Making Good Choices

James Anderson Making good choices Making right choices is crucial for the direction that you want to go in in life, but sometimes it can be very hard to choose the right thing. Sometimes you do not make the right choice and there are consequences for those actions. Before you make a decision about doing something ask yourself a couple of questions. Would I tell my closest friend or relative about it? Will it have consequences? Will it cause harm? Think about what you are doing, before you do it. Whether it is about a relationship, personal issues with family, or even what you are going to have for lunch today.Do not do anything rash without thinking about the results, and planning how you will deal with the results. Some consequences can be severe, but sometimes it's worth it, that's what you have to decide for yourself. Avoid rash decisions. Don't do something out of feelings in the moment, take some time to be sure about what you want, and wait to calm down and relax before you ma ke the final decision and do something about it. It's a good idea to confide in someone and get some opinions on what you could do (ex. Your brother/sister, your bestfriend). Do not over-think everything.Don't get nervous at small things, that requires small decisions, that will not affect your life further. You should know what is important enough to be thinking well about it. Over-thinking everything can cause stress, which is very bad for you Trust yourself. Go with your gut, but always think any big and Hucrucial decision through. Have faith in yourself and in your instincts. After all, the only person you can trust to want the best for you is yourself. The choices we make throughout our lives determine our futures but the problem is, that we are not always wise enough now to make the choices we should for the people we want to become.When we are young and need to make important choices for our financial future, such as which subjects we should study and how to get good grades, we are not sufficiently wise to realise that a little pain now gives great gain in the future. We also want the pleasure that comes from eating forbidden fruit, from pigging out on confectionery or trying the adult pleasures that can ruin our health for life. We see adults smoking or consuming alcohol and saying that they enjoy it or get pleasure from it or need it to overcome the stress of the day.We are not wise enough to know that what adults say gives them pleasure also causes future ill health problems or that advertising is not reminding us to make healthy choices but trying to put money in other people's pockets. When we become adults, we will know what choices we should have made and will wish that we had made them long ago, when we were young. But the only way in which we will then be able to make good choices, will be to help and educate our own children to make the choices that we wish we had made when we were their age. Why good choices? Why not?Haven’t you ever h eard that if you’re going to do something, you might as well do it right? Well, it’s the same thing with choices. We’re not talking about preparing a meal or making a dress. This is your LIFE! You have the right to make your own choices, but you don’t have the right to choose the consequences. You may decide to stick your hand in the fire, but you’re probably going to get burned. We’ve all had the opportunity to make choices. Some of them were not so good. We’ve allowed other people to influence our lives, and sometimes what seemed like a good idea in the moment, turned out to be a huge mistake.As a teenager did you ever borrow the family car without permission? What did your parents do? They probably took the keys away from you and sent you to your room. Maybe you were grounded. Maybe that meant missing the prom or something else that was important to you. If so, you probably learned a lesson that has stuck with you. Other choices tu rn out to be much more serious. In fact, they may be serious enough that they will affect you for the rest of your life. What if you’re that teenager who borrowed the family car and wrecked it? Were you drinking? Texting? Talking on the phone?Just simply not paying attention? Was anyone else harmed, or even killed? If so, then that changes everything. Instead of being sent to your room, you were judged according to the laws of the land. You were probably taken to jail, and maybe even sent to prison, but even that won’t take away the consequences of knowing you injured or ended a life. People get married without a guide book and children don’t come with directions. Parents do the best they can but sometimes they just don’t provide the guidance a child needs. It’s not generally that they’re bad people.It’s just that they really just don’t know what a particular child needs. Sometimes parents have enough problems of their own and just simply don’t have what it takes to be good role models. As an example, I had parents who were good people. Charming, attractive, full of charisma. My birth was the event of the century for our family. I was the first child, and the first grandchild for my father’s parents. I remember everyone thinking I was pretty wonderful. When I look back at this time in my early childhood, I seem to settle on the happiness and security I felt at about age three.After that, things started going haywire. Alcohol played a huge part in the unhappiness of my parents and they decided they just couldn’t stay married. They still loved each other, but pride had gotten in the way and neither of them were willing (or able) to make the necessary changes to keep us all together. By the time I was seven, my parents officially divorced, and my sister and I, along with our father, went to live with our paternal grandparents. Thank goodness for grandparents who are willing to step in wh en there is a need. They became the parents to all three of us! Life was good with our grandparents.In fact, I’m sure my sister would agree that the three years with them were the most secure years of our childhood. At the end of those three years, our father remarried and expected a new â€Å"mother† to raise us. Our own mother had moved away, believing that we would be better off without her. Had she asked me what I thought about that, I would have begged her to stay. Things weren’t better without her. This new woman we now lived with didn’t want to raise someone else’s children and she made that pretty clear. For me, reading was a way to escape. I was a good student and didn’t do anything to cause problems.Being the peacemaker, I smiled on the outside, but inside, I was terribly unhappy. I dreamed about running away and never coming back. When I was seventeen, that’s just what I did. I got married, graduated from high school, and h ad my first baby in the same year. Did I know what I was doing? Heck no! Do I wish I’d have made better choices? Absolutely! That marriage was short-lived and only added to my trials. Not only do I have regrets, but I’ve also suffered with the â€Å"what might have been. † The best thing about it is the daughter who came from it all. She was always my strength and my reason for living.The worst thing is what I went through to get to where I am today. On the outside, I look like a pretty normal person. There are scars on the inside but they’re barely visible anymore. They say time heals all wounds, but without love and forgiveness, they will just continue to fester and bleed. You can apply bandages but until you heal the wound from the inside, it will only continue to cause pain. A few things have helped me on my road to freedom. 1. Good friends. If you only have one person you can count on in life, consider yourself blessed. Two childhood friends appeared when I needed them most and I credit them ith my ability to live through the worst time of my life. 2. Learning the meaning of the Atonement of Jesus Christ in my life. He suffered not only for my sins (and my lack of good choices) but He also suffered my pain. Too many times I think we think only of the crucifixion and not the precious gift He offered in the Garden of Gesthemane. When times get hard, I realize that He truly understands my pain because He has suffered it not only for all mankind, but just for ME. 3. Making the decision to forgive. I haven’t forgotten, but I have forgiven. The memories help me remember how important it is to make the right choices in life.If I didn’t have them, what would stop me from continuing to make them? Forgiveness helps remove the pain. It’s part of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. He forgave. If I am unwilling to forgive those who have hurt me, then I am bringing my own condemnation. Christ will be the one, in the end, to judge. 3. Journaling. Early on, I knew I had to write my story. The process of recording it had a few benefits. Therapy for me. A record for mchildren It’s the story of a young girl with a good heart who got sucked into a life that forced her to grow up faster than she wanted.She learned she couldn’t trust the people who were supposed to love her. You just have to read it to learn more about her and determine for yourself whether or not she succeeded. I don’t know what lead you to this website, but I do know that everyone on this beautiful planet we call Mother Earth has made some choices they regret. You don’t have to live with a life of pain. The past does not determine who you are today. When you make good choices and decisions, you reap the rewards. When you make poor choices and decisions, you suffer the consequences. In high school, you have more freedom and more independence than you’ve ever had before.Of course, with this greater freedom an d independence comes greater responsibility. Learning to accept responsibility for your actions and for the choices that you make is an important part of growing up. You will have many decisions to make in high school. It is therefore important that you have good decisions-making skills. Try following these steps whenever you have a decision to make: -determine your options write down the positive and negative aspects of each option make sure that you have all the information you need to make an informed decision carefully consider the positive and negative aspects of each option make your decionRemember that whatever you do, it's not the end of the world, there's always a solution for everything. Make your own decisions, it's okay to know someone's opinion, but the decision is yours to make. Always consider the good things and the bad things about your decision, and the results of it. It's natural to take the wrong decision sometimes. We learn from our mistakes, don't get too upset about it.

Diversity in the Workplace Essay

Do you think corporations and government agencies should offer diversity training? If so, how can we develop diversity training that fosters mutual respect? Can you suggest practical ways to develop workplaces undivided by gender and race-ethnicity? Yes, I believe that government agencies as well as corporations should offer some type of diversity training. Through diversity training you can ensure a health and warm and inviting workplace. Since the workplace is already filled with stereotypes on the keys to success diversity training will help with the competitiveness that always thrives inside the work place. It will help teach the employees how to get along, work cooperate, get along, and work in sync with different age groups, the opposite sex, and ethnicities. â€Å"Diversity training has the potential to build bridges (Henslin, 2013). † The function behind offering diversity training is to help foster community. A healthy well managed work environment that will foster and increase the work output. It’s to help educate the employees on how to develop connections to people of various ages and backgrounds. Another key function is how to draw upon your co-workers aspect and work ethics to smooth out business production through shared unity. Though even with good intentions conflicts can exists. Some manager whose been told he has to take a course of diversity training may feel as though it’s a punishment. They may feel like in their job they have wronged someone and they are being reprimanded; thus they have to take diversity training. What you need to be aware of in diversity training is not to encourage or develop stereo types. The intention of diversity training is to encourage and develop understanding and unity in the work place. Role reversal and having participant make derogatory comments to the other my inflict scars and demote rather than promote understanding. So stay clear of antagonistic role play (Smart, 1997). Instead of role play do course match up. Match up employees from various levels in their career, age, sex, and ethnicity into groups. These groups should be assigned a unified task to complete during the diversity training. Have them get to know one another likes and dislikes and so forth. Assign them common tasks to complete jointly that exist within the corporation (Skills, 1968). Let them assign key task amongst each other that play upon each person strengths. Have them present their project at the end of the training session before the rest of the groups (Skills, 1968). Judge them by their ability to play upon the other’s strengths and the completeness of their projects. At the end of the diversity training session have them do peer assessment’s on one another. The symbolic aspect of this is they have meet new people they normally do not work with in their department. They work with new people from various skill levels. It fosters development in understanding of various backgrounds and ethnicity. It encourages unity and mutual respect for peers. Everything that you are trying to aide and foster through the diversity training can be reached by group project assignments. ? Bibliography Henslin, J. M. (2013). Essencial to Sociology: A Down to Earth Approach tenth edition. Pearson. Skills. (1968). International Encyclopedia of Social Sciences. Volume 6, pp. 296-302. Smart, W. (1997, September 1). Businessmanagementdaily. com. Retrieved August 11, 2013, from Business Management Daily: www. businessmanagementdaily. com

