Drug Legalization Essays (782 words) - Drug Control Law,

Drug Legalization Will the legalization of certain drugs reduce the crime rate in the United States? This question has baffled United States lawmakers, reformists, and citizens alike for so long that many people probably consider it a rhetorical question. With this in mind, I think that the only solution would be to go to the research and see what studies would say about the dilemma. For this particular paper, I found some research that looked at the legalization of marijuana in the United States, and I think for all intensive purposes, it is the best drug to discuss in respect to legalization anyway. To be completely honest, I think that marijuana should be legalized in our country. That is just a personal opinion, that I'm sure is shared by the majority of kids that are my age as well. But, personally I do not use marijuana for medical or medicinal purposes, but at least fifty percent of the people that I associate with do use it so I am familiar with it. One of the reasons that I think it should be legalized is the fact that alcohol is legal. In all of my experiences with the two drugs, I believe that the effects of alcohol definitely outweigh those of marijuana. Let's just say that I would much rather be on the highway with someone who is stoned on pot than to be on the highway with someone that is really drunk. I also think that legalizing marijuana would cause the supply and demand to shift and the price would plummet, alleviating the need of some to rob and kill for enough money to support their habit. I could argue my point for paragraphs, but instead, I will see what research says about it, and who knows, I may change my mind. The article that I used for this paper came from the June 1998 issue of The Journal of Legal Medicine. It is entitled "Is the debate a Smoke Screen for Movement Toward Legalization." The author cites in the article an episode of the sitcom Murphy brown, where actress Candice Bergen smokes a joint on national television for medicinal purposes while suffering from breast cancer. The author believes that the nationally televised sitcom endorsed a drug that has not been accepted by the FDA yet and that the event may be a foreshadowing of the future of the drug in our country. In the article, the author posed the same question that we are faced with in this essay? The author believes that before the US legalizes the drug, that they should look at another country's experiences with crime where the drug is legal. In this particular case, he uses Holland as a comparison. The statistics that he found were very shocking to me. The author of the article found that: "between 1984 and 1992, marijuana use among males between the ages of 12 and 18 increased by 277 percent." During this particular time; "shootings increased 40 percent, car thefts increased 62 percent, and hold-ups increased 69 percent." Whether or not these statistics can be proven to be due to the legalization of marijuana is hard to prove, but they definitely make one think about it. Also in the article, the author reveals that: "75 percent of criminal offenders in the United States believe that they were under some influence of marijuana at the time of the crime, and 7 percent of those who committed homicides believe their actions were directly related to their use of marijuana." Although there are flaws on both sides of the dispute, one of the strongest points to the anti-legalization movement is the argument that marijuana is a gateway drug which leads to the use of harder, more addictive drugs. In this particular article, the author cites a study in which out of all of the persons studied, "20 percent of persons who use marijuana were three to ten times more likely to go on to use cocaine, and 75 percent of persons who used marijuana 100 or more times later used cocaine." Another strong argument is that if the US legalizes the drug for medicinal purposes, then it will precipitate the legalization of marijuana on a higher scale, a more recreational scale. So, the only thing that I can conclude is that the legalization of marijuana is a very problematic dilemma that the United States has been faced with for many years. Both sides have considerable arguments, but there is still so much controversy and gray area that follows

Plane Crash Essays - Boeing 747, Boeing 747-8, Fatigue, Stall

Plane Crash Essays - Boeing 747, Boeing 747-8, Fatigue, Stall Plane Crash Instructor: Greg Alston Abstract This paper examines the in-flight separation of the number two pylon and engine from a Boeing 747-121 shortly after takeoff from the Anchorage International Airport on March 31, 1993. The safety issues discussed focus on the inspection of Boeing 747 engine pylons, meteorological hazards to aircraft, the lateral load-carrying capability of engine pylon structures, and aircraft departure routes at Anchorage International Airport during turbulent weather conditions. Shortly after noon on March 31, 1993 the number two engine and pylon separated from Japan Airlines Inc. flight 46E shortly after departure from the Anchorage International Airport. The aircraft, a Boeing 747-121, had been leased from Evergreen International Airlines Inc. The flight was a scheduled cargo flight from Anchorage to Chicago-O'Hare International Airport. On board the airplane was the flight crew and two nonrevenue company employees. The airplane was substantialy damaged during the separation of the engine but no one on board the airplane or on the ground was injured. Flight 46E departed Anchorage about 1224 local time. The flight release and weather package provided to the pilots by Evergreen operations contained a forecast for severe turbulence. As fight 46E taxied onto the runway to await its takeoff clearance, the local controller informed the flight crew that the pilot of another Evergreen aircraft reported severe turbulence at 2,500 feet while climbing out from runway 6R. After takeoff, at an altitude of about 2,000 feet, the airplane experienced an uncommanded left bank of approximately fifty degrees. Although the desired air speed was 183 knots, the air speed fluctuated from a high of 245 knots to a low of 170 knots. Shortly thereafter the flight crew reported the number two throttle slammed to its aft stop, the number two thrust reverse indication showed thrust reverser deployment, and the number two engine electrical bus failed. Several witnesses on the ground reported that the airplane experienced several severe pitch and roll oscillations before the engine separated. Shortly after the engine separated from the airplane, the flight crew declared an emergency, and the captain initiated a large radius turn to the left to return and land on runway 6R. The number one engine was maintained at maximum power. While on the downwind portion of the landing pattern bank angles momentarily exceeded forty degrees alternating with wings level. About twenty minutes after takeoff flight 46E advised the tower they were on the runway. The aircraft was substantially damaged as a result of the separation of the number two engine. Estimated repair costs exceeded twelve million dollars. In addition, several private dwellings, automobiles, and landscaping were damaged by the impact of the number two engine and various parts of the engine pylon and the wing leading edge devices. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) determined the probable cause of this accident was the lateral separation of the number two engine pylon due to an encounter with severe or possibly extreme turbulence. This resulted in dynamic lateral loadings coming from many directions that exceeded the lateral load-carrying capability of the pylon. It was later discovered that the load-carrying capability of the pylon was already reduced by the presence of the fatigue crack near the forward end of the pylon's forward firewall web. As a result of this investigation the NTSB made seven recommendations to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), including the inspection of Boeing 747 engine pylons, the potential meteorological hazards to aircraft, an increase in the lateral load capability of engine pylon structures, and the modification of the aircraft departure routes at Anchorage International Airport during periods of moderate or severe turbulence. The NTSB also recommended that the National Weather Service (NWS) use the WSR-88D Doppler weather radar system to document mountain-generated wind fields in the Anchorage area and to develop detailed low altitude turbulence forecasts. In the course of the investigation the NTSB explored virtually every contributing factor contributing to the aircraft accident. These included weather, mechanical failure, design deficiencies, and human factors. The flight crew was properly trained and qualified for this fight. None of the crew members' Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) records contained any history of accidents, incidents, or violations. The flight crew and the mechanics who had worked on the airplane before the flight volunteered to be tested for the presence of alcohol and both lawful and illegal drugs. All of the test results were negative. The investigation revealed that the flight crew was in good health. The airplane, registration N473EV, was a Boeing model

