The Pros and Cons of Technology :: Pro Con Essays

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Many argue that as we venture further into the frontier of technology we proceed with a slow death of society, by losing culture and ultimately a sense of self. To a certain extent this may be true, but realistically if we cease to progress we wont be able to survive. (Robert) The advantages Technology has given us outweigh the disadvantages.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   There are many examples of advantages and disadvantages some mentioned were â€Å" Technology has the ability to create shortcuts in working and can make tasks easier also. Solid examples are cars, calculators and phones, through technology life may be faster but is also easier. To further this point a fact brought up by Jo-ann was that diseases we have today would be and could have become epidemics, if it were not for technology being there in the field of medicine, medical advances would not have happened or would have come years later (Jo-ann). As far as transportation man has come a long way from horses and coal driven trains to computer navigable and driven cars. In boats crossing the Atlantic it took four to six months, in 747 airliner commercial jets takes ten to fifteen hours (Dana), even though they add to the pollution crisis a population accustomed to having these conveniences is still using them regardless. Among other advantages is the fact that with technology communic ations is a hundred times faster than without it (Ailua). Before telephones, emails and fax machines, there were trains, carriages and the pony express with the modes of traveling we have now we have been able to make the world smaller so to speak. With technology we enjoy luxuries such as movies, television, fresh food and refrigerators, ovens to cook on and bake in. And with every advantage that technology gives, it brings along with it a disadvantage we have come to depend on it more and more as we advance in the field. If we didn’t have technology we would become victim to things we were ignorant of. An example would be the bubonic plague in Europe in the sixteen hundreds , they did not have the medical advances that we have to deal with diseases like this to them it was a guessing game. As mentioned before we have technology to be able to find causes and cures. To me, the only real threat that technology poses to mankind is its abilities being used in nuclear and atomic warfare.

Who was the Real Monster? Frankenstein

The monster rose from the table. He stared at the creature whom he had created, then ran away in terror. He ran away because the monster looked nothing like anything he had ever seen before; it was monstrous and utterly terrifying. He thought it would harm him as monsters are commonly portrayed to do. What would any human do in a situation like that? Prejudice is not an emotion in itself; it is an offshoot of fear. He feared the monster, which is why he acted out of prejudice and judged the monster simply based on its appearance. Prejudice is an opinion formed beforehand or without knowledge based often on physical appearance.In Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein, readers often ask who the real monster is. Is it the monster himself for looking like a monster and killing many innocent people? Or is it Victor for creating such a terrible monster? The answer is neither. When examined closely, it becomes clear that the real monster in Mary Shelley’s novel is prejudice. Becau se of prejudice, Victor is scared of his own creation and disowns the monster. Because of prejudice, everybody is scared of the monster and never even gives him a chance to get to know them simply because of the way he looks. Because of prejudice, the monster kills his first victim.The prejudice against the monster is so great that it even convinces the monster himself that he is a monster and is not worthy of life. There are no characters in Frankenstein that are truly monsters; the only real monster is the prejudice instilled in these characters who do bad things. Victor Frankenstein created the monster with good intentions. In fact, he â€Å"had desired it with an ardour that far exceeded moderation. . . † (Shelley 43). When the monster awoke, Victor feared his own creation. Victor prejudges his creation because he fears what it is capable of and runs away.Victor expresses his fear of his creation when he says, â€Å". . . but now that I had finished, the beauty of the dr eam vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled my heart. Unable to endure the aspect of the being I had created, I rushed out of the room†¦ † (Shelley 43). Victor thought that the monster would be beautiful and amazing, but upon seeing that the monster did not turn out the way he had expected it to, Victor becomes scared and acts out of prejudice, leaving the room. After Victor leaves the room and retreats to his bed chamber, he awakes from his sleep and beholds the monster.Victor automatically becomes frightened and flees the room, thinking that the monster would harm him. Remember, prejudice is an opinion formed beforehand or without knowledge based often on physical appearance. Victor’s prejudice is evident when he says: I beheld the wretch- the miserable monster whom I had created. He held up the curtain of the bed; and his eyes, if eyes they may be called, were fixed on me. His jaws opened, and he muttered some inarticulate sounds, while a grin wrinkle d his cheeks. He might have spoken, but I did not hear; one hand was stretched out, seeming to detain me, but I escaped and rushed downstairs (Shelley 44).Simply the words that Victor uses to describe the monster, whom he does not even know, are terrible! Victor calls the monster â€Å"wretch† and calls his mouth â€Å"jaws† as if the monster is some type of animal. The monster even tries to speak to Victor, but Victor does not listen to what the monster has to say because Victor becomes scared of the monster based only on the way he looks. This is a clear example of prejudice. The monster reaches out an arm and, unknowing of what the monster will even do, Victor assumes that