Of Mice And Men By Steinbeck Masterpiece Essays -

Of Mice And Men By Steinbeck Masterpiece A common characteristic of people is they're yearning for something more. Everyone has dreams and ambitions that they try desperately to attain. Most of the time these dreams are harmless but other times, what seems normal and doable turns bad and can hinder not only themselves but also others in the process. George from Of Mice And Men was a poor, traveling farmer who's only goal in life was to live in his own land and have a successful agricultural business. In trying to make his dream come true he hurt a lot of feelings, Lenny's especially, he ruined other peoples reputations, and forgot who he was for awhile. Lenny was a kind, dumb farmer who had the utmost respect for George. Unfortunately George took advantage of it sometimes. Lenny would do whatever he was told if it meant having rabbits and living on George's' land with him. Lenny was very strong and great in the fields which was probably the main reason George kept him around at first; but you suddenly get hints that George does in fact have a place in his heart for Lenny. Lenny's ignorance leads him to trouble just as much as his dreams of rabbits and land. In fact, Lenny's death is indirectly the cause of his hopes and dreams. A third character that came off as a dreamer was Curly's wife. Curly was very obsessive and mean to her. His cruel treatment made her try and find comfort in another man, which happened to be Lenny. Lenny's inability to feel safe and secure around her made something in him snap, which led to her death. The woman's dreams of a kind-hearted husband who treated her with respect was the cause of her tragic death. Of Mice And Men is very ironic in the sense that having dreams can be a good thing or it can even be deadly, especially in Lenny's case. The book makes you decide, should I be realistic or should I try and make my dreams come true?