Approach to Contempory Chinese studies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Approach to Contempory Chinese studies - Essay Example However, there have been skeptics from certain quarters, questioning the sustainability of China’s growth and her ability to surpass the United States of America as a superpower by the year 2050. Some have indicated that the economy of China s set to decline and falter given the fact that the country is marred with much corruption. These critics have pointed to the fact the China is governed by one party, lacks checks and balances and that the freedom of the media is not observed. In this aspect, it has been noted that such a country is not poised to prosper and flourish in the modern world. Also, China continues to position herself as a country to reckon with, and one that is set to topple the other super powers and reach the top. This aspect has been exhibits in the nation’s capture of top prizes and accolades. Among these accolades include America’s prominent intellectuals and receipt of six Nobel prizes awarded to the country (Central Intelligence Agency, 199 3). China’s journey to becoming a super power is coined mainly in its economic muscles. The production of China has increased thanks to three years of Communism in the country by 1970s. This increase has, however, not been a smooth one as the country had to grapple with the death of about 35 million people dying of hunger during the devastating famine that hit the country in the years 1958 and 1978. This famine was as a result of forced industrialization by the Mao reign. China saw its population grow rapidly during this era, and there was a slight improvement in the standard of life in the country. Chinas threat to America has further been characterized by the steady growth of its economy and a reduction in population. This rapid growth was achieved three decades to 2010. China’s economic achievements were rated to be among the most amazing ones in the history of human species (Economist Intelligence Unit, 1995). The economy grew to over 40- fold between the years

Mobile Computing - The Age of Handeld Devices Research Paper

Mobile Computing - The Age of Handeld Devices - Research Paper Example It is unimaginable today to think the kind of dependency people have on smart phones in this time and age. Cell phones are no longer a luxury. They are treated as a common man’s complete answer to his emailing, social-networking, communicating, profiling and corporate needs. From simple calls to text messages when it was launched, today cell phones can do hundreds of other vital tasks. It has woven the younger generation into complete interconnectivity and keeps the older generation well informed and updated. In simple words, mobile computing makes use of different high technology gadgets and devices, it has helped make communication easy and the lives of people more convenient by keeping them well informed about the current happenings. (Talukdar, 2010 ) Before we delve further into the ways in which mobile computing has made life easy, lets take a look at a short history of mobile computing. Mobile computing hit of during the 1990s. That was when laptops were a rising phenome non. They had become the mainstream device which people used to keep with them to keep everyone connected to each other. That was just the beginning as since then innumerable number of devices have ventured into the market that have brought about a sense of wireless communication and have given an extra edge to everyone’s communication dilemma. Communication has become a very powerful entity today in both personal and professional lives. Before mobile computing could be introduced in the market of wireless business, communication was largely dependent on static networks. At that time, radio transmitters used to operate from a stable base. The transmitters had large antennas which used to connect. An example would be two way radios that police and army men used back then. Today, everyone has access to infinite number of high end devices which can easily connect to the internet. These devices are offered by different technology companies and are installed with Bluetooth, wirele ss cards, or infra red interfaces. Since it started in 1990s, mobile computing has evolved very rapidly and persistently. It has become so convenient and so much in sync with everyone’s daily lives that it is difficult to dis-associate with it in any part of the world. The convenience in wireless connectivity is not a rare phenomenon and is being used by everyone. Hundreds of other solutions are being offered by different mobile computing companies. The mobile phones are fully embedded with features which allow the user to access the internet wirelessly, through the Bluetooth interfaces or wireless cards. Smart-phones are the in-thing. Apple and Blackberry have a huge role to play in the way smartphones integrated themselves in the mainstream life of people. Blackberry’s introduction of BBM, a free messaging service of BB users took the world by storm. Friends, families, relatives rush to buy blackberry because of this service. It has made communication on the go so ea sy to the point of turning it into a full blown addiction. Iphone has made its way into the world of touch interface mobile computing with a storm. It all started off with the ipods and the next thing became the iphone, a touch based smart phone with all the glamor and luxury of owning a mobile computing device. The personal digital assistants and modern laptops similarly have also become the commonly used gadgets. These