the monster is trying to â€Å"detain† him, but he â€Å"escaped and rushed downstairs†.Certainly, Victor’s behaviour is not commendable; however, his actions are a result of his prejudice alone. Not only does Victor prejudge the monster only based on the way he looks, everybo dy the monster meets prejudges him and is scared of him. In the monsters first encounter with a man, the man â€Å"turned on hearing a noise, and perceiving [the monster], he shrieked loudly, and quitting the hut, ran across the fields with a speed of which his debilitated form hardly appeared capable† (Shelley 93).The man sees the monster and, without saying a word, automatically pre judges the monster to be dangerous based only on the way he looks then â€Å"[runs] across the fields with a speed of which his debilitated form hardly appear[s] capable†. The man did not appear to be a bad man. In fact, his breakfast â€Å"consisted of bread, cheese, milk. . . † (Shelley 93) just like any other normal man. This man is not a monster for treating the monster poorly, it is clearly the prejudice instilled in him when he is overcome by fear that makes him run away from the monster.Upon the monsters second encounter with a human, he enters a house and sees a family who also prejudges him based only on the way he looks. The monster â€Å"had hardly placed [his] foot within the door before the children shrieked, and one of the women fainted† (Shelley 94). The people do not even give the monster a chance to speak. They do not even have the slightest clue what his personality is like. But, they prejudge him and automatically assume that he is a harmful person based only on the way he looks.Some of the villagers even â€Å"attacked [the monster], until, grievously bruised by stones and many other kinds of missile weapons, [the monster] escaped to the open country. . . † (Shelley 94). Certainly, the people of the village do seem like monsters, attacking the monster and hitting him with stones. But, the villagers are not the true monsters. They are simply scared for the lives of their families, so they act out of prejudice and without even giving the monster a chance to present himself, they chase him away unwilling to give him a chance bec ause they do not trust somebody who is so horrific looking.It is clear here that it is solely the prejudice in them and nothing else that makes them drive the monster out of the village. Upon his third encounter with humans, the monster is living in a hovel that is joined to a cottage. Through a hole the monster sees the inside of the cottage and learns about the family that consisted of: a blind father, an unhappy son, and a sweet innocent daughter. The monster becomes attached to the family and â€Å"when they were unhappy, [the monster] felt depressed; when they rejoiced, [the monster] sympathized in their joys† (Shelley 100).The monster does everything he can to help the family out while remaining hidden. In fact â€Å"[the monster] often took [the son’s] tools, the use of which [the monster] quickly discovered, and brought home firing sufficient for the consumption of several days† (Shelley 99). The family was very happy about this, and â€Å"when [the dau ghter] opened the door in the morning, appeared greatly astonished on seeing a great pile of wood on the outside† (Shelley 99). Had the family found out that it had been some ordinary man helping them out, they would have thanked him and greeted him with joy.But, when the family saw the monster, â€Å"Agatha fainted, and Safie, unable to attend to her friend, rushed out of the cottage. Felix darted forward and with supernatural force tore [the monster] from his father. . . † (Shelley 123). It is clearly evident here that prejudice is the real monster in Frankenstein. The old man is blind, and upon meeting the monster he does not run away, or faint, or attack the monster. The old man greets the monster and treats him just as he would treat anyone else. Remember, prejudice is an opinion formed beforehand or without knowledge based on appearance.The old man is blind so he could not prejudge based on the monster’s appearance however, Agatha, Safie, and Felix all see the monster and prejudge him based on his appearance alone; thus acting out of prejudice. The old man could not prejudge, which is why he did not treat the monster poorly. Again, it is clearly evident here that the people are not truly monsters; it is the prejudice in them that makes them behave badly. Throughout the novel, the monster is treated poorly because of prejudice.Ironically, he also kills his first victim: William, because of prejudice. At first sight, the monster says that William was â€Å"a beautiful child, who came running into the recess [the monster] had chosen, with all sportiveness of infancy† (Shelley 131). However, upon hearing that the child’s â€Å"papa is a syndic- he is M. Frankenstein. . . † (Shelley 131), the monster â€Å"grasped [William’s] throat to silence him, and in a moment he lay dead at [the monster’s] feet† (Shelley 131). This clearly shows the monster’s actions are a result of his prejudice toward s his creator.Because he finds out that the William’s father is M. Frankenstein, he prejudges William to be just like Victor Frankenstein- the monster’s creator, and takes William’s innocent life. The prejudice against the monster is so great, that it convinces even the monster himself, that he is a monster! The monster’s creator, Victor, is prejudice towards him. The family the monster loves and cares for greatly is also prejudice towards him. Every single human other than the blind man who could not be prejudice, is prejudice towards the monster!Even a pure innocent child like William is prejudice towards the monster! It is absolutely clear through all of these examples, that prejudice is the real monster in Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein. Prejudice is still evident in today’s world, with major issues such as racism, as well as events in the past such as the Holocaust. In her novel Frankenstein, Mary Shelley warns readers about prejudic e, and it is important that people are not prejudice in their lives today so that all tragedy can be avoided.

