To whom it may concern

I am writing this letter in hope of consideration to your fine academic institution.   I know there are some irregularities in my recent academic past and I hope this letter can clear some of those things up as well as reassure you that I take the responsibilities of my academic career very seriously and intend to maintain the academic standard of your institution.First, let me take the time to thank you for allowing me the opportunity to apply to your school.   I selected your school for its proud history in our area as well as the course curriculum that you offer.   Several friends have recommended the university positively as a great place to learn and succeed so I hope too to be able to thrive there.As you may be aware, the last semester at my previous institution was rather disastrous resulting in a 1.71 overall GPA for the term.   I am quite ashamed at such a low score, however I wish to assure you that it is the result of a very tragic and unusual situation and not aca demic negligence.My mother fell quite ill during the term and was unable to work and I had no choice but to take more hours at work to make up the slack.   I attempted to drop my classes per my university’s instructions, however they only dropped two of the total classes I was enlisted in, and the stress and worry from the extra work and assisting my ailing mother was simply too much, resulting in such poor grades.My mother passed away earlier this summer, and it’s clichà © to say that such a death makes you re-evaluate your life, but when you find yourself within the situation it’s quite true.   I thought of all the things my mother has done for me, and all the things she will never see me accomplish that she wanted to.Her death put fire to my spirits in a way and encouraged me to re-enroll as soon as I could to finish what I started, an education my mother always wanted me to have.I know university considerations are not often about sentiment, but rather about academic rigor, commitment and honesty.   However I do feel I possess these as well and feel I will be a positive addition to your student body.   I am a US Navy veteran, having spent four years in the service of our country with pride.My time in the Navy was often met with hardship and required a will to persevere and taught me to be a stronger and more resourceful human being.   Through your institution I hope to graduate and earn my commission to continue on with my career in the US Navy.In my application I have enclosed my naval evaluations.   These are evaluations done at regular intervals that serve as a kind of report card of our service.   While I understand my last academic term may have put a bad mark on my academic history I hope the spotless record of my naval service can help to put a bit of perspective on my long-term prospects as an academic student.   Should you require any additional documentation or assistance in reading said evaluations, please l et me know.In closing, again, thank you so much for the opportunity to continue my education and to make my mother and country proud.   I hope my admission to your university will be a fresh start for me on the road to my future career goals and happiness.

The Movie Romero essays

The Movie Romero essays The movie Romero is about the life of Oscar Romero, an archbishop of El Salvador. The movie illustrates the hardships and the sacrifices that Oscar Romero has done in order to help and serve the underprivileged people of El Salvador. The story unfolds as the church begins to see the discrimination and the unfair treatment of the government to its people. The poor people of El Salvador get treated badly and are deprived of their rights as a person belonging to that country. There are a lot of things that had caught my attention while watching the movie. I think that the whole plot of the story has struck me as important and significant as a Catholic and as a human being. One of the events that have transpired in the movie that stuck me the most was how some important powerful figure in the church are willing to close their senses as to what is going on around them. They close to remain ignorant and numb to the cries and the pleas of the people so that the government would protect them at all cost. Another one is when the people are still faithful to their church even though they know that the government is against them. Through this their faith in God is tested. The church began to help the people get their freedom back from the abusive government run bay the military after a lot of innocent people have been killed for not following the rules that the government wants to implement because they know that it would only cause them more pain and more sufferings in the future. They want to end the dictatorial kind of government that rules over their country once and for all. At first archbishop Romero does not believe on how the military abuses the people, but after his friend father Rutilio Grande got assassinated, Romero began to have second thoughts and tried to defend and help lessen, if not stop the sufferings of the people under the military junta that is happening tin their country. The church and the governmen...

How to Outline a Novel (Even If Outlining Makes You Sick)

