Nancy Astor, First Woman Seated in the House of Commons

Nancy Astor, First Woman Seated in the House of Commons Nancy Astor (May 19, 1879–May 2, 1964) was the first woman to take a seat in the British House of Commons. A society hostess, she was known for her sharp wit and social commentary. Fast Facts: Nancy Astor Known For: Social critic and first woman seated in the British House of CommonsAlso Known As: Nancy Witcher Langhorne Astor, Viscountess AstorBorn: May 19, 1879 in Danville, VirginiaParents: Chiswell Dabney Langhorne, Nancy Witcher KeeneDied: May 2, 1964 in Lincolnshire, EnglandPublished Work: My Two Countries, her autobiographyHonor: Freedom of the City of PlymouthSpouse(s): Robert Gould Shaw II (m. 1897–1903), Waldorf Astor (m. 1906–1952)Notable Quote: Women have got to make the world safe for men since men have made it so darned unsafe for women.Notable Exchange: Nancy Astor: Sir, if you were my husband, Id poison your tea. Winston Churchill: Madame, if you were my wife, Id drink it! Early Years Astor was born in Virginia  on May 19, 1879, as Nancy Witcher Langhorne. She was the  eighth of 11 children, three of whom died in infancy before she was born. One of her sisters, Irene, married the artist Charles Dana Gibson, who immortalized his wife as the Gibson girl. Joyce Grenfell was a cousin. Astors father Chisell Dabney Langhorne was a Confederate officer. After the war, he became a tobacco auctioneer. During her early childhood, the family was poor and struggling. As she became an adolescent, her fathers success brought the family wealth. Her father is said to have created the fast-talking style of auctioneering. Her father refused to send her to college, a fact that Astor resented. He sent Nancy and Irene to a finishing school in New York City. First Marriage In October 1897, Astor married society Bostonian Robert Gould Shaw. He was a first cousin of the Civil War Colonel Robert Gould Shaw, who had commanded African-American troops for the Union Army in the Civil War. They had one son before they separated in 1902, divorcing in 1903. Astor first returned to Virginia to manage her fathers household, as her mother had died during her Astors short marriage. Waldorf Astor Astor then went to England. On a ship, she met Waldorf Astor, whose American millionaire father had become a British lord. They shared a birthday and birth year and seemed to be very well matched. They married in London on April 19, 1906, and Nancy Astor moved with Waldorf to a family home in Cliveden, where she proved an adept and popular society hostess. They also bought a home in London. In the course of their marriage, they had four sons and one daughter. In 1914, the couple converted to Christian Science. She was strongly anti-Catholic and also opposed hiring Jews. Waldorf and Nancy Astor Enter Politics Waldorf and Nancy Astor became involved in reform politics, part of a circle of reformers around Lloyd George. In 1909, Waldorf stood for election to the House of Commons as a conservative from a Plymouth constituency; he lost the election but won on his second try, in 1910. The family moved to Plymouth when he won. Waldorf served in the House of Commons until 1919, when, at his fathers death, he became a Lord and thereby became a member of the House of Lords. The House of Commons Nancy Astor decided to run for the seat that Waldorf vacated, and she was elected in 1919. Constance Markiewicz had been elected to the House of Commons in 1918 but chose not to take her seat. Nancy Astor was thus the first woman to take a seat in Parliament and was the only woman MP until 1921. (Markiewicz believed Astor an inappropriate candidate, too out of touch as a member of the upper class.) Astors campaign slogan was Vote for Lady Astor and your children will weigh more. She worked for temperance, womens rights, and childrens rights. Another slogan she used was, If you want a party hack, dont elect me. In 1923, Astor published My Two Countries, her own story. World War II Astor was an opponent of socialism and, later during the Cold War, an outspoken critic of communism. She was also an anti-fascist. She refused to meet Adolf Hitler despite having the opportunity to do so. Waldorf Astor met with him about the treatment of Christian Scientists and came away convinced that Hitler was mad. Despite their opposition to fascism and the Nazis, the Astors supported economic appeasement of Germany, supporting the lifting of economic sanctions against Hitlers regime. During World War II, Astor was noted for her morale-boosting visits to her constituents, especially during German bombing raids. She just missed being hit once, herself. She also served, unofficially, as hostess to American troops stationed at Plymouth during the buildup to the Normandy invasion. Later Years and Death In 1945, Astor left Parliament, at her husbands urging and not entirely happily. She continued to be a witty and sharp critic of social and political trends when she disapproved, including of both communism and Sen. Joseph McCarthys anti-Communist witch hunts in the U.S. She largely withdrew from public life with the death of Waldorf Astor in 1952. She died on May 2, 1964. Legacy Astors time in Parliament was not one of great achievement or towering influence; she held no government posts and had no legislative achievements to show for her time of service. But the fact that she was the first woman to serve in that legislative body had a large impact. In the 2017 general election in Great Britain, a record 208 women MPs were elected to the House of Commons, a record high of 32 percent. Two female MPs, Margaret Thatcher and Theresa May, even ascended to the position of prime minister. Astor, as the first woman in the British House of Commons, was a trailblazer who first made it acceptable for women to serve. Sources â€Å"Nancy Astor, Viscountess Astor.†Ã‚  Ohio River - New World Encyclopedia, New World Encyclopedia.Keen, Richard, and Richard Cracknell. â€Å"Women in Parliament and Government.†Ã‚  Commons Library Briefing - UK Parliament, 20 July 2018,ï » ¿Ã¢â‚¬Å"Astors History.†Ã‚  Virtual Rome.

