A Minimum Of Two A Short Story

A Minimum Of Two A Short Story Minimum of two is a collection of short stories written by Australian writer Tim Winton. He writes his stories in different views such as first and third person, mainly for the reader to feel the story more in depth. The book features 14 short stories which are; Forest Winter, No Memory Comes, Gravity, The Water was Dark and it went forever down, Nislams Friend, Minimum of two, Distant Lands, Laps, Bay of Angels, The strong one. Holding, More, Death belongs to the dead his father told him and sadness to the sad and finally Blood and water. Throughout all of these stories there is relevant trauma for past events, coming to an outcome of growth in either a positive or negative way. The short story that in my opinion is the most powerful in regards to trauma and growth is the story Minimum of two. Its written in first person view of the husband (Neil). This is a deep story about a married woman called Greta getting raped by a senior in her department by the name of Fred Blakey. He is taken to court by Greta and Neil and is sentenced to 5 years imprisonment but for Neil this is not enough because he went through ample suffering through the recovery of Greta in the way that she did not want to be intimate with him because she was sensitive as expected after being raped. With this issue, Neil decides to take matters in his own hands and contemplates killing Blakey when he gets released, he tells his friend Tony Mitchell that he will be doing this. Mitchell doesnt agree with what Neil wants to do, but Neil doesnt listen to him and ends up killing Blakey when he got out. His conscience then catches up with him and he then feels like the most horrible person, saying that he feels that he was a dead man. The main trauma in this story is the rape of Greta by Fred Blakey, this is mainly trauma from Greta as she becomes sensitive and doesnt get intimate with Neil, this is also a traumatic for him, and this is shown in the way he writes about his feelings. It seems like her intimacy with him is a great thing for him making this story traumatic for both Neil and Greta. In the ending Neil kills Blakey and comes to a negative growth of feeling sorry for himself, as well as losing his best friend Tony Mitchell. The next story that showed trauma and growth is the story called Distant Lands. Its written in the third person view. This short story is about an overweight woman working at her fathers newsagency. This woman is called Fat Maz she was teased and tormented through high school and also was not supported very well by her parents, they also treated her as if they didnt know her or that she wasnt their daughter. There was a day though that changed her life, a stranger Pakistani man comes into the newsagency, and opens the book Distant Lands has a glance and leaves. As she goes to inspect the book she realises the blurb saying You will want this book never to finishafter she reads the blurb she is interested in reading the book, as she is reading it the Pakistani man comes into the newsagency once again and this time re-opening Distant Lands and smiling at Fat Maz, he gives her money and some confidence to leave her garbage job helping at her fathers newsagency The trauma in this story is mainly from Fat Mazs life, how she had been teased all in high school and even at home with her parents she wasnt treated nicely. The growth coming from this is positive when a mysterious Pakistani man comes in and gives her money and confidence to leave her job at the newsagency. Another story that had trauma with growth coming as an outcome is the story Laps. This story written in the third person view is about a young woman by the name of Queenie that has flashbacks of her childhood, and her grandfather when he was alive as she swims laps through a pool. She is new to Perth, and she is somehow reminded of her grandfather and the whaling projects from her childhood and she is haunted by these thoughts. She then gathers enough courage to go back to her home town to tackle her past, and then be able to move on with her life. The trauma from this story is the flashbacks that Queenie get from her troubled childhood; she sees these horrible flashbacks when swimming as swimming reminded her of an earlier time of her life. The growth gathered from this story is that Queenie had the courage to go back to her home town and sort out her problems so that she is now able to live a new life in Perth with no haunting flashbacks. Tim Winton is a talented writer with allot of creativity shown in this collection of Minimum of two. He has the ability to write about hard trauma, but also an outcome of growth. The three stories chosen for this essay (Minimum of two, Distant Lands and Laps) are all examples of how he can bring growth out of trauma. In conclusion this collection of short stories by Tim Winton is really moving to the reader, as he brings not only trauma but growth out of each story.

