High School Essay Example for Free

High School Essay â€Å"Since you started high school, how have you changed? Write to answer this question.†Ã‚  My high school years have been the most transformative years of my entire life. Although many aspects of who I am have essentially remained unchanged, some alterations in the way I behave around others and basic mentality ultimately left me with a completely new persona. Before I was in high school, I was a very sensitive person, always worried about how people perceived me and concerned with how that perception would affect me in the long run. Because of this, I conformed who I was to fit the liking of those around me, and never â€Å"let myself go,† to simply allow myself to do whatever I wanted with no obstruction or restraint. I finally realized in high school that simply being myself was far more rewarding than forcing myself to conform to the whims of those who don’t really matter. Furthermore, I realized that those who accepted me for who I was were the ones who really cared. Disliking people solely on the basis of who they are is unfair, and since I finally allowed myself to live my life without worrying about how others’ saw me, I was able to see those people who were this way. In addition, I had always been someone driven by emotion, always reacting severely to anything and thereby antagonizing those closest to me. In high school, I learned that being this way would never allow for healthy relationships, so I set myself upon fixing this issue in order to mend those relationships which I so valued. I detached myself from the outside world, placing that anger that came from my reactions into more productive things, such as writing and reading. I channeled my anger into more useful things that would have no adverse effects and because of this, was able to change my usually emotional mindset to a much more logical one – one that considered repercussions and remained cautious even in times when my  patience was most tested. Clearly, I’ve changed significantly in my general outlook on many things, even though the foundations of who I am have stayed the same. I’m eternally grateful that I was able to make some of these changes, as I’d be someone completely different today if I hadn’t, someone that I’m not sure I would like being. I’m satisfied with who I am now.

The Threatening of Australias Marsupials :: Endangered Species Animals Nature Essays

The Threatening of Australia's Marsupials About fifty percent of all mammal species worldwide to have become extinct in the last 200 years have been from Australia, giving Australia the worst record for mammal conservation of any country or continent. Of a total 245 mammalian species, 59 are listed as extinct, threatened, or vulnerable (Short 1994). Most of these extinctions and declines come from two taxonomic groups--the rodents and the marsupials. Because marsupials are so abundant and diverse in Australia, I decided to research the endangerment and conservation efforts regarding marsupial species. Sixty percent of the extinct, endangered, and vulnerable Australian fauna are indeed marsupials; table 1 on the next page lists Australia's threatened marsupial species. Endangered is defined as a species in danger of extinction whose survival is unlikely if certain threats continue operating, vulnerable species are believed likely to move into the endangered category in the near future if threats continue, and to be considered extinct the species has definitely not been located in the wild during the last 50 years (ANPWS 1991). Extinctions and declines have not uniformly affected marsupial species. Terrestrial, medium-sized marsupials in the weight range of 35.0 g to 5.5 kg have proven to be more vulnerable, and omnivores and herbivores have declined to a greater extent than carnivores. Arboreal species such as possums and gliders and species that use rock piles for shelter have been less affected. Most problems with extinction and endangerment occur in the southern arid zone and the wheat belt of Western Australia; while the tropical north of Australia, the mesic northeast and coast of New South Wales, Tasmania, and numerous offshore islands have remained relatively unaffected by local extinctions (Short 1994). The problems Seven main hypotheses have been put forward to explain why species have declined and/or disappeared from various parts of Australia, and they include: 1) clearing for agriculture, 2) draining and salination of wetlands, 3) grazing and browsing by introduce animals, 4) changed fire regimes, 5) introduced predators, 6) disease, and 7) overkill by hunters (Kennedy 1992). By studying the history of threatened fauna and patterns of decline, experts have come to the conclusion that some of these hypotheses can be dismissed as not being a primary cause of declining populations. For instance, there is no direct evidence that disease has led to any mammal extinctions, though epidemics have been blamed for the decline of carnivorous marsupials in southeastern Australia and Tasmania at the turn of the century.

