The friendship that exists with Stephen and Keith Essay Example for Free

The friendship that exists with Stephen and Keith Essay In the first chapter of Michael Frayns novel Spies, amongst the limited amount of characters introduced, is Keith. The reader is given no background knowledge about him, only that Does he ever think about the things that happened that summer? meaning that Keith is a significant person as it is implied that he shared the narrators (revealed as Stephen in chapter 2) experience that particular, somewhat haunting summer. However in Chapter 2 a lot more information is given about Keith and details about the depth of friendship between Keith and Stephen begin to emerge. In Chapter 2, one of the first memories Stephen comes to is that of his house. in spite of the fact that its attached to No.3- the only semidetached pair in the Close, indicating that Stephen is somewhat the odd one out, when he says only, and almost uncomfortable about admitting to this. He then goes on to describe his ghastly neighbours who were even more shameful than his house, and how they brought us down with them., and he then goes on to expresses his distress about being attached to the undesirables. Also that he was still somewhat faintly embarrassed about it despite all the years that had past. Throughout this chapter, Stephen implies to the reader how his house was neglected, and never tended to, and this could easily link to his and his parents relationship with each other. Next, Stephen then describes how he doesnt need to open the front gate because its already, rotted drunkenly away from the top hinge, as he makes his way to Keiths house, however, once arriving there, he goes through the White wicket gate on its well oiled hinges and closes it carefully behind him. The keywords here are white suggesting purity (unlike the rot on Stephens gate), and carefully as Stephen obviously feels he should treat Keiths gate with respect, even if he has no regard for his own, as it has been so well maintained. Immediately the gates highlight the contrast between Keith and Stephen, however the contrast then grows as the reader is introduced to Keiths house, which is perceived as neat, flawless and perfection by Stephen. This is because Keiths house is exactly the opposite of Stephens, and the unlikely forming of friendship of these two boys is defiantly presented with the differences of lifestyle and houses. Another key point used in the presentation of friendship between Stephen and Keith is the boys appearance. Stephen is described as grubby, with one of his grey socks slipping down his leg into a thick concertina. The narrator (older Stephen) asks the rhetorical question What do I feel about him as I watch him now?, and then goes on to answer this himself claiming his appearance to be unsatisfactory. Keith is then bought into the story, and his appearance, like the houses, is the exact opposite of Stephen; His shirt, though, not to short, his shorts are not to long. Also he is described as neat compared to his unsatisfactory friend. However the most significant thing about the boys appearances is their uniform. The narrator describes how once seeing Keith, he no longer views himself as monochrome or slightly ashamed of his younger self. This is purely down to the fact that he can now see both their belts. The boys each have a different colour belt; Stephens being green whereas Keiths is yellow. The reader then learns why, as well as some more background information on Stephen and Keith. Were socially colour coded for ease of reference. Meaning that being green is the colours of a wrong school. This tells the reader that the boys do not go to school together, and Keith goes to a much higher rated school in the society around them. From this alone the reader can gain a better understanding of the social differences between the two boys, the houses also lead to the fact that Keith is a great deal wealthier than Stephen. Moving on to the games room in Keiths house, it is immediately clear of the presentation of the social differences once again, His playroom was well ordered as the rest of the house, from this we can once again confirm that Keith is a great deal better off than Stephen, All Keiths toys are his own. Not only this, but the reader can begin to figure out the boys individual personalities- Stephen is care-free and entirely not phased by his appearance, where as Keith is a very neat, and well organised personality. Once again, complete opposites, which is what the narrator wants to show to the reader. Not only do objects, and clothes define the differences in Stephens and Keiths relationship, but both their parents do as well. For example Keiths mum, is very similar to Keith as she takes pride in her appearance, she raises her perfectly plucked eyebrows. His father is also similar to the glamorised perfect family image that Stephen is creating, as he spends most of his time trimming, pruning, and perfecting things such as the garden. Not only this, but the relationship between parents and child seems to be quite strong, as they put the same amount of effort and love into their property and appearance as they do with Keith. He even has various pet names such as old chap or old bean, and his mother seem to always want to know what Keith is doing/ up to. But, when Stephen goes on to describe his family, once again, completely different, and the parents reflect their child, as Stephens dad is described to be unsatisfactory as Stephens, not only this, but his parents have no pet names for him, or seem to particularly care where he is going. The conflicting backgrounds of the boys dont seem to affect their relationship in the slightest. To summarise, although the author presents the boys to be of entirely different backgrounds, wealth, and social status, he makes it known to the reader that these are the foundations on which the boys friendship is built on. Being different to each other only draws them closer together. For instance, Keith calls the shots, but Stephen is still astonished and proud that Keith even wants to be his friend (as he is so ashamed of himself and his family) so doesnt feel resentful in the slightest, He was the officer corps in our two man army. I was the Other Ranks- and grateful to be so. Although Stephen may envy Keiths lifestyle, he certainly doesnt hold any judgement towards him, and is glad that he gets to share an experience of how the other half lives. Despite the various class/economical clashes, the boys are still great friends, and seem to follow suit that opposites do attract.