Personal Statement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 9

Personal Statement - Essay Example My purpose in life has been clarified when I began a battle in behalf of my little sister. She needed a cochlear implant but was refused medical treatment. I used my law background to my advantage as I fought with the Primary Care Trust for two years. I enjoined people in my fight for children’s right to good health and access to medical procedures should they need it. I was successful in soliciting help from Law Lords, baronesses MPs support groups to petition for my sister’s case. My persistence and determination paid off when PCT and NICE finally agreed to provide the medical operation my sister needed. She became a precedent and policies were adjusted to fund children under 18 years for a cochlear implant in my residential area. I was thankful for my legal research skills in helping me investigate legislation regarding children’s rights in the NHS as it won me the case against the PCT and NICE. What is more fulfilling is that my action was responsible in paving the way for more and more children in my area to gain access to the medical procedures they direly needed. Such an achievement inspired me to do more with my life in terms of ensuring the health and safety of people. This desire was further strengthened when I went on a trip to Bangladesh to encounter a grief-stricken woman whose young children died of Malaria. I realized that it could have been prevented with proper education on the disease. Lacking the knowledge and understanding of various preventable diseases myself, I felt devastated that I was unable to help. It became clear to me that my life’s purpose is to prevent disease, prolong life and promote good health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals. I am aware that I have the potentials to be successful in this since I have had first hand

Becoming an Intellectual Craftsman Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Becoming an Intellectual Craftsman - Essay Example The intellectual craftsman trusts their imagination, memory, and experience to craft an idea that will resonate through a targeted audience. A fundamental principle of the intellectual craftsman is that they are always functioning as craftsmen. Every waking experience contributes to their well of knowledge and catalogue of ideas. They do not simply work as scholars; they are thinkers that do not separate their craft from their life. They continually strive to gain new experience that they can add to their breadth of knowledge, while not yet being aware of how today's most trivial experience may contribute to tomorrow's groundbreaking truth. The intellectual craftsman trusts this knowledge, as it is the most important component of any truly original intellectual thought. Storing this knowledge for later use is all just a part of the craft. Becoming an intellectual craftsman begins with the amassing and storing of these thoughts, ideas, and experiences. They are stored as materials in the tools of the intellectual trade such as notes, journals, diagrams, and the most trusted corners of the academic mind. Once the intellectual craftsman has gathered their materials and tools it is time to assemble, disassemble, and reassemble them into a concrete set of ideas that have form and substance. Here is where the craftsman separates themselves from the technician. Becoming an intellectual craftsman demands trusting your imagination enough to stretch its limits and examine the subtle connections that bind your experiences into a cohesive unit. Developing the art, or the craftsmanship, is really just a matter of letting the imagination run free. The craftsman differs from the technician as the craftsman assumes the risk of imagination. As the imagination runs free, ideas combine, reinforce, invert, and create new strains of thinking. They form building blocks of ever-larger concepts until the idea becomes prioritized as a set of questions that need to be answered. The academician has expanded their imagination and constructed unique concepts and viewpoints out of the basic material of experie nce. They have become an intellectual craftsman. Just as a cabinetmaker needs a building to practice their trade on, the intellectual need an audience to ply their craft. Left alone, ideas are nothingness. Ideas only come alive and take form when they are shared with an appreciative audience that can understand the nuance and rigor involved in the process. This demands that the intellectual craftsman becomes a communicator. Becoming a communicator of academic ideas requires putting complex ideas and concepts into a language that conveys the meaning, while still remaining understandable by the intended audience. One does not become an intellectual craftsman by communicating with pseudo-scientific hyperbole that is designed to shade the meaning and mask the truth from the audience. Becoming an intellectual craftsman is learning the language of their peers and applying it wisely and with restraint. In conclusion, intellectuals create a piece of work through the systematic application of the process of craftsmanship. The process begins by gaining the materials and methods that are everywhere all around us. Becoming an intellectual craftsman means learning to recognize the importance of every experience and every idea without

Technology in World Civilization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Technology in World Civilization - Essay Example The developed overreliance on technology that is predicted to persist therefore means that people are not able to effectively, as they did before, handle tasks manually. This however identifies a critical problem should a global calamity occur and disable all technology-based systems (Fema, 2011). The problem would be similar to the Ireland’s potatoes famine of the nineteenth century. In the case, social conditions had led to reliance of potatoes as the chief food crop. The crop’s disease that broke out in the year 1845 however cut the society’s only source of food, leading to famine. The consequences were fatal with further implications such as â€Å"cholera, dysentery, typhus, and manifestation of lice† that led to death and displacement of people from the region (Digital, 2012, p. 1). The two instances therefore identify similarity in societies that can barely survive, should their staple application fail. Like the potatoes’ plight disrupted people’s social, political, and economic lives in Ireland, disruption in technology will stall professional and industrial operations that have entirely depended on it. Economic processes, healthcare services, and communication will therefore stop. The current society can however slowly adjust to its manual operation system, like in the potatoes’ calamity, or bear the consequences until another technology is developed (Fema, 2011; Digital, 2012). A fault that incapacitates all processor-based applications such as application of computer and computer-based devices would require solutions. One of the possible solutions that the society can use is reverting to the traditional manual operation system, a process that will depend on human resource for decision-making and process implementations. The society would also try to investigate causes of the problem in order to restore the processor applications.

Creditor Right System of Company Law Coursework

Creditor Right System of Company Law - Coursework Example Crystal to the company towards working capital must be registered with companies within a period of 21 days. â€Å"If a registrable charge is not registered in time, then it is void against the liquidator or administrator and any creditor of the company. This means that the debt for which the charge was given will remain payable, but it will be unsecured.† (Company charges, 2009, p.7). Thus, in this case, it is assumed that the charges on debentures and debts have been registered and, therefore, they need to be paid first before setting the claims of the unsecured creditors and the equity shareholders of the company. It is common knowledge that the corporate entity, Crystal Chandeliers Ltd, is a limited company and thus, except under exceptional circumstances, the shareholders, Ms.Crystal, and her sons would be liable only for the value of unpaid shares payable by them, or in other words, the shares which they hold. Crystal Chandeliers Ltd is a limited liability company the personal assets of the owners are usually protected from business creditors as a matter of law. Shareholders and LLC members have a kind of asset protection called limited personal liability under which it would be difficult to attach.  Normally unsecured creditors would rank the last after all preferential and secured creditors are paid off. But in the event, the charge on the assets are not registered with the Companies House within the prescribed time, it is possible that these would also rank only as unsecured creditors, along with other kinds of unsecured debt holders.  

People's History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

People's History - Essay Example In this specific book, Zinn unfurls the early times when Christopher Columbus stumbled across the lands of current America while searching for the riches of Asia. Assuming to have reached the prosperous lands of Asia, Columbus tried in vain to uncover the non-existent riches from the barren lands. His failure to do so brought the unjustified wrath of the investors and Columbus himself befalling on the innocent and naive natives of the region. The bloodshed and series of wars that followed resulted in the loss of innumerable lives. According to a report, by 1650, none of the natives remained alive. (Zinn). The book holds elaborate accounts of how Columbus, revered as a discoverer of America, and other colonists waged wars against the natives, eliminating their existence from their very own lands. Zinn does not excuse the manslaughter and â€Å"genocide† that occurred; instead he focuses on all historical aspects to relieve the history of the distortions that have now been embed ded in it. Furthermore, the book talks about the mass imports of slaves from Africa which ranged from 10 to 15 million people. This brought about the establishment and acceptance of slavery. Racial and complexion biases were practiced ruthlessly. The resisting masses of â€Å"blacks† were forced into their places as slaves, not allowed to mix with the white people. This marked the â€Å"Drawing (of) the color line† (Zinn) as the title of the second chapter suggests. Moreover, the book develops the idea of social classes with extreme rapidity. Social classes were formed almost immediately thereof, establishing distinct living standards for all. The residents of England enjoyed the top-most tier of the social classes, followed by the elites in United States of America, then the frontiersmen who mainly consisted of white rebels against the tyranny of slavery, and

Family Owned Real Estate Properties in London Dissertation

Family Owned Real Estate Properties in London - Dissertation Example This particular paper focused on family owned real estate businesses that are located within the City of London. Among the most prominent real estate companies that are family owned, include the Grosvenor Estate, the Cadogan Estate, the Howard de Walden Estate, and the Portman Estate. According to Darlow (2013), these companies have a big shareholding in the London property market mostly because their founders acquired land in the earlier centuries when land the price of land was low (Darlow, 2013). These families have held the ownership of the parcels of land till the present times when the lands are being developed to property and real estate (Wheaton & Torto, 1990). However, it is important to note that besides these prominent families, there are other small family owned real estate companies that also own a small number of real estate within the London. Whilst focusing on family owned real estate companies in London, the research study focused on the aspect of management in these companies and in particular how the collaborations of property agents work with these family owned businesses. A property agent or a real estate agent is described as an individual that has been approved and issued with a license that enables him to represent either a landowner or a land buyer in a real estate transaction. Such an individual earns a brokerage commission out of such a deal (Mccrea, 2005). Besides the brokerage services, property agents also act as agents for the owners of residential and commercial properties.

