Graduation Speech -- Graduation Speech, Commencement Address

Life is a series of new beginnings. We are always proceeding through life focused on one goal. When we were little, it was to put anything and everything that we could possibly find into our mouths. Later, we managed to put one wobbly leg in front of the other. When we were experts at that and getting into all sorts of trouble, we moved on to kindergarten. That is when it all began: our long journey that would lead us to today. Kindergarten was full of challenges and new experiences. White glue sticks tasted ... umm ... so interesting! There were twenty-six letters in the alphabet to memorize, finger-paints to use, the opposite sex to chase (and keep away from), and big sixth graders to survive. After that, a short nap on the area mats and a healthy snack of Ritz crackers and apple jui...

“Hip-Hop, The Renaissance” Essay

They say â€Å"they never really miss you til you dead or you gone† So on that note I’m leaving after the song. A wise MC by the name of Shawn Corey Carter told me this as his Black Album gave me identical eclectic vibes I felt listening to the likes of Digable Planets, Big L, Big Daddy Kane, Big Pun, Common, Mos Def and others artists born of â€Å"The Renaissance†. I have come to inform you all of this renaissance known as hip-hop, a renaissance that will never cease breathing until the last listener’s foot is finished tapping to the rhythm and rhyme scheme of their favorite record. Hip-Hop, a genre of stylized rhythmic music that is used to accompany a rhythmic form of speech that would go on to become rap. Many have tried unsuccessfully to pinpoint the location of the birth of this â€Å"Renaissance† by saying that this is a West-coast, Midwest, and even a down South born style of music. However, I prefer to take you back to the 1970’s on 1520 Sedgwick Street in the Bronx, the home of Jamaican DJ Kool Herc who is arguably considered the father of hip hop, if not one of the many. See Kool Herc’s style of deejaying at house parties was that he would recite rhymes over what would in later time garner the title â€Å"an instrumental†. He would use a plethora of in house reference when dropping said rhymes on the microphone not knowing this would spawn a movement that would travel through the streets of Brooklyn and be spread by various other party Dj’s as well such as Coke La Rock. Spoken- word and music by early founding fathers such as Gil Scott- Heron, Jalal Mansur, and The Last Poets (one of whom I know personally) helped this movement come into fruition because of the simple fact that their lyrics were based on post- civil rights era life in the urban community. Oh yes the movement was real. Not only because everyone could relate but because it came via a rhythmic delivery that captured the mind and imagination of the people of that time. In creating this movement, they led us into a new era of Hip-Hop in which The Sugarhill Gang recorded the first record of the genre in 1979 titled â€Å"Rapper’s Delight†. There were many others who allegedly stated their claim as being the first, but couldn’t contend with Sugarhill Gang because â€Å"Rapper’s Delight† made the Billboard Top 100. It’s like Rosa Parks. We all know she wasn’t the first to not give up her seat, but why argue if it led to a positive result in the grand scheme of things. By the 80’s, Hip-Hop had spread to every major city in the United States, but Philadelphia was the only city that could come close to drawing comparison to New York’s contributions to Hip-Hop after Philly artist Jocko Henderson released his record â€Å"Rhythm Talk† Since I have told you the history of the Renaissance known as Hip-Hop, let’s bring it to the present since every student in here, I’m assuming, is a late 80’s, 90’s baby.   Now let’s talk about present day artists that epitomize the rhythmic, eclectic and dynamic styles. We talk about Jay-Z, Kanye West, Drake, Meek Mill, Big Sean, Eminem, Common, Mos Def, and so on. I prefer to talk about Black Thought’s team, The Roots. This Hip-Hop group has transcended the Hip-Hop genre since the came on to the scene in the City of Brotherly Love in 1987. Black Thought and ?uestlove both attended the Philadelphia High School for Creative and Performing Arts where ?uestlove would be the drum kit at talent shows while Black Thought laced the percussions with lyrics that would make The Last Poets, Gil Scott-Heron, and especially DJ Kool Herc proud of the fact that the roots of Hip-Hop have not been forgotten. Ironic how they would become known as The Roots in the process of their formation. They barely missed the Top 100 when they dropped their first major label album titled â€Å"Do You Want More?!!!!† in January 1995. What made this so significant is that they used no prerecorded instruments, kicks, or sounds. Every bit of their sound was original. This to me is why they epitomize what Hip-Hop because they are as original in the 21st century as they were in the 90’s when they made their debut. Another artist I will mention is 23 year old Compton emcee Kendrick Lamar who just released his debut album â€Å"good kid, m.A.A.d city†. I believe it is the album of the year, but that’s a persuasive speech for another day. With this one album alone Kendrick shows veterans in the game how to perfectly arrange an album and turn it into a masterpiece that reaches every generation and demographic. In closing I will say that what started as a Renaissance has become commercialized. Do I feel that there is hope that we will one day as artists go back to our roots like The Roots and Kendrick Lamar? Yes, but it will be a strenuous process. The Renaissance is in good hands with artists like Kendrick Lamar making classics with one debut. Not to mention myself. I try to bring a new feel myself to the game as well. Hip-Hop, The Renaissance is taking a step into the next generation. I will leave you Hip-Hop fans with this question: â€Å"Will you take that next step with me.

