One of the foremost reasons supporting the ban of animal testing is the fact that it inflicts horrendous suffering and pain on animals. By testing the safety of different products on animals, the side effects that humans wish to prevent animals instead endure. Can you imagine people poking and prodding you with hundreds of needles just to see if a certain medication causes severe side effects? Can you imagine having your skin erupt in to a mass of blisters and burns just to test certain skin care products? A prime example of this insufferable torture placed on animals occurred through an experiment conducted by the Oregon Regional Primate Research Center. At this center, scientists tested the effects of second hand smoke on fetuses through monkeys. Confined in small metal cages, the monkey’s fetuses underwent extreme exposure to nicotine. Scientists, after recording the data, then killed these monkeys. Nothing in this experiment seems right, just, or humane.

Animal testing has gone one step farther than it ever should have by denying animals of any rights. Even though animals may not have the power to voice their opinions or speak out against their mistreatment, animals all breathe, think, and have individuality. While an animal may never posses the intelligence human’s have acquired over time, they all have the same senses humans have, some more developed than ours. Therefore, animals should be accorded the same rights given to humans. Just like racism, animal testing clearly discriminates against members of another species. Throughout history, laws have restricted racism for humans and have bestowed equality on all. People everywhere cry out against this form of discrimination and they win. The fight to end animal testing should also win. Morals in our world today stress the protection of the less fortunate and the upholding of all rights. Why should these morals stop short of including animals?
The fact that many animals react differently towards certain drugs than humans also supports the ban of animal testing. Statistics show that one hundred thousand people every year die from prescription drugs and more than two million find themselves hospitalized due to serious complications from prescription drugs. Obviously, all the harmful and deadly tests given to animals do not guarantee that products will never harm humans. With all the new technological advances in the medical realm, many “non-animal” alternative tests could easily take the place of testing animals. With new testing methods available, animal testing can no longer be justified.

Each year, five million dogs, cats, rabbits, monkeys, and other animals die due to animal testing. All the facts support stopping this horrendous practice and finding other means to test products before they enter the market. Why continue hurting animals when alternative testing mechanisms exist? Put yourself in the innocent animal’s shoes, would you want to endure that extreme torture?

Just four short years after I had my “life map” down on paper, my mother needed to have serious surgery on her back to correct a two decade old injury. I had to drop out of high school in my junior year to stay at home and take care of her since my father had to work full time. That certainly was not part of plan. I planned to graduate in the top 5% of my class and get a scholarship to college to study agribusiness. However, I had to take my mother’s health into consideration. So I did home schooling to get my diploma. I figured that after her recovery, in a year at most, I would go back to high school, graduate and persue my plan to go to college.

Yet again, my life road took another unexpected turn. I met up with a very good friend I had not seen since 1987. We became close again, then started dating. I intended to go back to school for the final semester of my senior year right before my eighteenth birthday. Needless to say, it didn’t happen. I hit a good patch of “black ice.” For those of you who don’t know what black ice is, black ice happens when the snow melts or there is freezing rain, and the ice is so crystal clear that the asphalt shows right through and you cannot even see the ice patch until it is too late to do anything and you are out of control of the situation.

I started to neglect my studies, spend all my time with this guy, and the sad fact is that my parents encouraged it. They really liked him, and still do. I am now married to him. I got married on the day I should have started my college career.

I am now 22, have been married for four years and have a beautiful daughter and an adorable son. I am glad that I got my diploma through home schooling.

I am also glad that I was able to change my life’s plan to accommodate the patches of black ice that my “car” hit that sent me off into a totally direction than the one I was headed down already. I am glad my life turned out the way it did.

With real black ice, the only thing you can do is to steer into the spin or skid your car unexpectedly takes, and handle the bumps and bruises which might someday mark and extraordinary experience. That is also the only way to handle the black ice on the road of life. The lesson I am trying to impart is this: Don’t always try to escape the unexpected. It might be just what you were looking for along.

Imagine your beauty radiating of an advertisement in Vogue magazine. Light caramel skin so impeccable that it resembles the flesh of a new born. Eyebrows arched in geometric perfection. Short hair free of split-ends and dryness, and highlighted with a tint of brown. Full lips covered in cherry gloss, revealing a mouth full of straight, blindingly white teeth.

The modern woman can only reach a state of bliss when she accepts that society’s standardized notion of beauty will eliminate all of her grief and despair, thus, defining her happiness. It’s only natural that the modern woman strives to achieve physical perfection if she ever wishes to emancipate herself from the oppression and turmoil that restricts her from living in bliss. When attempting to sculpt her body into a masterpiece, Revlon Consumer Products, will assist the modern woman in accomplishing a blissful state of mind by providing the ultimate facial products necessary to attain the beautiful American image. Remember if you look good then you will feel good.

Modern society has a way of unconsciously formulating standards that affects the manner in which a person considers him of her self happy. In order for one to live a pleasurable life one must isolate themselves from society’s superficial nature, in return obtaining the independence to decide what truly makes one happy. By extracting yourself from the matrix you will cease to judge yourself and others on a material bias (deBotton, 58). You will have no reason to indulge in materialistic objects because without society’s “influence”, you will find pleasure in humbler things. It will no longer be of your interest to seek materialistic items to define your happiness because you are free from society’s mental restraints.

