The Sobibor Revoltâ€Jewish Retaliation During Holocaust

The Sobibor Revolt- Jewish Retaliation During Holocaust Jews have often been accused of going to their deaths during the Holocaust like sheep to the slaughter, but this just wasnt true. Many resisted. However, the individual attacks and the individual escapes lacked the zest of defiance and craving for life that others, looking back in time, expect and want to see. Many now ask, why didnt the Jews just pick up guns and shoot? How could they let their families starve and die without fighting back? However, one must realize that resisting and revolting were just not this simple. If one prisoner were to pick up a gun and shoot, the SS would not just kill the shooter, but also randomly choose and kill twenty, thirty, even a hundred others in retaliation. Even if escaping from a camp were possible, where were the escapees to go? The roads were traveled by Nazis and the forests were filled with armed, anti-Semitic Poles. And during the winter, during the snow, where were they to live? And if they had been transported from the West to the East, they spoke Dutch or French - not Polish. How were they to survive in the countryside without knowing the language? Although the difficulties seemed insurmountable and success improbable, the Jews of the Sobibor Death Camp attempted a revolt. They made a plan and attacked their captors, but axes and knives were little match for the SSs machine guns. With all this against them, how and why did the prisoners of Sobibor come to the decision to revolt? Rumors During the summer and fall of 1943, the transports into Sobibor came less and less frequently. The Sobibor prisoners had always realized that they had been allowed to live only in order for them to work, to keep the death process running. However, with the slowing of the transports, many began to wonder whether the Nazis had actually succeeded in their goal to wipe out Jewry from Europe, to make it Judenrein. Rumors began to circulate- the camp was to be liquidated. Leon Feldhendler decided it was time to plan an escape. Though only in his thirties, Feldhendler was respected by his fellow inmates. Before coming to Sobibor, Feldhendler had been the head of the Judenrat in the Zolkiewka Ghetto. Having been at Sobibor for nearly a year, Feldhendler had witnessed several individual escapes. Unfortunately, all were followed by severe retaliation against the remaining prisoners. It was for this reason, that Feldhendler believed that an escape plan should include the escape of the entire camp population. In many ways, a mass escape was more easily said than done. How could you get six hundred prisoners out of a well-guarded, land mine-surrounded camp without having the SS discover your plan before it was enacted or without having the SS mow you down with their machine guns? A plan this complex was going to need someone with military and leadership experience. Someone who could not only plan such a feat but also inspire the prisoners to carry it out. Unfortunately, at the time, there was no one in Sobibor who fit both these descriptions. Sasha On September 23, 1943, a transport from Minsk rolled into Sobibor. Unlike most incoming transports, 80 men were selected for work. The SS were planning on building storage facilities in the now empty Lager IV, thus chose strong men from the transport rather than skilled workers. Among those chosen on that day was First Lieutenant Alexander Sasha Pechersky as well as a few of his men. Sasha was a Soviet prisoner of war. He had been sent to the front in October 1941 but had been captured near Viazma. After having been transferred to several camps, the Nazis, during a strip search, had discovered that Sasha was circumcised. Because he was Jewish, the Nazis sent him to Sobibor. Sasha made a big impression on the other prisoners of Sobibor. Three days after arriving at Sobibor, Sasha was out chopping wood with other prisoners. The prisoners, exhausted and hungry, were raising the heavy axes and then letting them fall on the tree stumps. SS Oberscharfà ¼hrer Karl Frenzel was guarding the group and regularly punishing already exhausted prisoners with twenty-five lashes each. When Frenzel noticed that Sasha had stopped working during one of these whipping frenzies, he said to Sasha, Russian soldier, you dont like the way I punish this fool? I give you exactly five minutes to split this stump. If you make it, you get a pack of cigarettes. If you miss by as much as one second, you get twenty-five lashes.1 It seemed an impossible task. Yet Sasha attacked the stump [w]ith all my strength and genuine hatred.2 Sasha finished in four and a half minutes. Since Sasha had completed the task in the allotted time, Frenzel made good on his promise of a pack of cigarettes - a highly prized commodity in the camp. Sasha refused the pack, saying Thanks, I dont smoke.3 Sasha then went back to work. Frenzel was furious. Frenzel left for a few minutes and then returned with bread and margarine - a very tempting morsel for all who are really hungry. Frenzel handed the food to Sasha. Again, Sasha refused Frenzels offer, saying, Thank you, the rations we are getting satisfy me fully.4 