Planet Essays - , Term Papers, Research Papers

Planet Earth Buried lost within my sleep, I am illusioned by a dream. Confused by the situation, I hear sirens and flashes of light, rigorously delivering discomfort. Perplexed by the ordeal, I twist and turn and suddenly I awaken. Breathing heavily I take a sigh of relief realizing that distorted sounds of the sirens were only that of my alarm. As I get up of my bed, I draw back the blinds and slide across my fogged window. I find nothing but pure blackness, and the flurry of the morning chill. I am discouraged but I know that this day will grow to be the most beautiful things on earth. As I stare up overhead at a moonlit sky surrounded by the thousand "pinpoint", I smell coolness of eucalyptus extracted from the giant trees, and the fresh scent of air, so pristine and untouched by mankind. All I can hear is the blackness of the atmosphere. There is no life, and the world is at peace, it is at rest. Then suddenly, the slumber is ceased, and the day awakens. The stars begin to fade and the first light of day appears. The eyes of the earth slowly opens and elegance of the sun gradually emerges above the horizon from the far east, painting vivid patches of red, orange, and blue. Suddenly I see flocks of birds flying from nowhere in a disfigured "V" formation as I hear the wake up call of the rooster somewhere across the dew and mist of the morning air. Although so soft, I hear trickling from the trees drenched by the cleansing morning rain clashing with the sweet songs of the birds within them. As every single second goes by, the sun rises higher and higher, warming up the earth and lighting the sky. The earth has awakened. Comforted by the tranquility, I lay back to rest and contemplate on whether this gracefulness will last. Relaxed, I once again fall into a deep sleep. Taking each breath as it comes. All I felt was the warmth's of my blanket, and all I could see was the pitch-blackness induced by the closure of my eyelids. Unexpectedly, a furious flash of light ignites, and the violent sounds of the siren develop, I scream but I can not hear myself cry. I faintly see my mother. She lays peacefully on a tar ruined lane, I run to her, but every step seems to convey me further away from her. I hear her cry, but her cry stops, she calls for my help. She calls my name. "Peter!" I hear. Sounding so terribly real, and agitated by the situation, I twist and turn and suddenly I awaken to the kind touch of my mother's hand. "Are you okay Peter?" mother asked. All I could do was hug her and tell her "I loved you!" My heavy breathing transforms into drips of tears but they dry before my mother could see. I reflect on the dream, and consider that maybe the dream had a meaning. Am I taking my mother for granted? As I peacefully sit out on the front porch, I am struck by the powerful radiance of sun. It demonstrates all its intensity and solar power. Like on a desert island, I can feel the unbearable heat burning my skin but it is constantly soother by the friendly greeting of a southern wind. The trees dance from to right, rustling their leaves together making the sound as one might do with their hands on a cold day. The heavens above looking also much like the earth itself, with the vast baby blue oceans encompassing the floating white islands with silver shorelines. After few hours of contemplating, I looked up once more, and all I saw was the tiredness of the earth, accompanied by a rich red. The earth is tired and weary, and I guess it must rest. Howling winds are sent once again to cool the earth. The birds far above fleet to where they once originated. As they fly across the warm horizon, the sun falls beyond them into a land far west. Like the dawn of day, the sky is once again filled with the magnificent array of colour. Showing a red heat near the sun, but a blue coolness away in the east. Darker and darker the world becomes, but moonlit sky accompanied by the glittering stars overcomes the fear of darkness. The magnificence and beauty of the cycle day only left us with the heavens to

Rules for Writing Place Names with “The”

