Why my family is important Essay Example for Free

Why my family is important Essay Together with family, household is considered one of the basic groups of social aggregation. Information on household numbers and composition aids in identifying groups within the population such as Indigenous households or the number of people living alone. For the Commonwealth-State Housing Agreement (CSHA) data collections, the number of tenancy agreements is a practical proxy for calculating the number of households receiving housing assistance. The persons in the group may pool their incomes and have a common budget to a greater or lesser extent: they may be related or unrelated persons, or a combination of both. Only usual residents of the household are included as members of the household. Visitors to a household are, by definition, excluded from the household. Blood is always thicker than water. I learnt that phrase when I was much younger, but I never appreciated it until now. My brother was the only one who stood by me when I was being bullied in school at one time. He saw me cornered by a boy whom he knew to be a school bully and he did not wait a second more before stepping in to prevent me from being beaten by that boy. Once I quarrelled with my best friend, who was popular and everyone else was against me for quarrelling with him. My parents consoled me and encouraged me to be happier. They gave me the sound advice of believing in myself. I cannot thank them enough for the support that they have given me so far. My parents are also responsible for my love of learning in life. They make me feel intelligent and well-loved. I know that I am someone important to them. My family will always be there for me while friends are transient. After so many experiences with friends, I realise that I can always choose my friends. It also takes a long time to find a sincere and true friend. With family, it is different because my family cares for me no matter what happens. My brother and I may have our differences but we always manage to make matters work somehow.

Aphra Behns Poem To the Fair Clarinda Essay -- Aphra Behn Fair Clarin

Aphra Behn's Poem "To the Fair Clarinda" In her poem â€Å"To the fair Clarinda,† Aphra Behn writes of a companionship between the speaker and Clarinda. This paper will attempt to prove that Clarinda is a hermaphrodite instead of a woman as is popularly believed, thus completely changing the meaning of the poem. In the first few lines, the speaker decides to call Clarinda â€Å"Lovely Charming Youth† (4) instead of â€Å"Fair lovely Maid† (1). The speaker says that the name will â€Å"lessen my constraint† (6). This could refer to the sexual feelings that are holding her back because of the womanly part of Clarinda. â€Å"And without Blushes I the Youth persue† (7) tells how the speaker is not embarrassed to desire Clarinda now that she is referred to as a Youth. Farther into the first stanza, the speaker talks about how the love between her and Clarinda is not wrong because Clarinda is perceived by the rest of the world to be only a woman, and two women in a friendly, romantic relationship was perfectly normal at this time. The speaker says that Clarinda was born as a hermaph...

In “The Stone Angel,” Margaret Laurence writes a gripping story seen though the eyes of an old woman nearing the end of her life

At ninety, Hagar Shipley speaks touchingly of the dangers of growing old and reflects with bitterness, humor, and a sorrowful perception of her own frailties on the life She has led. In this story circumstances and character traits are most influential in shaping the lives of the characters, especially Hagar Shipley. An example of a character trait that is most influential in shaping the live of a character is at the beginning of this novel. From her childhood as a daughter of a Scottish merchant to her marriage, Hagar has fought a long and wrong battle for freedom and respect. Her life has been ruled by her concern of external appearances and behavior. Although She felt love and happiness, She refused to show it fearing others may view it as a weakness. Hagar has divided feelings about her husband, her passionate fondness to one son, Marvin, and her negligence of another, John. She is sometimes regretful but rarely sorry. The main internal characteristic responsible for this was her pride. This is supported by the comment she made: â€Å"Pride was my wilderness and the demon that led me there was fear. † She has been afraid of being unrespectable, afraid of needing too much and giving too much and her pride is both unsettling and inspirational. Hagar inherited this strong pride from her father, Jason Currie, along with other poor qualities. However, Hagar tries to escape from her own poor qualities to which She is imprisoned; attempting to stuff the emptiness within her. Throughout her life, Hagar is desperately trying to escape. Even though Hagar has pride of herself, She becomes progressively more powerless to care for herself and therefore becomes an unbearable tension on her son, Marvin and his wife, Doris. This tension makes them decide to put her in a nursing home because they can no longer take care of her. She is full of anger, but is childlike and illogical. She needs support with almost everything, yet She irritably refuses aid. Despite her knowing that She is a worry, she denies it herself. Despite character traits being most significant, circumstances within this story too are also as influential as the character traits. An illustration of this is the use of Lilacs by the author, Margaret Laurence, to indicate many bad events in The Stone Angel. This color is portrayed through a silk dress that Hagar wears many times in this novel. The Lilac dress is introduced on the day that Hagar purchases the dress. She refers to the past on the day She bought the dress with Doris, her daughter in law. I wear my lilac silk because the day seems Sunday†¦ How annoyed She was with me when I bought this dress. † She mentions that her feet are aching and is very tired. Doris on the other hand does not think this silk is worth buying. Though she does not like this dress Doris thinks she will buy it anyways and this started all the bad happenings that are related to this lilac silk dress. One such bad happening in the novel is when She wears the lilac silk dress at the dinner t able with Marvin and Doris. She then notices that something is wrong. â€Å"What is it? I want to shout the question impatiently at the face. Instead I fold my hands, as I am meant to do over my silk lilac belly, and wait. † She later finds out that She lives in with her husband and her family for many years. Doris keeps on pushing Marvin to tell Hagar that She should let go of the house and move on with her life. Hagar feels that her life is joyful and does not think that She needs a change. As a conclusion, circumstances and character traits have both been most influential in shaping the lives of the characters in The Stone Angel.

