Hills Like White Elephant Essay Example for Free

Hills Like White Elephant Essay Ernest Hemingway makes use of the image of a white elephant in Hills Like White Elephant. Legend has it that the emperor of Thailand used to give white elephants as gifts for those people he was displeased with and wanted to punish. The white elephant is useless for normal uses and is extremely expensive to feed and care for. However, once someone has been given a white elephant he or she cannot get rid of it because it was a gift from the emperor. Therefore the emperor punishes the person with his gift.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In this story, there is virtually no narrative; there are a few descriptions, but for the most part these descriptions are neutral, almost to the point of being bland or lifeless. The story is advanced by the dialogue between the unnamed American man and the young woman Jig who are discussing whether or not she should have an abortion of the child she is expecting.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Jig notices the hills in the distance and says they look like white elephants. Clearly the man views the unborn child as a white elephant that if allowed to be born will become expensive and unmanageable. He feels threatened by the possibility of having a child to rest. He tries to convince Jig, that all the abortion entails is letting in the air and then its all perfectly natural. It is clear that the man is feeling crowded by the possibility of having to raise a child. He need fresh air.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   At first blush, one might thing the white elephant in the story is the unwanted child as the man does. However, on further reflection however, it appears that the white elephant is the unnamed man. He has become too expensive for Jig to maintain the relationship. The relationship is not worth the price of aborting the unborn child. Although Hemingway doesnt explicitly say so, it appears that Jig will refuse to have the abortion and if the unnamed man cannot deal with raising a child he is welcome to seek his own life away from her and the baby.

Civil War In Chad History Essay

Civil War In Chad History Essay After getting the independence from France in 1960, the north-central African nation of Chad has undergone four civil wars. These Chadian Civil Wars were against France, Libya, Sudan, Zaire/Congo, and the United States. . The current civil war is also connected to the neighbourers Sudan. Following are the civil wars that had been happened so far: 1.   First Chad Civil War (1965-1979) 2. Second Chad Civil War (1979-1982) 3. Third Chad Civil War (1998-2002) 4. Fourth Chad Civil War (2005-present)   First Chad Civil War (1965-1979) : The First Chadian Civil War started in 1965/66, with riots and insurgency against Chadian president Franà §ois Tombalbayes rule, known for its authoritarianism and distrust of democracy. By January 1962, Tombalbaye had banned all political parties except his own Chadian Progressive Party (PPT), and started immediately concentrating all power in his own hands. His treatment of opponents, real or imagined, was extremely harsh, filling the prisons with thousands of political prisoners. What was even worse was his constant discrimination against the central and northern regions of Chad, where the southern Chadian administrators came to be perceived as arrogant and incompetent. A long civil war began as a tax revolt in 1965 and soon set the Muslim north and east against the southern-led government. Even with the help of French combat forces, the Tombalbaye government was never able to quell the insurgency. Tombalbayes rule became more irrational and brutal, leading the military to carry out a coup on April 13, 1975 (in which Tombalbaye was killed), and to install Gen. Felix Malloum, a southerner, as head of state. In 1978, Malloum government was broadened to include more northerners. Internal dissent within the government led the northern prime minister, Hissà ¨ne Habrà ©, to send his forces against the national army in the capital city of NDjamena in February 1979. The resulting civil war amongst the 11 emergent factions was so widespread that it rendered the central government largely irrelevant. At that point, other African governments decided to intervene. Second Chad Civil War (1979-1982): The Translational Government of National Unity was coalition government of armed group that ruled Chad from the time period between 1979 to1982, during the most chaotic phase of the long running civil war which