Rivers in the Wasteland by NEEDTOBREATHE free essay sample

Needtobreathe is an American alternative rock band from Seneca, South Carolina. The band is composed of Bear Rinehart with lead vocals, guitar, and piano, Bo Rinehart with backing vocals and guitar, and Seth Bolt with backing vocals and bass. Their most recent album is called â€Å"Rivers in the Wasteland† and was released this year. It is easily recognizable by their more organic and acoustic-driven sound, attributed to the recent resignation of their former drummer Joe Stillwell. This new album is more mature, featuring beautiful lyrics describing their never-ending faith, loyalty to each other, and relationship with God. The opening song, â€Å"Wasteland† is the story of realizing what matters most to us in the end. Sometimes in all of our lives we feel as if we are living in a wasteland, constantly being bombarded with the negativity of society, and this song tells us to have hope and look for the â€Å"river in the wasteland†. We will write a custom essay sample on Rivers in the Wasteland by NEEDTOBREATHE or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page This song perfectly sets up the album, by explaining the title of the album and revealing the trials and tribulations of the band right at the starting gate. â€Å"Brother† is a song essentially about the relationship of the band. Their brotherhood was put to the test with the resignation of Joe Stillwell, and they passed with flying colors. Not only did they come back even stronger than before, but it also reflected in their music. Lines like â€Å"brother let me be your shelter†, and â€Å"I can be the one you call when you’re low† show just how much they care for each other as a band. Bo Rinehart says in an interview â€Å"The band had to go through a pretty tough time to realize how much we needed each other, but we came out the other side with an appreciation that only brothers can have.† â€Å"Difference Maker† is probably the most meaningful and thought-provoking songs in the album. At first it comes off as beautiful and inspirational, but after really listening to the lyrics, you realize it might be just the opposite. It is more of a sad satire, about an arrogant man who looks back at the crowd and says that he is the difference maker; he is the only one who speaks to God. What Bear wanted us to realize is, â€Å"How valuable are we, really?†. It shows us how foolish our pride really is. The last song, â€Å"More Heart, Less Attack† pinpoints the theme of the band as a whole, to be more loving and less hateful or negative. It is the perfect ending to a fantastic album, leaving us inspired and wanting more. In an interview, Bear says that the album to him is autobiographical. He says, â€Å"That’s what the wasteland is all about. There’s a crack in the door filled with light, and that’s all we have to start. Our ambition got in the way and our priorities got in the wrong place, and being on the road, and not knowing where we are. At the end of the album, the truth is there, and we’ve realigned our priorities. That really is the story of what happened to the band over that year. God had a plan for this album.† Rivers in the Wasteland teaches us about love, faith, and brotherhood with inspiring lyrics and beautiful melodies. It is an eye-opening album that I will continue to listen to for many years to come.

