Free Essay

Birthday Headline

In: Historical Events

Submitted By kristhelsanchez
Words 2918
Pages 12
Birthday Headlines
Pauline F. Bacay
De La Salle – College of St. Benilde

Introduction
As final requirement for Technical Writing class, the students were to research on events that were headlines on the day they were born, 20 years, 50 years and 100 years ago. They were to present this in front of a panel in specific schedules their professor has given. This also served as their final exam for the second term of school year 2012 – 2011. They were to follow the APA style in doing the paper including a bibliography of the same format. The research is very useful in their course, which is Bachelor of Arts Major in Consular and Diplomatic Affairs, because it concerns historical headlines around the world and their course mostly consists of majors in history. They may also improve their research making skills and strategies in the study because it requires them to consult more sources for a precise and reliable study.
Based on this study, many historical events did happen on the same month of the researcher’s birthday. Some created great effect on today and others are just headlines that shook the world. It’s a way of discovering new things about history and also getting to remember it because it took a mindful of research to get all the information. It also serves as an achievement for a student to create a research paper and applying all that they have learned in their subject.

BODY
January 31, 1996
50 Dead in Sri Lanka suicide bombing
BBC News UK (1996) reported more than 50 citizens of Sri Lanka died during a suicide bombing at the country’s central bank while 1,400 were injured. There was a truckload of explosives that crashed into the bank which triggered the bombing. Many believed that the Tamil Tigers, a very organized terrorist in the world, were the one’s responsible for this tragic explosion. The group had been fighting for their homeland’s independence which led to the death of almost 40,000 citizens for the past 12 years.
Three men went out of the truck with guns blazing and bombs were thrown. The explosion caused two floors of the 10-storey bank to collapse. Also, windows from a 39-storey building shattered which was still under construction then. The driver of the truck died and two youths wearing jackets filled with explosives were arrested. The employees of the bank that were located in the upper floors of the burning building were taken by helicopters to safety while guests in the Intercontinental Hotel, a luxury hotel in the area, were asked to evacuate.
This explosion greatly impacted the country’s tourism dropping it by 40% while employees were decreased and rates were dropped to attract tourists.

January 26, 1996 (Published)
A New Urban Nightmare: A Communist Hit Squad Targets the Capital
According to Asia Week (1996), on a December 11 morning, Leonardo Ty, a Filipino-Chinese billionaire, together with his driver were killed by three young men who shot them in a Mercedes-Benz with .45 automatic pistols while in a middle of traffic. The assassins escaped in a jeepney.
The Alex Boncayao Brigade admitted on doing the crime. They are a communist death squad who seek revenge for the deaths of 17 workers from different types of accidents in Ty’s paper factory. They adopted a Maoist-type of revolution and they are related to the Communist Party of the Philippines.
On the same day of the crime, the group targeted two other Filipino-Chinese businessmen, namely Benjamin Yu and Ramon Chua. Yu survived a shot on the thighs while Chua managed to escape any type of injury but his bodyguard and his Singapore friend’s 5 year old son were killed. This signifies the start of the group’s weakening in the government by first taking out top contributors or leaders in the economic sector to greatly affect investments. This was according to the Philippine National Police’s director for intelligence Clyde Fernandez.
There are a lot of theories about who the ABB really are, like if they’re probably a guns-for-hire group for Ty or they are a small group of 20 or so of misguided terrorists and bandits. Overall, Fernandez considers the danger of these existing terrorists since Manila’s rates for kidnappings, robberies, rapes and murders are very high.

