The Process of Decision Making Essay Example for Free

The Process of Decision Making Essay Making tough decisions is a process that takes time and practice, knowing how to make effective decisions can make all the difference when facing a tough choice. About a year ago I decided to go back to college and finish my degree, and this is a choice I am very proud of. The steps to making decisions can be whatever the decision maker wants them to be, but there is a process to follow. The first thing I did was assessed the financial situation I am in and realized that it was never going to get any better if I did not do something about it, next I looked into different university’s and technical colleges, as well as kept in mind the hours I would be available to go to campus and attend lecture classes, I then realized that online campus was the best choice for me and my family I do not have to spend time away from them. That is when I made my choice to attend University of Phoenix, I then discussed my choice to my family to make sure I had their support and get any feedback. I then called the admissions department and enrolled, I really have not evaluated the results since I know this is the right thing to do and I can see the results. I feel that my process was very similar to the book my only difference was that I did not generate alternative solutions since going back to school was the only solution, and I did not evaluate the decision. I really do not think that the outcome would be any different if I used the steps the way they are in the book â€Å"(1) identify and diagnose the problem, (2) generate alternative solutions, (3) evaluate alternatives, (4) make the choice, (5) implement the decision, and (6) evaluate the decision† (Bateman Snell, 2011, pg. 89. )

Alternative Recycling Materials For Bricks Production Construction Essay

Alternative Recycling Materials For Bricks Production Construction Essay 2.1 Introduction In this chapter, it will discuss and study into the commonly used which is conventional and traditional materials for bricks production in current construction industry, as according to Thomas (1996), currently in over the world, there got multiple types of choice in bricks manufactured from wide range of material, but yet in western world, bricks are usually produced by these common material such as fired clay, calcium silicate which known as sand lime and flint lime or concrete. Hence 3 types of commonly traditional material in term of properties and details will be highlighted in this chapter which is calcium silicate bricks, concrete bricks and clay bricks. Moreover, this chapter will also further discuss and look into several types of recycling materials which is potential for bricks production such as bottom ash and fly ash, recycled fine aggregates and sea sand and etc. In accordance to that, comparison in all aspect between the traditional and alternative recycling materials used to produce bricks will be discuss and describe in order to find out the difference in between their characteristic. 2.2 Conventional and traditional materials for bricks production 2.2.1 Clay Bricks According to Yvonne (1996), she mentioned that these clay bricks are consider as one and only most efficient materials which has been widely used in terms of their energy consumption. Clay brick can be consider as the one of the type that are most commonly used bricks and application by contractors in construction industry nowadays, in Malaysia construction these type of clay bricks in term of usage and application has to be refer to BS 3921:1895. By referring regard with BS 3921:1895, the work size dimension of clay brick had been set to 215102.5x65mm while coordination size is 225112.5x75mm, work size is consider as the actual size of brick that should conform within specified permissible deviation while coordination size provide the meaning of the size of coordinating space allocated and specified to a brick including allowances for joints and tolerances (Horng 2010). Clay bricks are mainly produced from the natural material which is fired clay that consist a wide range of different colour and textures. They can be manufactured in many different shapes, sizes and strengths, in fact in term of properties such as water absorption, suction rate and compressive strength also can be control and produce. These properties are determined mainly by the kiln, method of forming the bricks in specific shape whether by manually moulding or extrusion and also type of clay used (Thomas 1996). Basically there are three varieties of clay bricks available which are Common bricks, Facing bricks and Engineering bricks. According to Taylor (1994), common bricks are ordinary bricks which have no special claim and design to give an attractive good finished appearance and high strength, which in fact in general also consider as the cheapest bricks available. While for facing bricks are specially designed and made to give an attractive appearance which was free from imper fection that require extra rendering or plaster to the surface such as cracks. Whereas engineering bricks was consist the most highest density and well fire which are designed primarily with strong vitreous body for strength and durability, due to the more complicated process to produce these bricks hence it price also cost higher than the other types. Figure 2.1: Common bricks Common Brick Product Code: Mbc2002Common Brick Product Code: Mbc2011Common Brick Product Code: Mbc2024Source: The Matching Brick Company (1991) , viewed 15 July 2012, Figure 2.2: Facing bricks Stock Facing Brick Product Code: Mbc4006Waterstruck Facing Brick Product Code: Mbc5001Waterstruck Facing Brick Product Code: Mbc5016Source: The Matching Brick Company (1991), viewed 15 July 2012, Figure 2.3: Engineering bricks Engineering Brick Product Code: Mbc1001 Engineering Brick Product Code: Mbc1002 Engineering Brick Product Code: Mbc1008Source: The Matching Brick Company (1991), viewed 15 July 2012, Manufacturing technique for the production of clay bricks have been evolving from initially which is by hand moulded processes to modern mechanization. At present according to Bas (1999), brick productions consist of five basic stages that can be found and allocate everywhere around the world, each of the operations are interdependent and brick will follow through these stages in a way designed specifically to suit raw material used and the final product. Figure 2.4 illustrate the main stages in clay brick manufacture. Figure 2.4 General flow of materials in brick production Source: (Bas 1999, p. 5) As show in Figure 2.4, the first stage is clay preparation, during this stage when clay are being digging out, it is prepare by crushing and mixing until uniform consistency and in order to make clay suitable for brick making, it must be mixed with water so that to increase plasticity, before it is transfer toward brick moulding machine, few day resting and left alone is necessary. Bricks moulding technique is designed to suit the moisture content of clay, bricks can either be moulding through hand or machine, normally the usually used method used to increase moisture content as stated by Taylor (1994) are semi-dry process, stiff plastic process, wire cut process and soft mud process. After moulding, the brick will undergo the second stages which is Drying stages, it is carried out to let the humidity or moisture content inside the bricks to run free or escape in order to prevent the wet brick cracks inside when temperature is rapidly increase during fire, in fact the process also en ables and assist the firing temperature rises and increased smoothly without problem such gases and vapour are trapped within the bricks that are namely Bloating. Then following stage is pre-heating where the bricks are heated constantly but slowly mainly to avoid cracking, during the firing stages, the purpose is to let the brick increase in strength and decrease the soluble salt content by ensure localized melting sintering of the clay, there are 4 main processes which are clamps, continuous kilns and tunnel kilns. The last stage which is cooling stages, the bricks are stack and cooled down in kiln after fired, this stages is necessary because bricks can result in crack inside which will indirectly cause loss of strength when temperature is rapid rise and then rapidly cool down. According to Richard and Kreh (1990), all properties of structural clay product such as brick are affected by the composition of the raw material use and the manufacturing process. The important properties are strength, durability, colour, texture and absorption. In fact, each brick used in construction are required to be tested first before proceed to the next stage in masonry construction. Sadek and Roslan (2011) stated that compressive strength of brick is important as an indicator of masonry strength and indirectly brick strength become an important requirement in brickwork design. Strength is known as resistance of brick needed to increase in term of load when stress constantly appeared on it before it breaks. For the properties of durability of clay brick is much more likely to be a problem than its strength since in most situation, clay bricks are very much stronger than is required structurally (Taylor 1994). Colour and finished of the clay brick are determine by the chemical composition of natural clay and mineral which added to the natural clay, another factor that influences or affect it colour is depends on how well the temperature during firing being control in kiln clay burned period (Richard and Kreh 1990). Whereas for texture properties in bricks, it is the arrangement of particles of raw materials in brick such as hard and smooth finish should had fine f inish or texture, normally many textures can be achieve or obtained during the stiff mud process. Lastly for absorption, it may be an important property of clay bricks, since bricks that have very low absorption are invariably of high durability, Richard and Kreh (1990) argues that the water content of bricks must be correct to obtain the best result from combining of brick and mortar to form a wall. It is frequently ignored and forgot in construction which indirectly cause the strength and durability of the wall are affected. According to William (2001) Fire Bricks which is also one of the clay mould bricks which using the refractory clay to produce is consider as a special bricks which can withstand and resist much more higher of heat and temperature. The bricks are mainly application for builder to construct lining chimney shafts, boilers and kilns or for those work activities or building which require excessive resistance toward heat. Eeydzah (2010) mentioned that even though these bricks are much weaker, but compare to other the advantage is much lighter, easier to form and produce and also insulation properties is way much better than dense bricks. 2.2.2 Concrete Bricks According to Hafiz (2010), the concrete bricks are usually and one of the most used in the construction industry as wall panel and partially drains. Concrete brick are produced from a controlled mixture of Portland cement and aggregates in sizes, colours, and proportions which are similar to clay bricks that can be served as a purpose of loadbearing or non load bearing (Beall 1993). Normally these concrete bricks production need to fulfill and comply with all the appropriate requirements as stated in BS6073: Part 2 1981 specification for precast concrete masonry unit (Thomas 1996). Horng (2010) stated that the concrete is hardened by conventional water curing process or special compression method whereas BS 1180 mentioned that the minimum requirements and the classification of these types of bricks are common with sand-lime bricks. William (2001) stated there have another type of concrete brick which is different in term of material of production, instead of