How to Outline a Novel (Even If Outlining Makes You Sick) How to Outline a Novel (Even If You’re Not an Outliner) I know what you’re thinking: How does the author of nearly 190 books, two-thirds of them novels, get off telling me â€Å"How to Outline a Novel† when he’s on record as a non-outliner himself? Hey, not only that, but we non-outliners have a name! We call ourselves Pantsers. Okay, so it’s not that creative. It just means we write by the seat of our pants. We could just as easily be known as No-Netters, like high wire walkers or trapeze artists who work without safety nets. And it’s not like we’re some crazy offshoot, like the cousins you never talk about. We make up about half of all novelists, and there are some famous mega-bestselling types among us. Does the name Stephen King strike a familiar tone? Why couldn’t we just be known as members of the Stephen King School of Fiction Writing? Need help writing your novel?Click here to download my ultimate 12-step guide. Which Are You- Outliner or Pantser? It’s a good thing to determine early, you know. You’ll save yourself a lot of agony, starts and stops, frustration. There’s enough of that in novel writing already. No sense adding more when you don’t have to. Now, trust me, whichever you are- Outliner or Pantser- you’re often going to wish you were the other. It’s just like people with curly or straight hair. The curlies are always trying to straighten theirs, and the straights are always trying to curl theirs. Human nature, I guess. When I hit the wall at the halfway to three-quarter mark for just about every novel, I yearn for a tidy outline that tells me where to go next. But down deep I know better. Story outlines just don’t work for me. Somehow, when I plot the story out in advance, things get predictable. Plus, the organic nature of a story always has its way with me and the characters wind up taking over. They’re cantankerous sorts and never let me put words in their mouths or take the fork in the road I think they ought to. Go Where the Process Takes You The aforementioned Mr. King says, â€Å"Try to put interesting characters in difficult situations and write to find out what happens.† How fun is that? I live for it. It’s writing by process of discovery, and for me- and any Pantser- it’s the only way that works. I grew up on television. Maybe that’s why I’m an intuitive plotter, and my stories tend to have beginnings, middles, and ends. It doesn’t always feel that way while it’s happening, and sometimes I wonder why things are happening the way they are, but things always seem to come together and work out. Be What You Are Now, if you’re an Outliner and you try writing by the seat of your pants, you’ll soon know you’ve made a mistake. If you’re not an intuitive plotter, your story will be all over the place, your rabbit trails will take you to parts of the forest you have no business in, and you’ll never find your way back. You’re one or the other, so decide and stake your claim. Neither is better, neither is right or wrong- unless you choose the opposite of what you are. Then you’re not going to be happy till you switch. The Ultimate Novel Outliner If you’re an Outliner and want to jump in with both feet or dive in headfirst or whatever clichà © you choose to apply, you can’t do better than to tap into the very strange and wonderful mind of my friend, Dr. Randy Ingermanson. Who’s he, you ask? Only the Sheldon Cooper of novelists. Literally (and I use that term literally). On The Big Bang Theory, Sheldon has a masters degree and two doctoral degrees. Randy got his M.A. and Ph.D. in physics, specializing in elementary particle theory. He also did two years of post-graduate work on superstring theory. Somehow he now applies his intellect to the science of novel writing and teaching novel writing, and he is the story outline extraordinaire. If you’re an Outliner, go to his site and check out his Snowflake Method of outlining your novel, and also invest in his Writing Fiction for Dummies. But You Said I know! I was going to tell you how to outline your novel even if you’re not an outliner. If you’re not an outliner, you need to stay at least 100 yards from Randy Ingermanson. He’d tell you that himself. He doesn’t even want my business! Randy agrees that Outliners are Outliners and Pantsers are Pantsers, and never the twain shall meet. If you’re a Pantser, don’t try to be an Outliner. Then How Am I Supposed to Okay, here’s how. No one’s saying that just because you’re not an Outliner you should simply sit at the keyboard and wait till magic happens. It doesn’t go that way. At least it never has for me- although some critics may disagree. Though you may not have an outline per se, obviously you must have an idea or you have no business in that chair. I repeat: don’t go to the keyboard with nothing to say. Come with an idea! Be able to state it in one sentence. Tell me what your story is about. My first novel was about a judge who tried a man for a murder that the judge had committed. I had to have at least that much or I would have sat there all day twiddling my thumbs. Now, if you’re an Outliner, Randy Ingermanson will have you inventing characters with names and backgrounds and virtually blueprinting your story before you keyboard â€Å"Chapter 1.† As a Pantser, my thought was, come up with a couple of character names, put ‘em on stage, and start telling the story of that judge. Let’s see what happens. It sure won’t be predictable to the reader, because I don’t even know what’s coming. And if a reader writes to demand why I killed off some favorite character, I can say, â€Å"Hey, I write by process of discovery. I didn’t kill them off, I found ‘em dead.† Then What Did You Mean by ‘Novel Outlining’? That there is a basic story structure that works whether you have a novel outline or you’re writing by the seat of your pants, and it looks like this, according to bestseller Dean Koontz: 1- Plunge your main character into terrible trouble as soon as possible. (That trouble will mean something different depending on your genre. For a thriller it might be life-threatening. For a romance it might mean choosing between two suitors.) 2- Everything your character does to try to get out of the trouble makes it only worse. 3- Eventually things appear hopeless. 4- Finally, everything your character has learned through all that trouble gives him what he needs to personally conquer the opposition. That’s a structure that will keep you- and your reader- engaged and insured against boredom. And that’s how to outline a novel, whether you’re an Outliner or a Pantser. Need help writing your novel?Click here to download my ultimate 12-step guide. So, which are you, an Outliner or a Pantser, and what will you do next?