January 31, 1976
Death of Ernesto A. Miranda
Ernesto A. Miranda was a citizen of Phoenix, Arizona who was convicted of kidnapping, rape and robbery. The case began on 1963 during his arrest when the police suspected him of stealing $8.00 in cash from a Phoenix, Arizona bank worker and did not inform him of his rights to get an attorney and against self-incrimination but still was accused of the said crimes. He confessed on doing the crime, including his kidnapping and raping of an 18 year old girl 11 days earlier, while the police recorded these as evidence. The trial was hugely based of his confessions and he was granted 20-30 years of imprisonment. He and his attorneys unsuccessfully appealed to the Arizona Supreme Court and then they appealed next to the US Supreme court where the court reviewed the case in 1966 (McBride, n.d.).
On June 30, 1966, the US Supreme Court reversed the trial and gave Miranda a second trial where his confessions are not considered as evidence and the “Miranda Rights” is established for the rights of people accused in crimes. But this trial still convicted him 11 years in prison for the same crimes. He was granted a parole afterwards. He gained money by selling autographed Miranda Warning cards and continued his criminal life by getting arrested many times for driving offenses until he was suspended in his driving privileges. He lived in cheap hotels and spent most of his time in bars until in January 31, 1976 where a violent fight broke in La Amapola bar in Phoenix and he was stabbed by a knife. He was declared dead on arrival at the age of 35 at Good Samaritan Hospital. The suspect was read his Miranda Rights (Longley, n.d.).

January 1976 (National Geographic)
Endangerment of Harp Seals
Pagophilus groenlandicus (with literal meaning “the ice-love from Greenland) gets its common name, Harp Seal, not only from the sound it makes but the harp-shaped black mark on an adult’s silver back. They started migrating in 1976 from the west coast of Greenland and Canada’s eastern Arctic to the wintering grounds off the coast of Labrador and in the Gulf of St. Lawrence so the female harp seals will give birth to a pup. It was controversial and debateable during this time about the hunting on these Arctic creatures. Conservationists and human groups have expressed their want to end the hunting of these creatures. They also described the method of killing them by banging their skulls as they lie defenceless on the ice. The Canadian Minister of Fisheries responded to these actions by investigating on the problem and setting up annual hunting quotas. But it seems that this reduction of quota is too late, considering that since 1950’s, the population of harp seals dropped more than a half, from roughly 3,300,000 to 1, 250,000. Total ban of sealing vessels and reduction of quotas cannot help in preventing the severe decreasing of their population before the end of the century. They were in great danger of being extinct, especially when the hunters target the pups or newly born harp seals with their white coats as their livelihood (Lavigne, 1976).
Based on the experiment by David Lavigne and Nils Øritsland that was performed through the usage of ultraviolet photography in an aerial survey camera, there are only fewer than a million harp seals in the Western Atlantic. It is proof that the population of these animals have been declining for the past years, despite of the hunting quota reduction and banning of large sealing vessels.

January 31, 1946
Project Diana – Radar roundtrip to the Moon
After the World War 2, the United States military leaders asked the US Army Signal Corps to research on the ability of long – range radar to detect incoming missiles. They sought to find solutions in preventing destruction by future rocket or nuclear weapon launches targeting their country, like the ones that happened during the Second World War. The first attempt was unsuccessful before the war. This lead to the creation of Project Diana, named after the Goddess of the Moon, which later became the United States’ first step in starting the Space age.
The project was assigned to Lt. Col. John Dewitt who actually had an interest in astronomy. They were assigned to find out if radar waves can enter the ionosphere without the long – range missile curving as it tries to reach its target. Dewitt chose the moon as its first distant target and named the project after the goddess of the moon, Diana. According to Reed and Swanson (1996), “the project scientists greatly modified a SCR-271 bedspring radar antenna, set it up in the northeast corner of Camp Evans, jacked up the power, and aimed it at the rising moon on the morning of January 10, 1946. A series of radar signals were broadcasted, and in each case, the echo was picked up in exactly 2.5 seconds, the time it takes light to travel to the moon and back.”
This event was also considered as mankind’s first contact with non-terrestrial objects which later many space programs and missions followed. The naming of the program also influenced the names of other space projects after ancient Greek and Roman gods, like Mercury and Apollo.
On January 31, 1946, Universal Studios produced a film that features exact footages from the program that was held at Camp Evans, Fort Monmouth, New Jersey, including the setting up of the instruments and Lt. Col. Dewitt’s discussion on the experiment itself and the possibilities that await in the future of space missions.

