Coalition For College

Coalition For College The creek is spectacular as it cascades down the 150-foot drop of Ithaca Falls. Only 100-feet further, however, it runs past a decrepit gun factory and underneath a graffitied bridge before flowing adjacent to my high school and out to Cayuga Lake. Aside from the falls, the creek is largely overlooked. We receive several hundred responses, many of which are eloquent, intriguing, or downright wacky. The University of Chicago has long been renowned for our provocative essay questions. We think of them as an opportunity for students to tell us about themselves, their tastes, and their ambitions. They can be approached with utter seriousness, complete fancy, or something in between. Nearly all of the high school students I know who cross that bridge daily do so with no thought of the creek below. Think of some meaningful or extraordinary events that turned your life upside down and keep writing them. Stay honest, and if you have a misfortunate story to tell, share it too. This will increase the level of readers’ liking for your personality. The conclusion of your essay can be versatile depending on what you write about. Avoid cutesy and colloquial formatting choices as they are unprofessional and immature. Furthermore, avoid humor unless you are absolutely sure of it. What is funny to you may not be funny to someone else. Soon Ernest Hemingway’s essays found their place next to Trout Unlimited magazines by my bed. I caught that 10-inch fryling five years ago on Fall Creek using a $5 fly rod given to me by my neighbor Gil. When you're writing your essay, provide examples to support the things that you're saying about yourself. Anyone can say they're a good leader or they love to learn, but what can set you apart is demonstrating how those things are true in your life. Writing an admissions essay is a chance to break off the standard five-paragraph essay as this gives you a little room to wiggle around. However, just like a five-paragraph essay, you need to wrap it up using a neat conclusion. The language used in the writing of an application essay should be formal and professional. For example, you can include an ending to the action or life event, or describe your future self. Also, you might want to reflect on your experiences and write some thoughts about them. proper college admission essay format to consider before crafting your piece. The responsibility is enormous here, and in order not to mess up with this task, it’s important to understand the essentials of admission essay writing. I am still searching for a connection to him through performing and music. I am thankful his personal essay swayed my mother to choose him as my donor, and that his writing compelled me to discover and pursue all of my passions in the classroom and on the stage. The Kid’s Book of Fishing was replaced by Norman MacLean’s A River Runs Through It. Do not rush your writing process; create space in your schedule to revise your work. Ultimately, it is up to you to polish your essay before you submit. It flows well, is well structured and engaging and it is 100% mistake free. If you have to write 2 essays from very similar prompts or questions, it's okay to reuse ideas or modify a previous draft. Just make sure that your essay effectively addresses all aspects of the prompt. You may upload your essay with your online application, email it to , or mail it to the Office of Admission. Each year we email newly admitted and current College students and ask them for essay topics.

Comprehensive Guide To Writing College Admissions Essays

Comprehensive Guide To Writing College Admissions Essays Long an amateur scientist, it was this drive that brought me to the University of Texas for its Student Science Training Program in 2013. Up to that point science had been my private past time, one I had yet to explore on anyone else’s terms. Participating for the first time in a full-length research experiment at that level, I felt more alive, more engaged, than I ever had before. During my tour of duty, I witnessed several shipmates suffer from various mental aliments. Driven by a commitment to serve and a desire to understand the foundations of psychological illness, I decided to return to school to study psychology. Even as a child I constantly sought it out, first on television with Bill Nye and The Mythbusters, then later in person in every museum exhibit I could find. Science in all its forms fascinated me, but science projects in particular were a category all to themselves. To me, science projects were a special joy that only grew with time. In fact, it was this continued fascination for hands-on science that brought me years later to the sauna that is the University of Alabama in mid-June. I know from personal experience that in order to achieve the trust, honesty, and success that State University values, new people are needed to create a respectful environment for these values. I feel that my background as an American Sikh will provide an innovative