Night World : Huntress Chapter 18

Jez heard herself scream, but only faintly. There was a roaring in her ears as if the BART train was coming at her again. And a pain that engulfed her whole body, sending agonized spasms through her limbs. It centered in her chest, though, where something white-hot was lodged inside her, crushing her lung and dislodging her internal organs and burning right beside her heart. She'd been staked. What she had done so often to others had been done to her. She hadn't realized anything could hurt like this. She was glad none of her victims had lived long to keep suffering. The wood of the stake was poisoning her heart, she knew. Even if it were removed, she would die. No vampire could survive contact between living wood and its undead heart. Still, she would live for a little while-in unimaginable agony as the poison ate through her. A voice was screaming in her mind. Jez-JezJezJez†¦ Over and over, incoherently. Morgead, she thought. And she hoped he wasn't feeling any of what she was feeling through the silver cord that connected them. Hugh and Claire were sobbing. Jez wished they wouldn't. They had to stay calm; to think of a way to save themselves. Because she couldn't help them anymore. Over the sobbing she heard a shrill and angry voice. Lily. â€Å"What is wrong with you?† Lily was saying. â€Å"Don't you see what's happening to her? Don't you want to save her?† Through the red haze that filled Jez's vision, she felt dim approval. They were doing what she'd told them. Whichever of them was the Wild Power was suppressing it Good. That was what mattered. Although she couldn't really remember why any longer†¦. Suddenly a face broke through the red haze. It was Lily, bending over her. â€Å"Don't you understand?† Lily yelled. â€Å"You can stop this right now. Ill have him kill you cleanly-all the pain will be over. All you have to do is tell me who it is.† Jez smiled at her faintly. She couldn't breathe to answer, and she didn't want to try. Would you believe that I don't know? she thought. No, I don't think you would. †¦ The pain was getting less by itself. It was as if Jez was moving farther and farther away from it. â€Å"How can you be so stupid?† Lily was screaming. Her face was twisted, and to Jez's vision, floating in a scarlet mist. She looked like a monster. Then she turned and seemed to be screaming at someone else. â€Å"All right. Get the other vampire down here, too. Morgead.† She was looking at Jez again. â€Å"We'll just have to stake your friends one after another until the Wild Power decides to reveal itself.† No. No†¦ Suddenly everything was much clearer around Jez. She could see the room again, and she could feel her own body. There was still the roaring in her ears, but she could hear Claire's sobs over it. No. Lily couldn't mean it. This couldn't be happening†¦. But it was. They were shoving Morgead down on the floor beside her, and Claire and Hugh beyond him. The thugs with spears were getting into position. No. No. This can't happen. Jez wanted to scream at them, to tell the Wild Power to do something, because everything was lost now anyway. But she didn't have air to scream. And she felt so adrift and confused anyway†¦. Her universe had become disjointed. Her thoughts seemed to be unraveling at all once, past memories combining with flashing sensory impressions from the present, and with strange new ideas†¦. If it was involuntary, why didn't the Wild Power work magic more often? Unless there was some other requirement†¦. I can't let this happen. The dampness of blood spreading around her heart. †¦ Claire's nails digging into her arms. â€Å"When there's no physical way to escape †¦Ã¢â‚¬  Power in the blood. Claire on the floor there. Screaming and screaming†¦ Something building inside her, hotter than the stake. Morgead beside her whispering, â€Å"Jez, I love you.† Pierce with the stake over him. Morgead looking up unafraid†¦. Hotter than the heart of a star. Hugh in the distance saying almost quietly, â€Å"Goddess of Life, receive us; guide us to the other world. . . .† Hotter than the sun and colder and bluer than the moon, like fire that burned and froze and crackled like lightning all at once. Something that filled her with an energy that was past rage and past love and past all controlling and that she recognized in her soul even though she'd never consciously felt it before. It was swelling Jez to bursting, a pure and terrible flame that was never meant to be unleashed like this†¦. â€Å"Do it!