Coursework Biology Essay Example for Free

Coursework Biology Essay Biology coursework: Substrate specificity in yeast AIM: To find out which substrate (glucose, starch, maltose, sucrose or lactose), does yeast, the organism containing the enzyme, breaks down the quickest. Introduction: Usually, every enzyme has a specific substrate that is what we call the â€Å"lock and key† theory. We can try the reaction of an enzyme with different substrates and this enzyme will just work well with one of those substrates. One type of reaction catalyzed by enzymes is anaerobic respiration. (fermentation), made by yeast that uses a sugar as a substrate. This reaction will produce CO2 and energy. Measuring how much CO2 the reaction produces we could know how well the enzyme is working with a substrate, checking thus its specificity. Materials: 5 Ignition tubes Pipette Glucose Maltose Sucrose Lactose Yeast Cotton wool Test tubes Stop watch Ruler Variables: Independent variable: substrate (glucose, starch, maltose, lactose, sucrose), enzyme (yeast), volume of substrate, volume of enzyme. Dependent: volume of CO2 released (measured in mm) Controlled variables: Temperature, pressure, time. Method: 1- Fill 5 ignition tubes, half with yeast (2.0 ml) and half with each corresponding substrate (2.0 ml), using a pipette. 2- Quickly after the mixture is done, place the ignition tubes upside down in a test tube, helping yourself with a pen. 3- Start the stop watch once the ignition tube is upside down in the test tube, and measure the space left (this will be time 0) 4- Place some cotton wool on the top of each test tube in order to block oxygen, and therefore, for anaerobic respiration to occur. 5- Prepare one mixture with the yeast (enzyme), and with water, to act as a control. Treat the control in the same way you have done it with the samples. 6- As anaerobic respiration occurs, CO2 is released displacing the mixture of yeast and substrate into the test tube. Measure the amount of CO2 released during 20 minutes, taking a reading of the empty space inside the ignition tube every 5 minutes. 7- Repeat the experiment 3 times for statistical purposes.

Inclusivity in Education Aspects

Inclusivity in Education Aspects I will explain the political, economic, and social perspectives that surround inclusivity, reflect on my own professional practice and working environment, and identify the policies used, both nationally and locally. I will define my understanding of inclusivity, looking at the political ideology that surrounds inclusivity. Inclusivity is the understanding and providing for different capabilities, using diverse resources for students. Inclusivity is the understanding of students as individuals. It gives the opportunity for all students to become involved in classroom developments. All students should be given the chance to develop interests and experiences at their own pace and style of learning. No student should be discriminated against regarding colour, gender, sexual orientation, religion. For lecturers in todays society, it is extremely challenging to incorporate inclusivity with the students that have developed in the last 10 years of British culture. Students with learning difficulties such as ADHD, Aspergers, and Dyslexia were barely heard of until recent years. Each individual situation calls for totally unique handling of the student without excluding the remainder of the class. Research has identified that teachers may feel there could be barriers to inclusivity: Some of the thoughts are; Every student who attends college should be at a basic level of education before starting a course. The staff may not be prepared to meet the needs of the student The course and other students could be affected To balance some of these negative attitudes; All students have the potential to achieve Many students learn through interaction with others. Teachers make a difference (Idol, 1997) OFSTED published a report dispelling many of the negative thoughts that most of us had in the back of our mind. Ofsted say. An educationally inclusive school is one which the teaching and learning is one in which the teaching and learning, achievements attitudes and the well being of every young person matter. This shows not only in their performance, but also in the ethos and willingness to offer new opportunities to pupils who may have experienced pervious difficulties. This does not mean treating all pupils in the same way; rather, it involves taking account of pupils varied life experiences and needs (OFSTED) The start of Inclusion in Education dated back to the 1970 Education act which ended a practice to a minority of children being given the classification of unable to educate. It stopped classifying children with a learning disability unsuitable for school education. In the introduction of 1976 education act, the government looked at the local education authorities to amalgamate disabled students into so called ordinary schools in both England and Wales. This was never implemented! If it had been, disabled students were to be educated in ordinary schools unless it was impracticable due to excessive expenditure to the relevant educational body. 1978 saw the Warnock report on special education and at the time was the largest investigation into special education of disabled students being integrated into ordinary schools. He reported that the practice was good for some students but not for others. The report also stated that it was important for parents to have a view on their children and their educational process. In 1981 the education act, brought in disabled students to mainstream schools. This stated that other children would not be affected by the integration and resources available to them to assist. This act opened the doors to both disabled and young students from special schools sector to a mainstream school; the act was under much pressure from the professional bodies not to implement it, due to the overall effect on all the students. 1992 saw the audit commission and her majestys inspectorate look into a special needs provision for schools. One of the areas they found deficient was the way children with special needs were not being assessed very quickly and many statements were far too vague. In 1997, mainstream schools were becoming more inclusive with a new green paper on special education. 1998 brought in the human rights act stating no child shall be denied the right to education. The government pushed forward its plans to break down the barriers to help with learning and participation for 100% of students. The special education needs and disability act of 2001 came in and was used to repeal two previous provisos from 1996 regarding a disabled child going into mainstream school provided; it was compatible with the parents wishes and there was efficient education of other children. 2002 finally saw the Disability Discrimination act which gave access to education for both students and prospective students. The law also stated that you could not discriminate against a disabled person in admission arrangements. Local authorities also had to increase accessibility in terms of curriculum and the environment. Although this act was not solely for education it applied to everyone and was definitely a step in the right direction. All schools and colleges that have used these policies have seen an increase in levels of education rise from the early 1970s up to the present date. Before I could carry out my research relating to the organisation I am involved with, I needed to produce a PEST (Appendix 1) and SWOT (Appendix 2) analysis. Firstly looking into factors based around the industry looking into the political, economic, social and then technological issues which would affect us. Once this was complete I looked at the department in which I work, breaking the issues down into depth. Within the SWOT I looked at strengths, weakness, opportunities and threats. Within all of the topics funding policies, initiatives, weigh heavily, whether as a threat or Strength. With these acts in place my organisation have put together documentation in response from the governing bodies to help develop a clear understanding in the way we should help commit to inclusivity in education. The mission statement of my organisation is: City College is an inclusive, accessible college of further and higher education which provides high quality services to the range of diverse communities within the locality and the region which it serves. To this end, the college is committed to equality of regard and of opportunity for all, irrespective of age, disability, ethnic origin, gender, marital status, medical condition, religious belief, or sexual orientation. In its policies and practices the college will seek to enhance the self esteem of all those it serves and to provide a learning environment in which each individual is encouraged to fulfil her or his potential. The commitment to equality of regard and opportunity is a fundamental policy that pervades all college activities and is endorsed by the Governing Body. All members of the college community are expected to uphold the policy and to ensure that their actions embody the commitment. Some of the organisations policies for inclusion are: The commitment to equality of regard and opportunity is supported by the following: Code of Practice on Learning Difficulty and Disability (students) Code of Practice on Gender Discrimination (students) City college Race Equality Policy (staff/students) City college equality and diversity plan These codes are an integral part of the Equal Opportunities Policy. They ensure compliance with, respectively, the Special Education Needs and Disability Act 2001, the Disability Discrimination Act 1995, the Sex Discrimination Act 1975, and the Race Relations Act 1976. They also embody elements of good practice advocated in the Tomlinson Report 1996, Equality, and Diversity Guidance from the LSC and the codes of practice produced by the Commission for Racial Equality. Ofsted use a set of questions when examining Inclusion in schools and colleges. These are the questions on how a college should deal with the situation. Do all pupils get a fair deal at school? This relates to: what they get out of school, particularly their achievements; the opportunity to learn effectively, without interference and