Writing free essay sample

The happiest moment in my life actually occurred quite recently. It all began in junior year, where I had the greatest English teacher imaginable- fun, smart, and engaging. Mrs. Jerabeks class was so comfortable, I didnt even think I was learning. Thats when I realized exactly how much I had learned: more than any other class before. This was a class I would never forget. Throughout the year, we were given writing assignments exploring the various forms of creative writing. Everything I wrote was near and dear to my heart, something that had never happened before. Somehow I channeled deep emotion into my writing. One in particular continually brings me to tears: a poem entitled, 1915 Never Again. It describes the Armenian Genocides effect on the existence of our people; however, nowhere did I mention the word Armenia. In our writing groups, my classmate remarked, Are you talking about World War One? It sounds just like it. We will write a custom essay sample on Writing or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Suddenly, my simple poem had transformed into a voice for every war, every genocide, every tragedy throughout history. This past summer I applied for numerous scholarships, including a poem contest from the Live Poets Society of New Jersey. I decided to submit my only poem in the Of Faith and Inspiration category. Having been busy applying to others, I didnt think much of it. To my surprise, as I checked my e-mail one day, I saw a message from the LPSNJ: CONGRATULATIONS! It is our extreme pleasure to inform you that our judges have selected your poem for publication as a Topical Winner in American High School Poets, Of Faith and Inspiration, 2011. I had to read it twice before I broke the news to my parents. I couldnt believe it. My poem was going to be published in an anthology with other young writers worksI was going to be in a book! I then ordered a copy of this glorious publication and informed Mrs. Jerabek of my newfound achievement, who replied with great words of encouragement. The anthology will be published in December and at that time I will be a published poet. I had never before dreamed of this. I knew I was a good writer, but Mrs. Jerabek instilled in me the confidence and creativity to fully believe in my ability. In fact, she even recommended my involvement in Orange County Cappies. And as a result, one of my theater reviews was recently published in the OC Register! I am currently submitting my poem to Armenian publications, such as the Armenian Observer and The Zankag. Only in her class did I ever consider the possibility, nay, the necessity, of writing in my future career. Never before had I felt so accomplished and proud of myself- this was truly my greatest moment!

The Past and Present of Space Travel essays

The Past and Present of Space Travel essays On May 25, 1961, John F. Kennedy delivered one of the most memorable State of the Union addresses in the history of the United States. I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to the earth (cs.umb.edu/jfklibrary, President John F. Kennedy's Special Message to the Congress on Urgent National Needs). With those words, Kennedy launched a new era of space exploration in the United States. Although the National Aeronautics And Space Administration was created in 1958 by the National Aeronautics and Space Act (hq.nasa.gov, Key Documents), and the Russians already launched the first satellite into space in 1957, the US was still at a stand still on the subject. What the country needed was a wake-up call, and that is exactly what it got from one of the most celebrated speakers in its history. The new era promised much, but expected little. From USAs struggle to be the dominant worl d power in the Cold War Era, to the careless depletion of natural resources in the Information Age, space exploration and astronauts were and will be the real keys to the new millennium and beyond. Before looking into the future, or even evaluating the present, one must look in detail at the history of the space project. The missions that gave scientists and engineers the necessary data and experience to make new, safer, more reliable and intricate equipment were launched long before there was realistic talk of sending probes to Mars. The astronauts that helped shape the training programs, took the beatings of primitive flight tests, and died in order to serve their country were born before World War II. And even the Russian Space Program was crucial to what the space program is today. It fueled competition, and provided more resources for American engineers. Until Apollo 11, they were ahead of the Americans in alm...