Molly Ivins, Sharp-Tongued Political Commentator

Molly Ivins, Sharp-Tongued Political Commentator Molly Ivins (Aug. 30, 1944–Jan. 31, 2007) was a political commentator with a sharp wit- a take-no-prisoners critic of what she considered silly, outrageous, or unfair. Ivins was based in Texas, and both loved and made fun of her state and its culture and politicians. President George W. Bush, a frequent target of Ivins writings, nevertheless praised her after she died, saying he â€Å"respected her convictions, her passionate belief in the power of words, and her ability to turn a phrase.† Bush added: â€Å"Her quick wit and commitment to her beliefs will be missed.† Fast Facts: Molly Ivins Known For: Political commentator with biting witAlso Known As: Mary Tyler IvinsBorn: Aug. 30, 1944 in Monterey, CaliforniaParents: James Elbert Ivins and Margaret Milne IvinsDied: Jan. 31, 2007 in Austin, TexasEducation: Smith College (BA in History, 1966), Columbia School of Journalism (MA, 1967)Published Works: Molly Ivins: She Cant Say That Can She? (1992), Bushwhacked: Life in George W. Bushs America (2003), Who Let the Dogs In? Incredible Political Animals I Have Known (2004)Awards and Honors: Three-time Pulitzer Prize finalist, 2005 Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Womens Media FoundationSpouse: NoneChildren: NoneNotable Quote: There are two kinds of humor. One kind that makes us chuckle about our foibles and our shared humanity- like what Garrison Keillor does. The other kind holds people up to public contempt and ridicule- thats what I do. Satire is traditionally the weapon of the powerless against the powerful. I only aim at the powerful. When satire is aime d at the powerless, it is not only cruel- its vulgar. Early Life Ivins was born in Monterey, California.  Most of her childhood was in Houston, Texas, where her father was a business executive in the oil and gas industry. She went north for her education, getting her bachelors degree from Smith College, after a brief time at Scripps College, and then earned her masters degree from Columbia Universitys Graduate School of Journalism. While at Smith, she interned at the  Houston Chronicle. Career Ivins first job was with the Minneapolis Tribune, where she covered the police beat, the first woman to do so. In the 1970s, she worked for the Texas Observer.  She often published op-eds in The New York Times and The Washington Post.  The  New York Times, wanting a livelier columnist, hired her away from Texas in 1976.  She served as the bureau chief for the Rocky Mountain states.  Her style was, however, apparently was more lively than the Times  expected, and she rebelled against what she saw as authoritarian control.   She returned to Texas in the 1980s to write for the Dallas Times Herald,  given freedom to write a column as she wished. She sparked controversy when she said of a local congressman, â€Å"If his I.Q. slips any lower, we’ll have to water him twice a day.† Many readers expressed outrage and said they were appalled, and several advertisers boycotted the paper. Nevertheless, the paper rose to her defense and rented billboards that read: â€Å"Molly Ivins Can’t Say That, Can She?† The slogan became the title of the first of her six books. Ivins was also a three-time finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and briefly served on the board of the Pulitzer committee.  When the Dallas Times Herald, closed, Ivins went to work for the  Fort Worth Star-Telegram.  Her twice-weekly column went into syndication and appeared in hundreds of papers. Later Years and Death Ivins was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1999. She underwent a radical mastectomy and several rounds of chemotherapy. The cancer went into remission briefly, but it returned in 2003 and again in 2006. Ivins waged a very public battle against cancer. In 2002, she wrote about the disease:  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Having breast cancer is massive amounts of no fun. First they mutilate you; then they poison you; then they burn you. I have been on blind dates better than that.† Ivins worked nearly up to the time of her death, but she suspended her column a few weeks before she passed away. Ivins died on Jan. 31, 2007, in Austin, Texas. Legacy At its height, Ivins column appeared in about 350 newspapers. Upon her death, The New York Times noted that Ivins cultivated the voice of a folksy populist who derided those who she thought acted too big for their britches. She was rowdy and profane, but she could filet her opponents with droll precision. After her death, Time magazine called Ivins a major figure in Texas journalism. In some respects, Ivins and President George W. Bush came to national prominence at the same time, but while Bush came to embrace his political heritage, Molly veered from her own, Time noted in its obituary, adding: Her family was Republican, but she was caught up in the turmoil of the 60s and became an ardent liberal, or populist as Texas liberals like to call themselves. One of the first newspapers Ivins worked for, the Texas Observer, had a simpler take on her legacy: Molly was a hero. She was a mentor. She was a liberal. She was a patriot. And as recently as April 2018, journalists and writers were still mourning her passing and praising her influence. Columnist and author John Warner  wrote in the Chicago Tribune that Ivins work clarifies that the forces that roil our democracy are nothing new. She just saw things more clearly and sooner than many of us. I wish she were here, but I’m thankful her spirit lives on in her work. Sources Seelye, Katharine Q. â€Å"Molly Ivins, Columnist, Dies at 62.†Ã‚  The New York Times, The New York Times, 1 Feb. 2007.â€Å"About Molly Ivins.†Ã‚  By Carey Kinsolving | Creators Syndicate.Warner, John. â€Å"If Only Molly Ivins Could Say Something Now.†Ã‚  Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 25 Apr. 2018.Hylton, Hilary. â€Å"Remembering Molly Ivins, 1944-2007.†Ã‚  Time, Time Inc., 31 Jan. 2007,.PBS, Interview: Molly Ivins. Public Broadcasting Service.