perspective in the university’s search for knowledge while helping it to develop a basis for future success. And that, truly, is the greatest success I can imagine. I, like State University, constantly work to explore the limits of nature by exceeding expectations. The winter of my seventh grade year, my alcoholic mother entered a psychiatric unit for an attempted suicide. Mom survived, but I would never forget visiting her at the ward or the complete confusion I felt about her attempt to end her life. Today I realize that this experience greatly influenced my professional ambition as well as my personal identity. While early on my professional ambitions were aimed towards the mental health field, later experiences have redirected me towards a career in academia. For as long as I can remember, I have dreamed of science. Where others see the engineering, experimentation, and presentation of science as a chore, I only see excitement. Professor Mitchell obtained a grant to take a class of students to Belgium in order to study the EU. This course revealed a direct correlation between what I had studied in the classroom with the real world. In college, as I became more politically engaged, my interest began to gravitate more towards political science. The interest in serving and understanding people has never changed, yet I realized I could make a greater difference doing something for which I have a deeper passion, political science. The model comparison course was not only the most challenging course I have taken as an undergraduate, but the most important. As the sole undergraduate in the course and only college algebra under my belt, I felt quite intimidated. Yet, the rigors of the class compelled me to expand my thinking and learn to overcome any insecurities and deficits in my education. The effort paid off as I earned not only an ‘A’ in the course, but also won the T.O.P.S. award in statistics. This award is given to the top undergraduate student with a demonstrated history of success in statistics. Participating in the Student Science Training Program and working in their lab made me feel like a kid in a candy store. At the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at State University, I will be able to do just that. In a department where education and research are intermixed, I can continue to follow the path that towards scientific excellence. Long-mesmerized by hobbies like my work with the FIRST Robotics team, I believe State University would be the best choice to continue to nurture my love for electrical and computer engineering. I have only scratched the surface in this ever evolving field but know that the technological potential is limitless. Likewise, I feel that my time at State University would make my potential similarly limitless. In addition to just science, I am drawn to State University for other reasons. I strive to work with the diverse group of people that State University wholeheartedly accommodates â€" and who also share my mindset. They, like me, are there because State University respects the value of diversity. The 4 years I spent in the Army cultivated a deep-seated passion for serving society. While in the Army, I had the great honor to serve with several men and women who, like me, fought to make a difference in the world.

Just To Be Clear We Dont Do Legacy

Just To Be Clear We Don’t Do Legacy A few students pointed me towards this piece in the Wall Street Journal  about whether or not colleges should consider legacy in the admissions process. For those of you not familiar with the practice, legacy admissions means preferring the children of alumni in the admissions process. Why would schools do this? For the money, mostly, because if you make your alumni happy by admitting their kids, they might be more likely to give you money. Advocates of legacy admission, like advocates of development cases, will argue that this makes the school a better place for the rest of the students by allowing them to build great labs and dorms and offer fantastic financial aid and everything else.  Stephen Joel Trachtenberg, former President of GWU, made this case in support of legacy admissions, along with citing certain fringe benefits like bridging the generations by forming a sort of intergenerational club. Meanwhile, Rick  Kahlenberg of the Century Foundation characterized legacy admission as a special privilege for the advantaged. For you to receive legacy preference, it means your parents, and perhaps grandparents, went to a particular college. This means you come from a long line of educated people, who had the advantages of learning, who had the means to go to college in an era before broadly accessible student loans and financial aid. It means you are benefitting from work others have done. Kahlenberg argues that this is fundamentally unfair. Selective college admissions is a zero sum game: every applicant admitted takes a space which could have gone to another student. Preferring a student whose parents attended a college not only takes away a