The virtue of Religion Essays - Spirituality, Human Behavior

The virtue of Religion Religion comes from the Latin verb religre, to bind , so that we in religi on are bound to God . Religion implies that there is a supreme being that has control over our destinies and the universe. It implies se condly that man has recogn ized that there is such a being, and that he needs H is help, and that he freely subjects his life to Him by acts of homage and love which is to worship Him. When we do this habitually we possess the virtue of religion. Religion as a virtue is a, "Quality of mind and heart which inclines us to pay to God the worship due to Him." The object, motive, and act are the three elements in the notion of re ligion. God is the object. The Blessed V irgin and saints are all secondary to him becau se of their nearness to Him. Our motive is our complete dependence on God. Worship is the act of religion and we worship Him by our love and devotion. We have a strict duty to worship God becaus e he is our creato r; t herefore , H e has the right to demand our love, honor, reverence , and complete submission . We owe G od our int ernal as wel l as our external worship . Without external worship internal worship soon becomes extinct . External worship is saying prayers and not thinking about them which means nothing to God. When we put them bo th together it is very powerful, but saying prayers externally is good because it keeps us in the habit. Sometimes we express our external pray ers to arouse our internal prayer s , and we need to express pray er external ly to arouse others around us. When we utilize the sacrifices of the mass and the sacraments God wants us to profess them externally and internally. There are two different k inds of prayer, direct and indirect. When we pray directly to God th at is a direct act of religion; a n indirect act of religion is when we honor him through the saints. Direct acts of religion Prayer is an act of worship, and prayer is defined as raising our minds and hearts to God. Prayer is the simplest kind of worship. Prayer may be vocal or mental; it is vocal wh en we speak it aloud, or it can be mental when we meditate . The act of mental pray er is not necessary but it is very powerful and it will advance us in virtue. There are four great objections of prayer; adoration, thanksgiving, petition, and contrition. The most valuable act to God is adoration because it is purely love for God. Thanksgiving is giving thanks to God for whatever he has done for us . Petition is asking God to do something for us. It is the most used prayer. We do contrition when we have offended God so that we may be forgiven . The world around us isn't regulated by chance and fate ; i t is by the power and mercy of God. That is why we pray to God for rain or anything else that we need to happen in our daily lives. We pray to God not that he does not know what we need, but because He wants us to pray to Him. He expresses this wish in (Matt. 6, 32), "Your Father knoweth that you have need of these things," yet He also told us "that we ought always to pray and not to faint," (Luke 18, 1). St. Augustine says that we may pray for whatever we lawfully desire, and he also said that we should pray for all men. If someone wants to help someone then t he most powerful thing that he can do is pray for them. We are never allowed to not pray for our enemies . God counsels us on our prayers, and He says "Pray for them that persecute and calumniate you." Since prayer is speaking to God we should pray with attention and devotion. Merely speak ing words is not a prayer, we should have