Breakfast Club

The five main characters are named Andrew Clark; Brian Johnson; Claire Standish; John Bender; and Allison Reynolds. These characters wrestle with self-acceptance; longs for parental approval; and fight against peer pressure. The objective of these students are to write an essay of no less than one thousand words about who they think they are. This is given to them by their principal/ warden for the day, Richard â€Å"Dick† Vernon, played by Paul Xavier Gleason. He tries to keep them in their separate cliques by telling them to remain quiet and stating that any monkey business is ill-advised. He starts out by saying â€Å"It is now 7:06. You have exactly 8 hours and 54 minutes to think about WHY you are here to ponder the error of your ways. You will not talk you will now move from these seats. † Andrew Clark, played by Emilio Estevez, is an athlete, a jock, and a â€Å"sporto. † He is currently on the high school wrestling team. His dad is always pushing him to do better since he doesn’t want his son to be a loser because that’s not â€Å"acceptable† in his family. Andrew learns to accept the pressure and his wrestling life, although he doesn’t want to be in it. He also learns to accept the fact that taping Larry Lester’s butt cheeks was very wrong and the fact that his dad was okay with it and wanted him to do worse to Larry was also wrong. Brian Johnson, played by Anthony Michael Hall, is a â€Å"brainiac†, a geek, and a â€Å"neo-maxie zoom deebie (a dork). † Brian is always looking for acceptance from the popular crowd and could never get it. He learns the most important thing is to accept himself. His reason for being in detention was he brought a gun to school to attempt suicide. Claire Standish, played by Molly Ringwald, is a princess, a prom queen, and â€Å"miss popularity. She struggles throughout the movie to accept that she is unhappy. She also realizes she is trying to be something she’s not so she would be considered â€Å"popular. † Claire discovers that she is not alone. She learns that everyone needs to mask their feelings to become what people expect them to be and eventually learns to ac cept herself. At home, her mother tries to keep Claire from having fun. John Bender, played by Judd Nelson, is a criminal, a rebel, a punk, and a rebellious bad boy. He starts out as a tough guy who no one really knows well. He shows no respect towards anyone especially teachers and school property. Eventually, he shows acceptance for himself and his classmates and changes his attitude when they share things about themselves. Throughout the movie, he makes fun of Claire but by the end of the movie he shows compassion for her. To show he changed, he stops being rude to Claire and begins to accept everyone else. John becomes more comfortable in his own skin as well as with the other people around him. Allison Reynolds, played by Ally Sheedy, is a basket case, a loner, and a weirdo. She has always felt like an outcast, she is also the most socially isolated and says she has no friends. Throughout the movie, she discovers the unhappiness in her home life is not her fault. At home, Allison is a victim of child neglect from her workaholic parents, and as a result carries a large bag with her to school every day in case she feels like running away. She is the least hesitant to talk openly about her home life and is not afraid of being different. She is also a compulsive liar. She also learns to accept herself and her classmates. Allison claims she is in detention due to the fact she had nothing better to do. I feel I can best identify myself with the character Claire Standish. One thing we have in common is the fact that we believe in relationships where there is one guy and one girl. In the movie, you find out that Claire doesn’t fool around with just any guy and sex isn’t just about physical pleasure for her. Another thing we have in common is the roles our parents play in our lives. Our parents tend to discipline us for the wrong things we do. The third thing we have in common is we both have a sense of security. Because these characters are from different random groups, none of them are from the same background and are all odd. Although they seem different, they find out they are very similar. They learn to overcome their difference and sort of become friends. They leave detention having a sense of who they are and how they want to remain. In the end, Brian wrote the essay stating they know what they did was wrong and they think Mr. Vernon is crazy for making them write an essay telling him who they think they are because he sees them as he wants to see them.

Technical Solutions to Ensure the Building Is Energy Efficient and Research Paper

Technical Solutions to Ensure the Building Is Energy Efficient and Consistent with the Planets Ecosystem - Research Paper Example According to Speigel and Meadows (2012, p 16), most corporations and investors are seeking green solutions and want energy efficient materials to be present in their buildings. This study aims to highlight sustainability and usefulness of such products and their relevance at the end of the corporation. This paper entails the innovative and technical solutions that are necessary to ensure the building is energy efficient and consistent with the planet's ecosystem. Nowadays numerous buildings are expected to accomplish the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) ratings when constructing. Speigel and Meadows (2012, p.58) assert these standards are meant to advance the sustainability goals, diminish energy utilization, and encourage sustainability of the buildings and renewability. Replenishment of Insulation and energy deficiencies in a building can be through the introduction of high-performance windows that are thick and can guarantee diminution loss of warmth during win ter. Moreover, the windows with low E have capabilities of keeping heat either in or out (Simmons 2010, p.62). These windows can be put in the rooms where workers will spend a large proportion of their time. It is essential for the internal thermal conditions to be conducive for the inhabitants to be comfortable. This windows can be initially expensive but eventually, the will be cost saving. This is because an alternative mode will be utilizing electricity to increase the thermal levels of the rooms. In addition, there are solar windows that are transparent but encompass qualities that enable them to absorb the sun’s beam. This is a renewable resource, and it will accumulatively harness energy that is clean and comparably efficient as electricity.

