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May 27, 2009
Iron Man brings a fresh take on the classic superhero movie that is sure to please any audience. As is the norm with superhero movies these days, a normal human being is prompted to take on the responsibilities of a superhero by some life changing experience. In Batman, Bruce Wayne’s father gets shot dead; in Iron Man, Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) is kidnapped by terrorists. In each case, these individuals decided to take personal responsibility for these crimes, but Tony Stark’s Iron Man does it with a fresh perspective. Instead of the usual dark and heavy take on superheroes, Iron Man is very upbeat and humorous while still managing to maintain a strong plot.
Robert Downey Jr. jumps right into the role of Iron Man, adding his own flair to keep the movie fresh and humorous. He fills the movie with quick witty remarks to fill in any gaps in the movie that aren’t filled with action and explosions. When blasting off to test his prototype Iron Man suit, Tony says “Sometimes you gotta run before you can walk,” which seems to be a theme of the fast-paced movie that is always one step ahead of the audience. While the movie does have a good plot, strong special effects, good acting, and a well-done script, it is ultimately Robert Downey Jr. who carries most of the movie along, picking up any slack and turning what would have been a decent action movie into an outstanding summer blockbuster.
The movie begins by depicting Tony Stark as just a rich jerk, who is too busy gambling to attend his own awards party. He is a brilliant scientist who has earned billions of dollars selling weapons and explosives to the military, and is now living a life of luxury as a billionaire playboy. However, on a trip to Afghanistan, terrorists kidnap him and tell him to build them a missile from parts of the weapons that he makes his living selling. Instead, Tony decides to build a metal suit, complete with rocket boosters and a flame-thrower. He busts out of his cave and blasts off in his Iron Man suit, before crashing and burning in the desert, where he is rescued and brought back to America. Tony returns to America a changed man. He decides he no longer wants his company selling weapons, and begins refining his Iron Man suit to combat terrorism. However, his business partner, Obadiah Stane, has different plans for the future of Tony’s company, Stark Industries.
The director, Jon Favreau, does an excellent job of keeping the plot focused and moving along. Although Iron Man doesn’t have very many plot twists, the plot does build up throughout the movie, before climaxing with a classic superhero fight scene at the end. Also, the plot incorporates current global issues like terrorism, rather then relying on silly comic book villains such as Superman Return’s evil Lex Luther. This makes the plot feel much more realistic and relevant to a modern American audience.
If there is something the movie does lack, it is more fighting scenes with Iron Man. Much of the movie is concentrated on how Tony Stark becomes Iron Man and builds his suit, which doesn’t leave a lot of time for him to actually use his new suit. There are only a few short actions scenes involving Iron Man spread throughout the movie, so fans that are expecting to see extensive Iron Man action may be disappointed. Iron Man is a superhero with the potential to have a wide variety of different powers. In the movie, however, only a few of his most basic powers are used, and the action sequences may have been more entertaining if the Iron Man suit had been used more extensively and creatively.
Overall, Iron Man has everything that one could hope for from a new superhero blockbuster. Complete with intense action, a driving plot, and new gadgets, Iron Man has all the elements needed to meet the standard set by previous superhero movies such as Batman Begins and Superman Returns. However, the added humor and wit of Robert Downey Jr. is what really sets this movie apart from past superhero films and give it the uniqueness that make it worth watching for any audience, rather then just another typical superhero movie.
Filed by efsw18 at May 27th, 2009 under Essays
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May 14, 2009
Yesterday, thousands of my friends died. I had lived with them, spent my days and nights with them. They had supported me, and when they died I didn’t even pause to remember them, I just went on with my daily life as if nothing had changed. Yes, I am guilty. I am guilty of taking bacteria for granted.
Day and night, these microorganisms have worked their little flagellum off, to support this entire earth. They are found from the tops of the highest mountains all the way down to the bottoms of the deepest oceans, where they are busy supporting ecosystems all across the earth. They are the ones doing the dirty work – decomposing. The next time you crinkle your nose to a dead opossum lying in the road, think of those bacteria who are deep inside its bloody intestines, busy taking care of business. These bacteria are the true clean-up crew, not the person who shovels the opossum off to the bushes on the side of the road. From the broken mess of opossum guts, these bacteria digest and release many rich nutrients back into the environment to be reused so the rest of the organisms on this earth can continue to survive and thrive. However, bacteria are not only found in the dirty remains of decomposition. Part bacteria’s greatness is due to their diversity and ability to take on a wide variety of tasks in different environments. Every time I sink my teeth into a gooey pb & j, it is with the trust that bacteria helpers will be there for me as the processed nutrients works their way through my digestive system. These bacteria have the task of sorting through this mess to find and break down each and every of the billions of nutrient molecules, until they are small enough for my body to absorb and put to use.