happened in 1965 to 1979.The GUNT replaced the fragile alliance led by Felix Malloum and Hissene Habre, which was collapsed in February 1979. The characteristics of the GUNT can be find out by the intense rivalries that led to armed confrontations and Libyan intervention in 1980. Libya intervenes in the support of the GUNT President Goukouni Oueddei against the former GUNT Defence Minister Hissà ¨ne Habrà ©. Because of international pressures and uneasy relations between Goukouni and Libyan leader Muammar al-Gaddafi, Goukouni asked the Libyans to leave Chad in November 1981; they were replaced by an Inter-African Force (IAF). The IAF showed itself unwilling to confront Habrà ©s militia, and on June 7, 1982, the GUNT was ousted by Habrà ©; Goukouni fled into exile. A series of four international conferences held first under Nigerian and then Organization of African Unity (OAU) sponsorship attempted to bring the Chadian factions together. At the fourth conference, held in Lagos, Nigeria, in August 1979, the Lagos accord was signed. This accord established a transitional government pending national elections. In November 1979, the National Union Transition Government (GUNT) was created with a mandate to govern for 18 months. Goukouni Oueddei, a northerner, was named President; Colonel Kamougue, a southerner, Vice President; and Habrà ©, Minister of Defense. This coalition proved fragile; in January 1980, fighting broke out again between Goukounis and Habrà ©s forces. With assistance from Libya, Goukouni regained control of the capital and other urban centers by years end. However, Goukounis January 1981 statement that Chad and Libya had agreed to work for the realization of complete unity between the two countries generated intense internationa l pressure and Goukounis subsequent call for the complete withdrawal of external forces. Libyas partial withdrawal to the Aozou Strip in northern Chad cleared the way for Habers forces to enter NDjamena in June. French troops and an OAU peacekeeping force of 3,500 Nigerian, Senegalese, and Zairian troops (partially funded by the United States) remained neutral during the conflict. Third Chad Civil War (1998-2002) The CSNPD, led by Kette Moise and other southern groups entered into a peace agreement with government forces in 1994, which later broke down. Two new groups, the Armed Forces for a Federal Republic (FARF) led by former Kette ally Laokein Barde and the Democratic Front for Renewal (FDR), and a reformulated MDD clashed with government forces from 1994 to 1995. Talks with political opponents in early 1996 did not go well, but Deby announced his intent to hold presidential elections in June. Deby won the countrys first multi-party presidential elections with support in the second round from opposition leader Kebzabo, defeating General Kamougue (leader of the 1975 coup against Tombalbaye). Debbys MPS party won 63 of 125 seats in the January 1997 legislative elections. International observers noted numerous serious irregularities in presidential and legislative election proceedings. By mid-1997 the government signed peace deals with FARF and the MDD leadership and succeeded in cutting off the groups from their rear bases in the Central African Republic and Cameroon. Agreements also were struck with rebels from the National Front of Chad (FNT) and Movement for Social Justice and Democracy in October 1997. However, peace was short-lived, as FARF rebels clashed with government soldiers, finally surrendering to government forces in May 1998. Barde was killed in the fighting, as were hundreds of other southerners, most civilians. Since October 1998, Chadian Movement for Justice and Democracy (MDJT) rebels, led by Yusuf Togoimi until his death in September 2002, have skirmished with government troops in the Tidbits region, resulting in hundreds of civilian, government, and rebel casualties, but little ground won or lost. No active armed opposition has emerged in other parts of Chad, although Kette Moise, following senior postings at the Ministry of Interior, mounted a small scale local operation near Moundou which was quickly and violently suppressed by government forces in late 2000. Deby, in the mid-1990s, gradually restored basic functions of government and entered into agreements with the World Bank and IMF to carry out substantial economic reforms. Oil exploitation in the southern Dobra region began in June 2000, with World Bank Board approval to finance a small portion of a project aimed at transport of Chadian crude through a 1000-km. buried pipeline through Cameroon to the