Winter Driving Essay Example for Free

Winter Driving Essay When you have to compare and contrast driving in the winter and driving in the summer there are many things that come to my mind. In the summer time there is no visual distractions. It is most comfortable to drive in the summer with your windows down. For the most part summer driving is safe then winter driving. I personally despise driving in the winter. In the summer time I have visibility. During the winter months it gets darker earlier. During the summer months we have more sunlight through out the day. I love when the sun is out longer. Although driving in the winter is much more scenic with snow on branches, deer on the side of the roads and snowmen that kids made. The scenic view for summer driving is filled with blooming flowers, birds flying, colorful trees and the Long Island sound filled with boats, as I drive down by the shore. I like to take the most scenic routes as I drive in the summer. The visibility in the winter is very poor, if you have to drive in a blizzard. In the summer I barely have a problem with visibility.I like to see clear when I drive. In the summer time it is most comfortable. In the winter time I get too cold when I have my window open. I love to drive around with my windows wide open listening to music. I like to smoke in my car with the window open. Winter driving causes me major anxiety. I am worry free in the summer. I am very nervous in the winter.The worst part about driving in the winter is that I wear many layers of clothes. In the summer I drive around in a tank top and shorts. I like to feel free when I drive. I feel summer driving is when its safest to drive. In the winter you have to worry about slipping and not gripping to the pavement. My tires have full grip on the asphalt in the summer time. I like having traction when I drive. You have to be more alert driving in the winter time with the cars behind you, around you and in front of you,It takes more time to stop. You also have to be alert in the summer, but when you hit your brakes you will come to a complete stop on the dry road. I do not like when my brakes lock up when I tap them in the snow. Most importantly, is the amount of kids that are out that you have to watch out for.An example is kids sleighing down hills into roadways that are not paying attention to the cars. The most that the kids do in the summer, is play ball on the street and they usually have one of the kids watching for cars. I wish I was a kid again. In conclusion summer driving is more forgiving than winter driving. Weather conditions in the winter can render roadways very dangerous, requiring increased driver skill. I enjoy driving but preferably in the summer. In the winter I would not be a good candidate as a designated driver. I would hope that someone else with greater winter driving skills then I, would be selected to do the driving.

Scarlet Letter Charactor Analysis :: essays research papers

Hester Prynne was a beautiful, young, tall woman with shiny dark hair, piercing black eyes, and a beautiful complexion. She was living in Amsterdam with her husband, Roger Chillingworth, until he sent her to America alone while he cleared up business matters. In America, Hester had a love affair with Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale and realized she was pregnant with his baby. Nobody realized who the father was, so the Reverend couldn’t be punished. However, Hester was forced to wear a large scarlet A(representing Adultery) on her dress. It was a well-known symbol, so everybody knew she had committed adultery and were astonished. This was because adultery was a sin explained in the Seventh Commandment. Hester felt ashamed. After she completed community service, she truly learned her lesson and her citizens accepted her once again. She was also permitted back into Boston after her daughter married and the father of the baby died. She then became a reverend figure whom people confide d in and received sympathy from. Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale was young, very pale, and his body was fragile. He had large, caring eyes and a sweet, youthful personality women adored. He was shy and mainly kept to himself. Reverend Dimmesdale was deeply loved by his congregation because of his emotional way of speaking. Being a well-educated, trustworthy, highly admired pastor, no one suspected him to be the father of Hester’s baby. Finally, his conscience fell into play and he admitted to his sin. Immediately after confessing, he passed away. Roger Chillingworth was Hester’s husband. He was small and thin with dim eyes, a wrinkled face, and deformed shoulders(one was higher than the other). To me, he made an awkward couple with Hester, considering she was considered gorgeous. After he cleared his business matters in Amsterdam, he attempted to join his wife, Hester Prynne, in America. However, he was captured by Indians. By the time he reached his wife, 2 years since he last saw her, she was already up on the scaffold. He visited her in prison and pleaded for her not to reveal the fact he was her husband. He’d be ashamed to marry a disgrace people looked down on. However, he too should have been ashamed. He also committed sins. The first was marrying Hester. Although she had no desire to become hitched to him, he ignored that fact. The love was unrequited. The other sin was when he judged Reverend Dimmesdale and spent hours scheming up plots to make him lose his sanity, while he pretended to be his loyal frie nd.