Special Interest Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Special Interest - Essay Example The aims and objectives of Interest groups are set in such a way so as to benefit the group members or a specific portion of society, for example procuring government subsidies to farmers. There are also issues which cover the public interest in the broader sense such as improving air quality. Berry (1999) believes that the interest groups in the United States act as mediators in conveying the opinion and requirements of the common man to the elected representatives. Individuals can find an interest group that can address or focus on his personal problem. The directories of American Voluntary Associations provide an overview of what these interest group associations aim at and why they are formed. The Gale Research Encyclopedia of Associations is considered as the most acceptable listing of interest groups. Most of these groups seek to influence the public policies. Prior to 1970, the records in America had information on interest groups which were actively involved in business, labor and agriculture. As per the findings of Baumgartner and Leech (1998), the interest group universe has become more complicated since then. With the industrialization, the agricultural groups have started dwindling and have lost influence in the United States. Large number of new interest groups has come into existence, some of them are mentioned below: The large multinational corporations have much influence and say, states Sinclair (2000). These companies will be generally members in more than one trade association. These associations represent the view of the industry they are associated with. The National Association of Manufacturers and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce are supported by the big corporations and these â€Å"umbrella† groups represent and speak on behalf of the entire business community, believes Victor (2001). Professionals also

Movie review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Movie review - Essay Example The movie draws Stone’s experience in the war and most of the characters in the movie were his colleagues in the Vietnam War. The movie starts with the arrival of Chris Taylor in Vietnam where he joined other U.S soldiers in the war as a volunteer with very little war experience (Platoon). Indeed, Chris Taylor was a young, innocent American college dropout who volunteered to join the Vietnam combat. Subsequently, subject to his lack of war experience, his presence in the warzone was initially insignificant and hence the feeling of loneliness. Indeed, Chris Taylor had fought for a short period and did not possess any effects of the war as compared to other soldiers. Nevertheless, the movie assets that Chris Taylor joined the Bravo Company, 25th Infantry near the Cambodian border along other seasoned soldiers. At first, the exhaustion nearly drove his enthusiasm away but the movie demonstrates his will to persevere. Indeed, the movie manifests that after witnessing combat and ge tting injuries from the war, Chris Taylor effectively integrated into the Bravo Company. The movie reflects on the role of Chris Taylor in the unit and his relationship with the fellow soldiers who lead the Bravo Company (Platoon). Actually, Sgt. Barnes as Tom Berenger and Sgt. Elias as Willem Dafoe were leading the platoon. The movie portrays Sgt. Barnes as a man who encountered violence and corruption of his soul in the war through the scars on his face. On the other hand, Sgt. Elias is a calm man who lost his belief in the war and hence continues to fight with his personal and moral courage. As such, there existed immense rivalry between the two sergeants in the leadership of the platoon. Chris Taylor was thus a victim of this rivalry. Indeed, Chris Taylor was now fighting against the enemy on one side and equally fighting the conflict within his platoon. Actually, the two sergeants out lightly conflicted during an illegal killing occur during a village raid (Platoon). Platoon gi ves a clear reflection of the war and the moral issues involved in the war. More so, the movie relevantly mixes the reality of the war with small realistic details like exhaustion and the counting of day to the end of the war. Furthermore, the platoon depicts various battles that took place in the Vietnam War during the night and village raids. Most significantly is the fact that many of the characters in the movie are symbols with a deeper meaning. For instance, Elias and Barnes reflect the good and evil in the Vietnam War though none is entirely good or evil. Notably, the platoon entails the live caption of chaos and confusion within the battle thus negating the characteristics of a traditional war movie. Moreover, the movie establishes all the details that relate to a war and the dehumanizing power of war. As a result, the platoon stands out as the most realistic movie in Vietnam (Platoon). This movie relates to the book, The Vietnam war 1945 - 1990 by Marilyn Young. The book see ks to give the conflicting sides of the war. Indeed, the book establishes the conflicts between political and American foreign policy (Young 8-15). This clearly relates to the conflict among the American soldiers as seen in the platoon especially between Sgt. Barnes and Sgt. Elias. More so, the book derives the history of the Vietnam, war just as seen in the pl

Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior Essay Example for Free

Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior Essay An analysis and interpretation of: â€Å"Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior†. An article written by the 48 years old Amy L. Chua (or è” ¡Ã§ ¾Å½Ã¥â€ž ¿ in Chinese) who was born in Champaign, Illinois. Her parents were Chinese Filipinos and that’s where she got her parenting style from. To start of with, Amy Chua asks the question that has crossed most people’s minds: â€Å" How do they do it? How does the Chinese parents produce all these â€Å"math wizzes† and â€Å"music prodigies†? Amy makes it clear that the Asian kids are not born smart (For the most part, at least) It is hard work and training from the parents that shapes the children into these wonder kids. To prove her point she lists up a number of things that her daughter were never allowed to do, such as: * Have a play date * Watch television or play computer games * Attend a school play * Complain about not in a school play And so on.. Prohibitions that seems totally unreasonable for us â€Å"westerns†, as she loosely has named us. Throughout the text she covers several perspectives on parenting, which of a few I surprisingly agree on. Most of her viewpoints I deeply disagree with though and is far from my idea about proper parenting. Each time she lists up one of her perspectives, she compares the Chinese perspective with the Western perspective. She does this in a very subjective manner I think. She is very clever rhetorically. At some parts of the text, I actually caught my self being very close to getting dragged towards her side. I found it quite amusing to feel the power of pathos, but at the same time a bit daunting. According to Amy, the main difference between Chinese parents and Western parents is the way they see their children. Western parents believe that respecting their children’s choices, their individuality and always encouraging them to pursue their true passions is the way. In contrast, Chinese parents believe that preparing their children for the future, and showing them what they are capable of, in the form of hours of repetition and very high expectations, is the way for their children to get a good life. Which in common Chinese sense means a good job, so the boy/girl can take care of their parent when they grow old. Even though Amy admits that her parenting methods may be tough at first, she insists that it will all pay off in the end, but is that entirely true? The answer to that is generally no. Of course there are some children who can handle all the pressure and failure, and will grow up to be extremely successful and confident, but the majority can’t. In fact China is nr. 6 on the â€Å"Wikipedia list of countries by suicide rate† Which means that per.100.000 people in China 22.23 people commit suicide. Compared to Denmark (Nr. 36), where the number is substantially lower at 11.9 and where the Western parenting style is the dominant. A coincidence? I do not think so. As Amy points out in her article, she does not believe in individuality and I am certain that Amy is not the only one who feels that way. There are several studies showing that not everyone handles stress identically and that is displayed in this statistic. As I stated earlier I agree on a few on her viewpoints. An example could be that â€Å"What parents understand is that nothing is fun until you’re good at it† I agree on this as well as â€Å"theres nothing better for building confidence than learning you can do something you thought you couldnt† I agree on these two quotes, but still think that her general parenting style is too strict. There is specifically one thing that she is taking away from her children that I do not get. The social aspect of a childhood. No doubt that using Amy’s techniques will lead to some academically strong children, but they will end up having a low social capital, and a big lack in social skills. Not being functional socially could end up costing them big job opportunities, because their lack of social functionality could strike them down, when for instance going to a job interview. So in the end the children might end up not getting a good job, because their parents took away their chance for developing some social skills. By that they won’t be able to take care of their parent, because they won’t be able to earn enough money. Which would mean that all those hours at home, practicing and repeating, is going to end up being wasted time, because the kid can’t take those abilities out in real life. By taking away their freedom and space for creativity you are basically turning your children into little machines. They will get extremely good at doing what they are told, but once they are asked to work something out for themselves, for instance producing a design for something, they will have no clue what to do. I am not a fan of Amy L. Chua’s methods but I do think that us ‘westerns’ could take small things from her and apply to our parenting. But as well as we can learn from her, she can definitely also learn from us. I want to finish my essay of with a quote I feel reflects my perspective on parenting very well. As Anne Frank once said: â€Å"Parents can only give good advice or put them on the right paths, but the final forming of a persons character lies in their own hands.†

