Grand Canyon Essay Essay Example for Free

Grand Canyon Essay Essay Although not a more prominent theme, the theme of things happening for a reason and changing your life was also shown in the movie Grand Canyon. Through my own life experiences and the through the experiences of others I too have learned that things do happen with reason and that things may not seem good right at the moment, but things will turn out right in the end. To me, the movie showed this theme, but more subliminally then up front. When times do look bad, have faith and know that things will turn out for the better and that theres a reason for why things are the way they are. In the beginning of the movie we see that Mack gets into car trouble in the wrong side of town. As Mack is beginning to be harassed by a couple of gangsters, Simon comes to the rescue. Simon, the tow-truck driver tells the gangsters to back off, thus saving Macks life. Mack is therefore grateful of what Simon has done. Despite the fact that Mack couldve gotten himself killed, Mack wised up and made a new friend. In another part in the movie Simons sisters house was shot at (they live in the wrong part of town). At first, his sister decides to just stay there, but later moves into an apartment that Mack suggested they get. Then there was the part where Simon and Jane, a girl Mack set up with Simon hit it off right away after their first date. If you think real hard about it, all those things that happened never wouldve happened if that night Simon and Mack had not met. Even though it was a bad way to meet, things did turn out right. Everyone involved learned more about each other and themselves and everything did turn out for the better. As did the case with Macks wife, Claire. One day on one of Claires daily jogs she literally finds a baby behind some bushes. Claire takes the baby into her care and later plans to adopt the child. The child seems to be what Claire was missing all this time. The baby seemed to fill an emptiness she had. As these situations in the movie shows, there is reason for why things are the way they are and that in turn changes our lives completely. In my own life experiences, Ive come to terms with my faith in God and the belief that things happen with reason and that God would not abandon you. My mom has also taught me and instilled that belief in me. In the past couple of years things have been on the rough for my family and I. Four years ago  my dad lost his stable job of about 10 years. During and throughout that period of about a year, money was somewhat a problem and with each new day my dad became more and more depressed as each job interview passed with no reply. During that time my mom, told us to believe and kept telling us that bad things do happen, but they only happen when something better is to come. About 2 years ago, Bell Canada employed my dad. His office was even closer than the old one and his new office was larger and my dad loved his new job. My mom was right. But thats not where it all ends. A year and a half ago, my dad was transferred to a Mississauga branch. My dad hated the commute each morning and you could tell he wasnt liking it there. They were understaffed there so he always worked overtime, and that meant leaving later from his already far workplace. He was stressed a whole lot. Once again, my mom told us that this is just a period of time that tests us and that things would turn out for the best. About a year ago today, my dad was transferred to one of Bell Canadas downtown branches. My dad now works right in the Eaton Centre and my dad is so happy. Through just that whole ordeal Ive learned first, how powerful prayer really is and second, that things do happen for a reason. When my dad first moved to Mississauga he was thinking of quitting and looking for a new job, if he had done that he wouldnt have ended up where he was today. Through many other experiences I have learned that something very little can change your life forever and that God only gives you things He knows you can handle. It may seem like through my experiences Ive learned two different things, but to me they go together. God communicates to us through many different ways, so does fate. The littlest things like going to the mall or going home can change our lives forever. More recently, was the terrorist attack in the U.S. In the news and from various other sources you hear stories about people who missed their train or slept in that morning and therefore missing out on the Trade Centre collapsing. Just missing out by a few seconds how just by being late could change your life forever. It also shows the power of fate, it wasnt your time to pass on. As little as something may seem, it can alter your life in more ways than one. When your life seems out of place or when youre going through rough times,  youve got to just remember that things always turn out for the better. If something good has passed you by now, something better for you is bound to be coming soon. Though you may not be optimistic something better is coming, youve got to believe so. That something better may not come big, but it will change your life forever.