I cannot deny that through all of the various types of bacteria with different roles in this world, that there are some bacteria who are sickening and destructive. It is true that bacteria do cause such diseases as cholera, tuberculosis, gonorrhea, and strep throat. But these bacteria represent only a tiny proportion of the entire earth’s bacteria population, and it is an embarrassment to the human race that we live in fear due to the negative stereotype these few measly pathogenic bacteria have managed to perpetuate. People use all kinds of devastating methods to destroy these pathogenic bacteria, without even pausing to consider the many innocent bacteria they are slaughtering each time they pop an antibiotic pill, or wash their hands with antibacterial soap. The massive destruction one drop of soap can cause to an innocent bacteria population is comparable to the destruction a nuke being detonated in Times Square would create. These poor bacteria that are only trying to find a home and support their family are faced with these antibacterial weapons of mass destruction on a regular basis, without any hope for a better future. They have no way to protect themselves or fight back, they have nobody to turn to for help, no government, no federal emergency relief – nothing.
So why do we treat these innocent bacteria so terribly? Perhaps people consider bacteria as worthless organisms, which can hardly be considered living at all. However, just because they are small and simple organisms doesn’t mean they are any lesser of a form of life then us humans. In fact, according to the theory of evolution, bacteria was the first form of life on this earth, and it was from these tiny bacteria cells that humans were eventually created. These bacteria are our ancestors. We have these bacteria to thank for our life and without them we could never be the complex and intelligent humans that we are today. This means that humans have killed and disrespected their great ancestors, who brought life to this earth and continue to support all forms of life to this day.
Bacteria are the snubbed and disdained creators and supporters of life on this earth. Everyday, everywhere, bacteria are busy breaking down nutrients to support life, that could not exist without their help. They have a great role on this earth, and in return for their help and support they haven’t even gotten the slightest amount of recognition or respect. We mindlessly slaughter these bacteria everyday, and we fear them as if they were terrible criminals whose sole purpose is to spread disease. In this world, we have betrayed bacteria, but bacteria have remained loyal to us.
Filed by efsw18 at May 14th, 2009 under Essays
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May 5, 2009
As a stereotypical high school senior, I have spent the past six months stressing over colleges. The great importance of a college education has been hammered into my head so many times that I have often felt like my life would be a complete failure if I don’t continue on to receive a college degree. But what exactly is it about college that makes it so extremely important? One of the primary driving forces in most people’s life is the pursuit of happiness, so it can be assumed that the importance of college is somehow related to pursuing lifelong happiness, which leaves the question; does a college education really cause people to live any happier? There is no denying that a college education has many remarkably valuable benefits. The most obvious and acknowledged of these benefits is the increased income associated with a college education. This strong correlation between an individual’s level of education and their income has been shown by numerous studies. A recent report by the US Census Bureau found that “over an adult’s working life, high school graduates can expect, on average, to earn $1.2 million; those with a bachelor’s degree, $2.1 million; and people with a master’s degree, $2.5 million” (Longley). Another benefit of a college education is improved occupational and social status (Argyle 1999). Depending on where a person is located and what career they are pursuing, it is possible that a college education can open doors of opportunity that otherwise wouldn’t be available to them. Additionally, studies have linked a college education with improved health, by decreasing unhealthy factors such as smoking, obesity, lack of exercise, and even diabetes (Baum and Payea 7).
So it is clear that a college education can be very beneficial to some people in some ways. However, this does not mean a college education will provide the same benefits to everybody, nor does it mean that a college education will help a person live a happier life. Everybody has heard the hackneyed old saying, “money doesn’t buy happiness.” Nevertheless, money is one of the greatest external motivators in today’s capitalist America. So what exactly is it about money that is so motivating to people? Indeed, there are times and places where people need money. This was clear during the Great Depression, as well as today in Third World Countries, where people lack money to fulfill there basic physiological needs for food and shelter. However, in today’s America, people want money – they don’t need money like the poor starving African kids seen in Oxfam pictures, who can hardly move because their body is eating whatever remains of their living muscle tissue. America is home of welfare, social security, food stamps, and numerous other programs designed to provide all citizens with their basic needs. Once these needs are satisfied, additional materialistic desires have been shown to have little or no impact on happiness. One study examining this relationship states that “more money may enhance [happiness] when it means avoiding poverty and living in a developed nation, but income appears to increase [happiness] little over the long-term when more of it is gained by well-off individuals whose material desires rise with their incomes (Diener 1).”