Elisabeth Kubler-Ross Essay

Born July 8, 1926 in Zurich, Switzerland Elisabeth Kubler-Ross was the oldest of triplets, Erika and Eva of Protestant Christian parents. In 1957 she graduated from the University of Zurich Medical School. She was induced in the National Women’s Hall of Fame in 2007 and the recipient of twenty various honorary degrees throughout her career. She suffered two miscarriages, and eventually had a son, Kenneth, and a daughter, Barbara. In 1995 Kà ¼bler-Ross suffered a series of strokes which left her partially paralyzed on her left side. She died in 2004 of natural causes. Upon reading Kubler-Ross’ book, Questions and Answers On Death and Dying, I found that it is set up in a question and answer/advise format. The questions evolved from various formats, such as workshops, lectures and seminars. It is her belief that the process of dying or learning one has a terminal illness processes in five stages: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. After reviewing my own experience with the passing of my son in 2000, I believe her hypothesis is correct. If more caregivers offered some type of this psychological counseling, many people could possibly deal with death and dying a little easier. During her work and volunteer missions, she found that many people, including families, and doctors, either avoided talking with the dying person or didn’t know what to say to them. By addressing this problem through seminars, lectures and books her hope was to familiarize family, care-givers and professionals with what dying people are thinking and feeling. By being familiar with some of the issues, denial of death would hopefully pass and the patients wouldn’t feel so alone in the dying process. It is noted in the book, that often times the terminally ill person doesn’t really want to talk about their impending death. The want to talk about â€Å"tomorrow†. What are the plans for tomorrow, what will the weather be tomorrow ~ indicating they still often hold a glimmer of hope for survival or an after-life. She often referred to death as â€Å"the  greatest mystery in science.† I would have to agree with this in certain situations. Although as human beings we know we will not live forever, we know some will pass away through terminal illness, some will die by accident ~ the mystery begins to enter when we question â€Å"When† and â€Å"Why†. Her lifelong dedication of helping the terminally ill, as well as their families and friends to deal with loss and death lives on through the Elisabeth Kubler-Ross Foundation, established in her name in 2004. This foundation is volunteer based working mainly with the ideal Kubler-Ross established during her lifetime. The foundation presents options to dying people such as in-home nursing care so people can come to their final rest in a more comfortable environment often times with their family and clergy at their side. Kubler-Ross dedicated a large portion of her life volunteering for various entities. The first noted was at the age of 13 she volunteered to help Polish war victim at the beginning of World War II. This lead her to become active with the International Voluntary Service for Peace, which was also established shortly after World War II. This group currently has over 3000 voluntary projects worldwide. Kubler-Ross’ research, volunteerism and theories is her legacy to any and all facing death, including the patient, the families, the doctors and scholars. Reference 1) Elisabeth Kà ¼bler-Ross Foundation website 2) Elisabeth Kubler-Ross. (2014). The Biography.com website. Retrieved 07:49, Apr 28, 2014, from http://www.biography.com/people/elisabeth-kubler-ross-262762.

The Political Opinions Of The American People Essay

Politics are a noticeably controversial and complex topic of discussion for the majority of the American people. The political opinions of the American people are ultimately developed by their collective culture, lifestyle and political ideology. The majority of the American people are undeniably influenced and informed, directly and indirectly, by multiple sources of media on a daily basis. In this day and age, technology has allowed national political news to spread throughout the country virtually immediately via the internet, television, and radio. Many people might believe that popular news companies share and release politically biased information to the public with intentions to directly persuade the citizen’s opinions. The politically shared values and opinions of the American citizens strongly influence the executive decisions made within the United States government. Although, people that share conservative values believe that most news companies have a liberal bias, on the controversy, most people that share liberal values believe that most news companies have a conservative bias. This being said, all media released to the public, inevitably shares some kind of political bias and opinion that contains qualities of an opposing party. Modern Liberalism and Conservatism are both categorized as political philosophies in which each established party share polar opposite core values, beliefs, and opinions on political related issues. The Republican Party is primarilyShow MoreRelatedQuestions On Public Opinion On Demography And Census1477 Words   |  6 Pagesand define (as you go) the ones you know you will forget. 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