Journal Prompts for the Elementary Classroom

Journal Prompts for the Elementary Classroom As you design a   journal writing program for your students, its a good idea to use journal prompts so that your students are working on productive creative writing. A journal writing checklist helps your students assess their own progress each time they write. Journal Prompts for the Classroom Here is a list of teacher-tested journal topics to help you get started in your journal writing routine: What is your favorite season? Describe how you feel during different times of the year.What is your favorite game? Think about indoor games, outdoor games, board games, car games, and more!Write about your favorite subject in school. What is your least favorite subject?What do you want to be when you grow up? Choose and describe at least three jobs that you think you would enjoy.What is your favorite holiday and why? What traditions do you and your family share?What qualities do you look for in a friend? How do you try to be a good friend to others?Have you ever had to apologize for something you did? How did you feel before and after the apology?Describe a typical day in your life. Use sensory detail (sight, sound, touch, smell, taste) to make your daily experience come to life.Describe a fantasy day in your life. If you could design a whole day to do anything and everything you wanted, what would you choose to do?If you could choose one superpower to have for a day, which would you select? Describe in detail your activities as a superhero. Should children have strict bedtimes? What do you think is a fair bedtime for children your age and why?Write about your brothers and sisters. If you dont have any, do you wish you did?What is more important in life: presents or people?What do you think is the perfect age to be? If you could choose one age and stay that age forever, what would you choose?Do you have any nicknames? Describe where the nicknames came from and what they mean to you.Write about what you do on the weekends. How do your weekends differ from your weekdays?What are your favorite foods? What are your least favorite foods? Describe how it feels to eat each of the foods.What is your favorite type of weather? Write about how your activities change with different types of weather.When you are feeling sad, what cheers you up? Describe in detail.Describe your favorite game. What do you like about it? Why are you good at it?Imagine that you are invisible. Write a story about the day you turned invisible.Describe what its like to be you. Write about a day in your life. What is the most interesting thing that you know how to do? What makes it interesting and why do you do it?Imagine that you went to school and there were no teachers! Talk about what you did that day. Edited By: Janelle Cox

D2 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 3

D2 - Assignment Example fety, I.5 – The educator shall not intentionally expose the student to embarrassment or disparagement, and I.8 – The educator shall not disclose information about students obtained in the course of professional service unless disclosure serves a compelling professional purpose or is required by law (National Education Association, 1975). Explore the Issue (state the facts): The student diagnosed with ADHD scares the younger children at times. The student has a medical condition that causes this behavior. The teacher of the younger students wishes to know what the issue is with the diagnosed student to be able to better handle the effects on his or her students. Initial ideas to solve the problem: If the student directly affects the students in the other teacher’s class, disclosure is acceptable. If the student does not directly affect the students in the other teacher’s class, disclosure is not needed. Actions can be taken to work with the student who is diagnosed in attempt to mitigate the issue. 3. Work with the other teachers being affected by the student’s behavior, and the student themselves, as well as the parents of the diagnosed student to create an IEP that serves to meet the needs of the student, as well as all of the needs of other students that may be affected through the assistance of all adults involved. Revisit, Reflect and Finalize Solution: The best solution is to work with the administrators, counselors, parents, and other affected teachers to come up with an IEP (Individualized Education Plan), which will afford all students the best possible learning environment, and at the same time, ensure that the needs of all students are being met to the educator’s and to the school’s best

Assignment week 3 Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Week 3 - Assignment Example A defendant is overwhelmed by his attorney s references to legal code numbers and statute paragraphs. He does not understand what these terms mean. The communication between these two parties suffers from __________. After reading the articles entitled, â€Å"Read, At Rilers, a Roadblock to Reform† and â€Å"Experience NIC’s Blended Leadership for Captains† as well as watching the video â€Å"Roselinde Torres: What it takes to be a great leader†, what leadership issues do you envision addressing as senior management of a correctional facility? What steps would you endorse and implement to address those chosen issues? Do not forget to provide applicable examples from the articles and video in your response.----- The leadership issue that should be envisioned is that the senior manahgement should be bold in order to avoid compromising their authenticity. They should exercise their full authority in order to obtain the desired goals. During the course of a raid, communication between SWAT team members suffered as excessive static overwhelmed radios. Within the communication process, this static can be viewed as ________ since it interfered with the communication. A correctional officer is upset with the way shifts are scheduled. He decides to air a grievance with the correctional sergeant and provide feedback about the way the sergeant is scheduling work. The officers communication is best considered ________. A training academy instructors trains new recruits on the legal code by communicating to them the relevant laws/statutes that they should be aware of. The training academy instructor, in this example, is the ________ in the communication process. A prison warden regularly consults with her staff regarding key policy decisions, soliciting their input and asking them to vote on major changes. This