Obviously a lie, Frenzel was even more furious. However, instead of whipping Sasha, Frenzel turned and abruptly left. This was a first in Sobibor - someone had had the courage to defy the SS and succeeded. News of this incident spread quickly throughout the camp. Sasha and Feldhendler Meet Two days after the wood cutting incident, Leon Feldhendler asked that Sasha and his friend Shlomo Leitman come that evening to the womens barracks to talk. Though both Sasha and Leitman went that night, Feldhendler never arrived. In the womens barracks, Sasha and Leitman were swamped with questions - about life outside the camp...about why the partisans had not attacked the camp and freed them. Sasha explained that the partisans have their tasks, and no one can do our work for us.  5 These words motivated the prisoners of Sobibor. Instead of waiting for others to liberate them, they were coming to the conclusion that they would have to liberate themselves. Feldhendler had now found someone who not only had the military background to plan a mass escape, but also someone who could inspire confidence in the prisoners. Now Feldhendler needed to convince Sasha that a plan of mass escape was needed. The two men met the following day, on September 29. Some of Sashas men were already thinking of escape- but for just a few people, not a mass escape. Feldhendler had to convince them that he and others in the camp could help the Soviet prisoners because they knew the camp. He also told the men of the retaliation that would occur against the whole camp if even just a few were to escape. Soon, they decided to work together and information between the two men passed via a middle man, Shlomo Leitman, so as not to draw attention to the two men. With the information about the routine of the camp, layout of the camp, and specific characteristics of the guards and SS, Sasha began to plan. The Plan Sasha knew that any plan would be far-fetched. Even though the prisoners outnumbered the guards, the guards had machine guns and could call for back-up. The first plan was to dig a tunnel. They started digging the tunnel in the beginning of October. Originating in the carpentry shop, the tunnel had to be dug under the perimeter fence and then under the minefields. On October 7, Sasha voiced his fears about this plan - the hours at night were not sufficient to allow the entire camp population to crawl through the tunnel and fights were likely to flare-up between prisoners waiting to crawl through. These problems were never encountered because the tunnel was ruined from heavy rains on October 8 and 9. Sasha began working on another plan. This time it was not just a mass escape, it was a revolt. Sasha asked that members of the Underground start preparing weapons in the prisoner workshops- they began to make both knives and hatchets. Although the Underground had already learned that the camp commandant, SS Haupsturmfà ¼hrer Franz Reichleitner and SS Oberscharfà ¼hrer Hubert Gomerski had gone on vacation, on October 12 they saw SS Oberscharfà ¼hrer Gustav Wagner leaving the camp with his suitcases. With Wagner gone, many felt the opportunity ripe for the revolt. As Toivi Blatt describes Wagner: Wagners departure gave us a tremendous morale boost. While cruel, he was also very intelligent. Always on the go, he could suddenly show up in the most unexpected places. Always suspicious and snooping, he was difficult to fool. Besides, his colossal stature and strength would make it very difficult for us to overcome him with our primitive weapons.6 On the nights of October 11 and 12, Sasha told the Underground the complete plans for the revolt. The Soviet prisoners of war were to be dispersed to different workshops around the camp. The SS would be individually lured to the various workshops either by appointments to pick up finished products they had ordered like boots or by individual items that attracted their greed like a newly arrived leather coat. The planning took into consideration the Germans brashness and power-hungry mistreatment of the seemingly subdued Jews, their consistent and systematic daily routine, their unfaltering punctuality, and their greed.7 Each SS man would be killed in the workshops. It was important that the SS did not cry out when being killed nor any of the guards alerted that something unusual was happening in the camps. Then, all the prisoners would report as usual to the roll call square and then walk out together through the front gate. It was hoped that once the SS had been eliminated, the Ukrainian guards, who had a small supply of ammunition, would acquiesce to the revolting prisoners. The phone lines were to be cut early in the revolt so that the escapees would have several hours of fleeing time under the cover of darkness before back-up could be notified. Significant to the plan was that only a very small group of the prisoners even knew of the revolt. It was to be a surprise to the general camp population at roll call. It was decided that the following day, October 13, would be the day of revolt. We knew our fate. We knew that we were in an extermination camp and death was our destiny. We knew that even a sudden end to the war might