Tuesday, March 17, 2020
Common Ground Among Them †Creative Writing Story
Common Ground Among Them – Creative Writing Story Free Online Research Papers Common Ground Among Them Creative Writing Story At the first night, I knew my three roommates: Stephanie, Alicia and Katherine. Stephanie, a slim girl, snow-white skin made her very popular in boys. She was called school-flower. I heard from Alicia that Stephanie used to be smacked by the elder girl from the middle school when she was in primary school, because the boys in middle school were crazy for her, and she almost grabbed of their attention from other girls. Of course, she began to make a boyfriend in a young age. That was the reason I think she was a superficial girl and I didn’t have a good feeling about her. When the boys knew Stephanie would study in middle school, some of boys even begun to plan that how to pick up her. However, it was not so easy to do, because the number of the boys who wanted to pick up her could around the earth three rounds. Alicia, a little bit fat, her skin was quite dark and she was not so tall. She was an opponent to Stephanie, but Stephanie was her good friend. Maybe the boy wanted to get close to Stephanie through Alicia, so she was quite popular as well. And Katherine, umm†¦she was so quite that you would ignore her exist. She was that kind of gracefully quiet girl. She didn’t like t o talk, but listened to us. However, I found a common ground among them: studied badly, but yearned for the love can remember to the end of their lives. In the first night, Stephanie positive talked to me first. â€Å"Hey, Michelle, have you ever made any boyfriend before you came to this school?†Stephanie asked me. â€Å"No. I don’t have so much time to know one. How can I make a boyfriend?†I asked return back. â€Å"You mean you spend all the time on the books?†her tone raised several tones. I didn’t deny and nodded my head. â€Å"Ok. Tell me frankly have you ever loved someone before?†â€Å"What?†â€Å"I mean did you heart beat fast when you saw a boy?†â€Å"Of course not. It’s too dramatic. How can you love a stranger at the first sight, you know nothing about him. Can you sure he is a good guy?†â€Å"Oh, my god! I can’t believe I am living with a cold-blood girl together. Dear Michelle, don’t be too dull. Every girl dreams to be loved by someone. Doesn’t tell me you haven’t thought about it before!†â€Å"Yes, that is who I am! Don’t you feel the job of being a student is study?†â€Å"Are you kidding? Study? Are you crazy that you’ve never imagined your boyfriend?†â€Å"What’s wrong?†â€Å"What’s wrong? That’s a big big wrong. You need to leave the books. Books are not your whole life, book worm.†â€Å"But I want to study some knowledge. That’s the reason I come here.†â€Å"All right, I’ll tell candid to you that love is a vast knowledge that no book can teach you how to do it, even the adult can’t handle it well. You have to grow up one day. Girl, woke up, you will face it some day.†â€Å"How many boyfriends you have made so far?†She leaned her head and her finger moved up and down, after a while. â€Å"I think it’s about seven.†She peacefully said. â€Å"Seven?†â€Å"Why you look so surprised? Your eyes are so round that I can put a nut in it.†â€Å"Do you want to imply that you understand love a lot?†â€Å"Maybe.†She proudly said. â€Å"So what’s love?†â€Å"That’s easy. It means you treat me well, then I treat you well too.†â€Å"Stephanie, friends also can treat each other like this, just like you and Alicia, does it mean you guys need to fall in love?†â€Å"Take it easy, Michelle. You’re still young. I can understand. You can’t accept this so fast.†â€Å"It’s absurd. If he doesn’t treat you well, then you won’t love him any more, right?†â€Å"Of course.†â€Å"If he treats you well at the same time, he has another girlfriend; do you still stay beside him?†â€Å"Um†¦then I would consider whether he worth me paying much love on him. For example, I would see he whether is rich. Even he doesn’t love me any more, if he still treats me well. I can use his money to buy what I like to buy. Remember, if man is an earning money machine, then girl should be a wasting money machine. In addition, Michelle, nowadays, there is a popular saying in girls: ‘marry a rich man is better than study well in school’!††â€Å"Is she reading the actor’s lines?†that’s my first reflection. Although I’d heard this kind of words so many times from media I’d never thought that I would hear that from my friend’s mouth. I was shocked. The feeling liked the ship crushed into a cold mountain. Ice freezes my body from head to foot from sky.†â€Å"You don’t want to set up your own business? Haven’t you made an aim for your life?†â€Å"Of course, I have, married a rich husband and be a wealthy wife. That’s simple. It’s hard to work outside, why you don’t I choose a comfortable way to spend my life?†â€Å"Your opinion is so special.†â€Å"Me? Lots of people have the same thought as mine. They just don’t express it so plain and directly like me.†â€Å"Ling†¦Ling†¦Ã¢â‚¬ Our conversation was ended by the mobile phone, which was from her boyfriend. He called her to have a date in the weekend. There was no surprise that her boyfriend was from a wealthy family. Actually, she told me a lot, but I only could remember these. After the weekend, when I saw her again, a spanking new delicate ring was worn in her right hand. I heard from Alicia that this ring cost 1,000 RMB. â€Å"Being a rich guy’s girlfriend is so great.†I heard another girl in my grade after she saw the ring. Do you think this is a good phenomenon that a girl advocates money worship? How their parents taught her? At the end of that year, when we finished the text, my questions couldn’t store any more. I really hoped I could change her vulgar mind. â€Å"Stephanie, do your parents know that?†I curious asked. â€Å"My parents?†she sneered, â€Å"Hug, they are absolutely this kind of people. Can you believe that my mom even encourage me finding a rich man as husband.†â€Å"Ah?