Working at Mcdonalds

Dillon mundy Mr. Varner Composition 1 11/4/21 â€Å"Working at McDonalds† Amitai Etzioni In the passage â€Å"Working at McDonalds† by Amitai Etzioni he starts off by stating that â€Å"McDonalds is bad for your kids†. He doesn’t feel this way because of the food, but instead of the mass production jobs they offer our youth. He says studies show two thirds of high school students have part time jobs in the food chain business, and McDonalds is the pioneer, trend-setter, and symbol.Amitai states that of course at first these jobs seem right, and may seem to bring up work driven, self-reliant youngsters, but what they really do is undermine school attendance and involvement, teach you few skills that are useful in life, and demean the values of teenagers. He thinks work should teach you the fruits of labor and self-discipline. He said that McDonalds has a job that is uneducational in several ways.He says it is far from providing opportunities for entrepreneu rship, self-discipline, self-supervision, and self-scheduling. He feels most teenage jobs these days are what most social scientists call â€Å"highly routinized† which means that everything you do at the job is the same all the time, which offers no room for creativity or initiative. There are very few studies on if today’s jobs are turning our youth into assembly line robots, but one of the few is a study conducted by Ivan Charper and Bryan Shore Fraser in 1948.The study relied mainly on what youth wrote on a questionnaire rather than observations of fast food jobs. The study revealed that the jobs have nothing to offer skill wise. A 1980 study be V Harrel found that among students that worked 25 hours per week while in school their unemployment rate years later was half of that of the seniors who didn’t work. This goes to show that most kids that work in fast food while in school are usually stressed to drop out of school and get swallowed up in the fast food world.The studies conducted do show that they develop teamwork and working under supervision, however it must been seen that this learning is not exactly educational or wholesome and that it’s trying to teach us blind obedience. It shows that teens are more interested in the reward of money, and status, than credits in a calculus course. So parents should see that teen employment isn’t exactly educational though it does offer some things, but it can also be abused.I have to agree with Etzioni, I myself have worked in fast-food jobs and have gained nothing from them except a quick dollar. He is very persuasive in this essay, and makes some really good points. I like when he talks about today’s jobs turning the youth into assembly line robots, I completely feel him on that, because the job is so repetitive you never do anything different. He really caught my attention with this essay. Working at Mcdonalds Teens and Jobs In the essay, â€Å"Working at McDonald's,† Malta Textron talks about his belief that working, especially at fast food chain restaurants can be bad for teenagers. Working, for teenagers under some circumstances can be bad for them but sometimes its good depending on the daily schedule of whomever is working. If the teen is still in school, working is bound to affect their involvement and attendance in negative ways. Though it's true that while working you gain on the Job experience, Edition believes it ant really help If it comes at the cost of education while teens think the opposite.Fast food Jobs do have an advantage earning money while also learning how to manage the money they make. It boils down to whether or not risks outweigh the benefits when working Jobs like this which all depends on the current situation of the teen. To begin, the Edition writes how he believes Jobs don't go well with keeping up schoolwork and can get In the way of attendance. This i s the same for nearly all extracurricular activities most are after school so It's likely to get In the way.When I as in high school I had a friend John who tried to juggle a job, schoolwork and a football altogether but in the end he chose to give up football because he couldn't make it to any of the practices. The author also takes into account that if students don't have enough time to study their grades will drop without question. It comes down to the decision of which activity to give up to make room for work. More than half the time students will abandon the sport to find more study time Like in my friend John's case. Second, the author addresses the problem that I think has two sides to the coin.He believes that jobs generally don't give any training that would help outside of the work they would be currently doing. This is true because most of the skills taught in fast food restaurants are for the simple things like running the register or working the fryer. Many of the Jobs themselves could be done as good or better by a nine- year-old because of how simple the work Is. Most aspects of this type of job wouldn't help anyone In the future much less a teenager. Once they no longer work there anymore, the skill is useless unless they still plan on working in the same type of Job.There are a couple of things that can be learned from a fast food Job that might help with other Jobs the future. If you've ever been too McDonald's or any other fast food restaurant and had a bad worker serving you, you might have gotten a little annoyed. Work ethic Is very Important at a fast food place or any workplace for that matter. In other Jobs, If you are not quick and efficient, you might not make It very far in your work. Also, workers learn how to work with different types of people this helps them in later experiences in a work force.Getting an impatient customer is a good example, when presented with a problem like this it helps prepare you for other situations like it in the future. This is not always easy but will serve as great experience for jobs in the future. Lastly, Textron explains that working doesn't teach teens how to manage their is that you learn the value of a dollar from your own mistakes. Having money and working for that money helps teens to understand that money isn't free and shouldn't be wasted. When teenagers want to buy something they'll simply go buy it only to mind later that they could have gotten it at half price had they waited on a sale.Also teens will try to rent things they want from â€Å"pay later† businesses like rent a center instead of buying it when they have the money to do so Just to learn that not only is it more expensive this way but if they miss a payment the rightful owners could repossess it at any time. Often times this could lead to debt, but if they are lucky their parents might help them out. â€Å"Students who worked at least 25 hours per week while in school, their unemployment rate four years later was half of the noirs who did work. This means that most of those that began in fast food Jobs stayed in that area of work or simply became unemployed. There are plenty of pros and cons to working at an early age, while it could interfere with school it can also help teens develop a good work ethic and learn from their mistakes. If they don't get the chance to make these mistakes before they move away, the consequences could be a lot more devastating. The question the author wants the reader to consider in all this is, can the risk worth the reward?

