...Holman 1 Jaycee Holman II Mrs. Gile English 102 Section 15 April 8, 2011 A Second Chance at Life One of the issues plaguing the nation is our youth getting into trouble with the law. Surprisingly, there are many young adults that are starting out in life with the wrong concept. The legal system’s answer to our errant youth was the development of boot camp programs. These camps are designed to make sure the attendees never want to get in trouble again. The young people who are sent to boot camp can look forward to rigorous activities. Our judicial system believes that their hardcore military type punishment will work. Many participants do leave with a new direction in their life. Upon completing the program they come home ready to get a job and earn a honest income. However, once the business find out that they have a criminal record their application is denied. Where are the jobs and educational financing for those who want to attend college? Our government should support those who have successfully completed the program by offering them hope in the form of rehabilitating them back into society. The authors of Youth Justice in America state that these institutions are based on the theory that bad kids need more discipline, physical rigor, and more time outdoors. (Ahranjani 281). According to the National Institute of Justice, boot camps were born in the late 1980s and early 1990s...
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...Second Chance: Plot: A young man contemplating about what led him to the edge of the cliff. Characters: The main character is only known by his nick name Babs. He talks about his family and refers to his dad as Baba, (which is Arabic for dad). Conflict: A man with a conflicting mind contemplates and reflects on the past few years in his life that led him to the edge of the cliff, on his back, covered in blood, overwhelmed with regret, fear, and pain. There’s two ways off the ledge, either way, someone dies. Setting: This story takes place in both Chicago, Illinois in the winter of 2014, and in Anchorage, the largest city in Alaska in the summer of 2019. Point of View: The 1st person point of view of Babs. When death is lurking in your veins, your life presents itself to you through your dimming, and regretful eyes, in the way you lived. In life, every couple years or so, you reflect on yourself, seeing what and who you are versus what and who you wanted to be. I’ve never been where I should or wanted to be. I’ve made some mistakes, just like every other human being. What I’ve done in my short twenty four years of life on gods beautiful green earth has led me here. Lying on the edge of this cliff, with my neck and torso over this mountain top, blood slowly flowing up my shoulder and down my neck like a stream of interconnecting rivers; one river ending at my mouth forcing me to swallow my own blood, the others getting in my eyes and going throw my gaping nostrils gasping...
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...I was grateful when I graduated High School. School was a social event for me, not a learning experience. I don't know how I passed anyways considering I never went and when I did I never paid much attention. Needless to say I hated reading; actually despised it! It was such a waste of time. I decided to take a year off school to relax and then enroll in college. Little did I know that one year off was going to actually going to turn into seventeen years. A series of bad choices started a downward spiral that I needed a lot of help to get out of. I never thought that I was going to get most of my help from reading and writing. For many years, I followed the path that many generations of my family had gone down. It was in my blood and I knew it but I didn't think it would happen to me. This disease was not only destructive but it was fatal. I'm talking about addiction. It started slowly at the age of thirteen. It helped me take my mind off of my life and some very traumatic events. At first it was a here and there thing. Gradually it went to weekly using; before I knew it, it was daily. I didn't even realize that weeks, months, even years were flying by me. My whole day and night was consumed with the getting and using of drugs and alcohol. If I wasn't under the influence I acted like a bear woken up from hibernation. Noone could stand to be around me. My family Swecker 2 wouldn't even step into the same room for fear of an attack. With...
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...because of the way they live their lives. In Groundhog Day the main character Phil is an arrogant, sarcastic weatherman absorbed in his own discomforts, without hope, and cut off from other people. He is forced to relive the same day, groundhogs day, over and over again. In “The Metamorphosis the main character is Gregor Samsa, a man who spends his time working to pay off a debt for his father. Gregor wakes up to find that he has turned into a beetle. Throughout these two works the main characters try to go back to living their life as before not realizing that this is their second chance at life to make things right. Phil manages to do so only by breaking through and becoming a person of intimacy, creativity and compassion which sets him free from his exile of living in the same day over and over again. As for Gregor, going from someone everyone depends on to something no one wants to care for, he doesn’t get a chance to have everything go back to normal. He dies and his family, for once, is relieved. Groundhog Day lets us experience what it would be like to make a breakthrough like this in our own lives. The movie shows us a character that is like the worst in ourselves. Like us, he finds himself in an inexplicable situation, something like fate. But, unlike us, he gets the luxury of being stuck in the same day until he gets it right. Where most of us go semi-automatically through most of our days, he is forced to stop and treat each day like a world onto itself, and decide how to...
