Descriptive Writing Essay Example for Free

Descriptive Writing Essay I could feel a gentle warm breeze that was blowing in from the west, bringing with it a mouth-watering smell of strawberry ice cream. Also with the wind came the enchanting smell of fresh salty air mixed with another smell that I didn’t recognise. The active bustling metropolitan was surrounded by rolling emerald green hills, giants watching over me. In the centre of the city sat a colossal thirty storey skyscraper made purely out of glass and reinforced steel. The city faced the never ending topaz sea: it stretched all the way up to a calm and pleasant lake which glittered over a mile away in the distance. The north section of the city was taken up by imposing skyscrapers and a humming metropolitan of lights and music; a huge building encrusted completely with multi-coloured gems that bathed the city in the reflective luminosity. Nestled at the bottom of the skyscrapers were dozens of magnificent and completely unique cafe’s and bars. The first cafe at the top was a marble building that looked like a mausoleum, with heavy columns. The second bar was completely different- a million lights flashed from every surface. The third cafe was a long, low building with the front made completely of glass that was patterned with hundreds of different patterns, and it had beanbags inside and low coffee tables. Another cabin was covered in flowers that had grown on the walls and doorway and another spectacular cabin was made of solid gold that seemed to glow in the sunlight.

The Doctrine of the Indefinite Terms in the Ancient Commentators of Aristotle :: Philosophy Philosophical Essays

The Doctrine of the Indefinite Terms in the Ancient Commentators of Aristotle ABSTRACT: The ancient commentaries on Aristotle's Peri Hermeneias (De Interpretatione) give us important elements to understand more clearly some difficult passages of this treatise. In the case of the indefinite names and verbs (i.e. 'not-man', and 'does not recover', respectively), these commentaries reveal a doctrine which explains not only the nature of the indefinites, but also why Aristotle introduces these kinds of term in Peri Hermeneias. The coherence and explanatory capacity of this doctrine is entirely absent in modern exegesis of Peri Hermeneias. This fact has important implications: it can make us to think whether there will be another topics in which the ancient commentators are still indispensable to understand Aristotle. It can also make us to think to what extent a profounder reflection of the ancient commentators can modify our idea of Aristotle and the ancient world. I. The labour of translation of and comment on the ancient interpreters of Aristotle, which in our days have been edited by Professor R. Sorabji,(1) has put modern readers in contact with new dimensions of Aristotle's thought. In these ancient commentaries, many of the traditional and well-known doctrines of Aristotle find not only theoretical basis, but also a number of obscure and condensed texts reach an important and valuable elucidation and explanation. The subject-matter that I would like to discuss today is a sample of how these commentators can still contribute to understand Aristotle. I would like to warn, however, that the theme of the indefinite terms is especially illustrative of what I indicate, for the modern comments on this topic have been made without a profounder consideration of the ancient teaching. In my opinion, however, a more reliable and complete explanation about this difficult subject is to be found in the analysis of the ancient view. II. The commentaries of Boethius(2) and Ammonius son of Hermeias(3) contain in a slightly different manner the ancient doctrine of indefinite names and verbs. They explain some questions whose answers are not evident in Aristotle's Peri Hermeneias (= PeriH.):(4) namely, (i) why does Aristotle introduce indefinite names and verbs after defining name and verb? I.e. Why does Aristotle consider adequate to define expressions like 'not-man', 'does not recover', etc., once he has defined 'man' and 'recovers' as name and verb respectively? Even more, (ii) why does Aristotle in Chapter 10 of PeriH. leave indefinite verbs aside and introduces only indefinite names in simple (= categorical) propositions?