List of 50 Great Word Games for Kids and Adults

List of 50 Great Word Games for Kids and Adults List of 50 Great Word Games for Kids and Adults List of 50 Great Word Games for Kids and Adults By Ali Hale If you want to improve your writing, maybe its time to ditch all the writing books and podcasts and play some word games instead. Yes, seriously! Word games and writing games are great ways to develop your vocabulary, to help you think more deeply about words, to have fun with story and structure, and to get a lot of fun out of writing. But games can be a great way to: Develop your vocabulary Help you think more deeply about words Become more fluent in English (if it’s a foreign language for you) Invent and develop characters and much more. After the list of 50 writing games, I’ve given you a top ten that I think are particularly great for kids who want to practice their writing skills. Many of the other games are suitable for children, too, so by all means try out other games as a family if you want to. Of course, there are loads of online games (and quizzes and tools) that you can use to improve your writing skills, and I will be talking about some of the best of those. But there are also lots of tried-and-tested classic games that you can play with pen and paper, or using cards and dice and we’ll be taking a look at those first. 5 Pen and Paper Word Games I’ll start with the simplest games: pen and paper ones that you can play pretty much anywhere, so long as you have a pen. All of these are suitable for children, and some (like crosswords) are enjoyed by many adults too. #1: Hangman (2+ players) Hangman is a classic word game for two players. One player thinks of a word and writes down dashes to represent the number of letters. The other guesses letters of the alphabet. Correct letters are inserted into the word; incorrect letters result in another segment of the â€Å"hangman† being drawn. This is a great game for developing spelling and vocabulary. If you’re playing it with small children, you can do it without the perhaps rather unpleasant â€Å"hangman† element, and just count how many guesses each player takes! #2: Crosswords (1 player) A crossword is a grid of white and black squares, where each white square is one letter of a word. The words intersect. You can find crosswords in many newspapers and magazines (on all sorts of subjects), and you can buy booklets and books full of them. Some crosswords are â€Å"cryptic†: great if you like brainteasers. Others have more straightforward clues. Crosswords are great if you want to learn new words and definitions, or (at the cryptic end of the scale) if you enjoy playing with words and language. Simple ones are suitable for fairly young children, with a little help. #3: Word searches (1 player) A word search has a grid (often 1010 or more) filled with letters, and a number of words written alongside or beneath the grid. The person completing the word search needs to find those words within the grid. Most word searches are easy enough for children, though younger children will struggle with backward and diagonal words. They’re a good way to get used to letter patterns and to improve spelling – and because word searches rely on matching letters, even children who can’t read well will be able to complete simple ones. #4: Consequences (2+ players, ideally 4+) This is a fun game with a group of people, as you get a wild and wacky mix of ideas. Each player writes down one line of a story and folds the paper over before passing it around the table to the next player. The very simple version we play has five lines: (1) A male name, (2) The word â€Å"met† then a female name, (3) â€Å"He said † (4) â€Å"She said † (5) â€Å"And then † Once all five stages are complete, the players open out the papers and read out the results. This can be great for sparking ideas, or as a way to encourage reluctant writers to have a go. #5: Bulls and Cows (2 players) This game, which can also be called â€Å"Mastermind† or â€Å"Jotto† involves one player thinking up a secret word of a set number of letters. The second player guesses a word; the first player tells them how many letters match in the right position (bulls) and how many letters are correct but in the wrong position (cows). Our five year old loves this game, and it’s been a great way to develop her spelling and handwriting as well as logical thinking about which letters can or can’t be the correct ones after a few guesses. 10 Board and Dice Games These are all games you can buy from Amazon (or quite probably your local toyshop). They’re fun ways to foster a love of writing within your family, or to share your enjoyment of words with your friends. #1: Scrabble (2+ players) A classic of word games, Scrabble is a game played with letter tiles on a board that’s marked with different squares. (Some squares provide extra points.) Letters have different points values depending on how common they are. The end result of scrabble looks like a crossword: a number of words overlapping with one another. If you want to develop your vocabulary (particularly of obscure two-letter words) then Scrabble is a great game to play. It’s suitable for children too, particularly in â€Å"Junior† versions. #2: Boggle (2+ players) This is less well known than Scrabble, but it was one I enjoyed as a child. To play Boggle, you shake a box full of dice with a letter on each side, and the dice land in the 44 grid at the bottom of the box. You then make as many words as you can from the resulting face-up letters. Again, this is a good one for developing vocabulary – and it can be played by children as well as by adults. You need to write down the words you come up with, which can also be good for developing handwriting. #3: Pass the Bomb (2+ players) It’s very simple to play: you deal a card for the round pass a â€Å"bomb† around the table and when it goes off, the person holding it loses. Before you can pass the bomb on during your turn, you need to come up with a word that contains the letters on the card. It’s a fun family or party game, and can work well with a wide range of ages. It’s a great way to help children think about letter patterns, too, and to develop vocabulary and spelling. #4: Story Cubes (1+ players) There are lots of different versions of these available, and they all work in a similar way. The open-ended game has a set of cubes that you roll to create ideas for a story that you can tell along with the other players. If you prefer, you can use them to come up with stories that you’re going to write on your own. There are lots of different ways you can use them: as writing prompts for a school class or group, to make up a bedtime story together with your children, for getting past your own writers’ block, or almost anything you can think of. #5: Apples to Apples (2+ players) Apples to Apples has red cards (with the name of a person, place, thing, etc) and green cards (with two different descriptions): the player with a green card selects one of the descriptions, and others have to choose a card from their hand of red cards. The judge for that game decides which red card best matches the description. If you want to develop your vocabulary (or your kids’), this could be a fun game to play. There are lots of expansions available, plus a â€Å"junior† version with simpler words. (If you’re playing with adults, you might also want to consider Cards Against Humanity, a decidedly not-kid-friendly game that works in a very similar way.) #6: Letter Tycoon (2+ players) In this game, you have a hand of 7 cards which you can use in conjunction with the 3 â€Å"community cards† to create a valuable word. It’s a more strategic game than some others, with aspects of finance (like patents and royalties) involved too – if you’re a budding tycoon, you might really enjoy it. Because not all the game strategy depends on simply being good with words, it doesn’t matter if some players have a larger vocabulary than others. It’s suitable for children, too, so you can play it as a family game. #7: Dabble (2+ players) Dabble is a family-friendly game where you compete with other players to be the first to create five words (of 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 letters) using your 20 tiles. It’s very simple to get the hang of but coming up with the words might be more challenging than you expect! If you enjoy Boggle or Scrabble, you’ll probably have fun with Dabble. It’s a great way to develop both spelling and vocabulary, and to have fun with words. #8: Upwords (2+ players) Upwords is like 3D Scrabble: you can stack tiles on top of other tiles to create new words. The board is smaller than a Scrabble board (and doesn’t have double and triple word score squares) so it’s not as complex as it might initially sound. Like similar games, it’s a great one for building vocabulary and for developing your spelling. It’s suitable for kids, too, so it could be a great game for the whole family. #9: Tapple (2+ players) Tapple has a wheel, with most of the letters of the alphabet on it, and lots of different â€Å"topic cards† that cover 144 different categories. There are lots of different ways you can play it – the basic rules are that each player has to think of a word that fits the topic within 10 seconds, but that word can’t start with a starting letter that’s been used previously. While small children might find it a bit too challenging or frustrating, due to the short time limit, this could be a great game for older children looking to extend their vocabulary. All the categories are suitable for kids. #10: Last Word (2+ players) In Last Word, players have to come up with answers to â€Å"Subject† and â€Å"Letter† combinations, racing to get the last word before the buzzer. It works a bit like a combination of â€Å"Tapple† and â€Å"Pass the Bomb†. You can easily play it with a large group (there are tokens for up to 8 players, but you could add more without affecting the gameplay). It’s a great way to develop vocabulary and, to some extent, spelling. 