Biography of William Boss Tweed, American Politician

Biography of William 'Boss' Tweed, American Politician William M. â€Å"Boss† Tweed (April 3, 1823–April 12, 1878) was an American politician who, as the leader of the political organization Tammany Hall, controlled New York City politics in the years following the Civil War. Tweed leveraged his power as a landowner and corporate board member to extend his influence throughout the city. Along with other members of the â€Å"Tweed Ring,† he was suspected of siphoning untold millions from the city’s coffers before public outrage turned against him and he was finally prosecuted. Fast Facts: William M. 'Boss' Tweed Known For: Tweed commanded Tammany Hall, the 19th-century New York City political machine.Born: April 3, 1823 in New York CityDied: April 12, 1878 in New York CitySpouse: Jane Skaden (m. 1844) Early Life William M. Tweed was born on Cherry Street in lower Manhattan on April 3, 1823. There is a dispute about his middle name, which was often mistakenly given as Marcy, but which was actually Magear- his mothers maiden name. In newspaper accounts and official documents during his lifetime, his name is usually printed simply as William M. Tweed. As a boy, Tweed went to a local school and received a typical education for the time, and then apprenticed as a chair maker. During his teens, he developed a reputation for street fighting. Like many youths in the area, Tweed became attached to a local volunteer fire company. In that era, neighborhood fire companies were closely aligned with local politics. Fire companies had illustrious names, and Tweed became associated with Engine Company 33, whose nickname was â€Å"Black Joke.† The company had a reputation for brawling with other companies that would try to outrace them to fires. When Engine Company 33 disbanded, Tweed, then in his mid-20s, was one of the organizers of the new Americus Engine Company, which became known as Big Six. Tweed was credited with making the company’s mascot a roaring tiger, which was painted on the side of its engine. When Big Six would respond to a fire in the late 1840s, its members pulling the engine through the streets, Tweed could usually be seen running ahead, shouting commands through a brass trumpet. A fire company of the type led by young Boss Tweed. Library of Congress Early Political Career With his local fame as the foreman of Big Six and his gregarious personality, Tweed seemed a natural candidate for a political career. In 1852 he was elected the alderman of the Seventh Ward, an area in lower Manhattan. Tweed then ran for Congress and won, beginning his term in March 1853. However, he did not enjoy life in Washington, D.C., or his work in the House of Representatives. Though great national events were being debated on Capitol Hill, including the  Kansas-Nebraska Act, Tweed’s interests were back in New York. After his one term in Congress, he returned to New York City, though he did visit Washington for one event. In March 1857 the Big Six fire company marched in the inaugural parade for  President James Buchanan, led by former congressman Tweed in his fireman’s gear. Tammany Hall Boss Tweed depicted by Thomas Nast as a bag of money. Getty Images Picking up again in New York City politics, Tweed was elected to the city’s Board of Supervisors in 1857. It was not a highly noticeable position, though Tweed was perfectly positioned to begin corrupting the government. He would remain on the Board of Supervisors throughout the 1860s. Tweed eventually rose to the pinnacle of Tammany Hall, the New York political machine, and was elected the â€Å"Grand Sachem† of the organization. He was known to work closely with two particularly unscrupulous businessmen, Jay Gould and Jim Fisk. Tweed was also elected as a state senator, and his name would occasionally appear in newspaper reports about mundane civic matters. When the funeral procession for Abraham Lincoln marched up Broadway in April 1865, Tweed was mentioned as one of many local dignitaries who followed the hearse. By the late 1860s, the finances of the city were essentially being overseen by Tweed, with a percentage of nearly every transaction being kicked back to him and his ring. Though he was never elected mayor, the public generally regarded him as the true leader of the city. Downfall By 1870, the newspapers were referring to Tweed as Boss Tweed, and his power over the city’s political apparatus was nearly absolute. Tweed, partly due to his personality and his penchant for charity, was very popular with the common people. Legal problems began to appear, however. Financial improprieties in city accounts came to the attention of newspapers, and on July 18, 1871, an accountant who worked for Tweeds ring delivered a ledger listing suspicious transactions to The New York Times. Within days, the details of Tweeds thievery appeared on the front page of the newspaper. A reform movement consisting of Tweeds political enemies, concerned businessmen, journalists, and the noted political cartoonist Thomas Nast began to  attack the Tweed ring. After complicated legal battles and a celebrated trial, Tweed was convicted and sentenced to jail in 1873. He managed to escape in 1876, fleeing first to Florida, then Cuba, and finally Spain. The Spanish authorities arrested him and turned him over to the Americans, who returned him to prison in New York City. Death Tweed died in prison, in lower Manhattan, on April 12, 1878. He was buried in an elegant family plot at Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn. Legacy Tweed pioneered a certain system of politics that came to be known as bossism. Though seeming to exist at the outer fringe of New York City politics, Tweed actually wielded more political clout than anyone in the city. For years he managed to keep a low public profile, working behind the scenes to orchestrate victories for his political and business allies- those who were part of the Tammany Hall machine. During this time, Tweed was mentioned only in passing in the press as a fairly obscure political appointee. However, the highest officials in New York City, all the way up to the mayor, generally did what Tweed and The Ring directed. Sources Golway, Terry. Machine Made: Tammany Hall and the Creation of Modern American Politics. Liveright, 2015.Sante, Luc. Low Life: Lures and Snares of Old New York. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2003.