Gulf of Guinea. The project establishes unique mechanisms for World Bank, private sector, government, and civil society collaboration to guarantee that future oil revenues benefit local populations and result in poverty alleviation. Success of the project will depend on intensive monitoring efforts to ensure that all parties keep their commitments. Debt relief was accorded to Chad in May 2001. Fourth Chad Civil War (2005-present): The current civil war in Chad began in December 2005. The conflict involved Chadian government forces and several Chadian rebel groups. These include the United Front for Democratic Change, United Forces for Development and Democracy, Gathering of Forces for Change and the National Accord of Chad. The conflict has also involved the Janjaweed, while Sudan allegedly supported the rebels, while Libya mediated in he conflict, as well as diplomats from other countries. In 2005, Chadian President Idriss Deby changed the constitution so that he could run for a third term in office, which sparked mass desertions from the army. The large-scale desertions from the army in 2004 and 2005, which forced Deby to disband his presidential guard and form a new elite military force, weakened the presidents position and encouraged the growth of armed opposition groups. The Rally for Democracy and Liberation (RDL) was formed in August 2005, and the Platform for Unity, Democracy and Change (SCUD), two months later, to overthrow the current government, accusing it of being corrupt and totalitarian. Later that year, the RDL and SCUD joined six other groups to form the United Front for Democracy and Change (FUCD).The situation was made worse by the alleged accumulation of oil wealth by Deby and his entourage. On 6 January 2006, Janjaweed militants crossed the border from Sudan into Chad and attacked the cities of Borota, Ade, and Moudaina. Nine civilians were killed a nd three were seriously injured.The Chadian government stated, The Sudanese militias attacked the settlements of Borota, Ade, Moudainayesterday killing nine and injuring three among the civilian population The Chadian government once again warns the Sudanese government against any hasty action because aggression by Sudanese militias will not go unpunished for much longer. In February 2007, a coalition of four rebel groups claimed to have taken the eastern border town of Adre. Chad rejected a plan to have U.N. troops along its eastern border. Victims from this attack were documented in the film Google Darfur. In March Former rebel Mahamat Nour Abdelkerim became defence minister. Government said Sudanese Janjaweed militia attacked and destroyed two villages in east Chad. On 26 October 2007, a peace agreement was signed between the government of Chad and four rebel groups: the Movement for Resistance and Change, the National Accord of Chad and two factions of the United Forces for Development and Democracy. In late November 2007, the rebel leader Mahamat Nouri accused Idriss Deby of ordering an attack on his fighters in the east of Chad. The army said on public radio there were several hundred dead and several injured among the Union of Forces for Democracy and Development (UFDD) fighters. Abakar Tollimi, secretary-general of the UFDD, disputed the army toll, saying only 17 rebels were killed. We have killed more than 100 from among the army ranks, he said after the clashes. On 30 November 2007, the UFDD declared a state of war against French and foreign military forces in an apparent warning to EUFOR Chad/CARà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ½, comprising 3,700 European Union peacekeeping troops, who should deploy in eastern Chad on a U.N. mission to protect camps housing more than 400,000 Chadian and Sudanese refugees. Steps to be taken to stop the civil war in Chad: The main reason for the first civil war in Chad was the president of the Chad. He can stop those riots but he did not do so. Because he want all the power of Chad in his hand. First of all he should listen the need of the rebel groups. All the talk can be done by the violence but he did not do that. By spreading the violence it would be stopped. Efforts to end the war and resort to peace talks have been made, including by the U.S. government. There have been democratic advances, including the creation of a High Court and a Constitutional Court, the introduction of multi party elections and an increasingly free press. But Chad still remains highly divided along ethnic, cultural, political and regional lines and widespread repression by Debbys security forces continues.