†I couldn’t believe my ears. â€Å"Don’t be so surprise. Michelle, I believe you were born in a content family; I used to be as well. But everything has changed since my family became rich. He didn’t like going home any more. He loves staying outside, not come home and see my mom and me. My mother always cried when he was not at home, I used to naà ¯ve think that it was caused by my mark, so I worked very hard in a period and that made me became the top student in my school, but it didn’t change too much. Later, I knew that dad had some women outside. From then on, I swear I must spend all the men’s money. That’s my family. If my father was not rich, my family wouldn’t in this situation. Sorry, Michelle. I didn’t plan to tell you this. I know you are so pure as a piece of white paper. I hope you won’t violate any spot, just not like me. I know I am terrible.†I knew I should say, â€Å"No, you are still a good girl.†Such words to console her, but I just couldn’t burst out. I was too shock to say anything. I looked at her. She looked unconfident any more, instead of sorrow. I still remember her eyes clearly. It was a pair of numb and dim eyes. Her language was slipslop like a bottom of water, not sweet but not bitter, either. She used the simplest words to describe her past, but her words like drooping a stone into a still lake, the surface floated bunches of ripples in my heart. Before that, I considered she was a shallow girl, who only loved money in her mind. I used to think that my entire peer should be focus on their study and their families’ supervisor their mark, but Stephanie opened a window and led me to another new world. That was my first time to see Stephanie’s case. This talent girl could change like this, which was not all her fault. â€Å"Then who should take this responsibility?†I couldn ’t help asking myself. When I am writing in here, Stephanie makes me recollecting myself at the age of eight. At that time, my parents quarreled horrible, I have forgotten how fear I was when they were arguing, but I remember clearly that their argument made me felt like at the end of the world. Suddenly, I think I begin to understand her. There is nothing worse than the child see their parents separate. The situation that Stephanie met even worse. I don’t know how she felt when she faced her father. At least, she wouldn’t believe the story that the prince and princess live happily forever in fairy tale. A three-people family, like a pedicab, no matter which wheel was broken, the consequence was severe. I thought if I met the same situation with her, what should I do? Do I think her behavior is the best way to solve the problem? Stephanie was right. I wouldn’t learn this from my text book. My text books never taught that I should take responsibility to my self, my family and the whole society. That moment, I felt my high mark was useless. It couldn’t help me to solve this complicated spot. High mark couldn’t let me understand the adult’s emotion world. The most ridicule thing was they always request us study well, but ignore the basic thing. Do they think high mark can represent everything? I was worried that our next generation might meet the same embarrassing situation with us! However, Stephanie transferred to another school after Junior One. Before she left, she wrote a message to me that asked Alicia to give me: I wanna marry a common boy. When I saw it, my tear was suddenly rolling in my eye pit. She was a victim of her family. Research Papers on Common Ground Among Them - Creative Writing StoryPersonal Experience with Teen PregnancyEffects of Television Violence on ChildrenHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows EssayThe Spring and AutumnHip-Hop is ArtThe Hockey GameMind TravelCapital PunishmentStandardized TestingUnreasonable Searches and Seizures
Saturday, February 29, 2020
Business versus Environment Essay Example for Free
Business versus Environment Essay Businesses would always want to make more profit but this should be accomplished while also taking into account its social responsibilities. In the long run, there is an aggregate need for business entities to balance between profit and the adverse effects the business causes to the environment in its natural course of operations. Choosing not to consider the social and environmental costs associated with the business will result in less spending for operations but this in turn may affect the survivability of the business entity.            Many businessmen executives have realized that aggressive environmental programs result in profitability and competitiveness by reducing risks and avoiding additional costs from regulatory compliance programs. Environmental initiatives has its benefits for a business. It acts as morale and productivity boosters for the workers, enhanced brand image, streamline time-to-market and improved relations with regulators and the community. It is now understandable that an understanding of socio-economic, political and cultural processes and structures is necessary to understand environmental problems and in order to establish sustainable development.[1]            It cannot be denied that through the course of its operations, business does affect the environment in many ways such as pollution and introduction of new chemical compounds which may prove harmful to people or the environment, genetic engineering and others. How a business affects the environment may be deliberate or accidental but there are also some businesses that improve the quality of the environment.[2]            To cite, all countries are very much dependent on the oil industry and the industry is essential in any kind of economy. It produces huge amounts of profit for oil producing countries while non-oil producing countries have showed dependence on oil because of the need to run vehicles or to fuel industries. But with the production of oil also stems a need to provide funding to numerous environmental concerns that arise with it.            