disruption; the respect and individual help they have from their teachers; their access to all aspects of the curriculum; the attention the school gives to their well-being and Whether they and their parents are happy with the school. How well does the school recognise and overcome barriers to learning? This is about: the schools understanding of how well different groups do in school; the steps taken to make sure that particular groups are not disadvantaged in school and to promote their participation and success; its strategies for promoting good relationships and managing behaviour; what the school does specifically to prevent and address racism, sexism and other forms of discrimination, and what it does about cases of discrimination that do occur. Do the schools values embrace inclusion and does its practice promote it? The clues are: how the values of the school are reflected in its curriculum, resources, communications, procedures and conduct; how people talk about and treat one another in the school; the leadership provided by senior staff and the consistency of staff behaviour; What the school intends and tries to do for people like me. Positive inclusion To enforce this statement, the college supports positive inclusion by enrolling any students, with the required qualifications, no matter what their learning capabilities are, however this will depend on whether it is practicable for the student and as long as it does not in any way effect the learning of the others in the class. In past years, discrimination may have taken place with students that showed signs of slower learning ability, therefore this is a positive development for inclusion in todays society. Entry to Employment, (E2E) groups are students with low entry requirements; however the potential is there, by assisting them with additional tuition, to raise their level of education, specifically in maths and English, to gain the relevant qualifications required for the future. To achieve this, the college offer a 22 week E2E course, alongside learning for a level 1 diploma in bricklaying, level 1 key skills in application of number and communication. Not all colleges offer E2E alongside this qualification. Negative Inclusion From the lecturers point of view this is a negative form of inclusion because the E2E qualification, is taught alongside the level 1 diploma and key skills, which is a method that other colleges do not employ due to overloading a group that originally in struggled at school when they were on the same footing as the rest of their class. At school the class would all have been working on the same subjects possibly at the same time. Here the group have come in and been told that they need to attend an extra afternoon to complete Entry to employment paperwork and adult literacy and numeracy classes. This would then be followed up with three days of Diploma work in theory and practical. Two other groups who have the entry qualifications only need to complete the diploma theory and practical content and complete key skills in the time scheduled. There are tools which can be used to help define a disability and help governing bodies and government find strategies in which to find the needs of disabled people. These are categorised as models of disability. The two which are commonly used for education are known as the Social Model and the Medical Model. When these models are correctly used, they will give a basic understanding of disability issues, such as services used and possibly ways of access to work. These models can see disabled people as dependant people in the community this may segregate them from others and force discrimination. This can lead to equality of human rights and the opposite of segregation which is integration. This does not mean one is better than the other but merely that each model can be used in different situations Firstly what passes for a disability? People who have impairment and may experience some form of exclusion as a result are disabled people. People may wear glasses or contact lenses. These may not be discriminated against where as people who are deaf and wear hearing aids sometimes are, and are discriminated against with barriers in communication. People who are included with a disability such as: Physical impairments Deaf people, Blind people People with AIDS and HIV (chronic Illness) Learning difficulties Mental health issues / behavioural problems People who also have hidden impairments such as; Mental stress Dyslexia Epilepsy Language impairments Disfigured people Diabetes http://attitudes2disability.wordpress.com/category/medical-model-vs-social-model/ Medical Model The medical model is used by the health organisation and was devised by doctors. The medical model focuses on the source of the problem on the patient (student) and presumes that the problems will be found with the student. With a more superior method you can go a step further and look into the students personal background and how it could affect their everyday lives. It is basically there to find a cure; it can occasionally fail as it says disabled people are not necessarily sick or cannot be improved by remedial treatment (connectings for community leadership, 2007) Social Model The social model was design for disabled people after the medical model. This particular model has had an impact on the anti discrimination legislation it also recognises that some people have different abilities ranging from sensory, physical ,or psychological variations . This was later extended to include all disabled people including those with learning difficulties and mental health problems. This model can focus on any changes needed in society. Physical structures such as elevators, or ramps would also focus under this model. Medical Model (Thinking) Socal Model (Thinking) The child is damaged Child is valued labelling Strenghts and needs defined by selfand others Diagnosis Identify barriers and developsolutions Impairment becomes focus of attention Outcome -based programme designed Assessment, monitoring,programmes of theropy imposed Resources are madee available to ordinary services Segregation and alternative services Training for parents and professionals Ordinary needs put on hold Relationship nurtured Re-entry if normal enough or permanent exclusion Diversity welcomed , child is included Society remains unchanged Society evolves My second area for topic was looking at Inclusivity of women in construction Inclusivity Fact file: Almost 200,000 women work in construction. Women have been working in construction since the Middle Ages Women account for around 1% of trades people and 11.6% of those working in design and management occupations (Jon Land, 2009) A report From the CIOB (chartered institute of building) back in 2001 indicated Women in the UK construction industry currently accounted for fewer than ten per cent of the UK construction workforce, this reflected their under-representation in an industry that fails to attract and retain women. The research was important because it raises the debate about the advancement in the subject of inclusivity, assessing the barriers faced by women and discussed means of redressing the balance to improve the inclusivity of the industry. Expanding inclusivity, which includes, attracting and hopefully keeping women in construction, is a key priority for the UK. The construction industry in countries facing skill and labour shortages could perhaps combat some of their problems by increasing the number of women in the workforce. This would be a resourceful and positive use for inclusion. In summary, the important issues were: Attracting more women to the industry by not only focusing on young entrants but also returnees to work following a career break, and those who seek a career change. Retention of women in the workforce Understanding the extent of women employed in the whole industry, what are they looking for from the industry? For a number of years women have been moving into professional work such as law, accountancy, and medicine, all of which require high-level qualifications and are considered attractive because of the perceived high level of class status. Today, numbers of women and men are almost equal in these sectors. However, occupational areas such as engineering and the construction trades have not seen a comparable change in the make-up of the workforce. Womens labour market participation has increased over recent years and their employment rates have risen, whereas mens participation in the labour market has declined slightly. Girls now perform better than boys in education and in getting qualifications (Hibbett, and Meager 2003)). With Women making up 50 per cent of the population, more than 46 per cent are currently in the labour market. More than half of the entrants in higher education in colleges are women. Yet in the construction Industry, the percentage of women involved is as little as 11%. This figure includes, Architects, Quantity Surveyors, Site Organisers and Bricklayers. Construction needs variety in it for growth and development. Demand for construction had experienced growth over the past eight years, due to the expanding world population and the necessity for accommodation and a buoyant economy. However, the recent effects of the credit crunch have seriously put the industry, and many others, into a decline. The industry could not afford a skills shortage at such a time because when the economy rallies and improves, the need for skilled workforce will be of paramount importance. Construction and engineering learners are 90 per cent men, whilst hairdressing and beauty therapy are dominated by women who make up 91 per cent of learners. The exceptions are in higher education, which are dominated by male students in areas such as, computer science (80 per cent), engineering and technology (85 per cent). Female-dominated subjects include education, and beauty, although most of this research was based between 2001 -2004, surveys have been carried out as recently as 2009 by the CIOB and their conclusion was that :-(Sonia Gurjao, 2001) A number of factors have contributed to the industrys skill shortages. One of the most significant reasons is the lack of new recruits joining the industry. At the end of 2007, ConstructionSkills predicted that the industry would require 88,000 new