Kite Runner, Seeking Redemption Essay Example

Kite Runner, Seeking Redemption Essay Example Kite Runner, Seeking Redemption Essay Kite Runner, Seeking Redemption Essay Essay Topic: The Kite Runner In Khaled Hosseinis The Kite Runner, several major themes arise. One of the most dominant themes is betrayal. The protagonist, an Afghani-American named Amir, retells the story of his childhood; from growing up in Afghanistan and ending up in America. During his life Amir have been forced to make many difficult choices, several of which he is not proud of. In his early years he watched his best friend Hassan get raped without interfering, and later due to his own actions he forced Hassan and his father to leave their house. Most people would call this betrayal, and they would be right. But it is important to remember; would you have done anything differently? In the Kite Runner there is many betrayals, but the most significant one is when Amir does not stand up for Hassan. Hassan is by nature a very loyal person, and Khaled Hosseini shows early in the book the extent of his loyalty. Hassan and I fed from the same breasts. We took our first steps on the same lawn in the same yard. And, under the same roof, we spoke our first words. Mine was Baba. His was Amir. My name. (Hosseini 1 1) In this passage, Hosseini hows how innocent and loyal Hassan is, even from the very beginning of his life. It is remarkable that the first word Hassan say is the name of his master, but it is also important to take note of Amirs first word; Baba. This also is very important because it illustrates how important Baba is to Amir, how important it is for Amir to impress him. Bearing Hassans loyalty in mind, we can look more clos ely at Amir. The following exchange between Amir and Hassan is important, because it prepares us for future events and shows a more cruel side of Amir. He turned to me. A few sweat beads rolled from his bald scalp. Would I ever lie to you, Amir agha? Suddenly I decided to toy with him a little. l dont know. Would you? Id sooner eat dirt, he said with a look of indignation. Really? Youd do that? He threw me a puzzled look. Do what? Eat dirt if I told you to, I said. Kind of like when we used to play insect torture. Except now, he was the ant and I was holding the magnifying glass. If you asked I would (Hosseini 54) Again, we see Hassans undying loyalty to Amir. However, this is one of many small exchanges where Amir is ruel to Hassan, or as he says himself, toying with him. This is Hosseini preparing us for Amir to betray Hassan. While this is not directly a betrayal, it clearly shows that Hassan stands up for him while he does not stand up for his friend. We see other similar situations, for example when Assef is bullying Amir and Hassan, Amir is not willing to acknowledge him as a friend. Most people will agree that Amirs biggest betrayal is not helping his friend when Assef is raping him. Yet, it is so important to remember that it is a very difficult situation. Most eople go through their lives without ever facing such a difficult situation. While this being said, Amir did take the cowards way out. Furthermore, after the incident he made sure Ali and Hassan departed the house, by planting his new watch and some money under Hassans pillow. After looking at Hassan, it is important to look at Amir. We must ask ourselves; why did Amir betray his best friend? The following passage is helpful in explaining the matter. l actually aspired to cowardice, because the alternative, the real reason I was running, was that Assef was right: Nothing was free in this world. Maybe Hassan was the price I had to pay, the lamb I had to slay, to win Saba. (Hosseini 77) Baba, while not doing too much himself in the book is so incredibly important. This is because during his first years, he was the person Amir wanted to impress the most in the entire world. And for a little child that only wanted to impress his father, and the father does everything but reject him, it only enhances his need to impress him. As Hosseini describes, we see the extent of Amirs needs when he says he can sacrifice his best friend in order to impress his father.