cement and sand, it is actually made with cement and furnace clinker or fly ash. These bricks are built into various positions in walling mainly to help and allow those especially internal housing decoration such as picture rails, skirting, serving hatches and door frame can be secured by using nailing and nailed into them. Normally the natural colour of concrete bricks are cement colour which is greyish, but nowadays pigments are allowable which then give a range of colour such as of brown and reds are produced (Yvonne 1996). Taylor (1994) also mentioned that concrete bricks BS 6073 are relatively one of the concrete brick that are recently introduced, these bricks are comprising well compacted, low workability concrete mixes of appropriate aggregates size, leading to products of high strength and durability. In fact the properties such as colour and textures can be control which can give a final appearance very similar to clay bricks, and are most important are it is free from efflorescence but due to different movement characteristic, these type of bricks are suggested not to bond with other brick types as it will affect their structural strength and dulability. 2.2.3 Calcium Silicate (Sand-Lime) Bricks According to Taylor (1994), these bricks are made by combine and blending the finely ground sand or flint and lime together uniformly in the approximate ratio of 10:1. After that the semi dry mixture is then pressed into mould in shape and cured in an autoclave for two or three hour to speed the chemical hardening. The finished of these bricks are quite natural and uniform, the colour of the bricks is darker when wet than when dry. Thomas (1996) specified that all these bricks requirements are required to comply to BS 187:1978. Beall (1993) defines that calcium silicate brick are the most widely and extensively used by contractors in industrialized countries such as Europe, Russia, Australia and United States, the main reason is because the suitable siliceous sands are more readily available compare to clay in their country, in fact it has been broadly manufactured and produces in United States in the early year of 1900s. Taylor (1994) stated that the main properties of calcium silicate bricks are: A high degree of regularity, with a choice of surface texture ranging from smooth to rustic. A wide range of colour as pigment can be added which then available to produced various type of colour Very low soluble salt content, hence is fine with efflorescence Relatively higher moisture movement compare to other bricks Compressive strength with range 7-50 N/mm2 (BS187) Good overall durability in clean atmosphere, but they may deteriorate slowly in polluted sulphur containing atmosphere. 2.3 Recycling materials for bricks production 2.3.1 Bottom ash and fly ash According to Safiuddin (2010), Fly ash (FA) and bottom ash (BA) are produces as a by-product from municipal solid waste incinerators and coal fuelled power stations, it is a highly dispersible powder which contain mainly aluminosilicare and derriferrous glassy spherical particle and irregularly shaped grains of amorphous clay, mullite quartz and unburned metamorphic fuel whereas BA consists of irregular particles that can be add up to 10-15mm in size. The chemical compositions of both ashes from same power plant are similar. Fly ash which obtained from coal combustion is frequently used in add into concrete due to cost saving by substitute the material of portland cement, the pozzolanic properties of fly ash can improve the strength of concrete which can be found during curing at 38 Degree Celsius that it greatly accelerates its contribution to the strength of concrete (Orchard 1979). Lingling, Wei, Tao and Nanru (2005) found out that fly ash can actually improves the compressive strength of bricks and increase their resistant toward frost attack whereas Cicek and Tanriverdi (2007) also realized the positive effect of fly ash on the compressive strength of bricks during his studies research. According to Kumar (2002), he clearly stated that sufficient strength which comply to the minimum requirement of bricks can be achieve in produce brick by using these fly ash hence it have potential to use as substitute of conventional clay bricks and blocks. Naganathan et al (2012) also defined that the strength of bricks increase with the increase in fly ash, in fact he conclude that bricks of good quality can be made by using bottom ash and fly ash whereby contributing to sustainable building. Figure 2.5 clearly illustrate that the evidence and application of both of fly ash and bottom ash in real construction, from here we tend to believe that both fly ash and bottom ash since years ago already is one of the waste materials that can be trusted and widely apply by other country to recycled and apply back to construction to produce various type of material such as bricks. Figure 2.5: Application of waste material in real construction. Souce : (Safiudin 2010, p. 1960) According to Naganathan (2012), there got a lot of advantages of using bottom ash and fly ash in brick making, mainly can consuming large volume of waste which then indirectly reduced the environmental problem which cause by dumping these waste in landfill and ash pond, moreover it also help enhance the properties and performance of bricks, in fact it do contribute to sustainable development and assist developers to get green building index points. 