Demand and price elasticity of demand Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Demand and price elasticity of demand - Essay Example In the case of Bordeaux, the consumers had proposed a low wine price. This implies that reducing the price of the wine will make the commodity be more affordable to the consumers (Sheffrin, B. 2003). This would increase the demand of the product thus increasing its supply. Increase in the supply of Bordeaux wine would increase the number of sales. Price elasticity of a commodities demand involves a measure that is used in economies in showing the elasticity responsiveness of the quantity of the product that is demanded towards a change in the product’s price. In this respect, it provides the percentage change of the quantity of the product that is demanded to follow a response to a change in the price. Price elasticity can be considered to be negative despite the fact that analysis would always ignore the negative sign leading to ambiguity (Peters, K. 2006). A positive price elasticity of demand occurs in a case where the products do not satisfy the law of demand. In this resp ect, the demand of the wine would be said to be inelastic when the price elasticity of demand (PED) is below one. This implies that the price changes have a significantly smaller effect on the amount of wine that is demanded. On the other hand, the demand of Bordeaux wine would be said to be elastic whenever the price elasticity of is more than one. This means that the changes in the commodities price would greatly influence the amount of the wine that is demanded. In the case of Bordeaux wine, the demand of the product could be said to be elastic. This is so because the demand of this wine is strongly affected by changes in price. Therefore, increasing the price of the product would reduce the demand of the product where as reducing the price of the product would have an effect of increasing demand of the product (Knugman, R. 2005). It is for this reason that the merchants who were contacted through The Times argue that they could only accept the wine when the price of the wine is reduced to about ?95 in 2008 for the best brands compared with the ?318 in 2007 vintage (Sage, A. & Pavia, W. 2009). These investors argue out that when the price of wine is higher than the proposed one, there would be no customers. This is a clear indication that the demand of Bordeaux wine was elastic. Part B. The amount of the wine demanded is normally a strong component of its price. A case study done to find out the quantity of the wine demanded at various price levels with all the other factors kept constant, would result into the table 1. Table 1. Demand schedule. year price Average price quantity 2002 95 95 170 133 700 2003 192 192 253 223 500 2004 141 145 190 159 600 2005 472 480 622 523 300 2006 450 450 622 536 200 2007 318 318 466 392 400 Graph 1. The graph represents the quantity of the wine that is demanded as the variable that is Independent (x-axis) and the price as the variable that is dependent (y-axis). According to the law of demand the quantity of the product tha t is demanded will always move towards the opposite price direction. This is observed in the graph above through the downward demand curve slope. When one moves along the curve, a change in the price of the wine would result into a change in the quantity that is demanded. Whenever there exists a change in the influencing factor besides price there could be a shift in the demand curve either towards the right or the left,