Rules for Writing Place Names with â€Å"The† Rules for Writing Place Names with â€Å"The† We live in the United States of America. Other countries go without a â€Å"the† – otherwise known as the definite article – before their names. Why is this? And what is it that makes America so much better than every other country? Even our dogs are patriotic. [Photo: Randy Robertson/wikimedia]Well, we’re proofreaders, meaning we’re not qualified to comment on the global status of particular countries. But we know plenty about language, so we can answer that first question. In fact, we’ll dedicate this entire blog post to explaining when (and when not) to add â€Å"the† before a place name. Read on to find out more! Countries and Continents The United States of America is not the only place that uses â€Å"the† in its name. There’s also â€Å"the United Kingdom,† â€Å"the Seychelles† and many others. Essentially, we use â€Å"the† for countries that encompass a group of places. So â€Å"the United States of America† is a group of states and â€Å"the Seychelles† is a group of islands. Most countries don’t require this article, since they’re considered a single place. The other situation when â€Å"the† is required is when a country’s name includes the word â€Å"republic,† like â€Å"the People’s Republic of China.† Other examples include: Definite Article No Article Required The United Kingdom England The Democratic Republic of Congo Senegal The Netherlands Belgium The Czech Republic Estonia It’s worth noting that some regions used to be described with â€Å"the† (e.g., â€Å"the Ukraine† or â€Å"the Argentine†), but that it’s incorrect to add â€Å"the† when describing the modern countries associated with these areas (e.g., Ukraine and Argentina). Since all continents, like â€Å"Europe† or â€Å"North America,† are singular, none require the definite article. We do, however, sometimes use â€Å"the† for the regions to which continents belong, so we might refer â€Å"the Antarctic† when discussing Antarctica. Also known as that place with the penguins. States, Cities and Regions States (e.g., Utah, Tennessee, Alabama) and cities (e.g., Michigan, Paris, Beijing) are almost always treated as single places. As such, they do not usually require the definite article. When discussing specific regions, on the other hand, it’s fairly common to add â€Å"the† before the place name. For instance, we might say â€Å"the Midwest of America† or â€Å"the South of France.† Lakes and Mountains Single lakes and mountains do not generally require the definite article (e.g., Lake Erie, Mount Hayes). It’s important to check, however, since there are exceptions, such as â€Å"the Matterhorn.† Furthermore, we do use â€Å"the† when describing a group of lakes (â€Å"the Great Lakes†) or a mountain range (â€Å"the Rockies†). It’s also conventional to use â€Å"the† when naming oceans (â€Å"the Atlantic†) and rivers (â€Å"the Mississippi†). Buildings, Streets and Monuments There are no special rules for whether buildings and place names require the definite article, so the best thing to do if you’re unsure is check. Examples include: Type of Place Definite Article No Article Required Building The Empire State Building Buckingham Palace Street The Mall, London Broadway, New York Monument The Statue of Liberty Christ the Redeemer THE Empire State Building.

Analyzing essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Analyzing - Essay Example In this article, its author claims that grade inflation is a serious problem; despite this, it is not paid enough attention and almost is not discussed. Therefore, the author chooses to present the overview of both the consequences and causes of grade inflation with the aim to start the discussion of the issue. At first, the author deals with the consequences of grade inflation at different stages of education and presents them in the form of a list. Uva states that even within elementary and high school, the negative influence of this process is visible because putting incorrect marks results in improper placement of students in groups. Consequently, for many of them it is difficult to cope with pressure and they give up learning. If placed in a group they suit, they could achieve better results. In other words, the author’s point is that the roots of grade inflation should be looked for at schools where its negative influence is seen even at elementary level. Also, the author analyses the consequences of inflated grades for colleges, labour market as well as for students themselves. More specifically, Uva traces the progression of inflation as it starts at school and develops up to student’s graduation and job search. The author bases his argument on the statistical data fr om his region where almost a half of seniors graduate with excellent marks, and this makes the colleges increase heir quotas. As a result of exaggerating marks, more deserving students can be rejected. By this, Uva once again highlights the idea that the problem of grade inflation takes it rise from schools. The second main point of the article under consideration is the causes of grade inflation. In particular, Uva analyzes the influence of parents, schools as educational institutions, and teachers and professors as the major catalysts of the development of grade inflation in the country. The author claims