What To Do?

WHAT TO DO? Its hard enough being a teenager, but being a teenager in this ghetto slum just depresses me. Every night I am awoken by the sound of gunshots or once in blue moon police sirens. The only way I can describe it is like a food chain, the gangs are the hawks and people like myself are the terrified mouse, and we play by their rules and no one else's. Most of the kids my age in this area are into drugs, drink and everything else bad I do have one good friend though, his name is David, and he's a life long friend. We've been at school together for 5 years and we do everything together or we used to. We haven't done much recently because he hasn't been at school or around my house. My mum will not let him in my house or let me play with him. She says that's something's changed about him and she's seen him in gangs up to no good. I told her that was stupid and I know him and trust him and know he wouldn't cross that line, because of my mum I can only see him at school which I haven't recently because he's ill. I often peer out of my window to see if he's with one of the several gangs that suspiciously squat on street corners waiting to pounce on their unsuspecting prey, but to my relief he isn't. Schools boring without him, I have no one to talk to at lunchtime. Things haven't changed, the other kids still make fun of me, but it didn't used to feel so bad, maybe that

  • Word count: 796
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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What factors influenced the progress of the Henrician reformation?

What factors influenced the progress of the Henrician reformation? 1/31/2004 Henry VIII of England in 1534 decided to replace the Pope as Head of the Church in England and appoint himself as the Supreme Head of the Church of England and consequently ruling England as a Catholic country without the Pope. The factors influencing this break with Rome were hardly religious though the state of the pre-reformation church was a factor. The main reasons were power and money, the divorce from Catherine of Aragon and Henry's need for a male heir. It has been argued that the Church before the reformation was a failing and corrupt institute and therefore Henry had to appoint himself as the Supreme Head in order to reform church practices. Many historians like Elton have claimed that anti- clericalism was widespread, Elton states, 'The clergy themselves attracted more dislike than love.' This is not true as many revisionist historians have discovered that these allegations were lies that Cromwell and other officials used to give Henry an excuse for a reformation, as C. Haigh says, 'he attacked institutions and forms of piety which were growing and vigorous.' Henry used this perceived corrupt condition of the English church as an excuse to reform the church and appoint himself 'Supreme Head'. Political reasons therefore must have been foremost in Henry's mind

  • Word count: 1462
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: History
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"While an unwritten constitution has the merit of flexibility, this flexibility is purchased at the expense of individual rights." - Discuss

Question: "While an unwritten constitution has the merit of flexibility, this flexibility is purchased at the expense of individual rights." The United Kingdom has acquired for itself an unwritten constitution. The body of rules relating to the structure, functions and powers of the organ of state, their relationship to one another and to private citizens is to be derived from common law, statutes and constitutional conventions. It is therefore learnt that the English constitution does not impose limits on what may be done by ordinary legislation in the way that many other constitutions do. The constitution adapts for itself a flexible system of governing. The legislative competence of the Uk Parliament is unlimited and therefore the law states that no Parliament can bind its successors or be bound by its predecessors. It also states that the courts cannot question the validity of an Act of Parliament. Therefore, no formal mechanism exists ensuring that the rights of the minorities and individual citizens are not infringed by Parliament. In 1976, Lord Hailsham put forward the view that the current constitutional arrangements amounted to an elective "dictatorship" for which the only remedy was a written constitution, where there was a clear separation of powers. Lord Hailsham felt that although absolute power was conferred on Parliament, those powers were concentrated in an

  • Word count: 1046
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Law
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Describe Khrushchev and Brezhnevs domestic policies. To what extent did they benefit the Russian people?

