Personal Narrative

Personal Narrative Sherrick 1Kendall SherrickLaura NowocinEnglish 110012 September 2014The True Gift of LifeA little black hole in a wall as white as snow is the vivid picture I seem to remember. My view got cloudier by the second- as my eyes filled with salted tears. I could not believe that my biggest fear had just become my reality. My whole world had been flipped within a twenty minute phone call. As hours and hours had passed and I had regained my composure, I tried to wrap my mind around what was happening. As I looked at the wall I started to focus on the little black hole again. It is the smallest things that stand out. Even though the ratio of the size of the wall compared to the little hole did not even compare to one another, that little hole is what made the wall unique and stand out from the other three that surrounded me.A selection of 4 different felt cloths.Right then and there I realized that it is the most miniscule things that make life unique and that are why it is so precious.April 8, 2014: It was a normal Tuesday. I woke up got ready for school, spent my day wishing I was home, then as soon as I got home rushed to make sure I was to work on time. I have exactly thirty-five minutes from the time I get home from school to the time I need to be clocked in at work. That gives me enough time to change clothes and make a phone call or two. I knew my "adopted father" had a doctor's appointment earlier that morning, so I figured I'd call to check up on him. When I called his phone rang twice and then went to voicemail. So that... Personal Narrative Personal Narrative Even if there were a chance to change my life, I would ignore it. Now, I am at the point when I clearly understand that everything has a reason. Moreover, everything that happened with me, no matter pleasant or not, I perceive as a lesson. I am grateful to those people whom I met. All my experience is a part of me. Now, I lead a life of an average white middle class female. Until the age of eight, I happily lived with my parents; we spent time together, sometimes traveled a little bit. However, I cannot say that everything was fine. Once, I woke up in the morning and understood that there was no us anymore. For me, a little girl, it was important to be a part of something big. In this case, family was the most important thing for me. Of course, I had friends and classmates, but the family was the only thing I identified myself with being a part of the society. After my parents got divorced, I stayed with my mother; the farther emerged in my life only on weekends. We often moved to new places that helped my mom to hide her pain. I changed places as mittens and tried to find a place of my own like my mother. The time passed by. When I was twenty, in one of the clubs, I met Warren. He was from Britain. That night, we spent around two hours in the conversation. That was the beginning of our romantic relationships, and less than in two months, I packed my bags and moved to England. Later, we got married; however, I cannot say that we lived happily ever after. In terms of the culture, Britain is totally opposite to the USA. I felt not in my plate as everything was new for me starting from the language. The way people think, act, behave, and treat each other was often not clear. Nevertheless, I tried to stay positive. I had a job, but it did not help to make my living in Britain colorful and bright. With Warren, we tried to make our marriage work; however, nothing helped. After two and a half years, we decided to split up and have a chance to live the lives we wanted, but separately. Smashed and lost, I returned to the USA. From the perspective of the years, I can suggest that in the relationships I had, I inherited a model of behavior from my parents. The way I acted was quite similar to that I saw being a child. In my desire to run away, I forgot that no matter where I go, I would always take my self with me. With time and new experiences, I developed stronger personality and some useful psychological skills (Cherry, 2005). According to Ericson, people need to experience the conflict, which often becomes the turning point (Ibid). The first stage in the development of personality is Trust vs. Mistrust. According to Ericson, it is one of the fundamental periods in life of every person experienced during the first year of living. In case the attempts of developing trust fail, the person will experience fear. The last five years were the years of challenges and discoveries for me. I understood that the kind of a person I am now is the result of the previous decisions and choices. In the society of superstitions, I probably should be successful in everything that I start. However, we are the part of the society and, according to its laws, everyone plays his/her role. William Shakespeare mentioned this in the 16th century. For some people, you are a good friend; the others see only enemy in you. The only person ready to worship you for your being is mother; her love is unconditional. I cannot say that religion is a huge part of my life. In my opinion, there is a difference between belief and religion. Nevertheless, my parents and their generation were brought up with the beliefs of the recent times. Religion has few main functions that can be called 5T: transmission, translation, transaction, transformation, and transcendence (Campbell, 2010). Usually, people are lost in terms of religion and try to find substitution of it. Modern culture suggests a wide range of them. There is an opportunity to choose, but often, there is no opportunity to reject. Culture is a complex of beliefs and peculiarities of behavior of the ethnicity or a race (Zion Kozleski, 2005). Often, our culture causes misunderstanding, which was probably the main reason why we broke up with Warren. We were different and similar at the same time. Instead of concentrating on what we had, we were looking for something that was missing. For me, it was important to identify myself and learn to fight w ith confusion. After being misled, I tried to understand what I like and who I am. The answer to these two questions helped me to start my life from the new chapter and to find strength to develop and learn. I started working at Texas Department of Criminal Justice. I cannot say that my work is easy, but I really like it. My main job is held inside the prison. I work with inmates and try to help them to arrange their life before getting out. I know that often, it is a shock for people to start everything over again. Although I do not assume that I killed all my fears, I hope that my experience will help others to overcome their fears. Everyone around me appears in my life on time. In this situation, it is only my decision to get the message or stay aside. This is a psychological rule. If the persons development is under stagnation and despair, it is quite hard to turn to the starting point and find strength. The same can be said about my studying. This is a chance for me to understand my individual differences and learn my inner self. Only after this, I can help others.