An oil spill is just one of the risks associated with the oil industries. It is a grave threat to the marine ecosystem and also to the people living near the coastline who depend on the marine resources for their food and income. In an oil spill near the coast of Guimaras Islands in the Philippines, one of the oil tankers of Petron carrying millions of liters of oil sank to the bottom of the sea floor. The incident was the worst oil spill in the country which affected the 40,000 people living on the island who are mostly dependent on the sea. Guimaras Governor Joaquin Nava was frustrated over the absence of commitment from the government sector and Petron to solve the oil spill. Greenpeace on the other hand has much fear that the remaining 1.9 million liters of oil inside the sunken tanker will cause more damage when released into the sea. There was public demand that Petron immediately raise the sunken tanker to prevent more oil spillage or to pump out the remaining oil from its tanks. Relief operations were also needed to compensate for the people of Guimaras Islands because of the loss of livelihood. Greenpeace urged that the local government should hold the oil company liable and that it should be accountable for the long-term rehabilitation of the affected areas including the marine sanctuaries, mangrove areas, reefs and coral ecosystems.[3]            The situation urged Petron to perform its social responsibility for the disaster or it would face charges from environmentalist groups or other consequences such as banning their products or paying fines if proven guilty when the case is brought to the court of law. Taking responsibility for the environmental hazards will even give the company a better image that it cares not only for profit but also gives importance to its social responsibilities. The business should see that environmental concerns could turn into an instant marketing opportunity.[4] Instead of having bad effects, this could make the people patronize their products and instead of adding more cost, it would add more benefit.            Environmental degradation, although the more devastating effect, is not the only concern brought about by oil spills. Fishermen are the ones that are greatly affected by such disasters because the fish are being killed. Oil spills also results in the ban of catching and selling fish and shellfish from the contaminated area to maintain market confidence and to protect fishing gear. Other industries that rely on seawater in their course of operations are mainly affected by oil spills. These may include hotel and restaurants that rely on tourist trade or water treatment plants.[5]            On the other hand, Transneft, an oil transporting joint stock company initiated the Baltic Pipeline System project which would would help in securing the safety of the environment through this pipeline system and also add a new transport route for Russian oil which is greatly needed. The system aims to minimize the negative impact of oil on the environment. The project is believed to be one of the most excellent projects in the history of Russia. In an ecological assessment of the construction of the Baltic Pipeline System, it was found out that the project complies with the environmental norms.[6] This action proves that safety measures can be done to ensure environment safety while also taking into account the needs of the economy.            Companies do affect people the same way that people affect the companies. Almost all countries have been dependent on oil and oil exporting countries have been gaining a lot of income from this. People rely on oil to fuel vehicles, run heavy machinery and others. The escalating prices of oil have urged many countries to find other sources of energy such as biofuels. This somehow reduced the dependence of mankind on oil.            A reduced dependency on foreign oil leads to economic problems for the oil producing countries. Low oil prices are good for oil consumers because it means less spending for petroleum products but this has adverse effects on oil producers such as the countries in the Middle East which is reflected in the performance of the economy.[7]  On the other hand, effects of rising oil prices can be seen when the US experienced oil shortages in 1973 and 1979. During these instances, the US reacted harshly and its citizens even get into fights at gasoline stations until an effort to conserve oil was established by the president.[8]            Oil companies are expected by the the people to take responsibility for any environmental hazards caused by the company. One example is Shell Oil which has initiated and participated in many environment and social campaigns. However, the company still faces a lot of accusations that it still contributing greatly in the destruction of the environment and its refineries, depots and pipelines threaten human civilization.[9]            A report states that Shell has been overstating its social and environmental performance and despite of adhering to its public commitment which is sustainable development, Shell has been putting the environment in much more trouble.[10] The report shows scenarios from different countries wherein Shell allegedly does not address social and environmental problems caused by faulty pipelines and others instead of going by its adherence to environment safety and sustainable development.            In Canada, Natural Resources Minister Gary Lunn explains that there should be a balance between the environment and economic growth. He also said that the two are intertwined. He agreed that the solution to address the needs of the environment is balancing the its needs with the needs of the industry. He also emphasized the production of clean energy technology such as tidal energy. Other environment-friendly projects that Canada would pursue are development of clean coal, improvement of biofuel technology and technology that would reduce green house gases emissions and pollution.[11]            Logging is another industry that greatly affects the environment. It is very harmful to the environment especially illegal logging. The loss of many trees result in many adverse effects such as the loss of habitat for many special of mammals, birds and other animals. It also contributes to global warming and other natural disaster such as flash floods and land slides.            In the Philippines, illegal logging was a major factor in the loss of lives due to flash floods and even land slides during the rainy season particularly in the provinces of Quezon, Nueva Ecija and Aurora. Government hydrologist Richard Orendain said that it may be hard to determine whether floods may be attributed to illegal logging or just because of heavy rainfall although it is safe to assume that illegal logging has in a way contributed to the natural disasters while Vice President Noli de Castro directly blamed illegal for floods and other past cases of flash floods and land slides.