spot from an equal or better student, it specifically takes away a spot from an equal or better student who overcame more by not having the advantages accrued by prior generations. Kahlenberg is exactly right, except for one thing: he mentions MIT as one of the schools that practices legacy admissions, and we do not do anything of the kind. This is something I thought wed been pretty clear about. Mollie blogged about it back in 2006. Our institutional research website says, quite specifically, that alumni relations are not considered. And I can tell you, from having sat on countless committees, that we simply dont care if your parents (or aunt, or grandfather, or third cousin) went to MIT. In fact, one of the things most likely to elicit a gigantic facepalm is when a student namedrops some incredibly attenuated connection because they think it is going to help them get into MIT. So where did this idea come from? After a little academic archaelogy I think Ive figured it out. In an  issue brief written by Kahlenberg, the claim that MIT preferred legacies was cited (at 39) to  An Analytic Survey of Legacy Preference, which appears to be a chapter (written by Bloomberg editor Dan Golden) from Century Foundations  book on legacy admissions. That chapter doesnt actually contain any data, but instead itself cites (at 84) No Distinctions except Those Which Merit Originates: The Unlawfulness of Legacy Preferences in Public and Private Universities, by Shadowen and Tulante, 49 Santa Clara L. Rev. 51 (2009). Here, finally, we hit the bottom of the citation hole, as Shadowen and Tulante, using almost exactly the same language later appropriated by Golden and Kahlenberg, write that We also found data showing that alumni of CalTech, which grants no preferences, donated $71 million in 2007, versus $77 million donated in 2006 by alumni of legacy- granting MIT. (emphasis mine) Here they cite (at 371) the MIT Reports to the President (2005-2006).  But alas: while this report does indeed demonstrate MITs alumni donated $77 million in 2006, it says nothing about legacy admissions. It appears, as best I can tell, that Shadowen and Tulante were misinformed as to whether MIT granted legacy and included the claim in the sentence. When they cited this sentence to the Presidents Report, Golden and Kahlenberg (or their research assistants) must have thought the citation authoritatively described not only the donation numbers but also legacy practices. The idea that MIT granted legacy, in other words, appeared entirely out of thin air during the research and writing process. Its legacy admissions all the way down. As a former law school research assistant (if you couldnt tell) I know these things sometimes happen accidentally. While it is disappointing, I dont have any hard feelings to any of the folks involved. It is, indeed, unusual for a school like MIT to have no preference for legacies.  But one of the things that makes MIT special is the fact that it is meritocratic to its cultural core. In fact, I think if we tried to move towards legacy admissions we might face an alumni revolt. There is only one way into (and out of) MIT, and thats the hard way. The people here value that. I want to reiterate that I agree wholeheartedly with everything Mr. Kahlenberg said about why legacy admissions are bad. I personally would not work for a college which had legacy admission because I am not interested in simply reproducing a multigenerational lineage of educated elite. And if anyone in our office ever advocated for a mediocre applicant on the basis of their excellent pedigree they would be kicked out of the committee room. So to be clear: if you got into MIT, its because you got into MIT. Simple as that.

The Islamic State Of Syria And Iraq - 2191 Words

Introduction The Islamic State of Syria and Iraq (ISIS) is a radical terrorist organization which has separated itself from other terrorist organizations through its scope of violence, ability and pervasive rhetoric. Since its rise to prominence, the group has caused both localized and international turmoil and loss of civilian life. Despite the ardent failure of the United Nations and its member states to recognize the Islamic state as a legitimate state, ISIS has managed to control and establish governance over large swaths of both Syria and Iraq in their mission to create a global caliphate. Because of this, combating the terrorism of ISIS could be considered a two pronged problem. First, combating the terrorism of both the terrorist groups and its attacks on military and civilians and the spread of its ideology. And secondly attacking an insurgent government with the resources and founding of a state. The Islamic State’s continual growth and resilience in the face of global adversity shows the magnitude of the power and versatility of the group. ISIS is an insurgent organization, once pushed to the edges of society has managed to successfully transform itself into an organization that controls territory, attracts recruits from around the world, and