Smoking and its effect on society Essay Example for Free

Smoking and its effect on society Essay Many people believe that they are in control of their own lives. They believe that their lives are based upon choices they make as individuals. For me on the other hand it is different. I have given my choice away. Throughout my entire life I have been waiting to attain a feeling of independence and a sense of power over my decisions. However, over the past couple years I have succeeded this power, this choice to an addiction that impacts individuals and families all over the world. In high school I was a three sport athlete whom had the opportunity to play at the college level in both soccer and basketball. But like I previously stated I gave my choice away when I began the treacherous addictive habit of smoking cigarettes. When I wake up every day I make a list of things I need to get done that day, I never write down smoke a cigarette but in the back of my mind there is always a plan for smoking a â€Å"bogie†. Imagine waking up every morning and needing a drink of anything you can get your hands on just so you can breathe. This is what I deal with on a daily basis. I am constantly thirsty, out of breathe, and congested. My day is run by when to smoke one. I have a cigarette when I wake up, drink coffee/red bull, after a meal, on the drive to class, on the drive home from class, while I’m doing homework, after sex, when I get bored, and before bed. I smoke a little more than ten cigarettes a day, so let’s do the math for how much I spend in a year for cigarettes. If we round it to half a pack a day, that means I smoke a pack of cigarettes in 2 days. If there are 365 in a year, that’s 182. 5 packs I smoke a year. In today’s economy cigarettes in New York go for $10 a pack, that’s the cheapest you can buy a single pack of Newport’s, which are my cigarette of choice. So if you multiply 182. 5 times 10, that’s $1825 a year I spend on cigarettes. To put this number in perspective for you, the tuition costs here at Clinton Community College for a full year is 3,960. So for one semester it’s $1,980. Essentially this means that if I wasn’t addicted to nicotine I could just about pay for a whole semester of college each year rather than buy 182. 5 packs of cigarettes. For now a pack every two days isn’t a death sentence, but if it’s one thing that is true about addictive habits it is that they only get worse. On this pace within years I could be gradually progressing my addiction to the point where I smoke a pack, maybe even two a day. At this point I struggle sometimes to even find the cash to get a pack, so I can only imagine the financial hardships that await me if my disease progresses. My finances aren’t the only part of my life that is impacted by my nicotine addiction, my health has also suffered an extreme amount. Throughout my whole life I have been the kid yelling one more; one more throw, one more kick, one more shot. Even though I have always dealt with a mild case of asthma, sensational has been the only word to describe my athletic performance between the lines on a field or court. My senior year in high school I ran a 5:40 mile, today I would be lucky to run for 5 straight minutes let alone almost complete a mile during it. Coming out of high school I was recruited by the Plattsburgh Men’s soccer coach to play center half back, which if you know anything about soccer is basically the position which requires the best athlete with the best conditioning on the entire team. In the spring of 2009 I tried my first cigarette. At first I hated it, made me cough, feel sick, and smelt horrible. But then I kept smoking them, soon I began to crave the high of smoking one. Whether it was morning, noon, or night when I wanted one I had to have it. Eventually the summer came and since I was recruited by SUNY Plattsburgh I was required to get myself in to tip top shape before I went up there for preseason. Instead I fed into my addiction and smoking cigarettes led to less energy, which led to partying more than I ever had my entire life. This new phase of my life where every other night there was a graduation party just furthered my habits. It was a phase that to this day I still believe opened doors I was never able to close. By the time preseason had come around I was in the worst shape id ever been in. There were certain expectations I was supposed to meet and I couldn’t have been further from that point. Instead of being a freshmen stud starting on a college soccer team, I became a reserve who could not even go on away trips with the team. My addiction of smoking not only took a toll on my health that year, but also my life. I had failed to meet one of the goals I had worked so hard for my entire life. At this point I came to a realization that cigarettes were my kryptonite, they made me weak and were slowly but surely killing me. A person who hasn’t dealt with addiction will say why don’t you just stop, it’s a choice just don’t do it. What these people don’t understand is that I not only don’t have a choice but I am not one bit in control of anything, nicotine owns me, runs me and fuels me. I am one of many Americans either directly or indirectly effected by smoking. Our society has been very progressive in encouraging people to refrain from smoking. The biggest weapon used is just flat out information. Just reading over these facts makes me want to throw my pack in the toilet as we speak. There are more than 4,800 chemicals in cigarette smoke, and 69 of them are known to cause cancer (Kenny, 2012). Also 90% off lung cancer deaths and 80-90% of emphysema and chronic bronchitis deaths are due to smoking (American Lung Association, 2014). Smoking decreases the life of the average male by 13 years (American Lung Association, 2014). The average male in the U. S. is expected to live until 77. By smoking my entire life I am decreasing my life expectancy from 77 years to 63 years, scary to think about. A scary fact to hear is about second hand smoke. Smoking at home, in your backyard, or alone in your car is one thing because it is mainly only effecting yourself. Smoking in public however is a whole separate issue. In one year there are approximately 3,400 lung cancer deaths and 46,000 heart disease deaths in adult nonsmokers annually due to second hand smoke (Facts about Smoking and Tobacco Use, 2014). Those are people who die because of cigarette smoke and they aren’t even the ones smoking them, pretty cruel way to die. Smoking has greatly affected our society since the appearance of these statistics. Work places, public parks, and many other places have all out lawed smoking there, and if they haven’t outlawed it they have designated smoking areas away from the majority of people. Over the past 50 years our society has changed its perception of smoking. Years back the social structure of the world made it out to be a cool thing to do. If you didn’t smoke you were an outcaste, you would almost be looked down on. Back then it was a common thing to smoke in people’s homes, in movie theaters, even on planes and in restaurants. I can remember when I was a kid my family would go out to eat and we would have to say non-smoking section so we wouldn’t choke on our food while eating because of all the smoke. They used to promote smoking by having celebrities be their icons of the product to draw attention of the fans, or used mascots like a cowboy to signify manliness and strength, and some companies even stooped so low as to use animals as their mascots in order to make smoking friendlier towards children. Society truly does dictate what is considered a norm and what is considered to be irregular or strange. Today all of those things are illegal because a majority of the people believe those methods to be dishonorable and misguiding. The social structure of our society is constantly changing and maybe one day society as a whole will realize how harmful smoking is to the individual as well as the group and outlaw it completely. In this paper I have talked about my addiction to nicotine because it is a problem I deal with on a daily basis. This addiction of mine has effected many areas of my life including work, relationships, health, school, even self-esteem. Through writing this paper I have realized what a financial toll this habit has already taken on my wallet, thousands of dollars have been stolen from me by my addiction. In addition and more importantly, this addiction has already possibly taken years off of my life which is an eye opener that one cannot turn their back on. In conclusion smoking cigarettes has not only impacted my life, but is a nasty habit that effects the lives of individuals and families all over the world.