American Revolution Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

American Revolution - Research Paper Example Rousseau and Montesquieu effectively promoted republicanism, liberal thought, democratic principles and religious tolerance and therefore, served as a major predecessor to the American Revolution (Ray, 24). In addition to significant political basis for the American Revolution, economic relations formed inside American Colonies were more advanced than those in Britain, thus further escalating the movement towards independence. Political movement towards American independence started with the first Continental Congress, occurred in 1774 at Carpenters' Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Practically, it represented a convention of delegates from twelve American colonies but the Province of Georgia. The First Continental Congress made two major political decisions with first being boycott announcement of British goods and the second - announcement of Second Continental Congress (Schecter, 39). During the latter, the United States Declaration of Independence has been declared, a major political step to the sovereignty of a young state. Furthermore, this political action triggered the ratification of the Articles of Confederation, which occurred after a year of political discussions. During the American Revolution, political progress has been continuously accompanied with military action, occurring not only on the North America territory but internationally (Higginbotham, 19). British military campaign established against the Revolutionaries has been largely concentrated in Massachusetts. According to historical opinion, the battles of Lexington and Concord are considered the official beginning of the American Revolutionary War (Higginbotham, 22). The so called Boston campaign resulted in two notable events: one of the bloodiest battles of the war - the Battle of Bunker Hill (1775) and unification of colonist militia into coherent regular army by George Washington. From the critical perspective, the early British military strategy in the North American has been recognized as ineffective due in part to the Secretary of State for Colonies Lord George Germain's incompetent leadership. The lack of effective coordination for the total war effort allowed the two main British armies in North America - General Howe in New York and General John Burgoyne in Canada - to act almost as independent forces, rather than a synchronized team (Black, 117-121). In 1777, Burgoyne attempted to sever New England from the middle states by driving south along the Richelieu River, through Lake Champlain, and down the Hudson River (Banes and Charles Royster, 94-99). To resist Burgoyne's movement, George Washington with newly formed Continental Army rushed reinforcements north to Philip Schuyler and Horatio Gates, while keeping his remaining force in New Jersey where he could defend