Say Yes to Homosexual Marriage Essay Example for Free

Say Yes to Homosexual Marriage Essay Everyone can marry the person they love, the murderers, the corrupt official, the beggar , the thief , the old spinster can get married. Gay, however, cannot. marriage is the last process and expression of love. Traditionally, marriage is an institution and promise about a man and a woman to live forever and form a kinship under the law. Our city – Hong Kong thinks homosexuality is unacceptable. Homosexuality can be classified into two categories: gay and lesbian which a man loves a man and a woman loves a woman respectively. It is a sexual orientation that one can in love with others that share the same sex. Homosexuality marriage is a kind of marriage between two people in same sex or gender. Why homosexual marriage should not be encouraged? A marriage is simply about two people love each other and willing gives a commitment for the relationship. It shouldn’t be banned since gay marriage encourage people to build up a stronger family ties, love is first-rated in terms of marriage and it’s unrelated of gay marriage to trigger other improper forms of marriage .So same-sex couples should have the same legal right of marriage as different-sex couples. The biggest argument for people against same-sex marriage is that it will totally damage and spoil the value of family and affect society in some ways. However, it’s far beyond the truth. As for today, there are lots of sexual problems and sexually transmitted disease in our society such as AIDS. It is the result of improper, unprotected and careless sexual relation. To allow same-sex marriage can help people to build a strong family belief and minimize the problems of the improper sexual lifestyle in society. Marriage is an encouragement asking people to settle down for your partner and is a promise that two in loved people will work to build their own life. Strasser (2006) stated that homosexual marriage sometimes give a helping hand in rebuilding relationship between people. Due to the prohibited of homosexual marriage, thousands of gay people have unsteady relationship. What even worst is they, usually, are having unprotected sex with different partners. This distorts the value of relationship and love. The legalization of same-sex marriage pushes gay couples to build up their family and stop the frivolous life. Eskridge(2011) remarks that marriage can  be classified into private and social institution. For the social institution, marriage is a way to build kinship among two individuals. Thus, it can stabilize and keep society in a harmonic situation as it can group people into ‘us’ as a whole. Absolutely true, the point is that gay marriage would not affect the harmony of the society. More importantly, the prohibition of same-sex marriage have created lots of noise and demonstration in our society, it rather destroy the harmonious rather than stabilizing it. Therefore, why couldn’t approve homosexual marriage to attain a win-win situation? Those who against homosexual marriage stated that it would violate the meaning of marriage and does not respective to what marriage really means. However, do they really know what being married really means? Marriage is all about love. Love is everything its cracked up to be. Thats why people are so cynical about itIt really is worth fighting for, risking everything for. And the trouble is, if you dont risk everything, you risk even more. ( Jong, 2010, P.45) Love should not depends on its gender but feeling. Getting married is the last process of ending the long love journey. It is the one and the only way to show how much a couple loves each other. This is actually what marriage means and the thought behind. Marriage should not just limit to one man and one woman, instead, it should be available for two people no matter what their gender are. â€Å"Over time, people came to view marriage as a relationship between two individuals who were free to organize their partnership and their parenting on the basis of their personal inclinations rather than pre-assigned gender roles.† (cootnz, 2011). Gender, nowadays, become a less essential element of marriage because our feeling matter most. If society only allows different-sex marriage, isn’t it violating the principle of marriage – love and promise? There’s an argument stating that same-sex marriage would lead to the rise of another serious problem towards morality. It could have chain effect that increases the opportunity of other kinds of improper marriage and it distorts the original idea of marriage. The improper marriage includes polygamy: a marriage between a man and two or more wives, Bestiality: a sexual relations between a human and an animal, could be follow. Is same-sex  marriage provide a ‘ slippery slope’ for another forms of marriage? That is not true. The case of having multiple wives and having sexual relation with an animal is too extreme and totally unrelated. Even if there is none case of gay marriage, it couldn’t guarantee the improper marriage like polygamy and bestiality will not happen. Marriage is only about two human beings who are in loved with each other without considering the gender so marriage is just about loves. Wolfson (2003) noted that homosexual marriage sets a precedent for future cases of polygamy and bestiality. This is the weirdest argument because polygamy and bestiality is not just about two human beings. Thus, allowing gay marriage is not a slippery slope of other sort of marriage. Pinello (2006) noted that without true love, marriage cannot be maintained. The ultimate goal of love is getting married. And what’s marriage about is love. Banning homosexual marriage is a cruel way to avoid two loved people to stay with each other. Moreover, it’s not wrong because gay marriage encourage people to build up a stronger family ties, love is first-rated in terms of marriage and it’s unrelated that gay marriage will trigger polygamy and bestiality. Thus same-sex couples should have the same legal right of marriage as different-sex couples. APA referencing: 1) coontz, S.(2011,January 9), from http://www.stephaniecoontz.com/articles/article55.htm/ 2) jong, E (2004). What do women want (3rd ed.) Germany: HarperCollins 3)Eskridge, W.()Case for same sex marriage : from sexual liberty to civilized commitment, New York: free press. 4) strasser, M. (2006) Legally Wed: Same-Sex Marriage and the Constitution, Ithaca: Cornell University Press 5) Wolfson, E. (2003, June 2), E-Journal: For Richer, For Poorer: Same-Sex Couples and the Freedom to Marry as a Civil Right , from http://www.drummajorinstitute.org/library/article.php?ID=5518 6) Pinello, D(2006) Americas Struggle for Same-Sex Marriage ,Cambridge , MA : Cambridge University Press