[12]            In Indonesia, many people rely on the forests for their source of livelihood. According to Edward Pollard from the Galung Palung National Park, illegal logging is the major industry in the region. It is the main source of income for many citizens. However, despite economic gains from timber companies, the entire community does not receive much benefit with the diminishing resource. Illegal loggers constitute to a large decrease in forest resources and no taxes are being paid to fund development projects for the citizens. People who work as loggers usually come from poor families and logging is not a permanent and a stable source of income and with the rate of the depletion of the forest resources, people will have to find other sources of income in the future.[13]            Indonesia has been plagued by illegal logging particularly caused by poverty and corruption. The exploitation of the natural resources was a vital factor in the economic development of the region but the government does not reap all the gains because of illegal loggers that contribute greatly to the depletion of natural resources but do not pay the necessary taxes which could have been used to fund various environmental problems.[14]            Loggers should be responsible enough to aid environment because this is where they get their income. The rapid loss of forest resources which contributes greatly to global warming and loss of biodiversity would also affect the loggers. Instead of clear logging in which all the trees are being cut down in an area, loggers can resort to selective logging which is much less harmful and would give the forest time to recuperate.            In the end, there is a strong need for businesses to balance between their income and social and environmental responsibilities. It may not seem beneficial and actually results in more spending for the company. However, taking to account the social and environmental responsibilities of the business would prove beneficial in the long course of business operations. Just like in the logging business, taking aggregate measures to avoid total destruction of forest resources will ascertain that the business will not run out of available resources. Likewise, oil production, which is associated with many adverse effects to the environment, may still choose to have an environment-friendly image which could boost its marketing drive. These additional costs should not be considered as expenses but rather as investments. Al Marashi, Habiba, Business vs. Environment, March 19, 2002, Retrieved 23 March 2008 from            http://www.dqg.org/qcentral/dqg_events/seminars/mar02/business.asp Petron oil spill affected 40,000 people says Governor, InfoShop News, 2006 Retrieved 23 March 2008,            from http://www.infoshop.org/inews/article.php?story=2006082101433380 Economic Impacts, The International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation Limited, 2007, Retrieved     March 23, 2006, from http://www.itopf.com/marine%2Dspills/effects/economic%2Dimpacts/ Baltic Pipeline System, Transneft, 2002, Retrieved 23 March 2008, from            http://www.transneft.ru/Ecolog/Default.asp?LANG=EN&ID=219 Koepp, Stephen, Oil Prices, April 1986, Time Magazine, Retrieved 23 March 2008, from            http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,961087-1,00.html Refinery Reform/Global Community Monitor/Friends of the Earth, Behind the shine – the real impacts of Shell’s work around the world, June 23, 2004, Retrieved 23 March 2008, from            http://www.refineryreform.org/PR_062304.html Behind the shine: The other Shell Report 2003, 2003, p.2, Retrieved 23 March 2008, from            http://www.refineryreform.org/downloads/shellreport_behindtheshine.pdf Barlow, John , Tories want balance in environment and economy, June 30, 2007. Vol. 32 No. 44,            Retrieved 23 March 2008, from http://www.westernwheel.com/070606/news-tories%20want    %20balance.htm Terra Daily, Illegal logging a major factor in flood devastation of Philippines, December 1, 2004,            Retrieved 23 March 2008, from http://www.terradaily.com/2004/041201072557.jj82upor.html The Timber Mafia, Consequences of Illegal Logging: Environmental Implications, 2002, Retrieved       24 March 2008, from http://www.abc.net.au/4corners/content/2002/timber_mafia/resources/ [1]  Al Marashi, Habiba, Business vs. Environment, March 19, 2002, Retrieved 23 March 2008, from http://www.dqg.org/qcentral/dqg_events/seminars/mar02/business.asp [3]   P etron oil spill affected 40,000 people says Governor, InfoShop News, 2006, Retrieved 23 March 2008, from http://www.infoshop.org/inews/article.php?story=2006082101433380 [5]   Economic Impacts, The International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation Limited , 2007, Retrieved 23 March 2008, from http://www.itopf.com/marine%2Dspills/effects/economic%2Dimpacts/ [6]          Baltic Pipeline System, Transneft, 2002, Retrieved 23 March 2008, from            http://www.transneft.ru/Ecolog/Default.asp?LANG=EN&ID=219 [7]  Koepp, Stephen, Oil Prices, April 1986, Time Magazine, Retrieved 23 March 2008, from http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,961087-1,00.html [9]  Refinery Reform/Global Community Monitor/Friends of the Earth, Behind the shine – the real impacts of Shell’s work around the world, June 23, 2004, Retrieved 23 March 2008, from http://www.refineryreform.org/PR_062304.html [10] Behind the shine: The other Shell Report 2003, 2003, p.2, Retrieved 23 March 2008, from http://www.refineryreform.org/downloads/shellreport_behindtheshine.pdf [11] Barlow, John, Tories want balance in environment and economy, June 30, 2007. Vol. 32 No. 44, Retrieved 23 March 2008 from http://www.westernwheel.com/070606/news-tories%20want%20balance.htm [ 1 2] Terra Daily, Illegal logging a major factor in flood devastation of Philippines, December 1, 2004, Retrieved 23 March 2008 from http://www.terradaily.com/2004/041201072557.jj82upor.html [13] The Timber Mafia, Consequences of Illegal Logging: Environmental Implications, 2002, Retrieved 24 March 2008, from http://www.abc.net.au/4corners/content/2002/timber_mafia/resources/ Business versus Environment. (2017, Mar 26).