Sociological Imagination and Social Issues Essay Example for Free

Sociological Imagination and Social Issues Essay People are more likely to use psychological arguments to explain why things are they way they are rather than look at the sociological aspect of them. They think that problems happening in their lives are personal and overlook that they may be caused by society (Ferris Stein 13). Sociological imagination challenges people to look at the â€Å"intersection between biography and history† and see the role we each play in society (Mills 1959 and Ferris Stein 13). We must look at how larger social issues are intertwined in with each individual’s life and how society shapes a person. There are many benefits with using the sociological perspective on life and one of the most important ones is obtaining a â€Å"world beyond our own immediate sphere† (Ferris Stein 13). By doing this, we can seek radically different ways to experience life and look at our reality differently then we ever thought possible. It forces us to see how we created our values, morals, beliefs, and at some point we may need to reevaluate why we had them to begin with. Thinking with a sociological imagination makes us see the errors of our thinking and how we can change that. Macrosociology looks at how society and its social structure determine individual’s lives and sometimes even beliefs and opinions. I believe that I view myself differently because of how society told me I must be. It is instilled in us to be successful and I push my own limits in order to achieve that and my thoughts constantly revolve around how successful I can be and the consequences if I am not (Jenkins. My â€Å"Me and Society† Journal. 10/05/12). Society tends to set up rules or general guidelines for how everyone should live their lives and how to act socially. When a person departs from the â€Å"norm† in any way they are considered deviant and when the violations of rules have been written into law they are considered crimes (Dreiling. 10/23/2012. Lecture). How deviance is perceived may be different depending on who is explaining it. Psychologists state that personality characteristics within the individual that drive them to stray from the norm  while sociologists believe that social relations outside the individual are the cause (Dreiling. 10/23/2012. Lecture). There are many things, however, that are not only considered an act of deviance but consequences or benefits from being deviant. There are two general divisions of deviant violations: folkways and mores. Violation of folkways are more common, frowned upon issues such as jaywalking or poor manners whereas violations of mores are illegal incidences such as murder or rape. When these act of deviances occur, there are those who bind groups together and this can reinforce the person to continue these acts. Majority of the people, however, disapprove of these acts and they are called a negative sanction (Dreiling. 10/23/2012. Lecture). They tend to look down upon the acts, gossip, and with the more serious violations, imprison individuals and receive capital punishment. While the United States uses capital punishment and imprisonment as punishment for deviance, other countries don’t have these resources if they even desired to use it. Therefore, there are other techniques they use such as the Amish who shun those who violate the strict norms of the group because guilt of immorality is the ultimate punishment. They believe that those in the religious community cannot associate with lawbreakers even if they are family members and while the shunning is temporary, it has an impact an prevents deviant behavior (Ferris Stein 154). In the 20th Century, Robert Merton created the Structural Strain Theory that provides a connection between functionalist and conflict theories (Ferris Stein). It states that there are goals within society that people strive to achieve, however, they are unable to reach these goals and this creates a stress when people realize they cannot achieve them (Dreiling. 10/25/2012. Lecture). Stanley Milgram states that obedience is deeply ingrained into our behavioral tendencies and impulse overriding ethics and moral conducts (Dreiling. 10/25/2012. Lecture). Rebels are people that reject the cultural definitions of success and therefore are not obedient to the social norm to be successful making them deviant. Since they â€Å"rebel† to the social norm it advocates radical alternatives to the social order that  society lives in today (Ferris Stein 158). Kerckhoff and Back stated that â€Å"the belief in a tangible threat makes it possible to explain and justify one’s sense of discomfort† and this is why imprisonment and capital punishment is created (Dreiling. 10/25/2012. Lecture). Between the years of 1980 and 2006, the amount of incarcerated Americans went up nearly five times accumulating over two million prisoners. With less the 5% of the world’s population, we have created social acts that should be punishable by prison and have 23.4% of the world’s prisoners (Dreiling. 10/25/2012. Lecture). Sociologists and other groups have studied so in depth to crime and punishment that there are many subcategories within society that reasons with why people are incarcerated such as gender, race, age, and class as well as specified crime groups for violent, property, and white collar crimes (Ferris Stein 172, 173). Sociological imagination forces us to look at how we are asked to act and society and how we actually act. Most of the things we do in our daily lives we may think is by choice, however, it is how society wants us to live. Anytime individual’s challenge or stray from the norm of how society thinks we must function, there are consequences that are sometimes so severe that they drastically change our societies views, morals, and attitudes. By expanding our thinking about deviance we can really look at why we do not accept certain things that people do such as body modification even though it is not harming us. It also gives people the opportunity to look at how we react and punish those who are deviant and decide whether we have been acting appropriately with punishments such as capital punishment. By doing this we are given the chance to look at what we truly believe, whether it is because of macrosociology or microsociology, and make strides to change things. With sociological perspective, we are being asked to question how we do things and why. Then we are being asked not if we can change it but how. What I think should be another question is if we want to change it. We can abandon or reevaluate our opinions, beliefs, morals, and attitudes but at  the end of the day we need to look at our society and decide if the course of action is effective and if we, as individuals and a whole, feel comfortable with the standards we set on each other and ourselves. I believe that there must be a sense of right and wrong and punishment and rewards in order to have a balance in society. That is why we have deviance and crime within our society and there is nothing wrong with having a balance in our world. Bibliography 1. Ferris, Kerry, and Jill Stein. The real world: an introduction to sociology. 2nd ed. New York: W.W. Norton Co., 2010. Print. 2. Katherine Jenkins. October 05, 2012. â€Å"I-Me-Society Journal 1†. 3. Dreiling, Michael. October 23, 2012. Lecture. 4. Dreiling, Michael. October 25, 2012. Lecture.

Emperial Rome vs Han Essay Example for Free

Emperial Rome vs Han Essay The Classical Period was a time where large, land-based empires were developed. The leaders of these empires were met with many questions on how to control their territories. While both the Han empire and Imperial Rome exercised political control over their empires through government structure, they differed in their organization of bureaucrats and their reliance on slavery. Both the Han and Imperial Rome exercised political control through similar government structure. The Han emperor, who was believed to be the â€Å"Mandate of Heaven†, had absolute power over all of his people. They relied heavily on their trained bureaucrats, the Shi, to carry out lawful duties. This reliance was supported by Confucian ways and stabilized the empire. Imperial Rome also practiced having a singular ruler to control the whole. The Roman emperor also was believed to have power over the citizens of Rome. The Romans also had their own class of bureaucrats who were valued highly. This social stratification unified Rome as a country. Both Han and Imperial Rome relied on social hierarchy to help with exercising political control over their empires. They practiced this structure because it unified power in the state and lessened the amount of chaos. The Han relied on their bureaucratic class of trained officials to exercise political control; whereas in Rome bureaucracy was given as a reward to returned war heroes. The Han’s bureaucrats, the Shi, were trained in the Confucian ways. This made the officials more reliable and prone to do the right thing. The Shi were also taught to embody the law and enforce it in the state. This method of â€Å"lead by example† helped citizens strive to do their best. If the citizens were all hoping to be a better man, the society as a whole would be a better place. The Han’s bureaucrats were ran more on a basis of trust in their behavior than the Roman’s. This method of trust in the bureaucrats was heavily supported by the Confucian teachings and their training in becoming better men. In Imperial Rome, bureaucracy was given to returned warriors. Rome hoped that by rewarding good soldiers there would be more desire to go fight in a war and succeed. These bureaucrats enforced the laws rather than embodying them. They weren’t reliable, but were forceful enough to get the job done by using fear to make the citizens behave and do as the laws said. The bureaucracy was given to the returned war heroes as a reward for their accomplishments in battles. This gave soldiers more desire to fight and do well in wars so that when they returned they would be honored for their accomplishments. The Han relied more on trust to carry out their political control than Imperial Rome did. The Hans trained their bureaucrats to make them more trustworthy and faithful to their ruler. However, Rome used their successful soldiers because they fought in many wars; they needed motivation for their soldiers to go be successful and to fight bravely and honorably. While both civilizations had slaves, Han China didn’t rely greatly on their slaves; however in Imperial Rome slaves were a critical and indispensable part of the society. In Chinese societies slaves were used mostly for at home chores such as cooking, cleaning, or going shopping. Even without slaves performing these domestic tasks, the Han could’ve survived. Also, slaves in China were treated less harshly than those in Rome. The slaves in China were allowed to refuse certain tasks that were not included in their contract when they first signed to their owner without fearing a severe beating. Lastly, China had an overall more lenient view on their slaves. The owners in Han were not as strict or cruel. However in Imperial Rome, slaves were mostly captured war prisoners who were being punished. This led to harsh punishment of the slaves to make sure they behaved and did as told. Slaves began doing a majority of the physical labor in Imperial Rome which made them an asset to the Roman society. If Rome were to lose their slaves, the economy would crumble and the empire would fall. Finally, some Roman slaves were given high titles, such as lawyers or doctors. So to lose these slaves would be to lost tons of profit. Both societies used slaves, but Imperial Rome was much more reliant on their slaves than Han China was. The Hans didn’t rely on slaves much because they knew that they weren’t reliable and if they kept a strong hold on them they would rebel and cause the fall of the empire. However, Rome used the method of scaring their slaves into doing the right thing. If the slaves feared a brutal beating they would be sure to make the right decisions and follow directions. In both Han China and Imperial Rome government structure was used to help exercise political control, however they differed on their organization of bureaucracy and their reliance on slavery.