If a woman was to have a make-over and become this magnificent portrait of gorgeousness, but did not possess a single friend would she be happy? Contrary to Revlon’s theory, the answer is no. As Epicurus stated, “We don’t exist unless there is someone who can see us existing”. If no one is present to compliment or take notice of the woman’s appearance she would feel her attempts were in vain, and this would lead to feelings of being unappreciated and ultimately, anger. A woman can not base her happiness on the strength of her appearance because this dependency will lead to an obsession that will confine her to living in a delusional box. If the woman did possess true friends she wouldn’t be in this predicament in the first place, because true friends would value and cherish her for who she is, regardless or her appearance.

Yes, the modern woman can find some joy in her attractiveness, but this beauty will have no importance in her life if she has no friends. If the woman separates herself from the traditional thinking of society, she will discover that she is a beautiful woman opposed to society’s pre-conceived vision of beauty. Following the two simple fundamentals of Epicurus’ philosophy, freedom and friendship, will garner an individual, especially the modern woman, more happiness than any material item could ever produce.

A good snack, and great energy booster, chocolate has been around for a long time. Have you ever wondered what life would be like if there was no such thing as chocolate? If chocolate weren’t invented I couldn’t have asked my friend for a piece but instead maybe would have asked for some other candy or something healthier. My thoughts drifted to wondering about the beginning of chocolate.

Today we are using words like “cocoa” or “cacao”. These two words came from fruit trees called “Cacanate”. Chocolate is made from the beans of this tree and was found as early as when Christopher Columbus discovered America. After Columbus found this creation he brought those beans back to Europe and people then made a drink. This drink, made from cocoa beans, was very popular and was known as a “Luxury drink” or a substitution for an alcohol beverage. Some people say that the Mayans found this cocoa tree as far back as the 7th century AD. The cocoa beans were also used as a drink by the Indians and were called ‘xocolatl’, or ‘bitter water’. This drink was made acceptable to the taste by adding sugar and vanilla.
I imagine you’re still wondering who invented chocolate. Well there are two families that are part of the history of chocolate. The first family is the Quaker, Joseph Fry and the Cadbury family. Both families believed that there was a lot of poverty due to alcohol. John Cadbury opened his own business to help those who didn’t have a home by working in the business. Through this business the Cadbury’s opened a small factory to manufacture drinking chocolate and cocoa. This business began to grow and John Cadbury took his brother Benjamin into the business and joined a larger factory.

While the Cadbury business was going well, it had a sudden change and this was known as the most difficult time in the Cadbury’s history. During the 1850’s the chocolate business started to be in trouble and the business was going down hill as was everything else. John Cadbury turned his company over to his sons Richard and George due to his poor health. While the brothers were in charge, they weren’t enjoying their work and was about to leave the Cadbury Chocolate Factory to work in other jobs. The business survived after the brothers dedicated themselves to fixing the problem and soon everything worked out.

The Cadbury brothers started with the first few boxes of chocolates, they produced fancy boxes with cut-out stickers for the kids. Richard Cadbury took a lot of time to design boxes and some of his design still exists today. Richard used his own children as models or flowers and scenes from holidays for the design of boxes. He first introduced his boxes to the British and soon these boxed chocolates helped the business out because they became so popular.

Milk chocolate was made by the Cadbury family in 1897 and is the most popular type of chocolate there is today. By 1913 it was the Cadbury Company named their product Milk Chocolate and was known as the “Brand Leader”. There are more than 250 million bars of Cadbury Dairy Milk sold today.

Although the Chocolate bar was made by the Cadbury family, the history of chocolate itself was started by a man named Joseph Fry. Joseph Fry was a physician who made chocolate in his apothecary shop and made the first milk chocolate bar. After Joseph Fry died in 1803, his son Joseph Storrs Fry took over his fathers shop and his son joined the sons of John Cadbury and they became partners.

In 1847 the first chocolate bar was invented. The great-grandson of Joseph Fry discovered a mix to making this chocolate. He melted cocoa butter into coca powder, along with sugar to create a paste that could be pressed into a mold. This resulted into the first chocolate bar and people started thinking of chocolate as a food as well as a drink. “The Cadbury firm marketed the first box of chocolate candies in 1868”. (Quote taken from the chocolate recipes webpage) I never knew that the people who make oatmeal made chocolate. Cadbury and Quaker were friends and together made the invention of chocolate.

A long time ago, the invention of chocolates came in boxes and is still very popular in Fry’s and Cadbury’s success. In the 1920s and 1930s, these two families had a sales catalogue with different types of chocolate boxes you could buy for gift ideas. You could buy the “5-o’clock” which were chocolates found in a aluminum teapot, “Antony” which were deluxe chocolates found in a handkerchief box, “Nell Gwynne” which were deluxe chocolates found in a box with a metal ornament on a turquoise centre piece, and finally the “Clock Cabinet” which was a cabinet with removable doors with chocolates inside. Some of the other types of gift ideas found in this catalogue were velvet boxes, cabinets filled with three pounds of chocolate.