January 29, 1896
Emile Grubbe becomes first doctor to use radiation treatment on breast cancer
In 1895, German Physicist Wilhelm Roentgen discovered X-Rays. This became the basis for the creation of radiotherapy and mammography. Since the rays it produces doesn’t only have the ability to pass through tissues but also kill certain cancers. Soon, three cancers were being treated by this: Two by Herman Goeht and one by Emile Grubbe.
Emile Grubbe was German but he was born in Chicago because his parents were immigrants. He developed an interest in experimenting with X-Rays after Roentgen’s discovery. He got so interested that he had blisters and tumors on his hand and neck from overexposure to radiation from the device. A professor from the same homeopathic medical school he was attending suggested to Grubbe that he should use radiation therapy on breast cancer. In homeopathic medicine, one of its basic premises is that treatments with small dosages can heal those symptoms that large dosages can cause. Reuben Ludlam, professor from the same homeopathic medical school, told Grubbe that radiation may be used to treat tumors since they also cause them (Ullman, 2011).
The treatment was first given to Mrs. Rose Lee, an elderly patient suffering from breast cancer which had relapsed post mastectomy – the tumor developed into a mass which gave unbearable pain. The treatment was performed for 18 consecutive evenings. Soon, it made the mass shrink – this became the first documented local response to the history of X-Ray therapy. But after 3 months from the initial treatment, the tumor returned and Lee died anyway. Grubbe concluded that radiation can be used to only treat local or newly formed tumors and this was the beginning of radiation oncology.

January 31, 1896
Publication of Kalayaan newspaper
Katipunan was a Philippine revolutionary group that consists of Anti-Spanish Filipinos who seek independence by revolution from the Spaniards who ruled their country. Andres Bonifacio, Teodoro Plata, and Ladislao Diwa started the organization. It was a secret organization until the outbreak in 1896 which started the Philippine Revolution. The group was revealed to the Spaniards after their member named Teodoro Patino confessed the group’s illegal activities to his sister, the mother portress of Mandaluyong orphanage. Seven days after the revelation, the members tore their cedulas during the Cry of Balintawak.
The organization had their own publication, Ang Kalayaan. They had their own printing press since they fear of betrayal and discovery but the capacity of that printing press was low. However in 1895, two members from Kalibo, namely Francisco del Castillo and Candido Iban, who recently returned to the Philippines after working in Australia as pearl divers and won in a lottery, bought a press for the Katipunan. On December 31, 1895, according to Valenzuela, a meeting was held in Andres Bonifacio’s house to elect members of the new Supreme Council in Katipunan. Bonifacio was re-elected as President, Emilio Jacinto as Secretary and he, Valenzuela, was elected as Fiscal. The next day, Valenzuela proposed to handle the printing press in condition that Bonifacio, who had the printing press in his house, should give this to him so he can directly manage and edit the monthly review. Bonifacio agreed to this and in mid-January 1896, the printing press was transferred to Valenzuela’s home in Calle de Lavezares in san Nicolas. He then recruited two of his Polo, Bulacan townmates, namely Ulpiano Fernandez, who earned a living as printer with the paper El Comercia, and Faustino Duque, a Colegio de San Juan De Letran student.
However, Valenzuela claimed he did not have time to do the job since he was busy in his commitments as physician and organizer for Katipunan. So this obligation was passed to Emilio Jacinto who went to Valenzuela’s house after his pre-law classes in University of Santo Tomas. On the production side, the printer lacked letters, particularly “k”, “w”, “h”, “y” and the common vowels. Jacinto asked his mother, Josefa Dizon, for P20 so he could buy type from Isabelo de Los Reyes, owner of a printing press, and Valenzuela begged and bought some more from Diario de Manila employees. Even then, there was only enough type to make one page at a time, and the process of setting all eight pages took two months before completing. On its masthead, it was dated January 1896. But due to problems, the paper finally appeared in mid-March.
Valenzuela claimed that 2,000 copies were printed, but Epifanio de los Santos stated that there were just 1,000 of which 700 were distributed in Manila by Andres Bonifacio and other surrounding towns, 200 by Emilio Aguinaldo in Cavite and the remaining 100 by Pio Valenzuela in Bulacan.
The circulation of this paper attracted new thousands of members. By the revolution in August 1896, Valenzuela estimated that there were 20,000 to 30,000 members. The paper was the first and last of its publication prior to August 1896. It contained the message of liberty the leaders – Bonifacio, Jacinto and Valenzuela – wanted the people to hear and be mindful of (Richardson, 2005).