Thursday, February 13, 2020
Compare and contrast Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1
Compare and contrast - Essay Example Intellectual capacity and level of known how is basically determined by a country’s level of technology and the percentage of skilled human resources present. In this piece of writing, we explore on the comparison and contrast between studying in the US and Indonesia. The US is far much developed in terms of infrastructure and economic actors compared to Indonesia. The US government has invested much on education and research. For instance, the government has established numerous research centers, libraries and bookshops across the US (Brunsma, 2004).In addition, the US government has established several institutions for higher learning across the country. In fact, every state has enough learning institutions and facilities, from primary to tertiary education. In essence, Access to learning materials and resources has been made easier. On the contrary, the Indonesian education system has been ranked among the worst in the world. The learning infrastructure and resources are limited in Indonesia. The number of public libraries and research centers are fewer compared to those in the US. The number of institutions for higher learning are much less compared those in the US. In fact, it is only a few students in Indonesia who secure places in the avai lable institutions of higher learning. Conducting research in Indonesia is harder than doing it in the US since the available research tools are limited and of low quality. In the US, the quality of teaching staff is incomparable with that of Indonesia. Most institutions for higher learning in the US hire experienced and top quality teaching staff. In fact, for one to qualify to teach in any US institution, he/she must portray an outstanding academic background and tremendous achievement in the education career. In addition, the education system in US requires tutors or lectures to be specialists in the areas that they teach. The ratio of tutor to
Saturday, February 1, 2020
The effect of mohammed ali on Arabic culture in Egypt i mean how Dissertation
The effect of mohammed ali on Arabic culture in Egypt i mean how mohammed ali make modern egypt education scholarships , - Dissertation Example Research Methodology Why Muhammad Ali? As Viceroy (alternately Wali, Khedive or Pasha) of Egypt 125 years earlier had a revolutionary impact on Egyptian society, politics and culture. He also established a dynasty in 1805 that would last for almost 150 years: A dynasty that would only end with the Egyptian revolution and establishment of a Republic in 1953. (Dodwell, 1977, passim.) The following discussion will focus on the first Muhammad Ali and his impact on Egypt and Egyptian development. Initially, a brief biography of the Viceroy will be presented. The body of the discussion will focus on his reforms to various aspects of Egyptian life such as the army, academia and administration. The concluding section of this discussion will assess the impact of these changes and their importance. Biography Muhammad Ali was born in 1769, in the Ottoman province of Kavala, which was located in present-day Greece. According to Encyclop?dia Britannica online his â€Å"ethnic background is unkno wn, though he may have been an Albanian and was certainly a Muslim and an Ottoman subject.†(n. d.) Historian Afaf Lutfi Al-Sayyid Marsot, argues that even his birthday is unknown and suggests that 1770 was his actual date of birth. He also argues that Muhammad Ali was not Albanian but Kurdish. (1984, pp 24-25) His father was a military leader for the governor of Kavala. Muhammad Ali sustained a rumour that his father died when he was very young and thenceforward the young man was raised by the governor.(Encyclop?dia Britannica online, n. d.) Again, Marsot disputes this tale and asserts that his father did not die until Muhammad Ali was a married man of 20. (1984, p. 25) Details are sketchy but he followed in his father's footsteps in the military while also dabbling in trading and in 1787 he married his first wife, a relative of the governor. (Encyclop?dia Britannica online, n. d.) The various versions of Muhammad Ali's early life are complex and contradictory. However, this p roposal and the subsequent dissertation will focus on his life after 1801 and his impact on Egyptian politics, culture and society. Therefore, these specific historical questions do not have a major impact on this discussion. However, these disputes do clearly establish that the historical record of Muhammad Ali (as it is present in both primary and secondary sources) must be closely assessed for veracity and accuracy. What is clear and undisputed is military experience and connections to the government led to his being dispatched in 1801 as an officer in a force of Albanians sent to Egypt by the Sultan to drive out the French, who had invaded the Ottoman province three years earlier. He was to succeed in a manner that far exceeded the Sultan's expectations or desire. Napolean and Muhammad Ali The French invasion of Egypt in 1798 by Napoleon Bonaparte's Army of Italy had numerous motivations. Personally and politically, his eye on control of all of France, Napoleon hoped to enhance his popularity and prestige. Further, he was accompanied by an army of scholars who were assigned to explore and document Egypt's natural and ancient history. The French were also exploring the possibility of constructing a 'Suez' canal to facilitate destruction of Great Britain's hold over India (Harten, 2003). Eventually, the British defeated the French in Egypt, but themselves evacuated in 1803 once the Napoleonic threat was eliminated. Muhammad Ali remained and and a
Friday, January 24, 2020
I Cant Stop Raving :: Personal Narratives Music Essays
I Can't Stop Raving It was our Friday night ritual. After school, after work, after the rest of the world started to slow to a halt, we would just be getting started. With our veins pumping nothing but caffeine and sugar, we'd shed our daytime clothes for neon in-your-face t-shirts and nylon pants big enough to hold a compact car. Following the directions on the backs of purple and blue high-gloss fliers, we'd pack the back of a heavily modified Honda Accord and set out in search of music, longing for the sounds of a bass beat. We were young, we were energetic, and we were obsessed. We were party kids. On any given weekend, we would drive anywhere from 15 minutes to two hours to find the best rave. Sometimes we would end up in a warehouse in downtown Atlanta, sometimes in an oversized barn in southern Georgia, and one time even in a large field somewhere in Alabama. But even when the location changed, the scene never did. When we arrived, there would always be a menagerie of brightly colored Hondas, Acuras, and Mitsubishis in the parking lot, and a long line of other party kids waiting outside the venue. The bass usually penetrated the walls, shaking the night outside, and teasing us as we waited to make our way inside. It was midnight, and our night would be just beginning. It was like entering something out of a hazy midnight dream. The rooms were always completely dark, broken only on occasion by the flashing of strobe lights and lasers. Ravers wore glow-in-the-dark accessories and carried glow sticks that would fly through the darkness like maniacal lightning bugs, while smoke machines would obscure all details with large quantities of gray mist. It was all very disorienting; sight became a secondary sense, our ears took over our awareness, and we were left at the mercy of the DJ. In this underground (as in: not completely legit) subculture, the DJ was our Pied Piper. We traveled to hear him spin, and his music put all of us party kids under a spell. On the dance floor the music was so loud, and the bass so intense, they were tangible. Everything else in the world subsided when the throbbing sound waves entered our bones and lifted us away. Bodies packed onto the floor would pulse in tune, unconsciously, lifted by the sounds like spirits in a primal dance.
