"American Girl Dolls Made In China"

"They're marketed as the all-American girls, each representing a

different period in American history." http://cbs11tv.comreported/.

It seems China is defining American heritage, culture and identity by

its products. The Chinese dolls teach American heritage, the doll

introduce different periods of American history. Many viewers of the

report did not like it when they heard that the dolls were made in China. Some bought the dolls

over years without knowing where they were produced, but if the purchaser looked carefully,

they could see that the dolls were made in China. The American dolls are more expensive than

Chinese ones and that can be a reason to buy them more. It seems they can be sold easily as

long as they are economical and make children happy.

Here is more onhttp://cbs11tv.com/local/american.girl.dolls.2.607983.html

"Some moms we talked to outside the American Girl Boutique and Bistro at the Galleria were

surprised about the dolls' true origin. But others we spoke to weren't surprised at all, and say

they'll still buy American Girl dolls.

"It doesn't bother me as long as they continue to provide the kind of quality items my girls will

enjoy," said shopper Wendy Bates.

Susan Mobley and her daughter say they're disappointed the dolls aren't American-made, but

say the message the dolls represent should still be celebrated.

"I'm not pleased with where they're made, but I'm not going to stop buying them... I have to

admit," Mobley said.

American Girl sent us this statement regarding the dolls' origin:

"Like the majority of the world's toys, American Girl products are manufactured in China, in addition to 18 other countries. All the design and conception work is done at the company's headquarters in Wisconsin."
And by the way, in case you're wondering, we did have a doll and its accessories tested for lead. Experts say the doll and its toys are perfectly safe."
Today China is an economic rival to the US. Chinese products are used across the world more and more. The reasonable prices are part of successful marketing. They are made according the people and market needs. Also, they benefit from the good innovations and creativities. So, as long as people are satisfied with Chinese products, China will be more satisfied with its economy.

A Book Review on:
The American Mind
An Interpretation of American Thought and Character since 1880's
By: Henry Steele Commager

Details:
Paperback: 487 pages
Publisher: Yale University Press (September 10, 1959)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0300000464
ISBN-13: 978-0300000467

Reviewed By: Fatemeh Azimzadeh
Zeinab Ghasemi Tari

About the Author: Henry Steele Commager was born in 1902 in Pennsylvania. He studied at the University of Chicago. By the time he was 28, he got his PhD on the Danish philosopher and reformer Johann Struensee. After a while he changed his research field and interest concentrating on American history. He was also a co-author of some American historical books.
One of his most significant books was written in 1950, a monograph, The American Mind: An Interpretation of American Thought and character since the 1880's. He was an intellectual and cultural historian but also he had some work in the fields of constitutional and political history. He believed that historians must consider a wider audience as well as specialists on history.
Commager died in 1998 at age 95 of pneumonia.
Review and Criticism:
Henry Steele Commager uses the work of philosophers, clergymen, novelist, poets, journalist, sociologist and politician theorists and their interpretation to interpret the American mind. As the recitation of Santayana in the beginning of the book says "to be an American is itself almost a moral condition, an education, and a career." The American mind was written after the Second World War, the blooming years of American power and influence politically, culturally and even ideologically across the world; Commager himself believed in America's role as a great democracy model which preserved the future of the world and that started by joining the World War II against Nazi Germany and as a result the U.S. was the unique super power before the cold war. So, the American mind was framed in such a way to fulfill the American dream which was both believable and achievable.
American dream was important to Henry Steele Commager as the core of the book. American dream puts emphasis on United States as a special nation which is chosen by God and has a special mission to accomplish. This term generally can be defined as existence of opportunity and freedom for all citizens to achieve their goals and become wealthy and successful by their individual hard work; so class, caste, race or ethnicity are not considered as obstacles in the process of progress. The majority of the book is a description of cultural transformation and development of late 19th to early 20th century especially about how pragmatism developed in America. Commager's thesis is that American's motto is pragmatism which is based on DeTocqueville's emphasis on American practicality compared to European's abstractions. The thinkers who believe on pragmatism consider practical consequences or real effect to be vital components of both meaning and truth. The book also focuses on scientific and political aspect and reactions to social Darwinism.
Commager writes "American thought owes so much to English and European though and I have attempted to distinguish what are its American forms, characteristics, idioms and idiosyncrasies. In a sense this book is study in comparative culture and history." Then having a lot in common and while the origins are the same, the comparison of the American and European history leads to highlighting what Commager mentioned as the American character of the quoted ones. Commager thought American character and trait is flexible and more adaptable compared to Europeans.
In his book Commager elaborates that the decade of 1890 is the watershed in U.S. moral, economical and intellectual history; in this period some old certainties began to break down by the fast move of science and the creation of new philosophies.
The weak points of the book are that the writer tries to cover social, economic and literary issues of the mentioned era in relatively hurried way and moves rapidly to other fields. The subjects covered in this book are scattered and could be better organized. The terminology used in this book needs more explanation and some concepts remain ambiguous and needs more clarification. Another important point is lack of an introduction and conclusion which discourages the reader, especially for such a thick book (476 pages) which requires providing the reader with a short and comprehensive frame. Despite the shortcomings and faults, the book provides the reader with information about pragmatism, social Darwinism and American radicalism and literary movement.

