Since my book is a biography about Al Capone’s life, the book mainly end with the end of his life and his death.On october 24, 1931 Al Capone was sentenced to serve 11 years in prison in felony and misdemeanor counts. As a young teen he had gotten syphilis a disease with no cure at the time. While he was in prison the symptoms of this became worse. After he got out he was so mentally incapacitated that he never in charge of his mafia again. He retired at his miami home palm avenue. He died at the age of forty-eight on January 25, 1947. The book goes on to discuss his descendents, what they went though bearing the Capone name and how Al became so famous to begin with.
The book talks also about how differently his family remembers him compared to how the media and press depicted him. Many family members choose to change their name, and only in more recent generations have people began to discuss and explore their ties to Al Capone. This has uncovered more evidence of the many personalities Al seemed to have. This is what the book mainly focuses on. Al’s relationships and the different sides of himself that he showed. How he could fish with his wife and son at one point and then go to work and order the execution of several people. In reference to this the author of the book state “This is the story of a ruthless killer, a scofflaw, a keeper of brothels and bordellos, a tax cheat and perpetrator of frauds, a convicted felon, and a mindless, blubbering invalid. This is also the story of a loving son, husband and father who described himself as a businessman whose job was to serve the people what they wanted. Al Capone was all of these.” (Bair, 1) The way this book discussed these differences gives rise to the main message of it. Not to judge someone at first glance or by what others tell you. Al Capone at one point was very wealthy and involved with many celebrities. It was known by many that he was the leader of one group in the mafia. Yet he was still able to walk around free. As such he was a very popular subject with the press. Almost anything he did or said became headline news. Because of this there were often many rumours and myths about him, as there are with many other celebrities. The press created a persona of him that exaggerated his job and how he lived. This is the Al Capone most of us know as we remember him as a ruthless, famous crime lord. When we read these things it is hard to believe how kindly he treated his family. One of the main reasons he turned to crime to make money was so he could provide for his mother, wife and children. His mafia also took care and gave money to any widows or orphans of people in the mafia. He was very different in his personal life than he was as the media depicted him. This is a still a valuable book to read today because the message is still relevant today. With the press and social media it is very easy to read what someone wrote, said, or posted and make up your mind about them. This important message in the book shows us not to judge and to get to know someone before deciding what they’re truly like. If a mafia member can be unexpected and kind, there are probably many people who are different from what you think.
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As I have discussed in a previous blog, I am reading a book called “Al Capone” which is about a famous mafia leader, who mostly made money through “bootlegging” or the sale of illegal liquor. Capone’s presence and influence went down in the late 1930s. Since then the immense power of the legendary mafia written about in crime novels and printed on the front pages of papers has all but vanished our current news, but remains as a legend in our society. Most of the groups that rose to power during the 1920s did it through selling alcohol when it was illegal during prohibition. When the 21st amendment was passed, making alcohol legal again, the mafia lost a major source of income. This is what partly led to the downfall of the mafia system of that time period. It's still legal to drink today, so modern organized crime group make their money in different ways. One of these ways is by selling drugs, which is a huge problem talked about in the U.S today. An example of this are the mexican drug cartels. The groups in Mexico sell and ship drugs around the world, including the U.S. The U.S and Mexican governments consider it a big contributor to crime in both countries. Just like the Italian-American mafia, this enterprise is worth millions of dollars the crime and wars between groups is also similar to the Italian-American mafia.
Another similarity between the two is the impact the two groups have had on immigrants. In Al Capone's lifetime the most powerful leaders in the mafia were Italian. The wars between families caused a lot of gang killings and brought crime. At this point in time there were also a lot of Italians immigrating to the U.S. This made people in the U.S wary of Italian immigrants and accused them of being the origin of the crime in big cities. The Italian immigrants were called names and were not expected to succeed in life. Many Italian children dropped out of school at a young age. Since they needed to provide for their families, some had no choice but to turn to crime. A similar thing has happened with the Mexican drug cartels and Mexican Immigrants. Many people cross the border into the U.S to find a better life. A lot of times including to escape some of the violence in Mexico caused in part by the drug cartels. As a result of this some people in the U.S claim it is these Mexican immigrants who bring crime into the country. The government including the current president have taken steps to try and slow the amount of Immigrants entering the country. This is just one example of a similarity between my book and our current society. One major event that led to conflict and a shift in power both in our country and in my book, is the passing of the 18th amendment in 1920. This amendment prohibited the making, selling or transport of alcohol illegal, also known as prohibition. However at this point in time, around the 1920s, many loved to drink. This allowed for the growth of organized crime and let many crime leaders profit off of smuggling and selling alcohol. Prohibition led to the rise of the Mafia's influence. This enactment also led to the rise of a notorious mafia leader Al Capone. My book is the biography of Al Capone and his life and legend. At this time Al Capone was a rising star in his mentor’s, Johnny Torrio, gang. Prohibition helped pave the way for his journey into becoming one of America's iconic Mafia leaders.