Issues That Are Facing The Maldives Environmental Sciences Essay

Issues That Are Facing The Maldives Environmental Sciences Essay 36. String of Pearls Scattered Over the Deep Blue Indian Ocean . The first glimpse you get of this fascinating atoll formation confirms two unique aspects of the Republic of Maldives. Not only does it consist of the most beautiful tropical islands, but 99% of its 909,000 km is covered by the sea. 1190 islands are spread over 26 atolls, ring like coral formations enclosing a lagoon, which gives the Maldives its unique paradise like appearance. They stretch about 820 km from North to South, 130 km at the widest point and do not exceed a length of 4.5 miles or an altitude of 6 feet above sea level. No more than 200 islands are inhabited, the rest include 87 tourist resorts and uninhabited islands, some of which are used for drying fish or other agricultural activities. The capital Male, the seat of government and the centre of trade, commerce, business, health and education, is located in the middle of the atoll chain, a small island buzzing with the sounds and activities of about 75,00 0 people which is about one third of the population. 37. Atoll Formation. The atolls of the Maldives are formed from coral structures, separated by lagoons. The atolls are in fact part of a greater structure known as the Lacadives-Chargos Ridge, which stretches over 2000 km. The islands are low lying with the highest point at approximately 8 feet above sea level. Faru or ring-shaped reef structures form the atolls and these reefs provide natural defense against wind and wave action, on these delicate islands.1 38. The Geographical Structure of Maldives. Maldives geography based upon a group of 26 coral islands which are formed by approximately 1190 coral reef islands, and there are 20 administrative atolls along with Male which is the capital island of them all. It is a neighbour of Sri Lanka and is situated southwest of it. The view of Maldives from the air is splendid because of the beautiful patterns it makes in the clear blue sea. Maldives has numerous islands among which only 200 of them have people living there. The north-south stretch of this country is approximately 824 km and from east to west it is about 129 km. Maldives is more blue water than the land because more than 99% of it is sea. 39. There have been many devastating encounter of gale storms in the year 1812 and 1955, and the scientists have also said that the islands of Maldives are in danger due to the rise in the sea level caused by global warming. To safeguard the country from such natural calamities, the government has build up artificial breakwaters and other safety measures with the help of Japan, and has started purchasing land in India, in the event of excessive population displacement.2 Present Environmental Issues. 40. Introduction. Maldives is actively involved in bringing environmental issues to the forefront of the global political agenda, the role played by Maldives in the international arena. The environment of Maldives comprises a delicate and complex series of ecosystems that are unique to the tropical world and many have found it a pleasure of gaze upon. The Maldives has rich biodiversity and the coral reef ecosystem is one of the most productive ecosystems with linkages ranging from microscopic plankton to the giant sperm whale. However, the rapid socio-economic development and fast growing population have greatly contributed to the degradation of the environment. 41. Beach Erosion. Beach erosion is a very widespread problem. Either due to natural causes or man made changes, such as construction of coastal infrastructure; changes in the natural sediment balance; and up drift impoundment of sand behind coastal structures built without pre-filling. The process of coastal erosion and accretion is extremely complex with interrelations to climatic, geological, oceanographic, biological and terrestrial processes affecting the growth and stability of the reefs and island structures. As the beach systems are highly dynamic in nature, the prevailing seasonal conditions may gradually shift the shape as well as the position of the island by strong beach erosion and accretion on either side of the island. 42. Coral Mining. Over a six year period the volumes of coral landed in Male rose from 7,000 to 400,000 cubic feet. Brown Dunne 1988 carried out biological surveys on mined reefs and evaluated the impacts of coral mining in the Maldives. 43. Dredging. Dredging is normally associated with harbor deepening, land reclamation, and mining for construction material. 44. Land Reclamation. Reclamation which in the Maldives usually means the creation of new land. Such activities occur on both large and small scales and are usually associated with human population centres and as a byproduct of harbor dredging. 45. Population Growth. The annual population growth rate between 1977 and 1985 was 3.2% per annum. Between 1985 and 1990 was 3.4% from 1990 and 1995 has dropped to 2.75% per annum. At present 25.7% (62,793) of the population live in Male.3 46. Biodiversity. Biological diversity; the relative number of species, diverse in from and function, at the genetic, organism, community, and ecosystem level; loss of biodiversity reduces an ecosystems ability to recover from natural or man-induced disruption. 47. Deforestation. The destruction of vast areas of forest (eg., unsustainable forestry practices, agricultural and range land clearing, and the over exploitation of wood products for use as fuel) without planting new growth. 48. Greenhouse Gas. A gas that traps infrared radiation in the lower atmosphere causing surface warming; water vapor, carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, methane, hydro fluorocarbons, and ozone are the primary greenhouse gases in the Earths atmosphere. 49. Groundwater. Water sources found below the surface of the earth often in naturally occurring reservoirs in permeable rock strata; the source for wells and natural springs. 50. Pollution. The contamination of healthy environment by man-made waste. 51. Salination. The process through which fresh (drinkable) water becomes salt (undrinkable) water; hence, desalination is the reverse process; also involves the accumulation of salts in topsoil caused by evaporation of excessive irrigation water, a process that can eventually render soil incapable of supporting crops. 52. Soil Degradation. Damage to the lands productive capacity because of poor agricultural practices such as the excessive use of pesticides of fertilizers, soil compaction from heavy equipment, or erosion of topsoil, eventually resulting in reduced ability to produce agricultural products. 53. Soil Erosion. The removal of soil by the action of water or wind, compounded by poor agricultural practices, deforestation, overgrazing and desertification.4 Environment Assessment. 54. Background. The environment is characterized by numerous fringing coral reefs and lagoons, which contain rich biodiversity. The atolls vary significantly in shape and size. The 26 geographical atolls are grouped into 20 administrative regions, also referred to as atolls. The Maldives coral reefs are globally significant being the 7th largest in world and covering an area of 8920 km. Protecting the environment and natural resources is critical to sustainable livelihoods and the Maldives economy. Fishing directly employs and 11% of the work force, while 20% of the population is dependent on fisheries for the majority of its income. High quality eco-friendly tourism inn the Maldives accounts for around 33% of GDP and is based on the Maldives natural assets including unique geography and coral reefs. 55. Climate Change and Coral Reefs. Coral reefs play a key role in the lifestyles of Maldivians through natural protection of the islands and serve as a major resource for the Maldives economy from tourism and fishing industries. 56. Waste Management. Solid and hazardous waste management is recognized as a critical environmental issues. There are no provisions for collection, treatment and disposal of hazardous wastes. 57. Freshwater Availability and Quality. Rainwater harvesting is the primary source of drinking water. Groundwater accumulates in rainwater recharged aquifers which lie at a depth of 1-1.5 meters below the surface where they are highly vulnerable to:- Contamination from inadequate sanitation facilities and other human activities. Solid waste run-off. Over exploitation. Saline intrusion through soil erosion and flooding (storms, tsunami etc). 58. Biodiversity Loss. The main threats to biological diversity in the Maldives are habitat destruction and overexploitation. Habitat destruction arises from coastal development activities such as harbour development and land reclamation. Run-off from pesticides and fertilizers used in agricultural activities is becoming an increasing problem and threatens the eutrophication of coral reefs. 59. Air Pollution. Ambient air quality is currently not monitored in Male and the available indicators of air pollution include:- An increase in vehicle numbers. The rising quantity of imported fuel. A positive trend in recorded respiratory disease. The number of buildings constructed over the years. Impacts of Sea Level Rise in Male. 60. As sea level rises, the thickness of the freshwater lens decreases, and the volume of freshwater decreases. Also sea level rise would increase the likelihood of storm over wash of the islands, causing increased incidence of saltwater contamination of the freshwater lenses. 61. Tourism industry relying heavily on the marine ecosystems is also under threat from the impacts of climate change. 62. The islands of Maldives are reef-based and coral reefs serve as natural breakwaters. With damage to the coral reefs comes the bigger danger of loosing the natural protection of the islands from the waves and currents. 63. Fishery is also expected to suffer from the impacts of climate change. 64. There is also an urgent need for the development of resources to adapt to possible impacts of climate change. Major Policy Responses and Initiatives. 65. In order to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases, the Maldives has started pilot projects on alternate sources of energy: Solar power has been used to power telecommunication sets, navigational aids and government office buildings and mosques in the islands. The main constraint to the widespread use of solar energy is the lack of technical backup and high installation costs. While wind is a regular feature of the Maldives, existing wind speeds are considered marginal for electricity generation, unless high towers are erected at high capital costs. Supplementing conventional energy supply by alternate energy sources, wherever viable, has been included in the energy sector objective and strategy in the National Development Plan. 66. Various programs have been designed and implemented in areas such as coastal protection, freshwater management and coral reef protection. 67. A United Nations Environment Program mission visited the Maldives and recommended training of local personnel to monitor and evaluate impacts of expected environmental changes and the development of strategies that would permit sustainable development. 68. Maldives is a party to the UNFCCC. The Maldives signed he Convention on 12th Jun 1992 and ratified the same on 9th November 1992. The Maldives played a very important role with AOSIS in the negotiation process that started in Berlin and culminated in Kyoto. The Maldives, though disappointed with the low targets agreed for in the Kyoto Protocol, looks for early implementation of the Protocol. The Maldives was the first country to sign the Kyoto Protocol on 30th December 1998. The first National Communication of the Maldives to UNFCCC was submitted at the 7th Session of the Conference of the Parties to UNFCCC held in Marrakesh in 2001. The National Greenhouse Gas Inventory, National Mitigation Plan, Vulnerability Assessment and Adaptation Options are included in the national communication of Maldives.6 69. President Nasheed had said that the climate change has reached a critical phase and would soon become not just an environmental threat but a security concern too. The UN inter governmental panel on climate change said that within the next century, the sea level will go up by 59 CMS and this would merge most of the islands of Maldives.7 1. http://www.maldiveisles.com 2. http://www.maldiveisle.com. 3. http://www.fao.org 4. http://www.maldivesvacationpackages.net. 5. http://www.fao.org. 6. http://www.indexmundi.com. 7. http://www.adb.org.

Cotton: The Fabric of Our Lives :: Botany

Cotton: The Fabric of Our Lives Oils, balls, swabs, bandages, tissue, paper, napkins, diapers, socks, underwear, shirts, shorts, sweaters, pants, coats, towels, linen, cushions, drapery, upholstery, rugs, carpet, comforters, mattresses, insulation, filtration, and many other things that are used daily by everyone are composed of, or inspired by cotton. Cotton is a soft, fluffy, naturally occurring fiber plant that can be processed into an array of materials and goods. Many, many things that we wear, sleep on, sleep under, walk on, or utilize in wound-care, etc., contain some percentage of cotton. It is a fiber that is used everyday, by everyone, in one way or another. It has qualities that have made it a choice crop for centuries around the world. Today though, cotton is being largely displaced by synthetic fibers that have qualities that exceed the natural crop plant. These fibers can also be mass-produced and sold at relatively lower costs. Still, cotton stands alone as the most utilized fiber crop plant used around the world. Also known as "King Cotton," in the United States, it was the major force behind the institution of the American age of slavery, and cotton prevailed as the economic source for the southern states of the United States and its antebellum prosperity before the civil war. It holds an important place in America's past, present, and future. Cotton is truly the "Fabric of Our Lives". Characteristics Cotton is an annual, biennial or perennial plant, but in cultivation it is generally treated as an annual; herbaceous to short shrub or small tree - two to six feet tall. It consist of a primary axis, erect and branched with a vegetative lower zone having monopodial branches, and a fruiting upper zone with sympodial branches. The leaves of the cotton plant alternate, cordate petiolate, three to nine lobed and palmately veined, with varying size, texture, shape and hairiness. The large, showy, cream yellow, red or purple flowers are extra axillary, terminal, solitary, and borne on sympodial branches. The calyx (= collectively the sepals) consists of a very short cup-shaped structure at the base of the corolla. The five petals of the corolla are either free or slightly united at the base of the convoluted bud (Sundararaj, 1974). Cotton belongs to Gossypium, a genus named by Linnaeus in the middle of the 18th century. The genus has been classified in both the Malvaceae or mallow family and the Bombacaceae families and in both the Hibsceae and Gossypieae tribes.