continues to make gains against other rebel groups and national armies. The rise of the Islamic state can be attributed to many social, and global circumstances such as the destability in the regions of the middle east dueShow MoreRelatedThe Islamic State Of Iraq And Syria1702 Words   |  7 Pagesinto a post-Al Qaeda era in the Middle East, a new threat has emerged from the ashes of the 2003 invasion of Iraq and later in the 2011 war in Syria. The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS, ISIL or Daesh) has rapidly become the most pressing foreign policy concern in the Middle East for the United States. In the last four years, Daesh has gathered swaths of territory in both Iraq and Syria, although it has been driven ba ck thanks to coalition efforts to counter the group. The coalition in placeRead MoreThe Islamic State Of Iraq And Syria1388 Words   |  6 Pagesthere is a new extremist organization that rivals even al -Qaeda (Beauchamp 1). This terror group is named the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria., or in short, ISIS. Three years ago, ISIS did not exist but now it controls parts of Iraq and Syria and has made its own state. Terror organizations like al-Qaeda are merely terrorists groups while ISIS has captured and created their own state. ISIS is a well developed organization that has shown their handiwork repeatedly on social media and YouTube (KhederyRead MoreThe Islamic State Of Iraq And Syria1603 Words   |  7 PagesThe Background: The Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) came to power a decade ago as a small terrorist threat that grew out of the terrorist organization Al Qaeda. When the United States began to pull its troops in the Middle East, Iraq leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, took advantage of the unstable government and reinvigorated ISIS. In just this past year, ISIS has shown us that it is more powerful than Al Qaeda by conquering oil fields and territory in Iraq and Syria with the hopes of creatingRead MoreThe Islamic State Of Iraq And Syria1746 Words   |  7 Pages The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) is the newer and more intimidating version of the famous terrorist group Al Qaeda. The group makes an appearance in the news almost every day. Over the past couple of years, they have multiplied in numbers. Not limited only to the Middle East, there are people all over the world who have proclaimed allegiance to ISIS. The Islamic extremist group has set out to destroy anything or anyone that comes in their way or do not agree with what they stand for. InRead MoreThe Islamic State Of Iraq And Syria Essay794 Words   |  4 PagesMy research topic will explore the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, also known as (ISIS). I chose this topic because it has been an ongoing issue recently along with being a hot and dangerous topic. Picking this topic will help me exploit my audience and grab their attention. Before choosing this topic, I didn’t know very much about it until I did some research and realized how dangerous this Islamic group rea lly is. During my argument I will argue how ISIS has divided countries and have causedRead MoreIslamic State Of Iraq And Syria1629 Words   |  7 Pages Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) is a military and political organization which is mainly led by nationals of Iraq and Syria. ISIS has committed crimes of unimaginable cruelty in Syria and Iraq but the international criminal court (ICC) does not have the power to open a case, according to Fatou Bensouda. The court was unable to prosecute because neither Syria nor Iraq were members of ICC. (ICC, 2015) Crimes which have been reported, consist of mass executions, sexual slavery, rape and otherRead MoreThe Islamic State Of Syria And Iraq1699 Words   |  7 PagesISIS; the Islamic State of Syria and Iraq better known for their mass killings, terrorist attacks, and intense regime. This group was founded in 1999, and was created by people who were former Al Qaeda members. ISIS is a group of terrorists with members positioned all over the world to carry out with mass killings. The members have been radicalized to believe irrational thoughts of killing harmless human beings. The wh ole world is aware of the issue, and knows that this terrorist group needsRead MoreThe Islamic State Of Iraq And Syria1308 Words   |  6 PagesCanada Should Participate in the Global Coalition to Fight ISIS The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has made headlines throughout the globe this past year with their atrocities against religious minorities and determination to create an Islamic caliphate. They have expressed, throughout, that their primary objective is to establish a Salafist government over the Levant region of Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Jordan, Cyprus, and Southern Turkey(†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦). The group controls hundreds of square miles, whereRead MoreThe Islamic State Of Iraq And Syria1647 Words   |  7 Pages The Legend on Modernist Terrorism The radical Islamic terrorist organization, recently re-titled â€Å"the Islamic State†, has existed under several names since the 1990s. Its history is an epic of how modern terrorism progressed from a religious and political ideal into an obliterating cult. The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) is a properly-armed group that is a threat to the global security. ISIS, whose merciless members delight in murdering innocent people, must be destroyed beforeRead MoreThe Islamic State Of Iraq And Syria1592 Words   |  7 Pages The radical Islamic terrorist organization, recently re-titled â€Å"the Islamic State,† has existed under several names since the 1990s. Its history is an epic of how modern terrorism progressed from a religious and political ideal into an obliterating cult. The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) is a properly-armed group that is a threat to the global security. ISIS, whose merciless members delight in murdering innocent people, must be destroyed before its fanatical followers carry out further

Symbols Of The Civil War - 1761 Words

The Civil War continues to be a major talking point today -- a war that was fought over the extension of slavery. In 2017, a contentious conversation continues as the public debates the reasons of the Civil War, whether or not it was about slavery or states’ rights, and the ethics behind having massive monuments commemorating a time of our history that was so divisive. Symbols of the Confederacy, which includes the Confederate flag and monuments depicting leaders of the Confederacy, are seen to be racist and propaganda tools used by white supremacists. However, there are those who believe that these confederate symbols are misleading and leads to the false ideas that the South was patriotic and heroic during the Civil War. Through†¦show more content†¦The war was about the fight for independence for the South and nothing more, according to DeRosa. Like DeRosa, Sophia A. Nelson, author of E Pluribus ONE: Reclaiming Our Founders Vision for a United America, believes th at confederate monuments should be kept on display throughout the nation. As an African American woman with ancestors who were enslaved in the South, Nelson makes an argument that attempting to erase a part of history is deadly to our own being. While she deeply understands the reasons behind removing Confederate statues, she believes that the First Amendment would be under attack. As she states: Just as we cannot tell people not to buy Nazi paraphernalia or collect it in their homes (no matter how abhorrent we may find it), we likewise cannot tell people they are not allowed to honor family members who fought for the confederacy or that their forbears could not raise monuments to southern heroes like Robert E. Lee or Stonewall Jackson—both of whom were decorated and beloved West Point graduates and union officers before the south seceded from the union in rebellion. (Nelson) Like others in Nelson’s camp, she points to the ideas of freedom of expression as a reason to maintain the presence of confederate monuments; being that the First Amendment is held dearly to the values of America, by taking down these monuments would be a directShow MoreRelatedConfederate Flag Is America s Swastika1512 Words   |  7 Pagesslavery and racial discrimination. The Confederate flag, a relic of the devastating Civil War, has become one of the most controversial and contentious icons in American history. The debate over the flying of the Confederate flag is in regard to the Southern Civil War ideals of slavery and white racial superiority that historians have agreed the flag represents. Supporters of the Confederate flag argue that as a symbol of Southern pride, honor, and character, the flag is a reminder of the South’s distinctiveRead MoreSymbolism In O Captain ! My Captain By Walt Whitman984 Words   |  4 PagesStates and the voyage to represent the jou rney he took to get the country out of war and into a state of peace. By Whitman using these symbols, it helps one better understand a darker concept that can be difficult to comprehend by making the situation a little lighter and more common to the time period it was written in. Abraham Lincoln, the sixteenth president of the United States, can be used as one of the many symbols in this poem, especially the captain. The captain had led his ship through roughRead MoreThe Confederate Flag : Controversy Or Logical Solution?1717 Words   |  7 Pagesyears. It and other symbols of the Confederacy are parts of many state flags in the South and it is even flown at several state buildings throughout the South. To some the Confederate flag is a historical symbol and is believed to be a way of remembering the Civil War that almost tore the nation in two, but to others it represents fear and hatred due to its use by racial hate groups such as the Ku Klux Klan and it symbolizes the slave-holding South that existed prior to the Civil War. Such a controversialRead MoreThe