Free Essays on Rock And Roll And American Culture

â€Å"I love Rock n Roll, put another dime in the jukebox baby† (Joan Jett). â€Å"Still like that old time Rock n Roll, That kind of music just soothes the soul, I reminisce about the days of old, With that old time Rock n Roll†(Bob Segar). These are just a couple examples of the numerous rock groups that sing about rock n roll. Music has been a part of American Culture for as long as America has been a country, probably even longer than that. Music is the art of combining vocal or instrumental sounds (or both) to produce beauty of form, harmony, and expression of emotion (Oxford Dictionary). People of any race, age, social class, intelligence, etc. can enjoy music that is a popular form of entertainment. There are many different kinds of music, but Rock and Roll is one of the biggest and most popular. Rock and Roll is a combination of a blues and country music. Rock and Roll has strong roots and has been a major part of American culture, which created many con troversies and anti-Rock and Roll groups. Rock and Roll has influenced our culture in the past, present, and will in the future. Rock and Roll is here to stay. During the 1950’s, the relationship between whites and blacks was weak, but the music was going strong. There was diversity in music with performers singing blues, country, and classical music, although the greater portions of the performers were black. Since racial barriers already existed, this created a problem for the black performers audiences. Many white radio stations and record company owners refused to make music by black performers widely available (Charlton, 1990). Fortunately, for the black performers, some disc jockeys refused to represent racial discrimination. Their sounds were reaching white teens across America thanks to these disc jockeys and the increased availability radios. Eventually white performers, such as Bill Haley and Elvis Presley began to re-record recordings by black per... Free Essays on Rock And Roll And American Culture Free Essays on Rock And Roll And American Culture â€Å"I love Rock n Roll, put another dime in the jukebox baby† (Joan Jett). â€Å"Still like that old time Rock n Roll, That kind of music just soothes the soul, I reminisce about the days of old, With that old time Rock n Roll†(Bob Segar). These are just a couple examples of the numerous rock groups that sing about rock n roll. Music has been a part of American Culture for as long as America has been a country, probably even longer than that. Music is the art of combining vocal or instrumental sounds (or both) to produce beauty of form, harmony, and expression of emotion (Oxford Dictionary). People of any race, age, social class, intelligence, etc. can enjoy music that is a popular form of entertainment. There are many different kinds of music, but Rock and Roll is one of the biggest and most popular. Rock and Roll is a combination of a blues and country music. Rock and Roll has strong roots and has been a major part of American culture, which created many con troversies and anti-Rock and Roll groups. Rock and Roll has influenced our culture in the past, present, and will in the future. Rock and Roll is here to stay. During the 1950’s, the relationship between whites and blacks was weak, but the music was going strong. There was diversity in music with performers singing blues, country, and classical music, although the greater portions of the performers were black. Since racial barriers already existed, this created a problem for the black performers audiences. Many white radio stations and record company owners refused to make music by black performers widely available (Charlton, 1990). Fortunately, for the black performers, some disc jockeys refused to represent racial discrimination. Their sounds were reaching white teens across America thanks to these disc jockeys and the increased availability radios. Eventually white performers, such as Bill Haley and Elvis Presley began to re-record recordings by black per...

Legal Case studies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Legal Case studies - Essay Example It has been met because the professor "has written the President requesting that he reject the department's and Dean's negative recommendations". The operative word in this case scenario is "recommendation". The university colleagues did not fire the professor. Rather they only recommended that the professor not receive tenure. Presumably, because this is a public university, there would be an established and published university policy that regulates academic freedom, tenure and due process. While this would seem like a broad stroke philosophy it must be detailed within the faculty and administrative guidelines or handbooks. In order to insure that students are able to advance in the knowledge and understanding of their fields, it is important that professors feel free to discuss issues without having worry about censure. Freedom of inquiry is achieved through research, discussion, and publication teaching, learning free from internal or external restraints that would unreasonably restrict their academic endeavors. Apparently the university policy is that these goals are reached through a multi disciplinary approach. Accordingly, if the professor is not willing to explore the the multidisciplinary approach then he is violating university policy. ... In conclusion, so long as the president of the university can make his decision based upon intelligent feedback and his own wisdom, he is not abusing his discretion. He is in fact working well within his own parameters and there should be no legal consequences, whatever decision he makes. The professor would be ill advised to commence proceedings based upon this fact pattern. Paper 2 In the CPM, read the case Urofsky v. Gilmore and answer Questions 2 and 3 2. The various opinions issued by the en banc court in Urofsky provide an instructive debate, and an interesting array of viewpoints, on academic freedom and professors' First Amendment free speech rights. Compare and contrast the various opinions. Which opinion, or parts of opinions, present(s) the soundest reasoning The most perceptive analysis The most constructive approach to the problem I think that the balancing test applied in this case is a good introduction to what should be regulated, but it is not complete. It is difficult to reach a decision which maintains the equality of rights but also reasonably and realistically applies how those rights are defended. It is true that university professors are employees and that the words they speak are spoken "on company time". The fact remains however that they fit into an entirely different category from their non-faculty state employees or actors in many material points. Firstly, they are wearing two hats in the scope of their employment. They are teaching but they are also contributing through their research. It is through their research that their students and consequently the university advance. Secondly, there is not handbook that