spare the inmates of the normal  concentration camps, but never us. Only desperate actions could shorten our suffering and maybe afford us a chance of escape. And the will to resist had grown and ripened. We had no dreams of liberation; we hoped merely to destroy the camp and to die from bullets rather than from gas. We would not make it easy for the Germans.8 October 13 The day had finally arrived. Tension was high. In the morning, a group of SS arrived from the nearby Ossowa labor camp. The arrival of these additional SS not only increased the man power of the SS in the camp but could preclude the regular SS men from making their appointments in the workshops. Since the additional SS were still in the camp during lunchtime, the revolt was postponed. It was rescheduled for the following day - October 14. As the prisoners went to bed, many were afraid of what was to come. Esther Grinbaum, a very sentimental and intelligent young woman, wiped away her tears and said: Its not yet the time for an uprising. Tomorrow none of us will be alive. Everything will remain as it was - the barracks, the sun will rise and set, the flowers will bloom and wilt, but we will be no more. Her closest friend, Helka Lubartowska, a beautiful dark-eyed brunette, tried to encourage her: There is no other way. Nobody knows what the results will be, but one thing is sure, we will not be led to slaughter.9 October 14 The day had come. Excitement among the prisoners was so high that no matter what happened, the revolt could not be postponed, for the SS were sure to notice the change in mood in the prisoners. The few weapons that had been made were already handed out to those doing the killing. In the morning, they all had to try to look and act normal while waiting for the afternoon to come. NoonAll battle team commanders (the prisoners who were to actively participate in the revolt were broken up into battle teams of two to three persons each) had each individually met with Sasha for final instructions.Frenzel entered the carpentry shop and noticed one prisoner was wearing especially nice clothing. The inmate was wearing nice clothes in preparation for the revolt. Many other prisoners were wearing extra clothes as well as carrying extra food and valuables. Frenzel asked the prisoner if he was going to a wedding. 102:00 p.m.Something unusual happened. SS Unterscharfà ¼hrer Walter Ryba, armed with a submachine gun, came into Lager I and took four prisoners away with him. SS didnt usually carry such heavy weapons. Could he know about the planned revolt?3:00 to 4:00 p.m.Sasha found out that SS Ryba was only carrying the submachine gun because a Ukrainian guard had not also accompanied the prisoners.Many of the battle teams take their positions.My assignment was to liquidat e Scharfà ¼hrer Greischutz, who was in charge of the Ukrainian guard. I was happy for the opportunity given to me to kill a German. We had prepared axes, which we had sharpened in the smithy. We took up our position an hour earlier. At four oclock we were sitting in the rooms and waited.11 4:00 to 5:00 p.m.The killings began. (Though there are discrepancies in the accounts as to which SS officer was killed at what location, the following is a summary of the SS deaths.)Vorlager: Leon Feldhendler was stationed here to help orchestrate the revolt in this section of the camp.Unterscharfà ¼hrer Josef Wulf: Wulf was the first SS man killed during the revolt. Once he entered the storeroom, one prisoner offered him a coat and another helped him into it. While he was putting on the coat, two other prisoners hit him on the head with axes. Wulfs dead body was then hidden among piles of clothes and the blood was cleaned up.Steubel: Steubel was also lured into the storeroom and killed.Scharfà ¼hrer Vallaster: Killed during revolt; circumstances of death not known.Scharfà ¼hrer Kurt Beckman: While the attempt to lure Beckman to the storeroom for a new leather coat started successfully, on his way he abruptly turned around and went to his office. A little later, three prisoners we nt to Beckmans office where they surprised him and stabbed him with daggers. Since they did not have time to hide his body or clean up the blood, they left the body behind the desk.Unterscharfà ¼hrer Walter Ryba: Not part of the planned killings, Ryba entered the SS garage and was killed by a prisoner working there. Sasha worried that Rybas body, which was very close to the SS and Ukrainian living quarters, would be discovered.Lager I: Sasha Pechersky was stationed here to orchestrate the revolt in this section of the camp.Untersturmfà ¼hrer Josef Niemann: The acting commander of the camp rode up to the tailor shop on his chestnut horse, dismounted, and went inside. As he was being fitted for a new uniform, prisoners hit him on the back of the head with an  axe. His body was then dragged to the back room and his horse taken back to the stables.Oberscharfà ¼hrer  Goettinger: Head of Lager III, Goettinger was asked to try on a new pair of boots in the shoemakers shop. While tal king to the shoemaker, Goettingers head was smashed with an  axe.Scharfà ¼hrer Siegfried Greischutz: Head of the Ukrainian guard, Greischutz was killed