Writing Proficiency Exam Paper Essay Example for Free

Writing Proficiency Exam Paper Essay Many factors can cause stress in our communities. These factors range from the result of violence in schools to the proliferation of social media tools, such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Stress affects people in different ways. Some ways can drive a community apart while others can bring them together. This paper will provide evidence to show it is possible for communities to take action, adapt to changes in positive ways and reduce stress. Taking Action Action can take many forms. Action can be physical, verbal, or silent. In recent years, protesters took to the streets in opposition to the government bailout of Wall Street. The protesters assumed the name of the 99 Percent. The 99 Percent marched through the streets shouting down the Wall Street bankers, but their main weapon was not the megaphone, it was ‘silent occupation.’ Soon, this action became known as Occupy Wall Street. The goal of the Occupy movement was to show the wealthy bankers that they were not going to get away with their crimes and get a free handout from the taxpayers. As a result, the politicians on Capitol Hill listened and began to implement a wider set of reforms and consumer protections. Communities can accomplish similar changes. One of those ways is to leverage current forms of technology. Social media tools like Twitter have the power to spread news quickly. Community groups can use Twitter to organize grass-root actions, such as marches, and to keep  members connected by quickly sending updates and detailed meeting notes instantly. Recently, a local community organized an effort to force their local government to reinstate a local sheriff who was fired due to their sexual orientation. The local movement shamed the city council and the sheriff was rehired within weeks. Adapt to Changes in Positive Ways It is possible for communities to adapt to stressors in positive ways. In my opinion, a person has the power to choose how they want to react to certain stimulus. So, if an individual has this power, why not a community? For example, if someone were to spit on the local mayor, this technically constitutes an assault. The mayor could call the sheriff and have the man arrested and jailed; however, the mayor could first try to talk with the individual to come to an understanding of the person’s issues. Afterwards, the mayor should have him arrested; otherwise, others may be motivated to follow suit with the spatter. The mayor demonstrated an act of compassion by choosing to talk and mostly likely earned a few points with the constituents. My point is that if one person can adapt positively to factors of stress, a community can choose to take action in positive ways as well. Reducing Stress Turning negative stress into a positive outcome can be challenging but not impossible. Communities can be very complex. One reason is that communities are comprised of many individuals, each with their own thoughts, values, and ethics. If an act of violence were to take place at a local school campus, some individuals might choose to hide and wait it out. However, others may believe the best action is to fight fire with fire and take the to the streets like vigilantes. In my opinion, both of these reactions will lead to a great amount of stress because they are reactions based upon fear. A better way to react would be to put trust in the local authorities. The local authorities are better trained to handle crises. Another way to avoid or reduce stress would be to shut off the television or computer. Turning off these devices would minimize the stress of constant news updates that would only serve elevate fear. Conclusion In closing, this paper set out to address the issues communities face when  faced with negative factors. School violence and stress caused by social media are common issues dealt with across the country. How we choose to react to these issues can affect our local communities for the good or in bad ways. Parents could decide to pull their children out of school. Angry fathers could act out violently and take matters into their own hands. Constructive alternatives are available. The local police department can invest in better infrastructure and communications networks. They can also improve communication with the surrounding communities to build confidence in their ability to respond during emergencies. Communities can build a stronger bond by choosing to look at stressful factors in positive ways and increase their understanding of how they can prepare and respond during periods of high stress.