Gerardus Mercator

Gerardus Mercator Gerardus Mercator was a Flemish cartographer, philosopher, and geographer who is best known for his creation of the Mercator map projection. On the Mercator projection parallels of latitude and meridians of longitude are drawn as straight lines so that they are useful for navigation. Mercator was also known for his development of the term â€Å"atlas† for a collection of maps and his skill in calligraphy, engraving, publishing and making of scientific instruments (Monmonier 2004). In addition, Mercator had an interests in mathematics, astronomy, cosmography, terrestrial magnetism, history and theology (Monmonier 2004).   Today Mercator is mostly thought of as a cartographer and geographer and his map projection was used for hundreds of years as the quintessential way to depict the Earth. Many maps using the Mercator projection are still used in classrooms today, despite the development of newer, more accurate map projections. Early Life and Education Gerardus Mercator was born on March 5, 1512 in Rupelmond, County of Flanders (modern-day Belgium). His name at birth was Gerard de Cremer or de Kremer (Encyclopedia Britannica). Mercator is the Latin form of this name and means â€Å"merchant† (Wikipedia.org). Mercator grew up in the Duchy of Julich and was educated Hertogenbosch in the Netherlands where he received training in the Christian doctrine as well as Latin and other dialects.   In 1530 Mercator began studying at the Catholic University of Leuven in Belgium where he studied humanities and philosophy. He graduated with his master’s degree in 1532. Around this time Mercator began to have doubts about the religious aspect of his education because he could not combine what he was taught about the origin of the universe with that of Aristotle’s and other more scientific beliefs (Encyclopedia Britannica). After his two years away in Belgium for his master’s degree, Mercator returned to Leuven with an interest in philosophy and geography. At this time Mercator began studying with Gemma Frisius, a theoretical mathematician, physician and astronomer, and Gaspar a Myrica, an engraver and goldsmith. Mercator eventually mastered mathematics, geography and astronomy and his work, combined with that of Frisius and a Myrica made Leuven a center for the development of globes, maps and astronomical instruments (Encyclopedia Britannica). Professional Development By 1536 Mercator had proven himself as an excellent engraver, calligrapher, and instrument maker. From 1535-1536 he participated in a project to create a terrestrial globe and in 1537 he worked on a celestial globe. Most of Mercator’s work on the globes consisted of the labeling of features with italic lettering.   Throughout the 1530’s Mercator continued to develop into a skilled cartographer and the terrestrial and celestial globes helped to cement his reputation as the leading geographer of that century. In 1537 Mercator created a map of the Holy Land and in 1538 he made a map of the world on a double heart-shaped or cordiform projection (Encyclopedia Britannica). In 1540 Mercator designed a map of Flanders and published a manual on italic lettering called, Literarum Latinarum quas Italicas Cursoriasque Vocant Scribende Ratio.   In 1544 Mercator was arrested and charged with heresy because of his many absences from Leuven to work on his maps and his beliefs toward Protestantism (Encyclopedia Britannica). He was later released due to university support and he was allowed to continue pursuing his scientific studies and print and publish books. In 1552 Mercator moved to Duisburg in the Duchy of Cleve and assisted in the creation of a grammar school. Throughout the 1550’s Mercator also worked on genealogical research for Duke Wilhelm, wrote a Concordance of the Gospels, and compose several other works. In 1564 Mercator created a map of Lorraine and the British Isles. In the 1560’s Mercator began to develop and perfect his own map projection in an effort to help merchants and navigators more effectively plan a course over long distances by plotting it on straight lines. This projection became known as the Mercator projection and was used on his map of the world in 1569. Later Life and Death In 1569 and throughout the 1570’s Mercator began a series of publications to describe the creation of the world through maps. In 1569 he published a chronology of the world from Creation to 1568 (Encyclopedia Britannica). In 1578 he published another which consisted of 27 maps that were originally produced by Ptolemy. The next section was published in 1585 and consisted of newly created maps of France, Germany and the Netherlands. This section was followed by another in 1589 that included maps of Italy, â€Å"Sclavonia† (the present-day Balkans), and Greece (Encyclopedia Britannica).   Mercator died on December 2, 1594, but his son aided in the production of the final section of his father’s atlas in 1595. This section included maps of the British Isles. Mercator’s Legacy Following its final section being printed in 1595 Mercator’s atlas was reprinted in 1602 and again in 1606 when it was named the â€Å"Mercator-Hondius Atlas.† Mercator’s atlas was one of the first to include maps of the world’s development and it, along with his projection remain as significant contributions to the fields of geography and cartography. To learn more about Gerardus Mercator and his map projection, read Mark Monmonier’s Rhumb Lines and Map Wars: A Social History of the Mercator Projection.