2.3.2 Recycled fine aggregates According to Ismail and Yaacob (2010), the initially and inventive use of recycled fine aggregates began and start at the end of World war II during the time when the nation of European fed problem in rubble material disposal. Which then the RILEM Technical Committee take an important steps of publishing in promoting the recycling aggregates which finally end up followed by several number of researchers around the world. In the studies research of Ismail and Yaacob (2010), it stated that brick dimension is influenced by material content and the density of constituent materials, their study focus on average brick dimension which was calculate and evaluated from 10 samples each group regarding length, width, depth, area and volume. Figure 2.6 show the summarized of average brick dimension and clearly stated and summarized that bricks with recycled fine aggregates had an uniform size and surface area similar to bricks with conventional materials. Figure 2.6 The dimensions of brick specimens Source : (Ismail and Yaacob 2010, p. 880) 2.3.2.2 Brick Density The density of brick specimen was calculated by dividing the weight with volume. In figure 2.7 stated that the density of control bricks was 2032.3 kg/m3 which mean the result of the density for brick content 50% recycled fine aggregate slightly increase 1.7% if compared with control brick. Conclusion in the figure show average density of brick by using recycled fine aggregates are much lower compare to control brick, even the most lower can be observed in brick with 100% content of recycled aggregates which reduce 3.5 % ( Ismail and Yaacob 2010). Figure 2.7 The average density of bricks with recycled fine aggregates Source : (Ismail and Yaacob 2010, p. 880) 2.3.2.3 Compressive strength The compressive strength of a material determines its load carrying capacity before stress apply on it and become failure. British Standard Institution states that the compressive of bricks should not be less than 7N/mm2 (Ismail and Yaacob 2010). The figure 2.8 illustrated the detailed result of compressive strength of all bricks types Figure 2.8 The average compressive strength of bricks with recycled fine aggregate Source : (Ismail and Yaacob 2010, p. 881) It can be seen from the figure, the result of compression strength of control brick is 12.32N/mm2 which mean the overall finding reveal that with additional of recycled fine aggregate can instantly increase the compressive strength. In the report, (Ismail and Yaacob) conclude that based on the test result, the bricks produced with recycled fine aggregates show positive result in each test and some even similar to brick with conventional natural material hence overall it can be utilized in brick mixture as good substitute for natural sand. 2.3.3 Sea Sand According to Hafiz (2010), use of river sand in Malaysia is very widespread in construction industry, in order to protect the environment of river and prevent erosion or flooding, seas sand are suggested to be one of the substitutions to replace river sand. The composition of sand varies from place to place depends in the sources and condition of the local rocks. Sand is classified as a unique raw material for construction industry due to allocation for obtaining bulk loads of sand for construction work. Sea sand has become a potential resource yet also consider as waste material which are capable to supply fine aggregates for domestic construction usage, in accordance to that, applications of sea sand is more economic by using river sand. Sea sand mostly contain more content of salinity or sodium chloride which may directly cause or affected the durability of structural if being ignored and without treated which then result in swilling, precipitation, sulfating and other adverse consequences. Hence precautions must be taken to eliminate to avoid unwanted hazard (Hafiz 2010). Rahman (2010) argues found out that sea sand contains significant à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“impuritiesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  such as magnesium and sodium chlorides which lead to corrosion in iron, in fact in past research, sea sand is considered unsuitable for construction industry because of its small size and unless the chloride content that caused rusting is extract or reduced. 2.3.3.1 Sieve Analysis Sea Sand The sieve analysis of sea sand is to determine the gradation of sea sand such as the distribution of aggregates particles, by size within a given sample. There are many types of sieves depends on different sieve size. The figure 2.9 show the analysis of sea sand that use as concrete aggregate. Figure 2.9 Average Granulometric Curve of typical sea sand used as concrete Source: (Hafiz 2010, p. 8) The figure show that percentage of passing sea sand to get 100% on sieve analysis and sieve size is quicker than other material. This happen due to sea sand is a fine aggregate that less retain in sieve size. As a basic material in brick mixture, a classification of aggregate is very important as it will affect the strength of brick, the advantages of this process ensure the size of apertures decrease in logarithmic fashion. 2.5 Summary During current situation, enormous quantities of domestic, industrial and construction waste are generated annually throughout the country, instead disposing all of them, this research and chapter is actually give an further detail and look into several types of potential recycling material which able to used as substitution or replacement of natural resources in brick productions. After go through this chapter, it can be noticed that even though many alternative potential recycling waste solid has been introduced but yet the awareness of public toward scarcity of natural resources is still very low, it proved by most of the traditional material such clay brick, calcium silicate bricks and concrete bricks are still among the favourite choices of construction industry, bulk by bulk quantities of these material are being produced which indirectly caused depletion of related natural resources. This chapter not only showed many advantages such as avoid negative impact toward environment by using the recycling waste solid to produce bricks instead of dumping them in open fields,in fact it also prove that the result and properties of brick manufactured by recycling material is comparative, some even prove more better in term of economic and strength, so why still hesitate on the choice ?