Analysing The Changing Transition To Adulthood Social Work Essay

Analysing The Changing Transition To Adulthood Social Work Essay The transition to adulthood looks very different than it once did. The transition to adulthood has been elongated and a sequential pattern to this transition has become less identifiable. No longer do young people transition in a lockstep pattern from education, to marriage, to stable work, to childbearing (Settersten, 2005). Common sequences related to the transition to adulthood reminiscent of life since the 1950s, no longer apply to contemporary young adults. The overarching societal structures have greatly impacted the transition to adulthood, including educational systems and family structure. In the last 100 years the necessary education to meet societal standards of living has changed from minimal attendance to increased necessity of secondary and vocational training to the contemporary necessity of university degrees and continued education even through a individuals career (Kohli, year). This increased educational attainment for young adults requires many young people to in turn delay marriage and family formation as they concentrate on education (source). Concepts and expectations related to family have also changed. Marriage is delayed, divorce is common and cohabitating couples have increased. These factors certainly interact with the experiences of young people who transition into adulthood who may wait to marry or cohabitate for longer periods of time without the commitment of marriage. The definition of adulthood has also changed. Many young people are not able to clearly articulate when they became an adult or if they are an adult (Molgat, 2007) (many people of even older ages may have a hard time expressing this as well, begging the question of what adulthood actually means for the larger population). In the past, adulthood has been marked by certain role changes; the traditional markers relate to finishing school, starting a career, marriage, childbirth, and owning a house. In particular, the onset of certain social roles ensue people to identify as young adults. Parenthood is viewed by some as a definitive step in becoming an adult, particularly because of the responsibilities and role changes associated with it (Osgood et al., 2005). However, in qualitative interviews young people may indicate that it was not even until their second or third child that they felt like an adult. Also, young people may be able to avoid the responsibility of a child by having thei r parents (the childs grandparent) take care of the child. Parenthood does not always equal adulthood. In the past, these markers were also associated with a typical age or age range when young adults experience these markers. These markers, however, have become unsystematic for young adults occurring at different times, at a different pace, and they may not even be reached until the mid to late 30s. As these markers have been pushed back for young adults, does this mean that a 35-year-old was not an adult until they married at age 35 and consider children at age 37? Young adults are likely to have varied definitions of transitioning to adulthood given the recent convoluted experiences of young adulthood. Identification as an adult may be swinging from less emphasis on social roles to the actual attributes young people experience regardless of their circumstance (Arnett, 2000). A sociologist would argue that these attributes arise from the social experiences within a persons life but perhaps these experiences which give young people a sense of adulthood needs to be more broadly defined (Osgood et al, 2005). Many young people report that a feeling independence, self-sufficiency, responsibility or being able to take care of themselves financially leads to them as identifying as an adult (Arnett, 2000). Yet, many 30-year-olds may still be reliant on their parents for financial support, especially given the current economic climate. Does this mean they are not yet adults? As demonstrated the role expectations and contexts of transitioning into adulthood are less clear than 30 years ago. The transition to adulthood can cause confusion for young adults as traditional makers of adulthood suc h as marriage, full-time work, exits from education, and childbearing do not hold the same meanings as these markers did for young adults parents. Again, I turn to the broader social structures that have influenced some of the changes contemporary young adults experience. The life course overall has been elongated. People live longer and healthier than they did compared to 70 years ago). The lengthening of lives and the expectation of living longer afford peoples experiences between life and death to be more varied and less standardized (Moen, 2003). This has also allowed the period of adolescence and young adulthood to be extended. People can delay some commitments because it seems as though they have a lifetime to complete them. Furthermore, fertility is more controlled than 50 years ago (Mayer, 2004). People are choosing to have children later because they can control to some extent with the infusion of birth control; this is also intertwined with education and the economic climate. Couples can also have fertility interventions if they decide to have children late. In American Dream (DaParle, 2005) a young women in the 60s s peaks of her grandmother taking care of her when her mother died, yet her grandmother was only 37. Now, 37 might the time a woman is becoming a parent for the first time and grand parenting will be in the distant future. It may be that the clustering of these experiences with social roles may be the prominent pathways to feel like an adult (Schulenberg et al., 2005). Arnett (2000) also describes young adulthood as unique phase primarily because of the demographic (these are the role changes mentioned above), subjective and identity characteristics unique to this phase. Demographically these roles have been pushed back later in the life course and also happen more haphazardly or in less standardized order than past generations. Subjectively young people are ambivalent about their adult status, not knowing whether to identify as an adult or not. Their subjective experience of being an adult is crucial, however, as opposed to some of the more objective markers. Finally, he argues that young people are still exploring their identities during this time. The identity exploration once primarily connected with young adulthood is now thought to happen more so during a persons twenties. Other theories and researchers argue that it is the overarching structures which have lead to these changes in adulthood (Cote Brynner, 2008). They assert that not all you ng people experience what Arnett (2000) describes. The experiences of young adults are vastly different given young peoples and their families social position in society. Not all young adults have been given the same opportunities or privilege to explore their identity during this phase. This is especially true of more disadvantaged populations of youth, such as youth in the foster or juvenile system, poor, homeless, and rural youth (Settersten, 2007). Social Position As opposed to young people actually choosing these varied pathways, these unique combinations of experiences may relate more to institutional, contextual and social differences between groups of young adults. The timing of when young people experience these transitions and the pace they experience them vary because of institutional and structural factors that influence both the human and social capital of young adults (Cote Bynner, 2008). Many young people get to rely on their parents during these transitions, youth in foster care and from poorer families do not experience this same support. For example, foster care youth are forced to live independently at age eighteen. This will result in very different experiences for these youth as they navigate adulthood compared to youth whose parents still contribute to their finances until they are 25 years of age or even older (Hamilton Hamilton, 2009). Also, youth from poor families may need to help their families after graduating high sc hool as opposed to attending college or working to support themselves. These youth may also be involved in the caretaking of their younger siblings. The parents of these young adults are not an asset to these youth as opposed to their more privileged counterparts. Parents, however, are now needed and expected as a support while young people experience the first time transitions related to young adulthood (Settersten, 2007). The experiences of more disadvantaged young adults may either be especially delayed or fast forwarded. Many other youth are provided the opportunity to attend college where they experience a sense of being semi-independent (Kett, 1977). The semi-independence of college lets young people experience living on their own in a slower transitional mode as they start living in the dorms and may eat in the cafeterias. They are slowing weaned off the full support of their parents into the college support system and finally they experience these transitions on their own and with their own social supports. What happens to youth who did not get to attend college? They do not get the luxury of experiencing a semi-independence or the developmental supports experienced in college. They will likely have less income and fewer opportunities for jobs without the necessary education attainment (U.S. Department of Education, 2006). Marriage may not be typical of these young adults as its delayed patterns become more and more the norm. Moreover, many youth in poverty cannot take advantage of a delayed adul thood. They may experience disconnection from social institutions and be forced into responsibilities (Hamilton Hamilton, 2009). Furthermore, homeless young adults are not only combating the issues of obtaining a job, being self-supporting, and forging life on the streets they are experiencing the stigmas of being homeless (Hagan McCarthy, 2007). Internalizing the stigma of being homeless seems especially crucial for these young adults given this critical period of identity formation. Many of these youth have had catastrophic family backgrounds and experiences on the street and connecting them with social institutions is precarious but essential. The very systems that protect the middle and upper class such as the police force may be too afraid to go into the poor neighborhoods of these young people or may even be the perpetrators of harassment toward these young adults (Hagan McCarthy, 2007). Expectations and social codes are less likely transmitted by family and parents for homeless young adults given their transient relationships. Homeless young adults likely frame their transition to adulthood very diffe rently compared to residential young adults given the hardship of living on the streets and the financial survival methods they must employ. Young adulthood is also experienced differently by geographic locations, urban or rural. The institutional and social structural supports related to the transition to adulthood very significantly for those living in a rural environment. Rural young people may not have the same opportunities to connect to pertinent social structures such as higher education and career related institutions (Wald Martinez, 2003). These youth must choose to stay in their home town with limited opportunities related to work and schooling or to leave their rural setting to pursue education and career opportunities but sacrificing the community and social supports of their home. Thus, another dimension of choosing to leave a familiar lifestyle and community support is added to the already convoluted decisions related to young adulthood. Moreover, the youth who decide to stay in their communities may be more vulnerable related to education and career outcomes (Oyserman Fryber, 2006). To the best of my knowledge I have not found strong evidence of experiences with the traditional transition makers or pathways to adulthood relating to a specific gender (Schulenberg et al., 2005). I am sure this is an area ripe for research but also gender may be a less salient concept for contemporary young adults as many social roles do not carry the same gender connotations as in previous generations. Poverty: An Ecological Perspective of Young Adults Understanding the ecological levels including micro level personal characteristics, meso level relationships, and the broader macro level policies related to young adults in poverty and from impoverished backgrounds is essential. Creating pathways of social mobility is critical during the transition to adulthood as young people experience excess role changes within institutional structures. Young adulthood may be an especially critical time where social mobility can occur as young people navigate these systems for the first time; creating pathways for future opportunities (Hamilton Hamilton, 2009). At the same time young adulthood is likely a particularly sensitive and vulnerable time because young adults are doing these transitions for the first time, meaning they could be volatile or missteps could have long lasting effects into adulthood. At the microlevel, psychosocial characteristics may be essential for young adults to navigate the uncharted waters of adulthood. These characteristics are likely even more vital for young people from more disadvantaged backgrounds (Settersten, 2007). Hamilton Hamiliton (2009) argue that sense of purpose and agency are essential characteristics at the individual level. My research also supports the important role sense of purpose plays in young adulthood (Dolenc, 2009). Having a clear sense of purpose to guide individuals may be crucial as young adults set out to reach goals and fulfill adult responsibilities; consequently, they must have goals and aspirations in the first place. A sense of purpose likely connects young people to social and institutional structures as well. Cultivating a sense of purpose in disadvantaged youth helps them to navigate and guide them during the many transitions of adulthood. Furthermore, youth being empowered and understanding that they can act upon the ir environment to create social mobility is essential. However, institutions which support and cultivate young peoples agency are also important, these individual characteristics surely interact with broader systems and resources available to young people. Hamiliton and Hamilton (2009) also emphasize social capital as essential for young adults in poverty. High quality interactions in the mesosystem are essential for youth outcomes (Bronfenbrenner Morris, 2006). The interactions in the mesosystems that relate to human capital and social capital are important for upward social mobility. Mentoring can help build these social interactions and networks for disadvantaged young people. Institutions can emphasize provide social connections for young people. Furthermore, structural and policy level changes can occur to better support these young adults which create increased social interactions for these youth. Within the macro system policies that provide multiple supports for the multiple pathways of young adults are needed, especially for vulnerable youth. The policies in the macro system also influence young adults related to education and job opportunities. Adolescence and young adults are essentially left out of policies that typically support vulnerable populations. As adolescence and young adulthood are usually viewed as a time of vitality, welfare policies are primarily directed to children and people of older ages. Perhaps policies that could help support vulnerable young adults are in order as well. For instance, extending the familial support of the foster care system to an older age would be more appropriate given the current state of young adulthood. Furthermore, providing ways for youth to gain access to health care when even mimumge wage and entry level jobs are hard to find should be addressed. Understanding how more disadvantaged youth can be equipped with the skills to en ter the labor market and become engaged in their communities is essential. Hamilton and Hamilton (2009) suggest the apprenticeship model of Germany as an example of an institutional support and call for more private/public partnerships that could help these vulnerable young adults. Community colleges in the US have also been explored as a possible alternative mechanism for these youth to access social mobility. As youth age and transition into adulthood their developmental outcomes become more dependent on the environment. Clearly more diverse institutions are needed to support the multiple pathways of young adulthood.