† Lily shouted. And Jez let it free. It came roaring out from her in a silent explosion. Blue fire that streamed from her body and blasted in all directions, but especially up. It came out and out and out, engulfing everything, flowing from her in a never ending torrent. Like a solar flare that didn't stop. It was all she could see. Blue flames, streaked with blue-white lightning that crackled almost soundlessly. Just like the fire that had cocooned her on the BART tracks. Except that now she could tell where it was coming from, even if she couldn't direct it. She knew how to let it out, now, but once out it did what it wanted. And it wasn't meant to be used this way. That was the only thing she knew clearly about it. She'd been letting it slip out when she was desperately upset-when she was worried for someone's life, and she knew that she couldn't do anything else to save them. That was forgivable, because it had been unconscious. This wasn't. She was probably violating some law of the universe or something. The blue fire was only meant to be used in the last battle, when the darkness came and the Four were called to stand against it. I suppose that means I should try to stop now, Jez thought. She wasn't sure how to do it. She guessed that she needed to call it back, somehow, to draw it down into her body again. Maybe if I sort of tug†¦. She did-something. A gathering-up with her mind. It was harder than letting the fire go had been, but it worked. She could feel it returning, flooding back inside her, as if she were sucking it in. †¦ And then it was gone, and Jez could see the world again. Could see what it had done. The house had disappeared. Or most of it, anyway. There was about a foot and a half of ragged wall left all around, with charred insulation spilling out. Blue energy like electricity ran along the edges here and there, fizzing. Other than that, no house. Not even chunks of wreckage lying around. There were fine bits of debris floating down, making the sunlight hazy, but that was all. It got†¦ vaporized, Jez thought, searching for the right word. No Lily. No Azarius. No Pierce. And none of the ugly thugs. Goddess, Jez thought. I didn't mean to do that. I only wanted to stop them from hurting Morgead and Claire and Hugh. †¦ What about them? she thought in a sudden panic. She turned her head, painfully. They were there. And alive. They were even stirring. The cords they'd been tied with were lying on the carpet, sizzling with that same blue energy. It's so weird to have a carpet without a house to go with it, Jez thought fuzzily. She was going away again. And that was too bad, but at least it didn't hurt anymore. The pain was gone completely, replaced by a warm and sleepy feeling-and the sensation of gently floating outward. Her eyelids felt heavy. â€Å"Jez? Jez!† It was a husky whisper. Jez opened her eyes to see Morgead's face. He was crying. Oh, dear, that was bad. Jez hadn't seen him cry since†¦ when was it? Sometime when they'd been little kids†¦. Jez, can you hear me? Now he was talking in her mind. Jez blinked again, and tried to think of something comforting to say to him. â€Å"I feel warm,† she whispered. â€Å"No, you don't!† He said it almost in a growl. Then he looked behind him, and Jez saw Hugh and Claire crawling up. They were all shining with golden light. â€Å"You're so pretty,† she told them. â€Å"Like angels.† â€Å"This isn't the time for your weird humor!† Morgead shouted. â€Å"Stop it! Don't yell at her!† That was Claire. Claire was crying, too, lovely tears that shone as they fell. She reached out and took Jez's hand, and that was nice, although Jez couldn't exactly feel it. She could see it. â€Å"She's going to be all right,† Morgead was snarling. â€Å"She's lost blood, but she'll be okay.† Someone was stroking Jez's hair off her face. She felt that; it was pleasant. She frowned slowly at Morgead, because there was something important to tell him, and talking was difficult. â€Å"Tell Hugh†¦Ã¢â‚¬  she whispered. â€Å"Tell Hugh your freaking self! He's right here! And you're not going anywhere.† Jez blinked with the difficulty changing focus. Yes, there was Hugh. He was the one stroking her hair. â€Å"Hugh†¦ the prophecy. I figured out what the two eyes watching were. They're the sun and the moon-get it? Two eyes†¦ for somebody who belongs to both worlds.† â€Å"The Day World and the Night World,† Hugh said softly. â€Å"You got it, Jez. That was so smart.† â€Å"And blood,† Jez whispered. ‘†Power in the blood'-that's why I couldn't do it anytime I wanted. Blood has to flow before you can let out the power. The first two times Claire was scratching me. And this time . . .† Her voice died off, but it wasn't important. Everybody could see the blood this time, she knew. Hugh's voice was thick. â€Å"That was smart, too, Jez. You figured it out. And you saved us. You did everything just right.† â€Å"No†¦ because there's only going to be three Wild Powers now†¦.