2,031 words

Rossini's role in the development of Romantic opera

The Italian composer, Gioachino Rossini (1792-1868) wrote thirty six operas, many of which are still performed and enjoyed today. These include the well-known the Barber of Seville (1816), La Cenerentola (1817), Semiramis (1823) and William Tell (1829).

~11 min read

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1,131 words

Government's duty to help the poor through market-based economics

With the recent passage of health care reform in the United States, the debate over whether or not government has a duty to help those in need has been infused with new breath. The response to this question may vary upon how you view the role and purpose of government.

~6 min read

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1,726 words

Redemption, sin, and forgiveness in The Kite Runner

Khaled Hosseini's the Kite Runner is a beautiful book at once for the simplicity of its storytelling and for the complexities of human life and perspective that it lays clear to the careful reader.

~9 min read

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2,198 words

William Byrd's social ambition and the Virginia-North Carolina border survey

Such seems to have been the case of Colonel William Byrd (1674-1744), a planter, author, and the founder of the city of Richmond. Colonial America in the 17th and 18th centuries was still a mass of unknown and undiscovered lands.

~11 min read

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1,770 words

George F. Kennan's Cold War containment strategy and Latin America

State Departments leading expert on the Soviet Union, George F. Kennan, sent his famous "long telegram" to the state department from his post in the U.S. embassy in Moscow in February 1946, wherein he enunciated his realist views of U.S.-Soviet relations in the Cold War.

~9 min read

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2,414 words

Natural therapies and environmental factors in Alzheimer's disease

This is a peer-reviewed 15-page article by James a. Howenstine, MD, a board-certified specialist in internal medicine, who is convinced that natural therapies are more effective, safer, and less expensive than pharmaceutical drugs for Alzheimer's disease treatment.

~13 min read

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1,192 words

Orwell's warning: individualism versus totalitarian control in 1984

George Orwell wrote 1984 to serve as a warning for mankind. He was concerned about a government so large that it strips the people of any individuality and he used extremes to express his concern.

~6 min read

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1,831 words

Determinism versus free will: optimists and pessimists

Throughout history a constant issue that has been consistently grappled with is: the issue of determinism. Simply put, determinism is when the various events or actions that are occurring in someone's life are the reflection of the overall state of affairs within society.

~10 min read

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1,535 words

Immigrants' positive economic impact on wages, taxes, and services

There are few issues that are more controversial than immigration in America. Current efforts to reform immigration policy have fostered heated dialogue, and many of the loudest arguments are based on the perceived economic impact of the immigrant population.

~8 min read

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757 words

International investment in Thailand amid political instability

Recent developments in Greece and elsewhere in the euro periphery demonstrate that investing always incorporates risk, even in the relatively stable societies of Western Europe.

~4 min read

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