Tmj Closed Lock Syndrome Management Health And Social Care Essay

Tmj Closed Lock Syndrome Management Health And Social Care Essay Temporomandibular disorders (TMD) is a collective term has been defined as a group of conditions that affect the temporomandibular joint (TMJ), muscle of mastication and associated structures. These disorders are common, affecting at least 30% of the population.1 TMD can severely affect individuals daily activities and produce varying symptoms ranging from mild discomfort to severe function disability. Patients with TMD often presents with reduced mandibular function secondary to increased pain levels, reduced ability in chewing, limited mouth opening and during excursive movement of the joint. There are many causes of limited mandibular movement, closed lock is the most common presentation in the clinic. Closed lock is a well recognised condition. An estimated 2% of people with TMD suffer from a closed lock. 2 It has been suggested that condylar translation is limited by the failure of the disc to reduce, with the posterior band being trapped anterior to the condylar head. It was also proposed this condition was a result of reversible restriction in gliding movements of the disc caused by its adherence to the fossa. 3 These group of patients often complaints of jaw-opening difficulties such as pain, restriction and TMJ tightness. Macrotrauma to the structures of the joint through impact or extension injuries, and microtrauma either in the form of clenching or occlusal abnormalities may contributes in the aetiology of internal derangement with closed lock. A various treatment options have been considered to improve the symptoms of closed lock. Non-surgical approaches may consist of anti-inflammatory medications, muscle relaxants, splint therapy, physiotherapy, exercise, moist heat, stress management and soft diet or combination of thereof. In patients whom the symptoms proved refractory to non-invasive therapy, surgical management on the TMJ is generally considered. The aim of this dissertation is to discuss and analyse the published data to support the current management of TMJ closed lock syndrome. Literature Review There are many treatment modalities in management of TMJ closed lock. The two main approaches used are non-surgical and surgical treatment. Treatment efforts are directed toward: Reduction of pain using Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) Improvement in mouth opening and lateral movement Improvement in joint function. For most TMD, clinicians generally agree that non-surgical and non invasive care should precede surgery. However, for TMJ closed lock, surgery has been described as preferable. 4 Non Surgical Treatment A range of conservative treatments including physiotherapy, occlusal bite splints, NSAIDS, muscle relaxants, stress management and soft diet are available. Minakuchi et al5 conducted a randomized controlled evaluation of non-surgical treatments for closed lock. 232 patients were randomly allocated to one of three group control, self-care plus NSAIDs, or occlusal appliance jaw mobilization plus self-care/NSAIDs. The subjects were observed over 2 months period. All three experimental groups had significant improvement in their signs and symptoms with time. The self-care/ NSAIDs group showed more improvements in the daily activities limitation compared with the other two groups. However, this difference was present only for two review appointment, and during the last review at 8 weeks, there were no significant group difference. These data suggests the gradual improvement in signs and symptoms was non-specific and was not related to the type of treatment, but more to the passage of time. Lundh et al 6 carried out a randomized controlled study on 51 patients. These patients are treated with a flat occlusal splint or to serve as an untreated control group. It is noted that at the end of 12 months period, 16% of patients in control group and 40% of patients treated with splints, the symptoms were worse than at the beginning at the study. In addition, 36% of patients in the control group improved after 1 year without treatment. This study indicates that aggressive treatment modalities should not be used in the initial phase of closed lock. Instead, counselling and adequate pain medication seems to be a reasonable treatment approach. Surgical Treatment Surgery on the temporomandibular joint is generally only considered when non-invasive therapy proved unsuccessful. Closed lock is usually associated with permanent disc displacement, and