Squandermania Mentality: the Root Cause of Social Evil

SQUANDERMANIA MENTALITY: THE ROOT CAUSE OF SOCIAL EVIL UDEKE CHARLES NDUBUISI POPE JOHNPAUL 11 MAJOR SEMINARY, AWKA [email  protected] com PREAMBLE Nigeria as a nation is ravaged by many internal problems. It is no longer news even to the blind that things are not the way they should be in our society. Nigeria problem is hydra-headed. Many scholars have viewed it from the different perspective as corruption, problem of leadership, indiscipline, greediness, consumerism, et cetera. Squander mania mentality is not out of the list. The rate at which people spread dollars at occasions is quite embarrassing.The history of Nigerians is that of a people in search of naira and the ostentatious show of wealth. Some people construe squandeermaniarism as a means of ascertaining themselves in the society. So, the more ostentatious you are, the more you are socially recognized and canonized. The root cause of social evil in our society is nothing but consumer consciousness. In bid to have more i n order to spend extravagantly people often indulge in all kinds of ills like: kidnapping, bribery, drug addict, money laundry, stealing, armed robbery, gangsterism, corruption and embezzlement.Squandermania consciousness has turned some of our leaders into caterpillars’ of common wealth. In fact the evil malice in us has been exalted to the point of genius in some of us. Moreover, in January 1987, the Anambra State government under the governorship of Captain Emeka Omeruah organized a crusade against squandermania. They so accurately deciphered the basis of indiscipline and underdevelopment in our nation as squandermania mentality. In this work we shall be looking at squandermania mentality as the root cause of our social evil and the possible remedy.In order to better appreciate this topic, let us explicate the basic concept. CONCEPTUALIZATION OF TERMS. Squandermania mentality literally means conscious wasteful or useless spending on daily basis. According to Okolo (1994:9) it is that disposition in a people by which they conceive and judge things by their consumable value. On the whole the society becomes one dominated largely by acquisitive rather than productive instincts. ’ Thus, for him it is materialistic consumable outlook on things. Then, Prof. P.N. Ejiofor (1986:3) viewed the term conspicuous consumption as ‘living above one’s resources and for the overall standard of living of the society for one’s inordinate self aggrandizement. ’ For him, it is spending unnecessarily. Here, squandermania mentality may be used interchangeably with consumer consciousness or conspicuous consumption. Based on this based backdrop, let us know to what extent squandermania mentality is the root cause of our social evil. SQUANDERMANIA MENTALITY IN NIGERIA: THE STORY SO FAR.Today, in our towns and villages, people both rich and poor, indulge in consumer consciousness such as charging astronomically high bride prices, engaging in co stly wedding ceremonies, pompous burial ceremonies, expensive chieftaincy title-taking, excessive feasting, excessive eating and drinking, and useless spending in luxurious cars and colossal village mansions. Prof. Ejiofor (1984:90) attempted to paint a picture of an aspect of conspicuous consumption as it pertains to our burial ceremonies. â€Å"First the corpse may be embalmed, and left in the mortuary for a period ranging from three days to two or three months.During this time, a new building is set up, if the dead did not build one in his life time, but if he did, the house and the walls are renovated. † In the same vein, pomp and pageantry go with weddings, birthday celebrations, title taking, chieftaincy installations, graduations, ordinations, and house warming ceremonies, etc. In fact, Nigerians are drunk with life of ostentation. We place undue emphasis in material social values as a way of life of a people. Thus material success and possession are highly valued in t he social and cultural lives of our people.Peace Pilgrim (1981:12) articulates it in the following terms, â€Å"in this materialistic age we have such a false criterion by which to measure success. We measure it in terms of material things. But happiness and inner peace do not lie in that direction. † Nigeria is the paradigm example of classical consumer society. Okolo(1994:10) viewed squandermania as the foundation of all our problems. â€Å"It is the problem behind our problems. To ignore it in our attack of societal ills would be to pursue a phantom, attacking the disease with a proper diagnosis of its cause. † We can talk of Nigeria problem without mentioning squandermania mentality.That Nigeria is a consumer society is never an exaggeration, for it is manifested in all their activities. Our society is characterized by unproductive spending, wealth exhibitionism and social importance. Hence, prestige and power are mainly construed in terms of material wealth and po ssessions. As a consumer nation, it exhibit one sided apprehension of labour. That is in terms of immediate gain, instant wealth and material success. Sweat, hard work and personal sacrifice have been sacrificed at the altar of laziness, cheap labour, instant gain and consumerism.Okolo(1994:11) posited that â€Å"people of consumer society generally manifest low enthusiasm or appreciation for high values such as patriotism, love of truth, honesty†¦ To labour or sacrifice for these spiritual goods or think of them important is hardly worthwhile for them. † In the educational sector, a lot of people read in order to obtain mere certificate, what is referred to as ‘certificate education. ’ They construe education in terms of its material relevance. Knowledge in the strict sense, for broadening ones horizon, understanding and conquering ones environment is not for them.They seek for certificate education in order to gain affluence and wealth through influence an d high positions in the society. They struggle in order to manifest supremacy in wealth and what it can buy. Success and social progress are defined by them in terms of material prosperity and acquisition. Russell (1975:38) in his own part described the situation thus, â€Å"but what typical modern man desires to get with it is more money, with a view to ostentation, splendour and the outshining of those who have hitherto been his equals. It is clear that the quest for instant wealth and material acquisition is the root cause of the societal