recruits a year between 2009 and 2013; this figure has now been more than halved to 42,000 per year. There are a number of reasons for people not wanting to join the industry; many relate to the general perception of it being predominately a career for white males, with long hours and little pay. (CIOB, 2009) It is this perception that dissuades women and ethnic minorities from joining the industry. Research has shown that many women believe the industry is a competitive and threatening environment that rejects women and hinders their progression. This I feel is not the case, Bricklayers can take home as much as  £28,000 when fully qualified. A working day is usually between 8.00am and 5.30pm with most companies now finishing work on Fri day afternoons around 3.30pm. The hours are not dissimilar to a retail occupation .As for a career for white males, this will depend on the area of the country; in the midlands there is a larger ethnic representation. The trade has definitely built up a reputation as a dominantley male industry due to one of the main contributing factors being the percieved impression that men are lecherous to women . This is not necessarily the case, many women would not wish to enter the construction industry at trade level because of the level of bad language or the inuendos they assume most men would use. Assumptions (Appendix 3) can be very negative. Other industries however, such as factories, can be as biased and have contant use of bad language . With equality being a very relavant point, I have worked in a florists from time to time and found women to be more open with what they say about the opposite sex and graphic .I found this more off putting than working on any site. Although the industry has done more in recent years to attract women and ethnic minorities, this is still a great challenge; despite more females taking construction courses, retention rates are still comparatively low once women start working. (CIOB, 2009) In our organisation, over the last two years, we have taken on six females in Carpentry and Brickwork with a total of 120 students overall .This works out to a total of 5% of female students in our department. Of the 5%, one has just enrolled, one has completed the course, two are carrying on to the second year and the other two dropped out in the first year. The industry needs to become more inclusive if it hopes to reduce skill shortages, and accept the wealth of knowledge and experience that women and ethnic minorities can offer. (CIOB, 2009) In researching for ways to develop an understanding for why women are not in construction, I realised that women are mainly isolated in the construction workplace. Unlike men, who are usually in substantially larger groups or gangs, such as Carpentry or Bricklaying. Looking further afield, many women travel to the Middle East to take up jobs in Architecture and Project Management, which is a more sociable side to the industry . Although our government express an interest in bringing women into the construction industry little incentive seems to be brought in to help achieve it. Other countries however, are trying to change this, for example, in South Africa in 2006 six construction companies owned by women were given public works contracts as part of a government initative at giving women a start in the construction industry each contract was worth more than a million rand ( £75,300).. (times, 2006) Conclusion Hibbett, A. (W.E.U., DTI), Meager, .N, (IES) (2003) Key indicators of womens position in Britain: Findings from a recent comprehensive study of women in Britain commissioned by the Women and Equality Unit. National Statistics: Labour Market Trends 111(No. 10): 9

Little Woman, Small World Essay -- Literature

In a small world, there is not much choice for a simple woman. Throughout history, women often are portrayed as the weaker sex. As a result of this assumption, women try to disassociate themselves from this custom and be more independent with their lives. One of John Steinbeck’s most accomplished short stories is, â€Å"The Chrysanthemums,† a story of an unhappy marriage of Elisa that takes place in the Salinas Valley of California. Elisa is coerced into a meager existence on her husband’s ranch. Particularly for Elisa, the world is as small as it appears, and she does not want to be a part in it any longer. She is feeling trapped in a life of servitude and suppressing a yearning for more. Therefore, Elisa takes a bold step towards her own providence. â€Å"The Chrysanthemums,† is a coming of age tale for a woman and a wife named Elisa who is portrayed as feminine, subservient, and conservative, though the reality is that she is instead a masculine, frustr ated, and sensual woman who wants more out of life than Henry offers her. Therefore, her portrayal shows her dissatisfaction in her marriage. Several times throughout the story, Elisa’s portrayal shows her masculine gender role that that leads to her dissatisfaction in her life. Elisa’s strength is almost to the point of masculinity. For example, Elisa is described in the story as powerful, handsome, strong, eager, and lean (Diyanni 460). Elisa could easily be mistaken for a man on the way she dresses up. She wears manly clothes and could be mistaken as a man from the distance. The way she looks and dresses up, she feels limited and underappreciated as a woman which adds to her dissatisfaction. In addition, according to Elizabeth McMahan, one of the critics from short story criticism, s... ...d As Met.† Short Stories for Study, Harvard University Pres pp.115-52. McMahan, Elizabeth E. Short Story Criticism. Vol. 2. Ed. David Segal. Second ed. United Kingdom: Gale Research International Limited, 1992. 214-16. Print. Palmerino, Gregory J. â€Å"Steinbeck’s ‘The Chrysanthemums’.† The Explicator 62.3 (2004): 164+.Literature Resource Center. Web. 6 March. 2012. Masterplots. The Chrysanthemums. The Big Sky-The Confidential Clerk. Vol. 2. Ed. Laurence W. Mazenno. Fourth ed. Pasadena, California: Salem Press, 1949. 1011-12. Print. Schultz, Jeffrey, and Luchen Li. Critical Companion to John Steinbeck A Literary Reference to His Life and Work. New York: Checkmark Books, 2005. 50-52. Print. Steinbeck, John. "The Chrysanthemums." Literature Approaches to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. Ed. Robert DiYanni. Second ed. Boston: New York University, 2008. 459-66. Print.

Pride And Prejudice: First Impressions Essay -- essays research papers

First Impressions First impressions are very important. In the Victorian age, people based their whole opinion of someone on first impressions. Most times the first impression of someone is not the way they truly are. Sometimes a first impression can cause you to think negative of someone but later you find out that they are very nice and a very positive person. One example is when Mr. Darcy meets Elizabeth in the book ,Pride and Prejudice. Elizabeth thinks Mr.darcy is a cruel and arrogant person, but she later finds out that he is not. Also in, Pride and Prejudice when Elizabeth meets Mr. Wickham she gets the impression that he is very nice and gentlemen like, but she finds different with him too. In the story " The Importance of being Ernest" Lady Bracknell does not like Jack because he does not have any money and does not live up to her standards, but little does she know. In "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen, Elizabeth thinks Mr. Darcy is a very rude and self centered person based on what she saw the first time they met or actually the first time they saw each other. Elizabeth over heard Mr. Darcy talking to Mr. Bingley at a ball and didn't really like what she heard. "She is tolerable; but not handsome enough to tempt me." ( Austen 12) Mr. Darcy thinks he is much to good for some people and has very high expectations. at one point n Beck 2 the story Mr. Darcy starts to fall in love with Elizabeth. Elizabeth knows he has changed but...

Rabies: Closer Than You Think :: science

Rabies: Closer Than You Think Rabies, a virus of the nervous system and salivary glands is a fast moving killer; it’s not something to mess around with. Rabies comes from the Latin word â€Å"to rage†. Rabies is easily associated with rage. When people think of rabies, they usually think of a mad raccoon or dog, foaming at the mouth and running around crazy; dying soon after. The thought of going crazy is a pretty reasonable guess for how rabies torments its victims. The virus enters through a bite or transfer of infected saliva and makes its way through the nerves toward your spinal cord and brain. Obviously, rabies is an extremely deadly virus that affects the nervous system. Immediately after being bitten, you need to seek medical attention or death will come within a week. Rabies is a very fatal virus that, without proper medical attention, will kill its victims very swiftly, but there are ways to help. There is a vaccine for people who are likely to get rabies, and there is a vaccine that, if used immediately after the exposure to the rabid animal, can save the victim of rabies. These vaccines have saved the lives of many. Medical technology at its finest is what saves victims of these horrible diseases, but if you are too late and do not receive the proper treatment in time, well, death is a lot closer than you think. Rabies is a disease that requires fast treatment. Go too slow and all you can do is wait until death comes; painfully and tormenting you until you draw your last breath. Most often the cause of contamination is through the bite of a rabid animal. The virus then spreads through the nerves until it reaches the central nervous system (CNS) which is the spinal cord and the brain. Then the virus incubates in the infected creature’s body for approximately 3-12 weeks. The victim shows no signs of illness during this â€Å"incubation period†. When the virus reaches the brain, it multiplies rapidly, passes to the salivary glands, and the infected creature begins to show signs of disease. The infected creature usually dies within 1 week of becoming sick. Within four or five days, the victim my then either slip into a months long coma ending in death or die suddenly of cardiac arrest. Rabies is extremely dangerous. It’s important to treat the wound when you have been bitten, but the disease isn’t always transmitted through a bite.