CONCLUSION
The researcher concluded that making a research consists of being careful in inputting data and looking for sources or references. A single mistake, like in indentions, proper punctuations, proper usage of active voice and citations, can ruin the paper itself since it must be clear and concise, thus making the research process a little challenging. Also, citations must strictly follow the APA format so it is important to keep in mind the rules in citing references. Paraphrasing and summarizing of a text must be carefully done to avoid being accused of plagiarism. Lastly, it is important to be careful in choosing references because the credibility of each article or source is not always good.
Students should not take this project as a stressing matter because it is just a research about events that happened on their birthday. It allows them to explore new ways in researching and exercises their English grammar and application of Technical Writing skills.

Bibliography
A Communist hit squad targets the capital. (January 26, 1996). Asiaweek, 22, 25.
BBC News (31 January, 1996). 1996: Fifty dead in Sri Lanka suicide bombing. Retrieved November 14, 2012, from http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/january/31/newsid_4083000/4083095.stm.
Bradley, D. (January 11, 2012). Dr. Emil Grubbe: The first X-ray martyr. Dotmed news. Retrieved November 25, 2012, from http://www.dotmed.com/news/story/17747?p_begin=1.
Lavigne, D. (January 1976). Life or death for the Harp Seal. National Geographic, 149 (1), 129 – 142.
Longley, R. (n.d.). Miranda: Rights to remain silent. Retrieved November 21, 2012, from http://usgovinfo.about.com/cs/mirandarights/a/miranda_2.htm.
Mcbride, A. (n.d.). Miranda V. Arizona (1966). Retrieved November 21, 2012, from http://www.pbs.org/wnet/supremecourt/rights/landmark_miranda.html.
Reed, M.B. & Swanson, M. (June 1996). Evaluation of selected cultural resources at Fort Monmoth, New Jersey: Context for cold war era, revision of historic properties documentation, and survey of Evan Area and sections of Camp Charles Wood. Retrieved November 22, 2012, from http://www.campevans.org/_CE/html/diana.html.
Richardson, J. (November 2005). Notes on Kalayaan, the Katipunan paper. Studies on the Katipunan. Retrieved November 27, 2012, from http://kasaysayan-kkk.info/studies.kalayaan.htm.
Ullman, D. (April 3, 2011). Homeopathy for radiation poisoning. The Huffington Post. Retrieved November 25, 2012, from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dana-ullman/homeopathy-for-radiation-poisioning_b_842664.html.

Similar Documents

Free Essay

News Writing

...33 CHAPTER Newswriting basics Ready to write a simple news story? This chapter introduces you to the concepts and formulas all reporters have learned to rely upon. IN THIS CHAPTER: 34 Just the facts Be aware of what’s factual — and what’s opinion. 36 The five W’s The essentials: who, what, when, where, why. 38 The inverted pyramid How to write stories so the key facts come first. 40 Writing basic news leads Putting your opening paragraphs to work in the most informative, appealing way. 42 Beyond the basic news lead Not every story needs to start with a summary of basic facts; you have other options. 44 Leads that succeed A roundup of the most popular and dependable categories of leads. 46 After the lead . . . what next? A look at nut grafs, briefs, brites — and ways to outline and organize stories efficiently. 48 Story structure How to give an overall shape to your story, from beginning to middle to end. 50 Rewriting First you write. Then you rethink, revise, revamp and refine until you run out of time. 52 Editing Reporters have a love-hate relationship with editors. But here’s why you need them. 54 Newswriting style Every newsroom adapts its own rules when it comes to punctuation, capitalization, etc. 56 Making deadline When you’re a reporter, you live by the clock. How well will you handle the pressure? 58 66 newswriting tips A collection of rules, guidelines and helpful advice to make your stories more professional. ...