this condition is frequently resistant to conservative treatment. The primary role of surgery is physical debridement, repair and removal of diseased tissue that cause pain and dysfunction within the TMJ. The primary aim of surgery is to reduce the symptoms of pain and to improve joint function of individuals. The historical perspective on temporomandibular surgery dates back to 1887 when Annadale7 reported two successful operations to reposition and secure the disc in two patients. Condylectomy In 1957 Henry and Baldrige8 described the condylectomy operation. They emphasized the preservation of the disc, and limited bone reduction to increase joint space, and relieve irritation to nerve-bearing tissues. Condylectomy was formerly extensive used, but has many disadvantages 9. It often leads to ramus shortening with resultant of malocclusion and mandibular deviation to the side of the surgery. Ward 10 in a review of 21 patients, who he followed for periods of up to three years, reported a high success rate. Banks and MacKenzie 11 in a much larger series of 211 patients reported 91% of them to be cured or improved by surgery. However, in a follow-up of patients by Lindahl 12, a high prevalence of persistent pain and dysfunction was still evident. Arthroscopy Temporomandibular joint arthroscopy is a new method for the management of acute, subacute, and sometimes chronic limitation of movement of the TMJ. The miniaturised arthroscopy to the TMJ first appeared by Ohnishi 13 in the Japanese literature in 1975. It is used as diagnostic and therapeutic procedure. It has been postulated that it improves limited joint movement by lysis and lavage of fibrotic adhesions, and reductions of surface adherence on articulating joint spaces. Sanders et al 14 conducted 40 arthroscopic procedures on 25 patients during the mid 1980s in management of closed lock. All patients showed improvement and eventually asymptomatic after the procedures. They have good range of opening and have little preauricular pain after. Moses et al 15 did a retrospective studies on 237 patient with 419 TMJ joints. 63% of patients reported to have an increase in opening and in these 73% having an interincisal opening of 40mm or greater after 1 year post treatment. 97% of these patients thought their surgery was successful and 82% stated that would undergo the procedure again. The results of this study appear that the arthroscopic procedure has a definite value in the treatment of TMJ internal derangement. White et al 16 undertook a similar study on 66 patients with 100 TMJ joints. The overall postoperative increase in maximal incisor opening was 38.4%. 85.7% of the patients rated their postoperative pain and function greatly and moderately improved and 100% of the patients stated they would have the arthroscopic surgery again. However, a failure rate of 7.5% was noted by the objective criteria. Clark et al 17 also reported decreased in mean pain score value by 57%, also an improvement of 67% jaw function in 18 patients after 2 years postarthroscopic surgical treatment. Davis at al 3 evaluated 51 patients, with 80 joints with closed lock that were treated with arthroscopic surgery. Results showed that an immediate improvement after the treatment and followed by a more gradual improvement during the next 6 months, with a plateau in improvement thereafter. Kurita et al 18 also evaluated the correlation between preoperative mouth opening and surgical outcome after arthroscopic surgery. 12 of the 14 patients (86%) showed good reduction in pain and improved range of jaw movement. However, 2 patients showed no improvement after the treatment and require open surgical procedures. The 2 failed cases had 10 and 19mm opening respectively before the treatment. The author concluded that limitation of mouth opening less than 22mm may be a relative contraindication to arthroscopic treatment. The main disadvantage of this study is that the number of patients in this study is very small. Abd-Ul-Salam et al 19 conducted a retrospective study to investigate the incidence of reoperation after TMJ arthroscopic surgery in 315 consecutive patients (488 patients). He documented a 22% incidence of further surgery arthroscopy or open surgery after TMJ arthroscopic surgery. Arthrocentesis TMJ arthrocentesis was first described by Nitzan et al 20 in 1991 for the treatment of temporomandibular joint pain and movement restriction. Nitzan et al 20 described this technique as irrigation on the upper joint compartment with Ringers solution. The injected fluid enables the