Reflective Statement The Great Gatsby Essay Example for Free

Reflective Statement The Great Gatsby Essay The Great Gatsby is a novel written by F. Scott Fitzgerald. It is said to be one of the greatest American novels of the last century, not only for it’s tale of hope and disillusion, but also for the way it portrayed the spirit of the 1920s. The information from the presentations made me realize that the characters in the story weren’t just any upperclass; they were the social and cultural upperclass of the world. The presentations also made me develop my understanding of the background of their arrogant and lavish behavior. They were born into the old elite and were stupendously rich in the wealthiest country in the world. They lived extravagant lives in a careless post-war time with mass media covering their lives in the tabloids. Another factor that contributed to this feeling of being superior must have been the lack of authorities and strong politicians. As the economy ran itself and the politicians were incompetent, the cultural elite were literally on top of the world. They distanced themselves from institutions and history and lived their lives in a social bubble, respecting only those who were a part of their class. The dream of being famous and glamourous bloomed in the 1920s and was distributed to the public through the mass media. The dream was available for everyone, and people strived to become a part of the cultural elite. The main characters in The Great Gatsby were already there, as a natural part of the scene. They lived luxurious and careless lives, following the latest trends, listening to the new music and attending extravagant parties. From the presentations I also learned about modernist literature. A significant trait of this genre is the break with traditions and the search for an absolute truth and a meaning of life elsewhere. The upperclass seemed to have lost their meaning in life in their extravagant lifestyle. Previously I had not given the social context too much thought, and without the information from the presentations, I may would just have seen the tragic love story of the book, and not how the book is a picture of and a comment to the 1920s life.