once inside the Ukrainian tailor shop.Klat: Klat, a Ukrainian guard, entered the tailors shop looking for his boss, Greischutz (who had just been killed there). The tailors maneuvered Klat so that his back was to the back room. He was then attacked and killed.Scharfà ¼hrer Friedrich Gaulstich: Gaulstich was killed in the carpentry workshop. After 5:00 p.m.The prisoners had gathered as usual in the roll call area. At 5:10 p.m. - twenty minutes early for roll call - the roll call whistle was blown according to Sashas signal. Though Sasha was surprised at how well the plan had gone thus far, he realized that there could not be an orderly march through the front gate. Sasha stood up and addressed the assembled prisoners, saying something similar to Our day has come. Most of the Germans are dead. Lets die with honor. Remember, if anyone survives, he must tell the world what has happened here.12A Ukrainian guard discovered the body of Scharfà ¼hrer Beckman behind his desk and ran outside where SS men hear him yell, A German is dead! This alerted the rest of the camp to the revolt.The prisoners at the roll call square yell, Hurrah! Then it was every man and woman for themselves.Prisoners were running to the fences. Some were trying to cut them, others just climbed over. Yet, in most places, the minefield was still fully in pl ace.Suddenly we heard shots. In the beginning only a few shots, and then it turned into heavy shooting, including machine-gun fire. We heard shouting, and I could see a group of prisoners running with axes, knives, scissors, cutting the fences and crossing them. Mines started to explode. Riot and confusion prevailed, everything was thundering around. The doors of the workshop were opened, and everyone rushed through. . . . We ran out of the workshop. All around were the bodies of the killed and wounded. Near the armory were some of our boys with weapons. Some of them were exchanging fire with the Ukrainians, others were running toward the gate or through the fences. My coat caught on the fence. I took off the coat, freed myself and ran further behind the fences into the minefield. A mine exploded nearby, and I could see a body being lifted into the air and then falling down. I did not recognize who it was.13As the remaining SS were alerted to the revolt, they grabbed machine guns an d began shooting into the mass of people. The guards in the towers were also firing into the crowd.The prisoners were running through the minefield, over an open area, and then into the forest. It is estimated that about half the prisoners (approximately 300) made it to the forests. The Forest Once in the forests, the escapees tried to quickly find relatives and friends. Though they started off in large groups of prisoners, they eventually broke into smaller and smaller groups in order to be able to find food and to hide. Sasha had been leading one large group of about 50 prisoners. On October 17, the group stopped. Sasha chose several men, which included all the rifles of the group except one, and passed around a hat to collect money from the group to buy food. He told the group that he and the others he had chosen were going to do some reconnaissance. The others protested, but Sasha promised hed come back. He never did. After waiting for a long time, the group realized that Sasha was not going to come back, thus they split into smaller groups and headed off in different directions. After the war, Sasha explained his leaving by saying that it would have been impossible to hide and feed such a large group. But no matter how  truthful  this statement, the remaining members of the group felt bitter and betrayed by Sasha. Within four days of the escape, 100 of the 300 escapees were caught. The remaining 200 continued to flee and hide. Most were shot by local Poles or by partisans. Only 50 to 70 survived the war. Though this number is small, it is still much larger than if the prisoners had not revolted, for surely, the entire camp population would have been liquidated by the Nazis. Notes 1. Alexander Pechersky as quoted in Yitzhak Arad,  Belzec, Sobibor, Treblinka: The Operation Reinhard Death Camps  (Indianapolis: Indiana University Press, 1987) 307.2. Alexander Pechersky as quoted in Ibid 307.3. Alexander Pechersky as quoted in Ibid 307.4. Alexander Pechersky as quoted in Ibid 307.5. Ibid 308.6. Thomas Toivi Blatt,  From the Ashes of Sobibor: A Story of Survival  (Evanston, Illinois: Northwestern University Press, 1997) 144.7. Ibid 141.8. Ibid 139.9. Arad,  Belzec  321.10. Ibid 324.11. Yehuda Lerner as quoted in Ibid 327.12. Richard Rashke,  Escape From Sobibor  (Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 1995) 229.13. Ada Lichtman as quoted in Arad,  Belzec  331. 14. Ibid 364. Bibliography Arad, Yitzhak.  Belzec, Sobibor, Treblinka: The Operation Reinhard Death Camps.  Indianapolis: Indiana University Press, 1987. Blatt, Thomas Toivi.  From the Ashes of Sobibor: A Story of Survival. Evanston, Illinois: Northwestern University Press, 1997. Novitch, Miriam.  Sobibor: Martyrdom and Revolt. New York: Holocaust Library, 1980. Rashke, Richard.  Escape From Sobibor. Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 1995.