disc to slide and thereby re-establishes normal maximal opening in closed lock. The treatment was shown to be effective, providing significant improvement in maximal mouth opening and lateral movement, and decreased in pain level and disturbance in jaw function involved 17 joints in 17 patients. The overall success rate is 91%. Nitzan et al 21 conducted another study in 1997 on 39 patients with 40 joints with severe closed lock. The overall improvement, as expressed in pain and dysfunction levels, was about 95%, with no recurrence of severe closed lock. A prospective study done by Dimitroulis 22 using the same technique on 46 patients with acute limitation of mouth opening, showed significant improved in pain, jaw opening and function. Hosaka et al 23 evaluated the outcome of arthrocentesis for TMJ with closed lock at a 3 years follow-up in 20 patients. The success rate was 70% at 6 months follow-up and increase to 78.9% over the 3 years of follow-up. The literature showed stable good outcome at 3 years follow-up as compared to 6 months. Alpaslan et al 24 conducted a 5 year retrospective to evaluate the long-term outcome of TMJ arthrocentesis on 34 patients with 48 joints. There was a significant (P < 0.001) increase in the maximal mouth opening. Pain and dysfunction levels were significantly (P < 0.001) lower than pre-operative values. 26% of patients were pain free and 88% of patients had less pain than before. Eminectomy An alternative surgical approach to the treatment of closed lock of the temporomandibular joint is eminectomy. The surgery involves reduction of the articular eminence of the TMJ, provides greater freedom of movement between the condyle disc and the reduced articular eminence. Stassen et al 25 conducted a pilot study of the use of eminectomy in the treatment of closed lock in 18 patients. Results show significant increase in mouth opening and a decrease in pain. Both the improvement in inter incisal distance and reduction of symptoms were found to be statistically significant (P

The Genetics of Language :: essays research papers

-ildar- The tabula of human nature was never rasa. W.D. Hamilton Language is defined as the â€Å"Communication of thoughts and feelings through a system of arbitrary signals, such as voice sounds, gestures, or written symbols.† Yet this alone cannot sum up the importance and vastness of this magnificent gift human own. Language is one of the most amazing features of human culture and personality; its roots have remained unchanged since the start of civilization. It is the basis of all communication in the world and in it’s best is the most complex form of expression. Language has always been assumed to be blatantly cultural lying at the heart of human social evolution, but this could not be farther from the truth. Language owes as much to instinct and innateness as it does to culture. Darwin once described language as an â€Å"instinctive tendency to acquire an art†; this view of language was re-revealed to the world through Noam Chomsky, in his book, Syntactic Structures. Chomsky argued that language is shaped through culture, but the underlying ability to learn and understand it, is innately built into the human psyche. Chomsky concluded that there were obvious underlying similarities in all languages, bearing witness to a â€Å"Universal Human Grammar†. We always use this ability to learn and use language, but we are not consciously aware of it. Vocabulary cannot be innate, because if it were were, we would all speak one, unvarying language. But lets take for example, a child; as it learns vocabulary, innate mental rules tell that child how to properly use that vocabulary. Lets take, for instance the sentence, â€Å"Sa mmy will buy groceries from the store†. You can turn that sentence into a question by moving the ‘will† to the front, making the sentence, â€Å"Will Sammy buy groceries from the store.† Young children can comfortably use this rule, even though never having been taught about the grammar involved in making a sentence like that, they just seem to know the rule. As psycholinguist Steven Pinker put it, â€Å"to learn a human language, requires a human language instinct. Language is not learned through imitation; if it were then why would children who have been using the word â€Å"went† for a year or so, start saying â€Å"goed†. The truth is that children start learning to speak themselves, at a much younger age regardless of our help. Children are a large part of developing a language; this was shown in a famous experiment conducted by Derek Bickerton.