Essay --

/* * Copyright 2005 dotlucene.net * * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License"); * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License. * You may obtain a copy of the License at * * http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0 * * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS, * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied. * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and * limitations under the License. */ using System; using System.Diagnostics; using System.Drawing; using System.IO; using System.Windows.Forms; using Lucene.Net.Analysis.Standard; using Lucene.Net.Documents; using Lucene.Net.Index; using Lucene.Net.QueryParsers; using Lucene.Net.Search; using DesktopSearch1.Icons; using DesktopSearch1.Parsing; namespace DesktopSearch1 { /// /// Summary description for Form1. /// public class Form1 : System.Windows.Forms.Form { private string pathIndex; private IndexWriter indexWriter; private string[] patterns = {"*.doc", "*.xls", "*.ppt", "*.htm", "*.txt"}; private SystemImageList imageListDocuments; private IndexSearcher searcher = null; // statistics private long bytesTotal = 0; private int countTotal = 0; private int countSkipped = 0; private System.Windows.Forms.TextBox textBoxPath; private System.Windows.Forms.Button buttonBrowse; private System.Windows.Forms.Button buttonIndex; private System.Windows.Forms.Label labelStatus; private System.Windows.Forms.TextBox textBoxQuery; private System.Windows.Forms.Button buttonSearch; private System.Windows.Forms.ListView listViewResults; ... ...ond) { return first } private void listViewResults_DoubleClick(object sender, System.EventArgs e) { if (this.listViewResults.SelectedItems.Count != 1) return; string path = (string) this.listViewResults.SelectedItems[0].Tag; Process.Start(path); } private void textBoxQuery_KeyDown(object sender, System.Windows.Forms.KeyEventArgs e) { if (e.KeyCode == Keys.Enter) search(); } private void buttonBrowse_Click(object sender, System.EventArgs e) { this.folderBrowserDialog1.SelectedPath = this.textBoxPath.Text; if (this.folderBrowserDialog1.ShowDialog() == DialogResult.OK) { this.textBoxPath.Text = this.folderBrowserDialog1.SelectedPath; } } private void buttonClean_Click(object sender, System.EventArgs e) { Directory.Delete(this.pathIndex, true); checkIndex(); } } }