† â€Å"No, there aren't,† Morgead raged. â€Å"Listen to me, Jez. There's no reason for you to die-â€Å" Jez couldn't manage a smile anymore, or a sentence. But she whispered gently, â€Å"Wood†¦ poison.† â€Å"No, it isn't! Not to humans. And you're half human, Jez. You're vampire enough to survive something that would kill a human, but you're human enough not to be poisoned by wood.† Jez knew better. She couldn't see much anymore. Only Morgead, and he was getting indistinct. It wasn't that the world was dimming, though-it was getting brighter. Everything was golden and shining. Four less one and darkness triumphs, Jez thought I'm so sorry about that. I hope they can manage it somehow. It would be so sad for everything human to be lost. There's so much good in the world, and so much to love†¦. She couldn't even see Morgead now. Only gold. But she could hear. She could hear Claire whispering to her in a voice broken by tears, and feel wetness dropping on her face. â€Å"I love you, Jez. You're the best cousin anybody could ever have.† And Hugh. He was crying, too. â€Å"Jez, I'm so proud to be your friend†¦.† And then, through the mist and the gold and the warmth and peace, came a voice that wasn't gentle at all. That was roaring in sheer outrage and fury. â€Å"DONT YOU DARE DIE ON ME, JEZEBEL! DON'T YOU DARE! Or I'll follow you to the next world and KILL you.† Suddenly, in the pretty gold mist, she could see something else. The only thing in the universe that wasn't golden. It was a silver cord. â€Å"You come back and you do it right now,† Morgead bellowed in her ears and in her mind. â€Å"Right now! Do you hear me?† The peace was shattered. Nothing seemed quite so warm and wonderful anymore, and she knew that once Morgead got into one of his Excited States, he wouldn't stop yelling until he got what he wanted. And there was the cord right in front of her. It was strong, and she could feel that the other end was somewhere in. Morgead's heart, and that he was trying to drag her back to him. All right. Maybe if I just grab on†¦. Somehow, she was holding on to it, and bit by bit, pulling herself back. And then the golden light was fading and she was inside a body that hurt and Morgead was holding her and kissing her and crying all at the same time. Claire's voice came from beyond him. â€Å"She's breathing again! She's breathing!† â€Å"I love you, you stupid human,† Morgead gasped against Jez's cheek. â€Å"I can't live without you. Don't you know that?† Jez whispered, â€Å"I told you never to call me Jezebel.† Then she fainted. â€Å"Time for a nice bath,† the nurse said. â€Å"And then we can have a visitor.† Jez eyed her narrowly. The woman was kind, but she had some mania for sponge baths, and she was always putting strange-smelling ingredients in the water. Which was actually not that surprising since she was a witch. â€Å"Skip the bath,† Jez said. â€Å"Let the visitor in.† â€Å"Now, now,† the witch said, shaking a finger and advancing with the sponge. Jez sighed. Being a Wild Power in a Circle Daybreak sanctuary meant that she could have pretty much anything she wanted-except that everyone was still treating her like a little kid. Especially the nurses, who spoiled her and flattered her, but talked to her as if she were about three. Still, she was glad to let the Circle take care of some things. Keeping her relatives safe, for instance. Although she was almost fully recovered, thanks to a strong constitution and a lot of healing spells from the witches, she wasn't up to that yet. Uncle Bracken and the entire Goddard family needed constant protection, since Hunter Redfern and the Night World Council were all undoubtedly after them by now. The Circle had imported some experts from back East to take care of it. A rival vampire hunter, of all things, named Rashel something. Plus her soulmate, a vampire-turned-Daybreaker called Quinn. At least they were competent. They'd gotten Jez's uncle Bracken, as well as the remnants of the gang out of San Francisco, a city that was going to be bad for their health for a while. Morgead was trying to get the gang to join Circle Daybreak for their own good, and he said that Raven, at least, was showing some interest. Val and Thistle were being stubborn, but that was hardly surprising. What was important was that they were alive. Pierce, on the other hand, was simply gone. No one had seen a trace of him or Lily or any of her people since Jez blasted them. Apparently they had truly been vaporized, and Jez couldn't bring herself to feel too badly. â€Å"All done!† the nurse said brightly, straightening Jez's pajama top. Which was just as well because at that moment a black head came poking in the door. â€Å"What is going on in here? You getting ready to go to the opera or something?† Jez raised her eyebrows at Morgead. â€Å"Maybe. Are you telling me I can't?