5 Roleplaying Games While my geeky tendencies have been reined in a bit since I had kids, I’ll admit I have a great fondness for roleplaying games: ones where you come up with a character (often, but by no means always in a magic-medieval setting) and play as them. These are some great ones that you might like to try. #1: Dungeons and Dragons (3+ players) Although you might never have played Dungeons and Dragons, I’m sure you’ve heard of this classic roleplaying game that’s been around since 1974 and is now onto is 5th edition. It takes rather longer to get to grips with than a board or card game: to play, you need a â€Å"Dungeon Master† (essentially the storyteller of the game) and at least two players (who each control a character), plus rulebooks and a lot of different dice. It’s a great game for developing the â€Å"big picture† aspects of writing, like the ability to construct a plot and a story (if you’re the Dungeon Master) and the skills involved with creating a character, giving them a backstory, and acting â€Å"in character† as them (if you’re one of the players). #2: Amazing Tales (1 parent, plus 1 or 2 children) This is a kid-friendly RPG aimed at parents who want to create a story with their child(ren). It’s like a very simple version of Dungeons and Dragons, and has straightforward but flexible rules. You can play it with a single six-sided dice – though it’s better if you have four dice (with six, eight, ten and twelve sides). If you want to encourage your child’s creativity and have fun creating stories together, this is a wonderful game to play. The rulebook contains lots of ideas and sample settings, with suggested characters and skills but you can come up with pretty much any scenario you like. #3: LARP (Live Action Roleplay) (lots of players) Over the past decade or so, LARP has become a bit more mainstream than it once was. It’s short for â€Å"Live Action Roleplay† which basically means dressing up as your character and pretending to be them. It’s a bit like Dungeons and Dragons crossed with improv drama. The nature of LARP is that it needs quite a lot of people, so unless you have loads of friends to rope in, you’ll want to join an organised LARP – there are lots out there, covering all sorts of different themes, from traditional fantasy ones to futuristic sci-fi ones. Some are suitable for children, but do ask event organisers about this. They won’t necessarily involve any sort of writing, but can be a great way to explore characters and dialogue. #4: MUDs (lots of players) MUDs, or â€Å"multi-user dungeons† have been around since the early days of networked computing in the ‘70s, and are the forerunners of games like Fortnite and World of Warcraft. They’re now distinctly retro-looking text-based online games, where players create a character and interact with other characters and the world. Like other types of roleplaying game, they’re a great way to practice storytelling and character-development skills. They also involve a lot of writing – so they can be useful for things like vocabulary and spelling. Some are suitable for children, but as with anything online, do ensure your children know how to be safe (e.g. by not giving out their full name, address, etc). #5: Online Forum Games / Forum Roleplaying (2+ players) Some fan communities write collaborative fanfiction through forums (here’s an example), with different people posting little pieces as different â€Å"characters† to continue a story. These can be quite involved and complex, and they can be a great way to learn the skills of telling a long, detailed story (e.g. if you’re thinking of writing a novel). They’ll probably appeal most to writers who are already producing fanfiction on their own, and who have a fair amount of time for the back-and-forth required for forum roleplaying. Again, if your child wants to get involved with this type of roleplaying, do make sure you monitor what they’re doing and who they’re interacting with. 10 Word Games You Can Play on Your Phone These days, many writers are more likely to have their phone to hand than a pen and paper and to be fair, there’s nothing wrong with that. You can easily make notes on a phone, whether by tapping them in or by recording them. If you find yourself with a bit of time on your hands, why not try one of these writing-related games? Note: all of these are free to download, but most allow in-app purchases, and you may find you need to make a purchase to get the most out of them. #1: Bonza Word Puzzle This game is a bit like a deconstructed crossword: you get bits of the puzzle and you drag them together to form words that will all match with the clue. If you’re a fan of crosswords and want something a bit different, you might just love it. It’s a great way to think hard about letter patterns and how words are put together, so it might be a good game for older children who’re looking to develop their spelling and vocabulary, too. #2: Dropwords 2 Dropwords 2 (a rewrite of the original Dropwords) is a word-finding puzzle where letters drop from the top of the screen: if you remember Tetris, you’ll get the idea. It’s a bit like Scrabble or Boggle, and you have to race the clock to make letters out of the words on the screen. With six different modes (â€Å"normall†, â€Å"lightning†, â€Å"relax†, etc), it’s suitable for children and for people who are learning English, as well as for those wanting to really challenge their vocabulary skills. #3: Spellspire Spellspire is a fantasy-style game where you select letters from a grid to create words: the longer the word, the bigger the blast from your magic wand! You can kill monsters, buy better equipment, and make your way to the top of the Spellspire. If your kids aren’t very motivated to practice their spelling, this could be a great game for them. (Or, let’s face it, for you!) You can also choose to play it against your Facebook friends, adding a competitive element. #4: TypeShift This is a relatively simple game that lets you create words from letters arranged on different dials. There are a couple of different ways you can play: by trying to use all the letters on the dials at least once to create words, or by tackling the â€Å"Clue Puzzles†, which are a bit like crossword clues. Again, if you want to develop your spelling and vocabulary, this is a straightforward game that you can use to do so. You can buy extra puzzle packs at a fairly reasonable price, if you find that you want to play it a lot. #5: Wordalot This crossword app uses pictures rather than written clues, which is a fun twist. You can use coins to get hints (you can earn these through the game, or purchase them with real money). If you enjoy doing crosswords but want something a bit different, give this one a try. You might find that as well as helping you develop your spelling and vocabulary, it’s a great way to develop your lateral thinking as you puzzle out the clues. #6: WordBrain This game is another one where you have to find hidden, scrambled words within a grid. There are loads of different levels (1180!) and so this could keep you busy for a long time. You can purchase hints – this could potentially see you clocking up quite a spend, though. All the words are appropriate for children (though some are tricky to spell), so your kids might well enjoy this game too, as a way to develop their spelling and vocabulary. #7: Ruzzle Ruzzle works like Boggle, with a 44 grid of letters that you use to make words (the letters must be adjacent to one another). You can play it against friends, or simply against random players. Like the other apps we’ve looked at, it’s a good one for developing your vocabulary and spelling. Some players said it included too many ads, so this is something to be aware of if you plan to use the free version rather than upgrading. #8: WordWhizzle Search This is a word search type game with loads of different levels to play. If you enjoy word searches, it’s a great way to carry lots around in your pocket! You can play it alone or with Facebook friends. It’s easy to get to grips with, but the levels get increasingly tricky, so you’re unlikely to get bored quickly. As with other apps, this is a great one for developing your spelling and vocabulary. Each level has a particular description (words should match with this), so you have to avoid any â€Å"decoy† words that don’t match. #9: 7 Little Words This game works a bit like a crossword: each puzzle has seven clues, seven mystery words, and 20 tiles that include groups of letters. You need to solve the clues and rearrange the letter types so you can create the answers to the mystery words – so it’s also a bit like an anagram. There are five different difficulty levels (â€Å"easy† to â€Å"impossible†) and each game is quick to play, so this could be a good one for kids too. Again, it’s a great way to develop vocabulary and spelling. #10: Words With Friends This classic word-building game is hugely popular, and you can play against your Facebook or Twitter friends, or against a random opponent. It works just like Scrabble, where you have seven letter tiles and add them to a board. You can chat with the opponent in a chat window, so do be aware of this if you’re allowing your kids to play. The game is a great way to develop vocabulary and spelling, and you can play it fairly casually because there’s no time limit on your moves. 10 Word Games You Can Play in Your Browser What if you want a writing-related game you can play while taking a break at your computer? All of these are games that you can play in your browser: some involve a lot of writing and are essentially story-telling apps, whereas others are essentially digital versions of traditional pen and paper games. Unless otherwise noted, these games are free. With some free browser games, you’ll see a lot of ads. If this annoys you, or if you’re concerned that the ads may be unsuitable for your children, you may want to opt for premium games instead. #1: Wild West Hangman This is a digital version of Hangman, which we covered above. You choose a category for words (e.g. â€Å"Countries† or â€Å"Fruits And Vegetables†) and then you play it just like regular Hangman. It’s simple enough for children – but it only takes six wrong guesses for your cowboy to be hanged, too, so it could get frustrating for younger children. #2: Word Wipe In Word Wipe, you swipe adjacent tiles (including diagonals) to create words, a bit like in Boggle. The tiles fall down a 1010 grid (moving into the blank spaces you’ve created when your word disappears from the grid) – your aim is to clear whole rows of the grid. Since the easiest words to create are short, simple ones, this is a great game for children or for adults who want to get better at spelling. #3: Sheffer Crossword As you might expect, this is a crossword game! There’s a different free puzzle each day, and you can choose from puzzles from the past couple of weeks. It looks very much like a traditional crossword, and you simply click on a clue then type in your answer. The clues are straightforward rather than cryptic, though probably not easy enough to make this a good app for children or for English learners. If you’re a fan of crosswords, this will definitely be a great way to develop your vocabulary, though. #4: Twine Twine is a bit different from some of the other games we’ve looked at: it’s a tool for telling interactive stories (a bit like the old â€Å"Choose Your Own Adventure† books, or a text-based adventure game). You lay out your story as different cards and create connections between them. If you want to experiment with interactive fiction, this is a simple, code-free to get started – as reviewer Kitty Horrorshow puts it, â€Å"if you can type words and occasionally put brackets around some of those words, you can make a Twine game†. It’s a great way to deepen your understanding of story, plot and narrative. #5: Storium Like Twine, Storium is designed to help you tell stories but these stories are written in collaboration with others. (There’s a great review, with screenshots, here on