Trapped by Society in John Updikes A&P Essay -- A&P Essays

Trapped by Society in John Updike's A&P      Ã‚  Ã‚   People often take their place in society for granted. They accept that position into which they are born, grow up in it, and pass that position on to their children. This cycle continues until someone is born who has enough vision to step out of his circle and investigate other ways of life in which he might thrive. One such person is embodied in the character of Sammy in A&P, by John Updike. Sammy is the narrator of the story and describes an incident in the store where he encounters a conflict between the members of two completely different worlds the world that he was born into and the world of a girl that captures his mind. Through his thoughts, attitudes, and actions, Sammy shows that he is caught between the two worlds of his customers at the A&P.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Sammy's thoughts, as told to the reader in his narration, betray a deep understanding of the people he comes in contact with. When the girls walked into the store, he began to describe not only their looks, but also their attitudes and personalities without ever speaking to them. The one who held his attention was also the one he named "Queenie". On page one he says, She was the queen. She kind of led them, the other two peeking around and making their shoulders round. Sammy understood that she was the one in charge, and by saying that the other two made their shoulders round he showed that he realized their passivity was by choice; they followed her by their own wills.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Sammy also understood how the "regulars" of the A&P thought and reasoned. He correctly interpreted the customers’ reactions to the girls, saying, "A few houseslaves in pin curlers even looked round after pushing their cart... ...ed what he did for them and wanting their appreciation for his attempt to disassociate himself from the people in the store. He called them "his" girls, trying to bring himself to their level in the social scheme as he saw it (3).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Sammy was indeed caught between the two worlds that collided one day in the A&P, and he chose to pursue the one that was not his own. He was able to do this when others were not because he understood both worlds, his attitude toward each were completely different, and his actions were drastic enough to cut him free from the bonds that his world had on him. With two paths to choose from and only one to follow, Sammy took the path less traveled in that small town by the sea. He was, to use his own analogy, a wolf in sheep's clothing. Works Cited Updike, J. A&P. www.crown.edu/humanities/Wheatonj. 17 January, 2004. Trapped by Society in John Updike's A&P Essay -- A&P Essays Trapped by Society in John Updike's A&P      Ã‚  Ã‚   People often take their place in society for granted. They accept that position into which they are born, grow up in it, and pass that position on to their children. This cycle continues until someone is born who has enough vision to step out of his circle and investigate other ways of life in which he might thrive. One such person is embodied in the character of Sammy in A&P, by John Updike. Sammy is the narrator of the story and describes an incident in the store where he encounters a conflict between the members of two completely different worlds the world that he was born into and the world of a girl that captures his mind. Through his thoughts, attitudes, and actions, Sammy shows that he is caught between the two worlds of his customers at the A&P.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Sammy's thoughts, as told to the reader in his narration, betray a deep understanding of the people he comes in contact with. When the girls walked into the store, he began to describe not only their looks, but also their attitudes and personalities without ever speaking to them. The one who held his attention was also the one he named "Queenie". On page one he says, She was the queen. She kind of led them, the other two peeking around and making their shoulders round. Sammy understood that she was the one in charge, and by saying that the other two made their shoulders round he showed that he realized their passivity was by choice; they followed her by their own wills.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Sammy also understood how the "regulars" of the A&P thought and reasoned. He correctly interpreted the customers’ reactions to the girls, saying, "A few houseslaves in pin curlers even looked round after pushing their cart... ...ed what he did for them and wanting their appreciation for his attempt to disassociate himself from the people in the store. He called them "his" girls, trying to bring himself to their level in the social scheme as he saw it (3).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Sammy was indeed caught between the two worlds that collided one day in the A&P, and he chose to pursue the one that was not his own. He was able to do this when others were not because he understood both worlds, his attitude toward each were completely different, and his actions were drastic enough to cut him free from the bonds that his world had on him. With two paths to choose from and only one to follow, Sammy took the path less traveled in that small town by the sea. He was, to use his own analogy, a wolf in sheep's clothing. Works Cited Updike, J. A&P. www.crown.edu/humanities/Wheatonj. 17 January, 2004.