Asthma Essay -- essays research papers fc

Asthma is a disorder of the respiratory system in which the passages that enable air to pass into and out of the lungs periodically narrow, causing coughing, wheezing, and shortness of breath. This narrowing is typically temporary and reversible, but in severe attacks, asthma may result in death. Asthma most commonly refers to bronchial asthma, an inflammation of the airways, but the term is also used to refer to cardiac asthma, which develops when fluid builds up in the lungs as a complication of heart failure. This article focuses on bronchial asthma. More than 17 million Americans suffer from asthma, with nearly 5 million cases occurring in children under age 18. In the United States, asthma causes nearly 5,500 deaths each year. Asthma occurs in males and females of all ages, ethnic groups, and socioeconomic levels. For reasons not completely understood, asthma is generally more common in poor urban neighborhoods, in cold climates, and in industrialized countries. Among all Americans, the prevalence of asthma increased more than 60 percent between 1982 and 1994, especially among children. Deaths from asthma increased more than 55 percent from 1979 to 1992. Scientists suspect that increased exposure to second-hand cigarette smoke, growing populations in polluted city centers, and new housing that is poorly ventilated contribute to the increase in asthma cases. Breathing Every cell in the human body requires oxygen to function, and the lungs make that oxygen available. With every breath we take, air travels to the lungs through a series of tubes and airways. After passing through the mouth and throat, air moves through the larynx, commonly known as the voice box, and then through the trachea, or windpipe. The trachea divides into two branches, called the right bronchus and the left bronchus, that connect directly to the lungs. Air continues through the bronchi, which divide into smaller and smaller air passages in the lungs, called bronchioles. The bronchioles end in clusters of tiny air sacs, called alveoli, which are surrounded by tiny, thin-walled blood vessels called capillaries. Here, deep in the lungs, oxygen diffuses through the alveoli walls and into the blood in the capillaries and gaseous waste products in the blood—mainly carbon dioxide—diffuse through the capillary walls and into the alveoli. But if something prevents the oxygen from reaching t... ...ng, may provoke hyperventilation, a rapid inhalation of oxygen that causes the airway to narrow. In asthmatics, hyperventilation often results in an attack. Many asthmatics are especially sensitive to physical exercise in cold weather. Research suggests that genetic factors may increase the risk of developing the disorder. Children with a family history of asthma are more likely to develop asthma than other children. Despite this apparent genetic link, many people without a family history of asthma develop the disorder, and scientists continue to investigate additional causes. Treatment Physicians typically diagnose asthma by looking for the classic symptoms: episodic problems with breathing that include wheezing, coughing, and shortness of breath. When symptoms alone fail to establish a diagnosis of asthma, doctors may use spirometry, a test that measures airflow. By comparing a patient’s normal airflow, airflow during an attack, and airflow after the application of asthma medication, doctors determine whether the medicine improves the patient’s breathing problems. If asthma medication helps, doctors usually diagnose the condition as asthma. Bibliography www.scienceworld.com