Words: 13302 - Pages: 54

Free Essay

10 Steps of Effective Copywriting

...great copy in ten easy lessons. Afterward, you’ll get recommendations for professional training, plus links to tutorials on SEO copywriting and writing killer headlines. 1. Don’t Read This or the Kitty Gets It! 2. To Be or Not To Be? 3. How to Write Headlines That Work 4. Why Writing Headlines Deserves a Second Installment 5. The Structure of Persuasive Copy 6. Now Featuring Benefits! 7. “Kids Eat Free” and Other Irresistible Offers 8. This Article Rocks. . . I Guarantee It! 9. The Long and Short of Copywriting 10. The #1 Secret to Great Copy Is. . . Don’t Read This or the Kitty Gets It! Poor Fluffy. I asked you not to do this, and you’ve gone and broken the rules. Things don’t look good for this cute little kitten I’ve taken hostage in case my demands were not met. She is awfully sweet, though. We’ll just have to wait until later on in the article to decide the fate of Fluffy. But first, we really do need to discuss the ultimate goal of good copywriting. Stick with me and I’ll go easy on the cat, deal? Let’s get started. What is the primary purpose of any piece of writing that you put out online — whether a blog post, a networking email, a sales letter or a tutorial? For starters, to get what you’ve written read, right? Makes sense. So, what’s the primary purpose of your headline, your graphics, your fonts, and every other part of the content? The simple, surprising answer is… To get the first sentence read. This may seem somewhat...

Words: 6150 - Pages: 25

Free Essay

Chapter 9

...Chapter 9 8. Discuss the role of headlines in a print advertisement. What is the difference between a direct headline and an indirect headline and when might each type be used? “A headline has 5-7 seconds to get the attention of a reader. Not only that, but statistics show that only 2 out of 10 readers will read past your headline. That means if you’re going to hook your reader, you need to do it right away” (8 Types of Headlines that Compel Your Readers to Action, 2009). In addition to grabbing the reader’s attention, the headline must offer some type of value to the reader in exchange for them taking the time to read your piece. “Direct headlines are straightforward and informative in terms of the message they are presenting and the target audience they are directed toward. A direct headline may be used when someone or somewhere is offering a specific benefit, making a promise, or announcing a reason the reader should be interested in the product or service” (George E. Belch, 2014). For example, an ad “LandlordMax – 30% off today only” (8 Types of Headlines that Compel Your Readers to Action, 2009). “An indirect headline is not straightforward about identifying the product or service or getting to the point. However, they are often more effective at attracting readers’ attention and interest because they provoke curiosity and lure readers into the body copy to learn an answer or get an explanation. Some ways to write indirect headlines is by using questions, provocations...

Words: 368 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Grammar and Syntax

...discourse topic. Sentence topics are different from discourse topics, but not completely independent of them. The topic of the sentence is the main element of the discourse topic. Marcrostructures * Macrostructures derives the topic of discourse from the text and is has one or more macropropositions which expresses the discourse topic of the text. Macropropositions are derived by mean of macrorules. Macrorules summarises and reduces information. Thus, it has three kinds: deletion, generalization and construction. Headlines and leads * Headlines and leads have an important role in news stories, because they are supposed to summarize the most important points of the article and orient it in a specific direction. However, sometimes headlines may express secondary topics. Headlines of this kind are called "biased" as well as lead too. The discourse topic is the main topic of the article. We are able to discover possible bias by comparing the headline and lead with the discourse topic of the article. If they reflect the...

Words: 552 - Pages: 3

Free Essay

Wideman

...Saumil Patel English 1111 Wideman It was Sonia’s birthday, my girlfriend, and I was invited to her house for her birthday party. I bought a gift for her and went to the party. Her house was crowded with a lot of people and I knew a lot of them. I met with her family and friends that I did not know. The party was really nice. There was good music and amazing food. Sonia’s dad walked in the house with a cake. Lets go everybody! It’s time to cut the cake. Everybody gather around and started singing happy birthday song. She cut the cake and gave some to her parents. I was looking for her brother, Dhaval, because I have never met him before. Sonia only told me once that she has a brother, so I did not know what he looked like. I really wanted to meet him. Where is your brother? I don’t wanna talk about him right now. We’ll talk about him some other day. After hearing that, I was very confused. Her brother was like a mystery to me now because Sonia never talked about him, I have never seen him, and he was nowhere to be seen at the party. I was very anxious to know Dhaval and meet him after this incident. After the party was over everybody left, but I stayed for a little bit to help clean up the place. As I was cleaning up, I saw a guy walk down the stairs and go to the kitchen. He looked at me, but did not say anything. I did not know him, so I did not say anything either. Sonia’s mom was in the kitchen and that guy went to the kitchen. I am very disappointed...