Mannerism

Manners in Today's Society Good manners have shifted over the past generations from â€Å"caring for others† to â€Å"pleasing ourselves. † With pleasing ourselves comes a loss of respect for one another and its is a growing problem. People no longer take time to interact with one another due to our fast paced high tech lives. We are not the courteous and thoughtful people we used to be. This research paper will explain how our manners have changed and why. In today's society email, IM and text messaging is our main source of communication.This technology is slowly is affecting the way we interact with one another decreasing the amount of time in face-to-face conversation. People text while driving, then flip you off when you beep at them for not paying attention. Then you have the people who talk extra loud on their cell phone in public and they get mad at you when Join into their conversation. If they weren't talking so loud you wouldn't have Joined in. Nowadays a sim ple courtesy smile or hello might go unnoticed because of our inability to look away from the cell phone, lap top or ‘pod.Making the person who gave the smile or hello feel you were being rude, when you were Just preoccupied. Most of us today are way too concerned with pleasing ourselves to lend a helping hand. Holding a door open for someone used to be a natural gesture, now it's can be considered a tedious task. People are more worried about how helping someone will affect their own life, will it put them a little behind schedule or somehow make them late for a dinner? What happened to common courtesy and the reward of Just being able to make someone day?Television also has a big influence on our manners can because the media gives praise to bad behavior and screw ups. Making adults, teens and children think acting rude and obnoxious will earn them popularity amongst friends and peers. When all it really does is make them look and sound foolish. Family talk at the dinner tab le is being replaced with television. Other rude behavior done at the dinner table is testing or talking on the phone, this is a habit children and teens everywhere are doing and it drives most parent's crazy. There are many theories about how we as a society let our manners get to this point.Some experts think parent's are no longer teaching their children common routers causing them to think it is natural to not say please or thank you. Others think technology is to blame. The truth of the matter is bad mannerism are beginning to have an impact on peoples life in a big way†¦ In 2002 a survey conducted by Public agenda show some shocking statistics about manners. In it, 88 percent of respondents said they often or sometimes came across people who were rude or disrespectful, and 79 percent of them felt that disrespect and lack of courtesy were major problems.Furthermore, 62 percent said they were bothered a great deal by engine rudeness in public. Those are large numbers, which clearly shows that more than half of Americans are not pleased with the current situation. Another statistic shows 81 percent of the united states admits to testing while driving while another study shows the average child will watch 8,000 murders on TV before finishing elementary school. By age eighteen, the average American has seen 200,000 acts of violence on TV, including 40,000 murders. At a meeting in Nashville, TN last July, Dry.John Nelson of the American Medical Association (an endorser of National TV-Turnoff Week) said that if 2,888 out of 3,000 studies show that TV violence is a casual factor in real-life mayhem, â€Å"it's a public health problem. † The American Psychiatric Association addressed this problem in its endorsement of National TV-Turnoff Week, stating, â€Å"We have had a long-standing concern with the impact of television on behavior, especially among children. † Having better manners will not only make you standout in a crowd, but it will mak e the person receiving your thoughtful gesture feel uplifted. Mannerism Manners in Today's Society Good manners have shifted over the past generations from â€Å"caring for others† to â€Å"pleasing ourselves. † With pleasing ourselves comes a loss of respect for one another and its is a growing problem. People no longer take time to interact with one another due to our fast paced high tech lives. We are not the courteous and thoughtful people we used to be. This research paper will explain how our manners have changed and why. In today's society email, IM and text messaging is our main source of communication.This technology is slowly is affecting the way we interact with one another decreasing the amount of time in face-to-face conversation. People text while driving, then flip you off when you beep at them for not paying attention. Then you have the people who talk extra loud on their cell phone in public and they get mad at you when Join into their conversation. If they weren't talking so loud you wouldn't have Joined in. Nowadays a sim ple courtesy smile or hello might go unnoticed because of our inability to look away from the cell phone, lap top or ‘pod.Making the person who gave the smile or hello feel you were being rude, when you were Just preoccupied. Most of us today are way too concerned with pleasing ourselves to lend a helping hand. Holding a door open for someone used to be a natural gesture, now it's can be considered a tedious task. People are more worried about how helping someone will affect their own life, will it put them a little behind schedule or somehow make them late for a dinner? What happened to common courtesy and the reward of Just being able to make someone day?Television also has a big influence on our manners can because the media gives praise to bad behavior and screw ups. Making adults, teens and children think acting rude and obnoxious will earn them popularity amongst friends and peers. When all it really does is make them look and sound foolish. Family talk at the dinner tab le is being replaced with television. Other rude behavior done at the dinner table is testing or talking on the phone, this is a habit children and teens everywhere are doing and it drives most parent's crazy. There are many theories about how we as a society let our manners get to this point.Some experts think parent's are no longer teaching their children common routers causing them to think it is natural to not say please or thank you. Others think technology is to blame. The truth of the matter is bad mannerism are beginning to have an impact on peoples life in a big way†¦ In 2002 a survey conducted by Public agenda show some shocking statistics about manners. In it, 88 percent of respondents said they often or sometimes came across people who were rude or disrespectful, and 79 percent of them felt that disrespect and lack of courtesy were major problems.Furthermore, 62 percent said they were bothered a great deal by engine rudeness in public. Those are large numbers, which clearly shows that more than half of Americans are not pleased with the current situation. Another statistic shows 81 percent of the united states admits to testing while driving while another study shows the average child will watch 8,000 murders on TV before finishing elementary school. By age eighteen, the average American has seen 200,000 acts of violence on TV, including 40,000 murders. At a meeting in Nashville, TN last July, Dry.John Nelson of the American Medical Association (an endorser of National TV-Turnoff Week) said that if 2,888 out of 3,000 studies show that TV violence is a casual factor in real-life mayhem, â€Å"it's a public health problem. † The American Psychiatric Association addressed this problem in its endorsement of National TV-Turnoff Week, stating, â€Å"We have had a long-standing concern with the impact of television on behavior, especially among children. † Having better manners will not only make you standout in a crowd, but it will mak e the person receiving your thoughtful gesture feel uplifted. Mannerism Manners in Today's Society Good manners have shifted over the past generations from â€Å"caring for others† to â€Å"pleasing ourselves. † With pleasing ourselves comes a loss of respect for one another and its is a growing problem. People no longer take time to interact with one another due to our fast paced high tech lives. We are not the courteous and thoughtful people we used to be. This research paper will explain how our manners have changed and why. In today's society email, IM and text messaging is our main source of communication.This technology is slowly is affecting the way we interact with one another decreasing the amount of time in face-to-face conversation. People text while driving, then flip you off when you beep at them for not paying attention. Then you have the people who talk extra loud on their cell phone in public and they get mad at you when Join into their conversation. If they weren't talking so loud you wouldn't have Joined in. Nowadays a sim ple courtesy smile or hello might go unnoticed because of our inability to look away from the cell phone, lap top or ‘pod.Making the person who gave the smile or hello feel you were being rude, when you were Just preoccupied. Most of us today are way too concerned with pleasing ourselves to lend a helping hand. Holding a door open for someone used to be a natural gesture, now it's can be considered a tedious task. People are more worried about how helping someone will affect their own life, will it put them a little behind schedule or somehow make them late for a dinner? What happened to common courtesy and the reward of Just being able to make someone day?Television also has a big influence on our manners can because the media gives praise to bad behavior and screw ups. Making adults, teens and children think acting rude and obnoxious will earn them popularity amongst friends and peers. When all it really does is make them look and sound foolish. Family talk at the dinner tab le is being replaced with television. Other rude behavior done at the dinner table is testing or talking on the phone, this is a habit children and teens everywhere are doing and it drives most parent's crazy. There are many theories about how we as a society let our manners get to this point.Some experts think parent's are no longer teaching their children common routers causing them to think it is natural to not say please or thank you. Others think technology is to blame. The truth of the matter is bad mannerism are beginning to have an impact on peoples life in a big way†¦ In 2002 a survey conducted by Public agenda show some shocking statistics about manners. In it, 88 percent of respondents said they often or sometimes came across people who were rude or disrespectful, and 79 percent of them felt that disrespect and lack of courtesy were major problems.Furthermore, 62 percent said they were bothered a great deal by engine rudeness in public. Those are large numbers, which clearly shows that more than half of Americans are not pleased with the current situation. Another statistic shows 81 percent of the united states admits to testing while driving while another study shows the average child will watch 8,000 murders on TV before finishing elementary school. By age eighteen, the average American has seen 200,000 acts of violence on TV, including 40,000 murders. At a meeting in Nashville, TN last July, Dry.John Nelson of the American Medical Association (an endorser of National TV-Turnoff Week) said that if 2,888 out of 3,000 studies show that TV violence is a casual factor in real-life mayhem, â€Å"it's a public health problem. † The American Psychiatric Association addressed this problem in its endorsement of National TV-Turnoff Week, stating, â€Å"We have had a long-standing concern with the impact of television on behavior, especially among children. † Having better manners will not only make you standout in a crowd, but it will mak e the person receiving your thoughtful gesture feel uplifted.