Insurance regulation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 8250 words

Insurance regulation - Essay Example - Broadly speaking, ‘insolvency’ means inability to pay creditors.1 However, depending on the context, this colloquial usage may refer to any one of the several related concepts.2 To clarify definitional matters and to set out common terminology, it is necessary to distinguish between (1) balance sheet insolvency; (2) cash flow insolvency (or financial distress); (3) economic failure (or economic distress); (4) liquidation; (5) reorganization; and (6) insolvency proceedings or bankruptcy. This is an accounting concept signifying that the book value of a firm’s assets is less than its liabilities. It should be distinguished from so called ‘cash-flow’ insolvency, in which case a firm is unable to pay its debts as they fall due. Such inability may be inferred from the fact that a company has failed to pay, on demand, a debt which is due. Financial economists commonly use the expression ‘financial distress’ to refer to the condition experienced by a firm which is having difficulty in paying its creditors. Although there are some terminological differences between authors, the phrase is often used to refer to the condition of a firm which is in substantial default on its debt obligations. To a far greater extent than the balance sheet test of insolvency, financial distress is dependent on the structure of the repayments under outstanding debt obligations, and the nature of the assets available to satisfy them. Illiquid assets and large repayments may mean that a firm which is solvent in a balance sheet sense cannot pay its debts as they fall due. Conversely, a firm which has significant growth opportunities and debt repayments spread over a number of years may be insolvent in a balance sheet sense, but nonetheless be able to pay its debt as they fall due. Solvency should be distinguished from economic viability. Insolvency is concerned with the relationship between a firm’s assets or cash flows, and the amount of debt in