The Beheading of Precious Doe

The Beheading of Precious Doe On April 28, 2001, the nude, decapitated body of a 3-year-old girl was found near an intersection in Kansas City, Missouri. Two days later her head was found nearby in a plastic garbage bag. It would be more than four years before the girl, given the name Precious Doe by police, would be identified as Erica Green. Sketches, computer drawings and busts of the child were distributed nationwide and on several television crime programs before a relative came forward and identified the victim on May 5, 2005. Mother, Stepfather Charged in Case The Precious Doe case had frustrated police for four years and had been featured on several television crime shows, including Americas Most Wanted.   In the end, police say, it was a tip from a family member that finally helped authorities identify the child and also those responsible for her death. Press reports said a grandfather of one of the principles involved came forward and provided police with photographs of Erica as well as hair samples from the child and the mother. On May 5, 2005, Michelle M. Johnson, the 30-year-old mother of Erica, and Harrell Johnson, 25, her stepfather, were arrested and charged with murder. Police said Johnson told them he was under the influence of alcohol and PCP when he became angry with Erica when she refused to go to bed. He kicked her, threw her on the floor, and left her there unconscious. Erica remained on the floor unconscious for two days, because the couple refused to seek medical help because they both had warrants out for their arrest, police said. After Erica died the Johnsons carried her to a church parking lot, then into a wooded area where the stepfather cut her head off with hedge clippers. Ericas body was found near an intersection and two days later her head was found nearby in a plastic trash bag. On December 3, 2005, prosecutors announced that they would seek the death penalty in the case against Harrell Johnson. Authorities believed that the child died while Johnson was decapitating her with hedge clippers. Cousin Sheds Light on the Abuse Suffered by Erica According to Harrell Johnsons cousin, Lawanda Driskell, The Johnsons moved in with Driskell in April 2001. Michelle Johnson helped her husband dispose of Erica by placing the dead child in a stroller as if she was asleep. Later, she told Driskell that she had given Erica to another woman to raise. She described Harrells treatment of Erica as abusive, stating that he beat her for small infractions such as crying or not wanting to eat. One day she heard a loud bang coming from childs room and for the next two days, Erica was kept in the room. The couple told Driskell that the child was sick. Michelle Johnson then told Driskell that she took Erica to live with the woman who first raised the child. Michelle Johnson Pleads Guilty   On September 13, 2007, Michelle Johnson pleaded guilty to second-degree murder of her 3-year-old daughter. In a plea deal, she agreed to testify against her husband, Harrell Johnson, who was charged with first-degree murder. In return, prosecutors agreed to recommend a 25-year-sentence for the mother of the murdered child. Precious Does Mom Testifies Against Husband Michelle Johnson told the jury that Harrell Johnson was on drugs when he kicked her daughter in the head and the child dropped to the floor unconscious. He just picked up his feet and kicked her on the side of the face. I said, What the (expletive) did you do? It shook him out of his high, Johnson said. She said she put the child in a tub of cold water, but she failed to come around. She then put her on the bedroom floor where she stayed for two days before she died. Fearing that she might be arrested on outstanding warrants, Johnson made the decision to not call for medical help. Guilty Verdict A Kansas City jury deliberated for about three hours before returning a guilty verdict. Harrell Johnson, 29, was charged with the death and the decapitation of three-year-old Erica Green, the daughter of his then-girlfriend who he married a year later.   Johnson was also convicted of endangering the welfare of a child and abuse of a child. During closing arguments, prosecutors told the jury that a guilty verdict would finally bring justice for Erica. This selfish coward made the decision to put himself before this 3-year-old childs life, said prosecutor Jim Kanatzar. Sentenced On November 21, 2008, Harrell Johnson was sentenced to life without parole.