Coco Chanel

Fashion designer. Born on August 19, 1883, in Saumur, France. With her trademark suits and little black dresses, Coco Chanel created timeless designs that are still popular today. She herself became a much revered style icon known for her simple yet sophisticated outfits paired with great accessories, such as several strands of pearls. As Chanel once said,â€Å"luxury must be comfortable, otherwise it is not luxury. † Her early years, however, were anything but glamorous. After her mother’s death, Chanel was put in an orphanage by her father who worked as a peddler. She was raised by nuns who taught her how to sew—a skill that would lead to her life’s work. Her nickname came from another occupation entirely. During her brief career as a singer, Chanel performed in clubs in Vichy and Moulins where she was called â€Å"Coco. † Some say that the name comes from one of the songs she used to sing, and Chanel herself said that it was a â€Å"shortened version of cocotte, the French word for ‘kept woman,† according to an article in The Atlantic. Around the age of 20, Chanel became involved with Etienne Balsan who offered to help her start a millinery business in Paris. She soon left him for one of his even wealthier friends, Arthur â€Å"Boy† Capel. Both men were instrumental in Chanel’s first fashion venture. Opening her first shop on Paris’s Rue Cambon in 1910, Chanel started out selling hats. She later added stores in Deauville and Biarritz and began making clothes. Her first taste of clothing success came from a dress she fashioned out of an old jersey on a chilly day. In response to the many people who asked about where she got the dress, she offered to make one for them. â€Å"My fortune is built on that old jersey that I’d put on because it was cold in Deauville,† she once told author Paul Morand. In the 1920s, Chanel took her thriving business to new heights. She launched her first perfume, Chanel No. 5, which was the first to feature a designer’s name. Perfume â€Å"is the unseen, unforgettable, ultimate accessory of fashion. . . . that heralds your arrival and prolongs your departure,† Chanel once explained. In 1925, she introduced the now legendary Chanel suit with collarless jacket and well-fitted skirt. Her designs were revolutionary for the time—borrowing elements of men’s wear and emphasizing comfort over the constraints of then-popular fashions. She helped women say good-bye to the days of corsets and other confining garments. Another 1920s revolutionary design was Chanel’s little black dress. She took a color once associated with mourning and showed just how chic it could be for eveningwear. In addition to fashion, Chanel was a popular figure in the Paris literary and artistic worlds. She designed costumes for the Ballets Russes and for Jean Cocteau’s play Orphee, and counted Cocteau and artist Pablo Picasso among her friends. For a time, Chanel had a relationship with composer Igor Stravinsky. Another important romance for Chanel began in the 1920s. She met the wealthy duke of Westminster aboard his yacht around 1923, and the two started a decades-long relationship. In response to his marriage proposal, she reportedly said â€Å"There have been several Duchesses of Westminster—but there is only one Chanel! † The international economic depression of the 1930s had a negative impact on her company, but it was the outbreak of World War II that led Chanel to close her business. She fired her workers and shut down her shops. During the German occupation of France, Chanel got involved with a German military officer, Hans Gunther von Dincklage. She got special permission to stay in her apartment at the Hotel Ritz. After the war ended, Chanel was interrogated by her relationship with von Dincklage, but she was not charged as a collaborator. Some have wondered whether friend Winston Churchill worked behind the scenes on Chanel’s behalf. While not officially charged, Chanel suffered in the court of public opinion. Some still viewed her relationship with a Nazi officer as a betrayal of her country. Chanel left Paris, spending some years in Switzerland in a sort of exile. She also lived at her country house in Roquebrune for a time. At the age of 70, Chanel made a triumphant return to the fashion world. She first received scathing reviews from critics, but her feminine and easy-fitting designs soon won over shoppers around the world. In 1969, Chanel’s fascinating life story became the basis for the Broadway musical Coco starring Katharine Hepburn as the legendary designer. Alan Jay Lerner wrote the book and lyrics for the show’s song while Andre Previn composed the music. Cecil Beaton handled the set and costume design for the production. The show received seven Tony Award nominations, and Beaton won for Best Costume Design and Rene Auberjonois for Best Featured Actor. Coco Chanel died on January 10, 1971, at her apartment in the Hotel Ritz. She never married, having once said â€Å"I never wanted to weigh more heavily on a man than a bird. † Hundreds crowded together at the Church of the Madeleine to bid farewell to the fashion icon. In tribute, many of the mourners wore Chanel suits. A little more than a decade after her death, designer Karl Lagerfeld took the reins at her company to continue the Chanel legacy. Today her namesake company continues to thrive and is believed to generate hundreds of millions in sales each year. In addition to the longevity of her designs, Chanel’s life story continues to captivate people’s attention. There have been several biographies of the fashion revolutionary, including Chanel and Her World (2005) written by her friend Edmonde Charles-Roux. In the recent television biopic, Coco Chanel (2008), Shirley MacLaine starred as the famous designer around the time of her 1954 career resurrection. The actress told WWD that she had long been interested in playing Chanel. â€Å"What’s wonderful about her is she’s not a straightforward, easy woman to understand. † Coco Chanel Fashion designer. Born on August 19, 1883, in Saumur, France. With her trademark suits and little black dresses, Coco Chanel created timeless designs that are still popular today. She herself became a much revered style icon known for her simple yet sophisticated outfits paired with great accessories, such as several strands of pearls. As Chanel once said,â€Å"luxury must be comfortable, otherwise it is not luxury. † Her early years, however, were anything but glamorous. After her mother’s death, Chanel was put in an orphanage by her father who worked as a peddler. She was raised by nuns who taught her how to sew—a skill that would lead to her life’s work. Her nickname came from another occupation entirely. During her brief career as a singer, Chanel performed in clubs in Vichy and Moulins where she was called â€Å"Coco. † Some say that the name comes from one of the songs she used to sing, and Chanel herself said that it was a â€Å"shortened version of cocotte, the French word for ‘kept woman,† according to an article in The Atlantic. Around the age of 20, Chanel became involved with Etienne Balsan who offered to help her start a millinery business in Paris. She soon left him for one of his even wealthier friends, Arthur â€Å"Boy† Capel. Both men were instrumental in Chanel’s first fashion venture. Opening her first shop on Paris’s Rue Cambon in 1910, Chanel started out selling hats. She later added stores in Deauville and Biarritz and began making clothes. Her first taste of clothing success came from a dress she fashioned out of an old jersey on a chilly day. In response to the many people who asked about where she got the dress, she offered to make one for them. â€Å"My fortune is built on that old jersey that I’d put on because it was cold in Deauville,† she once told author Paul Morand. In the 1920s, Chanel took her thriving business to new heights. She launched her first perfume, Chanel No. 5, which was the first to feature a designer’s name. Perfume â€Å"is the unseen, unforgettable, ultimate accessory of fashion. . . . that heralds your arrival and prolongs your departure,† Chanel once explained. In 1925, she introduced the now legendary Chanel suit with collarless jacket and well-fitted skirt. Her designs were revolutionary for the time—borrowing elements of men’s wear and emphasizing comfort over the constraints of then-popular fashions. She helped women say good-bye to the days of corsets and other confining garments. Another 1920s revolutionary design was Chanel’s little black dress. She took a color once associated with mourning and showed just how chic it could be for eveningwear. In addition to fashion, Chanel was a popular figure in the Paris literary and artistic worlds. She designed costumes for the Ballets Russes