Battle Of The Confederate Flag954 Words   |  4 Pages The definition of rebel has changed in America from patriot in the time of the American Revolutionary war to confederate in the Civil War and to redneck in today’s societal controversy concerning the image of the Confederate flag. The first definition of rebel originates from the term of patriot from the Revolutionary War. The definition of rebel in the colonies during the Revolutionary War time was a person who was acting against the British who made the colonies pay taxes and obey laws thatRead MoreThe Battle Of The Confederate Flag1208 Words   |  5 Pagessupremacy in the South. A large section of the American population agrees the flag is a symbol of racism since it was established in honor of white civil war soldier who wanted to preserve slavery in the region. Interestingly, the flag has remained a monumental symbol in the states and is still erected in the front of South Carolina’s state house. For years after the civil war, the Confederate flag was a symbol of pride in the region but later became a white supremacists emblem of racists and criminalRead MoreThe Preservation Of The Confederate Memory Lives On Through The Robert E. Lee Memorial Essay1075 Words   |  5 PagesConfederate Memory. But, recently a major debate surrounding the monument has spurred an argument between two groups. One group wants the monument to be removed or relocated from its original spot in Richmond V.A. This group believes that it is an offensive symbol in support of slavery. The other group fights to protect the monument and its location because of its importance to the southern heritage. However, trying to understand the significance of the monument requires one to look through the lenses of bothRead MoreConfederate Flags Worth1360 Words   |  6 PagesConfederate Flag’s Worth Flags are familiar symbols and popular with all ages. A flags definition is usually rectangular piece of fabric of distinctive design that is used as a symbol, as a signaling device, or as a decoration. (Alle, pg. 127) Most people today consider the Confederate Flag to be racist but others just see it as a way to say they are proud to be from the South. Have people actually researched what they are saying or are they throwing out what they have heard others say? WhatRead MoreConfederate Flag : History Or Hate1688 Words   |  7 Pagesbattle flag of the Southern states during the Civil war, stands above the capitol building in Columbia, South Carolina. It flies there, remembering and honoring the lives of men who sacrificed everything they stood for, and everything they had for something they believed in. They fought to protect their homeland, and to gain independence of the Union. The flag stands there, not as a symbol of hate, racial inequality, or blood-thirsty war, but as a symb ol reflecting the rich South and the men who gaveRead MoreWalt Whitman Research Paper1323 Words   |  6 PagesWalt Whitman and the Civil War Walt Whitman is considered one of America’s greatest poets. During his lifetime, Whitman wrote hundreds of poems about life, love and democracy, among many others. In particular, Whitman’s poetry reflects the spirit of the age in which he lived, the Civil War. In taking a closer look at one of his most renowned and brilliant pieces, â€Å"When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d†, three particular themes are observed; his love for nature, the cycle of life, as representedRead MoreEssay on The Confederate Battle Flag: Heritage or Hate1601 Words   |  7 PagesBattle Flag: Heritage or Hate The Confederate Battle flag is one of the most recognized symbols in the United States. It is not always a welcome symbol in today’s society. Take for instance the state of South Carolina having to remove it from its statehouse on April 12, 2000. The reason it is not always welcome is because people often misinterpret its true meaning. It is not a symbol of hatred but, a symbol of southern pride and honor. The pride and honor of all the men and women who carried it

The Problem with Exotic Pets in America Free Essays

Abstract Many Americans love to have exotic pets, not thinking of the consequences of ownership. Right now there is a widespread problem in America: In places such as Florida, numerous types of exotic pets are becoming an invasive species as a result of being released back into the wild. The Problem with Exotic Pets in America. We will write a custom essay sample on The Problem with Exotic Pets in America or any similar topic only for you Order Now Exotic pets have always been a concern to a variety of people: health care officials who treat bites from these animals, insurance companies who have to cover businesses that employ performers who have live exotic animals In their acts (such s ‘Siegfried and Ron and customs agents who Inspect cargo ships for Illegal animals Just to name a few. The problem however, has taken a turn for the worse recently as a result of several things which have occurred not Just in the past year, but also In the