Juvenile Delinquency in Context Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Juvenile Delinquency in Context - Research Paper Example This study does not just look at victims first in and effort to determine if they then become juvenile criminals themselves, but it also look at juvenile offenders who subsequently become victimized themselves. The authors also look at other possible causes of juvenile delinquency, such as bully and experience some form of traumatic stress. The Development Victimization survey forms that basis for much of the study, and it uncovers evidence that quite a few groups of adolescents are labeled as delinquent, but do not suffer from victimization themselves. Also, it is discovered that being a victim does not necessarily lead someone to become a juvenile delinquent himself or herself. Iravani, M. R. (2012). A social work study on juvenile delinquency. Management Science Letters, 2(4), 1403-1408. The authors of this article present the findings from an empirical study that examined the effects that different factors in society played on adolescents become labeled as a juvenile delinquent. The study design employed the distribution of a survey to 100 adolescents who are known to have committed a crime. Specifically questioned were such areas as family conditions, religion, economic situation, the impact of media, and physical and psychological characteristics. The authors wanted to see to what extent each of these factors played, if any, in the incidences of juvenile delinquency. ... Khurana, A., and Gavazzi, S. (2011). Juvenile delinquency and adolescent fatherhood. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 55(5), 756-770. This is an interesting study that explores the prevalence of juvenile delinquency amongst teenage fathers. A good sample size of nearly 3,000 males participated in the study, and the findings are explored in the 14-page study article. It was discovered, among other things, African American youth have equal rates of fatherhood as other European races who are also offenders. This study leads to the conclusion the juvenile delinquency as a whole can lead to risky sexual behaviors contributing to teenager fatherhood, and this has little to nothing to do with race. It was also reported that European youth you commit crimes have higher rates of drug and substance abuse than others, and are more likely to engage in risky sexual behaviors. In essence, the authors of this study contradict other research, and commonly held b eliefs, that racial stereotyping has a great deal to do with the rates of certain minority groups having a higher propensity toward behavior leading to juvenile delinquency. Kirschbaum, K., Grigoleit, L., Hess, C., Madea, B., and Musshoff, F. (2013). Illegal drugs and delinquency. Forensic Science International, 226(1-3), 230. While much research has been conducted about the influence of drugs and other types of substance abuse on an individual’s behavior, not much is known about the factors involved. This study takes different types of juvenile crimes and determines if there is a correlation between a particular type of substance abuse. In the end it was discovered that there is no set tie

American Express Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

American Express - Research Paper Example In business segment, American Express offers options to small business, merchants, and corporations, providing them powerful applications to run small business, card programs and solutions to corporations, and a host of other various merchant products such as merchant accounts and marketing etc. Broadly speaking, customer segment of American Express can be divided into 5 categories, which include U.S. Card Services, International Card Services, Global Network and Merchant Services, Global Commercial, and Corporate & Other services. The customer base of American Express is worldwide; it serves the market wherever it is providing its services through its workforce strength of 58,300 employees (American Express, 2011). American Express is a multi-product firm competing in the financial industry segment with annual revenue of $24.5 billion. Its Cards-in-force are 87.9million in number, and total assets $124 billion. The annual purchase volume of American Express Cards is $620 billion (Am erican Express, 2011). Stock market performance in the NYSE of the American Express for the first-quarter has been declared to the tune of $1.2 billion in net revenue, which is an increase of 33% from 885 million a year back, as reported on 20 April 2011. Diluted income per share was $0.97, recording an increase of 33 percent from $0.73% one year back. The company has reported an increase of 7 percent in the consolidated total income net of interest expense, going up to $7.0 billion from previous year’s $6.6 billion. The company has been able to realize higher income because of increased spending by card members and increased travel commissions and fees, which has offset to some extent reduced interest income because of reduced pay off on loan portfolio (PHX, 2011). Quarters Ended Percentage March 31, Inc/Dec. 2011 2010 ______________________________________________________________________________ Total Revenues Net of Interest Expense $ 7,031 $ 6,560 7 % Net Income $ 1,177 $ 885 33 % Earnings Per Common Share – Diluted: Net Income Attributed Shareholders $ 0.97 $ 0.73 33 % Average Diluted Shares Outstanding 1,198 1,191 1 % Return on Average Equity 27.9 % 18.0 % ______________________________________________________________________________ American Express has gained huge success in bringing regular improvement in the credit quality by reducing its consolidated provisions for losses from $943 million in 2010 to $97 million in 2011. Consolidated expenses also