Thursday, January 16, 2020
A Good Man Is Hard to Find.
Fiction Essay Nobel Prize winner William Faulkner said that a writer must â€Å"leave no room in his workshop for anything but the old verities and truths of the heart, the old universal truths lacking with any story is ephemeral and doomed- love and honor and pity and pride and compassion and sacrifice. †Flannery O’Connor uses these universal truths in her short story, A Good Man Is Hard to Find. An old southern woman trying to come to terms with the new culture of the south dooms her family by unknowingly leading them to come face to face with a notorious criminal called â€Å"The Misfit†.O’Connor pushes her characters to the edge using violence so that they may find grace. In the story, there is a human versus human conflict. The grandmother constantly compares her two grandchildren with the way things used to be in her time. The grandmother says, â€Å"In my time, children were more respectful of their native states and their parents and everything e lse. †(O’Connor 119). The grandchildren are terribly rude and are always speaking everything that is on their minds without a filter. There is also a human versus environment/society conflict.The grandmother comes from a time where slavery still existed, or, the Old South. She was brought up differently than her grandchildren who represent the New South. Viewing the relationship between the grandmother and the grandchildren, it appears that the cultures of the Old South and New South are polar opposites. This brand new generation has different values due to the changes that were happening in history. Within this story there is another human versus human conflict between the family and the Misfit.When the grandmother recognizes The Misfit and shouts it out, she instantly dooms her family. As The Misfit orders the father and son to be killed first the grandmother tries to reason with him in order to spare her life. Desperately she says, â€Å"I know you’re a good man. You don’t look a bit like you have common blood. I know you must come from nice people! †(O’Connor 127). Surprisingly enough, the grandmother does not seem to be interested in saving the family from this impending doom. She is only interested in saving herself and that is her motivation for trying to reason ith The Misfit. Only during the last moments of her life does she begin to shout out for her son. The story ends tragically because the whole family is murdered. The grandmother realized that her generation was the reason why The Misfit existed calling him â€Å"one of my own children†(O’Connor 132). This goes back to the culture of the Old South, which bred the next generation of the New South. The grandmother realizes that the reason why this new culture is so different is because the Old South created it, old southern values were no longer respected.When The Misfit shoots the grandmother she â€Å"half sat and half lay in a puddle of blood with her legs crossed under her like a child’s and her face smiling up at the cloudless sky. †(O’Connor 132). In these moments after her death O’Connor gave her grace. Even though she has been brutally murdered she has been given this peace as she looks up into the sky. In this story, Flannery O’Connor pushed her characters to the edge by using extreme violence. In â€Å"A Reasonable Use of the Unreasonable,†O’Connor explains her reasons for doing this.O’Connor writes, â€Å"I have found that violence is strangely capable of returning my characters to reality and preparing them to accept their moment of grace. †(O’Connor 1048). The grandmother’s violent murder gave her grace and clarity. O’Connor also shows us that there are humans that fear only for themselves and not others and that sometimes tragedy happens even though it is not fair. But another thing O’Connor shows us is that just like how tragedy happens, grace is also given to those who do not deserve it. A Good Man Is Hard to Find. Fiction Essay Nobel Prize winner William Faulkner said that a writer must â€Å"leave no room in his workshop for anything but the old verities and truths of the heart, the old universal truths lacking with any story is ephemeral and doomed- love and honor and pity and pride and compassion and sacrifice. †Flannery O’Connor uses these universal truths in her short story, A Good Man Is Hard to Find. An old southern woman trying to come to terms with the new culture of the south dooms her family by unknowingly leading them to come face to face with a notorious criminal called â€Å"The Misfit†.O’Connor pushes her characters to the edge using violence so that they may find grace. In the story, there is a human versus human conflict. The grandmother constantly compares her two grandchildren with the way things used to be in her time. The grandmother says, â€Å"In my time, children were more respectful of their native states and their parents and everything e lse. †(O’Connor 119). The grandchildren are terribly rude and are always speaking everything that is on their minds without a filter. There is also a human versus environment/society conflict.The grandmother comes from a time where slavery still existed, or, the Old South. She was brought up differently than her grandchildren who represent the New South. Viewing the relationship between the grandmother and the grandchildren, it appears that the cultures of the Old South and New South are polar opposites. This brand new generation has different values due to the changes that were happening in history. Within this story there is another human versus human conflict between the family and the Misfit.When the grandmother recognizes The Misfit and shouts it out, she instantly dooms her family. As The Misfit orders the father and son to be killed first the grandmother tries to reason with him in order to spare her life. Desperately she