The runabout car :: essays research papers fc

In the 1920s, the automobile industry was being quickly innovated by companies coming out with new cars, very quickly. In 1901 the new Detroit factory burned down and the only automobile to be rescued from the flames was a gasoline powered runabout, the â€Å"curved dash† Oldsmobile. Also in 1901, there was a discovery of a seemingly â€Å"inexhaustible† supply of oil near Beaumont, Texas. These rich deposits of petroleum made gasoline readily available and gave added impetus to the internal combustion engine in its competition with steam and electric power. In March, fires destroyed most of the Olds Plant and the only car that was saved was the Curved Dash olds. Olds rebuilt immediately and put all the production resources into the little Curved Dash Olds, the â€Å"Merry Oldsmobile†. A car was envisioned which weighed 500 pounds and could be sold for $500. Actually, when the famous Curved-Dash Oldsmobile runabout car was finished, it weighed 700 pounds and was sold for $650. Between 1901 and 1904, over 12,000 Oldsmobile cars were built and sold. This was the first volume production car in the world. Speedometers appear first on Oldsmobile. To serve as an advertisement, a Curved Dash Olds was driven from Detroit to New York. This was the longest automobile trip that had been made in the U.S. until that time. Later, in about 1923, standard equipment included four wheel brakes, foot-controlled headlamp dimmer switches, and power operated windshield wipers. On Feb. 2, "Ethyl" gas was first put on the market. The lowest priced T was the runabout, selling at $265. 1908 October 1, Henry Ford put the first of his T's on the road. The 4-cylinder, 20-horsepower T was available in two styles. The runabout sold for $825, the touring for $850. During the last three months of 1908, the Ford Motor Company sold 6,000 cars. William C. Durant sold 9,000 Buick’s during 1908. The Ford Motor Company greatly outpaced its competitors in reconc iling state-of-the-art design with moderate price. Cycle and Automobile Trade Journal called the four-cylinder, fifteen-horsepower, $600 Ford N (1906-1907) "the very first instance of a low-cost motorcar driven by a gas engine having cylinders enough to give the shaft a turning impulse in each shaft turn which was well built and offered in large numbers." Deluged with orders, Ford installed improved production equipment and after 1906 was able to make deliveries of a hundred cars a day.

Mina Harker: A Strong Character Essay

A strong character is one who possesses many qualities such as being selfless, courageous and sacrificial. Dracula written by Bram Stoker portrays the young and witty Mina Harker. She is the best example to fit the description of a strong character. Mina starts off as a young school mistress who is engaged. As the plot progresses, her normal life changes and she is faced with many challenges that she overcomes, that show that she is the strongest personality in the novel. The first attribute that portrays Mina as being the strongest character in the novel is her habit of being caring of everyone. The first time we see Mina doing so is when Lucy tells her that she has been proposed to by three different men, Dr. Seward, Quincey P. Morris, and Arthur Holmwood. Lucy loves the attention that is given to her by the three men and just like any best friend she tells Mina about it. Lucy says, â€Å"Just Fancy! THREE proposals in one day!† (P. 60) Meanwhile, Jonathan, Mina’s fiancà ©e has been out of reach for the past month. Mina is quite worried about it but she hides her pain from Lucy so she doesn’t worry about her problems. This not only shows that she is caring, it also shows that she is a great friend. Another example of Mina being caring is when she was staying with Lucy and her mother. Lucy had just started sleep walking and Mina did whatever she could to stop her. Mina did that despite knowing that she was under the curse of Dracula. She wrote, â€Å"Lucy did not wake, but she got up twice and dressed herself. Fortunately, each time I awoke in time and managed to undress her without waking her, and got her back to bed.† (P.93) Mina does a lot of little things that show that she is a genuinely caring person. Mina shows the reader that she cares about the ones around her and she is willing to do anything for them, even if it means to sacrifice her wants and needs. She shows that she really loves her husband by sacrificing for his sake. Her journey of sacrificing starts when she is called to Vienne because Jonathan has been staying there because he was ill. Within a very short time of being with Jonathan, they get married. She marries a man who is not very sane at that time because of what he has been through. Jonathan’s insanity  starts to become more obvious to her when he and Mina are walking down the road and he spots the Count and says â€Å"I believe it is the Count, but he has grown young.† (P. 184) Mina says that Jonathan was â€Å"was very pale, and his eyes seemed bulging out as, half terror and half in amazement.† (P. 183) She doesn’t get upset or regret marrying Jonathan. She doesn’t break down despite everything that’s going on aroun d her. This proves how strong she really is. The heroine of the novel continues to show how strong she really is by protecting her husband. After marrying Jonathan, Mina becomes Dracula’s next victim. Even though, it is not clearly said, she is dragged into Dracula’s deceitful plan because she is Jonathan’s wife. In chapter 21, Dracula comes into Mina’s room and threatens her by saying if she screams he’ll kill Jonathan. Dracula then makes her drink blood from his chest. Mina made another sacrifice by protecting her husband by doing something very unhygienic and immoral. She shows her strengths by protecting her husband all for the great sacrifice for love. The sacrifices that she makes show how much courageous she has. Her bravery in the plan to kill Count Dracula shows that she is willing to risk her life in order to save mankind from Dracula’s immorality. Her bravery begins to show right after Lucy has become un-dead and Van Helsing wants answers from Mina. The idea of being interrogated about somebody’s death can be quite frightening. Although, Mina shows that she is brave and answers everything Van Helsing has to ask. Van Helsing and the other men start to think of her as a â€Å"new woman† rather than a Victorian woman. Her ability to be brave like a man puts her in a position in which she is thought of as to be one of them. Van Helsing says, â€Å"Ah, that wonderful madam Mina! She has a man’s brain- a brain that a man should have where he much gifted- a woman’s heart. The good God fashioned her for a purpose believe me.† (P.253) This leads to the men trusting Mina with the strong qualities that she possesses. They know that despite the fact that she is a woman, she is brave. Mina shows her bravery and courage again when the men leave her in Dr. Seward’s home while they go to Carfax. The courage the she shows in these small scenes makes her a strong person overall. Despite all of the â€Å"new woman† qualities she possess such as bravery and  intelligence. She also possesses some other attributes of a strong person. She is a great listener and very comforting. Right after Lucy’s death, Van Helsing gets caught up in trying to explain what actually happened to Lucy to the other men. Dr. Seward, Quincey P. Morris and Arthur were in love with her. They went through quite an emotional ride after finding out what happened to her. In Chapter 17, everybody decided to meet at Dr. Seward’s house. The three men that loved Lucy hadn’t really opened up to anybody about their pain. Dr. Seward went through a lot of pain after seeing what Lucy went through. He hid it from others and himself by working day and night. On the other hand, Arthur was quite upset and shared a cry with Mina. Arthur and Mina were talking about Lucy and â€Å"he turned away and covered his face with his hands.† (P.247) Mina could hear him crying. Then Mina comforted him, something that the men had never done before. She became more of a motherly personality to him. She said, â€Å"With a sob he laid his head on my shoulder and cried like a wearing child, whilst he shook with emotion.† (P.247) Arthur understood that she had comforted him so he spoke to her freely. He said, â€Å"and none other can ever know __ how much your sweet sympathy has been to me to-day.† This shows that Mina is strong because she can provide emotional support to the people around her, something that the men can’t even do.