Political Correctness or Freedom of Speech -- Freedom of Speech

The term political correctness (PC) has infringed on our freedom of speech by assuming that the populace is too ignorant to realize what appropriate speech is. This term is now as common in our society as the term, ‘freedom of speech’. It is incomprehensible how these two words have had such an effect on the manner in which our society communicates. The trend casts a negative view on our society by letting political views determine what is appropriate in our social sector. Political correctness, as applied in today’s society, seeks to control freedom of speech and poses a true danger to a free society. The First Amendment’s focus is the protection of our right to express our thoughts through speech, whether written or verbal. By PC’s intrinsic infringement on these rights, it has become a subtle tool used for dismantling freedom of speech and manipulating the flow of information to the masses. The similarities between political correctness and Marxism are nearly endless. Marxism bred political correctness; therefore, its roots lie in a version of Marxist ideology, derived from the Frankfurt School, which sees culture, rather than the economy, as the site of class struggle. Marxist social theory projects the importance of mass culture and communication in social reproduction and domination. The Marxist theory attacks free speech and the demand for diversity and tolerance over everything except individuals and ideologies deemed ‘intolerant.’ This theory is the beginning of the process of transforming a free nation into a Marxist state. When this theory is presented in a subtle manner, it accomplishes its goal. Although it is often the subject of humor, the political correctness’s of Marxist roots impose societal control and denial... ...rrectness: For and Against. Lanham, Univ Pr of Amer. 1995. Print. Kellner, Douglas Critical Theory, Marxism, and Modernity. Cambridge and Baltimore: Polity and John Hopkins University Press. 1989 Print. Heston, Charlton, Winning the Cultural War Speech delivered 16 February 1999, Austin Hall, Harvard Law School Levine, Lawrence W. The Opening of the American Mind: Canons, Culture, and History Beacon Press; 1st ed. 1997 ---Media Culture. Cultural Studies, Identity, and Politics Between the Modern and the Postmodern. London and New York: Routledge; 1995 Mirkinson, Jack . â€Å"Juan Williams: Muslims On Planes Make Me ‘Nervous’† The Huffington Report on the web 21 Oct. 2010. 07 Dec 2010 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/10/19/juan- williams-muslims-nervous_n_768719.html Wheatland, Thomas. The Frankfurt school in exile. Univ of Minnesota Pr, 2009. Print.