Reference:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Steele_Commager
http://www.rinr.fsu.edu/fallwinter99/features/commager.html
http://www.commager.org
http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Commager.html

A Film Review on Dead Man

Dead Man

Reviewed By: Fatemeh Azimzadeh
Director: Jim Jarmusch
Writer: Jim Jarmusch
Release Date: May 1996
Country: USA
Genre: Western/Drama
Starring: Johnny Depp, Gary Farmer
Music: Neil Young


A Dead past meeting a Dead future
Plot:

William Blake, desperate of the past, hopeful to a new start and ambitious to the future, moves westward on a train. He is one month late to achieve the promised accountant job. He gets wounded by the son of his would–be boss, kills him and runs off the town. Soon prize hunters chase him. He and a Native American called Nobody come together to experience quirky affairs before their physical deaths. Both departure and destination ends up to death

Setting:
A western frontier of late 19th century, America

Genre: Western/Drama

Main Characters: Johnny Depp (William Blake), Gary Farmer (Nobody)

The techniques:
Jarmusch's black and white Dead Man creates senses of doomed and fruitless life in west, despite the beliefs which attracted people to leave everything beyond and move there in 19th century, specifically. The people look more ghostly by the black and white shots as well as the repeated motions of the camera to death suggestive objects like coffins, skulls and animal skins. It all goes with the compatible music and fade-out technique to make the atmosphere spookier.
Also, nature is black and white; it seems barren and not bountiful, it is dead as well, even the flowers are not natural.
There is no joy of colors to produce energy, eagerness and exhilaration.

Symbols and Metaphors:
Most of the scenes are symbolic and metaphorical. The names and the words of the characters and also the tone of the story and the film bring William Blake's work to mind, the English poet that was isolated from the society.
The railway system is the vessel to nourish the country by people and cargos as well as life styles. People from different groups are on sitting quiet on the train, it seems they do not have something in common to share, but guns and moving westward.
Gun talks from the beginning to the end and people understand each other through gun-related words and behaviors; they do not trust each other and are ready to shoot. Each one has his own rules. Gun is the solution.
Dickinson trusts the human hunters more than the law, but he decides to benefit from the service of law, too. It seems either he has been a hunter himself or loves hunting.
A woman is there with a gun and paper flowers.
One paper rose is attached to Blake's coat as long as he wears the suit which, he was proud of it in the beginning, but he puts the suit away as well as his watch; a dead man needs no time.
A teenager chasing Blake is not old enough to smoke, but already killed several they say.
Machine provides a good name for the town, everything is artificial, hunting and brutality exists.
Blake accompanies Nobody and that is the time he backs to the nature. Nobody niether belongs to the past or present.
Indians were those who introduced tobacco to whites, but now he is asks for tobacco. The word, tobacco carries a big part of American history on it.
At the end he does not die on the land he came to advance on it, but on the sea and under the sky, that is another world.
It is an eccentric western.

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America Right or Wrong
An Anatomy of American Nationalism
By: Anatol Lieven

Details: Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (2004)
Paperback: 274
Language: English
ISBN 0-19-530005-x
Price: $15.95

Book review:
By: Fatemeh Azimzadeh

About the author:

Anatol Lieven has a B.A. in history and PhD in political science from Jesus College Cambridge. He is a British journalist, writer, historian and an editor. He was a member of Carnegie Endowment and before 1990 he was a correspondent for the Times in Pakistan and Afghanistan. As an editor he worked for Strategic Comments. His latest book is Chechnya Tombstone of Russian Power. His books are a lot based on his work in different countries especially former Soviet Union and also are benefited from his related knowledge. Now he is a senior fellow at the New America Foundation and lives in Washington DC.