ills. All that matters for Nigerian is naira accumulation, the means not withstanding. Consequently, it is no longer news that there is so much robbery, kidnapping, prostitution, human trafficking, embezzlement and all sorts of fraudulent practices in the nation. The hardship in the country notwithstanding, the syndrome for quick money and over night success is a pointer to squandermania mentality. The search for immediate wealth makes the Nige rian to hold tenaciously to power and authority.Conspicuous consumption will lead us to nothing but a consumer nation. Whereby, we spend more than we produce, consequently leading to many inefficiency or disequilibrium in the economy. CONS OF CONSUMER CONSCIOUSNESS The cumulative effect of it will lead to enlargement of his tastes, a change in his life style, in his social values and outlook in life. The person will define his social importance in terms of wealth acquisition and display, then, the type of home he lives in, property acquired and social entertainment held.So, the attitude of wasteful or unproductive spending and wealth exhibitionism will be high in the individual. Conspicuous consumption is one of the root causes of bribery and corruption, armed robbery, prostitution, smuggling, and drug trafficking. Faced by the huge financial demands which they can not meet by honest living, they land themselves in the aforementioned ills. Consumer consciousness channels all our res ources from working to leisure and from investment to unnecessary consumption. Many a time offices and markets are closed to give the dead a so-called befitting burial.The time we spent in long wake keeping ceremonies, marriage ceremonies, housing warning ceremonies, etc, is spent by the Whiteman in his library or laboratory researching on how to develop the machinery he will export later. The money we spend on those occasions is spent by him in taking a balanced diet and investing in meaningful businesses. It has destroyed the value system of our society. The people’s outlook on things is mainly from viewpoint of the consumable value and the material worth. In the developed countries, the most noble and masters are the researchers, the inventors, the statesmen, great philanthropists.In our society the statusquo are mostly the number of cars, the type buildings, the rowdiness of parties, etc. It is not surprise today that many young people indulge in different foul game in or der to make money quick. Squandermania mentality makes us to be more dependent on the industrialized nations. It discourages patronage of our native goods. It is not shocking that most of the drugs, food stuffs, scientific equipments and all sorts of manufactured and consumer good are not produced locally. This has stultifying effects on the creative and imaginative powers of the individual. By being dependent on other nations we enslave ourselves.It makes Nigerian to be imitators instead of competitors with other nations. Since we end up in imitating and reproducing, we lack originality, self transcendence, creativity and self reliance. More so, it vitiates the development of education, science and technology. Today, young people construe education in terms of material gain. Whereby, they end up in ‘certificate education. ’ People are not concerned with the qualitative functional education, which will help them conquer and transform their environment. Instead are inter ested in certificate education which guarantees them position of influence in the society.In fact, conspicuous consumption has adverse effect on moral, economic, developmental and political facets of the society. It reinforces wrong values, leads to exportation of wealth, encourages social vices, hampers productivity, and slows down the rate of economic development. We devote too much time in consuming than in producing. Since we have seen that the gestalt of our problem is squandermania in outlook, then, what shall we do! PANACEA What Nigerian need is a new awareness of self, a novel sense of dignity and altogether new life and value system. This new ideology should make value to be more qualitatively rather than to have more.That is to live more qualitative life instead of quantitative life. Education is vital instrument through which these values can be inculcated. Nigeria needs to imbibe the value of self-discipline. He must be ready to restrain his ungodly desires, goals and am bitious which he generally views in materialist terms. In quest to have more, display more, enjoy more, the Nigerian has lost sense of self discipline in quest for naira and what it can purchase. Thus, it through self discipline, the nation can manage her resources judiciously. Our society should cultivate the spirit of working for the universal good.For no society of human beings is possible without what binds them together, what they strive after together. Thus, common good is the good of the members of the society. If, we think of those things which make up the society as a whole, squandermanianism will be a forgotten issue. Management of our resources, time and talents well is a necessary condition. Foolish people waste their money, whilst wise people invest their money and are called investors. In order to shun squandermania mentality the Nigerian must cultivate pragmatic spirit. This imbues him with the mind to discover or invent and to be creative.This is attitude of sacrific e, self-dedication and labour. For consumer mentality radically weakens the will and people to put pleasure before business, sweet before sweat. More so, let us spend less time and money in celebrations, so as to have more money for the investment and time for working. It is by patronizing our locally made goods, can we encourage our local industries. CONCLUSION It is high time we admit that there is more to life than money, therefore, should focus not just on money wasting, but on general well-being.Studies have shown that those who are high in materialistic orientations are lower in levels of life satisfaction. Squandermania is a public enemy that should be stamped out of our society. It fails to satisfy men whose nature clamours for higher, more lasting values. We should aim at minimizing the traditional pursuit of wealth, conspicuous consumption and the acquisition of possessions and the attainment of status. Let us aspire to be more rather than to possess more. May all hands be on deck in order to bring to an end the inflicted wound of wasteful living.

