Articles written by W D Adkins

What is Helium

About me - W D Adkins

Hello all!

I'm a doctoral student (in history) and enjoy writing. A good thing too-history is mostly reading and writing. My interests are rather eclectic-so I really don't know what I'll be writing about tomorrow!

+ more bio information

RSS Feed

Politics, News & Issues > US Elections Archives US elections 2008: How Hillary Clinton won Texas and Ohio: 1 of 18
Hillary Clinton is a tough and tenacious political campaigner. Those qualities are a big part of why she was able to win last week in Texas and Ohio. But these personal strengths, as valuable to a politician as they are, cannot fully explain why she won. In fact, the reality is that these wins were less of a "comeback" than a... More..
Education > College Study Tips Tips for succeeding in college: 1 of 14
Every fall, it is a pleasure to see the new freshmen arriving on campus. Some are nervous, some are confused, and some openly scared. All are hopeful as they embark on their first great enterprise as a fledgling adult. For many, college will be the steppingstone for a rewarding, successful life. Sadly, though, some will face ... More..
Politics, News & Issues > Hunger, Disease & Poverty Taking concrete actions to help the third world: 1 of 10
Few people are unaware that much of the Third World remains mired in poverty and misery. Zimbabwe, once considered to be at the forefront of economic growth in Africa, is struggling with an economic collapse and escalating poverty. Over one billion people worldwide subsist on less than $1 per day. In the Darfur region of Afri... More..
Society & Lifestyle > African & Middle Eastern Culture Literacy in Africa as a gateway to eradicating poverty: 1 of 7
Poverty and illiteracy in Africa are both at extremely high levels. Four of five Africans earn less than $2 (US) per day; half try to survive on less than 1 dollar per day. 21 nations have adult literacy rates below 50% and overall 4 of every 10 Africans (two-thirds of them women) are illiterate. Achieving higher rates of lit... More..
Politics, News & Issues > Hunger, Disease & Poverty How to lend to entrepreneurs in developing countries: 1 of 7
Whether it is money for supplies to enable a woman to buy supplies for making batik handicrafts in Indonesia or to purchase a cow to sell the milk, microloans are opening the door for millions of poor people, particularly women, to escape the grinding poverty that pervades so many Third World nations. Microloans are rapidly b... More..
Arts & Humanities > Ancient History How Spanish conquistadors changed Central America: 1 of 7
They came in great boats with huge wings of cloth, these strange pale men clad in iron. They rode astride great beasts they bent to their will, just as the y bent the people to their will.Such might have been the words of a native of Central America in the early 1500s describing the Spanish conquistadors (literally, conqueror... More..
Sports & Recreation > Scuba Diving Fun facts about scuba diving: 1 of 7
Former astronaut Scott Carpenter (one of the original Mercury astronauts) has spent much of his time working in on the development of advanced underwater habitats and technology. An avid scuba diver, he has even written two fiction novels ("The Steel Albatross" and "Deep Flight") describing the future of undersea exploration ... More..
Sciences > Atmosphere & Weather The anatomy of a hurricane: 2 of 11
We often hear meteorologists on television speaking of a tropical depression "becoming better organized" as it develops into a tropical storm and then a hurricane. And probably everyone has seen satellite images of the distinctive spiral shape of these great storms. That spiral shape is only the most obvious indication of the... More..
Politics, News & Issues > Economic News Will rising gas prices in America cause an economic depression?: 2 of 10
No one is enjoying or benefiting from the sharp increases in gas prices over the past couple of years (with the possible exception of those owning substantial blocks of petroleum industry stock). But to argue that these price increases will cause an economic depression is a gross exaggeration. Before looking at why this is so... More..
Travel > South & Central America Why some Central American countries are better than others for retirement: 1 of 5
When it comes time to retire, Americans usually want more than just being able to sleep late if they feel like it. A warm climate and relaxed atmosphere exert a powerful attraction for those of us fed up with traffic jams, smog, and scraping ice off the car windshield every winter! So it's no surprise that as the "Baby Boom" ... More..