USSR 1945-1990 Describe Khrushchev and Brezhnev’s domestic policies. To what extent did they benefit the Russian people? Despite Russia’s recovery during Stalin’s final years, there were a number of pressing issues, including the low standard of living among industrial and agricultural workers, and the inefficiency of agriculture which was still quite a long way off from providing all Russia’s. When Khrushchev came to power, he was fully aware of all his country’s problems, and he was determined to introduce important changes as part of a general de-Stalinization policy for Russia. First of all, industry was still organized on the Five Year Plans, but for the first time, they focused more on light industries, producing consumer goods (such as radios, television sets, washing and sewing machines). This was all in an attempt to raise the living standards of the workers. To reduce Russia’s over-centralization and to encourage efficiency, a hundred Regional Economic Councils were set up to make decisions about and organize their local industries. Managers were encouraged to make profits, instead of merely meeting quotas, and wages now depended on output. These undeniably capitalist measures certainly shocked the more conservative communist Russians, and these were primary reasons behind Khrushchev’s replacing by the Central Committee. But these certainly led to an

  • Word count: 1065
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: History
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How does Shakespeare present the falling in love of Ferdinand and Miranda in a typically romantic way and what is their relationship to the play as a whole?

How does Shakespeare present the falling in love of Ferdinand and Miranda in a typically romantic way and what is their relationship to the play as a whole? The concept of the relationship between Miranda and Ferdinand is one of the fundamental aspects of the play. In relation to the plot itself, the eventual idea that the pair will eventually end up together is part of Prospero's 'big plan', as it were. Shakespeare not only presents their falling in love and relationship as an important part of the make up of his play, but also uses the two characters to bring up a number of different concepts and themes, in addition to showing the audience the internal struggle Prospero faces and as a means to look more closely at the character of the 'protagonist'. This idea that Prosper is the hero of the play is in many ways justifiable, however Shakespeare makes his main character very interesting through his in depth presentation of his characteristics; he is a man plagued by emotional conflictions, facing both the mental struggle of effectively giving up Miranda to Ferdinand and the feelings of anger and betrayal that are so prominent throughout. There is also his excessive perfectionism and need to be in control at all times, along with a mean and rather cruel side that comes out through his treatment of Caliban. Altogether his character and personal struggles make Prospero a

  • Word count: 1631
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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Remind yourself of 'Tractor.' How far and in what ways do you think this is a characteristic Ted Hughes poem.

Remind yourself of 'Tractor.' How far and in what ways do you think this is a characteristic Ted Hughes poem. "Tractor" has a lot of similarities with a lot of Ted Hughes other poems. It has the same viewpoint raised in it that is raised in quite a few of his other poems. There is an obvious struggle between nature and mankind although the tractor seems to be leaning more towards the side of nature. The fight continues with the progression of events. The outcome of the poem is inevitable because in a typical Ted Hughes fashion poem nature wins against man. It seems impossible for anyone to stay out in the extremely cold weather for another moment, which proves that in some cases nature is more dominant than mankind. "Eyes weeping in the wind of chloroform." The strength of nature is revealed by the language and imagery used in "Tractor." "A spill of molten ice, smoking snow." Ted Hughes uses a lot of compound words and oxymoron's in his poems, which either contradict one another or create emphasis on the extreme weather. In contrast humans who are in direct contact with nature humiliate themselves yet they ridicule something that is out of their grasp. "It ridicules me- a trap of iron stupidity." Usually things fight against nature but the tractor just gives in by "sinking into its hell of ice." Here Ted Hughes uses the word "hell" to create a strong and vivid image to

  • Word count: 860
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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"Different cultures have different truths." "A truth is that which can be accepted universally." What are the implications for knowledge of agreeing with these opposite statements?

Serena Wales 2/11/03 TOK "Different cultures have different truths." "A truth is that which can be accepted universally." What are the implications for knowledge of agreeing with these opposite statements? "Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall set yet free." A powerful, simple statement, taken from the bible. The eternal struggle of mankind, however, has been to find the truth, and this has proven rather difficult. Is there, as suggested in this quote, only one truth? Or are there different truths, dependant on cultural background or society? Unfortunately, the question as it is phrased is flawed. Both statements are false, so any knowledge gained from either one is also false. Truth is not determined by how many people accept something, whether those people all belong to a single culture, or to the whole world. Truth is determined by reality, and "truth" is the quality of any statement that correctly describes any aspect of reality. If a thing is true, it does not matter if nobody accepts it, it is still true. If a thing is false, it does not matter if everybody accepts it, it is still false. Everyone in the 12th century accepted that the Crusades were for a good cause, although with historical insight we can see that they were not. Another problem with this question is that there is a difference between accepting something and believing in it. People often