Topic of the paper will focus on a criminal case that has been Essay

Topic of the paper will focus on a criminal case that has been adjudicated by the United States Supreme Court and has implicatio - Essay Example There are a number of cases that have been handled by the supreme high court that have in one way or another set precedence over future rulings that may occur on similar matters and one of these is the Gonzalez Vs Raich case which occurred in the year 2005 (Find law). This case dealt with the issue of home grown marijuana in relation to its use for medicinal purposes, and whether an individual who was doing this had the right to do so without any interference from law enforcement authorities. The ruling that was made was based on the Commerce Clause of the U.S Constitution . Congress has the ability to criminalize the use and production of Cannabis that is home grown even when states have allowed its use for medicinal purposes. About the case Angel Raich and Diane Monson were the two defendants of this case which occurred after law enforcement agencies destroyed Diane’s Marijuana plants claiming that they were illegal under federal law. This was despite the fact that Diane res ided in California, a state that had allowed the use of homegrown marijuana for medicinal purposes (Find law). ... her doctor who testified under oath claiming that she needed the marijuana for the excruciating pain that she was going through and her allergic reaction to the other forms of alternative medication that she had tried before. The two defendants sued the government for declaratory as well as injunctive relief in a bid to stop them from interfering in their growing and use of marijuana for medicinal purposes. They argued that the interference of the government under the Controlled Substances Act was unconstitutional in reference to their activities and reasons behind those activities (that is, the growing and use of homegrown marijuana for medicinal purposes) and thus the government should not have a right to run interference. Both Angel and Diane Used marijuana to relieve themselves of pain that their bodies suffered and thus it could not be said that their handling of the drug was for recreational purposes (Find law). The government on the other hand argued that the Controlled Substa nce Act did not recognize nor accept the use of marijuana for medical or recreational purposes and thus the law had a right to put a stop to any form of drug cultivation among individuals despite the circumstances. The acts against Angel and Diana were as a result of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) who had been given instructions to break up the various co operations that dealt with medicinal marijuana within California and seize the assets belonging to those co-operatives (Find law). Though as mentioned earlier, California had made legal the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes, this act was done in the belief that Federal law trumped that of California and thus the law enforcement agencies were within their rights to act on these orders (Find law). The government further

Tropical Rain Forest Essay Example for Free

Tropical Rain Forest Essay Afterward, biodiversity suffers. Decomposers like leaf-cutter ants, termites, bacteria, and fungi live on the forest floor. These decomposers quickly turn fallen leaves and dead organisms into nutrients. This creates food for trees and other plants and animals. Today, we know that the soil of the tropical rainforests is thin and very low in nutrients. Decomposers like leaf-cutter ants, termites, bacteria, and fungi quickly turn falling leaves and dead organisms into nutrients. Plants take up these nutrients the moment they are available, so they don’t get a chance to enrich the soil. Keeping Tropical Rainforests Healthy Conservation of tropical rainforests should be easy. They have survived for millions of years. The trick to keeping them healthy is to not take too much too fast. This gives the rainforests time to recover from human activities like logging. But many countries that have tropical rainforests are poor. They can make money by cutting down and developing the rainforests. But uncontrolled development results in deforestation, erosion, and loss of biodiversity. Carving up the Forests Roads are cut through previously untouched rainforest to make way for logging trucks, mining equipment, and farm machines. These roads cut forest habitat into small pieces. This isolates the animals in those areas, which makes it harder for them to travel and find mates. One of the most damaging effects of development has been dividing the rainforest habitat into little patches of forest. This is called fragmentation. Today, many species are isolated in these small areas of forest because they will not or cannot enter open habitats. The result is that species such asorangutans cannot connect with one another to mate and have babies. Conservations Efforts

Graduation Speech: Be Proud of Your Accomplishments :: Graduation Speech, Commencement Address