past decade. Exotic animals are becoming a problem In the US and a hazard to people, pets, and livestock. Some background Information will now be provided. Almost everyone above the age of 20 remembers what happened to Roy Horn of Siegfried and Roy when Monterey, the tiger Roy was working with, bit him on the neck and dragged him away. This brought Into focus the warning about -you can take the animal out of the wild, but you can’t take the wild out of the animal. † As reported by Miguel Marquee (2003) to CNN, Roy horn was critically injured as a result of the attack and audience members Initially thought It was part of the act until they heard Rosy scream behind the curtain. Some say this act alone brought an end to performers using live animals, not just exotic animals, in their acts. According to the National Invasive Species Center’s website (n. D. ). , one form of exotic pet that became an invasive species is the Northern Snaked. This species of fish, originally from mainland China, was brought to the US as an Import and was sold mostly in Asian fish markets as food but also in some pet shops as an exotic pet. When it was discovered in a lake in Maryland in 2002 and in other places such as the Potomac River, it was outlawed and labeled an invasive species. This was mostly due to Its rapid reproduction rate and high level of aggressiveness. Because It had no known natural predators, It soon became the apex predator In the waters where It lived and devoured the local indigenous fish. Like the Asian Carp, Northern Skinheads continue to be a problem on the east coast, but unlike the Asian Carp, their numbers are decreasing through the efforts of the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Fish and Wildlife. For purposes to this essay, the impact the Burmese Python NAS and on southern Florida will be used to demonstrate the problem with exotic pets. On October 27, 2011, a 16 foot Burmese Python was captured by South Florida Water Management workers in the Everglades National Park. This snake was credited with being â€Å"one of the largest ever found in southern Florida† and after killing the Python with a hooting, a 76 pound adult deer was discovered inside (Douglas, B. 2011). Considering the size of the deer this particular snake was able to eat, one needs to ask the question of what could have happened if this snake had been captured in an inhabited rural area. Considering the size of the snake and its diet, it would no doubt seek out easy prey such as pets or even small children. Sadly, this is not the first time a large snake such as a Python was captured in the wilds of Florida and the problem is not exclusive to Just snakes. Although snakes form the predominant indigenous return being caught, Florida is also plagued with the Nile Monitor Lizard and several aggressive species of iguanas such as the spiny-tailed iguana and the green iguana (National Biological Information Infrastructure, n. D. ). In an article written by Seal and Carmela (2009), Florida instituted a program called the ‘Python Patrol,’ in which members of the Park Ranger Service and several other agencies actively look for creatures such as Pythons and other invasive species. The article describes some of the duties and responsibilities of the ‘Python Patrol’ and also discusses some of the problems they face and their concerns. An example of one of the things the ‘Python Patrol’ looks for in the Everglades are nests and states that the everglades are a perfect habitat for the Burmese Python. They also cite in one instance how the largest cache of eggs found was 83 eggs. Another problem they cite in the article is that in the everglades, the snakes are able to grow at an accelerated rate due to the abundance of food. One thing to note about the Burmese Python is that it can reach up to 20 feet in length and weigh as much as 200 pounds when fully grown. This fact makes it an extremely dangerous predator. The one key thing that links all of the previously discussed information together is that these animals all started off as exotic pets. The problem is more prevalent in Florida then in other areas as most of these animals were released by their owners back into the wild rather than being given to a zoo or other appropriate agency for safekeeping and care. In 1992, according to an article written by B. Coronet (2009), Hurricane Andrew destroyed several pet shops containing numerous snakes and other exotic pets. In the aftermath of the storm, many of these snakes escaped into the countryside and have been breeding for 19 ears (an interesting side note to this article is the picture on the website where the article is located showing a Burmese Python in a struggle with an American Alligator). However, for every snake caught how many more remain unaccounted for in the wild and how large have they grown? When one considers that a Python is a stealthy ambush predator, trying to take a census of the Burmese Python population is practically impossible and rather silly: In the wild, the Python’s skin