Acid Rain Essay -- Environment Environmental Science

Acid Rain "Acid Rain," or more precisely acidic precipitation, is the term used to describe rainfall that has a pH level of less than 5.6--a pH of 7 being neutral. This form of air pollution is currently a subject of great controversy because of the damage it does to the environment and property worldwide. For the last ten years, this occurrence has brought destruction to thousands of lakes and streams in the United States, Canada, and parts of Europe. It also leads to the deterioration of buildings and statues by reacting with several minerals. Acid rain is formed when oxides of nitrogen and sulfite combine with moisture in the atmosphere to make nitric and sulfuric acids. These acids can be carried away far from its origin. The two primary sources of acid rain are sulfur dioxide (SO2), and oxides of nitrogen (NOx). Sulfur dioxide is a colorless gas released as a by-product of combusted fossil fuels containing sulfur (Farnham, http://www.ems.psu.edu/info/explore/AcidRain.html). A variety of industrial processes, such as the production of iron and steel, utility factories, and crude oil processing produce this gas. Sulfur dioxide can also be emitted into the atmosphere by natural disasters or means (Farnham, http://www.ems.psu.edu/info/explore/AcidRain.html). This accounts for ten percent of all sulfur dioxide emission, coming from volcanoes, sea spray, plankton, and rotting vegetation. Overall, 69.4 percent of sulfur dioxide is produced by industrial combustion. Only 3.7 percent is caused by transportation (Farnham, http://www.ems.psu.edu/info/explore/AcidRain.html). The other chemical that is also chiefly responsible for the make-up of acid rain is nitrogen oxide. Oxides of nitrogen is a term used to describe any compound of nitrogen with any amount of oxygen atoms. Nitrogen monoxide and nitrogen dioxide are all oxides of nitrogen. These gases are by-products of firing processes of extreme high temperatures (automobiles, utility plants), and in chemical industries (fertilizer production) (Phamornsuwana, http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/Hall/9111/DOC.HTML#SPECIFIC). Natural processes such as bacterial action in soil, forest fires, volcanic action, and lightning make up five percent of nitrogen oxide emission (Phamornsuwana, http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/Hall/9111/DOC.HTML#SPECIFIC). Transportation ... ...emits nitrogen oxide, automobiles and coal-fired electric utility boilers (Farnham, http://www.ems.psu.edu/info/explore/AcidRain.html). What humans can do, as citizens, to reduce sulfur and nitrogen dioxide emission is to reduce the use of fossil fuels. Car pools, public transportation, or walking can reduce tons of nitrogen oxide emissions. Using less energy benefits the environment because the energy used comes from fossil fuels which can lead to acid rain. For example, turning off lights not being used, and reduce air conditioning and heat usage. Replacing old appliances and electronics with newer energy efficient products is also an excellent idea. Sulfur dioxide emission can be reduced by adding scrubbers to utility plants (Farnham, http://www.ems.psu.edu/info/explore/AcidRain.html). An alternative power source can also be used in power plants to reduce emissions. These alternatives are: geothermal energy, solar power energy, wind energy, and water energy. Bibliography .Sarn Phamornsuwana (1999). Causes, effects and solutions of acid rain. Retrieved 9 Feb. .Shayne Farnham (1999). Acid rain: Meteorology independent study. Retrieved 27 Mar.

Obesity in America

Obesity in America Obesity has become a concern for many Americans. The obesity rates have gotten worse over the years. People are constantly looking for ways to better themselves and improve their appearances. In our society, obesity has become one of the biggest problems of American culture. So many people are obese or overweight due to a number of factors that include behavior, environment, genetics, and medical conditions. Each play significant roles. Behavior relates to a person eating to many calories and not getting enough physical activity.Environment involves work, home, school, or community that provides barriers for active or inactive lifestyle. In addition to all the other factors, Americans do not get enough physical activity. Ehow. com states one of the main reasons of obesity is lack of exercise. A lot of the new technologies have taken up most of our time that going outside and exercise has been taken out. Many of our schools have taken physical education course out o f their curriculum’s. Exercise is not a priority for many Americans, and if we are taking the courses out of the curriculum’s, how are our youngsters able to learn good habits. It also statesLivestrong. com states several factors that contribute to the overall obesity problem. Getting too little sleep can increase a person’s body weight. Lack of sleep can contribute to hormonal changes, which in turn can increase appetite. CBS News conducted a study and ranked lack of sleep as the new overlooked cause of obesity. People tend to eat more during the day to increase their energy, because of not sleeping the recommended number of hours. Livestrong. com also states that Americans are smoking less. This leads to weight gain as your metabolism may slow down after one quits smoking, therefore burning fewer calories.There are many medical conditions that can cause obesity (WebMD. com). Hypothyroidism is a condition that affects ones thyroid. The thyroid produces too litt le hormone in the body and this slows down the metabolism and cause weight gain. Cushing syndrome is another. This is when the adrenal glands produce too much of a steroid hormone called cortisol. This can cause fat to build up in certain parts of the body. Some people with depression also tend to overeat. A doctor can test for symptoms and treat accordingly, if possible. Another possible reason for obesity is stress. According to yesword. om stress could be the main reason for obesity in America. Most Americans have very busy schedules, and eat on the run. Managing one’s life from work, family and social standpoints have stressed many Americans. Setbacks in personal or professional lives sometimes make one indulge in high caloric foods, known as comfort foods. CBSNews. com cited an article by David B Allison, PhD, University of Alabama at Birmingham as saying we are paying attention to the â€Å"Big Two†. They are fast food and too little exercise. He goes on to say t hat other factors are not explored. He and his colleagues suggest other possible reasons for obesity.Pollution can affect hormones. Hormones control our body weight. Most people live and work in temperature-controlled environments. Being in a room too hot or cold actually helps burn calories. Medicine can affect hormones. Drugs used to treat blood pressure, diabetes, and depression can cause weight gain. It has been suggested that the older a woman is when she gives birth; the risk is higher to the child to be obese. , Obese woman tend to marry obese men. There are studies that obesity is genetic, thus a union of two obese people, may pass down this trait for generations.In Conclusion, Obesity is one of the biggest problems people face every day. With better knowledge of contributing factors that can make a person obese, Americans can and will change this trend. It is important to eat properly and exercise, one's life could depend on it. Works Cited http://www. theyesword. com/main_ causes_of_obesity_in_america. htm http://www. webmd/diet/medical-reasons-obesity http://www. livestrong. com/article/354282-what-are-the-main-causes-of-obesity-in-america http://www. ehow. com/how-does_5558417_causes-obesity-america. html David B. Allison, PhD http://www. cbsnews. com/2100-500368_162-1757772. html