Similarly, the correlation of social status with happiness has become weak in today’s American society. In some cultures, there are strictly defined levels of social status, such as in the Indian caste system, which contrasts strongly with our US society that focuses on social equality. As the Declaration of Independence so eloquently states, “all men are created equal” and entitled to the same “unalienable rights.” If there are any defining factors of social status in the US, they would be occupational status and income, due to the competitive capitalist economic system. Income has already been shown to have very little correlation with happiness in the US, which leaves the possibility that perhaps occupational status may increase happiness in the US. It is reasonable to assume that a college education can increase happiness by allowing someone to pursue a career beyond flipping hamburgers at McDonalds. Surprisingly, more recent studies have shown that this is not always the case in the modern US. Back in 1967, a study by Veroff, Douvan, and Kulka (1981) found that 46 percent of professional-class Americans were very happy, compared with only 28 percent of unskilled labors. Nine years later, this difference had already almost disappeared (Argyle 355).
Besides income and social status, it is important to take into consideration the positive correlation college education has with personal health, which, in turn, has a positive impact on happiness. Indeed, a strong correlation remains today between level of education and many positive health factors, including decreased rates of smoking, obesity, lack of exercise and diabetes (Baum and Payea 7). However, this doesn’t mean that going to college causes a person to be healthy. It is only a correlation, so it is possible that it works the other way around – healthy people tend to go to college. A college education is certainly not needed for people to know that smoking, obesity, and not exercising are unhealthy – any elementary school student who has taken a health class already knows this. So while good health can contribute to happiness, a college education isn’t needed for a person to maintain good health.
Of all of these positive factors that correlate with a college education, none have been shown to cause a person to live a happier life in the US. For some people, the benefits of a college education may translate into a much happier life, while others may be just as well off with only a high school diploma. The point is that simply going to college is not the key to living a happy life in America, and for the average 21st century US citizen, a college education has almost no positive impact on happiness. The decreasing effect of college education on happiness has been shown by many studies. In 1951, a study found that 44% of college graduates said they were very happy, while only 23% of those with no high school could say the same. In 1978, this same study was repeated, to find that only 33% of college graduates claimed to be very happy, compared to 28% of those with no high school (Campbell). This variance in happiness between those with an education and those without has continued to decrease overtime, to the point that a college education has even been shown to have possible negative effects on happiness. This is because, when an individual attends college, they are likely to have higher expectations of personal income and occupational status. If these expectations are not met, as is very possible in today’s highly competitive and global job market, their happiness may decrease due to their goal-achievement gap (Argyle 355).
However, it is important to remember that these studies only represent the US population as a whole, and the impacts of a college education are different for each individual. For those people who are satisfied in a simple job that doesn’t require a formal education, a college education may not be necessary, while for other people, who enjoy more complex labor, a college education may indeed have a strong positive impact on their happiness. It is likely that the decreasing correlation between college and happiness in the US reflects the possibility that more students are choosing to go to college either because they’ve been pressured into it by parents and other mentors, or because they want the higher income that is associated with a college education. This influence of other people and money are both extrinsic motivators, which can’t provide the same level of happiness that satisfying intrinsic motivators does. While a career can be chosen based on extrinsic factors, a life calling can only be discovered by finding what is intrinsically satisfying to an individual. When Albert Einstein was five, he was intrigued by how something in empty space acted on a compass needle, causing it to spin (Bellis). When Lance Armstrong was a child, he enjoyed spending his Saturdays riding his bike from his home in Texas, across the border into Oklahoma (”Childhood”). These two individuals are obviously intrinsically motivated by two very different things. For Albert Einstein, a formal education was likely very helpful in his pursuit to satisfy intrinsic motivators, while for Lance Armstrong, a college education was not necessary.
College is to happiness as butter is to bread, as chocolate sauce is to ice cream, as syrup is to pancakes, and as flies are to poop – they’re all commonly assumed to compliment each other, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have one without the other. For some people a college education is an essential ingredient in their pursuit of happiness, but other people can pursue happiness just as successfully without it. While this statement may seem obvious, it is often overshadowed by pressures from parents and teachers, who have attended college and are bias in their assumption that college is a key to a happy life. This assumption may have been true once upon a time, but there are now too many factors negatively impacting the correlation between college and happiness for it to be a guaranteed route to happiness. So for anyone who has been convinced of the importance of college by the widespread positive testimonials, celebrity endorsements, and statistical studies, remember to read the fine print: results may vary.