Steve Jobs Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Steve Jobs - Essay Example Steve jobs was associated with a purely electronic industry which later transformed into a technological mobile phone and other gadgets specialized industry. Roadmap: The paper looks into the early life of Steve jobs, the early days of professional career, the hiccups faced, the rise afterwards and the building of empire in form of Apple Inc. this is followed by the analytical and professional specialization analysis and the manner in which he under took the innovations and novelty. Thesis statement: The man who brought about revolution in the field of electronic devices and other gadgets. Early Life: Born in San Francisco, United States of America in 1955 lived a considerably ordinary life in early days. But it was this ordinary life that was to be transformed into a more explorative one in times ahead. His childhood traces find no evident traces of being an extra ordinary student, and he mostly preferred being low profile and the famous garage where he would explore the electronic devices and think on imaginative lines. He was brought up in the Silicon Valley and he was sent to Crittenden Middle School (Imbimbo, 22). He had his affiliations and interest in the electronic devices and the other electronic means that were available to him at that time. Sign of events to come: One habit of Steve Jobs that could possibly had been taken as a sign of events to come was in form of his exploration and working with the neighbor in the garage. In their limited capacity yet imaginative mind and ideas they would work on the radio transistors that were available to them and would open them to check its working and design. The first experience with the device (computer) that would become an integral part of his life was when he was only 11-12 years old. It was at the Hewlett- Packard organized gathering of similar devices where he got a touch on this electronic device called computer. This was the turning point and that set the precedence for investigation and intrigue abou t the electronic devices and this quest would go on till the end of his life in form of innovations and novel inventions of electronic devices and ideas. The first break through: The first formal breakthrough was achieved in 1974 when he got associated with the makers of Atari and contributed in his capacity (Shea, 26). This venture did not last too long and he took temporary refuge from his ambitions.1976 was the year when he formally started working on making a computer with his close partner Steve Wozniak. The two would go on to make an empire of digital gadgets in longer run. They took the initiative of designing a computer that would provide better features against the conventional computer that was in place and produced by IBM and Microsoft. Steve Wozniak decades after their first meeting explained the reason behind their collaboration and the secret behind the secret of innovation. To him, the work always worked wonders because both had strong longing for innovations and work ing with the new devices in a unique manner. This held the interest of both and allowed them exploring new horizons. It was at the local garage where they undertook the task of developing computer on small scale and they went on to achieve success in their endeavors. The development of computer did not come without a cost and two of them had to sacrifice their then beloved pieces of possession with one selling out his car and other his

Blacks Leisure Group Board Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Blacks Leisure Group Board - Essay Example Hence, for the development and sustenance of a competitive advantage the marketing planner of a company needs to recognize that the advantage an organisation or brand possesses that is meaningful will be copied or improved upon by competitors sooner rather than later (Wilson R. and Gilligan C., 2005, p 405). Established a century and a half earlier in 1863, by Thomas Black, the Blacks Leisure Group has come a long way from being a humble sails manufacturing company to a camping, outdoor and sporting goods retail empire. Today, for millions of those out-door loving enthusiasts, the company is more of an institution that a mere retail store. Presently, the Black Leisure Group holds a powerful presence within two of the exclusive markets in which the company operates: Broadwear and Outdoor. Currently the management team of the group is focusing on restoring and, developing and sustaining its competitive advantage. The management is also concentrating on building upon the disciplines of operational improvements that was achieved in the current financial year (Black Leisure Group plc, 2008). However, to in order to return to its past performance levels and to develop and sustain its competitive advantage an innovative business strategy with further radical changes will be required. To be able to lock horns with other competitors and to come on top in the present era of fasted paced innovation and ruthless competition, the sustainability and competitive advantage of companies are defined by innovative strategies.Henceforth, in order to conceive of a corporate strategy through the company will successfully be to develop and sustain its competitive advantage, first a better understanding of the link between strategy and competitive advantage is a must.   Strategy and Competitive Advantage According to the definition of competitive advantage, it as an advantage gained over competitors by offering the consumers a greater value for their investments either by means of low prices or by the provision of greater benefits that does justice to higher prices. For a company to gain a competitive advantage over its competitors Michael E. Porter has identified four "generic" business strategies (Porter E.M, 1980). These "generic' strategies relate to the extent to which the scopes of a business' activities are narrow against the extent to which a business seeks to differentiate its products. The four strategies are as follows: Differentiation Strategy: This strategy is based on studying the different criteria used by consumers while buying products and selecting one or more of these criteria and then positioning the business to meet the chosen criteria. This differentiation strategy is all about charging a premium price for a product that covers the added production costs, ensuring profit and as well as giving the consumers obvious reasons to choose the product over the other less or not differentiated products. The examples of differentiation strategy can be better understood with case studies of Mercedes cars and Bang & Olufsen Company (Porter E.M, 1980).     