As my book is a biography the book draws parallels to our country's history as the events and people in it are real. Because of prohibition, illegal alcohol was in high demand. Many different small groups who sold alcohol grew into huge empires from the multi-million dollar business. These empires clashed in big cities, bringing waves of crime onto the streets. Its estimated that as many as 500 gang murders took place, between 1927 and 1930. Al Capone’s biography recounts his experiences as a gang member when he moved to chicago about 1921 under Johnny Torrio. As Torrio’s and other groups began to get more heavily involved with hostilities between each other, Torrio’s and Al Capone’s methods adapted to become more viscous. Chicago soon had many blood-stained streets. One quote in my book states “Prohibition brought violence and anarchy to the streets of Chicago, and from 1923 to 1925, as some of the most vicious gang wars and killings roiled the city, it was engulfed in periodic cleanups by so-called reform administrations.” As for how the citizens reacted, the book also states “Ordinary citizens thought it a dull day if they did not wake up to news in their morning papers of violent killings, booze hijacks, and smashed stills.” While killing strength was an effective way to gain influence, another way to power was also emerging. Deep government and political corruption. Even though prohibition was in effect,it was difficult to enforce and many government leaders also indulged in banned liquor. This prompted many gangsters to seek protection from the law by getting officers and lawmakers to look the other way, for sums of money. This allowed the already powerful mafia to get a firmer grip of influence on the country. The corruption and scheming was no different in Chicago and Cicero, another city in which Torrio had ties. Torrio and Capone jumped on the chance to have the police and city in their pockets. “Chicago’s city government consisted of approximately three thousand voting precincts grouped into fifty wards, where committeemen worked for the elected politicians and dispensed, patronage, and were thus the natural recipients of kickbacks and bribes.” Al Capone soon realized the potential for a scenario including little to no resistance from the police towards his operation and quickly got to work organizing bribes. He and his brother Frank, also working under Torrio, became an unstoppable duo of back alley deals. As my book states “Al had set up headquarters in Cicero's Hawthorne Hotel, and from there frank handled payoffs and bribes to officials in greater chicago that ensured their cooperation in allowing the outfit to function impunity…, the Capones were well on their way to securing control of all of Ciereo for Johnny Torrio.” These are just a few of the historical connections between our countries history and Al Capone’s. The events that occured in Capones and Torrio’s little worlds in chicago and Cicero aligned very well to the significant events of our country as a whole. A significant problem today is the amount of homeless animals in America. According to the Humane Society of the United States, there are nearly 70 million and counting stray animals in America. Only approximately thirty percent of shelter dogs are reclaimed by their owners, and cats far behind with just two to five percent. For every homeless person, there are about five times the number of homeless animals, says dosomething.org. We think this is a very serious situation, because animals do so much for us even when we don’t realize it.