Patterns Within Systems of Linear Equations

Jasmine Chai Grade 10 196298501 Patterns within systems of linear equations Systems of linear equations are a collection of linear equations that are related by having one solution, no solution or many solutions. A solution is the point of intersection between the two or more lines that are described by the linear equation. Consider the following equations: x + 2y = 3 and 2x – y = -4. These equations are an example of a 2Ãâ€"2 system due to the two unknown variables (x and y) it has. In one of the patterns, by multiplying the coefficient of the y variable by 2 then subtract the coefficient of x from it you will be given the constant.As a word equation it can be written like so with the coefficient of x as A and coefficient of y as B and the constant as C, 2B – Ax = C. This can be applied to the first equation (x + 2y = 3) as 2(2) – 1 = 3. To the second equation (2x – y = -4), it is -1(2) – 2 = -4. By using matrices or graphs, we can solve this syst em. Regarding other systems that also has such as pattern, it should also have the same solution as the two examples displayed. For instance, 3x + 4y = 5 and x -2y = -5, another system, also displays the same pattern as the first set and has a solution of (-1, 2).Essentially, this pattern is indicating an arithmetic progression sequence. Arithmetic progression is described as common difference between sequences of numbers. In a specific sequence, each number accordingly is labelled as an. the subscript n is referring to the term number, for instance the 3rd term is known as a3. The formula, an = a1 + (n – 1) d, can be used to find an, the unknown number in the sequence. The variable d represents the common difference between the numbers in the sequence. In the first equation (x + 2y = 3) given, the common differences between the constants c – B and B – A is 1.Variable A is the coefficient of x and variable b represents the coefficient of y, lastly, c represents the constant. The common difference of the second equation (2x – y = -4) is -3 because each number is decreasing by 3. In order to solve for the values x and y, you could isolate a certain variable in one of the equations and substitute it into the other equation. x + 2y = 3 2x – y = -4 x + 2y = 3 * x = 3 – 2y * 2(3 – 2y) – y = -4 * 6 – 4y – y = -4 * 6 – 5y = -4 * -5y = -10 * y = 2 Now that the value of y is found, you can substitute 2 in as y in any of the equations to solve for x. x + 2y = 3 x + 2(2) = 3 * x + 4 = 3 * x = 3 – 4 * x = -1 Solution: (-1, 2) Even though the solution has already been found, there are many different ways to solve it, such as graphically solving it. By graphing the two linear lines, you can interpolate or extrapolate if necessary to find the point where the two lines intersect. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Graph 1 Graph 1 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Just from the equations given, it is not in a format where it can be easily graphed. By changing it into y=mx + b form, the first equation will result as y = – (1/2) x + 3/2 or y = -0. 5x + 1. 5 and the second equation will result as y = 2x + 4. The significance of the solution is that it is equal to the point of intersection as shown on Graph 1. This can then allow the conclusion that the solution of the two linear equations is also the point of intersection when graphed. According to this arithmetic progression sequence, it could be applied to other similar systems.For instance, the examples below demonstrates how alike 2Ãâ€"2 systems to the previous one will display a similarity. Example 1: In the first equation the common difference between (3, 4 and 5) is 1. In the second equation, the common differen ce is -3. The common differences in these equations are exact to the previous example. 3x + 4y = 5 x – 2y = -5 x – 2y = -5 * x = 2y – 5 (Substitution) 3x + 4y = 5 * 3(2y – 5) + 4y = 5 * 6y – 15 + 4y = 5 * 10y – 15 = 5 * 10y = 20 * y = 2 (Substituting y) x – 2y = -5 * x – 2(2) = -5 * x – 4 = -5 * x = -5 +4 * x = -1 Solution: (-1, 2)Example 2: In the first equation below, it has a common difference of 18 for (2, 20 and 38). For the second equation, in (15, -5 and -25), it has a common difference of -20. In this example, the system is solved graphically. 2x + 20y = 38 15x – 5 y = -25 Solution: (-1, 2) | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Graph 2 Graph 2 | | |From the examples given above that are very similar to the first system, we can conclude that there is something common between them, that is the point of intersection or the values of x and y. That would imply that the x and y values and the point of intersection will always be (-1, 2) for all systems that follow arithmetic progression sequences. Due to that similarity, an equation that can be applied to these types of equations can be made. If the first coefficient of the first equation is identified as A and the common difference is c, an equation such as, Ax + (A + c) y = A + 2c, is made.This equation is so, because it is describes an arithmetic sequence, where the coefficients and constant are increasing by one in response to the coefficient before. In the second equation of the system, another equation can be made relatively the same to the first, with exceptions of different variables used. If B is used to represent the first coefficient of the second equation and d is used as the common difference, the equation, Bx + (B + d) y = B + 2d is created. With 2 equations, we have now created a system; to solve the system we can use the elimination method.This method is used to eliminate certain variables in order to find the value of another variable. After doing so, you could substitute in the value for the found variable and solve for the other(s). Ax + (A + c) y = A + 2c Bx + (B + d) y = B + 2d In order to use the elimination method, you must make the coefficient of x or y the same depending on which one you would like to eliminate. In this case, we will start by eliminating x. To proceed to do so, we must first multiply the first equation by B and the second equation by A: ABx + (AB + Bc) y = AB + 2Bc ABx + (AB + Bd) y = AB + 2BdAfter we have made the coefficient of x the same for both equations, we can now subtract the equations from one another: ABx + ABy + Bcy = AB + 2Bc ABx + ABy + Bdy = AB + 2Bd * Bcy – Bdy = 2Bc – 2Bd To find the val ue of y, we must isolate the variable y. Bcy – Bdy = 2Bc – 2Bd * y(Bc – Bd) = 2(Bc – Bd) * y = 2 Now that the value of y is found, to find the value of x is to substitute the value of y, which is 2, into any equation that includes that variable x and y. Bx + (B + d) y = B + 2d * Bx + (B + d) 2 = B + 2d * Bx + 2B + 2d = B + 2d * Bx + 2B – B = 2d – 2d * Bx + B = 0 * Bx = -B * x = -1To conclude the results of the equations above, it is making thee statement that all 2Ãâ€"2 systems that display an arithmetic progression sequence, which has a common difference between the coefficients and constant, it will have a result, point of intersection, of (-1, 2). To confirm that this is correct, the example systems below will demonstrate this property: Equation 1 (common difference of 8): 2x + 10y = 18 Equation 2 (common difference of 3): x + 4y = 7 Substitution Method x + 4y = 7 * x = 7 – 4y Substitute 2x + 10y = 18 * 2 (7 – 4y) + 10y = 1 8 * 14 – 8y +10y = 18 * 14 + 2y = 18 2y = 18 – 14 * 2y = 4 * y = 2 Substitute x + 4y = 7 * x + 4(2) = 7 * x + 8 = 7 * x = 7 – 8 * x = -1 Solution: (-1, 2) Once again from the example above, it displays that the solution or the point of intersection is identified as (-1, 2). From previous examples, all have a common difference that is different from the other equation involved in that system. In the following example, it will experiment whether having the same common difference will make a difference in the result. Equation 1 (common difference of 3): 2x + 5y = 8 Equation 2 (common difference of 3): x + 3y = 6 Graph 3 Graph 3As you can see on the graph, it shows that the two lines do not intersect at (-1, 2) even though it is a 2Ãâ€"2 system that has a common difference in both equations, meaning that the intersection at (-1, 2) can only be applied to systems that has 2 different common differences. To conclude, all 2Ãâ€"2 systems that follow arithmetic progres sion sequence with different common difference have a solution of (-1, 2). Furthermore, now that it is known that there is a certain pattern for a specific type of system, if this property is applied to a 3Ãâ€"3 system, with 3 different variables can it still work?Consider the following 3Ãâ€"3 system, (x + 2y + 3z = 4), (5x + 7y + 9z = 11) and (2x + 5y + 8z = 11). In this system, it has similar patterns to the 2Ãâ€"2 systems above due to its arithmetic progression. In the first equation, it has a common difference of 1 and the second equation has a common difference of 2 and lastly, the third equation has a common difference of 3. To solve this system, we can solve it using the method of elimination or matrices. Equation 1 (common difference: 1): x + 2y + 3z = 4 Equation 2 (common difference: 2): 5x + 7y + 9z = 11Equation 3 (common difference: 3): 2x + 5y + 8z = 11 Elimination Method To eliminate the variable x, we must first start by making the coefficients of x in two equations the same. We can do so by finding the lowest common multiple of the two coefficients and multiplying the whole equation by it. Equation 1: x + 2y + 3z = 4 * 2(x + 2y + 3z = 4) * 2x + 4y + 6z = 8 We can eliminate the variable x now that the coefficients of x in both equations are the same. To eliminate x, we can subtract equation 3 from equation 1. Equation 1 and 3: 2x + 4y + 6z = 8 2x + 5y + 8z = 11 -y -2z = -3 After eliminating x from two equations to form another equation that does not involve x (-y -2z = -3), another equation that does not involve x must be made to further eliminate another variable such as y or z. Equation 1: x + 2y + 3z = 4 * 5(x + 2y + 3z = 4) * 5x + 10y + 15z = 20 We can eliminate the variable x now that the coefficients of x in both equations are the same. To eliminate x, we can subtract equation 2 from equation 1. Equation 1 and 2: 5x + 10y + 15z = 20 – 5x + 7y + 9z = 11 3y + 6z = 9Now that two different equations that do not involve x ((-y -2z = -3 ) and (3y + 6z = 9)) are created, we can find the common coefficient of y and eliminate it to find the value of the variable z. Let (-y -2z = -3) to be known as equation A and (3y + 6z = 9) will be known as equation B. Equation A: -y -2z = -3 * 3(-y -2z = -3) * -3y -6z = -9 Equation A and B: -3y -6z = -9 + 3y + 6z = 9 0 = 0 As you can see from the result, 0 = 0, this is indicating that the system either has many solutions, meaning a collinear line or no solution, where all the lines do not intersect together at a specific point.Even if you attempt to isolate a different variable it will still have the same result. For instance, using the same equations above, you eliminate the variable y first as displayed below. Equation 1 (common difference: 1): x + 2y + 3z = 4 Equation 2 (common difference: 2): 5x + 7y + 9z = 11 Equation 3 (common difference: 3): 2x + 5y + 8z = 11 Elimination Method Equation 1: x + 2y + 3z = 4 * 7(x + 2y + 3z = 4) * 7x +14y + 21z = 28 Equation 2: 5x + 7y + 9z = 1 1 * 2(5x + 7y + 9z = 11) * 10x + 14y + 18z = 22 Equation 1 and 2: 7x +14y + 21z = 28 – 10x + 14y + 18z = 22 3x + 3z = 6 Equation 1: x + 2y + 3z = 4 * 5(x + 2y + 3z = 4) * 5x +10y + 15z = 20 Equation 3: 2x + 5y + 8z = 11 * 2(2x + 5y + 8z = 11) * 4x + 10y +16z = 22 Equation 1 and 3: 5x +10y + 15z = 20 – 4x + 10y +16z = 22 x – z = -2 Two equations have been made that has already eliminated the variable y. Let (-3x + 3z = 6) be equation A and let (x – z = -2) be equation B. Doing this, is in attempt to solve for variable x. Equation A: -3x + 3z = 6 Equation B: x – z = -2 * 3(x – z = -2) * 3x – 3z = -6 Equation A and B: -3x + 3z = 6 + 3x – 3z = -6 0 = 0As you can see the result, it is the same even if you try to solve another variable, from that we can confirm that this system has either no solution or infinite solutions, meaning that they are collinear lines. Furthermore, because this is a 3Ãâ€"3 system, meaning that it has three different variables, such as x, y and z, graphing it will also be very different from a graph of a 2Ãâ€"2 system. In a 3Ãâ€"3 system, the graph would be a surface chart, where the variable z allows the graph to become 3D. From this, we can conclude 3Ãâ€"3 systems that follow an arithmetic progression will always have either no solution or infinite solutions.This is saying that all linear equations do not intersect together in one point or they do not intersect. A way to prove this is through finding the determinant. The determinant is a single number that describes the solvability of the system. To find the determinant of all 3Ãâ€"3 systems that possesses arithmetic progression, we can start by creating a formula. Allow the first coefficient of the first equation be A and the second equation’s first coefficient be B and lastly, the first coefficient of the third equation be C.The common difference of equation one will be c, the common difference of equation two will be d, and the common difference of equation e will be e. This can be described through the following equations: 1. Ax + (A + c) y + (A + 2c) z = (A + 3c) 2. Bx + (B + d) y + (B + 2d) z = (B + 3d) 3. Cx + (C + e) y + (C + 2e) z = (C + 3e) When developing a matrix to find the determinant, you must have a square matrix. In this case, we do not have a square matrix. A square matrix is where the number of rows and columns are equal, for example, it could be a 2Ãâ€"2, 3Ãâ€"3, or 4Ãâ€"4. Looking at the equations, it is a 3Ãâ€"4 matrix; as a result it must be rearranged.Below is the rearranged matrix of the equations above. x A (A + c) (A + 2c) (A + 3c) y B (B + d) (B + 2d) = (B + 3d) z C (C + e) (C + 2e) (C + 3e) To find the determinant, you must find 4 values from the 3Ãâ€"3 matrix that helps find the determinant of A, B and C. In this case, if you were to find the values for A, you would cover the values that are in the same row and column as A, like so, A (A + c) (A + 2c) B (B + d) (B + 2d)C (C + e) (C + 2e) You would be left with four separate values that can be labelled as A, B, C and D. Respectively to the model below: a b c d In order to find the determinant you must find the four values for A, (A + c) and (A +2c). To find the determinant the equation ad – cb is used. The equation in this situation would be like the one below: A[(B + d)(C + 2e) – (C + e)(B + 2d)] – (A + c)[B(C + 2e) – C(B + 2d)] + (A +2c)[B(C + 2e) – C(B + 2d)] Expand * = A(BC – BC + Cd – 2Cd + 2Be – Be + 2de – 2de) – (A + c)(BC – BC + 2Be – 2Cd) + (A + 2c)(BC – BC + 2Be – 2Cd) Simplify 2ABe – 2ABe + 2ACd – 2ACd + 2Ccd – 2Ccd + 2Bce – 2Bce * = 2ABe – 2ABe + 2ACd – 2ACd + 2Ccd – 2Ccd + 2Bce – 2Bce * = 0 As it is visible, above it shows that the determinant found in this type of matrix is zero. If it is zero, it means that there are infinite an swers or no answer at all. Using technology, a graphing calculator, once entering a 3Ãâ€"3 matrix that exhibits arithmetic progression, it states that it is an error and states that it is a singular matrix. This may mean that there is no solution. To conclude, there is no solution or infinite solution to 3Ãâ€"3 systems that exhibit the pattern of arithmetic sequencing.This can be proved when the sample 3Ãâ€"3 system is graphed and results as a 3D collinear segment. As well as the results from above when a determinant is found to be zero proves that 3Ãâ€"3 systems that pertains an arithmetic sequence. Arithmetic sequences within systems of linear equations are one pattern of systems. Regarding other patterns, it is questionable if geometric sequences can be applied to systems of linear equations. Consider the following equations, x + 2y = 4 and 5x – y = 1/5. It is clear that the coefficients and constants have a certain relation through multiplication.In the first equation (x + 2y = 4), it has the relation where it has a common ratio of 2 between numbers 1, 2 and 4. For the second equation (5x – y = 1/5), it has a common ratio of -1/5 between 5, -1 and 1/5. The common ratio is determined through the multiplicative succession from the previous number in the order of the numbers. When the equations are rearranged into the form y=mx+b, as y = – ? x + 2 and y = 5x – 1/5, there is a visible pattern. Between the two equations they both possess the pattern of the constant, where constant a is the negative inverse of constant b and vice versa.This would infer that if they are multiplied together, as follows (-1/2 x 2 = -1 and 5 x -1/5 = -1), it will result as -1. With equations that are also similar to these, such as the following, y = 2x – 1/2, y = -2x + 1/2, y = 1/5x – 5 or y = -1/5x +5. Displayed below, is a linear graph that shows linear equations that are very similar to the ones above. Graph 4 Graph 4 From the graph a bove, you can see that the equations that are the same with exceptions of negatives and positives, they reflect over the axis and displays the same slope.For instance, the linear equations y = 2x -1/2 and y=-2x +1/2 are essentially the same but reflected as it shows in the graph below. Also, all equations have geometric sequencing, which means that they are multiplied by a common ratio. Secondly, the points of intersection between similar lines are always on the x-axis. Graph 5 Graph 5 Point of intersection: (0. 25, 0) Point of intersection: (0. 25, 0) To solve a general 2Ãâ€"2 system that incorporates this pattern, a formula must be developed. In order to do so, something that should be kept in mind is that it must contain geometric sequencing in regards to the coefficients and constants.An equation such as, Ax + (Ar) y = Ar2 with A representing the coefficients and r representing the common ratio. The second equation of the system could be as follows, Bx + (Bs) y = Bs2 with B as the coefficient and s as the common ratio. As a general formula of these systems, they can be simplified through the method of elimination to find the values of x and y. Ax + (Ar) y = Ar2 Bx + (Bs) y = Bs2 Elimination Method B (Ax + (Ar) y = Ar2) * BAx + BAry = BAr2 A (Bx + (Bs) y = Bs2) * ABx + ABsy = ABs2 Eliminate BAx + BAry = BAr2 – ABx + ABsy = ABs2 BAry – ABsy = BAr2 – ABs2 ABy (r – s) = AB (r2 – s2) * y = (r + s) Finding value of x by inputting y into an equation ABx + ABsy = ABs2 * ABx + ABs(r + s) = ABs2 * ABx = ABs2 – ABs(r +s) * x = s2 – s(r +s) * x = s2 – s2 – rs * x = rs To confirm that the formula is correct, we can apply the equation into the formula and solve for x and y and compare it to the results of graph 4. The equations that we will be comparing will be y = 5x – 1/5 and y = -1/5x + 5. The point of intersection, (1, 4. 8) of these equations is shown graphically on graph 4 and 6. The common rat io (r) of the first equation is -0. and the common ratio, also known as s in the equation of the second equation is 5. X = – (-0. 2 x 5) = 1 Y = (-0. 2 + 5) = 4. 8 As you can see, above, the equations are correctly matching the point of intersection as shown on the graphs. Due to such as result, it is known that it can now be applied to any equations that display geometric sequencing. Graph 6 Graph 6 Resources: 1. Wolfram MathWorld. Singular Matrix. Retrieved N/A, from http://mathworld. wolfram. com/SingularMatrix. html 2. Math Words. Noninvertible Matrix. Retrieved March 24, 2011 from, http://www. mathwords. com/s/singular_matrix. htm