Project Integration Management Interview Management Essay

Project Integration Management Interview Management Essay To see a project through to a success completion, there are various processes and methods needed to provide a structure within which to work. Based on best practice, the Project Management Institute (PMI) has established a general guide to areas, the understanding of which, are essential to the successful, on time completion of a project. These areas of expertise are detailed in A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (2008), published by the Project Management Institute. These areas are known as the Project Management Body of Knowledge or PMBOK and include such topics as the management of project integration, scope, time, cost, quality, human resources, communications, risk and procurement. This report covers one knowledge area from both the Core and Facilitating Functions of the PMBOK in relation to an interview with Jason Duigou, an experienced Project Manager. This interview is contained within the book IT Project Management: On Track from Start to Finish (Phillips, J. 2002). The area of Project Integration Management is also considered. The interview illustrates that Mr Duigou considers certain areas of Project Management to be especially important. Foremost amongst his recommendations is ongoing regular communication between the team members and close supervision from the Project Manager. He recommends that the correct tools be available to the Project Manager to facilitate the communication process between the Project Manager and between the team members. Project Integration Management As the ninth area of knowledge within the PMBOK, successful Project Integration Management is determined by all the other elements of the project. The Project Managers knowledge of PMBOK is essential to the final, timely integration and delivery of the project. The interview emphasises the four core areas of project management which need to be integrated into a final comprehensive product. In the interview, Mr Duigou strongly recommends that the scope, time and cost constraints are thoroughly discussed amongst all the stake holders at the outset to ensure the final integration of the project goes smoothly and delivers the fourth core requirement, a quality product. Mr Duigou states verify that all questions regarding the plan have been addressed before the implementation and provide a clear understanding of the objectives, roles and responsibilities of all resources during the project (Phillips, J. 2002). Managing the scope of the project is extremely important to the successful completion of the project. Many projects may fail as a result of becoming bigger or more complex than was originally planned. The scope of the project has to be completed within a finite time span. Time management is one of the three elements referred to as the triple constraints, together with cost and quality. Extending the time on a project usually means the cost will increase. The Project Manager is accountable to the client for keeping within the budgetary constraints of the project. Contingency funds should be built into the financial plan to cover unexpected cost blow outs. Mr Duigou suggests that contracting certain elements of a project is a good way to achieve results when working on a limited budget. Core Function Cost Cost management is one of the core issues covered in the PMBOK. It is one of the major elements, if not the major element that determines the outcome of the project, for without sufficient funds, the project may falter. Most companies have limited capital to dedicate to their projects and may have other initiatives competing for valuable resources. Mr Duigou suggests in the interview that the project manager must have the right tools for the job to provide dynamic data at any time to enable the project manager to proactively monitor the project including budget and expenses as they are reported. He states that without such tools and efficient communication, the project manager may be ambushed by unexpected demands made on the original budget by unforseen events outside the control of the project team. There are various cost management tools that can be employed to help keep control over this area. These tools may include but are not limited to return on investment, payback analysis, net present value, earned value management, cost estimates and baselines. Describe knowledge area Identify processes of knowledge area Establish connection between interview and knowledge area processes Impact of this area on project management Facilitating Function Communication Communication is a key success factor in all projects. Poor communication often leads to the failure of the project. The PMI has determined that the Project Manager may spend up to eighty nine percent of their time engaged in communication of various forms. The communication process encompasses the collection and generation of information together with project information storage. It is critical for the Project Manager to disseminate information during all phases of the project to all stakeholders. Equally, team members need to provide status reports between themselves and the Manager at frequent and regular intervals. The interview with Mr Duigou illustrates that this experienced Project Manager considers communication to be essential to the successful completion of the project. Mr Duigou states continual communication and commitment on the part of each unit is absolutely necessary in order for the data to be current and accurate. He recommends the use of software to assist in communication and to facilitate project integration. He also emphasises in the interview the importance of timely and effective communication to resolve team disagreements and maintain the teams focus on the goal. He feels that disagreements are often the result of inadequate or unclear communication and can be dealt with by addressing communication issues in a judicious manner before they lead to major problems which may jeopardise the quality and timely delivery of the project. Conclusion This report has looked briefly at the area of Project Management Integration, the core function of cost and the facilitating function of communication in relation to an interview conducted with an experienced Project Manager. An analysis of this interview shows that Mr. Duigou feels that certain areas of the core functions assume a higher priority than others when considering the successful completion of a project. Foremost amongst the most necessary functions is the regular, clear communication between all stakeholders. In the beginning of the plan, all questions, from all parties need to be answered as accurately as possible to facilitate the formation of a clear goal. He also recommends that this be followed up by frequent, close supervision by the project manager, either by face to face meetings when teams are in close physical proximity or by the use of shared electronic project management tools when teams are separated geographically. Mr Duigou considers that keeping a team focused and motivated can be one of the most challenging aspects of delivering a quality project on time. He states that giving team members positive feedback in the form of recognition and praise when they meet or exceed expectations is essential to counteract the tendency to lose motivation, especially on long term projects. This can be considered to be part of good communication. The core function of project cost management is the other issue highlighted in the interview. The management of cost and unexpected budget stress is intertwined with the issue of clear and timely communication of any potential change to the scope and available resources of the project. The project manager needs to be able to proactively monitor expenditures so as not to be taken by surprise, as far as possible, by unexpected changes to any of the core areas. It would be difficult to determine which is most important communication or budget, for without sufficient funds and resources the objective will not be reached. The same can be said for communication between the stakeholders. Misunderstandings regarding the four core areas of project management are inevitable if communication is infrequent and close supervision by the Project Manager is lacking.