says, â€Å"I know you’re a good man. You don’t look a bit like you have common blood. I know you must come from nice people! †(O’Connor 127). Surprisingly enough, the grandmother does not seem to be interested in saving the family from this impending doom. She is only interested in saving herself and that is her motivation for trying to reason ith The Misfit. Only during the last moments of her life does she begin to shout out for her son. The story ends tragically because the whole family is murdered. The grandmother realized that her generation was the reason why The Misfit existed calling him â€Å"one of my own children†(O’Connor 132). This goes back to the culture of the Old South, which bred the next generation of the New South. The grandmother realizes that the reason why this new culture is so different is because the Old South created it, old southern values were no longer respected.When The Misfit shoots the grandmother she â€Å"half sat and half lay in a puddle of blood with her legs crossed under her like a child’s and her face smiling up at the cloudless sky. †(O’Connor 132). In these moments after her death O’Connor gave her grace. Even though she has been brutally murdered she has been given this peace as she looks up into the sky. In this story, Flannery O’Connor pushed her characters to the edge by using extreme violence. In â€Å"A Reasonable Use of the Unreasonable,†O’Connor explains her reasons for doing this.O’Connor writes, â€Å"I have found that violence is strangely capable of returning my characters to reality and preparing them to accept their moment of grace. †(O’Connor 1048). The grandmother’s violent murder gave her grace and clarity. O’Connor also shows us that there are humans that fear only for themselves and not others and that sometimes tragedy happens even though it is not fair. But another thing O’Connor shows us is that just like how tragedy happens, grace is also given to those who do not deserve it. A Good Man Is Hard to Find. Fiction Essay Nobel Prize winner William Faulkner said that a writer must â€Å"leave no room in his workshop for anything but the old verities and truths of the heart, the old universal truths lacking with any story is ephemeral and doomed- love and honor and pity and pride and compassion and sacrifice. †Flannery O’Connor uses these universal truths in her short story, A Good Man Is Hard to Find. An old southern woman trying to come to terms with the new culture of the south dooms her family by unknowingly leading them to come face to face with a notorious criminal called â€Å"The Misfit†.O’Connor pushes her characters to the edge using violence so that they may find grace. In the story, there is a human versus human conflict. The grandmother constantly compares her two grandchildren with the way things used to be in her time. The grandmother says, â€Å"In my time, children were more respectful of their native states and their parents and everything e lse. †(O’Connor 119). The grandchildren are terribly rude and are always speaking everything that is on their minds without a filter. There is also a human versus environment/society conflict.The grandmother comes from a time where slavery still existed, or, the Old South. She was brought up differently than her grandchildren who represent the New South. Viewing the relationship between the grandmother and the grandchildren, it appears that the cultures of the Old South and New South are polar opposites. This brand new generation has different values due to the changes that were happening in history. Within this story there is another human versus human conflict between the family and the Misfit.When the grandmother recognizes The Misfit and shouts it out, she instantly dooms her family. As The Misfit orders the father and son to be killed first the grandmother tries to reason with him in order to spare her life. Desperately she says, â€Å"I know you’re a good man. You don’t look a bit like you have common blood. I know you must come from nice people! †(O’Connor 127). Surprisingly enough, the grandmother does not seem to be interested in saving the family from this impending doom. She is only interested in saving herself and that is her motivation for trying to reason ith The Misfit. Only during the last moments of her life does she begin to shout out for her son. The story ends tragically because the whole family is murdered. The grandmother realized that her generation was the reason why The Misfit existed calling him â€Å"one of my own children†(O’Connor 132). This goes back to the culture of the Old South, which bred the next generation of the New South. The grandmother realizes that the reason why this new culture is so different is because the Old South created it, old southern values were no longer respected.When The Misfit shoots the grandmother she â€Å"half sat and half lay in a puddle of blood with her legs crossed under her like a child’s and her face smiling up at the cloudless sky. †(O’Connor 132). In these moments after her death O’Connor gave her grace. Even though she has been brutally murdered she has been given this peace as she looks up into the sky. In this story, Flannery O’Connor pushed her characters to the edge by using extreme violence. In â€Å"A Reasonable Use of the Unreasonable,†O’Connor explains her reasons for doing this.O’Connor writes, â€Å"I have found that violence is strangely capable of returning my characters to reality and preparing them to accept their moment of grace. †(O’Connor 1048). The grandmother’s violent murder gave her grace and clarity. O’Connor also shows us that there are humans that fear only for themselves and not others and that sometimes tragedy happens even though it is not fair. But another thing O’Connor shows us is that just like how tragedy happens, grace is also given to those who do not deserve it.