Summary of Courtroom Observations

On October 8, 2009 I attended a general sessions court at the Lexington County Courthouse. At this time the Judge was hearing guilty pleas. There were many people in the rather large courtroom that day. The courtroom was much larger than the one I had visited during drug court here in Spartanburg. Before the day’s session began I could see many defense attorneys going over their cases with their clients, some of whom were wearing bright orange jumpsuits that told me they were held in jail prior to their court hearing. Some of the defense lawyers appeared to have more than one client. I noticed that there were two gentlemen seated at the state solicitor’s table and another, younger, gentleman would periodically walk up to them and hand them some documents. The two state solicitors already had a large stack of papers next to them. Seated down and to the left of where the judge would sit, once he arrived, was a woman at a computer, the court reporter and a little further to the left of her was the clerk of court. Stationed at a door to the left and behind the large raised desk that was the judge’s desk was a bailiff. There was another bailiff stationed at the rear door of the courthouse where I walked in through while entering. The judge walked in and before he did so we were told of his approaching and were asked to raise. The judge was a tall older man with gray hair. He looked very bored with what was about to fill up his day; ready to get it over with. Before he gave his instructions to the prosecution to begin with their first plea bargain, he took his time going over some of the paperwork placed on his desk by the clerk of court. Then finally he was ready to begin the day’s court session. When given the nod of approval, the prosecution stood up and called out their first case. The first defendant that was called forth was a young woman who had pled guilty to check fraud. I do not remember the exact amount, but I do remember that it was not very much money. She was given two years on probation with a suspended sentence on top of that. Another case that was called a little bit later was for armed robbery of a convenience store. This case stuck out to me because the store that was robbed was one I had been to many times. The young man who pled guilty to this crime received much more time than the check fraud woman. He was also one of those individuals dressed in bright orange and they took him away immediately. I noticed for the most part there were not very many family members of the individuals there. There seemed to be a small group of students from USC Columbia doing the same thing I was, observing court proceedings. They appeared to be a little older than me and could have been law students. To all of the people who were the normal courtroom players I could tell that the day’s proceeding were nothing new to them. The judge would ask the defendant how he or she pled and they would say guilty. The prosecution would then tell the judge what they felt the punishment should be as determined by the plea bargain that they had made and the judge would agree with it and would sentence the offender. The whole process seemed very repetitive and scripted. There was seldom a deviation from the way that one trail was conducted to the way the next was conducted. I defiantly knew that all of the courtroom dramas on television would never last if they showed plea bargains instead of full jury trails. The plea bargains seemed like little more than a official ritual that needed to take place just to get a paper signed. There is probably a much faster way to conduct plea bargains but I’m sure it probably would conflict with an offender’s due process laws.