Lord Of The Flies: Our Society Suppresses The Evil That Is Presented I :: essays research papers

Lord of the Flies: Our Society Suppresses the Evil That Is Presented In All of Us   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In this novel Lord of the Flies, William Golding shows how our society suppresses the evil that is presented in all of us. Throughout this adventure Jack changes from a well mannered choir bo, who was scared to kill a pig, to a savage hunter who leads his band of hunters to kill everything in site. Jack was a load and strick choir leader and always seemed as if he would do anything to be leader, while Ralph was not severe or even very load, but he always wanted what was best for the group. Ralph uses the conch as a symbol of order and it is opposite to the pigs head (the lord of the flies) which attributes to the killing and sheer brutality of the hunters.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Jack is the perfect example of a boy whose dark side took over when he was no longer bound down to a civil environment. After being unable to bear killing a pig due to the horrific blood, he became eager to gain respect, almost redeem himself, by becoming a hunter. He was remarkably enthusiastic about hunting. He painted his face and got spears. He eventually cared no more for being rescued, because all he wanted to do was kill pigs. The number of hunters kept on growing and he began to get other kids to hunt with him. They soon had a routine (the dance) and whenever they did thad they had to kill, because they got so pumped up when they did it. Jack then began killing as if it were a luxury. They became savage hunters as evil took over; they killed almost as if it were a sexual performance for them.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As this adventure began, Jack was the leader of the choir. He was a bully who always wanted to be the leader and be looked upon with the utmost resopect. When Ralph came along as a mild and sensible boy, and was chosen ahaed of Jack as the leader, Jack was furious. Jack wanted more than anything to become leader and he began an amoral reign as he let the evil within take control. He became a hunter and a bold dictator looking bot for order, but for fun. Ralph was searching for order, yet Jack's overpowering will to succeed Ralph as the leader led him to compleat madness. He now was an killer and had let his evil half take over. By the end of the story he had become so evil,