Dispelling the Myths of Ageism Essay -- Age Discrimination in Western

Ageism is prejudice in which people are categorized and judged solely on the basis of their chronological age (Berger, 2008). Our western culture has embedded ageism into our everyday lives, and we may not be able to identify the ageist behavior when it occurs. Older adults are frequently given negative labels such as senile, sad, lonely, poor, sexless, ill, dependent, demented, and disabled. (McGuire, Klein, Shu-Li, 2008) It is inevitable that we will experience decline in physical and mental capacities. However, the timing, quality, and degree of the aging process are highly variable and very different for each individual. General assumptions and stereotypes about aging are harmful to individual senior adults and do not benefit society. After World War II ended in 1945, veterans returned home to get married and start families which resulted in a â€Å"baby boom.† This generation, which has been dubbed â€Å"Baby Boomers,† was born between 1946 and 1964. In 2011 this generation will begin to reach age 65, which is a pivotal age for senior adults. In 2050, the number of Americans aged 65 and older is projected to be 88.5 million, more than double its projected population of 40.2 million in 2010. The baby boomers are largely responsible for this increase in the older population, as they will begin crossing into this category in 2011. (US Census Bureau, 2010). With our population shifting to an older demographic, ageism will weigh heavily on our society and the importance of researching, discussing and finding solutions to ageism will come to the forefront. By definition, ageism is a form of discrimination that can occur at any age. However, it is the senior population that has been distressed the most. Only a few of the man... ...70802042123. Palmore, E. (2004). Research note: Ageism in Canada and the United States. Journal of Cross-Cultural Gerontology, 19(1), 41-46. Retrieved from Academic Search Premier database. Palmore, E. (2005). Three decades of research on ageism. Generations, 29(3), 87-90. Retrieved from Academic Search Premier database. Ryan, E., Jin, Y., Anas, A., & Luh, J. (2004). Communication beliefs about youth and old age in Asia and Canada. Journal of Cross-Cultural Gerontology, 19(4), 343-360. doi:10.1023/B:JCCG.0000044688.27282.7b. US Census Bureau (2010), The next four decades: The older population in the United States 2010 to 2050, Retrieved from http://www.census.gov/prod/2010pubs/p25-1138.pdf Zhou, L. (2007). What college students know about older adults: A cross-cultural qualitative study. Educational Gerontology, 33(10), 811-831. doi:10.1080/03601270701364545.