We think that everyone should care about this issue just as much as we do. Animals are helpful to our environment, and pets also make the best of companions. It’s not fair when an innocent puppy is left out on the curb, with no food or a decent place sleep. Imagine if you were in that position. Your parents left you abused on the side of the road, and you had to fend for yourself with nothing at all. It’s not fair to the animals, and that’s why we believe everyone needs to pitch in and help out. . The Issue The amount of homeless animals is a huge issue that many members of our community. Most are found endlessly roaming alleyways or the sides of the road, while others are fortunate enough to be housed in a pound. However being in a pound is not a sure chance of rescue as many pets are put down because of lack of space. It is estimated that as many as 2.7 million animals are euthanized every year(do something.org). The lack of space is because of the staggering amounts of animals pouring into shelters, or left to fend for themselves on the streets. The overpopulation of animals is partly due to pet owners not knowing or not caring to get their pets spayed or neutered. There are simply too many animals for the shelters to care for. Despite this, people continue to breed puppies and kittens and purchase pets they sometimes end up giving away after they realize how much work it takes to look after a pet. There are several reasons I care and you should care about the issue. For one stray animals can be dangerous or troublesome. Of course it's not always the animals fault, but if a stray animal has been abused, there is a chance they can bite, scratch or attack out of fear or paranoia. Stray animals can also knock over trash cans and steal, in desperate search of food. If animals are off the street and in loving homes, the world is safer place for owners and tamed pets, as well as strays, since they have a safe place to live and won't go cold or hungry. The Solution There are many things people in our community are doing to help stray, homeless or abused animals. One of the ways is donation; giving money or supplies. Many people in Wake County and North Carolina make simple donations to various animal shelters or organizations dedicated to helping animals. Most people do this because it does not require taking in a pet or any difficult long term commitment. Another thing our community does to help, is offer spaying or neutering services. The SPCA provides vouchers that work with local veterinary clinic, to help people get their pets spayed or neutered for cheap or free. Most shelters also spay and neuter the animals that they receive, to help reduce the amount of puppies or kittens born accidently that the owners don't want or can't care for. Education is another important thing our community chips in to provide. The organization C.A.R.E. For Animals provides public education and assistance to help keep pets in homes, to inform the public and homeless animal issues, and how the public can contribute. Some people in our community also foster to help animals. While this is less common and a lot more difficult than donating a few dollars, many places such as Second Chance have foster programs or take in stray animals. This allows for dogs and cats to have time to rehabilitate if injured, and offers them a place to reside permanently or until they are adopted. Therefore, they aren’t euthanized, or put down. Second Chance is one organization dedicated to helping animals. As it says on their website, “Second Chance Pet Adoptions is the oldest no-kill rescue organization in Wake County. At Second Chance, our mission is to champion homeless cats and dogs who are healthy or treatable in the quest to find their forever homes and engage with our community to promote responsible pet ownership–ultimately reducing future generations of homeless animals”(Second Chance) Despite the community's effort and the amount of people helping, homeless animals are still a big issue. We believe the main reason for this is ignorance. Many people know that there are a lot of pets in the streets or being euthanized in shelters. However, they may be unaware of how dogs and cats get there, and end up making decisions that put animals in shelters. A lot of times people purchase a dog or cat for a Christmas or birthday gift, or just through impulsive shopping. As one organization says, “Suggest a basic underlying dynamic: that the decision to acquire an animal was made casually, without much forethought and planning, or that the Guardian had unrealistic expectations about an animal’s needs and how that animal would fit into day to day life”( No Voice Unheard).Many owners are also ignorant or uninformed about spaying and neutering their pets. They don't know to get their animals spayed or neutered and have puppies or kittens they can’t care for. For these reasons despite people helping, animals continue to end up homeless or euthanized, and this is why there is still a need for help in our community. Action Plan When you switch on the television and that commercial with the pitiful dogs comes on, many people just want to reach out and help them. Unfortunately, we are unable to volunteer at a local animal shelter for various reasons beyond our control. Fortunately, however, we have another petit plan to take action. It’s simultaneously simple and effective. The supplies required to execute it are available in school, at no cost. Undoubtedly, it will warm everyone’s hearts to see saddening, struggling animals being aided. In short, we are proposing to hold a donation drive event. We ask that the students of Martin Middle School gather supplies that would benefit homeless dogs and cats. Items such as dog or cat food, collars, leashes, toys, or cash donations would be accepted and greatly appreciated. The donors would then bring their items or money to school, dropping them off at a donation-collecting table placed in one or two locations throughout campus. We decided to put a more interesting and touching twist on the concept of a donation drive, by researching real dogs and cats being housed in local shelters, posting photos of each pet, and allowing for donors to make their donations to those specific pets directly. When each participant brings their item or items to the table, they can