My Educational Experience Essay

My education began in first grade in 1974. My state didn’t mandate kindergarten, so my parents didn’t send me, even though my brothers and sister went. It wasn’t easy for me, because school was the first place I ever got to interact with other people, mainly children, as an equal. Before school started, I was pretty much kept indoors, and not allowed to have contact with other people, except for members of my own family. Being the youngest, I was looked down upon as being inferior, a lower class citizen, and basically, a big joke. During the first 5 years of my life, I figured that was all I was entitled to, and even though I hated it, I lived with it. In first grade, I had to interact with other kids for the first time, which wasn’t easy. I did eventually learn that I could be an equal to them, and soon settled down into school. The quality of education that first year wasn’t bad, I learned a lot and grew a lot during that year. I had great teachers too, who really gave me the help I needed. Second grade at that school was a different story though, I had a different teacher, who wasn’t very good, and seldom offered the help I needed. I was also treated like I was lower than the rest of the students. I don’t know what her problem with me was, but it set me back a great deal, both academically and emotionally. When I needed help, it wasn’t given and I was often ignored. She felt that it wasn’t worth it to help those students who needed it. Fortunately, my parents saw this and intervened, first trying to negotiate, then after that broke down, transferred me to another school. The new school was very different, being more structured than the first, and being a boys’ school. When I started, I was behind in many ways due to the problems of my previous school, but I had a dedicated teacher who helped me catch up the best she could in a short time. I remember having difficulties with cursive writing, which my new teacher helped me with, but giving me a crash course in it for a few weeks at recess every day. I did learn it, but never learned it well, and always got poor marks in penmanship as a result. I don’t fault her for that because she did the best she could under the circumstances. In other areas, I began to excel, often being on the honor roll, being one of the top students in the class. In fact, my teacher was very surprised at how I had started the school behind, and had caught up and excelled. It was nice to be appreciated, both at home and school because I did so well, and it really felt good to accomplish something. I stayed at that school for over 2 years, and had one day hoped to walk across the stage and graduate from there. It never happened because while I was in fourth grade, for some unexplained reason, my parents, who had always respected this school, began to despise it. Among their complaints were I was always doing homework, the school is a â€Å"playhouse,† and â€Å"they don’t do anything,† which I meant they offered few extracurricular activities, which was a true statement, but in my opinion, wasn’t a problem. On one occasion, I was even picked on about the khaki uniforms we had to wear, which had been worn by my brothers at different schools with no complaints at all from my parents. They constantly harassed me knocking everything about the school and eventually, I gave in and agreed to go to another school, the same school my sister was attending. This new school was totally different from the previous school. It was coed, the classes were larger, and seemed to put academics in lower regard than I was used to. I was also introduced to the concept of â€Å"school spirit,† the mindless blind following and support of your school regardless of what they do. I also learned that being a boy who was not athletic was a serious strike against me, since they valued football and other sports over everything else. At my other school, we had always had textbooks that were current and up to date. At this new school, the books were often old and falling apart, if we were lucky enough to get one. During the second and last year I was there, fifth grade, I was basically forced to support my sister in her school band activities, in order to show â€Å"school spirit,† something I had no interest in. I was dragged to every single football game, which I didn’t enjoy at all, and even worse, my parents often tried to make me praise her and tell her how much I enjoyed it, which I didn’t. I would rather have stayed home taking it easy, than sitting in the cold stands being blasted with wind and rain, as we sometimes had to endure. I was also dragged to parades she marched in, and often had to listen to her complain about having to do it. My view was to exercise a little free will and not worry about it, but was told, â€Å"it’s a school activity.† She made a choice to play in the band, why not live with the consequences. One other new experience I had there was being used for slave labor. Since I wasn’t an athlete, I often spent P.E. periods picking up trash on the grounds, which many times, made me miss afternoon classes. In spite of my parents’ complaints, this practice continued. Fortunately, I was taken out of that school, not because of my difficulties, but because of the poor teachers my sister was forced to endure. Sixth grade was my first and only year in Catholic school. What was really strange was we wore khaki uniforms, the same design I had worn only a year and a half before, that my mother said were â€Å"awful looking.† I was also a hard year partially because of the previous summer, which was spent not doing things I liked, but having to go into the swimming pool everyday on my sister and mother’s command. That summer was so humiliating that I often couldn’t look at myself in the mirror, because I felt like a puppet, dancing on my mothers’ and my sisters’ strings. That year was difficult because many of the students didn’t accept me, because I was a transfer student, and I often felt like less of a person because of the humiliating summer I spent before. I also had a hard time going to my parents, since the previous summer had showed me they didn’t’ really care about how I felt or if I had a problem, but instead about forced conformity. It also seemed like my parents had something to prove to this school, which I don’t understand. In one instance, I had to write about what I had done that day, and my mother was determined I would put no TV on that piece, because she wanted to show I didn’t watch TV, which wasn’t true. She does often lie to get what she wants and even when caught sees no problem with it, but will not tolerate anyone else lying to get their way. At the end of the school year, my mother asked me if I wanted to have a swimming party for my class, to which I responded no. She went to my teacher and set one up anyway, which