GeekMom.) You can either join a story as a character within it, or you can narrate a story – so this is a great game for building lots of different big-picture fiction-writing skills. It’s suitable for teens, but probably involves a bit too much writing for younger children. If you’d like to write fiction but the idea of creating a whole novel on your own seems a bit overwhelming, or if you enjoy roleplaying-type games (like Dungeons and Dragons), then you might just love Storium. #6: Words for Evil This game combines a fantasy RPG setting (where you fight monsters, get loot, gain levels and so on), with word games to play along the way. It could be a good way to encourage a reluctant young teen writer to have fun playing with words – or you might simply enjoy playing it yourself. The word games work in a very similar way to Word Wipe, so if you found that game frustrating, then Words for Evil probably isn’t for you! #7: First Draft of the Revolution This game is an interactive story, told in the form of letters (epistolary). It comes at writing from a much more literary angle than many of the other games, and if you’ve studied English literature or creative writing, or if you teach writing, then you might find it particularly interesting. The graphics are gorgeous – playing the game is like turning the pages of a book. To play First Draft of the Revolution, you make choices about how to rewrite the main character (Juliette’s) draft letters – helping you gain insight into the process of drafting and redrafting, as well as affecting the ongoing story. #8: Writing Challenge Writing Challenge can be used alone or with friends, creating a collaborative story by racing against the clock. You can use it as an app on your phone, as well as on your computer, so you can add to your stories at any time. If you struggle to stay motivated when you’re writing, then Writing Challenge could be a great way to gamify your writing life – and potentially to create collaborative works of fiction. #9: Plot Generator Plot Generator works a bit like Mad Libs: you select a particular type of story (e.g. short story, movie script, fairytale) then enter a bunch of words as prompted. The website creates the finished piece for you. There are also options for story ideas (essentially writing prompts), character generators, and much more on the site. If you’re stuck for an idea, or just want to play around a bit, Plot Generator could be a lot of fun. Some of the options, like Fairy Tale, are great to use with young children – others may not be so suitable, so do vet the different options first. #10: The Novelist ($9.99) The Novelist follows the life of Dan Kaplan, a struggling novelist who’s also trying to be a good husband and father. You can make choices about what Dan should do to reach his goals in different areas of his life – and the decisions you make affect what happens next in the game. You are a â€Å"ghost† in the house, learning about and influencing the characters. While there’s not any actual writing involved in the game, it could be a thought-provoking way to explore how writing fits into your own life. 10 Games to Help You Learn to Type Typing might seem like an odd thing to include on a list of writing games. But so much of writing involves being able to type – and if you’re a slow typist, you’ll find that your fingers can’t keep up with your brain! While most people find that their typing does naturally improve with practice, these games are all quick ways for you (or your kids) to get that practice in a fun way. Obviously, all of these games should help to improve typing skills: those which involve whole words may also help with spelling and vocabulary. Unless otherwise mentioned, they’re free. #1: Dance Mat Typing This game is designed to teach children touch type (type without looking at the keyboard). It starts off with Level 1, teaching you the â€Å"home row† (middle row) keys on the keyboard. Other letters are gradually added in as the game progresses. It’s very much aimed at kids, so teens and adults may find the animated talking goat a bit annoying or patronising! Unlike many other free games, though, it doesn’t include ads. #2: Spider Typer This typing game took a while to load for me: you too many find it’s a bit slow. In the game, you type the letters that appear on chameleons that are trying to catch a spider (the chameleons disappear when you hit their letter). The spider keeps rising up into a tree, and if it safely gets there, you move on to the next level. It’s suitable for kids, and starts off very easy with just letters: if you set it to a harder difficulty, you need to type whole words. #3: NitroType This is a competitive typing game where you race a car against friends (or total strangers) by typing the text at the bottom of the screen. It’s a good one for practicing typing whole sentences, including punctuation – not just typing letters or words. Older children might enjoy it, and any adults with a strong competitive streak! You can compete as a â€Å"guest racer†, or you can create an account and login so you can level up and gain rewards like a better car. #4: TypeRacer TypeRacer is similar to NitroType: you control a racing car and the faster you type, the faster your car moves. You can practice on your own, enter a typing race, or race against your friends if you prefer. If you create an account and login, other users can see your username, score, average speed and so on – and they can also send you messages. This could potentially open you up to receiving spam or unwanted communications, so do be aware of this, particularly if you’re allowing your child to play. #5: The Typing of the Ghosts  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In this game, you destroy ghosts by typing the word on them. The graphics are pretty rudimentary, though it is a free game and a good way to practice quickly typing words. It’s suitable for children, and the sound effects (there’s a noise for every letterstroke) may appeal to kids. You don’t need to create an account or login: you can simply start playing straight away. #6: Typing Chef In this game, you type cooking-related words (usually types of equipment). It involves single words and a few double words with a space between at the early levels. There’s nothing particularly unusual about this game compared with others, though it wasn’t so ad-heavy as some and doesn’t require any registration. It’s good for teaching words and phrases, but not for helping you to learn to type whole sentences. #7: TypeTastic This is a fun typing game aimed at young kids, so it starts with the fundamentals. You start by building a keyboard from letter blocks, then learn how to spot letters on the keyboard quickly before learning where those letters are located. Teachers or parents might be interested in reading about why the game starts with mapping the keyboard. The interface and graphics are pretty good, given that it’s a free game, and it’s designed specifically with young children in mind. #8: Typer Shark! Delux This is a free typing game, where you’re a diver exploring the seas. You can choose from different difficulty levels, and – in a mechanic that’s probably by now quite familiar if you’ve played any of the other typing games – you get rid of creatures like sharks by typing the word written on them. Again, this can help you with your typing speed and accuracy. I found it was a bit slow to load, but it’s not full of ads like some other games. #9: Typing Attack In this game, you’re a spaceship, facing enemy spaceships – each with a word written on them. I expect you can guess what you need to do: type the word correctly to destroy the spaceship. Some words are shorter, some longer, and as with other games, there are multiple difficulty settings. You’ll need to watch an ad before the game loads, which can be annoying, and means that it isn’t necessarily suitable for children. #10: The Typing of the Dead: Overkill ($14.99) This game is definitely aimed at adults rather than kids, because it’s a bit gory. It also costs $14.99, so it’s probably one that’ll suit you best if you’re really keen to improve your typing speed – perhaps you do transcription, for instance, or you’re a freelance writer. To play the game, you type the words that appear in front of the enemies and monsters: each type you type a letter correctly, you send a bullet at them. If you like horror games and films, it could be a fun way to learn to type faster – but it won’t necessarily improve your accuracy with whole sentences. 10 Word Games that Are Particularly Suited to Kids While I’ve tried to indicate above whether or not the games are suitable for kids, I wanted to list the ten that I’d particularly recommend if you want to help your children get a great start as budding writers. Several of these are games I play with my five-year-old already; others are games Im really looking forward to using with her and my son as they get older. I won’t repeat the full descriptions: just scroll back up if you want those. #1: Word searches (pen and paper) – you can buy whole books of these, or print off free ones. Older kids might have fun creating their own for their friends or siblings. #2: Bulls and Cows (pen and paper) – you can play this with just a pen and paper (or if you’ve got a really good memory, with nothing at all). #3: Boggle (board game) – this is simple enough for quite young children to get the hang of it: my five-year-old enjoys playing it with her Granny. #4: Story Cubes (dice game) – your child can use these on their own to come up with ideas for a story, or you could use them with a group of children – e.g. in a classroom or as part of a club. #5: Amazing Tales (roleplaying) – this child-friendly RPG is a great way to introduce big-picture storytelling skills, particularly developing a character. #6: Spellspire (phone app) – a fun spelling/word-creation game your child can play on your phone (and probably a bit more educational than yet another game of Angry Birds). #7: Wild West Hangman (browser game) – if your child likes hangman but you don’t always have the time to play it with them, this is a good alternative. #8: First Draft of the Revolution (browser game) – if your teen is interested in writing and/or the French revolution, they might really enjoy this intriguing game based around redrafting letters. #9: Dance Mat Typing (typing game) – this game from the BBC is high-quality, and designed to appeal to young children. It teaches good typing practice from the start, by explaining correct finger placement on the keys. #10: TypeTastic – this is another typing game aimed at young children, and this one starts with putting together a keyboard – a great place to begin. Do you have any favourite writing games – of any type? Share them with us in the comments. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Writing Basics category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:70 Idioms with Heart"Owing to" vs "Due to"Is Your Novel "Mystery," "Thriller," or "Suspense"?