and for Jean Cocteau’s play Orphee, and counted Cocteau and artist Pablo Picasso among her friends. For a time, Chanel had a relationship with composer Igor Stravinsky. Another important romance for Chanel began in the 1920s. She met the wealthy duke of Westminster aboard his yacht around 1923, and the two started a decades-long relationship. In response to his marriage proposal, she reportedly said â€Å"There have been several Duchesses of Westminster—but there is only one Chanel! † The international economic depression of the 1930s had a negative impact on her company, but it was the outbreak of World War II that led Chanel to close her business. She fired her workers and shut down her shops. During the German occupation of France, Chanel got involved with a German military officer, Hans Gunther von Dincklage. She got special permission to stay in her apartment at the Hotel Ritz. After the war ended, Chanel was interrogated by her relationship with von Dincklage, but she was not charged as a collaborator. Some have wondered whether friend Winston Churchill worked behind the scenes on Chanel’s behalf. While not officially charged, Chanel suffered in the court of public opinion. Some still viewed her relationship with a Nazi officer as a betrayal of her country. Chanel left Paris, spending some years in Switzerland in a sort of exile. She also lived at her country house in Roquebrune for a time. At the age of 70, Chanel made a triumphant return to the fashion world. She first received scathing reviews from critics, but her feminine and easy-fitting designs soon won over shoppers around the world. In 1969, Chanel’s fascinating life story became the basis for the Broadway musical Coco starring Katharine Hepburn as the legendary designer. Alan Jay Lerner wrote the book and lyrics for the show’s song while Andre Previn composed the music. Cecil Beaton handled the set and costume design for the production. The show received seven Tony Award nominations, and Beaton won for Best Costume Design and Rene Auberjonois for Best Featured Actor. Coco Chanel died on January 10, 1971, at her apartment in the Hotel Ritz. She never married, having once said â€Å"I never wanted to weigh more heavily on a man than a bird. † Hundreds crowded together at the Church of the Madeleine to bid farewell to the fashion icon. In tribute, many of the mourners wore Chanel suits. A little more than a decade after her death, designer Karl Lagerfeld took the reins at her company to continue the Chanel legacy. Today her namesake company continues to thrive and is believed to generate hundreds of millions in sales each year. In addition to the longevity of her designs, Chanel’s life story continues to captivate people’s attention. There have been several biographies of the fashion revolutionary, including Chanel and Her World (2005) written by her friend Edmonde Charles-Roux. In the recent television biopic, Coco Chanel (2008), Shirley MacLaine starred as the famous designer around the time of her 1954 career resurrection. The actress told WWD that she had long been interested in playing Chanel. â€Å"What’s wonderful about her is she’s not a straightforward, easy woman to understand. † Coco Chanel Final Research Paper May 3, 2012 Fashion Leader, Nazi Informant, Compulsive Liar: Coco Chanel (1918-1945) Agent F-7124, code name: Westminster. To those of you who were not involved with German Military Intelligence during World War II, you may know Agent F-7124 as Coco Chanel. Chanel has been one of the top names in high end fashion for almost one hundred years but the woman behind the brand has a shocking past that would make any customer think twice before a purchase. Chanel herself once said during the German Occupation of France, â€Å"For a woman betrayal has no sense—one cannot betray one’s passions1. Chanel held this statement true through three affairs with Nazi officers during World War II, an affair with a French textile heir who introduced her to an English aristocrat who conveniently funded her first two boutiques in Paris2. In short, Chanel slept her way to the top of the fashion industry. Nonetheless, in 1926 the October issue of American Vogue Magazine credits Chanel with standardizing fashion in a caption under her signature black dress, â€Å"Here is a Ford signed Chanel—the frock that all the world will wear. †3 And they did; by 1935 Chanel was selling 28,000 designs worldwide. Coco Chanel was born Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel in 1883 in Paris, France and was the second child to an unwed mother. Years later her parents would marry and have five more children. When Chanel was 12 years old her mother died and her father took Chanel and her six siblings to a convent for orphans where nuns would raise them until they reached age 18. At the convent Chanel learned to sew and was able to find work as a seamstress when she left. Living on her own, Chanel started to sing in a cabaret where she adopted the stage name Coco.Military officers and upper class members of society frequented the cabaret and Chanel met textile heir Etienne Balsan. Balsan introduced her to Captain Arthur Capel; Capel would buy her an apartment in Paris and finance her first two boutiques. Chanel began by designing hats, then women’s wear, and eventually perfume. 5 As Chanel made her way into the upper class she frequently fabricated her background to hide that she came from such humble beginnings. Chanel has stated in some interviews that she was an only child and has never publically acknowledged that she was raised in an orphanage.Author Louise de Vilmorin once suggested to Chanel that she see a psychiatrist about the constant need for fabrication. Chanel replied, â€Å"I, who never told the truth to my priest? †6 There is no doubt that Chanel is recognized as an innovator of women’s fashion during the 1920s. Women cut their hair and stepped out of their corsets. They wore clothes that gave them a waif-like silhouette shape, which was a stark contrast to the curvy, maternal shape previously connected with femininity. Women also stopped protecting their skin from sunlight and began to tan.The changes in women ’s fashion were said to make women feel liberated and in charge of their own fate, but whether fashion had the ability to actually liberate women is questionable. Historian Mary Louise Roberts wrote that fashion was a highly charged issue in the early 1920s. â€Å"Every aspect of female dress had not only changed but come mirror opposite of what it had been in 1900. †7 This new style for women was criticized and opposed by traditional conservatives, Catholics, journalists, and most men.The critics felt like gender lines were becoming blurred and women were no longer interested in becoming mothers; which they felt was the ultimate goal for a woman. Roberts also wrote that this new fashion was not a marker of social change rather a maker. 8 This interpretation from Roberts is very common among historians on fashion in the 1920s. Elsa Herrmann wrote that women were finally finding substance in their life, â€Å"Women were making goals and this period awakened them from t heir lethargy and laid upon them the responsibility for their own fate. 9 Feminist historians Caroline Evans and Minna Thornton write that fashion during this time offered women the opportunity to express themselves in a passive manner. The women suggest that it was a way for women to step into the fine arts that have been dominated by men for years. Fashion was also a way for women to use their creativity and become businesswomen. 10 Francois Baudot highlights the success of Chanel’s fashion career in connection with the feeling of women’s liberation: Thousands of women now began to realize that ‘poor chic’ could be the answer to social snobbery.The Chanel look, with its lines reduced to their simplest expression, shows that how clothes are worn is much more important than what is worn; that a good line is worth more than a pretty face; that well-dressed is not the same as dressy, and that the acme of social cachet was to be proletarian. 11 Baudot is sugg esting that this fashion movement started by Chanel actually broke down the class barriers that had been in place in France for centuries. Should Coco Chanel be given sole credit for this powerful new image of women? 