Words: 2098 - Pages: 9

Premium Essay

Three Little Pigs

...but it's all wrong. Maybe it's because of our diet. Hey, it's not my fault wolves eat cute little animals like bunnies and sheep and pigs. That's just the way we are. If cheeseburgers were cute, folks would probably think you were Big and Bad too. But like I was saying, the whole big bad wolf thing is all wrong. The real story is about a sneeze and a cup of sugar. THIS IS THE REAL STORY. Way back in Once Upon a Time time, I was making a birthday cake for my dear old granny. I had a terrible sneezing cold. I ran out of sugar. So I walked down the street to ask my neighbor for a cup of sugar. Now this neighbor was a pig. And he wasn't too bright either. He had built his whole house out of straw. Can you believe it? I mean who in his right mind would build a house of straw? So of course the minute I knocked on the door, it fell right in. I didn't want to just walk into someone else's house. So I called, "Little Pig, Little Pig, are you in?" No answer. I was just about to go home without the cup of sugar for my dear old granny's birthday cake. That's when my nose started to itch. I felt a...

Words: 941 - Pages: 4

Free Essay

The World Without Photography

...The world without photography would be very different and scary. If we didn’t have photography we wouldn’t have online auctions, or family memories. Photography is not only in the home its everywhere in life including magazines, books, to your children’s birthday parties and weddings. Without photography in the world we wouldn’t be able to view travel destinations. It’s almost like the world with photography is open, but without it it’s closed. It depends on the photographer and what they capture. When we pose for a picture we think back to the pose and the place we had them done. If the photographer makes you genuinely laugh or they capture you guys when you’re not looking in a happy moment then when you look back at the photo it brings back fond personal memories. Nature photographs are always real. When people take pictures of a car or something to post to sell usually 99% of the time it’s the real thing they are trying to sell. On that note I would say that photography is real most of the time. Some of my Experiences with photography are capturing memories of my family. When I capture a picture of my son I always think I want this for him when he grows up so that he can have them to share with his family one day. I also enjoy capturing peaceful surroundings to reinitiate the feeling I had when standing there in the moment. Photography has allowed me to share my memories with the people in my life; it has also allowed me to share theirs. It brings family and...

Words: 386 - Pages: 2

Free Essay

Religious Research

...Report on Religious Field Research Assignment 2 December 7th , 2011 Religious understanding is a touchy subject. Many people are ignorant by choice to the principles, teachings, and interpretations of other religions because they feel as though the religion that they were raised in is the one true and correct religion and understanding. Personally, the religion that I have the most interest in learning about is the Jehovah’s Witness religion. I have a lot of question that are rooted in the understanding of my religion and the inconsistencies that I feel the Jehovah Witnesses as a whole possess. Needless to say, I learned quite a bit from my sit down and acute immersion in the Jehovah’s Witness religion. I chose to interview my friend Wyendi and her grandmother to get a well-rounded outlook and understanding ( at least partially) of the religion as a whole. This report will attempt to discuss the misconceptions that I had about the religion, analyze my prior understanding against my understanding now that I have spoken to a Jehovah Witness, discuss whether or not I believe that the misconceptions about the Jehovah Witness religion are common, and present one way that I think could minimize misconceptions that people may have about religions that are not their own. Based on my understanding of the Jehovah Witness religion I had about 6 key questions that I wanted to ask. The first question that I posed to my friend Wyendi and her grandmother dealt with their non-celebration...