Whats Power Worth? :: essays research papers fc

What’s Power Worth?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When we think about air pollution and its sources we generally call to mind the things we see and smell daily. We recall the stench of diesel fumes, the plumes of automobile exhaust, or maybe the belching smoke from factories. Instead of these common culprits, maybe we should instead think about the light switch, the computer, the television, or maybe our air conditioners. We use these items everyday without a thought to the possible ramifications. These familiar household items contribute more to air pollution in our community than all of the aforementioned polluters combined. Their use requires electricity and that electricity is provided by power plants.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Electricity producing power plants are the largest source of air pollution nationwide (Izaak). More than half of the nation’s power plants produce their electricity by burning coal. These coal-fired plants in particular are responsible for the majority of the most dangerous pollutants emitted by the electric power industry. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), coal-fired plants generate, â€Å"96 percent of sulfur dioxide emissions, 93 percent of nitrogen oxide emissions, 88 percent of carbon dioxide emissions, and 99 percent of the mercury emissions† emitted by the entire power industry (sierraclub).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The power industry’s emissions result in ozone smog, reduced visibility conditions, and acid rain. Additionally, their released mercury is toxic and is absorbed by humans through the consumption of fish. â€Å"More than 70 percent of fish advisories issued [are] for mercury contamination† (sierra club). Mercury can have devastating health consequences for children and women of childbearing age. According to the American Lung Association, â€Å"Children are the most susceptible to the detrimental effects posed by air pollutants [†¦]. In Virginia, 1,256,936 children live within 30 miles of a power plant† (Clear). These close-in areas feel the greatest health impacts.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The environmental and human health hazards produced by coal-fired power plants are not a new revelation. The Government recognized decades ago the serious impact of all fossil fuel burning industries. Finally, in 1970, the Environmental Protection Agency was formed. Later that same year Congress passed the Clean Air Act with the intention of significantly reducing airborne pollutants. According to Federal officials, in the past 35 years â€Å"emissions of pollutants have dropped 51 percent nationwide† (Springston). Unfortunately, when the Clean Air Act was created, a loophole was included that â€Å"grand fathered† the electric industry. Pre-existing plants were exempted because Congress believed that their useful life was only 30 to 40 years.