† He snorted and came in as the nurse went out â€Å"I wouldn't dare tell you that. You're the princess, right? You can have anything.† â€Å"Right,† Jez said, with huge satisfaction. â€Å"So how*re Hugh and Claire?† â€Å"Claire's fine; she fits right in with the witches here. I think she's trying to get them to put up a Web page. And Hugh's just his same stupid self. He's off saving chipmunks from toxic waste or something.† â€Å"And how about the kid?† â€Å"The kid,† Morgead said, â€Å"is living it up. The Day-breakers are crazy about her; something about one of the oldest Old Souls ever found:-I dunno. Anyway, they're trying to talk her mom into letting her live here. She says thanks for saving her life and she's drawing you a picture.† Jez nodded, pleased. It would be nice if Iona came to live at the sanctuary; it meant Jez could see her a lot. Not that Jez planned to live here all the time herself-she and Morgead needed their freedom. They couldn't be penned in; they had to be able to come and go. She just hadn't gotten around to telling the Daybreakers that yet. With the people she loved taken care of, she could turn her attention to other matters. â€Å"Is that chocolate?† â€Å"It's the only reason you like to see me, isn't it?† Morgead said, allowing her to take the box. He sat beside her, looking tragic. â€Å"Nah,† Jez said with her mouth full. She swallowed. â€Å"Everybody brings 'em.† Then she grinned. â€Å"I like to see you for a different reason.† He grinned wickedly back. â€Å"I can't think what that could be.† â€Å"Hmm†¦ you're right†¦ maybe there is no other reason.† â€Å"Watch it, Jezebel,† he growled and leaned forward menacingly. â€Å"Don't call me that, idiot.† â€Å"You're the idiot, idiot.† â€Å"And you're-† But Jez never got to finish, because he stopped her mouth with a kiss. And then his arms were around her-so gently- and the silver cord was humming and everything was warm and there were only the two of them in the world. One from the land of kings long forgotten; One from the hearth which still holds the spark; One from the Day World where two eyes are watching; One from the twilight to be one with the dark. [The End]

One Team One Dream

One Team One Dream! Lights shinning all around you, like you're on stage at a concert. With the light gleaming on your face and announcers recognizing everybody as if they were at a boxing match. Even before we start the game fans and parents are screaming their lungs out already. Seeing the determination on our opponents faces while shaking their hands going down the line got our team pumped up for the start of the game. Every team member giving everything they have to come out on top and win that trophy. Nervously waiting on the court for the referee to blow his whistle.Jump ball! Who has it? Game on. Our high school team was ranked number one in the district. All of us girls on the team have been playing together since kindergarten. We were so close and knew each other like the back of our hands. knowing every play by heart and where every person would be on the court, we had confidence in each other and throwing a no-look pass was easy. We were like a huge family which made us ve ry successful on the court. Our team had won four district games and twenty league games. Leaving one district game left to take us to the District championship.Our last game was played against our biggest opponents in high school going back and fourth with us taking either victory or tears. Both teams were competing for the front page of that daily newspaper. To the people of the community, we were famous. Down by ten or more at the half we realized we needed to kick it into gear. Fourth quarter came around and we pulled ahead in the last final minutes and won a great victory! We were heading to state. Tears of joy ran down our faces. Everyone frantically ran across the basketball court like a stampede of Merkle 2 lephants escaping a lion's grasp. State was one of the biggest tournaments for basketball. Every team from the district, about 30 teams, were in the state championship. The last time our school made it to state for any sport was back in 2002. Our school was so proud of us , and even the staff. Our principal got our team a shuttle to take to the games and the school provided us with ten dollars each day for food. State was only three days but free money is always good! Our amazing family and friends were so supportive of our team. They made us tons of signs and provided us with lots of candy.One of our teammate's mom's made us all key chains that had our names on them along with our team motto: â€Å"One Team One Dream†. Our coach was so proud of our success this season. He also surprised us with one of the best gifts of all. Coach Rob went out of his way to get us new warm-up jerseys with