Geology and Wildlife of the Appalachian Mountains

Geology and Wildlife of the Appalachian Mountains The Appalachian Mountain Range is an ancient band of mountains that stretches in a southwestern arc from the Canadian province of Newfoundland to central Alabama, the heart of southeastern United States. The highest peak in the Appalachians is Mount Mitchell (North Carolina) which lies at an elevation of 6,684 feet above sea level. Habitat Classification The habitat zones found within the Appalachian Mountain Range may be classified as follows: Ecozone: TerrestrialEcosystem: Alpine / MontaneRegion: NearcticPrimary Habitat: Temperate forestSecondary Habitats: Mixed deciduous forest (also known as southern hardwood forest), southern Appalachian forest, transition forest, and boreal forest Wildlife The wildlife a person might encounter in the Appalachian Mountains includes a wide variety of animals: Mammals (moose, white-tailed deer, black bears, beaver, chipmunks, rabbits, squirrels, foxes, raccoons, opossums, skunks, groundhogs, porcupines, bats, weasels, shrews, and minks)Birds (hawks, woodpeckers, warblers, thrushes, wrens, nuthatches, flycatchers, sapsuckers, and grouses)Reptiles and amphibians (frogs, salamanders, turtles, rattlesnakes, and copperheads) Plants A hiker along the Appalachian Trail would see plenty of plant life as well. More than 2,000 species of plants are believed to live along the mountain range, with 200 species living only in the southern Appalachians. Rhododendron,  azalea, and  mountain laurel are among those producing flowers. A multitude of tree species includes red  spruce, balsam  fir, sugar maple,  buckeye,  beech,  ash,  birch,  red oak,  white oak, poplar,  walnut,  sycamore, yellow poplar, buckeye, eastern hemlock, and  chestnut oak. Mushrooms, ferns, mosses, and grasses also are abundant. Geology and History The Appalachians were formed during a series of collisions and separations of tectonic plates that began 300 million years ago and continued through the Paleozoic and Mesozoic Eras. When the Appalachians were still forming, the continents were in different locations than today, and North America and Europe had collided. The Appalachians were once an extension of the Caledonian mountain chain, a chain that is today in Scotland and Scandinavia. Since their formation, the Appalachians have undergone extensive erosion. The Appalachians are a geologically complex range of mountains that are a mosaic of folded and uplifted plateaus, parallel ridges and valleys, metamorphosed sediments and volcanic rock layers. Conservation The rich forests and coal veins provided industry to an often impoverished area. But the aftermath sometimes left areas of the Appalachians devastated with air pollution, dead trees, and acid rain. Several groups are working to conserve the habitat for future generations as the native species also face threats from urbanization and climate change. Where to See Wildlife The 2,100-mile Appalachian Trail is a favorite of hikers, running from Springer Mountain in Georgia to Mount Katahdin in Main. Shelters are posted along the route for overnight stays, though it isnt necessary to hike the entire trail to enjoy its beauty. For those who would rather drive, the Blue Ridge Parkway runs 469 miles from Virginias Shenandoah National Park to the  Great Smoky Mountains National Park  in North Carolina and Tennessee. Some of the places you can see wildlife along the Appalachians include: Appalachian National Scenic Trail (stretches from Maine to Georgia)Cuyahoga Valley National Park (Ohio)Great Smoky Mountains National Park (North Carolina and Tennessee)Shenandoah National Park (Virginia)White Mountain National Forest (New Hampshire and Maine)

Working with the Gay, Lesbian, Bi-sexual, and Transgendered therapy Research Paper

Working with the Gay, Lesbian, Bi-sexual, and Transgendered therapy patient - Research Paper Example These challenges often end up impacting on the actual effectiveness of the therapeutic sessions. It is therefore important for counselors to find out as much information about his patients as possible. In working with lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgendered clients, this is not much different. The most information which can ensure effectiveness during therapy must be established. This paper shall discuss how counselors can effectively work with lesbians, gays, bisexual and transgendered (LGBT) clients. It shall synthesize research about the population and present the most important information about working with them. This study is being carried out in order to establish a clear and comprehensive understanding of the LGBT and to ensure effectiveness of the counseling process. Discussion Gays and lesbian and other transgendered individuals often feel isolated from the rest of the world (Callahan, 2001). For the most part, they also have a poor self-image which often prompts them to hide their sexual orientation from the rest of society. They also try to fit into society by trying out conventional and accepted activities and actions for their gender (Callahan, 2001). For counselors working with teen LGBT, they must gather as much information as they can about homosexuality. ... In effect, some experts have expressed the need for counselors to gather up-to-date information about their gay students through a human sexuality course (Callahan, 2001). Such course may assist counselors in recognizing their possible roles involving their suicidal gay students and those going through similar mental breakdowns in relation to their sexuality. In working with LGBTs, it is also important for counselors to be their patients’ advocates, especially in the schools and the communities. Through this advocacy, it is possible to open up the lines of communication between the other students and the gay community – to help incorporate these individuals into mainstream society (Callahan, 2001). Counselors must also try their best to support and protect this sexual minority by creating a safe environment in which these students can enter. By making it safe for them to seek counseling, it is possible to increase the number of LGBTs seeking counseling and eventually he lp safeguard their mental health. In a study by Bartlett, et.al., (2001) the authors set out to establish the therapeutic approaches taken by contemporary psychotherapists and psychoanalysts in relation to their gay and lesbian clients. They were able to establish that gays and lesbians seeking psychoanalytic therapy in the National Health Service for personal reasons would have difficulties finding gay therapists if they want one. This study also established that clients may often encounter overt or covert bias, including the pathologisation of homosexuality (Bartlett, et.al., 2001). In a paper by Godfrey, et.al., (2006) the authors set out to determine the knowledge, experiences, and values that therapists must possess in order to ensure quality therapy services for gays,

Shouldice Hospital Case Study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Shouldice Hospital Case Study - Essay Example Shouldice Hospital presents a classic example of a case study of this concept of hospital management. Shouldice Hospital is a specialty hospital in Canada dealing with hernia repair. Over the past years, the 90 bed capacity hospital has experienced immense success recording over 7,000 patients being treated at the hospital. However, a number of notable features attribute to this success. First, the hospital has a policy of admitting patients who only have uncomplicated external hernias and uses the best technology developed by Dr. Sholdice to treat the patients. Secondly, patients are subjected to early ambulation that promotes healing during the three-day stay at the hospital. Thirdly, the hospitals inbuilt structures and the welcoming nursing staff, as well as the activities incorporated for patients, provides the patients with a pleasant environment to recover. Regular times are set for eating, drinking and socializing with the patients. The patients are also paired with a roommat e who has similar interests and traits. The hospital has a well-structured production system detailing the process from when a patient is admitted to the hospital for the three days period at the hospital. The production system is well managed with 12 full-time surgeons who conduct 150 operations per week from Monday to Friday.