Compare How Duffy and Armitage Write About Violence in Salome and Hitcher Essay

‘Salome’ and ‘Hitcher’ both use a first person persona and with that, give us insight into their feelings and the theme of violence throughout both poems. In ‘Salome’, Duffy’s character uses a nonchalant tone with no remorse when depicting her actions, which is also present in ‘Hitcher’ too. Salome had ‘done it before’ and will ‘doubtless do it again’ but is oblivious of the repercussions of what she has just stated. She is a promiscuous character and is unaware of what she has done until the last stanza, whereas the narrator in ‘Hitcher’ is fully conscious of his actions. He ‘lets him have it’ and is proud of his actions and his ability to not swerve while attacking the hitchhiker. His colloquial manner represents that he sees it as an entertaining story and how he is unaffected by his actions. Near to the conclusion of ‘Salome’ she decides to clean up her act, becomes repentant of how she has behaved. In comparison, Hitcher just drives away from the body and is ignorant as to his fate; he does not care if he’s alive; he just ‘lets him out’. His casual description of how the body bounces and disappears questions his mental stability and his possession of a conscience. Salome also defends herself, describing the man as a ‘beater or biter’, proposing that she reacted in self-defence although she could also be referring to herself. The plosive ‘b’ also portrays the violence involved with those words. At the end of ‘Hitcher’, the concluding couplet is sarcastic and ironic, seeing as the intended recipient is no longer with him. He recalls thinking ‘Stitch that’ as if the hitchhiker got what he deserved. To him, it’s a joke. Similarly, Salome states ‘ain’t life a bitch’, which is also ironic, as the person she is speaking to is dead. She doesn’t care; he could be any old Simon Andrew or John. Hitcher’s reference to the weather is normal, which shows how his behaviour hasn’t impacted him; the murder was the therapy for his anger as his outlook is now pleasant. The fact that he and the hitchhiker were of the same age wasn’t of particular consequence to him, they both had the same opportunities, yet vastly different paths. The mention of this shows how he can crack at and given moment, and his attention for the inconsequential. Salome’s therapy for her hangover was her maid’s ‘innocent clatter’, so unlike Hitcher’s methods. The fact that Salome calls her maid ‘innocent’ shows how naà ¯ve and unknowing she is about Salome. She’s Salome’s opposite. The rhythmic repetition of the ‘er’ sound emulates the sound of her footsteps which soothes Salome after her night on the ‘batter’. This shows the violence which ensued last night and all the aggression, as well as inverting the female stereotype or passiveness.

Dna And Ribonucleic Acid ( Rna ) - 1245 Words

Introduction Gene is a small unit of molecule which is a living organism. It has commonly known as DNA (deoxyribonucleic Acid) and Ribonucleic Acid (RNA). There is a long chain which works for its functioning. We see that all the living creatures have DNA which separates the identity of two individuals. There are better to examine all the information and maintain the cells and traits of a creature. These genes are related with the regions which are regulatory along with transcribed. They provide with better functionalities as well. Every cell contained in the human body is mainly featured or inherited from the parents and genes helps in differentiating the both. Considering and observing the chromosomes closely, we see that there is a big†¦show more content†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ Besides immobilization, there is a solid support which is for the DNA fragmentation. †¢ For better amplified fragmentation, there are polymerase colonies using PCR. †¢ In this, next generation technique of sequencing, we see that there are in situ interpretation in every cycle for better scanning. The major goal of ENCODE is to help in providing the community with better and high quality of annotations. There is a need of functional elements which is helpful to denote that the encoded part of the product is defined as per the biochemical signature. There is a need to mark some sequences which will help in better regulatory measures for processing of RNA along with regulating transcriptions. There are mechanism which encode major things like genes and its transcriptions. (Kryuchkova Robinson-Rechavi, 2014.). They are mainly to accomplish the seven ENCODE which are producing data centres focussing on generating multiple complementariness. A lot of RNA species along with better DNA access as well as structures are considered for better sequential architecture of genome. Types of Genetics We see that the area is mainly divided into the category where mainly the transmission, molecular as well as population genetics are included. Considering the transmission genetics, we see that there is a complement of a cell which is able to set a version for gene and these genres are identified with the help