choose a dog or cat they find adorable, or one they really connect with. Their donation then goes to support that particular pet of their choice! Steps and materials needed to complete the task include first making and hanging posters for awareness, as well as conversing with the school news crew about mentioning our drive in a short advertisement on their program. Secondly, we look for needy dogs and cats on a local shelter’s website, and print out pictures to showcase at the donation drive. Adding the ability to select a pet to specifically donate to is mostly for entertainment, and doesn't necessarily need to go through if shelters don't allow for direct donations, but pictures will add a flare to it, even if the money and supplies aren't really going to that specific pet. After giving about a week’s notice, we hold the event. A group of volunteering students will help set up a table, and commit to standing and collecting donations. Not too many students would be needed to do this; only about two per shift. The time we leave the donation drive up can vary, based on the time allotted for our project. Our estimate is that we accept donations for one week. Our goal for this plan is to raise $5,000 worth of donations. We hope to achieve this by thorough promotion of the event, and encouragement by teachers and students to contribute. Although our plan is fairly simple, and won't save all homeless animals of America, we strive to make a difference, no matter how small it is. Action plan template Works Cited The Humane Society of the United States. “Pets by the Numbers” The Humane society of the United states. SPCA. “About Us”SPCA of Wake County.26 January 2018 <https://spcawake.org/about-us/> C.A.R.E For Animals “Our Programs”Welcome to C.A.R.E For Animals.26 January 2018 < http://www.careforanimals-nc.org/info/display?PageID=8043> Second Chance. “About Us”Second Chance Pet Adoptions.26 January 2018 <https://www.secondchancenc.org/about-us/> No Voice Unheard “Animal Homelessness 101”No Voice Unheard.26 January 2018 <http://www.novoiceunheard.org/problems_solutions.html> Do Something.org “11 Facts About Animal Homelessness”Do something.org.1 February 2018 < https://www.dosomething.org/facts/11-facts-about-animal-homelessness> A Quote by John Wooden goes as follows, “Its the little details that are vital, little things make big things happen.” This is indeed true for a small,almost unnoticeable being that unknowingly impacts us all, the bee. Bees pollinate many fruits, vegetables and other plants from strawberries to almonds to alfalfa.It's estimated that as many as ⅓ of all fruits and vegetables are pollinated by honey bees. Recently though many of these pollinators have been dying. North Carolina beekeepers have reported possibly losing as much as 30% of honey bee colonies each winter. While the exact cause is still unknown to scientists several causes could include habitat loss, global warming, parasites or the most common and proven belief which is bee-killing insecticides. Some insecticides know as neonicotinoids( or neonics) when used near bee colonies seem to rapidly lead to colony collapse and the death of many bees. Bees play a huge part in the North Carolina ecosystem, When bees pollinate fruit and vegetables, this food can be eaten by animals, humans and sold for profit. Honey produced by bees can also be eaten and sold. Since North Carolina is a farming state, the economy could be hurt greatly if too many bees die. As the organization “Environment North Carolina” puts it in a simple slogan, “ No bees, no food.” I know personally I have a soft spot for animals and enjoy eating fruits such as strawberries and others. I would not like to see bees or any other animals hurt by this, and would like to continue to eat a variety of fruits and vegetables. There are many different organizations and people who are all chipping in to help bees. Recently several triangle companies including SAS have installed beehives on their Campuses. While most of you probably don't want to become a beekeeper or set up beehives there are several simple things you can do to help bees thrive. You can donate money to organizations that build beehives or fund research. You can also plant bee-friendly plants or try not to use a lot of pesticides or weed killers that harm bees. As Mary Kay Ash once said “ Aerodynamically the bumblebee shouldn't be able to fly, but the bumblebee doesn't know it, so it goes on flying anyway.” These amazing little creatures impact us in so many ways, that it is our duty to make sure they keep flying the way they always do. I've always liked taking art classes even though I'm not very good at them. I had signed up for and had gotten into the elective fiber arts. One of our projects was to make something like a bag or tapestry by weaving “fabric” on a loom. While this was difficult, it ended up being fun and I ended up learning that I treasure and value determination over something perfect.
When I started I first noticed that the weaving was laborious and much effort yielded little result. It was also very repetitive. I was frustrated that I wasn't making much process and was further dejected when I quickly realized how long it would take to make just a small piece of fabric. The repetitive nature was starting to bore me. Unfortunately I had the bad luck to get sick. However I took the loom and some yarn home determined to get it done. Of course since I was sick was in no mood to work. I often didn't work simply because I was so unmotivated. However I did continue to slowly work bit by bit and was back at school after about 3 days. When I did finish I had taken the piece of woven fabric and made a small pencil case. The pencil case was uneven and clearly made by someone inexperienced. Overall it looked pretty rough. I was surprisingly fine with that. In fact I was rather proud. I felt like I had conquered the world. Even though that may seem exaggerated I truly was content with the outcome. In the end I realized the reason I was so confident about my pencil case was because even though the weaving frustrated me, I had made something despite being ill and demoralized. The pencil case was a symbol of my hard work which made up for the fact that it looked so pitiful. I still realize and believe today that hard work is more rewarding than perfection |