Review:

Nationalism and especially American nationalism is the word which is heard and read a lot after the attacks of September 11, 2001.It brought support to changes of American policy toward the rest of the world. It was not as strongly as this high lightened for the past two centuries as it is a need now to keep Americans unified.
Anatol Lieven's book provides the matters which have been thoughtfully arranged .Regarding his knowledge as a historian and his previous jobs, the major subjects have been clarified with suitable examples which he brings forward. He uses back and forth between today's important issues and the past ones making a path through American history for comparing and gaining some results. There is a link between old and contemporary history of the United States.
The cover of the book and the colors refer to the Republicans victory over the Democrats in the presidential election in 2004.Lieven writes" it was on the strength of a mixture of nationalism and an appeal conservative religious sentiment that the Bush administration won those elections."(IV) The Republicans were the ones who attacked the Democrats and claimed them to be weak to defend the country against enemies while the Republicans can do that by unifying the nation. By this sentence Lieven's focus of attention is clear in this book. He argues as he writes" The Republicans party of the United States has become the American Nationalist party."(IV) Bush and Reagan have benefited both from the good use of nationalism a lot to win the second term of their presidencies. American nationalism is a support of its power and influence across the world.
The book examines the American Creed something unique and positive originated from the experiment they got by having different governments and this creed is not far and separated from religion even in the time of wars like Iraq war. American nationalism has always been mixed with religious colors. Its root backs to Protestant beliefs that brought Americans together as a whole and to show that they are different from their origins in Europe, specifically. The combination of nationalism and religion to be exactly the American ones was developed through history by some terrible experiences such as wars in and out of the country and it still continues. He also creates an atmosphere that there are lessons for Americans to learn reviewing their history. He appreciates American democracy and puts emphasis on its importance, but at the same time sees it under threat by some American policies and the country is not as immune as the past from dangers supposedly surrounding it. Lieven refers to the attacks of September, 11which happened in the mainland of America that were unprecedented after what happened in Pearl Harbor.
The global power of the United States which is different to the old European one enabled it to take special actions like preventive wars which are based on its political culture and American nationalism as well as its economic and military power are all at the service of American system. This developed after World War II and continued after the collapses of communism, so exporting American values to the rest of the world grew faster. Lieven describes the complexity of American nationalism in his book and that is one of the reasons of division of the US and the Muslim world. Although many criticize the US due to its imperialistic nature, "the vast majority of ordinary Americans do not think of themselves as imperialist or possessing an empire."(p.2) Lieven says. Believing in being unique and chosen as "a city upon a hill"(John Winthrop) isolated the American chauvinism and messianism from the rest of the world and resulted in the belief to be superior to other nations and foreigners. Still for many Americans nationalism is not the only reason to support American political actions against other countries but a reaction to any possible threat toward them.
Lieven in different chapters of his book elaborates two aspect of American nationalism," American Creed" and" Antithesis".
American creed or "American Thesis" is a significant element in founding the country and the core of its unity in which religion is very important. Some believe that the principles of American Creed have always been universal, to be achievable by people around the world. Lieven recites Toqueville's words that the Americans," are unanimous upon the general principles that ought to rule human society"(p.48) and in the beginning years of the twenty-first century the strength of this belief was a sponsor for America's political system to extend and import, such principles overseas. Lieven also mentions some other important elements in American Creed," faith in liberty, constitutionalism, the law, democracy, individualism and cultural and political egalitarianism." (p.49)
American Creed is along with division and diversity, since it has been open to immigrants and time to time shift in its capitalistic nature, but it also contains a correction process. Lieven writes, "Reagan used to say (quoting the polemicist of the American Revolution Thomas Pain),"We have it in our power to begin the world over again."(p.63)In Lieven's view American messianism is dynamic. But what mentioned is at the service of American influence and power around the world. That is when opposition rises, because many do not believe in America's role as a global savior. That is different to what is even exercised to win the presidential campaign, stressing America's mission to save the world.
Antithesis is the other aspect of nationalism which "stems above all from ethnoreligious roots."(p.5) Lieven says. That is accompanied with the changes in America due to its big size and complexity. He brings examples of other countries nationalism, even the word chosen used by other nations, but this word is still the one to distinguish the American exceptional nationalism.
If the nationalism is a kind of radical one, no doubt it meets the defeat, as the former empires that practiced occupation on other countries, but the fruits were destruction and imperative changes in their economies or political authorities together with resistance not to imitate the West. The defeat is effective on each individual, as well as hatred caused by imperialistic actions. Lieven counts four elements for the sense of defeat," the original," core" White Anglo-Saxon and Scots Irish population of the Britain colonies in North America; the specific historical culture and experience of the White South; the cultural world of fundamentalist Protestantism; and the particular memories, fears and hatreds of some American ethnic groups and lobbies." (p.91)He elaborates that the American Dream is along with "powerful forces of conservative religion." (p.123)Lieven had not ignored the new aspects of nationalism, like "Irish American nationalism" (p.133) and the effects of those on American nationalism. Over all the American Creed had its blooming years after World War II and following that the collapse of communism and "the role of America as the "guardian of freedom" was played on incessantly by official propaganda, political rhetoric, the media and indeed much of American society." (p.153)
The way he argues and discusses the issues in the last chapter of the book, which are both sensitive and crucial such as the US/Middle East and especially Muslim world relations makes us think again. He brings some justifications and sympathies and some blames over the American actions around the world. Lieven's journalistic way of writing which is based on his studies and experiences created a balance of subjects and explanations within the book, and in the end, it is not easy to say if he really writes pro or con. That is why some consider it a kind of anti American and some do not. The book contains both admiration and criticism over the United States.
There is some about Bush administration failure, which brought hatred toward American war policy around the world and the problems after that. The writer condemns the war in Iraq.