Words: 1574 - Pages: 7

Free Essay

Work

...My family knows that I don't like to make a big deal about my birthday. Usually for my birthday they’ll come passed my house and bring their gifts and we’ll chitchat for a bit, but this one particular year my kids were persistent that I go out to dinner with them for my birthday. The day of my birthday, I'm dressed and waiting, as usual my sons are late picking me up, they don’t show up until an hour later. We get to the restaurant and my son goes inside, he then comes back out and says “The wait here is entirely too long. Let’s go somewhere else.” I'm now wondering why he didn't have a reservation if he knew that we were going out. So we go to two more restaurants and it’s the same thing. After the third restaurant, I'm ready to go home. I was so irritated at this point that I told them to take me to McDonalds and then take me home. My son wanted to try one more restaurant, but I was ready to go. So I give in and we go to one more restaurant and it’s the same thing. Now I'm extremely irritated and ready to go home. It’s starting to get late and the majority of the restaurants are closed or closing, so I make them take me home without getting anything to eat. I get home and I'm mad and hungry. When I open the door, everyone yells "Surprise". My demeanor quickly changed from mad to happy and surprised. I was really surprised, and I had no idea. All of my brothers and sisters, closest friends, and family were there. The good thing is, there was so much food and I was...

Words: 412 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Happy Birthday

...Happy Birthday, 1951 by Kurt Vonnegut. Summary: This is a short story about the repercussions of war. The story starts in medias res with an old man choosing the day for a young boy's birthday. There has been a war that ended seven years ago and the pair has been hiding ever since. They were discovered by soldiers and are now filling out their documents. The old man has made a small cart for the boy for his birthday and also takes him for a trip to the countryside. In the calm countryside they discover a rusty tank, which preoccupies the boy a lot. They have lunch and afterwards a small nap. When the old man awakens the boy is gone. He immediately heads for the tank to look for him, fearing he may have drowned in the nearby stream. The boy is nowhere to be seen, but suddenly raises his head from the turret and says “Gotcha!”. (151 words) Characterization of the boy and old man: The boy has never known anything but the war-torn everyday. He has always had to search for food and shelter and has never had a birthday, just as he has missed out on a lot of activities that normal seven-year-olds participate in. He is very preoccupied with the war and the marching soldiers. His birthday gift, which the old man imagines is a grocery cart, the boy pretends to be a tank. Since the boy has never experienced anything but the post-war years he glorifies the soldiers. He has never experienced the gory and bloody truth of war, or known what soldiers do in war. Hence he also...

Words: 774 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Binge Drinking

...“getting drunk” amongst my peers was definitely viewed as a rite of passage because it symbolized that you’re officially an adult. Binge drinking was the only way many of my friends celebrated their 21st birthday. Besides consuming large quantities of alcohol on their 21st birthdays, my friends would also get intoxicated after a night of partying at a club or hanging out, which turned into a habit. They encouraged me to participate in binge drinking, but I was fearful due to the horror stories I’ve heard. Some of my friends explained to me how horrible a hangover felt, and how they couldn’t remember what happen the night before when they drank too much alcohol, which made me think twice about getting intoxicated. I remember the time when one of my friends was arrested and charged with a D.U.I. He told me he spent some days in jail and had to appear in court. As a result of his negligence, his license was suspended. I’ve learned so many lessons from my friends about binge drinking that it forced me not to engage in it. These experiences provided me with plenty insight about the dangers and consequences of binge drinking. From my experience of partying and hanging out with friends, I’ve seen many college students participate in binge drinking whether it was for their 21st birthday or for other...

Words: 284 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Dbms

...4. In the section "Disadvantages of File Processing Systems," the statement is made that the disadvantages of file process- ing systems can also be limitations of databases, depending on how an organization manages its databases. First, why do organizations create multiple databases, not just one all- inclusive database supporting all data processing needs? Second, what organizational and personal factors are at work that might lead an organization to have multiple, independently managed databases(and,hence,not completely follow the database approach)? 6. A driver's license bureau maintains a database of licensed drivers. State whether each of the following represents data or metadata. if it represents data, state whether it is structured or unstructured data. If it represents metadata, state whether it is a fact describing a property of data or a fact describing the context of data. Driver's name, address, and birth date The fact that the driver's name is a 30-character field A photo image of the driver An image of the driver's fingerprint The make and serial number of the scanning device that was used to scan the fingerprint The resolution (in megapixels) of the camera that was used to photograph the driver The fact that the driver's birth date must precede today's date by at least 16 years 17. Draw an ERD for each of the following situations. (If you believe that you need to make additional assumptions, clearly state them for each situation.) Draw the same...