A Whole New Mind – Essay

A Whole New Mind Almarene Lowndes EDL 546 – Summer 2012 May 31, 2012 A whole new mind is a must read for ALL teachers, administrators, and other stakeholders. This book has inspired me to seriously think about my own teaching practices as I strive to prepare my students and I for professional success. After reflecting on the concepts in Daniel Pinks’ book I have asked myself if my school District and I are effectively preparing my students for the future?With budget cuts, high stakes testing, and pressure to raise student test scores have we failed to foster activities that enable students to utilize their brains right hemisphere ultimately, leaving them unequipped for our future? We have reduced the amount of time elementary students spend in Art, Music, and PE. In my own Kindergarten classroom I often struggle with allowing my students to build their creativity because of the pressure of time constraints and adhering to learning schedules/pacing guides.In the introduc tion, Pink gives background knowledge on the functions of the left and right hemispheres of the brain and clears up misconceptions that many people hold. Pink tells us that the left and right hemispheres of the brain work together. However, the left hemisphere is sequential which gives it the capability to analyze details and the right hemisphere is simultaneous which aids in synthesizing the bigger picture. This information can easily be related to teaching. When teaching my kindergarten students concepts of print, phonemic awareness, and phonics I am tapping into my students left hemisphere.For example, teaching my kindergarteners that we read from left to right, learning the alphabet, and decoding are activities that utilize their left hemisphere. The use of lower to higher level questioning requires students to utilize their left and right hemisphere as well. For example, after reading a story to my class, we discuss and answer questions about the texts we have read. When I ask my students to recall information from a story the left hemisphere is more active. However, when I ask my students higher-level questions that require them to think beyond the story their brains are eliciting help form the right hemisphere.Examples, of these types of questions are: how do you think the character feels, what is the most important part of the story, and what personal connections can you make to the story? Even things such as speech, fluency, and cadence of a story require students to utilize their brains right hemisphere. In a cleverly titled section called: Fear and Loathing in My Amygdales n Pink describes, â€Å"the two almond-shaped structures that serve as the brain’s Homeland Security. † They are called amygdalas. The function of these structures is to process emotions particularly fear.He explained that the left hemisphere is more active in processing this information. I found it interesting when he stated that the right amygdala is stimulated whe n processing faces. It is able to analyze the parts of a face as a whole to come to a conclusion about how one feels. Pink mentioned that this idea transcends to any culture. As an ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) certified teacher, I most often receive students who do not speak the English language. One strategy that I use is facial expressions to convey meaning which I now know requires support from our brains right hemisphere.According to Pink our culture has always held L-Directed Thinkers such as lawyers and engineers in high esteem. He points out that now value is being placed on the R-Directed Thinkers such as artist, counselors, and inventors. While I would argue, that both types are thinkers are needed. In my own classroom I would like to make a conscious effort to foster both types of thinkers so that my students can successfully integrate both ways of thinking into their lives. According to Pink teachers live R-Directed lives. However, in my organization I f eel our way of thinking is not supported in the way that the school system is currently structured.There are some key points that I feel our school system should adopt. Furthermore, these same themes can be used in my own classroom to produce learners who are L and R- Directed Thinkers. The themes that resonate with me the most are: Symphony, Empathy, Play, and Meaning. â€Å"Symphony†¦ is the ability to put together the pieces. It is the capacity to synthesize rather than to analyze; to see relationships between seemingly unrelated fields; to detect broad patterns rather than to deliver specific answers; and to invent something new by combining elements nobody else thought to pair. Empathy is defined as putting yourself in someone else’s shoes. Play is the idea that work is not just about being serious it is about play as well. Meaning focuses on seeking purpose and the greater good. I would like to think of myself as a sympathetic teacher like Mr. Bomeisler. I am very encouraging as I touch every child while I am working. In my own classroom I strive to help my students reach the highest level of learning, which is synthesizing. Conversely, I have fallen short because while I help my students see relationships between related fields, I need to strive to help them see the relationships between unrelated fields.In many ways I have missed those opportunities to help my students develop their powers of Symphony through simple tasks like drawing, listening to classical music, and celebrating amateurness. I feel that many K-12 teachers struggle with this in their teaching. An example of this is in team teaching. In team teaching a group of teachers, working together, plan, conduct, and evaluate the learning activities for the same group of students. In practice, team teaching has many different formats but in general it is a means of organizing staff into groups to enhance teaching.Teams generally comprise staff members who may represent different are as of subject expertise but who share the same group of students and a common planning period to prepare for the teaching. To facilitate this process a common teaching space is desirable. Team teachers and teachers alike must begin to see the connections between subject areas themselves in order to help students to achieve this. Most often you will hear someone who teaches Science say, â€Å"I do not teach Reading. † This as you may of guessed is untrue since teaching Science is teaching the components of nonfiction text.I also feel, that most schools don’t allow teachers the opportunities to plan together and discuss