Birdsong Essay

How is the relationship between Stephen and Isabelle started and developed in Part one of Birdsong? Part one of Birdsong begins in France 1910 which involves young Englishman Stephen Wraysford coming to Amiens to learn more about the textile industry and to stay with the Azaire family. This sets the context and is relevant as it is a period of industrial and civil unrest. The novel is written in the third person and Stephen’s presence allows for an outsider’s view of the family with him not stating his opinion and being neutral between sides. From the start there’s a mutual attraction between Stephen and Isabelle. Stephen finds this in some assets of Isabelle’s character firstly when Isabelle comments on a beautiful piece of music she has heard, Berard then attempts to belittle her but she puts him aside with a look. â€Å"Stephen watched as Madame Azaire turned her head slowly so that her eyes met those of Berard. He saw them open wider as they focused on his smiling face of which perspiration stood out in the still air of the dining room† Stephen admires this and cannot believe she is the mother of Lisette and Gregoire. Stephen finds a certain trust in Isabelle as she seems to be discrete unlike the characteristics of Azaire. He thinks that secrets will be kept safe with her. Stephen hears the sob and pleading of a woman and is sure that it is Isabelle however he returns to his room with no cause of action despite his â€Å"sense of confused anger†. Stephen thinks he could be the one to save her from violence. This shows his emotions developing for Isabelle as â€Å"He saw, with some surprise, that what had struck him most he had not written about at all†. Azaire demonstrates a patriarchal influence as he treats his work and Isabelle with the same heavy-handedness and this shows his desire to rule in both his public and private life. Azaire seems to be too traditional, old and contemporary for Isabelle. With the violence, an unhappy marriage and a lot of time spent with Stephen an affair is inevitably going to happen between him and Isabelle. Stephen’s thoughts drift at work one day and his thoughts consist of Isabelle, only. The narrative then shifts to how he describes her and his feelings of her in his notebook, they are summed up in a single word ‘Pulse’. Stephen’s growing attraction towards Isabelle become increasingly apparent with his awareness of the way she moves and noticeably how she eats and drinks. â€Å"Her white hands seemed barely to touch the cutlery when they ate at the family dinner table and her lips left no trace of their presence on the wine glass†. Isabelle’s suppressed emotions are connected with her position as a bourgeois woman. Stephen’s attempt to get closer to her when finding her in the garden highlights why she acts with restraint. The language reiterates this earlier in the text before Stephen has a relationship with Isabelle she is referred to as Madame Azaire. Isabelle greets Stephen as ‘Monsieur’ on his returns from work. She asks him to ‘respect her position’ when Stephen takes her hand in his in the garden. She is seen to react in accordance with her social standing. Without regard Isabelle offers little in the way of resistance when he takes her hand. However these thoughts come from Stephen’s perspective and there are little insight given into Isabelle’s emotions. The theme of desire is broached and made relevant as Stephen sits opposite Isabelle on the boat on the return home from a trip to the water gardens. As they touch each other and do not move away, his desire for her is heightened. â€Å"Isabelle’s foot touches his leg; neither moves†. Stephen hits a man who defamed Isabelle; Azaire suggests that it is best if he stays at the house for a while until all is settled. This section is mainly significant for when Stephen and Isabelle make love, the earlier parts of the novel have been building up to this as the sexual tension is released between both characters. The act is instigated initially by Steven when he pulls her towards him once Lisette leaves however it is continued by Isabelle when she asks him to come to the red room. This scene however is slightly different as it has connotations of a fairy tale. â€Å"By the time Stephen turned round she had gone. The red room. He panicked. He was sure it would be one of those he had once seen but could never refind; it would be like a place in a dream that remains out of reach; it would always be behind him† this may be due to the recognition of both their optimum feelings towards each other. The scene in the red room is also relevant for what it reveals about Isabelle’s thought processes â€Å"She wanted him to bring alive what she had buried, and not to demean, destroy her fabricated self† this describes how she sees Stephen as her saviour. They continue to make love secret; he asks her to come to England. Azaire hears a rumour of Isabelle having an affair with Lucien and helping the strikers families, Isabelle admits to helping the families as she is no long afraid of her husband as she is no under the protection of Stephen. She says she has been having an affair with Stephen, not Lucien. Stephen takes the blame saying he ‘seduced’ her feeling pity for Azaire. They leave for the South of France. In the last section Isabelle discovers that she is pregnant; she decides not to tell Stephen. There is a significant use of dramatic irony in this as Isabelle believes Stephen to be distant even about his own life, whereas he has been considering taking her to his grandparents’ old home because he wishes to share his past with her now. This is because ‘his life’s concern’ is her ‘well-being’. Ironically, it is the fear for the well-being of her child that impels her to go to Jeanne rather than stay with him. When he discovers she has left, the effect is compared to that of a block of wood being split, This simile cleverly describes his emotional state because, although he shows no outward sign to his co-workers, he is ripped apart inside â€Å"No shred or fibre escaped he sundering†. His emotions are left in pieces by their relationship.

Letter to Boyfriend

When we first started going out, my friends and family noticed a difference in me. I'd come home from school and my family would say, â€Å"You're smiling a lot. † My friends would ask how you're doing, and I'd blush as we talked. When I'm with you, it's like my world is in perfect harmony. I could get lost in your eyes. You're an all-around amazing guy, intelligent, sweet, funny, adorable†¦ The list goes on. I appreciate you. I cherish you. You kept me strong, kept me believing.And even when I was ready to give up on myself, you weren't. You've never given up on me, even when I didn't think I was worth it. I want you beside me always. Over the last year and 9 months you have sincerely been everything I have ever hoped for in a partner and so much more than I ever believed I could find in another person. Being with you is so amazing. You are my playmate, my confidant, my passionate lover, my protector, my partner and cost importantly my true friend.Over the thought of spe nding the rest of my life by your side gives me butterflies. Good or bad, I want to be right there with you through it all and I truly want to experience as much of life as we possibly can together. Thank you for every moment we have shared since that day we met. Thank you for your love, patience, kindness and generosity. Thank you for really loving me. Happy anniversary babe I love you so much. :*