The book poses some questions over ideology, exceptionalism and identity of American kind, considering the September 11, 2001 attacks. There is some about Bush administration failure, which brought hatred to American war policy around the world and he condemns the war in Iraq.
Through the whole book, you are provided with a smart way of writing moving between admiration and criticism of American related issues in the book.
Reference:
http://astore.amazon.com/adventistpe02-20/detail/019530005X
http://worldhistoryconnected.press.uiuc.edu/

Acceptance:

http://ezinearticles.com/?Book-Review-Of-America-Right-Or-Wrong-by-Anatol-Lieven&id=882370

"Russia suspends arms control pact "

"Russian President Vladimir Putin has suspended the application of a key Cold War arms control treaty. Mr Putin signed a decree citing "exceptional circumstances" affecting security as the reason for the move. Russia has been angered by US plans to base parts of a missile defence system in Poland and the Czech Republic. The US said it was "disappointed" by Russia's decision but would "continue to have discussions with them in the coming months" on how to proceed.
The 1990 Conventional Forces in Europe Treaty (CFE) limits the number of heavy weapons deployed between the Atlantic Ocean and the Urals mountains. The Russian suspension will become effective 150 days after other parties to the treaty have been notified, President Putin's decree says."www.bbc.com

This suspension may worsen the relations of US and Russia. The agreement of (CFE) was signed in 1990 to control arms of the cold war. It put limitation on the use of weapons, tanks, heavy artillery .When communism was over that treaty revised in 1999 to satisfy Russia some, but NATO didn't accept it. Anyway the treaty of missile defense and CFE have potentials to create irritation .US challenging all issues in Middle East faces a big one now .It seems the suspension is one of the actions Russia takes time to time to show its power and a kind of warning to the US .It is still in there the old fear of cold war which overshadowed those years, maybe the names are changed but the weapons are still there!

On Monday Nov 5 there was a piece of news on Daily Star that "30 US senators wrote to President Bush warning he had no authority to launch military action against Iran and expressing concern about the administration (provocative).The senators 29 democrat and 1 independent urged the resolution of dispute with Iran through diplomacy and it was signed by senators including presidential candidate Hilary Clinton."

After last week's debate in which she asked for introducing Iran as a terrorist country, it's another step in her propaganda for the election. She follows the party demands. After the failure of Iraqi war it's natural to criticize Bush war policy this way, not to mention that war is against the interests of America. People are tired of war and anyone who is against it surely has better opportunities to offer new solutions. For decades democrats were against the war and they look for better economic situations, people don't want war and America is suffering from heavy budget deficit democrats are the ones who claim for betters, it's time to put this warrior (Bush) away, many believe so.