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...A Second Chance at Life Have you ever prayed for a second chance at life? Well I have been asking God every day for another chance to change my life. I have made many terrible decisions in my life and I’m still suffering from them today. A second chance at life allows you to learn from your mistakes and give you the opportunity to make a better decision the second time around. My mistakes and decisions didn’t discourage me from my goals but it made me a stronger woman. God has brought me through so many obstacles to open my eyes, but I do know he wouldn’t have put me through anything I couldn’t handle. I will like a second chance at life to do better in high school, do better my freshman year in college and stayed home with my parents until I was ready to leave. Before Hurricane Katrina, I would only care for academics. I was an “A” student and was placed in all gifted classes. During the hurricane, I was forced to attend any school available and I didn’t get alone with my teachers. At the time, I was a junior, the school’s counselor couldn’t find my records and I was placed back in the ninth grade until they found them. The hurricane discouraged me and I was no longer focused; furthermore, I gave up and became a follower. I began to careless about my grades and GPA. I was the class clown and I would pick fights for childish reasons. There were times when I wanted to drop out of high school and get a GED. I will like a second chance to at life to have...
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...No Second Chances Here Can prisoners be rehabilitated? My preliminary response to this question is yes, prisoners can be rehabilitated, but prison is not the place for that to happen. I believe that people want to change if they are driven to change within themselves. Never have I seen or heard of a man who changed because someone else told him he should. He had to want to be rehabilitated. It is my personal opinion that you can’t take every man in prison and expect him to be successfully rehabilitated. He has to prove that he truly wants to change, and then the process can begin. What do I mean by rehabilitation? I believe that rehabilitation, when referring to prisoners, is taking an inmate, finding his or her weaknesses, and strengthening them to better him or her permanently. By permanently I mean to the point where they could be released back into society without any concern that he or she would relapse and cause a disturbance again, whether it be the same crime they previously committed or a new one altogether. For example, in Scott Antworth’s essay “The Tower Pig”, he discusses how he has tried to better himself during his time in prison. In the end of the essay his guard takes him to his grandmother’s funeral, where he lets him out of his chains. He didn’t do anything stupid, and both he and the guard trusted his judgment. That is rehabilitation. Every person on the face of the earth has a weakness. In general, a weakness is viewed as a flaw that causes one to fail...
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...Second chances. Life gives everybody second chances whether they want to acknowledge it or not. In Jane’s case, she had many of these chances that were bound to change her one way or another. Jane became more at rest with her soul as the book continued, then she proceeded to get her identity taken away from her as she started to fall more and more in love with Mr. Rochester. She started off so proud, but as the story progressed, she became humble because of the life she was living before and the things she had to face in the past. That was when she was most at balance with herself and with her life. Then slowly but surely, she started losing herself in her husband’s arms in an artificial version of happily ever after. Looking back at one’s past, there may have been many instances when words pour out of one’s mouth like a waterfall and one just can’t stop oneself. One knows whatever one is going to say is truly horrible, but there’s the thing, you just don’t care. This is what happened to Jane. Threads have been wearing thin for a while and all of the thoughts that she had been keeping in her...
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...and Life-in-Death, two spirits that follow the crew to punish them, are to decide his fate, his life, to a game of dice. Entities beyond mortality gamble the future of a guilty, yet helpless man. Doesn’t this sound familiar? Don’t our lives seem, sometimes, the result of a game of dice being played by someone/something bigger than ourselves, even bigger than life itself? Just the fact that we are who we are is nothing but a result of chance. This statement, beyond its recklessness appearance, has an explanation consisting of three moments of existences that are determined by the roulette. The first one goes back to before we’re born. Have you ever thought of how many billions of chances were there when your parents’ genetic material mixed to create you? I, for instance, could’ve been blond, tall and smart. Or short and dumb. Or anything. But, somehow, I turned out to be me, out of what appear to be infinite chances of who I could’ve been. And this process follows no logic or intervention from our part: is the work of randomness. The second moment, chronologically, involves our environment. Where we’re born, who our parents are, and the rest of conditions that welcome us to this world are the sort of aspects I include in this side of this pyramidal die. The third and final moment is composed of the things that are choices in our lives. This is also a consequence of luck because the construction of ourselves is the outcome of the decisions we make, which have a luck component...