showed me how little my feelings meant to her. I didn’t know how to swim, and had no interest in it, yet she would do anything to force me to swim, enjoy it, and even devote my entire life to it. I honestly believe her goal was to eliminate everything from my life excluding school and swimming, a life I couldn’t have survived. Seventh grade was another school I was sent to because of my sister, she was going there so I had to go there. I did not at all fit in, mainly because most of the students in my class had been expelled from other schools, and I hadn’t. I also had incompetent teachers, many of whom were employed there solely, by the principal’s own admission, worked cheap. I was very unhappy there, not only for these reasons, but because I was discriminated against not only at school, but at home as well. At school, our class was banned from many events, because of a few problem students. That didn’t bother me much, but I also got discrimination at home. My sister would often brag to people about how I spent my summers as her slave because I had to drop anything I wanted to do when she wanted to swim, and often had other students call me â€Å"Igor† after the hunchback assistant in the old horror movies. If I ever said anything derogatory to or about my sister, I would be punished, yet she did all of these things to me, and even admitted to our parents she had done it, but was never punished. In fact, they often said that it was impossible for a girl to be bad, that only boys are bad. The school seemed to preach the same thing, in fact, she was once in a fight and there were no consequences, I was and was punished at school and at home. She should have been punished too but instead she was able to brag to my parents and everyone else about fighting, with no consequences. Another incident of discrimination was with my sister’s English class and my Math class. We both had to deal with incompetent teachers, who were neither certified nor held degrees. The classes were impossible and we learned little. What our parents did was to go down to the school and arrange for her to get special treatment, meaning the principal would teach her personally, while I got nothing. I felt if she got out, why shouldn’t I? When I said this, I got no answer, no discussion, other than â€Å"That’s just the way it is.† Fortunately, I only stayed one year at this school, which was more than enough. However, I wasn’t out of the woods, I had to spend another summer of forced swimming with my sister, which again, made my life miserable. Eighth grade was my first and only year in public school. My mother made numerous promises to me about how it would be better than anything else, but it wasn’t. I was basically harassed again, for being a transfer student, and because my voice had changed before everyone else’s. A lot of the students constantly grunted at me to make fun of my voice, and nobody would do anything about it. My parents said it had nothing to do with my voice, but instead, was because I â€Å"act goofy,† yet would never explain to me what I did that was so bad. I was very miserable, I didn’t know what to do, and suffered day in and day out, and many times, wanted to end my life. What finally brought down my life there was I didn’t participate in an optional project for the science class, and as a result, my science teacher, the only teacher out of six, wouldn’t recommend me for a gifted program, something my parents took very hard. Ever since, even now 18 years la ter, they call me uncooperative. I was also punished for the entire summer, being barred from TV, music, reading, and any other activity I found pleasurable, being allowed nothing but swimming when my sister wanted me to because â€Å"getting in that pool everyday will build you up until you are a human being again.† My sister in the mean time attended public school, and also refused to activities she didn’t want to do. She was downgraded by her English teacher for not doing some optional projects as well but was she punished, or course not. Our parents simply went to the school board, and got her grades changed, from C to A, and was given me as a swimming slave for the summer. I didn’t understand this, she gets a reward for her behavior, and I get punished. I guess my parents don’t believe in punishing girls, I don’t know. My sister went to college, but I ended up in another so-called Christian school. During my first year, I refused to be put through â€Å"Freshman Hell Week,† in which senior students are allowed to humiliate freshman for a whole week. To me, that sort of behavior had no business in school, and was far from the strict environment my parents told me it would be. What added insult to injury that year was when my parents saw the yearbook and pictures of Hell Week, my mother actually said â€Å"You should have gotten together with them and acted goofy.† First I’m accused for allegedly â€Å"acting goofy,† and them I’m criticized for not â€Å"acting goofy.† This makes absolutely no sense. My high school years weren’t very happy. My grades were ok, but I didn’t like it at all. I was often picked on because I didn’t do extracurricular activities, I didn’t date, and basically thought there was a world beyond football, proms, and cheerleaders. The worst came my junior year, I was turned down for the honor society, and my parents at first, thought it was politics, then turned against me condemning me for having no personality, not being nice enough, participating in no activities, and not being â€Å"glib,† which has been an obsession of theirs ever since. They often condemned me for believing that school grades are based on work, instead of personality, something I never understood, since I was nice and didn’t make any trouble for anyone. My senior year was uneventful, thank goodness, and I was glad to be out of that place. Many people complain about the ineptness of our public schools and want vouchers and other initiatives to privatize education. My experiences tell me this will not work. Many of the private schools I went to were no better and even worse than public schools. The public school I attended had textbooks for each student; I can’t say that about a few of the private schools I was associated with. In addition, the excellent school I went to between second and forth grade is now closed, due to lack of enrollment, while the football school continues to stay in operation. My school years were very painful for me, not only for what I went through at school, for what I went through at home, where it was often preached, â€Å"nothing matters but school and swimming.† If I made poor grades, I was punished, but if my sister did the same thing, it was the school’s fault. One day, I know I will completely heal of it all, but now, I’m just working towards that day. The answer is out there; I just have to find it. Amen.