19th Century Colonialism and Racism

19th Century Colonialism and Racism Colonialism and Racism in the 19th Century Throughout much of the 19th century, European powers used their financial wealth and technological advancements to colonize much of Asia and almost the entire continent of Africa. Oftentimes the motivations were national pride and the acquisition of natural resources, but there was another very potent impetus behind Western imperialism in the 19th century: racism. At a time when Charles Darwin had just recently revealed his theory of evolution, and much of the previously unchartered territory of the world was becoming known, the European powers felt themselves to be the superior race, because they believed they were the most civilized, or because they had the most advanced technology. This idea, known as social Darwinism, takes the natural theory of evolution and applies it to human races, positing that the societies and races that are â€Å"superior† than others are more â€Å"fit† to exist and survive, and therefore they make take advantage of and exploit the other, i nferior peoples who are not as â€Å"fit† to survive. With this idea in mind, many Western powers sent troops and resources around to globe to set up colonies and imperialize other nations, often with no regard for the indigenous people. Although this massive wave of colonialism in the 19th century was driven by desire for material wealth and national pride, racism also played a significant role. In George Orwells Burmese Days, he chronicles the daily life of a British gentlemans club in upcountry Burma, part of the British colony of India. His account gives a very telling indication of how the British citizens viewed the local citizens of Burma, and it reveals the racism that was at the heart of the imperial system. When the club is discussing the suggestion to allow a Burmese man to join, the Secretary of the club says, â€Å"Hes asking us to break all our rules and take a dear little nigger-boy into this Club†¦That would be a treat wouldnt it? Little pot-bellied niggers breathing garlic in your face over the bridge-table. Christ, to think of it!† (Reilly, 285). The use of a derogatory racial slur clearly demonstrates the way the British gentlemen thought of the locals, clearly as inferior people. The use of the term â€Å"nigger† has long been associated with people of African descent, but here the British Club secretary uses it to refer to the local Bu rmese citizens, an obvious indication of racial hate and insult. Their hatred and racism go so far that one member of the club, a local company manager, says â€Å"Ill die in a ditch before Ill see a nigger in here† (Reilly, 286). The continuous use of racial slurs and insulting remarks indicate that the British members of the club were all highly racist towards the local people, a factor which definitely influenced the British colonization of India, and the treatment of the indigenous peoples. In a similar portrayal of life inside an imperialized nation, Joseph Conrads Heart of Darkness takes a close look at a steamboat journey deep into the heart of the Congo, the captain of which was a white man. The first signs of racism come out when he refers to the African people on his boat as â€Å"cannibals†, implying that they were savage and uncivilized, although there is no other evidence that these people were in fact cannibals. These basic false assumptions are often seen in stories of imperial racism; White colonists are always quick to judge the local people as brutal savages without actually taking the time to understand their culture. However, the ship captains racism goes far deeper than that, when he comments â€Å"the men were†¦No they were no inhuman. Well, you know that was the worst of it—this suspicion of their not being inhuman. It would come slowly to one. They howled and leaped and spun and made horrid faces, but what thrilled you was just t he thought of their humanity—like yours† (Reilly, 296). His pain at realizing that he was connected to these people, through a common humanity, hurts him because they appear so wild and savage to him that he would prefer to believe they were not human, but rather animals or beasts. His European heritage makes him regard himself as superior than the local Africans, and in turn he sees them through racist eyes, another important factor in the Western colonization of Africa. Both these excerpts of colonial life in the 19th century demonstrate that the Westerners almost always considered themselves superior to the local citizens. The European powers had convinced themselves that because they had the power and resources to create global empires, they were somehow inherently better than the people they were conquering, and this all too often lead to the exploitation and degradation of indigenous peoples around the globe. Another example of the conflict between two cultures is shown in the case of Ida Pruitt, in the book Chinas American Daughter by Marjorie King. Growing up in an American family working as missionaries in a small town in China, Ida experiences both the local Chinese culture around her and the American ways of her Christian