Project Mercury :: essays research papers

Project Mercury   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Project Mercury, the first manned U.S. space project, became an official NASA program on October 7, 1958. The Mercury Program was given two main but broad objectives: 1. to investigate man’s ability to survive and perform in the space environment and 2. to develop basic space technology and hardware for manned space flight programs to come.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  NASA also had to find astronauts to fly the spacecraft. In 1959 NASA asked the U.S. military for a list of their members who met certain qualifications. All applicants were required to have had extensive jet aircraft flight experience and engineering training. The applicants could be no more than five feet eleven inches tall, do to the limited amount of cabin space that the Mercury modules provided. All who met these requirements were also required to undergo numerous intense physical and psychological evaluations. Finally, out of a field of 500 people who met the experience, training, and height requirements, NASA selected seven to become U.S. astronauts. There names, Lieutenant M. Scott Carpenter; Air Force Captains L. Gordon Cooper, Jr., Virgil â€Å" Gus† Grissom, and Donald K. â€Å"Deke† Slayton; Marine Lieutenant Colonel John H. Glenn, Jr.; and Navy Lieutenant commanders Walter M. Schirra, Jr., and Alan B. Shepard, Jr. Of these, all flew in Project Mercury except Deke Slayton who was grounded for medical reasons. He later became an American crewmember of the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Mercury module was a bell shaped craft. Its base measured exactly 74.5 inches wide and it was nine feet tall. For its boosters NASA chose two U.S. military rockets: the Army’s Redstone, which provided 78,000 pounds of thrust, was used for suborbital flights, and the Air Force Atlas, providing 360,000 pounds of thrust, was used for orbital fights. The Mercury craft was fastened to the top of the booster for launch. Upon reaching the limits of Earth’s atmosphere the boosters were released from the module, and fell into uninhabited ocean.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The first Mercury launch was performed on May 5, 1961. The ship, Freedom 7, was the first U.S. craft used for manned space flight. Astronaut Alan Shepard, Jr. remained in suborbital flight for 15 minutes and 22 seconds, with an accumulated distance of 116 miles.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The second and final suborbital mission of the Mercury Project was launched on July 21, 1961. Gus Grissom navigated his ship, Liberty Bell 7, through flight for just 15 seconds longer than the previous mission.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The next Mercury flight was accomplished using an Atlas booster. On February 20,1962 it fired up and launched John Glenn, Jr., inside Friendship 7, into orbit. Glenn orbited Earth three times and when he returned the country

Never Giving Up

It has been said that life can never be carried out and truly lived to its fullest unless there has been some sort of suffering and pain. Mistakes are to be learned from, and a hard past can only result in a stronger present. Though many might find themselves alone in their misery the truth is they are not, everyone has struggles. We all have our ups and downs, but it is how we react to them that truly matters. Life is life and no matter what, giving up on lifelong dreams and aspirations because of a few bumps in the road should never be an option. It isn't where you come from; it's where your going that counts,† stated a very wise woman by the name of Ella Fitzgerald. This may be hard to believe but even people with great success like Ella Fitzgerald, can come from a troubled background. Before her career took off, this superstar Jazz singer known as the â€Å"first lady of song† was just another troubled teen forced to cope with the early separation of her parents. Fro m there things only got worse for Ella and in 1993, her mother died from injuries she had suffered from a car accident. It was not long before tragedy struck Ella's life once again, this time she mourned the loss of her mother's boyfriend and her half sister's father. From there it was all down hill for this sixteen year old and it was not long before she found herself in trouble with the law. â€Å"You may be disappointed if you fail but your doomed if you don't try. † These words spoken by Beverly Sills had to have somehow found their way into Ella's head because no matter what came her way, she did not give up. With a little patience, Ella was on to launching one of the largest music careers in the business. Perfection is boring, if a face doesn't have a mistake it's nothing,† stated Kevyn Aucoin. Nowadays, the success of those emerging from a troubled past is greater than ever. After all, who could forget American Idol winner Fantasia Barrino's shocking past confessions in her enormously famous autobiography, â€Å"The Fantasia Barrino Story; Life is not a Fairy Tale? † Fantasi a's traumatizing childhood seemed to be weaved with stories of pain, lies, and betrayal everywhere she turned. At an early age, Fantasia was a victim of rape and divorce. She pursued a music career in her small town of North Carolina but found that she just did not tand out from among the other teens. With low self-esteem, it was not