Half of the Glass

Half of the Glass Is the glass half empty or half full? This is a common question that many people have asked themselves in the past. Depending on the person, there are two major answers. If the person is an optimist, the glass is half full. If the person is a pessimist, the glass is half empty. Winston Churchill once said, â€Å"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty. † The pessimist is the more realistic and cautious person. The optimist is the more carefree easy oing person.Determining the differences between the two is simple. A person who is pessimistic is someone who only thinks about the negative side of situations. To a pessimist, if there is a chance of rain, he will only think about flooding and storms. If his favourite hockey team is playing, he will only focus on the fifty percent chance of losing. If there is a chance that something can go wrong, the pessimist will spot it. But from an optimist's point of view, there is always something positive that will rise from of an event.For example, although it was forecasted to rain, an optimist will think about the sun shining afterwards. He will think of the fifty percent chance of his favourite hockey team winning. There is always a positive side to his thinking. The two views both have their advantages and disadvantages. Imagine two men walking down a street. The man on the left is smiling. It is thunderstorming yet he's got a skip in his step like Dorothy down a yellow brick road. The one on the right is frowning. Grumpily walking, he kicks a small dog in his path.Obviously these examples are exaggerated but the point is, it's a much easier and carefree life when you are an optimist. The ability to see the positive in all situation is certainly a desired trait. But imagine this. Same street with same two guys only this time, it's not raining. It's dooms day. The earth is spewing steaming lava across the road, meteors are fall fr om the sky, people are frantically screaming for their lives, the whole deal. The man on the right is doing the sensible thing. He's crying for his mommy and trying to find way to survive this nightmare.The guy on the left is still smiling. â€Å"This storm will clear up soon! † he perks. In this situation it's probably best to assume the worst. In the world, fifty four percent of people claim to be optimists. Twenty percent of people claim to be pessimists and twenty five percent are undecided or neutral. It's weird to think that more than half the world sees the glass half full. This may be due to it's perks that pessimist can't provide. A life of optimism is a life of happiness, a life f no worries, a life of challenges and win win scenarios for every event.What's interesting, though, is that studies have shown people who are pessimistic tend to live longer lives than others. When I am asked â€Å"Is the glass half full or half empty? † I reply with the following. A lthough the glass is half full with liquid, it is also half full with air. This can be turned around. The glass is half empty, void of liquid. It is also half empty, void of air. The two are complete opposites. In the end I look at the glass as it is. The glass is a glass. Just drink it. By vakenbear

Square Deal

Theodore Roosevelt became president in September 1901 after the assassination of William McKinley making him the most powerful person in the government. As president, Roosevelt advanced political reforms, including the heavy regulation of business. Roosevelt was the first president to successfully invoke the Sherman Antitrust Act against monopolies and continued to restrict businesses throughout his presidency. His reforms greatly influenced economic, environmental, and international affairs as well. Roosevelt’s platform became known as the â€Å"Square Deal† because he vowed not to favor any group of Americans but to be fair to all. When Theodore Roosevelt went into office he made it his mission to get everyone what they deserved, a â€Å"square deal. † The square deal meant that everyone had the same equal opportunities. Theodore Roosevelt became one of the most powerful presidents that attacked trusts and corporations to make them just so that everyone could prosper. Methodology: I took many steps in my research. First I was assigned my topic The Square Deal. So I went and opened my history textbook and looked up my topic to get a general meaning of it. My first step was preparing for my research by brainstorming ideas and possible sources for my topic. Also I formed research questions about my focused topic. I narrowed down my topic to make it manageable and planned how I was going to do my research. Next I accessed my resources by deciding what resources would be best, choosing a few primary and secondary sources. After, I processed the information, where I looked closely at the information from my selected sources and decided if they might be helpful towards my assigned topic. For example the main concepts like background information, certain effects from the topic, political views and perspectives. Then I organized the information in different categories, and developed my own ideas about them, which would help me form an outline for my research paper. Results: The Square Deal was President Theodore Roosevelt’s domestic program formed upon four basic ideas of conservation, regulating business monopolies, nforcing the anti-trust act, and supporting progressive ideas. The three C's of his Square Deal were control of corporations, consumer protection, and conservation of natural resources. Roosevelt was committed to addressing the problems of labor and corporate activity. Roosevelt defended the right of labor to organize, and avoid the use of federal troops to put down strikes. In 1902, he intervened in a United Mine Workers Strike and helped labor get management to agree to binding arbitration. The arbitrators awarded the miners a wage increase and a shortened workday. Roosevelt also worked to restrict the power of big business by breaking up a monopoly. Also responding to the muckrakers on the unsanitary conditions in food plants and the dangerous ingredients in foods and medicines, Roosevelt endorsed the Pure Food and Drug Act and the Meat Inspection Act, both passed in 1906. The first act prohibited the sale of inaccurately labeled foods and medicines, and the second established federal regulations for meatpackers and a system of inspection. Roosevelt was at heart a preservationist, but understood the need for compromise. He achieved this compromise through his conservation program, which provided for the regulated use of the nation’s wilderness. Roosevelt designated 200 million acres as national forests, mineral reserves, and potential waterpower sites, and added five national parks and eighteen national monuments to the list of protected lands. In 1908 Roosevelt created the National Conservation Commission to inventory the nation’s resources and manage their use more efficiently. Having become president shortly after the American victory in the Spanish-American War, Roosevelt was confident in America’s status as a major international power and his approach on his foreign policy. Roosevelt’s most notable achievement in foreign policy was the building of the Panama Canal, an artificial waterway stretching through Panama, which was then part of Colombia. Since the canal connected the Atlantic and Pacific oceans and vastly shortened shipping routes, Roosevelt saw its creation as important to American economic and maritime interests. These were all major parts of Roosevelt’s Square Deal that made a impact in restoring America. To this day the action which Roosevelt took in the matter is looked upon, by many of those extremists who can’t see anything good in â€Å"big business,† as a proof of his undue sympathy with the capitalist. But thirteen years later the United States Supreme Court in deciding the case against the United States Steel Corporation happened to be in favor of the Corporation, which completely justified Roosevelt's action.