Medias Influence on Civil Rights Movement Essay Example for Free

Medias Influence on Civil Rights Movement Essay â€Å"The brutality with which official would have quelled the black individual became impotent when it could not be pursued with stealth and remain unobserved. It was caught—as a fugitive from a penitentiary is often caught—in gigantic circling spotlights. It was imprisoned in a luminous glare revealing the naked truth to the whole world† – Martin Luther King (8, Kasher) The media controls the way the public views a controversial event. It can create the illusion that everything is perfect by leaving out important information, or can reveal the deplorable truth as the media did during the Civil Rights Movement. It was not always that way though, during the Colonial Era the media glossed over the brutality African Americans faced. It was not until the photography and recorders were invented that the media could really no longer deny the awful reality of the African Americans’ lives. With the Civil Rights Movement as an example, the media has evolved into a more reliable source. As history goes on, African Americans are being reported on more truthfully; the media has evolved into a more objective source containing more factual information. During 1700s, blacks were dehumanized and treated as animals; they cooked, gathered and did anything their master ordered. When they finally took a stance and decided to revolt they were lynched. Yet, in the eyes of the media whites were the heroes. Instead of reporting on the revolts with objectivity, the reporters commonly asserted their opinions into the articles, â€Å"In the past white news media ignored positive images of African American life† (10, Kasher). No matter what the incident was the â€Å"white man† always was superior. Through the media’s perspective, the whites were harmless and superior to the blacks. In an article from the Colonial Era when the slave revolts occurred the slaves were portrayed to be villains. The article stated, â€Å"They conspired to murder all the Christians here and by that means thinking to obtain their Freedom†¦ [They] put their bloody design in Execution and setting fire to a House, they stood prepared with Arms to kill everybody that approach’d to put it out and accordingly barbarously murdered the following persons that were running to the fire†¦This has put us into no small Consternation the whole Town being under Arms† (Boston News Letter, April 14, 1712). Besides objectivity, the article failed to inform the public of the brutalities the slaves faced everyday. Never did the article state what happened to the slaves after the incident either. However, when slavery was abolished the black man was not always viewed as the villain. Nonetheless they were definitely not treated equally compared to whites, which fueled their fight for equal rights. Without the media, the Civil Rights Movement would have never been successful. The pictures and videos of the violence the blacks tolerated from white supremacists helped their cause because the photos and videos were undeniable. No longer were the black people viewed as villains. â€Å"Scenes unthinkable to Americans as American were shown to America and all the world. Public Sympathy and financial support, as well as political backing, flowed to movement organizations† (8 Kasher). The Emmett Till Case was an amazing example of this, the Jet and Chicago Defender (both leading periodicals), reported on the story. The papers both included a picture of his swollen face as the aftermath of his horrific death. His case would transform the minds of many during that decade. From the attention the pictures of Emmett Till caused, the media recognized that shocking pictures made people want to read the articles. Also, the newspapers could not produce fake pictures, which forced them to be more truthful in their stories (Kasher 8). Currently, racism is still an issue in the United States but the press has helped bring awareness to the issue. For example, there are multiple blogs on how the world is still segregated even though there are no laws to support it. With the rise Internet, anyone is able to blog about their opinion on something or bring attention to a problem that is not being covered in the media. According to the book Blog! by David Kline and Dan Burstein, the average writer is over forty, which means there is not a lot of new and fresh ideas brought to the table for newspapers and magazines (373 Kline and Burstein). However, with the new and upcoming trend of blogging there are a variety of opinions and ideas. Also, social networking has enabled people to communicate faster and it’s harder for the government or press to hide certain information from the public in order for our countries reputation to be protected. In respect to racism and how the media reports on it, our country still has a long way to go but has come far. There are still the inevitable reports about African Americans being in gangs and shootings; however there are also stories of African Americans doing amazing things like becoming president. As the press learned during the Civil Rights Movement, people react more to shocking news so that’s probably why there is so many negative events that are broadcasted over the television and newspapers. The Internet has enabled the press to have more accurate and timely stories. The media has evolved into a more reliable source especially compared to Colonial Era. Also with all activity on the Internet the press is no longer the only source of information that the public can receive. That forces the media to be more truthful and value their reader’s trust.

Use of Imagination in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Study in Scarlet and Sig

  Ã‚   While reading Robert Louis Stevenson's The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Arthur Conan Doyle's A Study in Scarlet and Sign of the Four, I found myself impatiently competing against Mr. Utterson and Sherlock Holmes to find out the solutions to the crimes.   Stevenson and Doyle cleverly use the imagination of their protagonists to display through fictional literature the concern late Victorians felt about the rise of a new science.   The characters of Utterson and Holmes resemble each other in their roles as objective observers who use imagination to create a picture in the reader's mind about the narrative.  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Utterson is a prominent London lawyer retained to oversee Dr. Jekyll's personal affairs.   Utterson is characterized as an upright and honest man who is genuinely interested in his client's well being.   Through his acquaintance with Enfield, a man about London, Utterson learns more about Dr. Jekyll's friend, the mysterious Mr. Hyde.   For the reader's benefit, Utterson exhibits his imagination by opening a window to the discrete aspects of Dr. Jekyll's life.   It is important for readers to envision the discrete aspects of Jekyll's character including his good and evil nature that he continually experiments with through scientific study.   This display of imagination allows the narrative to smoothly unfold and quantify Stevenson's attempt to reveal late Victorian concerns through fiction.        Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the same way, Sign of the Four's character of Holmes uses imagination through his role as an optimistic, amateur detective.   Holmes is portrayed as being driven by his imagination, which compels him to shoot cocaine in order to alleviate the feeling of boredom... ... at Pondicherry Lodge and while Utterson's concern with character of Jekyll discloses an aspect of the new science that probes the duality of good versus evil.      Works Cited and Consulted: Doyle, Arthur Conan.   A Study in Scarlet in The Complete Sherlock Holmes.   New York: Doubleday and Company, Inc., 1930.   22-75. Chesney, Kellow. The Victorian Underworld. New York: Schocken Books, 1970. Macdonald, Ross. "The Writer as Detective Hero." Detective Fiction: A Collection of Critical Essays. Ed. Robin W. Winks. Englewood Cliffs, London: Prentice-Hall, 1980. Stevenson, Robert Louis. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. First Vintage Classics Edition. New York: Vintage Books, 1991. Veeder, William. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde after One Hundred Years. Eds. William Veeder and Gordon Hirsch. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1988.   

Jeffersonian Era †Dbq

Rinya Kamber AP US 3rd 10/10/11 Jeffersonian Era – DBQ The period between 1815 and 1825 was inaccurately dubbed the â€Å"Era of Good Feelings. † Despite the relatively low political opposition and boom of westward expansion and economy, bigger problems such as the economic bust as well as the differing beliefs of northern and southern states threatened the strength and unity of the nation during this time. After the war of 1812, the surge of nationalistic feelings took place, but, simultaneously, there were underlying forces of sectionalism. Economic and demographic expansion led to a positive, nationalistic view of the â€Å"Era of Good Feelings,† but also had its setbacks. As John C. Calhoun- a US representative who suggested the idea of federal funding for internal improvements- stated in 1817, â€Å"We are great, and rapidly- I was about to say fearfully- growing. This is out price and danger, our weakness and our strength. † One cause of this rapid growth was high foreign demands for American farm goods in 1819 due to the agricultural disruption Napoleon’s excursions were causing in Europe. While this sudden demand increase led to territorial expansion, it also dropped crop prices significantly and caused the US Bank to give out less loans, credit, and mortgages, causing an economic bust. Another nationalistic contributor to the â€Å"Era of Good Feelings† was the growth of white settlement and trade in the west. Depicted by John Krimmel, American citizens’ festivities during the Fourth of July ceremony in 1819 clearly show that strong nationalistic awareness of the time. If one observes the density of population in 1820, it is clear that there is a surge of westward expansion into the Old Northwest and Old Southwest- especially after Jefferson’s Louisiana Purchase in 1803. With Jackson’s victory in the Seminole War and the Adams-Onis Treaty in 1819, Florida was now a US territory. All of these economic and demographic expansions added to the ‘good feelings’ during this particular time period. Not much political turmoil occurred initially, but there were many deeply-rooted issues that needed confrontation such as disputes between northern and southern states’ beliefs on government and slavery. Republican Monroe had little difficulty during the presidential election of 1820. With the decline of the Federalist Party, he faced no serious opposition. Then, with the election of 1824, support was dispersed and Jackson technically won both the Popular Vote as well as the Electoral Vote, as seen in the visual and informational comparative maps of the two elections. Yet, Adams took the Presidency anyway. Jacksonians resented this and therefore haunted Adams’ term in office, which led to the sectionalism occurring in the so-called â€Å"Era of Good Feelings. † Differences between northern and southern states also led to divisions. In the north, people favored a strong centralized government with an industrial economy whereas in the south, an agrarian society that gave more local power to the individual states was favored. These differences are clearly pointed out by John Randolph (a southerner) in 1816: â€Å"†¦favoring the manufacturers†¦while agriculturists bear the whole brunt of the war and taxation, and remain poor, while the others run in the ring of pleasure, and fatten upon them. † Another issue dividing the states was the question of slavery. Jefferson described the â€Å"momentous question† as a â€Å"fireball in the night†¦a new irritation that will mark deeper and deeper. The Missouri Compromise of 1820 allowed the new state to enter the Union under two circumstances: that Maine would also enter the union as a free state, keeping the balance, and that under the Tallmadge Agreement, restrictions on slavery would be put into play. Political disagreements, differences in northern and southern states’ beliefs, and issues that were aroused with the creation of new states all contributed to the growing sectionalism and are reason to believe that the â€Å"Era of Good Feelings† was not such a good era after all.

