Nestled in the foothills of northern Maine sits a beautiful scenery of flowers, animals, insects, birds. Amongst these organisms a beautifully constructed log cabin of monumental size is nestled in the distance. Much of the land that is surrounding the log cabin has never been touched or even seen by man, but I feel like that is about to change. Many of the animals not ever seeing a human being in their life time are oblivious to humans and foolishly getting themselves in trouble. Much of the time I have spent there is during the summer times with my family. My family is an important part of my life, I have grown to have a close relationship with my grandfather and father and that is something that I could be losing. Most of the surrounding cabins are destroyed now. Logging. We are now in jeopardy of losing our cabin as well and all the family ties, tradition, relationships and secrets will all be lost if our cabin is destroyed. I need that cabin to stay because without it much of my childhood memories of my grandfather will be lost forever.
I can still remember the first time I ...
Getting Serious About Eradicating Binge Drinking is an informative article by Henry Wechsler. Wechsler has worked with the College Alcohol study since its creation in 1992, and he also lectures at the School of Public Health at Harvard. In his article, Weschler discusses the prominent trend of binge drinking on college campuses and how to solve the widespread problem. Binge drinking is a term used to describe the act drinking alcoholic beverages with the intention of becoming intoxicated over a short period of time.
Evans, C. Stephen and Manis R. Zachary. Philosophy of Religion, 2nd Ed. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2009. Print.
Weshler, Henry, and Wuethrich, Bernice. Dying to Drink: Confronting Binge Drinking on college campuses. Chicago: Rodale Inc., 2002. Print.
H.J McCloskey’s article, “On Being an Atheist,” is an attempt to show atheism as a more practical alternative to the Christian belief. McCloskey reasons against the theistic beliefs of the cosmological argument, the teleological argument and design. He references the presence of evil in a world created by God and the absurdity of living by faith. This article is an attempt to reason that God does not exist because He is perfect and the world is not perfect; evil exists therefore God cannot exist. McCloskey’s article labels these arguments as “proofs” and concludes none of these arguments would be evidence of God’s existence. I find McCloskey’s article to lack logic and coherence which only serves to invalidate his arguments. I find this little more than an attempt to justify his own atheistic worldview.
College student drunkenness is far from new and neither are college and university efforts to control it. What is new, however, is the potential to make real progress on this age-old problem based on scientific research results. New research-based information about the consequences of high-risk college drinking and how to reduce it can empower colleges and universities, communities, and other interested organizations to take effective action. Hazardous drinking among college students is a widespread problem that occurs on campuses of all sizes and geographic locations. A recent survey of college students conducted by the Harvard University School of Public Health reported that 44 percent of respondents had drunk more than five drinks (four for women) consecutively in the previous two weeks. About 23 percent had had three or more such episodes during that time. The causes of this problem are the fact that students are living by themselves no longer with parents or guardians; they earn their own money; students need to be a part of a group, be accepted; and they have the wrong idea that to feel drunk is “cool.”
Why do college students drink so much? This timeless fad has effected this generation in high percentages since the beginning of college education. Today in America it is estimated that approximately 29% of college students are regular alcohol abusers. Another recent study by the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism performed showed that college students suffered 1,400 deaths, 70,000 date rapes and assaults, and 500,000 injuries each year as a result of alcohol. (McDonald) Although binge drinking (5+ drinks in one sitting) is considered a normal part of the college experience many factors contribute to whether or not an individual is more prone to be an abuser.
Upton Sinclair was the most famous of the American “muckraker” journalists. He was born in Baltimore, Maryland on September 20, 1878. Although his family was poor, Sinclair was able to earn money as a writer from a very early age, and was able to save enough money to go to college. He attended the city college of New York and graduated from there with a B.A. degree. Soon after he went to Columbia University to graduate school. It was there that he began writing full-length novels with important social themes. His novels showed that he was concerned with the conditions of working people. During the early part of the twentieth century businesses had very little to restrain them and working class unions were not nearly as common as they are today. Some of the biggest abuses of labor conditions took place in big cities such as New York and Chicago. It was in the meatpacking district of Chicago that Sinclair found the setting of the book that would bring him to fame. He first won recognition by the jungle in 1906. This book is a powerful realistic study of social conditions in the stockyards and packing plants of Chicago. It aided in the passing of pure food laws.
“80 percent of teen-agers have tried alcohol, and that alcohol was a contributing factor in the top three causes of death among teens: accidents, homicide and suicide” (Underage, CNN.com pg 3). Students may use drinking as a form of socializing, but is it really as good as it seems? The tradition of drinking has developed into a kind of “culture” fixed in every level of the college student environment. Customs handed down through generations of college drinkers reinforce students' expectation that alcohol is a necessary ingredient for social success. These perceptions of drinking are the going to ruin the lives of the students because it will lead to the development alcoholism. College students who drink a lot, while in a college environment, will damage themselves mentally, physically, and socially later in life, because alcohol adversely affects the brain, the liver, and the drinkers behavior.