‘Beautiful Burnout’ by Frantic Assembly

The lights, the outstanding choreography, searing vitality, the knockouts and the unbeatable storyline, are all factors which made this particular play an unforgettable one. I had rather high expectations of the play when I read that Mark Ravenhill had directed one of the adaptations plus the engaging reviews I had read had led me to believe it was going to be brilliant. However, even though the play was spectacular, from my point of view the storyline isn't something that would have attracted me initially and to be blatantly honest a few scenes during the production lost my interest and attention several times, therefore my expectations of the play where slightly let down by the ongoing boxing chatter and masculine clichi fight scenes. A brief description of the story is the dream of a young man and his manager for the young boxer to triumph in the boxing world and become a legend, his dreams are in the blink of an eye stolen from him when during a championship game he is injured and disabled for life, showing that his abilities an love of the game when put into perspective weren't worth it due to the loss of his normal everyday abilities, this proves boxing to be a controversial sport. The play was indeed gripping, due to its controversy, mainly because boxing in the past and present day is one of the most dangerous sports ever to be conceived by our society. It creates many disputable topics and arguments in today's world. The play was undoubtedly contemporary as shown by its many predominant features. This is an obvious observation due to the swearing, colloquialism and contemporary linguistics throughout. The use of visual aids were frequently in use, which consisted of lighting and sound, these played a huge factor in the success and outcome of the play, they did so by using the lighting as an emphasis on the emotion of the storyline, both intimate and intriguing moments, for example when Cameron was struck down the lighting was changed from and exciting purple (to convey an up-beat fight) then drastically to a blood red (in order to show defeat and violence). Furthermore, there were absolutely no set changes, instead they impressively did so by depending solemnly on lighting to change it, quite impressive form my point of view. Another inspiring attribute to the settings of the play was the use of screens which were placed behind the stage, they were very useful in transmitting messages concerning the storyline, sentiments and outlook of the characters. Also the stage was combined with a boxing ring, which made the scene more realistic and believable, it was placed in the centre of the theatre, with the audience surrounding the stage accept behind it, where the screens were located. The set was ever-changing, which gave an exuberant and dramatic effect, during emotional and key moments of the play the entire stage would spin round. There were very few props, however the ones that were present, gave the set a symbolic atmosphere and deepened the meaning of the play (e. g. the washing machine). The sound was also incredibly dependent on the emotion of each scene, it played a vital part on transmitting the adrenalin the boxers were feeling, the music was very loud with an engaging and overwhelming base, which gave the audience a lively and exciting rush. On the down side, from my point of view there were limited boxing sound effects, I personally thought they could have played on it and emphasized it, for example when one of the characters hit something or someone they could have added a sound to symbolize the action, such sounds that are stereotypically featured in action pictures, this effect would have transmitted more of an enthusiastic and stimulating experience on the audience's behalf. Both the style and the form of the play were superb. However I was led to believe that the production was going to be along the lines of Berkoff stylistics, physical theatre. It did although have sufficient amounts of physical theatre, although from my perspective if the play was to have used more of it, it would have improved it, one fine example were the training/dancing sequences, the dancing was absolutely in sync, well coordinated and both matched the theme and emotion of the play. Some of the Gestus were quite mediocre and repetitive, on the other hand some created a chilling atmosphere (e. g. at the end fight when Ajay and Cameron were fighting and using still image combined with Gestus in order to make the fight more intriguing). The utter most outstanding piece of acting style in my opinion was the exaggerated still image to which represented feeling and emotions of the characters. The acting style was a mix of naturalistic at times and physical theatre. In amongst all the physical fight scenes and energetic dance scenes, there were also deep and emotional scenes, for example when Carlotta came onto the stage at the end and dressed her disabled son, I believe it was a directors message, showing how dangerous boxing is as a sport and how detrimentally staining and permanent the outcome can be injury wise, this scene was utterly entrancing. I connected most to this scene as I felt immense sympathy and sadness during this particular moment, as did everyone in the theatre. Frantic Assembly pulled off an outstanding performance, however my personal conclusion is mutual, I neither enjoyed it immensely nor did I dislike it. My final conclusion and memories of this play was that I was thoroughly impressed by the occasional build up of tension, exaggerated still images, the lighting, the shadows which echoed throughout the entire theatre and moreover the music, which was both penetrating and perfectly suited for this type of production. This production allowed the audience to uniquely enter and understand the boxing world in more depth, by expressing and transmitting the emotion into the audience, it unexpectedly highlighted the fighter's feelings and thoughts towards boxing and not just the clichi spectator view and opinion.

Should Marijuana Be Legalized - 1062 Words

Marijuana should be legalized in all 50 states, when we go to concerts or parties all we smell in the vicinity is marijuana. Many of us have witnessed people smoking marijuana or may know a couple people who smoke marijuana. The main reason marijuana should be legalized is because it is bought by everyone right now illegally. The money people are using to buy marijuana is going into black money basically because the money is being paid under the table, which means it has no taxes. If the United States would just legalize marijuana, this country would be able to make so much more money because the money won’t be black money. Marijuana targets a vast variety of people around the United States. Also marijuana may be used by people who want†¦show more content†¦The lights went down and as a ritual they lit a joint. Within seconds police showed up in the aisle waiting for him† (Port) . If the government would have legalized pot in all 50 states, people would not ha ve to worry about getting caught. There was also another incident in New York. â€Å"During the british invaders concert in Long Island, New York, the band s frontman Roger Daltrey threatened to walk off the stage due to the marijuana smoke wafting from the crowd†( Schiff).As we can see there have been many incident where marijuana has been used in concerts and there have been problems with this as well. Marijuana can be used by many people around the world, but its main target is people who are unemployed and middle schoolers and high schoolers .†Adults who are unemployed were once likely to use illicit drugs 18.2 percent compared to those who were employed full-time 9.1 percent† (Samhsa,Volume 22). In this we can see that the drug use rate has gone up substantially.If the government had just legalized marijuana in the first place it would be much easier to obtain. Sometimes using marijuana can cause employers to fire their employees after a drug test. â€Å"Mar ijuana is only legal in 23 states and that s only for medicinal purposes† (Durkin).According to the American College Of Pediatricians â€Å"marijuana use has generally increased among young people since 2007.† Not only has marijuana increased among young, it has affected the way we learn. â€Å"The short-term