Animal Testing Is Cruel And Inhumane - 1323 Words

Thousands of animals every year are euthanized due to animal testing. Animal testing is cruel and an inhumane way to torture animals for mankind’s own benefit. Because of our selfish, millions of animals suffered a vicious and painful death in the name of research every year. Animals are frequently used in biological and medical research, in the testing of drugs and commercial products, and in educational exercises in the sciences. So, can we ask ourselves, deeply in mind, that is it worth to use animal as an experiment project to enlarge our knowledge and save human lives? People are using animal on experiments is because they are trying to provide a better life to all human-being. This action stirred controversy involving the benefits†¦show more content†¦Since the way of virus transmission is different, the antidotes might not work in humans. So, what will be happened if the antidotes are not work in humans? The answer is obvious. According to â€Å"The Flaws and Human Harms of Animal Experimentation†, Aysha Akhtar, the author, point out the discordance between human diseases and animal models of diseases. Because of the interspecies differences in physiology and genetics, it is easily that human might get worse if they take those antidotes which are only suitable for animals. He quotes an example of human suffering resulting from animal experimentation in 2006. A drug calls â€Å"TGN 1412† was tested in mice, rabbits, rat and nonhuman primates (NHPs) with no ill effects. The inventor believed that the drug was being success in many kinds of animals, it must also work in human. However, those human volunteers were injected with this immunomodulatory drug suffered a severe adverse reaction resulting from a life-threatening cytokine storm that led to catastrophic systemic organ failure within a minute. This compound had the opposite effect in human, but those experimental animals do not. â€Å"If experimentation using chimpanzees and other NHPs, our closest genetic cousins, are unreliable, how can we expect research using other animals to be reliable?† Akhtar stated. It is a severe problem to all man-kinds. Will you have the trial that the drug only tested safe and effective inShow MoreRelatedAnimal Testing Is Cruel And Inhumane1229 Words   |  5 Pagesuse of animals to carry out the tests before implementing the solution for human beings. The idea has always served as a disadvantage for the animals citing the pains and strains that they undergo during such processes. After keen observation of the experience of the animals, individuals developed varying opinions of whether to be in support of the practice or against it. Animal testing is cruel and inhumane Animal testing serves in promoting cruelty and inhumanity among the animals. In theirRead MoreAnimal Testing: a Cruel and Inhumane Way881 Words   |  4 PagesAnimal Testing Mariana Alexandra Anaya Martà ­nez Universidad del Valle de Mà ©xico Additional language to Spanish III Dinorah Rodriguez November 12, 2012 Right now, millions of animals are locked inside cold barren cages in laboratories across the world. They languish in pain, ache with loneliness, and long to roam free and use their minds. Instead, all they can do is sit and wait in fear of the next terrifying and painful procedure that will be performed on them. Animal testing is cruelRead MoreAnimal Testing Should Be A Thing Of The Past Essay1567 Words   |  7 PagesAnimal testing should be a thing of the past. Imagine this, scientists injecting a certain chemical to an innocent animal to test, so that product can be safe for human utilization. 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