Religious Fundamentalism Essay

To what extent is it true that religious fundamentalism arose as a reaction to the influences of the West? It is true to the large extent that religious fundamentalism arose as a reaction to the influences of the West due to US backing for Shah, Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and the support for the Mujahedeen. However, Western influence may not be the only factor as globalisation and the failure of modernization and secularization also play a part in the rise of religious fundamentalism. At that point of time, many Islamist organizations define themselves in opposition to the West, and particularly the United States, especially as the latter’s foreign policy has become ever more interventionist in the region. The death of the democracy in Arab states in combination with the collaboration between the US government and many regimes in the Middle East prevented certain opposition groups from expressing themselves. In effect, they have no say in the running of their countries. As a result, they turn to religion for divine validation. The emergence of the overly anti-American Islamic Republic of Iran reflected the wave of popular discontent with US interference and influence throughout the region. The shah was restores to power by an army coup inspired and paid by the US and the UK, despite his lack of popular support. He pressed on with his ‘White Revolution’, which was ever more dependent of Western capital and political leadership. Therefore, due to US backing of the Shah, it provided aids and military supply to him thus making Iranian to resent the Shah and leading to the rise of religious groups. The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan triggered international jihadism. As Muslims around the world, from the Middle East, Southeast Asia in the West volunteered to join the armed struggle. US and Saudi Arabia recruited Muslim volunteers around the world to aid in the jihad with the Soviets. The Afghan experience encouraged individuals such as Osama Bin Laden and Muslim states such as Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Pakistan to use religious justifications for armed conflict. As the withdrawal of the Soviet Union mythologized as an ‘Islamic’ victory against a secular superpower and strengthened militant  Islamism as an active, energized doctrine through which Islamic political aspirations could be attained. When other Muslims saw this victory, then began to want to be part of the Jihad and thus leading them to creating their own religious fundamentalist group. Therefore, due to the West influence of recruiting Muslim volunteer around the world to go to war, it actually influence s the Muslim and thus leading to the rise of religious fundamentalism. US supports for the mujahedeen in the Afghan war also lead to the rise of the religious fundamentalism. In its fight against the USSR, US not only trained the religiously influenced Mujahedeen elements but also provided arms, economic aid and gave diplomatic support for the Islamic fundamentalist. The jihadi mind set, propagated through training centres throughout the region, began to spread and gain credibility faster than the US had foreseen. The short-sighted nature of American foreign policy in this period helped to create the forces and leadership structures of militant Islamism, forces that emerged as the greatest challenge to US hegemony in the post-Cold War World. The American willingness to fund resistance movements created a cadre of professionally trained, combat-ready Islamists. As a result of its involvement in Afghanistan, the US inadvertently assisted in the creation of a network of highly trained militant. For instance, the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and the consequent US support for the Islamic militants led to the rise of Taliban in Afghanistan. Taliban spread its ideology to various other regions and as a result, there came into existence a number of organizations and groups championing the ideology of Jihad and other forms of extremist religious forms in different parts of the world. On the flip side, western influence is not the only factor that leads to the rise of religious fundamentalism as the effect of globalisation also plays a part in creating religious groups. In countries that combine some modernization with little or no democratization, religious fundamentalists experience official opposition. They may enjoy an increased capacity to formulate their own agenda and mobilize resources, but have little or no opportunity to promote that agenda in the formal political process. Consequently, regions of the world that have experienced some modernization, little democratization and the widespread diffusion of militant political theologies have produced  radical religious movements such as Al Qaeda and Hezbollah. Globalization increased the capacity of religious actors to project influence, mobilize resources and attract followers across national boundaries. For example, millions of Christian around the world circulated bulletins via email and the internet detailing how their fellow believers were persecuted in far-flung, obscure locales like Orissa in eastern India, Kaduna in Nigeria and Sulawesi in Indonesia. Therefore, due to globalization it then leads to the rise of religious fundamentalism as through globalisation it has made the world a smaller place. An effect of modernization and secularization is another factor that leads to the rise of religious fundamentalism. Modernization, be it gradual or rapid has challenge the religious tradition. Contemporary Islamic fundamentalists incline towards aggressive, politicized and ‘purified’ version of Islamic theology – such as Sharia, argued that the root of mounting social problems in Islamic societies lies in a lack of religious fidelity, corrupting â€Å"secular† elites, ceding to Western manipulation and the absence of a strong universal Islamic community. Christian fundamentalist have made extensive use of political action to promote traditional biblical values and beliefs in the US society, to recreate the US as a Christian nation. Among the governmental secular measure that helped arouse Christian fundamentalism un the US were the proposed Equal Rights Amendment and some key Supreme Court measures, especially the outlawing of prayer in the public schools in 1962 and the granting of abortion rights in 1973. Fundamentalist Christian believes that the Bible forbids abortion and that outlawing the school prayer is an abomination. Therefore, due to the failure of modernization it actually leads to the rise of religious fundamentalism. In conclusion, Western influence plays a big role in the rise of religious fundamentalism. However, the effects of globalisation and the failure of modernization also is one of the factors in the rise of religious fundamentalism.