The HIV/AIDS Epidemic in the United States

This year, it was estimated that at least 500,000 people in the United States have already died of AIDS since the disease first surfaced in the 1980s. This figure was said to be the equivalent of the entire population of Las Vegas. In 2008, meanwhile, there were at least 1 million people in the US who are living with HIV/AIDS.What is dangerous is that about a fifth of them do not know they have the disease. Such ignorance worsens the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the US by greatly increasing the risk of onward transmission (AVERT n. pag.).Experts pointed out that despite these alarming statistics, the US government’s efforts towards HIV prevention and treatment remained unsuccessful. For one, stigma and discrimination towards HIV-positive individuals continue to persist.In addition, thousands of uninsured Americans still do not have access to necessary health services such as antiretroviral therapy. As a result, the country’s HIV/AIDS epidemic keeps on claiming more lives â€⠀œ approximately 56,000 Americans are infected with HIV every year (AVERT n. pag.).Contrary to stereotypes, HIV/AIDS affects all sectors of American society. The misconception that the disease affects only homosexuals and drug dependents stemmed from the fact that in the early years of the epidemic, majority of HIV-positive individuals in the US were homosexuals, intravenous drug users, hemophiliacs and Haitian immigrants.However, the demographics of people living with HIV/AIDS have changed over the succeeding years. At present, sectors including heterosexual whites, African-Americans and Hispanics are already vulnerable to the ailment (AVERT n. pag.).As of 2007, African-Americans constituted about 12% of the total population of the US. But an estimated 49% of them were diagnosed with HIV in the same year. Health experts consider this to be very ironic, given that several well-known African-Americans such as anchorman Max Robinson, tennis player Arthur Ashe and rapper Eazy-E died of AIDS in the 1980s and the 1990s.But neither are they surprised – denial of the existence of HIV/AIDS still persists among African-Americans. This forswearing stems from the fact that among African-Americans, openly talking about sensitive subjects like sexuality, premarital sex and drug use are still seen as taboo (AVERT n. pag.).Although there has been a decline in the overall number of AIDS-related deaths in the US at the start of the 21st century, AIDS-related deaths among Hispanics during this period remained relatively stable. Hispanics made up about 19% of the country’s total population in 2007, but around 15% of this figure is believed to be living with AIDS.Health experts attribute this situation to language barriers, social structures, migration patterns and lack of regular health care services (AVERT n. pag.). These factors expose Hispanics to high-risk behaviors that will ultimately lead to AIDS, such as unprotected sex and drug abuse.Despite the fact that no sector of American society is safe from HIV/AIDS, homosexuals remain to be one of the most vulnerable groups. In 2007, about two-thirds of male adolescents and adults who were diagnosed with HIV were homosexuals.This figure was said to be the result of unprotected sex among an increasing number of homosexuals. According to experts, most homosexuals are complacent about condom use because they believe in the misconception that antiretroviral drugs cure HIV/AIDS.This erroneous belief is not without fatal consequences – it was estimated in 2008 that HIV/AIDS diagnoses among homosexuals between 2001 and 2006 increased by 8.6% (AVERT n. pag.).Critics pointed out that the US government did not spend enough money on HIV/AIDS prevention measures. In October 2007, Congress reduced the country’s federal AIDS prevention budget for the 2008 fiscal year by $692 million (the reduction was initially announced as $3 million) – a move that would further keep cheap and or free antiretroviral drugs out of reach of indigent AIDS patients (AVERT n. pag.).Furthermore, the US refused to cooperate with the United Nations in the latter’s programs to curb the spread of HIV/AIDS. The US, for instance, blocked the UN’s anti-HIV/AIDS program of providing drug dependents access to clean needles.Officials at the US State Department justified this decision by arguing that this program might be misinterpreted as an endorsement of drug abuse by providing dependents with a place to inject drugs (GlobalHealthReporting.org n. pag.).Simply put, the US believes that the only way for drug dependents to avoid HIV/AIDS is to completely abstain from drugs. But studies show that a drug dependent will undergo relapse at least four times before becoming fully rehabilitated (DrugLibrary.org n. pag.).The UN’s point in launching the anti-HIV/AIDS program is that while drug dependents are ridding themselves of their habit, steps might as well be taken to ensure tha t they are healthy. After all, what is the point of getting rehabilitated from drug abuse when one ends up HIV-positive afterwards?How is the US currently dealing with the HIV/AIDS epidemic in its own turf? For one, not all schools in the country provide HIV/AIDS education. Those that do adopt a curriculum that falls into one of the following categories – abstinence-only, abstinence-plus or comprehensive.As a result, students are provided incomplete and even inaccurate information about HIV/AIDS. Even schools that provide the most comprehensive HIV/AIDS education reportedly fail to provide or gloss over important information (AVERT n. pag.).In the end, it is still the young people who pay the heaviest price for such errors. Their ignorance about HIV/AIDS renders them vulnerable to the disease when they start having sexual relations later in life as adults.It also doesn’t help that whatever information they will learn about HIV/AIDS are mostly in the form of myths †“ HIV could be transmitted from kissing, HIV is small enough to pass through the pores in latex condoms, only homosexuals could acquire the disease, etc. (AVERT n. pag.)In addition, the US government focused so much on encouraging as many people as possible to undergo HIV testing that they failed to inform people regarding guidelines surrounding the procedure. In busy clinics and hospitals, for instance, patients â€Å"may not be properly informed that they are being tested for HIV or that they have the right to refuse the test† (AVERT n. pag.).Formalities such as the need for written consent and lengthy pre-test prevention counseling also discourage people from taking HIV testing (AVERT n. pag.). Furthermore, health experts failed to recognize social and cultural factors behind a patient’s reluctance to undergo HIV testing.Ethnic minorities in the US must be educated about HIV/AIDS in such a manner that their religious and or cultural sensibilities are recognized â €“ before lecturing African-Americans about practicing safe sex, for instance, they must first be given the assurance that openly discussing sex is not shameful as their culture dictates.If the US wants to put a stop to its HIV/AIDS epidemic, it must first put an end to its inconsistent and shortsighted anti-HIV/AIDS measures. All schools must be required to provide comprehensive HIV/AIDS education to its students. â€Å"Comprehensive HIV/AIDS education,† however, means complete and objective information about the disease.Students are provided options on how to avoid HIV/AIDS, whether through abstinence or through condoms.Second, the US government must spend more money on health care services for AIDS patients and for HIV/AIDS research. Studies show that as long as they have consistent access to proper health care services, AIDS patients can still live long and healthy lives despite their illness.Lastly, public health and social workers must educate people about HIV/AIDS in such a manner that their personal, religious and or cultural concerns about the disease are addressed. People must be given the assurance that openly discussing HIV/AIDS, sexuality and other related topics does not make them promiscuous.Indeed, what makes HIV/AIDS a very sensitive subject is that discussing it touches other taboo subjects such as drug use and sex. But in the context of the disease, ignorance kills. People may hide in stereotypes, but HIV/AIDS does not. HIV/AIDS asks only one thing: â€Å"Are you human?†

Albert Jacka Soldier Man

Albert Jacka was born on the 10th of January 1893 in a small dairy farm in Winchelsea, Victoria. On the 17th of the first 1932, seven days after his 39th birthday, he died of chronic nephritis. He was the fourth child of 7 of Nathaniel Jacka and Mary Elizabeth Kettle. He spent most of his life in Wedderburn after his parents decided to move the family there in 1898 when Bertie was the age of 5. After completing elementary school, he found work as a labourer with his father, and later for the Victorian State Forests Department. On 18/8/14, Bert enlisted into the Aussie Imperial Force, assigned 14 Battalion, 4th Brigade, 1st Division and began training at Broadmeadow camp. Jackas battalion then left for further two months of training in Egypt. After that, his battalion then joined the fight in Gallipoli, arriving on Anzac Cove through the Dardanelles, 26/4/15. A month later on the 19th, the Turkish began an assault along almost the whole Anzac line, and captured a small twelve yard section of the trench, leaving one end being guarded by Jacka. For longer than several minutes, he shot warning shots into he trench until, finally reinforcements had arrived. Everybody but Jacka were hit so he leapt back into the communication trench. He had then thought up a new plan, two bombs would be thrown at the Turks, as Bert would walk around and flank them from behind. He shot five and bayoneted two as the others retreated. l managed to get the begars, Sir, he was quoted to have said to the first officer to arrive. For doing this act of courage, he was awarded with a Victorian Cross, which appeared in a section of the London Gazette. War Office, 24th July, 191 5 His Majesty the KING has been graciously pleased to award the Victoria Cross to the undermentioned Officers and Non-commissioned Officers:No. 65 Lance-corporal Albert Jacka, 14th Battalion, Australian Imperial Forces. For most conspicuous bravery on the night of the 19th-20th May, 191 5 at Courtneys Post, Gallipoli Peninsula. Lance-corporal Jacka, while holding a portion of our trench with four other men, was heavily attacked. When all except himself were killed or wounded, the trench was rushed and occupied by seven Turks. Lance-corporal Jacka at once most gallantly ttacked them single-handed, and killed the whole party, five by rifle fire and two with the bayonet. Albert was immediately known as a national hero. He began to be used on recruiting posters John Wren, gave him E500 and a golden watch, after promising the first Victorian Cross winner a reward of so. After the 28th of 8th he began to skyrocket from rank to rank, beginning with Corporal, then on the 12/9, Sergeant, then Company Sergeant Major on 14/11, and finally Second Lieutenant on the 29/4/16 after completing officer training. Early in June, the 14th Battalion were then sent to France. On the 7th of August, Berts platoon then moved into the line close to Pozi ©res, a small French village. One night after dawn, Just as Jacka had completed his surveying of the area, two German soldiers had overrun a part of line. They came to the entrance of Jackas dugout, rolling a bomb down the doorway, killing two men. Jacka survived, rushing up the steps, tiring as ne moved. He got up and came upon German soldiers rounding up about forty Aussies as prisoners. He spoke out to his platoon and charged against the enemy. Men threw away their rifles and began to participate n wild hand to hand combat, while the prisoners turned on their enslavers. On that night, they took capture of fifty Germans and retook back the line. Everyone was severely wounded, Jacka received serious neck and shoulder injures and was sent away to London hospital. On the 8th of the 8th, London newspapers sent out false reports claiming that Bert was killed in action. After this, Albert was promoted to captain and was authorised as the 14 Battalions Intelligence officer on the 15th March. Albert got back into the fght and led a night scouting party on the 8th of April, to inspect the enemys defences. He infiltrated the wire at two places, reported back, then he went out again to watch the laying of the guide tapes for the infantry. As the Job was almost done, two German soldiers creeped up, Jacka, realising that theyd see the tapes, he knew that they must be captured. He pulled out his pistol, misfired, so he rushed on towards them and captured them by hand. His smart, quick thinking, had saved the Anzac soldiers from discovery and possibly bombardment and had earnt himself a bar to his military cross. The newly captained Jacka, on the 8th July, was wounded by a snipers bullet near Ploegsteert Wood. Two months later on the 26th, he was back on his feet and back on the front, he led the 14th battalion against German Pillboxes(small underground outposts) at Polygon Wood. In March 1918, Jacka unknowingly faced his final fght, after being cruelly gassed at Villers-Bretonneux. A few months later, he boarded the Euripides, for Australia. A large crowd, including the Governor General, greeted him on his arrival in Melbourne. A few months after being discharged, R. O. Roxburgh, E. J. L. Edmonds and himself, created an electrical goods importing and exporting business. The following year on the 17th January, Jacka was hitched to Frances Veronica Carey, a typist at his Electrical Goods business. A few moths later, the moved to St Kilda and adopted a daughter. Eight years later, he was elected to the St Kilda Council and a year later elected as mayor. On the 18th of December 1931, he mysteriously fell ill during a council meeting and on January 17th, a year later, he died of chronic nephritis. Over 60,000 people paraded by his coffin as it lay in Anzac house. He was buried with complete military honor in the Presbyterian section of the cemetery.