Robert Altman’s Subliminal Reality

Robert Altman’s Subliminal Reality is written by Robert T. Self, an English professor at Northern Illinois. Self gives the most extensive evaluation of Altman’s work and its value to the industry and the American culture. In Subliminal Reality, Self talks about Altman’s unconventional approach to cinema and its effect on the subconscious mind of the viewer as the title suggests. This paper will review the book in three main aspects: 1. How Altman’s work challenges conventional Hollywood genres 2. How Altman portrays his main characters as feeble and confined by their gender roles 3. How the entertainment industry chooses to alienate itself culturally. Self took into consideration twenty one feature films by Altman from 1968 to 2000. His main focus is on the characters, the story form, and the social subject. He writes in the introduction: â€Å"In this volume I examine Altman's films in terms of three particular aspects of art-cinema narration: its interrogation of classical Hollywood storytelling and popular genres, its representation of debilitated and ineffectual social individuality, and its reflexive analysis of the entertainment industry as complicit in cultural alienation† (Self viii para 1) Self does not seek to describe Altman as a cinematic auteur but how his work helped in the emergence of cinematic-art in America. He explains how Altman introduced modernist story telling and took on socially fragmented subjects. The does not give a chronological account of the films but divides them into three parts. The first part of the book is named Narrative Formations. This part includes the analysis of Kensa City, MASH, 3 Women, and Romance and Adventure (Self, Robert Altman). Here Self tries to answer why the populaar audience remain indifferent to his work. According to him, the American audience is used to seeing satifying and cliched endings and so they dismiss Altmans work as dissatisfying and insignificant (Self, Robert Altman). Then he talks about his role in introducing new American cinema in the sixties and seventies. He argues that Altman’s films posses all the features of new cinema like in MASH, Altmans uses the fragmented sound intead of the then popular classical style. Other features include the the contradictory opinions in the same story, the incoherent mentality of the characters and their self destruction, large casts, multiple stories etc. His movies provide a realistic experience rather than a fantasy, like the most Hollywood films. Unlike the conventional Hollywood cast, Altman main characters are often phisically unattractive like Shelley Duvall, exhausted like McCabe (Self, Robert Altman), and lack sensual appeal . These characterictics of his movies make it easier for the general public to relate to. Self argues that Altman often manipulates genres, romanc in particular. For this he gives examples of A perfect couple to redicule the cliche that ‘opposite attracts’ and A Wedding to expose the lie about the cliche ‘happily ever after’ (Self, Robert Altman). The second part of he book is names â€Å"Identities in Patriarchy†. This part deals with the films that concerned with men and women seperately. Altman often portrays the weakness in men and insults their authority. Self gives the examples of Secret honor and The gingerbread (Self, Robert Altman). Both these movies show the faults in popular male figures. When dealing with women, self takes into consideration That cold day, Images, 3 women, Come back to the five and dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean, Kansas city and Cookie's fortune (Self, Robert Altman). According to Self, Altman reveals the concerns and shortcomings of women. He writes: Inasmuch as these open narratives actualize the female voice within a male discourse, it is possible to read them as further examples of the effort of Hollywood cinema to effect an authority over women. It is also possible to read these Altman films as inversions of the hostility toward woman† (Self [web]). Self explains in detail how the c haracters in Altman’s films are socially restricted and expected to act according to their gender roles. In the last part, Putting on the Show, Self talks about how Altman’s films reflect cinematic culture. In this part he gives exaples of Nashville, The Player and Buffalo Bil (Self, Robert Altman). He discusses the subliminal reality that not only includes the film makers and the popular audience, and claims that the makers alter patriotism for profit. He sees Altman as a liberal man. Altman provides an intellectual which limits his audience becaus social criticism is something which not popular among the audience. Self talks about subliminal reality in Pret a porter in a different chapter. He appriciates the film and complains that it was not taken seriously and neglected. Self praises the framing and filming. He defines them as â€Å"the most vibrant and energetic and assertive images in all of Altman's work† (Self). He ends the book with the chapter World elsewhere . He analyzes the film short cuts and Altman’s composition of many other short stories by Raymond Carver. He talks about how Altman communicates more with the effects he adds to the story than by explanation (Self, Robert Altman). Robert Altman’s subliminal reality gives many details about the work done by a great American film director, Robert Altman, and contains valuable information on classical and American art cinema. It comprehensively covers the history of cinema, its developement, and Altman’s contributions to it.

How to Remember Dates for a Test - Memorization

How to Remember Dates for a Test - Memorization Dates are often difficult to remember because they seem so random and obscure unless we can relate them to something specific. For instance, the  American Civil War  started in 1861, but unless you have a strong interest in the specific timeline of the war, there is nothing special about the starting date that separates that date from any other. What makes 1861 stand apart from 1863 or 1851? Sometimes it can be as simple as leaving off the first two digits. If you are studying a particular time period, you already know what century in which the events take place. Even though it might not seem like it, breaking it down to just two numbers can make memorization much easier. You can associate those numbers with something like the number of a favorite athlete. If that doesn’t work, there are a few other tricks. When trying to memorize a date, students can really benefit from a  mnemonic system  (memory technique) to help them recall the right numbers in the right order. For memorizing dates it might be helpful to borrow a practice from the London Cockneys. A Cockney is an inhabitant of the East End of London, England. Cockneys have an old tradition of using  rhyming slang  as a secret language, of sorts. The tradition originated centuries ago, and it was used by Londons thieves, traders, entertainers, and other members from the lower strata of society. In Cockney slang, Can you believe it?  becomes  Can you Adam and Eve it? More examples: Whistle and flute suitWhite mice iceTom Hanks thanksTrouble and strife wife Remembering Dates We can use the same method to remember dates. Simply think of a term that rhymes with your date. Make sure your rhyme is a little silly and that it paints a strong picture in your head. You can leave off the century, so that 1861, the starting date for the Civil War, becomes 61. Example: 61 Sticky gun Imagine a Civil War soldier struggling with a gun that has been covered with honey. It may sound silly, but it works! More Examples: 1773 was the date of the Boston Tea Party. To remember this, you could think: 73 Heavenly tea You can just picture protesters sipping lovely cups of tea right before tossing them in the water. 1783 marks the end of the Revolutionary War. 83 Ladies bee For this image, think of several women sitting on a quilt and celebrating by stitching a red, white and blue quilt. The most important element of this method is to come up with a great, amusing image. The funnier it is, the more memorable it will be. If possible, come up with a little story to connect all your mental images. If you have trouble coming up with a rhyme or have a lot of connected information to remember, you could set the information to a song. If you are musically inclined, you could make up your own song. More often it is easier to replace the words to a song you already know well.