Class President Speech

†¢Good evening, Mr. Robinson, Ms. Divine, distinguished Candidates and I’m honored to know many of you too well to call you Ladies and Gentlemen†¦Errhhhmmmm. Class of 2014, I’m going to be straight with you. I’m not superman, I cant stop world hunger, convince Mr. Roach to give a free day, teach my roommate Coulter to dance or even bobsled. I can try but it would really take a miracle to teach Coulter how to bust a move. Just look at him. †¢I’m running for class president. Many of you may not even know what the class president does and some probably forgot we even had one.Nevertheless, I’m here to challenge first myself and then you. The challenge is to uphold the principles of a School culture based on(Listen up(someone in crowd), 3 important values) Community, School spirit and Accountability. †¢Our number one responsibility is to our school and by this I mean school and class collaboration. It would buuurn to see the last seme ster of Junior year just fizzle. I want people to be interested and involved, and I’m willing to challenge myself to go the distance to motivate our class. We are the Junior Class of 2014.In 3 short months this is our school. My aim is to make you feel more appreciated, more recognized and more supported. †¢ Another principle of mine, Accountability. Were a class with the collaborative potential to enact anything we desire. As a Junior straight out of Jamaica I bring a whole new perspective. You see, serving as Student Council president at my last school involved far more formality. Impromptu announcements in front of 1600 students weekly, organizing fund raisers, talent shows, school clean ups and alumni concerts.These were all stepping stones to this opportunity. If elected I will make this position more than just a formality because I truly want this year to be special for us and I want to set precedents that will make junior year distinctive for every future class. à ¢â‚¬ ¢Community- My last, favorite and shortest point. I have plans to utilize the connectedness of our class to brainstorm fundraising plans that bring out the excitement, spirit and energy of this class. †¢Class of 2014, if you vote wisely tonight we will continue to make being a St. Andrean something incredible. Class President Speech †¢Good evening, Mr. Robinson, Ms. Divine, distinguished Candidates and I’m honored to know many of you too well to call you Ladies and Gentlemen†¦Errhhhmmmm. Class of 2014, I’m going to be straight with you. I’m not superman, I cant stop world hunger, convince Mr. Roach to give a free day, teach my roommate Coulter to dance or even bobsled. I can try but it would really take a miracle to teach Coulter how to bust a move. Just look at him. †¢I’m running for class president. Many of you may not even know what the class president does and some probably forgot we even had one.Nevertheless, I’m here to challenge first myself and then you. The challenge is to uphold the principles of a School culture based on(Listen up(someone in crowd), 3 important values) Community, School spirit and Accountability. †¢Our number one responsibility is to our school and by this I mean school and class collaboration. It would buuurn to see the last seme ster of Junior year just fizzle. I want people to be interested and involved, and I’m willing to challenge myself to go the distance to motivate our class. We are the Junior Class of 2014.In 3 short months this is our school. My aim is to make you feel more appreciated, more recognized and more supported. †¢ Another principle of mine, Accountability. Were a class with the collaborative potential to enact anything we desire. As a Junior straight out of Jamaica I bring a whole new perspective. You see, serving as Student Council president at my last school involved far more formality. Impromptu announcements in front of 1600 students weekly, organizing fund raisers, talent shows, school clean ups and alumni concerts.These were all stepping stones to this opportunity. If elected I will make this position more than just a formality because I truly want this year to be special for us and I want to set precedents that will make junior year distinctive for every future class. à ¢â‚¬ ¢Community- My last, favorite and shortest point. I have plans to utilize the connectedness of our class to brainstorm fundraising plans that bring out the excitement, spirit and energy of this class. †¢Class of 2014, if you vote wisely tonight we will continue to make being a St. Andrean something incredible. Class President Speech Biology Assignment 5 Question 1 The pancreas is a large gland, situated in the peritoneal cavity, in the curve of the duodenum. It is the pancreas that is responsible for aiding the body’s endocrine system. (Darlington College 2011). The pancreas releases two endocrine hormones and it is these hormones that ensure the blood glucose levels within the body are constantly controlled. These hormones are glucagon and insulin and they are secreted from tiny clusters of cells within the pancreas, know as the islets of Langerhans. Glucagon is a hyper- glycaemic hormone, secreted by the islets alpha cells.Its main function is to increase the level of glucose in the blood. This is a vital process when blood sugar levels become low. Glucagon stimulates the liver to break down its excess glycogen into glucose. The glucose then passes into the blood stream and the homeostasis of blood glucose level is restored. Insulin is a hypo- glycaemic hormone that is secreted by the islets beta cells, in response to high blood glucose levels. Insulin decreases the level of glucose in the blood by stimulating its uptake by the skeletal muscles, liver and adipose cells.The skeletal muscles uptake glucose, to give energy for movement and the glucose that travels to the liver is converted into glycogen, and stored here until it is needed. The adipose cells use glucose for cell metabolism. Once sufficient glucose has been removed from the blood, the beta cells slow the secretion of insulin, so that homeostasis is again restored. (Glenn, 2005, pg84). Both insulin and glucagon are vital to ensure that the body constantly has enough fuel to supply its cells with the energy needed to enable them to function normally. Question 2 Peter’s normal blood glucose concentration will be approximately 4. mmol. After he eats his balanced meal his blood sugar levels will rise to around 8. 