Discusion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Discusion - Essay Example ient times there were many public policy issues to discuss, among the most important: where is the best place to education someone—in the city or the country. Two brother try to raise two brothers according to these different standards. Micio, the older brother, raises his nephew, Aeschinus, in the city. Micio is kind and genial and open-minded. You would probably describe him as a cosmopolitan who, because he lives in a city, knows he must be tolerant because cities are full of many different kinds of people. In a comparison between the two brothers most people would agree that Micio is the better man and provides a better education to his nephew than Demea does. He is a responsible individual and knows that it is important in life to keep one’s words to one’s fellows. He also knows that so much depends on how a person is raised: their whole life can be decided in their education. He is a liberal but responsible individual. Micio sometimes lies, but usually he is an honest person. He is patient and has an open-mind and he also leads an exciting life. I think many people would be happy to have him as an uncle. The contrast between him and his brother is so clear, that Micio often appears in a good light. By the end of this play and his eventual marriage I found I had a good deal of respect for Micio and wish he had educated

FASD Professional Handbook Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

FASD Professional Handbook - Research Paper Example FASD is an important preventable cause of intellectual; dysfunction and behavioral problems.This hand-book reviews amongst others current prevalence, clinical features, pathogenesis and differential diagnosis of FASD. It also highlights the need for social workers to beware of the condition. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS), currently considered part of FASD, was first described in 1973.In spite of what has been learned since: a lot of challenges still remain in diagnosis and prevention. My goal is to explore fetal terminology, the effects, prevalence, and prevention of exposure, and identification. I will identify what is known about who is at risk, and with this knowledge social workers should better be able to identify risk pregnancies and alcohol affected individuals and thus identify fetal alcohol exposure early enough. FAS are diagnosed when characteristic facial dysmorphology, poor growth, and central nervous system abnormalities are present, with or without prenatal alcohol exposure. Of importance is the fact that it has been accepted that affected individuals may have some but not all of the FAS characteristics, research has not identified a reliable way of defining those individuals less affected. Fetal Alcohol effects (FAE), Prenatal Alcohol Effects (PAE), Alcohol Related Birth Defects(ARBD), and Alcohol-relate Neurodevelopment Disorder(ARND) have all been suggested as terms identifying those children with a spectrum of problems, but not necessarily FAS. The diagnosis of fetal alcohol effects or ARBD and the estimation of their incidence are more difficult than that of FAS. Importantly, the specifics of the FAS diagnosis for alcohol make it scientifically useful and meaningful. Significantly ARBD and ARND, however are not syndromes in the classic sense, but the presentation of FAS signs indiv idually associated with, but not specific to prenatal alcohol exposure (Kelly, 2000). They can be lower those manifestation of

Technology Description Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Technology Description - Essay Example The Clock button displays the real time that can be set and adjusted. The Reset button allows the Clock to reset depending on the user’s desired time settings. 2. These pre-determined cooking time buttons include the cooking according to the desired cooking manner including the weight of the food and defrosting. If Cook by Weight is desired, the need to key in the approximate weight of the food is necessary. The same applies when Defrost by Weight is preferred. Speed Defrost 5. The Timer button is used to set the desired cooking time. The Power Level sets the microwave cooking at 10 different levels at the time of cooking. Setting the level to 100% allows the device to emit radio waves to its full extent, thus allowing the cooking time faster. The Cook button automatically cooks food according to the length of time that it needs to be cooked. There are sensors in the cavity that allows the device to detect whether the food is already cooked or