our last names and our numbers on them. It was so exciting we all ran and jumped on him as he fell to the ground laughing hysterically. For the last couple practices we had before the state games we all wore our warm-ups to practice. We all loved them that much!Getting ready in the locker room we were all getting in the zone, and listening to gangster music t o get us pumped up. Game day was finally here, we were all waiting for this day for so long. Walking out of the locker room one by one the teams were looking at us while fans of the other teams glared at us. As we were warming up on the court we blocked them out of our heads. The first game we played was a breeze and we beat them by a great number of points. They were good sports and all wished us good luck in our next games. The second game was not quite a breeze, we ended up winning by a whopping 5 points.That amazing win got us to the final game in the state championship. Jumping up with parallelism, tearing up with joy, and taking pictures for the newspaper we all felt famous. Although we could not get ahead of ourselves because we still had one more game to go! All sitting in the locker room listening to coach talk our hands sweaty and locked, and our legs bouncing from anxiety. Walking on that court we saw fans packed from topped to bottom of the Merkle 3 bleachers all squishe d together. Jump ball? We lost the tip, now on defense, they scored the first two points.Another 2 points then 3. Our whole team was freaking out. We had to call a timeout. Our coach stood up and said one thing to us, â€Å"One team One dream†. We all knew exactly what that meant and couldn’t help but smile. Game on after screaming WHOO! . We got back on that court and took over that whole first half, baskets one right after another. I started dribbling down the court taking the opposing girl one on one across half court. I passed it to my teammate Ashlee, she dribbled it into the key where she was facing the basket and then dishes it off to Jamie our post.Who then skips the ball to the opposite side where I was standing behind the three point line. I got the ball and took my shot. As it sank through the net, I felt great because that shot got us ahead by three points right at half time! Second half comes around and we lose our heads, we all just let go. None of us wer e in it to win it. None of our shots were dropping and the other team was just dominating the game. Final buzzer rang we ended up losing 56-48. We did not drop our heads we all just got together in a circle and cried a bit, raised our heads and hands to the fans.While also bowing our heads to God and thanking him for giving us this amazing journey to state basketball. Everyone stood and clapped, even the winning team came and gave us hugs. We may have lost that state championship game but we gave it our all. Even though we were sad, we were happy at the same time. We had made it so far and accomplished so much. We had a huge section in the paper on us. It talked about our accomplishments and how we grew as a family. Even the paper recognized us as â€Å"One Team One Dream†

Gang Violence in Charlotte Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Gang Violence in Charlotte - Research Paper Example Over the past quarter, a century the American society has experienced an increase in the gang activity. Most of the gang members are young people who are highly prone to peer influence. Numerous studies have acknowledged the significant role that firearm play in perpetuating the menace of gang violence. However, there are few studies that have examined how the accessibility of firearms has facilitated the growth of gang violence. Studies estimate that the state of North Carolina has over 100,000 gang members (Smith & Furuseth, 2006). These statistics are merely estimation since there are no statewide records that accurately depict the numbers of gang members. These figures indicate a growth by approximately 200% of gang activity over the past decade. Due to this upsurge, the State government has been forced to initiate a task force specially dedicated to dealing with the gang menace.Other reports indicate that the gang members are responsible for over 1000 homicides and nearly 10,000 felonies in the city of Charlotte over a period of five years. Other crimes reported to be attributed to gang member include 9000 robberies and nearly 500 rape cases (Smith & Furuseth, 2006). A recent survey that profiled the gang member found out that a significant number of gang members lie with the age bracket of 10-25 years (Smith & Furuseth, 2006). This has greatly worried the policing department as it appeared that gangs were getting younger and aggressive. In Charlotte, gang membership is largely dominated by male.