The traditional Chinese legal system Essay Example for Free

The traditional Chinese legal system Essay The traditional Chinese legal system has been designed to keep order, rather than to enforce a system of individual rights and equality. (Orts, 2001) The state is protected by reinforcing a social and moral structure that mirrors relationship within family to the relationship of the individual to the state. (Orts, 2001) At the heart of traditional Chinese thought is the idea that everything is dominated by a cosmic universe of which there are three forces: Heaven, Earth and Man. Worship of a Supreme Being is not part of the traditions beliefs, however the political foundation of the state is based on a supernatural order that Heaven’s representative on earth is the Emperor. (Orts, 2001) The Emperor therefore expected his subjects not merely to follow but to worship. The basis for his rule is almighty, but the laws by which he governs have no divine origin except that they are promulgated by the Emperor. (Orts, 2001) A new dynasty could, and usually did, wipe out the previous Code and establish an entirely new one. Since these laws were valid only to the extent that they had come from the Emperor, it would be difficult for a new dynasty to justify using the previous code. (Orts, 2001) Three major schools of thought dominated the Chinese empire: Confucianism, Taoism and Legalism (Fa Jia). (Orts, 2001) Taoism is both a religion and a philosophy, but since its primary influence is on Chinese art and poetry, it has little to say that is applicable to the legal system. The Confucian and Legalist schools of throughout have competed to dominate the imperial system of justice. (Orts, 2001) As the first â€Å"unified† Chinese imperial dynasty, the Qin dynasty relied on a legalist code of laws to ensure unity, obedience and loyalty to the governing body. (Fu, 1996) The later Han Dynasty maintained the Empire using a very different code derived from the teaching of Confucius. Though both dynasties ruled a vast unified Empire for a number of years, the methods, laws and governments they used were markedly different. The question underlying the contrast between legalism and Confucianism is whether either provides a formula for long-lasting, peaceful imperial rule. Although it was very short, the Qin is one of the most important legal system because it is the closest China came to a purely Legalist system. (Fu, 1996) The best original source on law in the Qin dynasty is from the grave of a Qin official discovered in the 1970s. (Fu, 1996)A set of administrative laws inscribed on sheets of bamboo set out common crimes and their punishments. These range from killing children or slaves without permission (as in later dynasties, a parent could seek approval from the magistrate to kill a child who had failed to obey them) to failure to care for one’s horses or not using the standard weights and measures. (Fu, 1996) The Qin were able to centralize their rule in central-eastern China as the most powerful of the Warring States. (Fu, 1996) Under the Qin, a centralized bureaucracy was established and the separate portions of the Great Wall were unified. The Qin dynasty also saw the construction of a road system, the division of the empire into states, and adoption of a series of standards in currency, weights and measures and an official script. (Fu, 1996) Under Qin ruler Qin Xioagong, Shang Yang wrote a series of reforms that would form the basis for the legal system under the Qin. (Fu, 1996) Although there was little time to implement his reforms before the Han took over, Shang’s reforms are considered the basis of the Legalist approach. In 356 BC, Shang ordered the destruction of documents on Confucian thinking, which unfortunately included volumes of material on the pre-Qin Confucian material such as the Book of Songs, and the Book of Documents. (Fu, 1996)He also organized the military into ranks and implemented Li Kui’s book of law. Six years later, Shang reformed the tax system and a standardized system of land allocation. (Fu, 1996)Shortly after the death of the Qin Xiaogong, Shang found himself the victim of one of the harsh punishments he advocated when he was executed by being pulled apart by four chariots. Following the death of Shang Yang, the campaign against Confucian scholars continued and hundreds of Confucian scholars were buried alive. (Fu, 1996) The Qin dynasty is important in comparison to later systems because despite the substantial success it had in establishing an infrastructure and a solid base of power from which to exert authority, the system collapsed upon itself. (Ren, 1997) The harsh punishments caused revolts by people who had incentive to revolt because they would otherwise be executed. (Ren, 1997) The rule of law during the Qin dynasty was influenced by the philosophical tenets of legalism. (Fu, 1996)Legalism is a philosophy that advocates strict adherence to law and obedience to authority. The laws in question tend to focus on punishment for disobedience. (Fu, 1996)The characteristics of legalism were necessary for the government to exercise the degree of control that it did, in order to unify China, and administer this large empire. (Fu, 1996)The legal philosophy of legalism defines law as a tool used