So many of us have come to ZAHS as a last resort, not fitting in at other schools or we were feeling that regular school wasn't working for us. We have found MAHS is somewhere we wished we had found in the first place. It is a place where you do fit in because people who originally didn't have anything in common share this one place. It is our home away from home. It brings all of us together with all of our diversities to be welcomed and accepted. Our love and belief in our school continues to show time after time whether it is a fund raiser, our test scores, or even when students return who once gave up on finishing school. When I first came to MAHS I was pretty nervous and overwhelmed with my life. I was a new mother at a new school around new people with so many new responsibilities. At that time I didn't realize how overwhelmed I was until I burst into tears on my first day. From that day on I found great friends and teachers who have loved me and supported me every day. This school has made me realize my potential in life. Graduating for me is a great but unsure feeling; but I know everyone here has a great future ahead of them. If we lose our way, we'll just come back - TEACHERS, COUNT ON IT. I have some mainly good memories of our school. Like, I will always remember all of our daycare madness, all of Larry's announcements that never seemed to come out quite right. All of Mr. Lewis' large-group math trivia assignments that I could never quite figure out. I can't imagine why NOT. I'll remember all of the guys who, no matter what time of the day, always found time to be outside playing basketball. I will remember our FCCLA trip to Wenatchee where we stayed in an under-construction hotel with a dirt swimming pool! It was alternative, but so were we. We learned to be proud of our uniqueness and our achievements.

Long ago in Olympus

Long ago in Olympus, a new god was to be created, a god wielding thunder and rules over Olympas named Zeus, and a goddess of penalty and wrath named Nemesis or Adrestia , from meeting on a beautiful day, to Hera having a new deity to vanquish. She sent out a bird to search the skies for someone to take over and get rid of Nemesis once and for all, not even sparing the child she had to give birth to. Eventually, Zeus of course had found out about this elegant bird, and had sent out Hermes to warn the deity of Hera's bird and her wrath, after hours of searching for Nemesis he found the deity, â€Å"Oh great Nemesis of wrath and penalty,† He began, â€Å"My queen has found your interests in the mighty Zeus, and seeks vengeance, she has sent out a beautiful bird of green, a Resplendent quetzal she called it to be exact,† he went on, â€Å"The mighty Zeus wishes for you to hide, for if the bird finds you and and a host, you will be killed.† Distraught, Nemesis spoke with her calm but serious voice, â€Å"My dear Hermes, I am giving birth to a child of his, please bring back this news to Zeus, I shall be off to a place to hide by tomorrow morn,† and with that, Nemesis flew away with her wings, to find a place good for her, and her newborn. Days, weeks, now months have past of the bird being missing and Hera running out of patients, Zeus had looked out for the bird, but when the day came, he knew that Hera was too late, the bird had come back, but to no prevail has he found the right god, and the deity, in rage, Hera had struck the bird,destroying the elegant bird. Nemesis soon came out of hiding, but with a child, whose hair was short to her shoulders but shimmering like beautiful gold, lips dark and beautiful as cherry wood, her skin a fair brown texture like the trees of spring, but with no iris, she was not blind, but her eye color was not seen, at least not by any one yet, this did not come to the little girl as a shock, she always new she was different, and liked it that way. Nemesis picked up the little girl and spoke with a calm voice, â€Å"My darling Pluvo, I have noticed your growth, and wish that you leave, for I can no longer care for you, my job is to bring misfortune, and I have been gone long enough, know that I will always think of you when it rains, for I know that is your purpose, go little one, be on your way,† and with one more hug, she gave her a staff of crystal and water, and a head piece of gold with two little wings at the sides, and away she went. Pluvo was new to the world, she had learned to hunt, fight, and more, but her purpose was unclear, in Olympus there was a river, a beautiful deep crystal blue it had, she would practice with water, she was never sad down there, she was happy and that was all she needed. Soon Pluvo had went up to Olympus to find her mother, to ask why she had to hide, but too soon did Zeus find her, the problem was he had never seen his new child, this could have been a mistake if he did not ask this simple question.