Genetic Variation Definition, Causes, and Examples

Genetic Variation Definition, Causes, and Examples Definition In genetic variation, the genetic makeup of organisms within a population change. Genes are inherited segments of DNA that contain codes for the production of proteins. Genes exists in alternate versions, or alleles that determine distinct traits that can be passed on from parents to offspring.   Genetic variation is important to the processes of natural selection and biological evolution. The genetic variations that arise in a population happen by chance, but the process of natural selection does not. Natural selection is the result of the interactions between genetic variations in a population and the environment. The environment determines which genetic variations are more favorable or better suited for survival. As organisms with these environmentally selected genes survive and reproduce, more favorable traits are passed on to the population as a whole. Key Takeaways: Genetic Variation Genetic variation refers to differences in the genetic makeup of individuals in a population.Genetic variation is necessary in natural selection. In natural selection, organisms with environmentally selected traits are better able to adapt to the environment and pass on their genes.Major causes of variation include mutations, gene flow, and sexual reproduction.DNA mutation causes genetic variation by altering the genes of individuals in a population.Gene flow leads to genetic variation as new individuals with different gene combinations migrate into a population.Sexual reproduction promotes variable gene combinations in a population leading to genetic variation.Examples of genetic variation include eye color, blood type, camouflage in animals, and leaf modification in plants. Genetic Variation Causes Computer graphic illustration depicting a point mutation. A point mutation is a genetic mutation where a single nucleotide base is changed.   Alfred Pasieka/Science Photo Library/Getty Images Genetic variation occurs mainly through DNA mutation, gene flow (movement of genes from one population to another) and sexual reproduction. Due to the fact that environments are unstable, populations that are genetically variable will be able to adapt to changing situations better than those that do not contain genetic variation. DNA Mutation: A mutation is a change in the DNA sequence. These variations in gene sequences can sometimes be advantageous to an organism. Most mutations that result in genetic variation produce traits that  confer neither an advantage or disadvantage. Mutations lead to genetic variation by altering genes and alleles in a population. They may impact an individual gene or an entire chromosome. Although mutations change an organisms genotype (genetic makeup), they may not necessarily change an organisms phenotype.Gene Flow: Also called gene migration, gene flow introduces new genes into a population as organisms migrate into a new environment. New gene combinations are made possible by the availability of new alleles in the gene pool. Gene frequencies may also be altered by emigration of organisms out of a population. Immigration of new organisms into a population may help organisms better adapt to changing environmental conditions. Migration of organisms out of a population could re sult in a lack of genetic diversity. Sexual Reproduction: Sexual reproduction promotes genetic variation by producing different gene combinations. Meiosis is the process by which sex cells or gametes are created. Genetic variation occurs as alleles in gametes are separated and randomly united upon fertilization. The genetic recombination of genes also occurs during crossing over or the swapping of gene segments in homologous chromosomes during meiosis. Genetic Variation Examples A true albino squirrel photographed eating a nut in Companies Garden in Cape Town, Western Cape Province, South Africa.   David G Richardson/Getty Images Favorable genetic traits in a population are determined by the environment. Organisms that are better able to adapt to their environment survive to pass on their genes and favorable traits. Sexual selection is commonly seen in nature as animals tend to select mates that have traits that are favorable. As females mate more often with males considered to have more favorable traits, these genes occur more often in a population over time. A persons skin color, hair color, dimples, freckles, and blood type are all examples of genetic variations that can occur in a human population. Examples of genetic variation in plants include the modified leaves of carnivorous plants and the development of flowers that resemble insects to lure plant pollinators. Gene variation in plants often occurs as the result of gene flow. Pollen is dispersed from one area to another by the wind or by pollinators over great distances. Examples of genetic variation in animals include albinism, cheetahs with stripes, snakes that fly, animals that play dead, and animals that mimic leaves. These variations enable the animals to better adapt to conditions in their environments.