  • Word count: 956
  • Level: International Baccalaureate
  • Subject: Theory of Knowledge
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An Investigation into what Drives profit In a Knitwear Manufacturers

It is extremely difficult for company management to consider what works effectively within their organization and what doesn't. This is due to everyday pressures and demands that they face. Companies are often complacent, often due to time restraints, in allowing processes to continue without regular scrutiny. To attain maximum operating potential, it is imperative that a Quality Procedure Manual is set up and followed. Areas that require regular discussions/monitoring/ improvement or corrective action are; Management Review Customer Orders Suppliers and certs of test (analysis, conformance), Measurement data and product identification Control of monitoring and measuring devices Corrective action Purchase orders Nonconforming product Human resources Customer complaints Internal quality audits Internal communication Measurement, analysis and improvement Major plant maintenance Breakdown maintenance Preventive action Product audit. All areas should be subject to daily, weekly or monthly meetings as pre-determined by the Quality Manual. Meetings should be recorded and minutes produced which can be regularly audited. Preventative action identified and implemented in any area of manufacturer can have a positive and beneficial effect on the company's profitability and creditability. Rawlinson's knitwear is the UK's largest school wear manufacturer. They

  • Word count: 988
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: Business Studies
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"Why did relations between the USA and USSR change in the years 1945-49?"

"Why did relations between the USA and USSR change in the years 1945-49?" (15) In the years of 1945-1949, the relationship between the USA and the USSR changed in many shapes and forms due to various reasons. It mainly began at the Yalta Conference in February of 1945 where the three main allied powers of Churchill (Britain), Roosevelt (US) and Stalin (USSR) first met. Here, we can understand that the relations between the two biggest powers - USA and USSR - were very much neutral from the beginning due to the fact that they were "a team" fighting Nazi Germany in the Second World War. Roosevelt wanted to be great friends with Stalin and wanted to unite America and Russia, however, Stalin thought Roosevelt was trying to trick him. At the conference, many agreements were made between the powers including all three countries were to join the United Nations Organisation, Stalin would enter the war against Japan after Germany had surrendered and support America, and more importantly Berlin and Germany would be divided into four zones (American, French, British and Soviet). Yet, by the Potsdam conference in July-August of the same year, the relationship was worse and the communication between the two main powers were at an all time low. This was mainly because America had successfully tested the Atomic bomb one day prior to the start of the meeting. This great step into Nuclear

  • Word count: 1176
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: History
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What affects the speed of a paper helicopter

What affects the speed of a paper helicopter? I am trying to find out what affects the speed of a paper helicopter that we made in the class by experimenting on the plan. Prediction:- I predict that every time we make the wing span smaller the speed will increase. I think this is going to happen because we are cutting down a small surface of the wing which helps the helicopter to slow down. Key factors:- * Wind * Mass * Height dropped from * Surface area of the wing Method:- To carry out this experiment I will cut our a paper helicopter and balance the paper helicopter on a 1meter ruler and hold the helicopter on the ceiling and then say ready, steady and go. When I shout go I release the ruler and the other person times how long it takes for the helicopter to fall on the ground. To carry out a fair experiment I will:- . Do the experiment in the same place because of the wind and the weather. 2. Use the same helicopter because the size and the weight of the paper helicopter may be different which makes the experiment unfair. 3. Same person timing; we should make sure that the same person is timing each time because reaction times vary between people. 4. Same height because obviously if the height is different each time it would be an unfair test because if the height is shorter it will take less time for the helicopter to fall down and if the height is longer

  • Word count: 732
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: Maths
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