the relationships between their fields. Many administrators are not empathetic to the idea that if we really want students to be successful they must allow us the time to engage in conversations and planning with each other. Most often team teachers as is the case at my school do not even have the same planning time. We can improve this at my school by al lowing time for us to plan together not only as teammates but as grade levels. In our mailroom it would be cool if we had an inspiration board.This simple idea will help us to expand our minds. Lastly, I suggest that we read and discuss books as grade levels such as: Dialogue, Metaphors We Live By, and No Waste. We always are given professional development books to read when we are given the time to get together. How powerful would it be for the R-Direct Thinkers in my organizations if we were allowed the opportunity to read and discuss these books? You would think that in my organization everyone is empathetic and in turn teaches students to empathize with one another.I am very empathetic and must say that I do wonderful job of guiding my students as they develop relationships with one another. I model this as I develop relationships with not only my students but my parents as well. On the other hand it saddens me to say that every teacher is not empathetic. My mom always told me t hat, â€Å"students don’t learn until they learn that you care. † When you build valuable relationships with students and parents it increases students achievement. In my school environment I feel that we should start with being empathetic with each other.Very few principles show empathy for their employees, which make it hard to foster caring relationships with colleagues at work. Recently, school climates have shifted from working together to competing against each other. As odd as it may sound I would argue that many teachers do not even trust each other. For example, First grade teachers do not trust that Kindergarten teachers have effectively taught their students. Second grade teachers do not trust that First grade teachers have done their jobs. This trend goes from grade to grade.As a result, teachers spend valuable instructional time re teaching information to students. Instructional time should be fun to students. At times I often forget this simple concept. A s a teacher I have found it my personal goal to find creative ways to put the fun back into teaching and learning. On my quest to fulfill this goal there are several suggestions from Pink that I will use to do this. One thing that my group members at JU and I are studying is how can we use gaming to increase students’ achievement? According to Pink, gaming plays a significant role in learning.James Paul Gee argues that games can be the ultimate learning machine. I might also add that games are fun and engaging for students. Next year, I plan to bring my Wii to school and allow students to play games such as Reading Rabbit and Sesame Street in my classroom. Another way that my organization and I can foster the idea of play is being humorous with our students and us. The pressures of high stakes testing, time management, and top bottom pressure exerted on teachers have caused us to become less and less humorous and joyful.There are things that we can do to bring humor and joy i nto teaching. Some immediate ideas that come to mind are simply playing with our students. It is so fun to play on the playground with my students. Not only does this bring me joy but also it brings my students an equal amount of joy and humor in watching me do things that are out of the box for adults. Not only should we play with kids but we should also play with each other. I remember one year some colleagues and I decided to form a kickball team to play on this kickball league one of us had heard about.Not only did allow me to forget about the pressures of teaching it allowed us to empathize with each other through the simple act of playing. Which in turn made us more pleasant at work. Another idea that the educational organization should adopt is getting our â€Å"game on. † Not only should we utilize gaming in the classroom we should participate in gaming ourselves. Lastly, I feel that administrators and facilitators should start meetings by dissecting jokes. This is so mething that I can immediately implement when I facilitate myself.I can also do this with my kindergarteners by using simple jokes starting with knock-knock jokes. Developing happiness through play can add meaning to not only learning but our jobs as well. It is said, that we â€Å"are born for meaning† and live for self-expression and an opportunity to share that which we feel is important. I believe that at some point in time every teacher is passionate about his or her job and are often looking for the opportunity to share his or her expertise. Somehow this passion fades as we stop looking inside ourselves to make meaning out of our jobs.Something that my grade level has done to build meaning is utilizing teardrops. Every teacher on my grade level purchased a small pail to place teardrops in. Each of us was given paper made teardrops that we use to show our gratitude for things that we have done, or modeled, or shared with one another. For example, I was once given a teard rop for staying late to help the people who were new to my grade level fill out student snapshots after I was already done. I gave a tear to another teacher for allowing me the gift of observing her teach a lesson to her students on connections.In my opinion this simple act can add a sense of purpose to our job. This can be implemented on all grade levels and adapted to our students. Pink states that Right-Brainers will rule the future. As teachers we can equip our students for this new era. Administrators can help R-Directed thinkers such as ourselves by creating an environment that is conducive to the way that we think. By implementing simple strategies suggested in A Whole New Mind we can once again find joy in teaching as we strive to increase student achievement.There are many pearls that I have taken from this book. One of the pearls I have taken from this book is that the simple act of empathizing can help to increase student achievement. Another is the idea that play is esse ntial to my classroom and environment as it brings happiness and joy. Also, it is important to look at things from the bigger picture and lastly, seeking purpose and the greater good seems to define us uniquely as humans. Reference: Pink, D. (2005). A Whole New Mind. New York: The Penguin Group.