recorded an increase of 19%, going up from previous year’s $4.4 billion to $5.2 billion, which has been attributed towards huge investment in business building and costs incurred on higher rewards. The company recorded an increase in return on average equity (ROE) by 27.9 percent from the previous year’s 18.0 percent (New Release, American Express, 2011). Incidentally, the Board of Directors of American Express Company declared on 23 May 2011 a regular quarterly dividend of $0.1 8 per common share, payable on August 10, 2011 to shareholders of record on July 1, 2011 (American Express, 2011). Major competitors of American Express are Capital One Financial Corporation, Visa Inc., Discover Financial Services, and MasterCard Incorporated, as given below from the stock performance of all of the companies. The American Express Company is leading in TTM sale to the extent of $28,290m while Capital One Fina

Christian Commission Essay Example for Free

Christian Commission Essay The foregoing discussion showed that during the civil war women served in many capacities. They helped in the war effort even though they only stayed at home by knitting socks and sewing shirts and uniforms; they organized themselves in order to raise funds for the war chest; they acted as medics and field nurses; and some of them, who proved as brave if not braver than the others, literally risked their lives by playing the dangerous game of espionage. However, their participation in the war did not stop there. They defied the law in both the North and the South which prohibited women to join the army as fighting soldiers by posing as men. Both the Union and the Confederate armies were duped into drafting women disguised as men. Although most of them were probably propelled by extreme patriotism, it turned out that many joined the army for other, more personal reasons. One of the most notable women soldiers in the Union army was Sarah Emma Edmonds. Sarah joined the army as a volunteer in Michigan, where she enlisted as a man by the name of Franklin Thompson. (Lewis, 2007) She later served with the 2nd Michigan Infantry for a couple of years. It was reported that there were times when she had to act as a spy disguised either as a black man or as a ‘woman. ’(Hall, n. d. ) She was reported to have seen action in the â€Å"Battle of Blackburn’s Ford, the Peninsular Campaign, Antietam, and Fredericksburg. † According some accounts, she later deserted and became a nurse with the â€Å"U. S. Christian Commission. † (Lewis, 2007) However, there were reports that she voluntarily left the army after contracting malaria and feared that she would be found out if she would submit for treatment. (CivilWarStudies. org, n. d. ) Her application for a veteran’s pension which was approved in 1884 was given under the name Sarah E. E. Seelye, her married name. (Lewis, 2007) She was later named to the â€Å"Grand Army of the Republic,† the lone female to have been so named. (Hall, n. d. ) Another interesting story was that of Malinda Blalock. In her desire to be with her husband, William Mckesson Blalock (known as Keith to friends), she pretended to be William’s brother, Samuel. She then joined F Company of the â€Å"26th North Carolina Infantry† where Keith was also serving. Malinda was a Confederate by heart while Keith was a dyed-in-the-wool â€Å"Lincolnite† and was loyal to the Union cause. Although Keith was pressured by his family and fiends into joining the Confederate Army, he was always entertaining thoughts of deserting as soon as an opportunity presented itself. Malinda, despite being a loyal Confederate subject, was prepared to desert with him anytime. (Hall, n. d. ) However, the opportunity for desertion not having presented itself, the couple fought alongside each other under the Confederate flag (in a total of three battles) until March 1862 when Malinda sustained a shoulder wound. Afraid that they would be separated as soon as it was known that Malinda was a woman and forced out of the unit, Keith covered himself with poison oak to develop skin blisters and high fever. Fearing a case of small pox, the company doctor decided to discharge him for medical reason. The couple left Company F together on April 20, 1862 and went home to the â€Å"mountains of western North Carolina† to rest. The risk of recall to duty remained for Keith, however. So what the two did was hide in the mountains and turned Union guerillas, operating in the mountainous areas of East Tennessee and western North Carolina. Keith and Malinda later functioned as scouts attached to the â€Å"10th Michigan Cavalry. † (Halls, n. d. ) There was also a case involving a 19-year-old immigrant from Ireland. He gave the name Albert D. J. Cashier when he signed up with the 95th Illinois Infantry on August 3, 1862. He was said to have participated in about forty major and minor battles until August 17, 1865. After his stint with the Union army, he found employment as an ordinary laborer and ultimately received a pension. He later lived in a Soldier’s Home located in Quincy, Illinois where, in 1913, he was eventually discovered by a home surgeon that he was actually a she. Albert D. J. Cashier’s being a woman made the headlines. Nobody who knew her during her whole adult life ever suspected that she was in reality a woman. On October 11, 1914, Cashier died in an asylum for the mentally ill. (Blanton, 1993)

Essay --