long before Fantasia fell into the wrong crowd and found herself a seventeen-year-old, pregnant, illiterate, high school drop out. Fantasia faced a lot of criticism when she was considered for America's idol, but she did not let that bother her and continued on to become an idol for those who like her have come from a hard background. Like Helen Keller once said, â€Å"No Pessimist ever discovered the secret of the stars or sailed to an unchartered land. † Fantasia Barrino has proven that â€Å"life is not a Fairy Tale† but you can sure make it one. It is not just celebrities that can overcome a troubled past and live up to their potential it is also people just like us. Who knows, the big shot lawyer next door could have been the one bullied in school and told time and time again that he was not good enough. It is all about strength and perseverance, believe despite the odds and what others say. To find success in the outside world you must first find it in yourself. In Ella Fitzgerald's own words, â€Å"Just don't give up trying to do what you really want to do. Where there is love and inspiration, I don't think you can go wrong. â€Å"

Death on the Prairies: The Murderous Blizzard of 1888 Essay

On January 12, 1888, the weather in the west was mild, compared to previous weeks. Little did the people know that a massive cold front was in route and would be catastrophic to the people, their livestock, and the economy in the dekota and nebraska praries. The cold front would cause one of the worst blizzards for the region, killing close to 500 people. The factors that made the death toll so high involve the mild weather before the storm, the lack of technology for warning systems, and bad timing. On the day of January 12, farmers and children from all over the nebraska territory believed that that day was going to be warm and enjoyable compared to the previous days. From the early morning, farmers were up carrying out chores and duties that were post poned due to the weather. They were all very confident that the day would be a glorious day, wearing nothing but mere under clothing. Children rushed to schools that were miles away without jackets, gloves, or scarves. As famers were working miles away at distant farms and praries watering crops or tending to livestock, they would have little to no warning for what was to come that afternoon. Around mid day, the mild sky would so suddenly turn into.a nightmare, cathing all in the vast area extremely off guard. with the wicked winds and ice crystals rolling in, victoms had no time to react. If only those individuals had been fore warned, the death toll would be at a guarenteed low. During this time, technology was on a ris; however, it was very limited in certain areas. Meterology was one of the fields that due to technology and common interest, was not a major concern. The only method of long distance communication was via telegraph machines. They traveled through wires that ran along side railroag tracks. Most of the people that were affected from this storm were those living there to farm crops and raise livestock. They were usually located quite a far distance from towns that contained buildings receiving these transmissions. I believe that the lack of technology and concern for warning the people of the nebraska and dekota  territory is a major contributor the the high death toll that resulted from the school childrens storm. The biggest factor in the high death toll of the blizzard of 1888 has to be the horrible timing at which it occured. The time was mid afternoon, just when farmers are working the hardest, when school children are trickling out of their classrooms, far distances from their homes. It couldnt have been a worse time, especially for the children. Being sent home by their teachers, school children began walking the routes that they would walk everyday. That day the cold front was rushing through bringing ice and snow along with it. The children, wearing nothing but mere under clothing, had no way to keep warm from the ferocious cold. restricted from sight, they were quickly disoriented from their path to home or shelter. After noticing that they had been walking in circles or in opposiyte directions of their destinations, they began to seek out any for of stability, clinging to barbed wire fences, hay barrels, and anything else that provided some sense of security. However, the snow would only come faster and stronger, burrying alive most of the children. The farmer that were in the middle of their duties had been traveling for years. They too would experiece the same fate as their children on the way home from school. Caught in the middle of the blizzard with no jackets or gloves, eventually burried alive from snow and ice. The timing couldnt have been any worse for those caught in the blizzard in the vast dekota praries. The unfortunate disaster that struck those particular areas of the west will forever be remembered. Because of situations like the blizzard of 1888, peoples interests in meterology and concern for what is around the corner were suddenlt on the rise. Thanks to advancments in technology, we now have a better understanding of moter nature and can now know in advance the possibility of these disasters. The death toll on the day of January 12 was much greater than it shoouldve been; however, lack of warning and simply bad tining would contribute to one of the worst natural disasters of that time.