by the powers that be to enforce behavior demanded of the leadership in question. As such, legalistic philosophy focuses upon the punitive aspect of law, rather than a positive aspect(Fu, 1996). A 1975 discovery of Qin legal documents gave historians their first detailed look at the specifics of administrative and criminal law in the Qin dynasty. (Fu, 1996) In terms of punishment given for offenses, the Qin legal code offered a gamut of severity that included several forms of execution, five types of mutilation, forced labor, shaving of a beard, and any number of monetary fines. (Fu, 1996) Theft of property had many penalties that were predicated on a number of factors. Such factors included the social rank of the perpetrators, the number of participants, and the value of the property stolen (or targeted for theft). (Fu, 1996)Punishments in the category of theft ranged from monetary fines to terms of bonded service. In the area of violent crimes, the penalties are clear and precise. An act of violence against a spouse or child warrants cutting off of a beard, as does mutilation of another in a fight. (Fu, 1996) The killing of children is punished with tattooing and hard labor. This only applies if the child in question is without physical or mental defects; in other cases, it is not illegal to kill a child. Conspiracy to commit murder is punishable by death, as is the murder of a male heir to a relative. Despite the reputation of Qin justice as cruel and arbitrary, investigation of crimes was done in a fairly meticulous manner. (Fu, 1996) Torture of witnesses, for example, had to be documented, and was only allowed in cases where a witness’ statement, freely given, did not make sense or contradicted known facts of the case. (Fu, 1996)It is also noted in Qin law that flogging is not the preferred way to obtain accurate information. In general, the laws of the Qin dynasty, rather than being arbitrary and cruel, reflect a sophisticated consideration of such matters as intent, mens rea, and degree of severity. (Fu, 1996)While the penalties outlined may seem to be quite extreme, they reflect nothing more than the practices and standards of the time and culture in which they were executed. (Fu, 1996) The Han dynasty is recognized for centralizing the Chinese empire and dissolving the noble-run state system. (Perenboom, 2002) In the place of the feudal system, the Han developed a bureaucracy, ostensibly merit-based, which would last for the next two millennia. Although we know less about the Han legal system than we do the later dynasties, the Han dynasty is worth a discussion because of the foundations it laid for physical and political infrastructure. (Perenboom, 2002) The population of the Chinese Empire under the Han was about 50 million. (Perenboom, 2002) It was during this period that the Silk Road, the trade route to the west, was developed. (Perenboom, 2002) Although the Han adopted Confucianism as the official state doctrine legalist influences remaining in the penal emphasis of the system and the formulaic quality of the laws (the crime of x is punished with y). From a Confucian perspective, modeling proper conduct was the best way to maintain order. (Perenboom, 2002) These rules of behavior are called li, a general code of proper human conduct in human society. (Perenboom, 2002) These rules incorporate institutions and relationships that are necessary for harmonious living. Legalists, however, propounded a written law with specific punishments that would deter bad behavior, which is referred to as fa. (Perenboom, 2002) Where li is designed to prevent conflict, fa is designed to punish it, and thereby deter. The school of philosophy based on the teachings of Confucius (551-479 BC) formed the basis of the traditional political system beginning in the Han Dynasty. (Perenboom, 2002) Confucius was from a minor noble family in what is now Shantung province. Although he never obtained an official position of any significant power, his students passed on his teaching on government and social relationships. (Perenboom, 2002) Confucianism recognizes five key relationships in society, each with its correct virtue. One of the most important was the relationship between father and son, and the primary virtue in that relationship was filial piety. (Perenboom, 2002) Another key relationship was that between ruler and subject, where loyalty was the proper attribution. (Perenboom, 2002) Brothers should exhibit, not surprisingly, brotherliness, and between husband and wife love and obedience was paramount. (Perenboom, 2002) Finally, between friends there should be faithfulness. (Perenboom, 2002) The moral feelings and obligations between people generally, and in the five relationships especially, are called jen. In Confucian thought, there is no separation between duties and mores in and to the family and the state. (Rosett, Cheng, Woo, 2003) Although the emperor has the greatest responsibility because he must care for his subjects as his children but he has little accountability to them. (Rosett, Cheng, Woo, 2003) The people’s relationship with the emperor is within the relationship of filial piety, they depend on him to be fair and act in their best interest, but they have no right to expect him to do so, and no recourse