Works Cited
Argyle, Michael. “Causes and Correlates of Happiness.” Well-being. By Daniel Kahneman, et al. Illustrated ed. Russell Sage Foundation, 2003. 355-359. 2 May 2009 <http://books.google.com/books?id=3toRUh4L12EC>.
Baum, Sandy, and Kathleen Payea. Education Pays: The Benefits of Higher Education for Individuals and Society. 2004. College Board. 2005. 1 May 2009 <http://www.collegeboard.com/prod_downloads/press/cost04/EducationPays2004.pdf>.
Bellis, Mary. “Albert Einstein – Biography.” About.com. 4 May 2009 <http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/bleinstein.htm>.
“Childhood.” American Heroes. Eastern Illinois University. 4 May 2009 <http://www.eiu.edu/~amheroes/lachildhood.html>.
Diener, Ed, and Robert Biswas-Diener. “Abstract.” Will Money Increase Subjective Well-Being? Springer Netherlands, 2002. 1. Springerlink.com. 4 May 2009 <http://www.springerlink.com/content/cp8pqf28nmnv3brj/>.
Hartog, Joop, and Hessel Oosterbeek. “Summary of Earlier Research.” Health, Wealth, and Happiness: Why Pursue a Higher Education? 2-5. Tinbergen Institute. Jan. 1997. 2 May 2009 <http://ftp.tinbergen.nl/discussionpapers/97034.pdf>.
Longley, Robert. “Lifetime Earnings Soar with Education.” About.com. 13 May 2009 <http://usgovinfo.about.com/library/weekly/aa072602a.htm>.
Filed by efsw18 at May 5th, 2009 under Essays
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April 15, 2009
- As the sky begins clouding over just before dusk, it is reddened by a typical Midwestern sunset.
- Twenty thousand rock fans flock to Cincinnati’s River-front Coliseum to see and hear Pink Floyd and no threat of rain can stop them.
- The concert is three hours off, but it has already attracted several thousand early birds who are all keyed up for the high-energy Pink Floyd show, decked out in their best rock-concert faded blue jeans and tie-dyed T-shirts.
- The newness of the newcomers at the rock scene is obvious as the conspicuously wander about and gawk at others, wearing neatly pressed slacks and expensive shirts.
- There are loners weaving aimlessly around the circle with their eyes barely open and arms dangling uselessly at their sides, as they squint to steady themselves.
- There are couples clinging to each other near fountains or in remote corners.
- There are real police – not the rent-a-cop breed – who stride confidently in large groups among the crowds, twirling their Billy clubs, as they sweep their eyes over the area looking for trouble.
- Hawkers call out wherever there are crowds, trying to unload cheap T-shirts and pennants, but they draw only laughter from most concert goers.
- The numbers grow as roamers, couples, and cops swarm confusedly over the acres of concrete that lead up to the auditorium.
- The management realizes the hordes can no longer be contained peacefully as waves of fans pour into the coliseum, and wait one final tired and sweaty hour before the show, but then the doors open and they are just in time for something.
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April 13, 2009
Tricolons:
1) College is a period of mental, social, and physical development.
2) A job, a career and a calling are the three different ways people can make a living.
Tetracolons:
1) Food is delicious, tasty, satisfying, and filling.
2) College is to happiness as butter is to bread, as chocolate sauce is to ice cream, as syrup is to pancakes, and as flies are to poop.
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March 6, 2009
1) According to the author, a rant is a passionate protest against something that the ranter is usually powerless of changing. The baseball example qualified as a rant because it had all of the common ingredients of a rant: humorous, knowledgeable, angry, tongue-in-cheek, and filled with expletives. While there are many different styles of ranting, the baseball example is one of the most common styles.
2) In the age of the internet, rants have began to come more frequently as written rants. However, these rants are often sloppy and not as formal as written rants have been in the past.
This definition essay, defines rants by focusing on its history and the different categories of rants, while giving many different examples.
3) “Some of the first rants of the modern era-at least some of the first to be referred to as such-were associated with a short-lived, 17th-century English sect known (to their enemies) as the “Ranters.’” This quote shows how the essay presents the historical definition of the word. “These softer-edged letters may not seem to be rants at all, but they are merely embracing a frequently overlooked sense of the word—”a boisterous, riotous frolic or merry-making.”‘ This quote shows how the author uses categorization to help define the word.
4) Not all rants are bad. Many times they are seen negatively because they can be unnecessarily mean and filled with furry, but this is not true with all rants. When a rant is stating a reasonable point of view that is backed with strong evidence and reasoning, it can be a valuable piece of criticism that can help people look at something from a different perspective.