coloration and pattern make it virtually invisible to the naked eye. In closing, the capture and eradication of the Burmese Python may never truly be accomplished. As man expands and encroaches upon what little wilderness remains, there are bound to be encounters and clashes with wildlife. The Burmese Python is no exception: it NAS been captured on roads in Florida towns near marshes, under brush piles in backyards, and in several homes. When one does appear in a Florida neighborhood, local authorities are notified and a specially trained crew is sent to retrieve the animal. This would appear as only a stop-gap measure at best: Currently, attempts to control the spread of the Python have met with somewhat positive results, but as previously stated, the more man encroaches on nature the more request these encounters will occur. The best we can hope for is that these encounters do not result in violence or the death off child. How to cite The Problem with Exotic Pets in America, Papers

Steve Anastasia Essays - The Great Gatsby, English-language Films

Steve Anastasia 3 / 6 / 00 G Nick Carraway Nick Carraway has a very important part in this novel. He isn't just one character among several others. It is through his eyes and ears that we form our opinions on the other characters. Often, readers of this novel confuse Nick's views with those of F. Scott Fitzgerald's because the fictional world he has created closely resembles the world he himself experienced. But not all narrators are the voice of the author. Before considering the gap between author and narrator, we should remember how we, the readers, respond to the narrator's perspective, especially when that voice belongs to a character who, like Nick, is an active participant in the story. When we, the readers, read any work of fiction, no matter how realistic or fabulous, we undergo a suspension of disbelief. The fictional world creates a new set of boundaries, making possible or credible events and reactions that might not commonly occur in the real world, but which have a logic or a plausibility to them in that fictional world. In order for this to be convincing, we trust the narrator. We take on his perspective, if not totally, then substantially. He becomes our eyes and ears in this world and we have to see him as reliable if we are to proceed with the story's development. In The Great Gatsby, Nick goes to some length to establish his credibility, indeed his moral integrity, in telling this story about this great man called Gatsby. He begins with a reflection on his own upbringing, quoting his father's words about Nick's advantages, which we could assume were material but, he soon made it clear that they were spiritual or moral advantages. Nick wants his reader to know that his upbringing gave him the moral fiber with which to withstand and pass judgment on an amoral world, such as the one he had observed the previous summer. He says, rather pompously, that as a consequence of such an upbringing, he is "inclined to reserve all judgments" about other people, but then he says that such "tolerance . . . has a limit". This is the first sign that we can trust this narrator to give us an even-handed insight to the story that is about to unfold. But, as we later learn, he neither reserves all judgments nor does his tolerance reach its limit. Nick is very part ial in his way of telling the story about several characters. He admits early into the story that he makes an exception of judging Gatsby, for whom he is prepared to suspend both the moral code of his upbringing and the limit of intolerance, because Gatsby had an extraordinary gift for hope, a romantic readiness. This inspired him to a level of friendship and loyalty that Nick seems unprepared to extend towards others in the novel. Nick overlooks the moral implication of Gatsby's bootlegging, his association with speakeasies, and with Meyer Wolfsheim, the man rumored to have fixed the World Series in 1919. Yet, he is contemptuous of Jordan Baker for cheating in a mere golf game. And while he says that he is prepared to forgive this sort of behavior in a woman: It made no difference to me. Dishonesty in a woman is a thing you never blame too deeply - I was casually sorry, and then I forgot, it seems that he cannot accept her for being incurably dishonest and then reflects that his one cardinal virtue is that he is one of the few honest people he has ever known. When it comes to judging women - or perhaps only potential lovers - not only are they judged, they are judged by how well they stand up to his own virtues. Nick leaves the mid-West after he returns from the war, understandably restless and at odds with the traditional, conservative values that, from his account, haven't changed in spite of the tumult of the war. It is this insularity from a changed world no longer structured by the values that had sent young men to war, that decides him to go East, to New York, and learn about bonds. But after one summer out East, a remarkable summer for this morally advantaged