Alex opened his eyes to the taste of dust and blood. His head was on the floor. He tried to lift it, but to no avail. A small groan escaped his lips, followed by a fit of coughing. What happened? The scene before him was something out of a Michael Bay movie. Grey concrete, rebar, settling dust, unconscious bodies. Unconscious, or maybe dead. What happened? He tried to move his leg, with the effectiveness of putting out a fire with gasoline. It was crushed by several tonnes of concrete and twisted metal. What happened? He finally found the strength to raise his head a fraction of an inch from the concrete. Caroline. He desparately searched the carnage around him until his eyes locked on a face. His wife. Dammit, what the hell happened? He tried to lift his head further, but only succeeded in inducing a coughing fit, forcing him to relinquish the small amount of progress he had made. Suddenly, a weak, sickly sounding voice pierced the unnatual stillness that had enveloped the space since he awoke. â€Å"Hey.† Her lips were powder white, and the voice was barely above a whisper, but she was alive. He managed a weak smile before moving his own lips. â€Å"Hey.† His eyes traced a line from her face, down her body, only to see a foot of rebar protruding from her ribcage. His smile wavered, but he forced himself to keep a smile plastered on his own powder-caked face. Later. Later I’ll tell her. â€Å"How are you doing love?† â€Å"A little sore.† She managed a weak trace of a smile, that quickly turned into a grimace. Her labored breathing caused the rebar to sway back and forth, like a macabre tree in an invisible breeze. The effort of talking obviously exhausted her. He once again started examining the surrounding wreckage, giving her a little ti... ...bye to the love of his life. He gripped the steering wheel, and put the car in reverse, swinging out of the parking spot, and onto the open road, Caroline’s last words echoing in his head. â€Å"’Til Death do us part.† The words echoed all the way home, and followed him into the house. His every thought was occupied by her. The more he thought, the more he realized it felt like she was actually there. He closed his eyes, and opened them, disappointed to find that it wasn’t actually true. Despite this, he smiled and laid back, his head propped up, the way he used to do when she laid on top of him, often falling asleep on a summer afternoon, and only waking up to go to bed. He still couldn’t shake the feeling that made her seem absolutely tangible to him, despite the absense of her presense. He finally said, to nobody in particular, â€Å"Darling, you’ll never be dead to me.†

Tama Speed Cobra Pedals Review

Camco, DW and Ludwig have all produced such beasts, as has Japanese drum giant Tama. Its Iron Cobra pedal is truly a drum world icon, having been relied on by countless big-name artists on the world's biggest stages over many years. But now comes a new pretender in the form of the Speed Cobra, with features borrowed from its well-regarded older sibling and a host of innovative design tweaks to boot. Tama's tagline for the Speed Cobra is ‘Extreme Velocity, Serious Power'. As such the Speed Cobra's new features have two simple goals in common – to increase speed and to increase aggressive response. Tama points out that these two aims have traditionally been mutually exclusive, with fast pedals losing some power, and powerful models reacting slower than some would like. So what solutions do Tama offer? Well to start with, a quick overview of the features which the Speed Cobra shares with the Iron Cobra. Such things include the Oiles bearing hinge (as used in the aerospace industry no less), the patented Cobra Coil spring – which is located beneath the footboard to quickly return it to its default position after each stroke – and the Vari-Pitch beater holder that enables adjustment of the footboard link angle independently of the beater angle. To that already impressive mix, the Japanese company has added several significant new features. The first and most obvious of these is the ‘Fast Foot' footboard. Longer than on the Iron Cobra, the Fast Foot board is designed to increase speed of response but at the same time require less effort than previous designs. In addition, the face of the board is smooth to reduce friction, which Tama reckon will improve control. On top of this there's an impressive new bearing assembly in the shape of the Fastball bearing on the end of the drive shaft, a true round sprocket (which Tama have named, brilliantly, ‘LiteSprocket') that's evidently 40 percent lighter than the Iron Cobra's, and the new Projector Beater. The beater allows the choice of narrow or wide ‘striking surfaces' simply by changing the head angle – go for punchy, defined attack with the former or a fatter, fuller response with the latter. All this talk of new features (and we haven't touched on the chain drive's new Recessed Setting which increases the angle of attack for super speed and light action, nor the new ‘Super Spring', designed to offer less resistance at the beginning of the pedal stroke) has left us little space to discuss the actual build quality of the Speed Cobra. Fortunately, little space is required for this, as it is stunningly good. The Speed Cobra is beautifully engineered and does the Cobra name proud. If your eyebrows headed skyward at the number of clever feature names Tama has bestowed on the Speed Cobra, a word of warning. For sure, it's easy to dismiss ‘Speed Spring' or ‘LiteSprocket' as marketing waffle, but when pressed into action the Speed Cobra does a fantastic job of silencing the cynical. For starters it's an incredibly smooth-rolling pedal. An objective appraisal of the impact of the new bearing mechanisms, for example, is well out of the scope of a review like this, but subjectively it feels wonderful. .For metal drummers dishing out high-bpm double bass battery, the Speed Cobra could be your new best friend. But that's not to say Tama's newbie is a one-trick pony. It's so well-conceived and built – with the kind of near-endless adjustment that high-end pedals offer these days – that it could be pressed into service in any genre with aplomb.