There is a lot of different type of chocolate bars you can buy. The chocolate bars bought a long time ago were; “Curly Wurly” which was a long lasting chocolate covered caramel treat. “Crunchie” which is still known today made in 1929, it’s made with honeycomb with layers of milk chocolate. “Turkish Delight” made with starch to mold to form the center prior to covering it with chocolate. “Picnic” made wit peanuts, caramel and raisons on a crispy base covered in chocolate. “Double Decker” made with a crispy cereal base covered in chocolate. “Chocolate Cream” which is still available today made with peppermint or an orange cream filling surrounded by chocolate. These are just some of the chocolate bars.

Umm Chocolates…. At the moment the bell rang to end lunch break. My friend and I leave the cafeteria and start to head back to class. I had started lunch with the thought of chocolates. I couldn’t imagine life without it, there would be no Easter egg hunt, or even a great snack to munch on. I am happy the way it is.

The visual representation that I thought best metaphorically mirrored this issue was an electrical wire.

‘Queen Kat, Carmel and St Jude, Get a life’ is about three totally different girls, Katerina, a smart, beautiful girl who comes from a wealthy family, Jude a fiery young woman and Carmel, a reserved musician, all embarking a year in the big city along with enduring and assisting each other through love, heartbreak, and family conflicts while shaping an unbreakable bond.

The differences in personality of the three girls, Katerina, Carmel and Jude is reflected in this electrical wire through the three smaller wires each with their own colour, that are found in side the main white wire. The smaller wires come across as being just the same wire yet each with a unique use also reflect how all three girls appear as three teenage girls yet have a different path in life.

The exterior main white wire is a suggestion of their friendship, strong and durable and how they are encased in their friendship through out the book like the smaller wires are in the white wire.

The representation of the electrical wire also outlines and reveals the relationship between the three girls. In the end, when the three girls came together, forgetting their differences, they were the best of friends, yet throughout the book, when they were paired, they weren’t close, like Katerina and Jude or sparks flew because of their distinction, like in the case of Carmel and Katerina.

This is similar to an electrical wire. When the three smaller wires come together, the wire is complete and can operate, yet when one of the smaller wires is absent, the wire is of no use or sometimes sparks literally fly.

The friendship in this tale plays a major role in the growth of each of the girls and their lives yet their differentiation and struggle to construct their friendship contributed to the end momentum. Comparatively, the smaller wires together form the main white wire yet with their differentiation of individual colour and use, assist in the end purpose.

‘Katerina, Carmel and Jude. Everything had converged, become somehow precious. It was the wonderful, fleeting sense that they were the only three people still alive in this beautiful, beautiful world.’

Mrs. Sobers and fellow classmates we have now entered the “Bermuda Triangle”.

The Bermuda or Devils Triangle is an imaginary area located off the Southeastern Atlantic Coast of the United States, which is noted for a high incidence of unexplained losses of ships, small boats and aircraft. The points of the triangle are generally accepted to be Bermuda, Miami Florida and San Juan Puerto Rico.

Countless theories attempting to explain the many disappearances have been offered throughout the history of the area. The most practical seem to be environmental and those citing human error. The majority of disappearances can be attributed to the areas unique environmental features.

First, the Devils Triangle is one of the two places on earth that a magnetic compass does not point to true north. The amount of variation from the compass can cause changes by as much as 20 degrees. If this variation or error is not compensated for, a navigator could find himself far off course and in deep trouble.

Another environmental factor is the character of the gulf stream. It is extremely swift and turbulent and can quickly erase any evidence of disaster.

The unpredictable Caribbean Atlantic weather pattern also plays its role. Sudden local thunder storms and water spouts often spell disaster for pilots and mariners.

Finally, the topography of the ocean floors varies from extensive shoals around the islands to some of the deepest marine trenches in the world. With the interaction of the strong currents over the many reefs the topography is in a state of constant flux and development of new navigational hazards is swift.

Not to be under estimated is the human error factor. A large number of pleasure boats travel the waters between Florida’s Gold Coast and the Bahamas. All too often, crossings are attempted with too small a boat, insufficient knowledge of the area’s hazards, and a lack of good seamanship.

The Coast Guard is not impressed with supernatural explanations of disasters at sea. It has been their
experience that the combined forces of nature and unpredictability of mankind outdo even the most far fetched science fiction many times each year.

Scores of ships and aircraft have disappeared in the Bermuda Triangle, spawning many explanations, some
rational, some very imaginative. The official explanations on the subject, tend to be reasonable citing the extremely erratic weather and the immense traffic in the region as the reasons behind the occurrences.

Bad weather? Time warps? Alien Abductions? What is your theory on the Bermuda Triangle? Perhaps
the only answers lie beneath the sea at the final resting place of the planes, boats and passengers who once found themselves engulfed in the Bermuda Triangle.