Tuesday, January 7, 2020
An Introduction to Medical Anthropology
Medical anthropology is a field of anthropology focused on the relationship between health, illness, and culture. Beliefs and practices about health vary across different cultures and are influenced by social, religious, political, historical, and economic factors. Medical anthropologists use anthropological theories and methods to generate unique insights into how different cultural groups around the world experience, interpret, and respond to questions of health, illness, and wellness. Medical anthropologists study a wide array of topics. Specific questions include: How does a particular culture define health or illness?How might a diagnosis or condition be interpreted by different cultures?What are the roles of doctors, shamans, or alternative health practitioners?Why do certain groups experience better or worse health outcomes, or higher prevalence of certain diseases?What is the connect between health, happiness, and stress?How are different conditions stigmatized or even celebrated in specific cultural contexts? In addition, medical anthropologists study the factors that affect or are affected by the distribution of illness, and are also closely attuned to questions of inequality, power, and health. History of the Field Medical anthropology emerged as a formal area of study in the mid-20th century. Its roots are in cultural anthropology, and it extends that subfield’s focus on social and cultural worlds to topics relating specifically to health, illness, and wellness. Like cultural anthropologists, medical anthropologists typically use ethnography – or ethnographic methods – to conduct research and gather data. Ethnography is a qualitative research method that involves full immersion in the community being studied. The ethnographer (i.e., the anthropologist) lives, works, and observes daily life in this distinctive cultural space, which is called the field site. Medical anthropology grew increasingly important after World War II, when anthropologists began to formalize the process of applying ethnographic methods and theories to questions of health around the world. This was a time of widespread international development and humanitarian efforts aimed at bringing modern technologies and resources to countries in the global South. Anthropologists proved particularly useful for health-based initiatives, using their unique skills of cultural analysis to help develop programs tailored to local practices and belief systems. Specific campaigns focused on sanitation, infectious disease control, and nutrition. Key Concepts and Methods Medical anthropology’s approach to ethnography has changed since the field’s early days, thanks in large part to the growth of globalization and the emergence of new communication technologies. While the popular image of anthropologists involves living in remote villages in far-off lands, contemporary anthropologists conduct research in a variety of field sites ranging from urban centers to rural hamlets, and even in social media communities. Some also incorporate quantitative data into their ethnographic work. Some anthropologists now design multi-sited studies, for which they conduct ethnographic fieldwork in different field sites. These might include comparative studies of health care in rural versus urban spaces in the same country, or combine traditional in-person fieldwork living in a particular place with digital research of social media communities. Some anthropologists even work in multiple countries around the world for a single project. Together, these new possibilities for fieldwork and field sites have broadened the scope of anthropological research, enabling scholars to better study life in a globalized world. Medical anthropologists use their evolving methodologies to examine key concepts, including: Health disparities: the differences in the distribution of health outcomes or disease prevalence across groupsGlobal health: the study of health across the globeEthnomedicine: the comparative study of traditional medicine practices in different culturesCultural relativism: the theory that all cultures must be considered on their own terms, not as superior or inferior to others. What Do Medical Anthropologists Study? Medical anthropologists work to solve a variety of problems. For instance, some researchers focus on health equity and health disparities, trying to explain why certain communities have better or worse health outcomes than others. Others might ask how a particular health condition, such as Alzheimer’s or schizophrenia, is experienced in localized contexts around the globe. Medical anthropologists can be divided into two general groups: academic and applied. Academic medical anthropologists work within university systems, specializing in research, writing, and/or teaching. In contrast, applied medical anthropologists often work outside of university settings. They can be found in hospitals, medical schools, public health programs, and in nonprofit or international non-governmental organizations. While academic anthropologists often have more open-ended research agendas, applied practitioners are typically part of a team trying to solve or generate insights into a specific problem or question. Today, key research areas include medical technologies, genetics and genomics, bioethics, disability studies, health tourism, gender-based violence, infectious disease outbreaks, substance abuse, and more. Ethical Considerations Both academic and applied anthropologists face similar ethical considerations, which are typically overseen by their universities, funders, or other governing organizations. Institutional review boards were established in the U.S. in the 1970s to ensure ethical compliance for research involving human subjects, which includes most ethnographic projects. Key ethical considerations for medical anthropologists are: Informed consent: ensuring that research subjects are aware of any risks and consent to participate in the study.Privacy: protecting participants health status, image or likeness, and private information Confidentiality: protecting the anonymity (if desired) of a research subject, often by using pseudonymous names for participants and field site locations Medical Anthropology Today The most well-known anthropologist today is Paul Farmer. A physician and an anthropologist, Dr. Farmer teaches at Harvard University and has received widespread acclaim for his work in global health. Other key figures in medical anthropology include Nancy Scheper-Hughes, Arthur Kleinman, Margaret Lock, Byron Good, and Rayna Rapp. The Society for Medical Anthropology is the primary professional organization for medical anthropologists in North America, and is affiliated with the American Anthropological Association. There are scholarly journals devoted solely to medical anthropology, such as Medical Anthropology Quarterly, Medical Anthropology, and the online journal Medicine Anthropology Theory. Somatosphere.net is a popular blog focusing on medical anthropology and related disciplines.  Medical Anthropology Key Takeaways Medical anthropology is a branch of anthropology focused on the relationship between health, illness, and culture.Medical anthropologists can be divided into two key fields: applied and academic.While medical anthropologists study a wide range of issues and topics, key concepts include health disparities, global health, medical technologies, and bioethics. Sources â€Å"American Anthropological Association Statement on Ethnography and Institutional Review Boards.†American Anthropological Association, 2004.Crossman, Ashley. â€Å"What is Ethnography? What It Is and How To Do It.†ThoughtCo, 2017.Petryna, Adriana. â€Å"Health: Anthropological Aspects.†International Encyclopedia of the Social Behavioral Sciences, 2nd edition. Elsevier, 2015.Rivkin-Rish, Michele. â€Å"Medical Anthropology.†Oxford Bibliographies, 2014.â€Å"What is Medical Anthropology?†Society for Medical Anthropology.
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