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...to fill my mouth, as I bent over to spit out the amount that had now pooled at the bottom. I struggled to remember how I got to this part of Interstate 270, when I started off on the East Side of Columbus. I slowly hobbled to the front of my car to survey the damage. Fighting to keep my footing, I noticed my hands were violently shaking. Never in my life had I flipped a car before, but during those rolls my heart skipped many beats as my SUV searched for steady ground before coming to a rest. Finally, stumbling to the front after grabbing ahold of the hanging bumper to stabilize my steps, I noticed the extreme amount of damage. My truck was totaled, no question. How could I put my life and those around me in jeopardy without so much as a second thought? Earlier that night, I hopped out of the shower eager to go out and celebrate the end of another work week. After ironing the clothes I picked out earlier that day, putting on some cologne, and admiring myself in the mirror, I darted out the door and threw the car in reverse. Drinking was always on the agenda, but I had the motto that the more I drank, the better driver I became. I decided to make a quick stop at a bar before proceeding onto a nightclub for the night. I pulled into the parking lot approximately seven o’clock and immediately began to catch up with my friends that arrived earlier. Two hours later, I was still about two shots back, but I figured I would make up for that when I made it to the nightclub. Searching for...
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...speaker is trying to tell people that good preparation for opportunity is the key to be successful, not luck. Luck is really being ready for something, perhaps unconsciously, so that you recognize it when you see it. When whatever it is comes along, it will seem to be a stroke of luck, but in reality it is not luck at all. It is something you have strived and worked towards, maybe without even knowing it, so that when it presents itself it seems second nature. I agree with Winfrey because I believe that preparation is more important. My agreement is based on the following reasons. The first reason is that opportunity is very transient and rare, so we must grab it whenever we meet it. In my opinion, grabbing opportunity means to get ready and be well-prepared. Take Oprah Winfrey for example. Before she became a well-known national TV host, she worked in a local station for many years and had gone to uncountable interviews. Without her experiences, she could not have gotten the interview for national TV host and become successful. Second, preparation is always advantageous and never harmful to us. Preparation requires motivation, activity and carefulness. Those who most frequently experience outcomes viewed by society as unlucky live lives which exhibit little evidence of motivation, activity and care. When preparing for something, we are actually increasing the possibility of success, creating our own luck. For instance, learning how to write a good essay is not only helpful...
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...“Luck is a matter of preparation meeting opportunity." Have you ever heard people talk about the things they would do if they won the lottery, and yet a large percentage of these people never go out and buy a ticket. These people have exactly a zero chance of winning, while the ones who went out and bought a ticket have a chance, albeit slim, at becoming lucky. This is the scenario that came to mind when I first read the quote “Luck is a matter of preparation meeting opportunity”. However, the more I thought about the quote, the more I realized how easily this could be applied to many real life situations. The author of this quote is trying to tell the readers that preparing yourself for opportunity is the key to being lucky, or successful. In order to prepare yourself for success, there are certain steps that must take place. First, you have to believe in yourself. You must believe that you can pick the lucky numbers, or you must believe that you are capable of competing in, let’s say a marathon. Second, you have to set goals for yourself. In the case of the lottery it’s pretty easy; Goal #1, buy ticket. Goal #2, wait. In the marathon scenario, much like most other scenarios, it’s a little more complicated. You must train both physically and mentally, and make many sacrifices along the way. Finally, you must be optimistic about the result you achieve. In the case of the lottery player, they probably didn’t win. But at least they can try again in a few days, right? The marathon...
