

One negative effect on Europe has to be the dark cloud of slavery cast upon the Europeans, especially in the late eighteenth century.  Quakers and other religious groups made it their mission to end slavery and to bring the oppressive ways of economic imperialists to the public eye.  By the early nineteenth century, the slave trade had all but disappeared, but the legacy of the slave trade and those who played a role in it has carried on through time.

What is the function of Abigail Williams in Arthur Miller's The Crucible?

Abigail Williams functions as a main antagonist who drives the play's cataclysmic events forward.  

Initially, Abigail Williams is completely averse to having anybody in the town even whisper about the possibility of witchcraft. She is adamant to Parris that she and the other girls were only dancing in the forest, saying, 

Uncle, we did dance; let you tell them I confessed it—and I'll be whipped if I must be. But they're speakin' of witchcraft. Betty's not witched.

As details about the girls' activities are revealed to the audience, we learn they also drank blood. Many of the girls are very worried, but Abby convinces them to keep quiet about everything. She is determined not to let any rumors of witchcraft survive, threatening,  

And mark this. Let either of you breathe a word, or the edge of a word, about the other things, and I will come to you in the black of some terrible night and I will bring a pointy reckoning that will shudder you. And you know I can do it; I saw Indians smash my dear parents' heads on the pillow next to mine, and I have seen some reddish work done at night, and I can make you wish you had never seen the sun go down!

Had Abigail kept up that kind of attitude, the rest of the play's events would have played out very differently.  

Abigail doesn't keep trying to keep witch rumors away, though. After seeing the attention heaped upon Tituba for naming a supposed witch, Abigail immediately chimes in that she saw other people with the Devil, too.  

Hale: God will bless you for your help.

Abigail rises, staring as though inspired, and cries out.

Abigail: I want to open myself! They turn to her, startled. She is enraptured, as though in a pearly light. I want the light of God, I want the sweet love of Jesus! I danced for the Devil; I saw him; I wrote in his book; I go back to Jesus; I kiss His hand. I saw Sarah Good with the Devil! I saw Goody Osburn with the Devil! I saw Bridget Bishop with the Devil!  

From this point forward, Abigail is the leader of the girls who cry witchcraft, and she accuses whoever she feels like. At first, I believe Abigail enjoys the attention and reverence given to her. Later, Abigail realizes she can use her position of power to have Elizabeth Proctor killed. If Elizabeth is dead, Abigail believes she can resume her affair with John Proctor.  

Who is the intended audience of Never Cry Wolf?

The intended audience of Never Cry Wolf, first published in 1963, is people who believe that wolves are creatures bent on killing. Mowat, a biologist, wrote this book after spending time observing wolves in far northern Canada, along the border between Nunavut and Manitoba. He was assigned by the Dominion Wildlife Service, part of the Canadian government, to figure out whether wolves were killing caribou and to encourage wolves to leave their dens so that they could be shot.

After observing the wolves, Mowat came to the conclusion that wolves only killed weak caribou and that this type of selective killing actually helped the caribou move more quickly in their migrations. Instead, he realized that the wolves subsisted mainly on smaller prey, such as hares and rodents, even when caribou were present. Mowat determined that humans were the main killers of wolves. In the end, he blamed the myth surrounding wolves--that they are "vicious and dangerous" (page 184) and the "pathological fear" (page vi) that humans have of wolves--for spreading the false idea that wolves killed caribou. This book, written for a wide selection of people who feared wolves but who wanted to know more about them, changed many people's opinions about the wolf and resulted in the growth of the Canadian environmental movement to stop human activities that resulted in killing wolves.