How does place relate to cultural performance Essay

How does place relate to cultural performance - Essay Example The cultural geography enables the researchers to predict why a specific group of people exhibit a particular behavior. Specific places have specific groups of people who may have similar or different behaviors which are consistent and enduring. Through cultural performance, one is able to appreciate the behavior of a specific group in their everyday life. One pertinent issue before the classification of any behavior is that what is observed has to be consistent over a period of time. This will avoid biasness and subjectivity when reporting about a particular group of people. Having conducted a fieldwork study in a bus, different patterns from the population were established. Majority of the people in the bus were students, who displayed different values, and norms. Individualism, lack of concern for others, and lack of interaction were the main issues that were recorded from the fieldwork study. There was also a discrepancy between the way the older generation and the young behaved. While the older generations seemed to like interacting with others through communication, majority of the young adults in the bus perceived this as interfering with their privacy. With most of them glued to their phones, and listening to music, interpersonal communication was hindered. The following discussion will also focus on the report of the fieldwork conducted on the homeless population in a particular street. Methodology used For the purpose of this fieldwork study, the observation method was used. The behavior observed was recorded in a form. This was done for a number of days in order to ensure consistency in values, beliefs and norms before making a conclusion about the population of study. The place The place for the study was the bus, and also in the street. I choose this place owing to the fact it was more convenient to me since I used this means of transport almost daily. Further, I saw the same people almost every day. For this reason, it was possible to study the co nsistency of the behaviors manifested by the population I was dealing with. The bus was also the best way to have unbiased sample owing to the fact that any person in my neighborhood used this means of transportation. The results would therefore be imperative in making an inference about the rest of the population. At this site, my main subjects of study were passengers, who included the students, drivers, and a few working class individuals. The fieldwork was also conducted in the street where the main focus was the homeless population. In this second setting, there were the old, children and young adults. The performances This refers to the act of studying the behavior of a specific group of people in their day-to-day activities1. The main reason is to establish the values, norms and beliefs of the people from the manifested behavior2. For the purpose of this study, these performances were to be studied from the passengers and the homeless population. As indicated before, the ease of reaching these people almost on the daily basis prompted me to choose them. One of the main aims of the fieldwork is to be able to be able to describe the behavior of the subjects. It is also vital to highlight the reason making a specific group of people behave the way they do. The following discussion seeks to establish the

Research paper on Global Warming Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Research paper on Global Warming - Essay Example It is high time to introduce punitive laws which may protect us from polluting the atmosphere. It is also time to plant as many trees as possible in order to restore the damage done to the atmosphere. Third World Countries and the developing countries sacrifice environmental protection and all related provisions for the sake of infrastructure and manufacturing build up and growth of the national gross domestic product. It is obvious, though, that atmospheric pollution (which is synonymously referred to as air pollution) is not a matter of domestic concern only, because it has no official boundaries and contributes to general worsening of global ecological situation. Global warming is widely discussed nowadays in all areas of human activity and on all levels of government, because ozone layer depletion and greenhouse effect are both direct consequences of chemical emissions in the atmosphere. It may seem at the first sight that human factor is determinative and the only one responsible for current atmospheric pollution; in fact, both natural and man-made sources contribute to air pollution. However, no one will deny that humanity produced a devastating effect on all natural resources due to increased levels of their consumption and exploitation. In order to decrease atmospheric pollution and to guarantee future effectiveness and stability of this reduction, it is necessary to implement specific mitigation strategies. This research paper aims at the description of the notion of global warming and of the way it may affect life on the planet. The possible solutions of the problem (within the limits of mitigation plan) are to be suggested, supported by the analysis of the mitigation strategies that are now in action on both global and national levels. 2. Global Warming- A Global menacw The amount of atmospheric pollution people produce is too high, thus, it is necessary to apply effective measures to minimize the negative ecological outcome that industrialized society is to blame for. There are several sources of air pollution, however the most powerful and directly linked to human activity are fuel combustion (cars) and industrial emissions. Automobiles' exhaust gases constitute a large portion of the overall global atmospheric pollution. As far as the developed countries are concerned, vehicles emit more pollutants in the atmosphere if compared with industry. "On a global scale, cars emit about 300 million tones of toxic exhaust gases into the atmosphere each year" (Climate in Cities: Fuel Combustion During Energy Production and Transportation 2009). The exhaust gases produced by vehicles' petrol engines contain many pollutants, such as nitric oxide, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, sulphur dioxide, and a certain amount of solid particles. Nitric oxide is responsible for the growth of so called petrochemical fogs that result from the gasoline exhaust gases exposure to sunlight. In particular, ozone, as the product of petrochemical reactions, emerges as a result of nitric oxide or nitrogen dioxide exposure to sunlight. For the larger part of the twentieth century vehicles burnt fossil fuels with comparatively high concentration of