Debate Over Racism Continued With The Death Of Thomas Eric...

Debates over racism continued with the death of Thomas Eric Duncan. Online communities thought that Ebola did not killed Duncan, but instead the Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital. Rumors like ...A statement released by the family of the first person to be diagnosed and die of the Ebola virus in the United States called it suspicious that all white patients treated in America survived the illness... appeared on Facebook (Patriot Outdoor News). In Implications of User Choice: The Cultural Logic of MySpace or Facebook? Danah Boyd explains how [social media] ...actually reveals social stratification and reproduces social divisions (410). The rumors about Duncan s death show the effects of exaggerating social aspects online. Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital health care services could have lead Duncan s health providers into legal and economic problems. Racial remarks not only caused tension, but also created inaccurate scientific information. Similar to Dr. Cathy Picard s tweet, Huzl er tweeted Ebola Vaccine Only Works On White People says CDC http://huzlers.com/center-disease-control-says-ebola-vaccine-works-white-people/. Under this tweet others quoted or retweeted Huzler s article to spread the scientific information about CDC. Huzler s site repeats the exact same information as the tweet, however they do not quote CDC on their assumption. On CDC s website the Sierra Leone Trial, research for a vaccine that cures Ebola, has been tested onShow MoreRelatedManagement Course: Mba−10 General Management215330 Words   |  862 Pagesconcepts that helped restore American manufacturing strength from the origination in Japan of some of its current practices. This kind of leadership has not always been widely recognized as a fundamental productivity key to expansive business growth over the last several years. Such improvement initiatives often are not fully quantified. However, they collectively represent much of the competitive 10 Feigenbaum−Feigenbaum: The Power of Management Capitol 1. New Management for Business GrowthRead MoreHuman Resources Management150900 Words   |  604 Pagesand a Japanese company, GE Fanuc is a manufacturer of factory automation and control products. Headquartered in Virginia with 1,500 employees, the HR department primarily performed administrative support activities. But when Donald Borwhat, Jr., took over as Senior Vice President of Human Resources, he and his staff began by restructuring and decentralizing the HR entity so that each functional area of the company has an HR manager assigned to it. The HR managers were expected to be key contributors