missionary mother, who resents many things about China. As her mother constantly tried to convert Chinese people into Christians, Ida witnessed the harmful effects of such colonial interactions. King writes that â€Å"As Ida became aware of the differences between the Chinese and the Christian missionary cultures, she resented Christianitys intrusion in the Chinese culture† (King, 17). Even as a young girl, Ida is able to understand that the Western forces (her mother) are attempting to insert their own ways of life, religion, and culture into the Chinese culture because she regards them as inferior. The religious component of this is especially powerful, as many forms of Christianity believe that it is their responsibility and duty to spread their religion and convert as many people as possible, regardless of changing their previous way of life and destroying the original culture. The focus for the Westerners in colonial China was on taking advantage of the local people in order to convert them and insert western culture as a replacement for their own. Ida recognizes this, and â€Å"Ida admired her fathers adaptation to Chinese ways in order to help build genuine friendships between the Chinese and Westerners† (King, 19). Her father acts as a model for a better, more mutual exchange of culture and ideas between the Chinese and the Westerners, which is an equal interaction between the two, not the domination of one over the other as Idas Christian mother attempts to instigate. Ida Pruitts experience as an American in colonial China greatly differ from those of the Westerners in both Heart of Darkness and Burmese Days, as she actually identifies more closely with Chinese culture than she does with her original ethnic culture. Instead of approaching the local citizens as being inherently inferior or below her, Ida embraces their traditions and culture, and in many ways finds the Chinese way of life better than the American one that her mother works so hard to encourage. Especially because she lived in China at such a young age, â€Å"Growing up in the halls and courtyards of the haunted house of Song Family Village, Ida felt herself to be part of Chinese life stretching back thousands of years† (King, 6). As opposed to the British club officer who uses racial slurs to insult the Burmese people, or the steamboat captain who observes the â€Å"wild† and â€Å"inhuman† people of the Congo, Ida grows up surrounded by the Chinese culture, an d she is able to compare and contrast it with the Western tradition promoted by her mother. The racist characters in the other accounts experienced life as a Westerner, and therefore never were able to appreciate or respect any other culture. This stubborn obsession with ones own culture resulted in their imperial racism towards the local peoples. With Ida, she was able to form her own cultural and racial identity while experiencing both Western and Chinese lifestyles, and this allowed her to really respect and understand both, and in doing so she was able to remain connected to both cultures without having to racially reject or degrade one or the other. Racism is unfortunately an inherent part of human society, and it can be especially devastating when it is used to guide political and military decisions, such as during the colonization of Africa and Asia in the 19th century. Many people were killed, exploited, or left in poverty solely because of the racial hate of others. The European imperialism of the world, although based on many motivations, was in part based on racism, as demonstrated in the excerpts from Joseph Conrad and George Orwell. However, not all interactions between cultures were negative, such as the case of Ida Pruitt in China. She was able to ignore her mothers blind bias and learn to value and appreciate Chinese culture, something that indicates the importance of being open minded and experiencing other cultures for oneself before judging. Perhaps if the British officers didnt think so lowly of the locals, they would have provided better things such as schools and libraries, which in turn would result in a bette r educated country and an improved society. If the steamboat captain hadnt viewed the Africans as savages, maybe he wouldnt have been so focused on the material wealth and financial gain that was possible in Africa, but in setting up stable governments and creating better infrastructure for all people. Although things didnt turn out this way, we can learn from this past and apply that knowledge to create a better future. Ida Pruitt is a great example for overcoming racism, by experiencing a different culture for oneself and criticizing your own heritage, rather than stubbornly purporting your way as the best and only way, and hating all other cultures and societies that are different. Always racism may never go away, we can make a difference by understanding the past and learning to appreciate the value of all human societies and races. King, Marjorie.Chinas American Daughter: Ida Pruitt (1888-1985). Hong Kong: Chinese UP, 2006. Reilly, Kevin.Worlds of History: a Comparative Reader. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins, 2007.