Reflective Essay on Reality Shows

Reflective Essay on Reality Shows Reality Shows should be Banned The main essence of reality shows is to put ordinary people in a social confined setting with extraordinary environment and activities with the aim of entertaining audiences with the illusion that what is going on is not scripted nor rehearsed. Most reality shows attempt to convince the audience that the participants of the show are being pushed to their physical, emotional or physiological limits in order to complete a specific task or attain a certain goal of which audience cheer on their favorite participant. With the change in times and technology most reality shows have gone over board and have forgotten the basic concept of reality shows and are now focusing more on entertainment than reality that has lead to increase in sexual exposure, humiliation and immorality. Reality shows have lost their way from original series like survivor to the new mediocre series of two celebrities living in a farm yard for a week. Reality TV has joined the ranks of day time entertainment and has l ost the spark of spontaneous originality from other forms of scripted entertainment. Additionally, the most famous reality shows worldwide are big brother and Idols; these two are examples of scripted and well rehearsed reality shows. In the just concluded episode of idols a judge was dared to sing out of the blue and it so happened just by â€Å"coincidence† that the band started playing a song which the judge joined in emphatically without hesitation. The crowed cheered and applauded for the â€Å"unexpected† performance by the judge. Such reality T.V. shows give viewers and more so children false hope of a â€Å"happily ever after† reality were heroes and heroines live thus insulting the intelligence of the viewers. In the case of big brother viewers are subjected to sex as a form of entertainment. Relationships formed in the big brother house give the participant a better chance of winning the competition and increase his/her ratings thus the audience spends time and money voting for the participant so they can enjoy seeing the participants relationship grow. And due to the full disclosure nature of the show all activities are broadcasted and shown live on our T.V. sets exposing and encouraging our youths, young adults and children to sex, immorality and promiscuous behaviors. Furthermore, the common comic saying â€Å"its funny until someone gets hurt, then its hilarious† comes to life in most reality shows. Producers of reality shows capitalize on the demise and misfortunes of participants. When a contestant falls down or gets hurt in anyway it is taken as a form of entertainment or comedy not knowing the humiliation and psychological trauma they instill in the participant. Examples of such shows are â€Å"show me the funny† â€Å"Real T.V.† and â€Å"Fear factor†. Show me the funny capitalizes on bloopers of home made videos which show family member having accidents such as hitting each other being bitten by a snake or having a ball hit them on their faces. Turning such perilous or even fatal accidents to o form of humor encourages children to view violence and accidents as vivacious events and not the precarious activities they are. Producers also capitalize on the eviction or the inability of a participant to complete a cer tain assignment. The humiliation and reaction of a participant being evicted or accepting defeat is a high point of most reality T.V. which is morally and ethically wrong. The failure of a fellow human being should be frowned upon and not celebrated. The planned scripting and acting that happens in reality T.V. shows insults the viewers intelligence. A good example of this is the most popular TV show on the planet, the WWE wrestling. Such shows give the viewers the misapprehensions that what is going on is ad hoc, spontaneous and impulsive and yet they are not. The physical abuse that is entailed in the WWE wrestling show is unfeasible, ridiculous and impracticable. No human being can with stand such maltreatment and continue to show aggression to his opponent with full body strength. Majority of the audience know that such reality shows are scripted and premeditated but to the young and young at heart, the level of belief and credence they have in reality shows is hazardous to their mental capability to distinguish authentic violence from fictional performances. Such reality shows affect the social interactions of youths. They encourage violence as a form of entertainment and not the atrocious, offensive conduct that it is. Suc h Reality shows have promoted violence in children which has consequently increased gang related bloodshed in America and violent behavior schools. Though most violent reality shows try and warn the audience against performing their impractical physical fetes and aptitude, audiences cannot help but to try out what they see on T.V. and in turn end up hurting themselves and others in the process. Contrarily the banning of reality shows would give us false hope of protecting our children from the bad aspect of â€Å"sex and violence† because it is not only in reality shows that our children are exposed to sex and violence, technology has made it possible for our children to access sexual contents and violent games and videos via the internet. Though banning