Words: 1310 - Pages: 6

Free Essay

Lotteries

...Application of Birthday Paradox With regards to the investigation of the application of birthday paradox, it becomes vital to follow some basic rules that relates with lottery1. In this case, consider the situation of a ticket SuperCash. In this case, make a choice of six various numbers that have a range from 1 to 39 with the objective of marking them on the panels. In this regard, it is possible to calculate the odds for winning the jackpot of a value of $350,000 through the use of the combinatorics simply because the order of the numbers does not have an effect on the outcomes. Following the basic equation of combinatorics; ∅k=∅!k!∅-k! Where ∅ = refers to the number of numbers to choose from; k = number of numbers that are chosen. 39!6!39-6!= 39!6!33!= 3262623 sets of numbers In consequence, the odd that leads to the winning of the lottery are in this case has a value of 1 with respect to the quantity of the set of the possible combinations2. 13262623≅0.00003% 1Huck, Schuyler W. 2012. Reading Statistics And Research. Boston: Pearson.23 2ibd.45 Upon the application of the general formula to the lotteries will require the use of the birthday paradox with the objective of finding the solution of the problem. However, it is worth to first find the manner in which the paradox works altogether. Based on the birthday paradox, with the consideration of a room situation that has a total of 23 people, in this case the odds for a minimum of two people that share similar birthdays is indeed...

Words: 1652 - Pages: 7

Free Essay

A Happy Birthday

...“Happy Birthday!”, what does that even mean? A ‘wish’. A wish? A wish for my birthday girdled in happiness. With no trace of sorrow and misery and all things making life what it truly is. Sometimes I feel that the wish had enough, and rebelled to be an order. A commandment for happiness. Required. Or demanded, of course. And what’s with happiness anyhow? Is happiness really the one truth? Can one not wrap themselves up with unhappiness on their birthday? The lone thing which they know can keep them warm and safe. Can one not feel lonely?, or grief?. Can one not celebrate sorrow?, heartache? And anguish? No. It is my birthday. I must be happy. I must shake off my depression and attempt to enjoy and revel in the astronomical splendor of the day; or at the very least, pretend to. And what is it, which I’m being asked to celebrate? What is so exceptional about a birthday? A day I cannot even remember. A day with no memorable significance. A day of ‘what’ and ‘how’, but no ‘why’. A day, stripped of its conventional festivity, holds no sense, and no memory which I can take to my grave. What should I celebrate then? Is it the celebration of the culmination of nine months, and more, of struggle which my parents braved?; the sacrifices they made and the pain my mother endured?; the ‘happiness’ which ‘they’ felt when they heard me cry for the first time?; The only time my tears brought a smile to their face. Then why am ‘I’ being celebrated? My adolescent birthday...

Words: 445 - Pages: 2

Free Essay

English

...AP lit MR Rich Yibo zhao The Birthday Party Free write The first time I read this story I was lost about the development of plot. I thought it should be a happy ending when I finished reading the beginning part of this essay , however it wasn't . I didn't realize this until I read it times by times. I think "Birthday Party" reveals how unpleasant a marriage can be even more worse when spouses are lack of thought and there was some hints in the essay. The man is plain looking, almost no special exterior, except for author's hint that he has a "self-satisfied face" (Line 3)---he is pretty confident about himself, but even more importantly with where he stands as man of the family. And also author ironically reveals that it is the husband's birthday and that the wife has pulled together a "little surprise" (line 6) for him, demeaning the wife's plans by calling them little. From these two hint I started to understand why this story did not have a happy ending. The description of the next scene explores the difference between the wife's behavior and her husband's. The wife has a certain amount of youthful spirit to her---like a child, she still feels happy about planing a surprise and keeping the secret. However, it is hard for the husband to consider the "small but glossy birthday cake" (line 7) as cute or loveable. Maybe the single candle on the tiny cake is representative of the couple's romance, but instead of lighting with passion and intensity, the candle...

Words: 416 - Pages: 2