Uses of Australian Medic and other Legumes in the United States Essay

Uses of Australian Medic and other Legumes in the United States In recent years the United States has been experimenting with the uses of medics, clovers and other forms of legumes which include sweet clover, rose clover, crimson clover, barrel medic, button medic, Australian medic, burr medic, nitro alfalfa, and spotted medic just to name a few of the long list of plants used in these experiments. The purpose of these experiments were to determine the benefits of intercropping these legumes with non-nitrogen fixating crops such as corn, sunflowers and many others. Some of the suggested benefits would include using less fertilizer, gained water infiltration into the soil, and reduced soil erosion. A study was conducted in Stephenville, Texas over several years to determine the types of medics and clovers that could possibly be used in areas of the United States that have high temperatures in the summers with limited precipitation, another objective of the experiments conducted in Stephenville was to determine the affects of harvest height, as herbage removal affects the reproduction of the stand in following years. Some cool-season annual species looked to be promising candidates for this particular experiment. Many of these species have become widely naturalized across the Great Plains region of the United States which indicates adaptation to climate, soils, local vegetation, and pathogens (Muir et al., 2005). One of the biggest factors in the growth and reproduction of medic is the climate, especially temperature and rainfall, has the strongest effect on legume production. Annual Australian medic species that are accustom to the long growing seasons in southern parts of the continent took ten to seventy ... ...provided by these plants. References Groose, Robin W., 1999. Lamb Chops and Rolls on 12 Inches of Rain. Casper Star Tribune. Kandel, H.J., B.L. Johnson, and A.A. Schneiter. 2000. Hard Red Spring Wheat Response Following the Intercropping of Legumes into Sunflower. Crop Science 40:731-736 Muir, James P., William R. Occumpaugh and Twain J. Butler, 2005. Trade-Offs in Forage and Seed Parameters of Annual Medicago and Trifolium Species in North-Central Texas as Affected by Harvest Intensity. Agron. J. 97:118-124 Sheaffer, Craig C., Steve R. Simmons and Michael A. Schmitt. 2001. Annual Medic and Berseem Clover Dry Matter and Nitrogen Production in Rotation with Corn. Agron. J. 93:1080-1086 Smeltekop, Hugh, David E. Clay and Sharon A. Clay. 2002. The Impact of Intercropping Annual ‘Sava’ Snail Medic on Corn Production. Agron. J. 94:917-924

Comparing Mary Anne in Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong and Kurtz in Apo

Comparing Mary Anne in Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong and Kurtz in Apocalypse Now  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚   In 1979, Francis Coppola released a film that he said he hoped "would give its audience a sense of the horror, the madness, the sensuousness, and the moral dilemma of the Vietnam war" (as quoted in Hagen 230). His film, Apocalypse Now, based on Joseph Conrad's 1902 novel Heart of Darkness, is the story of Captain Benjamin Willard's (Martin Sheen) journey to the interior of the jungle of Southeastern Asia for the purpose of executing his orders to track down Colonel Walter E. Kurtz (Marlon Brando). Once Kurtz is located, Willard is to "terminate his command with extreme prejudice" because Kurtz has raised an army of deserters and natives, whom he rules over like a fanatical war lord- When Willard finally reaches Kurtz's compound and meets him, he discovers a man who has descended into primitive barbarism. From the beginning of their encounter, Kurtz knows why Willard was sent to find him and makes no effort to stop Willard from slaying him with a machete. With his mission accomplished, Willard boards the boat that will take him. back to civilization. Tim O'Brien's story "Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong" is like Apocalypse Now in that it is also about a character who "crossed to the other side." Her name is Mary Anne and her boyfriend, Mark Fossie, has her shipped over to Vietnam to be with him. However, instead of reacting to the atmosphere of the war as Fossie thougbt she would, she becomes fascinated with the mystery of it, and over the course of the story is completely drawn in by the jungle's allure. Over a period of weeks, she disappears on ambushes with a nearby squad of Green Berets and when finally confronted by Fossie, he fi... ...e Now (1979): Joseph Conrad and the Television War." Hollvwood As Historian: American Film in a Cultural Context. Ed. Peter C. Rollins. Kentucky: The University Press of Kentucky, 1983. 230-245. O'Brien, Tim. "How to Tell a True War Story," Writing As Re-Vision: A Studenl's Anthology Ed. Beth Alvarado and Barbara Cully. Needham Heights, MA: Simon and Schuster Custom Publishing, 1996. 550-558. __________. "Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong,." The Things They Carried. New York: Viking Penguin. 1990. 101-125. __________. "The Vietnam in Me." Writing As Re- Vision: A Student's Antholoqy. 559-571. Phillips, Gene D. Conrad and Cinema: The Art of Adaptation. New York: Peter Lang Publishing, Inc., 1995. Watts, Cedric. 'Heart of Darkness.' The Cambridge Companion to Joseph Conrad. Ed. J.H. Stape. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1996. 45-62.      