reality shows would reduce the amount of sexual content they would be exposed to it would only pave way to new forms of sexual and violent entertainment which would conveniently reach our children. Reality TV shows are one but not the most sexually explicit forms of entertainment, so we should not elude our selves that banning reality television would solve the problem, it will only reduce it for a some time, until other forms of explicit entertainment come along. Banning reality TV will be breaking of international laws. It would be an infringement of basic rights, freedom of speech. Every and all human have the right to express themselves in a way they deem fit and so by banning reality TV show we would contravene with their democratic right to convey their grievances and views. With this in mind it would be erroneous to ban the shows since most of the producers know their rights and follow them to the latter, this will convey the violation of these rights and hence it will be impracticable. The viewers too have the absolute right to watch these shows and amuse themselves; banning these shows will create an international outcry from the viewers who derive pleasure from these shows, it will also be in breach of the viewers rights. We should also take heart in the fact that most people will se right through scripted reality shows. We live in an informed world where information is at our finger tips. The shallow scripts and predictability of mediocre reality TV are clichà ©s and with time audiences will distinguish between scripted premeditated and organized reality TV shows and the real thing. At the end of the day if a reality show does not appeal to your everyday life and situation then one should know that the show is scripted. More so with information and technology easy accessibility most viewers get to know the hollowness of reality TV shows and watch them primly for entertainment. This makes the banning of the shows irrelevant and unimportant because to the viewers they are more or less a form of amusement. Finally we need to accept that reality shows have fallen from grace and are not what they used to be. We need to ask ourselves who is to blame, the producers who make the reality TV shows or we the audience who give the producers reason to dramatize reality in a sexually immoral way that that affect the behavior and morals of our young. If the producers made real reality shows that speak to the day to day events of our lives would we watch them with the same interests we watch the current scripted shows? Would we still enjoy the true conflicts triumphs and struggles or are we already hooked to the soap opera type of reality TV that is being broadcasted through out the world/ are we our own worst victims, influencing the increase of sex violence and immorality that is reality TV shows? Or should we shift the blame to those who produce the shows? If we didnt create a market for low quality TV productions would our children be exposed to such appalling entertainment range? The question remains would it help if reality TV was banned? References Murray, S. Ouellete, L. (2008). Reality TV: Remaking Television Culture.(2nd Ed). New York, NYU Press.

Graduation Speech: What is Education? :: Graduation Speech, Commencement Address

My goal tonight is to motivate you and to encourage others to get their diploma. I'll start with a quote: Education is what you have left over after you have forgotten everything you have learned. Let me repeat that. Education is what you have left over after you have forgotten everything you have learned. I think that quote applies to me because I had to forget what I was taught growing up. And, what I was left with is my diploma and education, but more so, wisdom. I'm up here tonight because some people in this community opened up their ears, hearts, and homes to me. I was struggling when I first came to County High. I had failed seventh grade, actually I passed with 'F's" but my mom held me back. I was a very depressed and suicidal kid back then. I spent a lot of time in other people's homes who could provide me with comfort and guidance. County High's staff was patient with me. Susan M. was my middle school teacher at and she recently reminded me of how I used to sit in corners or under desks to do my school work or study. But soon I came out from the shadows and with some positive support, I went on to Lake County High School with A's and B's. I went to another school but I didn't make it there. When you lose your wind, you are ready to give up. You think that there is no point in trying. You don't believe you can do it. But County High is home to me. Bob and Jane are my parents and the students are my brother and sisters. Over the years that I have been at County High my self-esteem has risen. My determination has become stronger and my future has become much brighter. Now I didn't just come to County High a wreck and leave a happy little flower. It's been a process with many stepping stones from caring people in this community. I remember my friend's brother offering to pay for a school sport if I wanted to join. I didn't, but just that offer opened a door. I didn't know I could do that, I thought it was for other kids. Not for people like me. I wasn't aware of many things in my teenage years because I hadn't experienced them with my family.