When to Use Whom vs. Who

When to Use Whom vs. Who Knowing when to use whom versus who can be difficult for even the most careful writers and speakers. Many writers and grammarians hope the day comes when whom is cast aside and designated by dictionaries as archaic. Indeed, Paul Brians, a professor in the Department of English at Washington State University, says, Whom has been dying an agonizing death for decades. Until the last nail is placed in the coffin, however, it will be helpful to learn when to use whom versus who in various circumstances. How and When to Use Whom Put simply, use whom- which is a pronoun- when it is the object of a sentence. If you can replace the word with her, him, or them for example, use whom. Youll know when to use whom if the pronoun is used in the objective case, or action is being done to the pronoun. Take the sentence: Whom  do you believe? The sentence may sound pretentious, even snobbish. But it is correct because whom is the subject of the infinitive to, as well as the object of the sentence as a whole. Turn the sentence around so that the object is at the end: You were talking to whom? When you replace whom with him, it becomes even clearer: You were talking to him.Were you talking to him? When to Use Who If whom is used for the objective case, who is used for the subjective case- when the pronoun is the subject of the sentence, or the person creating the action. Take the sentence: Who is at the door? The pronoun who is the subject of the sentence. Check this by replacing who with a subjective pronoun, swapping in she or he for who, as in: She is at the door.He is at the door. Who is always used as the subject of a sentence or clause, and whom is always used as an object. Examples In the following sentences, who is correctly used in the subjective case. You can check this by replacing the pronoun who with another subjective pronoun, such as she, he, or you, for example: Who is coming to dinner? (He is coming to dinner?)Who was that masked man? (He was that masked man? or He was the masked man.)Sally is the woman who got the job. (She got the job.) As previously noted, youll know when to use whom if the pronoun is used in the objective case, or action is being done to the pronoun, as in: To Whom It May Concern. (It may concern him.)I dont know from whom the love letter came. (The love letter came from him.)They fought over whom? (They fought over him? or They fought over them?)After whom do I enter the stage? (I enter the stage after him.)Whom did you recommend for the job? (I recommended him for the job.)For Whom the Bell Tolls (The title of this famous Ernest Hemingway novel is saying, The Bell Rings for Him.) Some of these sentences may sound odd, and this is why the word whom will probably disappear from the English language one day. As used in these examples, whom sounds a little awkward, even when its technically correct. How to Remember the Difference The key to understanding when to use whom or who is knowing the difference between  subjective  and  objective  case. Once you can easily identify the subject and the object of a sentence or clause, you will be able to figure out the correct usage of who and whom. For instance, if you want to decide which is correct in this sentence: Who/Whom should I consider as a college recommendation? Rearrange the sentence so that it will make sense using him or he. Youll come up with the following choices: I should consider him for the college recommendation.I should consider he for the college recommendation. The pronoun him is clearly better. Therefore, the correct word in the sentence above will be whom. Remember this simple trick, and youll always know when to use whom and when to use who.