Aneurysms - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 2 Words: 694 Downloads: 1 Date added: 2017/09/24 Category Advertising Essay Type Argumentative essay Did you like this example? To begin with, the word aneurysm derives from the Latin word â€Å"aneurysma. † In Latin â€Å"aneurysma† means dilation and dilation means that act of expanding. From this, it is easier to figure out what an aneurysm really is. The definition of the English word aneurysm means, blood-filled dilation of a blood vessel. There are several different types of aneurysm, but this report will only cover a cerebral one. Intracranial aneurysms are classified as dissecting, saccular, and fusiform. There are many causes of intracranial aneurysms. Some of the most common causes would include fibromuscular dysphasia, atherosclerosis, and arteriovenous malformation. Some that are less common, but do occur would include drugs, infection, and trauma. Dissecting aneurysms occur when blood enters a vessel wall through a rupture in the intima, which is the inner lining of vein or artery. The damage in dissecting aneurysms varies greatly depending on the damage it has already ca used. These are the weakest aneurysms, because they don’t leave the premises of the parent vessel. There are cases were dissecting aneurysms cause great damage, but it is highly unlikely. Aneurysms that fall into this category are mostly caused by trauma to the head. Most of the time when this occurs damage is caused to the extracranial region of the brain. These are the rarest among all the other aneurysms and only would be caused by a severe head injury. Fusiform aneurysms are also called atherosclerotic aneurysms, because of the condition atherosclerosis, which is when plaque builds up in the artery walls. Fusiform aneurysm effect mostly the older population. The effects usually pertain to the vertebrobasilar system, which is the system the contains vertebral and basilar arteries. The aneurysm itself effects the tissues of the brain stem. A rupture may cause a brainstem infarction, in which tissues of the stem are destroyed. That causes the midbrain, medulla and the pons to shut down. Fustiform aneurysm are severe and most likely to be fatal if not identified. They are easily found, because the cause severe erosion at the base of the cranium. Saccular aneurysms are the most common and are easily identified because of the berrylike sacs on the veins or arteries. They are caused by weakness in the vessel wall layers. The sac itself grows from the intima and adventitia of an vessel. When this occurs abnormal hemodynamic pressure on the cerebral arteries causes rupture. Saccular aneurysm can be caused by infections, tumors, or drugs. Aneurysms occur to people in their early forties to their late fifties. Most aneurysms occur to people that are around age sixty. Intracranial aneurysms are rare to children and only account for 2% of the total aneurysms. The younger the patient with an intracranial aneurysm the larger the sac. Location is a big part in classifying the type of aneurysm. About 86. 5% of all intracranial aneurysms occurs in the car otid region. The pieces all fall to place when using the Hunt and Hess scale, which measures the current status of the expansion. There is a grade 0 to grade 5 scale. Zero is a non ruptured aneurysm and 5 is basically the point were there is not much doctors can do to make the patient live. Vasospasm is the term used when a constriction of a vein or artery occurs. It is also the cause of death when an aneurysm occurs. More than 50% of all surviving patients that get an intracranial aneurysm have neurological defects. Treatment is wonderful when treating intracranial aneurysm. The most common approach is surgery, because blood clots can occur and stop the circulation in the brain. First the surgeon must remove a small portion of the skull and the starts to spread the brain tissues then cuts off circulation in the aneurysm with a tiny clip. Then the procedure is over when the brain tissues are put back into place and the cranial bone is put back. Another type of surgery to preve nt a rupture involves a small plastic tube that is inserted into the femoral artery. The tube goes through the vascular system into the head and finally into the aneurysm. Then coils are tightened around the aneurysm to prevent rupture. More than 125,000 people have had this procedure worldwide. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Aneurysms" essay for you Create order