People often have nicknames to describe details about themselves. Nicknames are not self-created but given to the person from friends or even comrades. In “Into The Lake Of The Woods” By Tim O' Brian, this is the case with John Wade, a former soldier that was nicknamed “Sorcerer”. John Wade is named Sorcerer because of use of magic in his youth and how the men is his squad would feel protected because of his magical powers. As Sorcerer is Wade's alter ego, it seems that it goes on to cost him dearly later in his life. Wade eventually ends up becoming governor of Minnesota and tries to run for U.S Senate. He loses in a landslide victory to his opponent as evidence of the My Lai incident is uncovered. His actions as Sorcerer start to make his life for the worse. It is seen later that Wade's wife, Kathy, is missing and Wade is soon suspected as he remains calm and not involved in the search party. O’Brien does not make it clear on how it Kathy's disappearance occurs but it is clear what happens. Sorcerer arrives again in John Wade as he pulls one final magic trick: to make Kathy disappear....forever.
Binge or excessive drinking is the most serious problem affecting social life, health, and education on college campuses today. Binge or excessive drinking by college students has become a social phenomena in which college students do not acknowledge the health risks that are involved with their excessive drinking habits. Furthermore college students do not know enough about alcohol in general and what exactly it does to the body or they do not pay attention to the information given to them. There needs to be a complete saturation on the campus and surrounding areas, including businesses and the media, expressing how excessive drinking is not attractive and not socially accepted.
As I was squatting there in my little ditch while the snow rose about another inch I barely heard the sound of my grandma’s voice yelling my name. The cat had heard it too and scurried away; even though the cat was running away I was still not able to move because my legs would not work and I heard the sound of crunching footsteps coming from behind me looking for me but, I was still so scared that I realized that I came close to a wild animal that could really hurt me even though I thought that no animal could come into my grandparent’s property with the six foot high fence that surrounded the ten
According to National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, more than 1,800 college students die from alcohol-related causes every year, while about 800,000 are being assaulted by other students because of drinking. About one in every four college students who binge drink also admit that they have experienced academic problems. Binge drinking is drinking multiple drinks in just a few hours to get drunk. Despite the fact that college drinking has caused many issues, it has not been stopped, yet. In article, “Why Colleges Haven’t Stopped Binge Drinking,” McMurtrie (2014) explains that this issue has not been resolved yet because many people still see alcohol abuse as general issue instead of seeing it an individual behavior. Because colleges
As a city kid, I never thought in a million years that I could do something like that. Each day at Green River was a surprise. My third day away I was provided with mentors who led me on longer hikes through the Blue Ridge Mountains, and who taught me about the flora and fauna of the land. I ate fresh blueberries for the first time on my second time ever hiking. Green River Preserve was not just about the camping experience but also about the experiences of respecting yourself, the ones around you, and the land you live on. Each night we gathered around and sung camp songs. When we returned to our cabins, we explain how our days went through Rose, Bud, and Thorn. Rose is the highlight of your day, Bud is what you are looking forward to the next day, and Thorn is a bad part of your day. We hugged one another and told one another compliments, which I truly enjoyed. In the morning, before we entered the dining hall, we would wake up as a cabin and meditate together. After meditation, we had to do a quirky activity of some sort, and the quickest cabin went in first. Plastered in the main lodge of Green River were the Woodcraft Laws. There are four laws: The law of Beauty is described as being clean for both yourself and the place you live in, as well as understanding and respecting your body because it is the temple of the spirit. Be a friend of
In 2008, over 80% of United StateS college students have had at least one alcoholic drink in a span of over two weeks (Johnston, O’Malley, Bachman, & Schulenberg, 2009). 40% of these college students binge drink, having four or more drinks. This exceeds the rate of other non-college peers. Research suggests
Inside the cabin there is nothing for entertainment except two old black and white TV’s and an outdated telephone, which is covered in a year’s worth of dust. Sometimes I like to head out to the thick wood on the other side of the river, to look for exciting animals and interesting leaves or stones on the forest floor. On some days I feel like running through the corn fields to watch the fluffy clouds slowly drift across the light blue sky. But when it gets dark I want to get back inside before the angry mosquitoes bite me unmercifully. If they make their way into my cabin they will bother me through out the whole night. When I can, I sit on the porch and wait until sunset, watch the frogs croaking non-stop and the river racing down the banks.