12 We must ask ourselves: what other factors influenced a social change this large?It could be said that World War I had an enormous impact on this change in women’s fashion and their feeling of liberation. Throughout this paper I will discuss how World War I gave Chanel the opportunity to start her empire. I will then focus on how Chanel was able to stay an upper class, successful women despite her treatment of the people she employed, her anti-Semitism, and affairs with Nazi officers. To fully understand Chanel’s actions one must be briefed on the context of each one. During WWI men left their families and jobs to fight. Women had no choice but to provide for their families.The brutality of World War I made the chances of spouses returning very low. Fran ce lost 81,000 military men during WWI. 13 Women in the workplace manufactured war goods and faced extremely poor conditions and were often killed themselves. 14 WWI broke down the gender barrier so that women like Chanel could make a name for themselves and express themselves more freely. Historians acknowledge the rise in consumer culture and credit Chanel as ‘the’ female liberator and this image was created of Chanel as an icon for women embracing the new look. While Chanel was talented, she was also unashamed to use herself to get ahead.Without her two affairs she would not have had the money to build her brand. For young women yearning to be designers or businesswomen perhaps Chanel’s way of achieving notoriety is not the most ethical. For some, Chanel could send the message to her peers during this time that sleeping with men for money is how you become successful and internationally known. As an older women describing her beginnings, Coco Chanel said, â₠¬Å"I was able to start a high end fashion shop because two gentlemen were outbidding each other over my hot little body! †15 The Interwar Period created a culture of consumerism.The economy was prosperous and ready to wear clothing was new and very popular. Chanel would have had a harder time rising to the top of the fashion world without this economic boom from WWI. When Chanel’s designs were bought by the Parisian elite she was able to make personal connections to keep advancing herself and it benefitted her career. Towards the end of the 1920s her affair with the Duke of Westminster solidified Chanel into the British aristocracy. She became close with Winston Churchill and members of the royal family, which would help her out in the years to come.Together, Chanel and the Duke of Westminster were outspoken with their anti-Semitic views and homophobia. Chanel’s perfume line had been financed, marketed, and produced by two Jewish brothers. Chanel started a 17-yea r battle with the Wertheimer brothers to gain monetary control over the company for the sole reason being they were Jewish. 16 Once more, Chanel used her body to advance and her blatant intolerance of Judaism and homosexuality is evidence that Chanel was intolerant and yet was still in business. In 1936 French workers went on strike for higher wages and the French labor unions met with management delegations.Chanel refused to pay any wage increases and other demands brought forth. She eventually realized her fall line would not be produced unless she gave in. Chanel had no respect for the seamstresses she employed even though Chanel was once in that position herself. She employed roughly 3,000 women where the working conditions and hours were strenuous and took a toll on them. Chanel’s treatment of the female workers she felt were beneath her is not often written about but it is important to note that once Chanel had become one of the elite she wanted nothing to do with the l ower class.Chanel offered no extra benefits or help to the women working for her after agreements were met. 17 Three years later World War II began and Chanel closed her shops because she felt that war was not a time for fashion. Some see this as retaliation for the labor strike years before. 18 Regardless, Chanel’s actions against the women she employed go against the idea of the liberated woman she is credited with originating. Now in the fashion industry for twenty years, Chanel had an empire and was an internationally known name.However, the general public at this time had almost no knowledge of where Chanel had come from and how she rose to success. This helped increase the idolatry and admiration women held for her. Chanel created a public persona that was idyllic. Majority of what Chanel told reporters was fabricated because Chanel was so ashamed of her background. 19 It is hard to say whether Chanel’s fans during this time would have remained as loyal if her fu ll background was known. Looking back at the social classes in France during the 1920s and 1930s there was a strong middle class.The middle class appeared in the early 20th century and its members wanted a clear distinction between themselves and members of the lower working classes. 20 Chanel’s designs that every woman copied in the 20s had evolved into an exclusively high-end collection much like Chanel herself. Chanel resided in the Hotel Ritz in Paris during World War II after the closing of her shops. France was now under German Occupation and German military officers also resided at the Hotel Ritz. While the rest of France was strengthening their Resistance, Chanel was practically living with Nazi officers.The French Resistance amongst its citizens was huge and women were central in it. This could potentially have been Chanel’s moment to earn her status as an icon for women. Female resisters could get away with almost anything because the Nazis were so dismissive of females having power. These women were excellent at falsifying documents and identities, decoding, and transporting paperwork and they risked everything to be apart of it. 21 Chanel took absolutely no part in the Resistance but rather had an affair with Officer Hans Gunther von Dincklage who was an operative in military intelligence. 2 There are several allegations that Chanel was a Nazi spy. Chanel had become very connected in the past twenty-five years and saw herself as an asset to the Germans. There are travel records in French and British intelligence of Chanel with Nazi officers and their train schedules and dates. There is no actual proof of what Chanel did when she was a spy so she could not be convicted after her arrest in 1944. 23 Chanel handwrote a note to Churchill in 1944 explaining why it looked suspicious for Chanel and her friend Vera Lombardi to have such close connections with the Germans: My Dear Winston,Excuse me to come & ask you in such moments like theseâ € ¦I had heard from some time that Vera Lombardi was not very happily treated in Italy on account of her being English and married with an Italian officer†¦You know me well enough to understand that I did everything in my power to pull her out of that situation which had indeed become tragic as the Fascists had simply locked her up in prison†¦I was obliged to address myself to someone rather important to get her freed and to be allowed to bring her down here with e†¦that I succeeded placed me in a very difficult situation as her passport which is Italian has been stamped with a German visa and I understand quite well that it looks a bit suspect†¦you can well imagine my dear after years of occupation in France it has been my lot to encounter all kinds of people! I would have pleasure to talk over all these things with you! I remain always affectionately, Coco Chanel Perhaps Randolph could give me news of you. 24 Many Parisians postwar took Chanel’s action s as a slap in the face to France and questioned Chanel’s loyalty to France.Throughout World War II Chanel did not partake in anything to do with fashion and is remembered in France as somewhat of a traitor. Chanel moved to Switzerland following the war and ten years later returned to the fashion scene where she was welcomed by the Americans, whom are now her loyal customers. 25 Chanel was able to stay at the top of the fashion industry for so long because she was solely in Paris until after World War II. The French perspective is key to understanding how a woman like Chanel could maintain success.The French have a harder time accepting outside culture or influence because they want to keep France ‘French’. Since the French Revolution in 1789, nationalism has been important to the French people. The national motto of France is liberte, egalite, fraternite! (liberty, equality, fraternity/brotherhood). 26 Chanel was born in France and was easily accepted by the Fre nch community because in a way she could be seen as adding to the French culture. Her styles were created and manufactured in France by French people and this was most important to them.Her success after World War I boosted the morale of women and increased consumerism throughout France. Eventually, Chanel put herself above France and her involvement with the enemy in WWII ended her reign of success in the country. Another perspective of Chanel’s life and career to explore is that of American consumers. Americans during 1914 -1945 were not unaware of the brand and style of Chanel but it was not as common across the large country like it was in Europe. When the European press slammed Chanel in 1954 after her fashion show, she went to the United States one year later.The buyers in New York were thrilled to have her comeback be in the States and alerted Life Magazine. Life did a four-page spread on the comeback of Chanel. 