Enlightenment: The Light Bulb Of The 1700s :: essays research papers

Enlightenment: The Light Bulb of the 1700's Throughout history many people have changed society with their ideas and actions. Two philosophers whose ideas and actions changed society are Voltaire and John Lock. Martin Luther and Galileo also changed society. John Lock and Voltaire both fought for basic human rights. Voltaire fought for basic religious freedom. He claimed that if god created the Catholic religion and god loves all people, then why does the Catholic religion have the right to torment other religions. As a result of this, Voltaire was exiled. John Lock also fought for human rights. He thought that government should protect the people. John Locke and Voltaire both spoke against a major power. Voltaire spoke against the church while Locke spoke against the government. Thus, change began occurring in both the church and government. John Locke and Voltaire changed society, because now people were beginning to challenge authority. John Locke influenced Thomas Jefferson because Thomas Jefferson believed in life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Martin Luther and Galileo both disagreed with certain things that the church believed in. Martin Luther said that the only way to atone for your sins were through prayer and contrition. In his 95 Thesis he established that salvation is within oneself and that individual faith in God is very important . But the church did not see it that way. The church believed that the only way to atone for your sins were through indulgences. Indulgences were paying for the removal of your sins. Martin Luther was later excommunicated from the church. Galileo also disagreed with certain things that the church believed in. Galileo proved Aristotle's theory wrong about gravity. One night during dinner, Galileo picked up two pieces of fruit of unequal size. He then dropped them and established that they dropped at the same rate. The church had believed Aristotle's theory. Aristotle said that the two pieces of fruit of unequal size would drop at different rates. Although his theory might have been correct, he

Human Event Essay

Point: to argue that a balance of both texts' strategies are most effective l. Opening sentences] define leadership. What makes a good leader. Or a quote from a good leader II. Background on Chinese historic] In 500 BC, the Chou Dynasty was falling apart and there was civil strife. Confucius tried to bring people together through ritual and culture. Sun Tug was an ancient ill. No one can follow a leader without a balance of both strict rules and humanity lb.Thesis: Although the Confucius and Sun Tug share different points of view on leadership, a balance of both strategies would e the most effective in times of both war and peace. II. Rebuttal I. Include somewhere either in beginning or the end. I'. Each theory on political leadership is different and can be used effectively and separately because there is more than one way to win the hearts of the people. Ill. Confucius can easily win the hearts of the people through the moral values and cultures of China lb.Sun Tug can easily win a war through his strategic skills and defense tactics Ill. How Confucius strategies alone will not work. His teachings are all about the value and culture. He doesn't give the best advice as to how to win a war though I. 13. 120 â€Å"even with a true king, it would certainly take one generation for humanity to prevail† if. 12. 210 â€Å"always put the effort before the reward; is this not the way to accumulate moral power? To attack evil in itself ill. 8. 90 â€Å"you can make people follow the Way, you cannot make them understand it† define what the Way means. Lb. 5. 00 † there was a time went I used to listen to what people said and trusted that they would act accordingly, but not I listen to what they say and watch what they do† e contradicts himself v. 2. 30 â€Å"lead them by political maneuvers, restrain them with punishments: the people will become cunning and shameless. † Another contradiction IV. How Sun Tutu's strategies alone will not wo rk. Book doesn't display any uses of humanity and only focuses on how to gain victory. L. â€Å"In order to kill the enemy, men must be roused to anger; that there may be advantage from defeating the enemy, they must have their rewards† (46) ii.Sun Tug beheads two girls for disobeying him and disobeys his master by beheading them when he said not to hen says â€Å"there are commands of the sovereign which must not be obeyed† (12). Sun Tug shows no humanity in his leadership and performs his actions to prove a point I†. â€Å"In war, the way to avoid what is strong is to strike what Is weak† too harsh on people. (62) iv. â€Å"He wins his battles by making no mistakes† (53) must complete perfection to gain victory, but no one is perfect and every one will make a mistake at some point. V. The use of humanity and kindness by Confucius.There is no need to kill the bad if unnecessary. I. 12. 190 â€Å"suppose I were to kill the bad to help the good; how about that? â€Å"you are here to govern; what need Is there to kill? If you desire what Is good, the people will be good. The moral power of gentleman Is wind, the moral power of the common man Is grass. Under the wind, the grass must bend. † II. 12. 220 love all men and no one contradicts you-is this not almost a case of ‘one single maxim that could ruin a country? † must understand your own faults even as a leader or else whole country will fall ‘v. . 