SAT Essay Prompts The Complete List

SAT Essay Prompts The Complete List SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips On every SAT Essay, you'll have to read an argument meant to persuade a broad audience and discuss how well the author argues his or her point. The passage you'll have to read will change from test to test, but you'll always need to analyze the author's argument and write a coherent and organized essay explaining this analysis. In this article, we've compiled a list of the 14 real SAT essay prompts that the College Board has released (either in The Official SAT Study Guide or separately online) for the new SAT. This is the most comprehensive set of new SAT essay prompts online today. At the end of this article, we'll also guide you through how to get the most out of these prompts and link to our expert resources on acing the SAT essay. I'll discuss how the SAT essay prompts are valuable not just because they give you a chance to write a practice essay, but because of what they reveal about the essay task itself. Overview SAT essay prompts always keep to the same basic format. Not only is the prompt format consistent from test to test, but what you're actually asked to do (discuss how an author builds an argument) also remains the same across different test administrations. The College Board's predictability with SAT essay helps students focus on preparing for the actual analytical task, rather than having to think up stuff on their feet. Every time, before the passage, you'll see the following: As you read the passage below, consider how [the author] uses evidence, such as facts or examples, to support claims. reasoning to develop ideas and to connect claims and evidence. stylistic or persuasive elements, such as word choice or appeals to emotion, to add power to the ideas expressed. And after the passage, you'll see this: "Write an essay in which you explain how [the author] builds an argument to persuade [her/his] audience that [whatever the author is trying to argue for]. In your essay, analyze how [the author] uses one or more of the features listed in the box above (or features of your own choice) to strengthen the logic and persuasiveness of his argument. Be sure that your analysis focuses on the most relevant features of the passage. Your essay should not explain whether you agree with [the author]'s claims, but rather explain how [the author] builds an argument to persuade [her/his] audience." Now that you know the format, let's look at the SAT essay prompts list. 14 Official SAT Essay Prompts The College Board has released a limited number of prompts to help students prep for the essay. We've gathered them for you here, all in one place. We'll be sure to update this article as more prompts are released for practice and/or as more tests are released. SPOILER ALERT: Since these are the only essay prompts that have been released so far, you may want to be cautious about spoiling them for yourself, particularly if you are planning on taking practice tests under real conditions. This is why I've organized the prompts by the 10 that are in the practice tests (so you can avoid them if need be), the ones that are available online as sample prompts, and the ones that are in the text of the Official SAT Study Guide (Redesigned SAT), all online for free. Practice Test Prompts These 10 prompts are taken from the practice tests that the College Board has released. Practice Test 1: "Write an essay in which you explain how Jimmy Carter builds an argument to persuade his audience that the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge should not be developed for industry." Practice Test 2: "Write an essay in which you explain how Martin Luther King Jr. builds an argument to persuade his audience that American involvement in the Vietnam War is unjust." Practice Test 3: "Write an essay in which you explain how Eliana Dockterman builds an argument to persuade her audience that there are benefits to early exposure to technology." Practice Test 4: "Write an essay in which you explain how Paul Bogard builds an argument to persuade his audience that natural darkness should be preserved." Practice Test 5: "Write an essay in which you explain how Eric Klinenberg builds an argument to persuade his audience that Americans need to greatly reduce their reliance on air-conditioning." Practice Test 6: "Write an essay in which you explain how Christopher Hitchens builds an argument to persuade his audience that the original Parthenon sculptures should be returned to Greece." Practice Test 7: "Write an essay in which you explain how Zadie Smith builds an argument to persuade her audience that public libraries are important and should remain open" Practice Test 8: "Write an essay in which you explain how Bobby Braun builds an argument to persuade his audience that the US government must continue to invest in NASA." Practice Test 9: "Write an essay in which you explain how Todd Davidson builds an argument to persuade his audience that the US government must continue to fund national parks." Practice Test 10: "Write an essay in which you explain how Richard Schiffman builds an argument to persuade his audience that Americans need to work fewer hours." Special note: The prompt for Practice Test 4 also appears on the College Board's site with real sample essays written in response. If you've written a practice essay for practice test 4 and want to see what essays of different score levels look like for that particular prompt, you can go there and look at eight real student essays. within darkness by jason jenkins, used under CC BY-SA 2.0/Resized from original. Free Online Practice This prompt comes from the College Board website. "Write an essay in which you explain how Dana Gioia builds an argument to persuade his audience that the decline of reading in America will have a negative effect on society." This prompt comes from Khan Academy, where it is listed as an alternate essay prompt to go along with Practice Test 2: "Write an essay in which you explain how Leo W. Gerard builds an argument to persuade his audience that American colleges and universities should be affordable for all students." The Official SAT Study Guide 2020 The Official SAT Study Guide (editions published in 2015 and later available online for free) contains all 10 of the previously mentioned practice tests at the end of the book. In the section about the new SAT essay, however, there are two additional sample essay prompts (accompanied by articles to analyze). Sample Prompt 1: "Write an essay in which you explain how Peter S. Goodman builds an argument to persuade his audience that news organizations should increase the amount of professional foreign news coverage provided to people in the United States." Sample Prompt 2: "Write an essay in which you explain how Adam B. Summers builds an argument to persuade his audience that plastic shopping bags should not be banned." hey thanks by Jonathan Youngblood, used under CC BY 2.0/Cropped and resized from original. Want to learn more about the SAT but tired of reading blog articles? Then you'll love our free, SAT prep livestreams. Designed and led by PrepScholar SAT experts, these live video events are a great resource for students and parents looking to learn more about the SAT and SAT prep. Click on the button below to register for one of our livestreams today! How Do You Get the Most Out of These Prompts? Now that you have all the prompts released by the College Board, it's important to know the best way to use them. Make sure you have a good balance between quality and quantity, and don't burn through all 14 of the real prompts in a row- take the time to learn from your experiences writing the practice essays. Step By Step Guide on How to Practice Using the Article #1: Understand how the SAT essay is graded. #2: Follow along as we write a high-scoring SAT essay, step by step. #3: Plan a set of features you'll look for in the SAT essay readings and practice writing about them fluidly. This doesn't just mean identifying a technique, like asking a rhetorical question, but explaining why it is persuasive and what effect it has on the reader in the context of a particular topic. We have more information on this step in our article about 6 SAT persuasive devices you can use. #4: Choose a prompt at random from above, or choose a topic that you think is going to be hard for you to detach from (because you'll want to write about the topic, rather than the argument) set timer to 50 minutes and write the essay. No extra time allowed! #5: Grade the essay, using the official essay rubric to give yourself a score out of 8 in the reading, analysis, and writing sections. #6: Repeat steps 4 and 5. Choose the prompts you think will be the hardest for you so that you can so that you're prepared for the worst when the test day comes #7: If you run out of official prompts to practice with, use the official prompts as models to find examples of other articles you could write about. Startby looking for op-ed articles in online news publications like The New York Times, The Atlantic, LA Times, and so on. For instance, the passage about the plastic bag ban in California (Official SAT Study Guide sample essay prompt 2, above) has a counterpoint here- you could try analyzing and writing about that article as well. Any additional articles you use for practice on the SAT essay must match the following criteria: ideally 650-750 words, although it'll be difficult to find an op-ed piece that's naturally that short. Try to aim for nothing longer than 2000 words, though, or the scope of the article is likely to be wider than anything you'll encounter on the SAT. always argumentative/persuasive. The author (or authors) is trying to get readers to agree with a claim or idea being put forward. always intended for a wide audience. All the information you need to deconstruct the persuasiveness of the argument is in the passage. This means that articles with a lot of technical jargon that's not explained in the article are not realistic passage to practice with. What's Next? We've written a ton of helpful resources on the SAT essay. If you're just getting started, we recommend beginning with our top SAT essay tips for a quick overview of the essay task and what you need to know. A little more familiar with the SAT essay but still not quite sure how to write one? Follow along with our step-by-step guide to writing the SAT essay. Looking to earn a high score? Learn what it takes to get the highest score possible on the SAT essay here. Plus, if you want a reference linking you to all of our great articles on the SAT essay, be sure to check out our ultimate SAT essay guide. Want to improve your SAT score by 160points? Check out our best-in-class online SAT prep program. We guarantee your money back if you don't improve your SAT score by 160points or more. Our program is entirely online, and it customizes your prep program to your strengths and weaknesses. We also have expert instructors who can grade every one of your practice SAT essays, giving feedback on how to improve your score. Check out our 5-day free trial:

