Life Without Televisions free essay sample

When my family’s only television set went to the repair shop the other day, my parents, my sister, and I thought we would have a terrible week. How could we get through the long evenings in such a quiet house? What would it be like without all the shows to keep us company? We soon realized, though, that living without television for a while was a stroke of good fortune. It became easy for each of us to enjoy some activities alone, to complete some postponed chores, and to spend rewarding time with each other and friends. First of all, with no television to compete for our time, we found plenty of hours for personal interests. We all read more that week than we had read during the six months before. For instance, I was able to finish â€Å"The Scarlet Letter†, a novel assigned in my English class. Also my younger sister read 300 pages of the last book of the â€Å"Twilight† series. We will write a custom essay sample on Life Without Televisions or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page We each also enjoyed some hobbies we had ignored for ages. My dad’s old enthusiasm for gardening returned, and he started planting vegetables in his garden. My mom had time to open her bakery book and bake Italian desserts such as Profiterole and tiramisu. My sister and I played volleyball in the back yard, a sport that we loved since we were younger. In addition, my sister and I both stopped procrastinating with our homework. We both found out that it was really helpful to work on homework ahead of time; therefore I worked on chapter three and four of my Algebra homework for next week. I also finished my study guide for my English test. My sister as well worked on her French and Government assignments. Second we did chores that had been hanging over our heads for too long. There were many jobs around the house that had needed attention for some time. Cleaning our rooms was the first chore we did; my sister and I cleaned our entire room and vacuumed the carpet. Then my mom cleaned the counter tops and all the shelves of the kitchen. Finally my dad managed to clean his garage and put all of his tools back on the shelves. We also had a chance to do some long- postponed shopping. My father went to SEARS to buy a sofa that was needed in his room. My mom went to LOWES to buy accessories for her bathroom. My sister and I went to the mall to buy her prom dress and I was able to buy two pairs of jeans and two shirts that I wanted. And each of us also caught up with e-mails and did paperwork that was long overdue. My mom had some office work done, such as sales reports for the committee of her company. My dad finally wrote an e-mail to my grandma that is living in Spain with my aunt Susan. My sister also replied to e-mails from her friends that live in Italy. And I was able to complete my FASFA application for the fall semester. Finally, and probably most important, we spent time with each other. Instead of just being in the same room together while we stared at a screen, we actually talked for many pleasant hours. My parents and I never had long conversations before, and during that week, we got to know each other more than we did for the past five years. My sister and I talked more about each other and we found out that we have a lot of interests in common. Moreover, for the first time in years, my family played some games together. My sister enjoys playing Monopoly; therefore, we played almost every night. We also played chest, one of my dad’s favorite games. My mom’s favorite game is dominos; although my sister ended up winning every game. And because we didn’t have to worry about missing this or that show, we had some family friends over on a couple of evenings and spent enjoyable time with them. We would play volleyball in the back yard. After several games we would have dinner in the back patio enjoying the lovely weather while listening to classical music. And finally after dinner we would make a bonfire and sit around it and remember memories with our friends. Once our television returned, we were not prepared to put it in the attic. But we had a sense of how it can take over our lives if we are not careful. We are now more selective. We turn on the set for our favorite shows, certain sports events, and the news, but we don’t leave it running all evening. As a result, we find we can enjoy television and still have time left over for other activities and interests.

Mosquitoes - Family Culicidae

Mosquitoes - Family Culicidae Who hasnt had an encounter with a mosquito? From the backwoods to our backyards, mosquitoes seem determined to make us miserable. Besides disliking their painful bites, mosquitoes concern us as vectors of diseases, from West Nile virus to malaria. Description: Its easy to recognize a mosquito when it lands on your arm and bites you. Most people dont take a close look at this insect, tending instead to slap it the moment it bites. Members of the family Culicidae do exhibit common characteristics if you can bear to spend a moment examining them. Mosquitoes belong to the suborder Nematocera – true flies with long antennae. Mosquito antennae have 6 or more segments. The males antennae are quite plumose, providing lots of surface area for detecting female mates. Female antennae are short-haired. Mosquito wings have scales along the veins and the margins. The mouthparts – a long proboscis – allow the adult mosquito to drink nectar, and in the case of the female, blood. Classification: Kingdom - AnimaliaPhylum - ArthropodaClass – InsectaOrder – DipteraFamily - Culicidae Diet: Larvae feed on organic matter in the water, including algae, protozoans, decaying debris, and even other mosquito larvae. Adult mosquitoes of both sexes feed on nectar from flowers. Only females require a bloodmeal in order to produce eggs. The female mosquito may feed on the blood of birds, reptiles, amphibians, or mammals (including humans). Life Cycle: Mosquitoes undergo complete metamorphosis with four stages. The female mosquito lays her eggs on the surface of fresh or standing water; some species lay eggs on damp soil prone to inundation. Larvae hatch and live in the water, most using a siphon to breathe at the surface. Within one to two weeks, the larvae pupate. Pupae cannot feed but can be active while floating on the waters surface. Adults emerge, usually in just a few days, and sit on the surface until they are dry and ready to fly. Adult females live two weeks to two months; adult males may only live a week. Special Adaptations and Defenses: Male mosquitoes use their plumose antennae to sense the species-specific buzzing of females. The mosquito produces its buzz by fluttering its wings up to 250 times per second. Females seek bloodmeal hosts by detecting carbon dioxide and octanol produced in breath and sweat. When a female mosquito senses CO2 in the air, she flies upwind until she finds the source. Mosquitoes dont require blood to live but need the proteins in a bloodmeal to develop their eggs. Range and Distribution: Mosquitoes of the family Culicidae live worldwide, except in Antarctica, but require habitat with standing or slow moving fresh water for young to develop. Sources: Diptera: Culicidae. (Accessed May 13, 2008).Family Culicidae - Mosquitoes - BugGuide.Net. (Accessed May 13, 2008).Mosquito - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. (Accessed May 13, 2008).

Create a moral compass for characters of The Apprenticeship of Duddy Article

Create a moral compass for characters of The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz - Article Example Max is an experienced man who is described as a real good teacher, and his pieces of advice are useful for Duddy. Simcha is, perhaps, the most positive character in the story, as his good intentions toward Duddy’s success characterize him as more related to goodness. Benjy and Ida are related more to evil, as their attitude to life was complicated by their childlessness. Mr. MacPherson is relevant to goodness as he tried to teach through pure knowledge and personal example rather than through corporal punishment. Hersh positions himself as a positive character struggling for peace and harmony. Jerry Dingleman is a negative character as he is tied up to the criminal and drug-smuggling activity along with other lawless activities. Mr. Cohen is driven by immoral virtues in life, as the main target for taking off. Mr. Calder is a man spoilt by his richness; he loses the idea of humane due to that fact. Being an owner of a hotel, Rubin is driven by positive intentions and virtues o f his soul. Irwin is definitely driven by negative virtues as he cheats Duddy and sees no other way to grow rich than to betray and let people down. Cuckoo has good traits of character and aims himself at working and living in peace and harmony. Linda is spoiled and she is really bad in her moral compass as she always tries to make a dirty trick to her friends.