Relationship with His Father Essay

My Father Thought It: Armitage’s Childhood and Relationship with His Father BY nour300 The poet narrates a true experience with his own father from when he was a teenager. In the final stanza the poet looks back, aged twenty nine’. The poet marks the time shift by shifting from past into present tense. This poem is a nostalgic look back at a defining moment from Armitage’s childhood, his relationship with his father and how he feels about it now. From the first words of the title, ‘My father’ shows that Armitage’s memory of his childhood, like the poem is dominated, looked over, by his father. The effect is intensified by the fact that the words ‘my father’ are repeated in the first line. As a teenager, the poet’s father is an authority figure. Armitage calls him father’ which is formal and seems distant, commanding respect. However, his father uses colloquial language ‘lost your head’ ‘easily led’. These proverbial phrases are judgemental and don’t show real communication, which adds to the sense of distance. However, his son can almost read his father’s thoughts, which suggests a kind of closeness: ‘my father thought it bloody queer’. loody queer’ can’t be the way the poet would describe himself, as it seems too harsh and violent. It seems to fit with the colloquial, Judgemental phrases that his father uses. The poet is close enough to his father to be able to ‘become’ him – for these lines in the poem. ‘queer’ is used to condemn something that d oesn’t conform. The whole poem is about rebellion. The first stanza has a regular rhyme scheme with aabbb; however in the second stanza, the rhyme scheme starts to break down and seems irregular. This echoes the breakdown in authority or control as the poet rebels. In the final stanza, a kind of balance or compromise is reached, the first and last lines rhyme together (1 2, 15), but the middle two are free, or unrhymed (13,14). The words ‘slept’ and Wept’ are rhymed, with Wept’ in a prominent position at the end of the stanza, which is also emphasised by the alliteration with wounds. Normally women weep, which contrasts with the manly rite of passage involving pain and a wound. I t’s as it the body is weeping tor the tact he’s injured it, the loss ot childhood and is a strange contrast to the violent, distant relationship.