Arkansas Economy - about Agriculture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Arkansas Economy - about Agriculture - Essay Example According to the survey, it has been revealed that about more than 46% of the rice are supplied to the United States. Top five agricultural products ofArkansas that generate supreme amount of revenue for the state are cotton, broilers, cattle, soybeans and rice. â€Å"The export value of rice generated by Arkansas is 3859 million dollars which is number one in the United States† (Cosidine 19a). The export valued for cotton is at 615 million dollar and it is fourth in the United States. In the crop sector the direct contribution to economy is by providing more than 62,918 jobs and more than 3,062 million dollar value added to the economy of Arkansas. â€Å"In the year 2011, survey states that more than 12.8 billion dollars of value added to the economy of Arkansas† (Considine 26b). This huge revenue is generated which accounted due to enormous agricultural resources. Total contribution to the economy of Arkansas can be direct, indirect and induced contribution. Direct contributions to the economy are generated by the help of forest products and farm production. Some agricultural firms of Arkansas purchase product from other business of same state can generate revenue is known as the indirect contribution to the economy. Contributions generated from employees working in agricultural farms can spend portion of money within Arkansas can benefit the economy of the state. â€Å"In the year 2012, survey states that more than 47,800 farms are located in Arkansas† (USDA 7a). The diversified portfolio of Arkansas profits the state in revenue and which benefit the economy. The net farm income generated from the number of far ms present in Arkansas is 1.4 billion dollar. Estimated amount of export of rice is 1 billion annually. Arkansas is number of export of rice. â€Å"The agriculture of Arkansas enables to create 24% job in the state† (USDA 12b). This resembles the fact the agriculture has become pivotal for Arkansas by creating large number of jobs. The

Conversations with History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Conversations with History - Essay Example Michael Scheuer. Interview with Michael Scheuer Looking at the interview with Mr. Scheuer, it is relevant to say that the answers as his response to all the questions asks came from a point of view of a military whose loyalty lies on the organization and to his country and not to the welfare of the whole world. . According to his belief, if there are things to be learned from the methods being used during the war, this is to kill the enemy as a whole. It has been an experience in their organization that killing them one by one would just only provoke the rest of the enemy. In a war, he considers civilian victims and dead militaries are but just a body counts and a price of the war. For him, during the time of war, enemies must be destroyed by all means as well as the allies and this has been the way of the US to be able to remain in power for 30 years. With regard to the civilians who would be affected and could be killed in the war, Scheuer took it as a part of the war, killing civi lians to be able to win the war or either not to go to war at all.