190 â€Å"raise the straight and set them above the crooked, and you will win the hearts of the people. If you raise the crooked and set them abaca the trait, the people will deny you their support† v. 2. 200 ‘Approach them with dignity and they will be respectful. Be yourself and a good son and a kind father, and they will be loyal. Raise the good and train the incompetent, and they will be zealous† VI. The use of spies and deceit by Tug can be used effectively to ensure your country or even company will succeed. I. â€Å"all warfare is based on deception† (42) it.Explain how all 5 uses of spying can be used. â€Å"Without subtle ingenuity of mind, one cannot make certain of the truth of their reports† (98) iii. Doomed spies are robbery the most confusing and difficult type of spy but can be the most helpful because it will distract the other side from the real truth. ‘v. Uses deceit to win war, be very tricky. Best way to gain an advantage on your enemy. † if he is inactive, give him no rest. If his forces are united, separate them. Attack him where he is unprepared, appear where you are not expected† (43) VI'.Combining both strategies and how it will prove to be most effective in leading a country or wartime against other countries. Effective way to rule a country with the balancing of both strategies ill help because one is more on humanity and ritual while the other is more on war and doing anything possible to win. I. 12. 70 â⠂¬Å"if you had to do without one of these three, which would you give up? † â€Å"weapons, then food; after all, everyone has to die eventually. But without the trust of the people, no government can stand† gaining trust will be effective in ruling a country. People must trust the leader or else he will not be followed. T. 8. 20 â€Å"when gentlemen treat their kin generously, common people are attracted to goodness; when old ties are not forgotten, common people are not sickle. † iii. 7. 310 â€Å"whenever I make a mistake, there is always someone to notice it† good to learn your mistakes even as a leader. No one is perfect not even leaders ‘v. 7. 260 â€Å"a perfect man, I cannot hope to meet. I would be content if only I could meet a principled man† no leader will be perfect and the leader must be well taught and know literature v. â€Å"in war, a general receives his commands from the sovereign, collects his army and concentrates his forc es† (69) vi. . 70 â€Å"a gentleman avoids competition† goes well with â€Å"when able to attack, we must seem unable; when using our forces we must seem inactive† (42 vii. â€Å"Hence it is only the enlightened ruler and the wise general who will use the highest intelligence of the army for purposes of spying, and thereby they achieve great results† (99) viii. â€Å"the general who is unable to control his impatience will launch his men to the assault like swarming ants, with the result that one-third of his men are slain. † (49) VIII. So now what? Today's society I. Apply to our past presidents and how they led our country ii.How these leadership philosophies can be applied to businesses iii. Explain how philosophies are applied to the war strategies we use today Write an argumentative analytic comparison of the political leadership philosophies advanced in The Analects of Confucius and The Art of War. For example, your thesis might compare the id eas of Sun Tug and Confucius on political leadership and argue (I. E. , in times of war/peace, for democracies/monarchies, etc. ), you might argue that a balance of both texts' strategies are most effective, you might argue that both texts are fundamentally advocating similar behaviors, etc.

Ken Kesey’s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest Essay

I. Introduction The book One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s nest is the result of Ken Kesey’s own experience during his work in mental institution in late 1950s. This book reflects the themes of individuality and rebellion of that time that include protest against conformity. It is the story of one small rebellion that was successful through a big sacrifice. The book is largely symbolic and many characters and things in it are allegoric. II. Body Rebellion is the major theme in the book. It is shown as a confrontation between protagonist Randle McMurphy and antagonist Nurse Ratched. Before McMurphy entered the ward, it was the small structured society of mentally ill patients ruled by powerful Nurse Ratched who weakens them by psychological manipulation. There is no chance that anybody would defy her. After the arrival of McMurphy the situation changed dramatically because this patient is sane and has a strong personality. The figure of McMurphy is symbolic in the way how he sacrificed himself to let the patients realize who they are and regain their spirits. The narrator of the story, Chief Bromden, realizes that he is not weak and breaks free from the ward. McMurphy is compared to Christ in many ways: he is sacrificed, crucified on the table with electroshock; he gathers disciples around him and arranges the fishing trip as Christ who led his twelve disciples to the sea to test their faith. III. Conclusion The book has made a big impression on me in the way how individuality is confronted with the submission and conformism. It teaches rebellion against humiliation of human nature. However, I dislike the author’s view of women as the castrators of men in this book. Nurse Ratched is portrayed as a horrible creature who has no feminine features about her. I liked the figure of prostitute Candy, although she is shown only as the means to relieve Billy Bibbit. Having many symbols and allegories, this book makes us think and not only entertain ourselves.