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March 4, 2009
Every once in a while, when I am getting down and deep, I ask myself if I am enjoying my life. Sometimes the answer is an easy yes, and sometimes, after a long day it is a no. On my “yes” days, I am happy. I am satisfied with life and I have enjoyed the experiences of the day. On my “no” days, I am not happy, but I am still happy to be living and I try and learn what I can from the days that aren’t the best. I don’t expect everyday to be fun and happy, and I know that sometimes things will not go my way, so when I am having a bad time, I always know that it will get better.
The best way to become and stay happy is just to be honest with yourself. To do what you feel is right is the best way to be satisfied, confident, and optimistic in life. Life may not always work out the way you hoped, but knowing that you did what you felt was right at the time is all you can do to make the most of life.
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February 11, 2009
1) Ann Banks hooks the reader by retelling her Grandmother’s story from the Great Depression. I think this story appeals to most readers because it offers a different perspective on the economic situation. While most recent news stories have a negative outlook on the economic situation, this one gives us hope that everything will be okay and get better. It shows that people have faced worse economic situations in the past, but they were still able to overcome them.
2) The article goes on to describe many other situations that people faced during the Great Depression. Instead of just saying “times were tough,” the author gives specific examples, such as “Marie Haggerty, a Massachusetts housemaid who talked about how, when her employer left a $5 bill on the floor, “my face burnt like fire, for I knowed I was gettin’ tested.”‘ The author also uses other details like “They peddled cake flavoring and cased sausages, they auctioned tobacco, they fished and smuggled rum,” to really give the reader a feel of what people faced during the Great Depression.
3) For the conclusion, the author ties it all together by connecting the challenges they faced in the past to the challenges that we are currently facing: “These days, we may not be passing the hat at parties to come up with rent money, but we are in the midst of an economic meltdown.” The author then states how storytelling helped carry people through the Great Depression, and how it can help carry us through the current economic situation. “Listening to each other’s stories may grant us a sense of common purpose that money can’t buy.”
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February 6, 2009
- I feel hungry: My stomach acid was boiling in my pancake of a digestive system as my joints became frail from fatigue. The low rumble of my brooding stomach echoed from the black gates of Mordor all the way home to Rivendel.
- The zoo was awesome: I stared through the thick glass in horror as the Gorilla squatted down and squeezed a chocolate hot dog into his big muscular hands. My amazement climaxed as the gorilla hobbled over to the window and proceeded to sink his teeth into the soft, warm feces.
- She hated her big sister so much: She felt the corners of her mouth drop and her brow furrow as she glared into her sisters fat face and imaged sinking her fingernails into those juicy cheeks.
- The hurricane was pretty cool: The intense grey vortex swallowed everything within 50 feet, creating a path of total destruction, while randomly spitting out pieces of flying carnage in all directions.
- The whole class was bored: When Mr. Stearns finally paused during one of his endless lectures, I looked up, praying it was finally over, only to find myself looking straight at my table partner drowning in a puddle of his own drool.
- I drove into a clown on the road: My heart skipped as a round red nose protruded from behind a parked car into the road just ahead of me. My foot jumped from the gas to the break but I realized it was too late as a big red clown shoe came flying over my windshield followed closely by a red curly wig. When my car finally screeched to a stop, my hood was stained with white face paint and blood.
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1) Rittenberg hooks the reader by contrasting the issues he is contemplating with the issues his parents are worried about. He introduces the subject by relating it to his own family life, so the reader feels a connection to him and his family.
2) The body of Rittenberg’s paper begins with him exaggerating his father’s negative outlook on the future. This reflects how his father saw horrible things in his own past, showing his negative outlook on the difficulties he has faced in his lifetime.
3) Rittenberg first lists the bad things people have faced in the past, and then contrasts this with the potential improvement these bad things have. For example, he says his father’s generation faced a “killer flu,” but then in the next paragraph says how he is optimistic that our generation will discover a vaccine for AIDS, so we will not have to face the same health issues that have been faced in the past.
4) The paper begins with the title “tomorrow will be a better day,” and is followed by Rittenberg discussing the issues older generation have faced and the hope our generation has for the future. Then, Rittenberg brings this title back for his conclusion, where he tells the story of his father cheering him up after a bad day by telling him that ”tomorrow will be a better day.” He says he believed his father even when his father didn’t give any reason why tomorrow would be better, which leads the reader to have the same optimism, without having any concrete proof to support the statement.
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