The American Health Care System - 1062 Words

It’s time that people know the truth about the American health care system and the harsh realities that come from associating with a free market health care system. We should also know about the different health care system offered in other industrialized countries. The Documentary â€Å"Sicko† shows us the lives of many people American and Non-American and their experiences with healthcare / health services ranging from U.S, Canada, France, England and Cuba. In all these countries, the only one that requires its citizens to pay for health care is the U.S. Health care in the U.S is dominated by the free market and private enterprise / HMO organizations and their thirst for profits, because of this I feel like health care should be owned by the†¦show more content†¦The doctor with the highest percentage of denials were actually going to get a bonus.† This shows why having health care controlled by privatized companies is a bad thing, they only care about t heir profit and not the general well being of their own customers as opposed to having free health care that is run by the government. Shown in â€Å"Sicko,† where in Canada, England, France and Cuba have free health care and their citizens are generally happy, versus U.S where there is a price tag on your body. According to Rick, a person who had his fingers sawed off, to reattach his middle finger he needed 60,000 dollars and to reattach the ring finger for 12,000 dollars. This also shows why having privatized companies control health care is a bad thing, because it can lead to your social status determining your health care, which should not be happening. Another reason why government should be in the business in providing health care is because having free health care also lowers mortality rates. People who have no health insurance cannot afford health care. The U.S should not be playing catch-up with other industrialized nations who already offer free health care. On ave rage those nations that have free healthShow MoreRelatedThe American Health Care System1265 Words   |  6 PagesToday’s health care system is very different from how it used to be. There have been many changes that have taken place which represent the major shifts involved in moving from a plan which was based mainly on what the patient wanted, to a managed care system. The American health care system has evolved immensely over the past years and it continues to evolve to this day. 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Obama was widely known as â€Å"stating that the cost of health care was a threat to our economy and that health care should be a right for every American (ProCon.org, 2011). While his quotes resonate with many Americans, there are also Americans who do not agree with socialized medicine or sometimes known as â€Å"Obamacare†. Keep in mind that just because Obama is a democratRead MoreHealth Of The American Population And Our Health Care System Essay1163 Words   |  5 Pagesquality of health care, the United States has taken considerable, yet limited steps towards progress. The United Health Foundation’s 2015 America’s Health Rankings ® Annual Report offers a comprehensive look into the health of the American population and our health care system. The 2015 Annual Report specifies, â€Å"Cigarette use continues to fall, immunization rates continue to rise, and there are long-term positive trends in reducing cardiovascular-related and infant deaths† (United Health Foundation)