0mmol. This is because Peter’s meal will contain carbohydrates. In response to this rise in blood sugar levels insulin is secreted by Peter’s pancreas’s beta cells. The release of insulin facilitates the entry of glucose into his body cells and this vital process maintains the energy levels within the cell. When glucose is absorbed in the cells, the blood sugar levels fall again. This occurs because the excess sugar, present in the carbohydrates in Peter’s meal, that caused his blood sugar levels to rise, has been used up.This is what allows the blood glucose concentration to return to normal. (Glenn, 2005, pg85). When peters blood sugar levels drop, because he needs more food, glucagon is released from the pancreas alpha cells in response. Glucagon is a hormone that calls on the liver, which has its own glucose store, in the form of glycogen. Glycogen will release from the liver to allow the blood sugar to rise until it returns back to its normal rate. (Bowen, 2002). It is vital that Peter’s blood glucose levels are maintained at a normal rate, in-be tween his meals as large fluctuations in these levels can cause convulsions and could even induce a coma.Question 3 The body’s internal environment is constantly controlled and balanced by homeostasis. Homeostasis is the condition of equilibrium that is maintained through the body’s response to a change in conditions. There are many regulating systems within the body that work together to constantly control the internal environment. The nervous system and the endocrine system work very closely alongside one another to keep the body normal and in balance. Feedback systems are vital in keeping the body regulated. All feedback systems are made up of a receptor, a control centre and an effector.The receptor is able to detect any changes that may have occurred and send a message to the brain to tell it that it needs to respond. The brain acts as the control centre and is responsible for evaluating the messages it receives from the receptors. Once the messages have been proc essed the control centre generates a command, if one is needed. The commands are received by the effectors, which produce a response that is then able to change the controlled condition. (Darlington College 2011). A negative feedback system reverses the change in a controlled condition.When the body’s blood glucose levels fall too low, specialised receptors pick up this information and relay it the hypothalamus part of the brain, which forms the control centre. The hypothalamus then activates the response of the effector that allows the body’s blood glucose level to rise. When the levels become within normal range the receptors stop picking up the messages and no longer send them to the hypothalamus. This prevents the blood glucose levels then becoming too high and enables homeostasis of the internal environment to be restored. (Darlington College 2011). Question 4The body’s endocrine and nervous systems work very closely together to form the body’s major communication system. If a problem arises with one of these systems, homeostasis is upset. For instance: If the islets beta cells do not produce any insulin, such as in diabetes, the blood sugar levels will just continue to rise. This would cause extremely high blood sugar levels which would in turn go on to affect the body’s nervous system and could result in a coma occurring. The nervous system works in conjunction with the endocrine system by using nerve impulses and rapidly responding to stimuli, in order to adjust body processes.The integration of these systems is what enables homeostasis to constantly be maintained. (Facey, 2002). Reference List Bowen, R. (2002)The Endocrine Pancreas. http://www. vivo. colostate. edu/hbooks/pathphys/endocrine/pancreas/index. html [10. 5. 2011]. Darlington College (2011) The Endocrine System. [21. 5. 2011]. Facey, D. (2002) The Nervous System. http://www. cartage. org. lb/en/themes/sciences/zoology/animalphysiology/nervoussystem/nervous system. htm [31. 5. 2011]. Glenn, J. (2005) Black’s Concise Atlas of Human Anatomy. London: A&C Black Publishers Ltd.

Short Story Flight 3531 Of Charlotte - 1389 Words

â€Å"Flight 3531 to Charlotte†, read the ticket in my hand. I placed it on my bed and gazed around my room for any belongings that I would want to have along for the week. With all the traveling that I experienced throughout my career, I generally knew what was required for a week-long trip. Shirts, pants, socks, dress shoes, ties, a briefcase, toiletries, notepads, a camera, and my personal computer. I began to grow anxious about my trip across the ocean as I packed my suitcase but knew that only professionalism would be appropriate. After a long day of scheduling, overseeing, designing, machining, and negotiating, I rolled onto my bed and slowly began to drift into deep sleep. Realizing that I had slept for only three hours, I felt hesitant to even push the blanket off myself. I slid my â€Å"Comp-Pro† shirt on which displayed a long, narrow and well-engineered object that shined with a bright red glow following an eye-soothing purple shadow, representing the logo of the company. My company is well-known for being the top innovator, researcher, and producer of the highest technological materials and composites. However, every successful business man and woman started from somewhere, whether it was a garage or an existing company that was passed through each generation of a family. Approaching the end of my college studies, I was not offered or informed about any job opportunities to practice my newly developed, Mechanical Engineering skills. I told myself that I would not waste