27 Chanel’s reputation with the Nazis did not surv ive the journey across the Atlantic much to her benefit. Since Chanel had always been private and untruthful in the press, the American citizens really did not know much about Chanel as a person and just had the image of her as a foreign high-powered successful designer. At this time Chanel was 71 years old.It is possible that her age was to her benefit concerning American acceptance. Chanel’s affairs when she was younger were not that important to Americans because they did not know the military officers she was involved with. News of her affairs with Nazi officers going beyond just a relationship broke out to the public in the 21st century long after Chanel’s death. Therefore, Americans had virtually no reason to not accept Chanel. In conclusion, the wild life that Coco Chanel created was what kept her career alive.The mysterious Frenchwoman caught the eyes of wealthy men who financed her career and gave her the opportunity to become a success. The booming economy an d new culture of consumerism from WWI helped Chanel become a household name and powerhouse in France. Chanel had the ability to recreate herself at any opportunity she came across and she did. She could do this because she never told the truth to anyone. No one really knew Chanel until after she died. She told interviewers wrong birth dates and gave different accounts of how she was raised.She went from being an orphan to a member of the French elite then on to a British aristocrat. Her many affairs ranged from heirs to Dukes to Nazi officers and she was able to fit into each of them. Shockingly enough, all these factors are apart of the reason Chanel had staying power. Her rich clients gave her access to wealthy men and vice versa. The connections Chanel made between 1918 and 1945 were key giving her a place in every part of society in Europe.After her Nazi affairs and losing her place in Paris, Chanel had one resource left to tap and that was the United States’ fashion scen e. People in the United States were eager to have the designer’s comeback be on their soil. Once famous stars started wearing Chanel, the clothing was in high demand where it stays today. No other woman but Chanel could live the life she did and get away with being called an icon. â€Å"I invented my life by taking for granted that everything I did not like,  would have an opposite, which I would like,† Coco Chanel. 28 Coco Chanel Fashion designer. Born on August 19, 1883, in Saumur, France. With her trademark suits and little black dresses, Coco Chanel created timeless designs that are still popular today. She herself became a much revered style icon known for her simple yet sophisticated outfits paired with great accessories, such as several strands of pearls. As Chanel once said,â€Å"luxury must be comfortable, otherwise it is not luxury. † Her early years, however, were anything but glamorous. After her mother’s death, Chanel was put in an orphanage by her father who worked as a peddler. She was raised by nuns who taught her how to sew—a skill that would lead to her life’s work. Her nickname came from another occupation entirely. During her brief career as a singer, Chanel performed in clubs in Vichy and Moulins where she was called â€Å"Coco. † Some say that the name comes from one of the songs she used to sing, and Chanel herself said that it was a â€Å"shortened version of cocotte, the French word for ‘kept woman,† according to an article in The Atlantic. Around the age of 20, Chanel became involved with Etienne Balsan who offered to help her start a millinery business in Paris. She soon left him for one of his even wealthier friends, Arthur â€Å"Boy† Capel. Both men were instrumental in Chanel’s first fashion venture. Opening her first shop on Paris’s Rue Cambon in 1910, Chanel started out selling hats. She later added stores in Deauville and Biarritz and began making clothes. Her first taste of clothing success came from a dress she fashioned out of an old jersey on a chilly day. In response to the many people who asked about where she got the dress, she offered to make one for them. â€Å"My fortune is built on that old jersey that I’d put on because it was cold in Deauville,† she once told author Paul Morand. In the 1920s, Chanel took her thriving business to new heights. She launched her first perfume, Chanel No. 5, which was the first to feature a designer’s name. Perfume â€Å"is the unseen, unforgettable, ultimate accessory of fashion. . . . that heralds your arrival and prolongs your departure,† Chanel once explained. In 1925, she introduced the now legendary Chanel suit with collarless jacket and well-fitted skirt. Her designs were revolutionary for the time—borrowing elements of men’s wear and emphasizing comfort over the constraints of then-popular fashions. She helped women say good-bye to the days of corsets and other confining garments. Another 1920s revolutionary design was Chanel’s little black dress. She took a color once associated with mourning and showed just how chic it could be for eveningwear. In addition to fashion, Chanel was a popular figure in the Paris literary and artistic worlds. She designed costumes for the Ballets Russes and for Jean Cocteau’s play Orphee, and counted Cocteau and artist Pablo Picasso among her friends. For a time, Chanel had a relationship with composer Igor Stravinsky. Another important romance for Chanel began in the 1920s. She met the wealthy duke of Westminster aboard his yacht around 1923, and the two started a decades-long relationship. In response to his marriage proposal, she reportedly said â€Å"There have been several Duchesses of Westminster—but there is only one Chanel! † The international economic depression of the 1930s had a negative impact on her company, but it was the outbreak of World War II that led Chanel to close her business. She fired her workers and shut down her shops. During the German occupation of France, Chanel got involved with a German military officer, Hans Gunther von Dincklage. She got special permission to stay in her apartment at the Hotel Ritz. After the war ended, Chanel was interrogated by her relationship with von Dincklage, but she was not charged as a collaborator. Some have wondered whether friend Winston Churchill worked behind the scenes on Chanel’s behalf. While not officially charged, Chanel suffered in the court of public opinion. Some still viewed her relationship with a Nazi officer as a betrayal of her country. Chanel left Paris, spending some years in Switzerland in a sort of exile. She also lived at her country house in Roquebrune for a time. At the age of 70, Chanel made a triumphant return to the fashion world. She first received scathing reviews from critics, but her feminine and easy-fitting designs soon won over shoppers around the world. In 1969, Chanel’s fascinating life story became the basis for the Broadway musical Coco starring Katharine Hepburn as the legendary designer. Alan Jay Lerner wrote the book and lyrics for the show’s song while Andre Previn composed the music. Cecil Beaton handled the set and costume design for the production. The show received seven Tony Award nominations, and Beaton won for Best Costume Design and Rene Auberjonois for Best Featured Actor. Coco Chanel died on January 10, 1971, at her apartment in the Hotel Ritz. She never married, having once said â€Å"I never wanted to weigh more heavily on a man than a bird. † Hundreds crowded together at the Church of the Madeleine to bid farewell to the fashion icon. In tribute, many of the mourners wore Chanel suits. A little more than a decade after her death, designer Karl Lagerfeld took the reins at her company to continue the Chanel legacy. Today her namesake company continues to thrive and is believed to generate hundreds of millions in sales each year. In addition to the longevity of her designs, Chanel’s life story continues to captivate people’s attention. There have been several biographies of the fashion revolutionary, including Chanel and Her World (2005) written by her friend Edmonde Charles-Roux. In the recent television biopic, Coco Chanel (2008), Shirley MacLaine starred as the famous designer around the time of her 1954 career resurrection. The actress told WWD that she had long been interested in playing Chanel. â€Å"What’s wonderful about her is she’s not a straightforward, easy woman to understand. †