Book report for the catcher in the rye Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Book report for the catcher in the rye - Essay Example In many ways, the life of the main character, Holden, resembles that of Salinger. For example, just like Holden, Salinger had a difficult school life that was mainly characterized by poor performance. Also, Salinger lived a lonely quite life, which may be considered similar to that of Holden. The book criticizes the 1950’s culture through Holden. It highlights societal attitudes of ignorance to human conditions. It is the phony nature of Holden’s society that leads him to a nervous breakdown. At the beginning of the novel, Holden describes Pencey as phony. He sees most people surrounding him as phony. On his last evening at Pencey, he picks a fight with his roommate, Stradlater. He is offended by the idea that his roommate gets romantically involved with Jane Gallagher, one of Holden’s ex-girlfriends who he still admires. Holden feels that Stradlater is taking advantage of Jane, and picks a fight. The fight prompts him to leave Pencey immediately. He sets off by midnight and takes a train to New York City. On arrival, he checks into Edmond Hotel and spends two nights there. While there, he is mostly drunken and lonely. One of his most memorable experiences was with a prostitute whom he paid without getting her services. The prostitute turned out to b e unsatisfied and came back for more money. He later meets his Carl Luce, and old acquaintance and Sally Hayes, his on-and-off girlfriend. Both meetings leave him more lonely. He later sneaks into his parents’ house to visit Phoebe, his kid sister whom he’s more comfortable around. Talking to Phoebe brightens him up and he heads to visit Mr. Antolini, his ex-English teacher. He wakes up to find Mr. Antolini petting his head in a perverted way, which upsets him. His view of his society as phony heightens as he walks around his kid sister’s school and he keeps seeing swear words. He visions himself as the Catcher in the rye – the guardian of children.

Holocaust Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

Holocaust - Essay Example Germany lost battle during the war. The German economy dropped drastically. Apparently, the Germans started developing hatred towards the Jews since most of them, at that time were well off. Hitler was among those who had an extreme hatred for the Jews. He tried unsuccessfully to vie for presidency in Germany. However, he occupied a leadership position in the German governing system. It was through that position that he started spreading the message of hate towards the Jews. In 1933, Hitler rose to power and introduced anti-Semitism that meant hatred towards to Jews. He introduced holocaust that lead to the death of 6 million Jews. This paper will attempt to explain activities that took place during the Holocaust. It is obvious that many Jews and some Germans perished the atrocious events that happened during the reign of Hitler. Apparently, Hitler did not commit the activities alone. He received support from collaborators who did not like the Jews. Moreover, due to his experience, e ducation, and influence he was able to lure people and collaborators to join his quest. According to most articles considering events that took place during the holocaust it is difficult to explain the causes of Holocaust. However, many factors supported it and contributed largely to atrocious activities that took place during Hitler reign. Some of the factors that influenced holocaust dates back when Jesus Christ was alive and living in Israel, home to many Jews (Walters, 2009). After the death of Christ, most people across the world, including the Germans, developed hatred towards the Jews. Germans viewed them as the people responsible for the death of Jesus. Many Germans are Christians. Therefore, most of them believed in the message communicated by Jesus. For this reason, they grew hatred when they met those related to Jesus murderers. According to the most Germans, they were revenging for Jesus Christ. At a young age, especially after First World War,

POLLOCK the film Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

POLLOCK the film - Essay Example There are a variety of sacrifices made by Pollock’s friends, family, and colleagues. For instance, Pollock’s girlfriend and eventual wife, Lee Krasner, sacrifices her own well being and success in order to support Pollock’s painting. In addition to becoming his manager, Lee also takes care of Pollock when he is diagnosed as neurotic and continually tries to help him with his alcoholism. She essentially supports Pollock financially as well because he is not able to sell any paintings due to his inability to change his paintings for potential clients. Lee even appears to sacrifice motherhood because she knows that she must be there to care for Pollock and his mental health problems, in addition to pushing him to continue his art. Later on, she has to sacrifice her own happiness as she puts up with the affair between Pollock and Ruth Kilgman. Pollock also must make some sacrifices for his art. In the film, the audience sees Pollock struggle to sell his paintings. This is mostly due to the fact that Pollock does not appear to want to modify his paintings according to the tastes of others. Because he refuses to do this, art buyers are not purchasing his paintings. He seems to believe that his art is not as pure, or that he loses some of his artistic integrity if he gives in to the buyer’s desires. He is forced to sacrifice this type of mindset when Life magazine decides to write about him which appears to bother Pollock as he does not seem to want this added attention and seems to believe that he is a phony or a sell out for allowing Life magazine to cover him. Ultimately, he sacrifices his own career and life due to his alcoholism which ends up causing a deadly car cash. Due to the fact that so much pain and struggle surrounded Pollock’s life and career, the question of whether or not it was all worth it floats to the forefront of the discussion. Without the controversy and early death, it is likely that Pollock would not have been as