Cellular Metabolism in Yeast essays

Cellular Metabolism in Yeast essays The yeast Saccromyces cerevisae was placed in two different sets of test tubes along with glucose and MgSO4 or NaF to test the effects of the MgSO4 and NaF on yeast cellular metabolism. A third set of test tubes was used as a control. The results show that there is not a significant difference between any of the three groups, but an experimental error may have caused these findings. Yeasts are unicellular members of the Kingdom Fungi that can ferment sugar and produce ethanol. This particular experiment deals with Saccharomyces cerevisttae, a type of yeast that reproduces asexually by budding (Stanford). Yeast survives on oxygen, so it is an aerobe. It also has the amazing ability of adapting to oxygen-less environments and surviving as an anaerobe (Cofalec). Metabolism is the biochemical assimilation and dissimilation of nutrients by a cell (Munich). Redox reactions form new cellular material and generate energy. The different reactions can be divided into anabolism and catabolism (Gamboa). Using the necessary equipment, yeast can be metabolized and studied in the laboratory. This experiment deals with the effects of MgSO4 and NaF on anaerobic respiration in Saccharomyces cerevisttae. We hypothesize that we will obtain statistically significant differences in our experimental groups when we compare them to the control. We obtained and carefully cleaned nine test tubes, placed them into a test tube rack, then poured 8 ml of 1.0 M glucose into each of them. In the three control test tubes, we added 8 ml deionized water. After that, we shook and added 8 ml of a yeast suspension into all test tubes. Using a fume hood, we added 8 ml 0.01M MgSO4 to three test tubes that did not have the deionized water in them. 8 ml of 0.1M NaF were added to the final three test tubes. We placed inverted vials over each test tube then inverted each system. Using a grease pencil, we marked the fluid's meniscus on each tube th ...

Over-Population and Genetic Engineering essays

Over-Population and Genetic Engineering essays It is a horrific sight of sauntering through an over-populated urban city where many of its inhabitants are plagued with disease. These ailments, which cause the public to alter from a customary lifestyle, tend to have not only a detrimental effect on general health but also can induce premature death. The people are forced to endure all the unfavorable side effects that go along with harmful attributes of their specific syndrome while the archaic forms of medications appear to only prolong the malady and not remedy it. New techniques in genetic engineering could allow public relief from such affairs. I assume it is decided by a majority of higher authority that the extraordinary amount of disease in the community is a splendid occurrence given the fact that His Holiness, Pope John Paul II, invoked the "playing God" cliche when the Vatican announced that cloned human beings would not have souls. This marvelous episode was also supported when our preceding President Bill Clinton, whose moral stature is highly regarded, directed the National Bioethics Advisory Commission to prepare a report examining the ramifications of cloning technology. Our superbly ethical and honorable ex-president then urged that no federal funding should be allowed for research into cloning human beings or genetic engineering. Therefore it can be deducted, that whoever can find an inexpensive and impious way to broaden illness would be performing humankind a favor. It would be such a good deed that the Pope should declare that person, whoever it may be, a saint so that he shall be honored as Mother Tere sa or St. Christopher. In contemplating this significant area under discussion for such a diminutive amount of time, I have come to another exceptional conclusion. Given that genetic engineering is being brought to a standstill, the fears of over-population need to subsist no longer. Worldwide fatal diseases such as AIDS and cancer would dash rampant...

The Consequences for Women of the 1867 Reform Act Essay

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