Stefan’s Diaries: Origins Chapter 33

Pale moonlight danced over Alice's bright hair as I rushed toward the shack. I ran my tongue over my still-sharp fangs, reliving the sensation of my teeth pressing into her pliant, yielding neck. â€Å"You're a monster,† a voice somewhere in my mind whispered. But in the cloak of darkness, with Alice's blood coursing through my veins, the words held no meaning and were accompanied by no sting of guilt. I burst into the shack. It was quiet, but the fire was well-tended and burned brightly. I watched the flames, momentarily entranced by the violets, blacks, blues, and even greens within. Then I heard a faint breath in the corner of the room. â€Å"Damon?† I called, my voice echoing so loudly against the rough-hewn beams that I winced. I was still in hunting mode. â€Å"Brother?† I made out a figure hunched under a blanket. I observed Damon from a distance, as if I were a stranger. His dark hair was matted to his neck, and he had streaks of grime along his face. His lips were chapped, his eyes bloodshot. The air around him smelled acrid–like death. â€Å"Get up!† I said roughly, dropping Alice to the ground. Her almost-lifeless body fell heavily. Her red hair was matted with blood, and her eyes were half closed. Blood pooled around the two neat holes where I'd bitten her. I licked my lips but forced myself to leave the rest of her for Damon. â€Å"What? What have you †¦Ã¢â‚¬  Damon's gaze shifted from Alice to me, then back to Alice. â€Å"Y ou fed?† he asked, shrinking even farther into the corner and covering his eyes with his hands, as if he could somehow erase the image. â€Å"I brought her for you. Damon, you need to drink,† I urged, kneeling down next to him. Damon shook his head. â€Å"No. No,† he rasped, his breath labored as he drew nearer to death. â€Å"Just put your lips to her neck. It's easy,† I coaxed. â€Å"I won't do it, brother. Take her away,† he said, leaning against the wall and closing his eyes. I shook my head, already feeling a gnawing hunger in my belly. â€Å"Damon, listen to me. Katherine is gone, but you're alive. Watch me. Watch how simple it is,† I said as I carefully found the original wound I had made on Alice's neck. I sunk my teeth back into the holes and drank. The blood was cold, but still it sated me. I looked up toward Damon, not bothering to wipe the blood away from my mouth. â€Å"Drink,† I urged, pulling Alice's body along the floor so it was lying next to Damon. I grabbed Damon's back and forced him toward her body. He started to fight, then stopped, his eyes transfixed on the wound. I smiled, knowing how badly he wanted it, how he could smell the overpowering scent of desire. â€Å"Don't fight it.† I pushed his back so that his lips were mere inches from the blood and held him there. I felt him take a deep breath, and I knew he was already regaining strength, just from seeing the red richness, the possibility of the blood. â€Å"It's just us now. Forever. Brothers. There will be other Katherines, forever, for eternity. We can take on the world as we are.† I stopped, following Damon's gaze toward Alice's neck. Then he lunged and took a long, deep drink.

Taking The Wheel Professor Ramos Blog

Taking The Wheel Every teenager dreams of the day when they get their independence especially when it comes to driving. Most kids don’t want to rely on their parents for absolutely everything such as being transported, including myself. I couldn’t wait to get behind the wheel and have my freedom. I had dreamed of all the adventures I would have once I had my license and car. I consider myself an independent person by all means, so this was the first step to some kind of freedom. I knew the journey wasn’t going to be easy, to obtaining a permit then passing the driving test. The lesson learned here was traumatic but necessary in my pursuit of driving. My childhood was not the average upbringing. My aunt raised my siblings and I after our mother died and father was out of the picture. We were poor and didn’t always have a car. We may have had three cars in all of my childhood, so sometimes we didn’t go anywhere. I knew I would never want to be left without transportation when I wanted to go somewhere. I couldn’t get lessons from my aunt so my boyfriend, who had a car, let me practice in his. He drove a white Ford Thunderbird, although it felt like a boat when I would make turns due to the length of the car. It was mostly parking lot driving for short periods of time. He showed me the basics and I drove in big circles most of the time. I wasn’t very good at multitasking so I was overwhelmed with all of the things that were required with driving. I moved out in my senior year and lived with a friend until I finished high school. She knew I wanted to get a license so she suggested I get driving lessons. My boyfriend could only drive with me once in a while so it wouldn’t be enough practice. We looked at several driving schools and decided based off budget and course duration. I wanted to pass my driving test the first time and needed all the help I could get. Most kids get to practice with their parents long before they take the test. I occasionally drove when I could with my friend in her car but not enough to set me up for success. I looked forward to my upcoming lessons with an instructor. It took me 4 attempts to pass the written test so that crushed my hopes for passing the driving portion in one try. I knew I would have to get the most out of these lessons to obtain my goal. The first day of my lessons I wasn’t sure what to expect. I did feel nervous but excited to be one step closer to my license. The driving school was run by an older gentleman, Joe, in his older white Geo Prism with dusty grey interior. He had one of those ‘student driver’ stickers on the back window as a caution to those driving around me. We drove around my neighborhood for the first lesson as I got familiar with the car. He was soft spoken and I felt comfortable with his instruction. Second lesson we drove around the local area practicing my signaling and turning. Still he remained patient with me through the instructions given. Third lesson was parking practice, something I had never done. Parallel parking was the hardest for me to master when it seemed orders were being barked at me. I noticed the frustration in his voice as he repeated the directions for me to follow. I had a total of eight lessons with this man so I practiced all of what he taught me for sev en of those weeks. Photo by Mikes Photos on Pexels.com The last lesson was merging and driving on the freeway. I was nervous and I’m sure he dreaded that lesson as well. We drive to the on ramp of the 10 freeway and he proceeds to tell me â€Å"speed up, but don’t floor it.† This Geo Prism wasn’t a fast car by any means and as we neared the end of the ramp he realizes we are not yet going fast enough to merge. He begins to yell at me â€Å"speed up† as a big rig approached from behind. I panicked and slammed on the gas pedal so I didn’t get pushed off the road. He barks his corrections at me as we drive for several miles in the slow lane and exit the freeway. I was so tense, angry and scared I pulled over to the nearest parking lot to get my thoughts together. We both sat in silence for a minute and caught our breath, you could feel the silence. He then instructs me to drives us back to my house. I do so in silence trying to process the experience of what happened. He gave me some paperwork and w e parted with an abrupt closing. I went inside and sighed with relief that I was done with the lessons and the instructor. My stomach was in knots and I was shaking. He had made my first time on the freeway the worst experience and I dreaded ever getting on the freeway again. I called my boyfriend and voiced my frustration about my disaster and he reminded me why I was doing those lessons. I conceded that I needed the assistance even if the last lesson was traumatizing for me. After my ordeal with driving school I scheduled my driving test appointment for two weeks later. I was nervous but did as instructed by the test administrator and passed on my first attempt. I was proud of myself for keeping my composure and getting my license as planned. I wanted to drive everywhere from that day forward and offered to run errands just to drive. I graduated high school soon after and got my first job. I saved up and bought my first car at 18 years old. I then signed up for college and drove from school to work daily. I drove to school in Riverside on the 91 freeway for a year and got plenty of experience in driving. I unfortunately developed road rage in that daily commute as well. I consider myself a good driver, haven’t been in any accidents and have only received one speeding ticket up to now. Driving is a big responsibility for a young adult. There is maintenance, repair, insurance and registration for the car. I was definitely up for the task and haven’t been without a car as an adult. My ex-husband was a mechanic and I gained more knowledge about cars. We always had three cars at any given time and all were maintained. I never wanted to be left stranded and unable to go where I wanted or needed to go. I maintain my independence and try to instill the same values in my children. I want them to know the importance of independence and what it means moving forward in life. Knowing how to keep priorities in order to maintain independence for any obstacles life may bring their way. Doing things for myself is deeply satisfying and gratifying. My gateway to freedom, independence and adulthood began with driving and remains vital to me on a daily bas is.