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...Living Room Feng Shui Ideas Feng Shui is known as a method of placement to improve your life in every way. It is all about incorporating into the environment as it allows us to achieve harmony by the placement & arrangement of space. Living Feng Shui life can provide you peace and tranquillity of life. With the Feng Shui items, you get restricted to some of the interior furniture arrangements. Weather, astronomy, geomagnetism are central components of Feng Shui. Using Feng Shui products one can have a great positive impact on one's health, increase one's fortune and have better personal relationships. The main room in our home is the Living room where all the family members or guests get together and share their ideas. Various Feng Shui living room tips can be shared as under:- • Place the sofa in the corner which is farthest from the door and windows and make sure the sofa is clearly visible and provides a clear view of the door. • Do not allow space in between the wall and sofa. Wall is essential for providing security & protection to the members in the Feng Shui house. Don't place the sofa in front of a window or directly opposite the door. Since energy flows between the door & window, it would restrict the path of your guests. • Make sure you do not have lights or beams directly above the sofa as this would release the flow of negative energy. • Use of screens & partitions to influence the energy flow is highly recommended. This way the flow of energy can be directed...
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...COMES CLOSEST TO REFLECTING YOUR OPINION ABOUT IT. Disagree very much Disagree moderately Disagree slightly Agree slightly Agree moderately Agree very much 1 I feel I am being paid a fair amount for the work I do. 1 2 3 4 5 6 2 There is really too little chance for promotion on my job. 1 2 3 4 5 6 3 My supervisor is quite competent in doing his/her job. 1 2 3 4 5 6 4 I am not satisfied with the benefits I receive. 1 2 3 4 5 6 5 When I do a good job, I receive the recognition for it that I should receive. 1 2 3 4 5 6 6 Many of our rules and procedures make doing a good job difficult. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 I like the people I work with. 1 2 3 4 5 6 8 I sometimes feel my job is meaningless. 1 2 3 4 5 6 9 Communications seem good within this organization. 1 2 3 4 5 6 10 Raises are too few and far between. 1 2 3 4 5 6 11 Those who do well on the job stand a fair chance of being promoted. 1 2 3 4 5 6 12 My supervisor is unfair to me. 1 2 3 4 5 6 13 The benefits we receive are as good as most other organizations offer. 1 2 3 4 5 6 14 I do not feel that the work I do is appreciated...
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...As a Forensic Anthropologist, I don’t get lucky very often, but since I have become a Forensic Anthropologist, the concept of luck has changed drastically. For example, when my dog found a dead body, I felt like the luckiest person in the world. The first thing I did after consulting another Forensic Anthropologist, was lay out and examine the bones. This was in order to develop a profile for the victim. After laying them out, I was able to look at certain features of the bones. In cases where the victim is older, the vertebrae appears worn out. This victims vertebrae wasn’t worn out, and it was also shorter than the average adult. This tells us that our victim was young. Next, we looked at the many features of the skull, which would help us determine more about the victim’s race and age. The skull was definitely of a younger female, but there were too many features consistent with many races to narrow it down to a single one. We could tell by the state of decomposition that the victim had only been buried for about eight years, just long enough for the body to deteriorate to only a skeleton. After learning what we could by analyzing our victim’s bones, we looked at identifying features that could be used to hastily find the identity of the victim. In the article “Giving Faces to the Lost”, Angela Libel says that if the victim has had dental work, dental records may be found. This is why we consulted a Forensic Odontologist to match dental records. Libel also says that identifying...
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...Second half of one’s life begins at the early forties. Not many people manage their second lives as these people are the minority. People who managed their second lives are those who see the long working-life expectancy as a chance both for themselves and for society who will become the leaders and the models. Bill Gates once said, “As we look ahead into the next century, leaders will be those who empower others.” But one does not simply become a success person. It took years to become one. There is one requirement for managing the second life of one’s life which is to begin creating it long before one enters it. Other than to become leaders and models, we need to think on what to do with our second half of lives because we cannot put hope that we will still be working in the same organization in twenty years from now. As the saying goes, “Failure to prepare is preparing to fail.” We were taught in class the graph of life; as we are getting older, the options that are available to us are getting smaller, but the responsibilities are getting bigger. So at this young age, we need to grab any chances for the benefit of our future. As the professor said in class, “Don’t get old, alone and broke.” If we did, we might have nothing at all; even family. We do not want to be a burden to ourselves and people around us. Life is about drawing circles. If we have a great life, we will draw a perfect round circle. If we slipped somewhere, the circles drawn might not look like a circle. ...
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