Scott Joplin :: essays research papers

Scott Joplin was know as the kings of ragtime. I will explain also explain how he grew up and what type of music he played. I will also write about why I believe he deserves the title that he has been bestowed upon him.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The first thing I will talk about is the type of music he is know for which gave him that name. Most people listen to the type of music he composed but next to none know who or how it was composed. There seems to be an abundance of music fans who know little or nothing about the origin of their music. By discussing what he has accomplished it will explain why he is considered to be so important to his type of music.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Rag time as it is most commonly know was the type of fast paced music played around 1885 in St. Louis. Scott Joplin was born in 1868 and lived until 1917, but has done a lot in his life span. He was one of the first African Americans to be know as a composer. Born in Texarkana, Texas to a large family with musical background, he began learning to play the guitar and beagle, and gained free piano lessons by showing such fast progression to his teachers. After death of his mother, he left the house at age fourteen. He learned much form traveling through Mississippi playing in local spots and learning form what was offered to him. In 1885 he arrived in St. Louis, at the time a center for a new music phenomenon called ragtime.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Ragtime, also called â€Å"ragged rhythm†, was first a piano style know for its fast paced beats. It first came into the publics eye in 1893 when he performed an instrumental ensemble at the World Exposition in Chicago. His originally developed style of rag time know as â€Å"Maple Leaf Rag† First came on the scene in a club in Sedalia, Missouri as his own form of ragtime. In 1899 He gained nationwide popularity after selling over one million copies worldwide.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   After this Joplin tried to make this new from of piano style he had grown to love more widely know form of music In 1911 he finished an opera called Treemonisha, designed to reach this status. Sadly this opera was not well accepted by the public and caused him to slip into a state of depression.

Historical Example of Supply and Demand

The Great Depression happened because the stock market in the United States dropped dramatically. A major factor in bringing about the depression was a direct result of supply and demand. Supply and demand rely on each other and should be equal in a stable economy. Too much supply demand drops, demand goes up supply should go up to meet it. There was a large overage of products that the U. S. people could not consume. The overage happened because a technological advance changed how they produced goods. They were able to produce products more efficiently, however they did not increase employees wages. Therefore, people could not afford to buy the amounts of products that were being produced. This was a direct result. There was no equilibrium. When there was an overage of products there were less demands for laborers because they could not even sell the products that they had let alone produce more. The employers could have increased the employees wages to help the situation. This would not have completely fixed the problem. The industries would be forced by the law of supply and demand to drop their level of output to compensate in their loss of overall profit. Now there was less work, overage of products, and a failing economy. The Great Depression came to an end when the U. S. started making war goods for Britain. This created many jobs for U. S. citizens. This allowed people to earn money and begin spending again. President Roosevelt also had an impact on the recovery of the Great Depression. He made new policies, and changed how things in the economy went. He created different agencies to help with the situation. This in turn helped to create more jobs as well. The demand eventually caught up with the supply due to the labor market increase.