Change and continuity

They are able to figure out the wind and monsoon patterns. Mediterranean sailors use square sails, long banks of oars, ships are nailed together. Indian Ocean sailors use triangular sails, no oars, and tied ships. Impact: Africa provides exotic animals, wood, and ivory. Somalia and Southern Arabia provide frankincense and myrrh. Less valuable than Mediterranean Sea. Isolate ports that lack fresh water. In 1200 The rising prosperity of Asian, Euroopean, and African states stimulate the expansion of trae in the Indian Ocean. Luxuries for the wealthy-precious metals and jewls, rare spices, fine textiles, and other manufactures. Contstruction of larger ships makes shipments of buk cargoes of ordinary cotton textiles, pepper, food grans (rice, wheat, barley), timber horses, and other goods profitable. Collapse of the mongol empire- disrupts overland trade routes across Central Asia, the Indian Ocean routes assumed greater strataegic importance in tying together the peoples of Eurasia and Africa. 1200-1500 Dhow is a cargo and passenger ship of the Arabian sea. They all have a hull construction. The hulls consist of planks that were sewn together, not nailed. Cord made of fiber from the husk of coconuts or other materials was passed through rows of holed drilled in the planks. Marco Polo fancifully suggested that it in dictated sailors’ fear that large ocean magnets would pull any nails out of their ships. The second distinctive feature of the dhows was their trianglular (lateen) sails made of palm leaves or cotton. The sails were suspended from tall masts and could be turned to catch the wind. Junk is the largest and most technologically advancd and most seaworth vessel of this time. Developed in china. Built from spruce or fir planks held toether by massive nails. The space below the deck was dived into watertight comspace below the deck was dived into watertight compartments to minimize floodin g in case of damage to the ship’s hull. Ibn Battuta, the largest junks have twelve sails made of bamboo and carried a crew of a thousand men. A large junk might have up to a hundred passenger cabins and could carry a cargo of over 1,000 tons. Trade is decentralized and cooperative. Comercial interest, rather than political authorities, tied several distinct regional networks together. Indian Ocean Use predictable monsoon winds and dhows. Islam gives Indian Ocean trade a boost. They provide a demand for resources and tie the region together. Operates independently of states. Ming dynasty does get involved. 1405-1433 Voyages of Zheng He Commands expeditions of the Ming dynasty. He is a Chinese Muslim with ancestral connection in the Persian Gulf. 1497-1498 Vasco da Gama reaches India Sailed around Africa and reached India. He becomes suspicious of the Muslim rulers intentions. His arrival in India leaves a bad impression on Calicut-the ruler of Calicut is not interested. 1505 Portuguese bombard Swahili Coast cities 1510 Portuguese take Goa Portuguese take Malacca Focus of attention after India. It is the 15th century’s main entrepot (a place where goods are stored and then distributed from. ) 1515 Portuguese take Hormuz 1535 Portuguese take Diu 1538 Portuguese defeat Ottoman fleet 1539 Portuguese aid Ethiopia Indian Ocean Trade vs. Trade in the Americas The reason that the Indian Ocean region prospered while the Ottoman, Safavid, and Mughal Empires declined was because trade via the sea was a huge asset that none of these empires had (Safavid had minor ports but not enough to compete with European and New World countries. The innovation that was occurring between ship design, navigation, and cannons gave Europe a massive advantage. The Joint-stock exchange also causes these empires to fall behind in trade. Although the majority of sea traders were European, the majority of non-European traders were Islamic. The main reason that the empires fell in standing of the world is because they were strongly land based and simply did not have the resources to convert so much time and resources to the development that would have been needed to compete in the Indian Ocean trade network.

Money management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Money management - Essay Example I have therefore decided to consider one of two options – a life insurance investment and a personally managed fund. Life insurance option If I invest the $500,000 with a life insurance company then I may be able to earn a stable income each year with adjustments for inflation. Based on discussions with my insurance company, Table 1 in Appendix 1 reflects the amount that I would receive if I invest in an insurance policy that makes adjustments for inflation and pays my estate the balance of my policy at death. The table shows an initial investment of $500,000 and indicates that over a 20 year period and assuming a 3.5% rate of interest and an inflation rate of 3%, I would be able to have an inflation adjusted income of $15,000 in year 1 continuing to $26,302 payment in year 20. This policy continues as long as I am alive. The balance on the account at year 20 suggests that there will be sufficient funds for me to earn an income many years after year 20 if I am still alive. The principal amount only starts declining in year 12 suggesting that I will be paid out of interest earned on the investment up year 11, after which payments will start affecting my principal. My total receipt up to year 20 would be $403,045.62 with a balance on the account of $443,861.55. This indicates a net gain of $346,907.17 (($403,045.62 + $443,861.55) – $500,000). Table 3 in Appendix 1 shows the relevant returns. Personally Managed Funds In the event that I choose to manage the funds personally then I would be able to make earnings at rates between 3 to 7 per cent. This fund would consist of a mixture of government bonds (at least 60%) and stocks. I would use the income generated from the fund in the first year – year 1 as a basis to determine my future income if I am to maintain the same standard of living. I therefore allow for an inflation rate of 3% as with the life insurance option. Table 2 in Appendix 1 provides information on this fund. An average rate of r eturn of 5% annually is assumed. The information indicates that after the first payment of $17,500 subsequent payments will require selling investments and therefore reducing the principal initially invested if I am to maintain the same standard of living year after year. Comparison of both options In comparing both options the life insurance fund has a lot to recommend it. It is secure, simple, provides good returns, safe, and has no sales or administrative charges (immediateannuities.com). i. The life insurance offer provides a stable income for the rest of the pensioner’s life and in some cases beneficiaries can receive the balance after death. The income streams from the personally managed fund are not likely to be as stable, even though this is assumed in Table 2. ii. The pensioner can relax and does not have to watch the market and report on interest and dividends as in the case of the personally managed funds. iii. Returns on life insurance funds are normally higher th an those on government bonds. The reason is that a portion of the principal is normally paid with the interest earned. However, the personally managed fund is a mixture of bonds and stocks. iv. The principal is normally safe in the case of the life insurance