Assignment 1 F&A Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Assignment 1 F&A - Research Paper Example Nonetheless, the executive are predicting low consumer confidence and high unemployment rate as two most important factors that will hinder the recovery of the retail industry. (KPMG, 2012) (Farfan, 2011) Note 1 to the financial statements provides a complete description of the RadioShack Corporation’s business. The company deals in electronic items and services through 4,395 retail stores under its brand name in the US. The company also operates in Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands and Mexico. In 2009, the company launched ‘Target Mobile Centers’ to increase their sales and revenue. However, due to its failure, the company has decided to wind up these centers by the first quarter of 2013. It is very important to understand this note because its helps to identify and comprehend the business operations of the company and its future plans of discontinuation of any product line. (RadioShack Corp. Annual Report, 2012) Best Buy and Wal-Mart are two of the important competitors of RadioShack Corporation because they tend to have the same business as well as operate in the same environment. This will allow us to compare their financial and non financial metrics against each other such as profitability, efficiency, leverage and earning potential. Similarly, through a survey, the position of the RadioShack can be compared against its competitors in the consumers’ minds. Compared to the industry average debt to total assets ratio of 0.72, RadioShack Corporation has a better financial position. The company’s 61% of the assets are financed by debt. However, RadioShack Corporation is highly leveraged company as compared to industry benchmarks. The company has raise $1.58 of debt for every $1 of equity in the company as compared to $1.2 raised by the industry. This signifies an increased riskiness in the company and a poor rating amongst the external stakeholders. (Bloomberg Businessweek,

Ethical Argument (Should Roe Vs. Wade be overturned) Should Abortion Essay

Ethical Argument (Should Roe Vs. Wade be overturned) Should Abortion be outlawed - Essay Example Should Roe v Wade be overturned? Absolutely not: this essay will look at the ethical dubiousness of the pro-life position, before highlighting the fundamental difference between the pro-life and pro-choice positions, to show that criminalizing abortion in modern America would subvert our self-image as the land of the free. In the twenty-first century, it is entirely invalid to use religious justifications to deny bodily autonomy to fully half the population – most pro-life arguments boil down to a Biblical belief that life begins at conception, which is a personal matter and not one that should affect people who do not necessarily hold the same belief. It is also an ineffective argument, as according to the Guttmacher Institute, Catholic women have abortions at about the same rate as non-Catholic women. Furthermore, the pro-life movement has undermined itself through conscious lies and hypocritical violence: House Bill 1210 in Indiana demands that a doctor tells a woman seekin g an abortion of â€Å"the possibility of increased risk of breast cancer following an induced abortion† (HB 1210), even though the American Cancer Society has found no â€Å"cause-and-effect relationship between abortion and breast cancer†.