Katharine Burr Blodgett Invents Non-Reflective Glass

Katharine Burr Blodgett Invents Non-Reflective Glass Katherine Burr Blodgett (1898-1979) was a woman of many firsts. She was the first female scientist hired by General Electric’s Research Laboratory in Schenectady, New York (1917) as well as the first woman to earn a Ph.D. in Physics from Cambridge University (1926). She was the first woman to receive the Photographic Society of America Award, and the American Chemical Society honored her with the Francis P. Garvin Medal. Her most notable discovery was in how to produce non-reflective glass. Early Life of Katharine Burr Blodgett Blodgetts father was a patent lawyer and head of the patent department at General Electric. He was killed by a burglar a few months before she was born but left enough savings that the family was financially secure. After living in Paris, the family returned to New York where Blodgett attended private schools and Bryn Mawr College, excelling at mathematics and physics. She got her masters degree from the University of Chicago in 1918 with a thesis on the chemical structure of gas masks, determining that carbon would absorb most poisonous gasses. She then went to work for the General Electric Research Lab with  Nobel Prize winner  Dr. Irving Langmuir. She completed her Ph.D. at Cambridge University in 1926. Research at General  Electric Blodgett’s research on monomolecular coatings with  Langmuir led her to a revolutionary discovery. She discovered a way to apply the coatings layer by layer to glass and metal. These thin films naturally reduce glare on reflective surfaces. When layered to a certain thickness, they completely cancel out the reflection from the surface underneath. This resulted in the world’s first 100 percent transparent or invisible glass Katherine Blodgett’s patented film and process (1938) has been used for many purposes including limiting distortion in eyeglasses, microscopes, telescopes, camera, and projector lenses.   Katherine Blodgett received U.S patent #2,220,660 on March 16, 1938, for the Film Structure and Method of Preparation or invisible, nonreflective glass. Katherine Blodgett also invented a special color gauge for measuring the thickness of these films of glass, since 35,000 layers of the film only added up to the thickness of a sheet of paper. Blodgett also made a breakthrough in developing smoke screens during World War II. Her process allowed less oil to be used as it was vaporized into molecular particles. In addition, she developed methods for deicing airplane wings. She published dozens of scientific papers over the course of her long career. Blodgett retired from General Electric in 1963.  She did not marry and lived with Gertrude Brown for many years. She acted in the Schenectady Civic Players and lived on Lake George in the Adirondack Mountains.  She died at home in 1979. Her awards include the Progress Medal from the Photographic Society of America, Garvan Medal of the American Chemical Society, American Physical Society Fellow, and Boston First Assembly of American Women of Achievement honored scientist. In 2007 she was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame. Patents Granted to Katharine Burr Blodgett U.S. Patent 2,220,860: 1940: Film Structure and Method of PreparationU.S. Patent 2,220,861: 1940: Reduction of Surface ReflectionU.S. Patent 2,220,862: 1940: Low-Reflectance GlassU.S. Patent 2,493,745: 1950: Electrical Indicator of Mechanical ExpansionU.S. Patent 2,587,282: 1952: Step Gauge for Measuring Thickness of Thin FilmsU.S. Patent 2,589,983: 1952: Electrical Indicator of Mechanical ExpansionU.S. Patent 2,597,562: 1952: Electrically Conducting LayerU.S. Patent 2,636,832: 1953: Method of Forming Semiconducting Layers on Glass and Article Formed Thereby

Online courses versus Traditional courses Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Online courses versus Traditional courses - Essay Example Sometimes students get involved in discussions because they feel more comfortable sharing their opinions than in a normal face to face manner. Furthermore, there are varieties of free education tools (audio or video) that will create the feeling of a classroom setting. It is difficult to make friends in an online class because one never meets one another, as well as their professor in real life. Additionally, it might be extremely difficult to discipline one self enough especially when one is computer illiterate or unfamiliar with accessing the web. Traditional courses give students the liberty to be in class on time for lectures, turn in assignments, meet with groups or take test at a scheduled time. There are chances to connect with a lot of people in the classroom, make friends easily with your classmate, have easy access to your professor during office hours, ask questions and get instant help. It is not open, sometimes when people keep out of class they might go far behind on the course especially when taking quizzes. As a family and a working student, there are classes that may not fit your schedule; one may have to drop some classes to find room for another one. One can connect to a lot of people in the classroom, make friends easily with their classmates, have easy access to your professor during office hours, ask questions and get instant