when he did not. The emperor was not accountable to the law; he had absolute authority to change and overrule the law on a case-by-case basis. He could also issue edicts to change the laws, and create ex post facto law. The hierarchy of relationships (li) was primary to the codified law (fa), and where the two conflicted the li should triumph. (Rosett, Cheng, Woo, 2003) Individual rights were subjugated to the paternalistic authority of the state. (Rosett, Cheng, Woo, 2003) Adherents to Confucianism were suspicious of an institutional law but accepted it as a necessary evil. Confucianists argued that a legal system of fa would encourage people to act exclusively in self-interest and lead to corruption. (Hucker, 1975) If everyone acted in their proper roles in accordance with the li and in the interest of their family and the state as the two concentric duties, theoretically there would be no need for a legal system. (Hucker, 1975) Practically, however, Confucian officials knew punishment would still be necessary where people failed to obey the li. However, Confucian scholars continued to argue that the moral training of the ruler was more useful to promote harmony than coercion. (Hucker, 1975) In the end, the Chinese legal system had a healthy amount of both. (Hucker, 1975) The first Han Emperor, Gaozu (256-195 BC), was one of only two Chinese emperors to rise from the peasant class. (Hucker, 1975) During the Qin dynasty, he was a low-level police officer in Jiangsu province who was detained in his duty of transporting prisoners by bad weather. According to the laws of the legalist Qin, this failure, even though he was not at fault, was punishable by death. Having nothing to lose, he led the prisoners in revolt. (Hucker, 1975) This group eventually grew into an army and he ended up in position to overthrow the Qin and establish a dynasty of his own. (Hucker, 1975) Although Confucianism was embraced as the official state doctrine, Gaozu recognized the importance of creating a written legal code. (Dull Chu, 1972) The official in charge of the legal code was Xiao He, who had served with Gaozu during the uprising. The code eventually the legal code took up 906 volumes, and was divided into 60 sections. (Dull Chu, 1972) Under Emperor Wu Di, the official Dong Zhongshu required that the verdicts be supported by a rationale which applied the statutes to the facts of the case. (Dull Chu, 1972) It was during this period that the first laws against the killing of slaves appeared. In addition, nobles and officials were not permitted any deference compared to peasants when it came to prosecution and punishment. (Dull Chu, 1972) Dong also imbued the laws with elements cosmic harmony. He believed that the legal system should try to sort out imbalances in yin and yang and reflect the harmony of the five elements: wood, fire, earth, metal and water. (Dull Chu, 1972) Despite the wide application of laws, severe and grisly punishments were still popular. (Dull Chu, 1972) Typical punishments included killing of the defendant’s relatives, facial tattooing (particularly for theft), castration, amputation of the nose or of one or more of the feet, wearing an iron collar, exile, and a variety of methods of execution, such as death by cutting in two at the waist, boiling and beheading. Among the non-capital punishments, minor offenders were often subject to long terms of servitude on state projects. (Dull Chu, 1972) Exile was also used as a common punishment during the Han dynasty. (Dull Chu, 1972) Despite the similarities between Qin and Han law and punishment, the Confuscian philosophy of the Han dynasty became the one from which the rule of future dynasties would derive, while the legacy of the Qin dynasty was largely lost in the annels of history.

Pancreas Essays -- science

Pancreas Name and Functions The part I researched, which has only one name, is the pancreas. The pancreas is an organ that produces digestive juices necessary to break down food. It also produces insulin and glucagons. Insulin and glucagons are two hormones needed to break down sugar and to regulate our metabolism. The pancreas provides a lot of power to the body. For example, it allows you to eat many foods and allows your body to feed your cells the energy they need. It also allows you to exercise without decreasing your blood sugar. As you can see the pancreas has a lot of jobs, without the pancreas it would be difficult to live. Organization in the Body If you didnft have a pancreas you would have to give yourself hypodermic shots everyday for the rest of your life. The pancreas is part of the digestive system. Organs located near the pancreas are the stomach, the small intestine, the liver, and the gallbladder. The stomachfs function is to digest and store food and the small intestine and it is used for digestion and the absorption of nutrients. To absorb nutrients, take out poisons, and produce bile you need the liver, and to store that bile you need the gallbladder. The pancreas is located deep in the abdomen between the spine and stomach. It is partially behind your stomach but the other part nestles in the curve of the duodenum. The digestive juices in the pancreas flow through a duct to the duodenum into the small intestine. The digestive juices con...