Modern tecnology negative effects free essay sample

1.A mere 20 years after the Internet was founded, people do not yet know how the explosion in digital connectivity is shaping society. 2.Social media or texting on phone changed our grammar and spellings like. The words were â€Å"O.K.† now just â€Å"K†, â€Å"See you† as â€Å"c ya.† and Take Care as TC. 3.The question on researchers’ minds is whether all that texting, instant messaging and online social networking allows children to become more connected and supportive of their friends — or whether the quality of their interactions is being diminished without the intimacy and emotional give and take of regular, extended face-to-face time. 4.A digital divide is â€Å"a generation gap between those who master and do not master digital technology† Essentially; a digital divide is â€Å"the difference between those who know and those who do not know how to act in a digital environment†. 5.The popularity of apps, social networking and gaming among young people could lead to childhood development problems. We will write a custom essay sample on Modern tecnology negative effects or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page 6.People are becoming lazier; choosing to stay at home and play video games than go to a basketball game or get together with friends. 7.Not all technology is bad or evil, but we do need to be careful that we dont become slaves. 8.Newspapers and music stores have been forced to shut down since items are available online. 9.Technology for the most part on youth has been great; the thing is that todays kids have become dependent on their electronics. 10.Calculators have taken away some kids ability to do basic math in their head.

Research Paper-Charles Darwin free essay sample

Charles Darwin and his Impact on Science Charles Darwin was a scientist, specifically a naturalist, in the mid to late 1800’s. He proposed many theories to the world of natural science that were later proven to be laws, which shows that he had a huge impact on the science world. His two most important advances were the Theory of Evolution and the Theory of Natural Selection. He also studied the importance of Genetics. Darwin’s ideas have also had issues with religions, but they have still been proven to be correct. I did all of my research on the internet, and was very intrigued by what I found. I learned a lot by doing this paper, and I am still continuing to learn. I chose to only use Internet research because it had the most information and was the most easily accessible. The internet is full of scholarly journals and other websites that are present so that you can learn information. We will write a custom essay sample on Research Paper-Charles Darwin or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Charles Darwin and his studies are very controversial, so there are endless amounts of information about him and what he did, especially here. This internet research led me to a journal named Genetics, which I have continued to read even after the research for this paper and the annotated bibliography. This research enabled me to learn and inform a lot about Charles Darwin and his advances in science. His theory of evolution explains what we have been puzzled by for centuries, which is how we humans came into being. This theory states that all human, animal, or plant came from common ancestry (Wikipedia). Darwin’s theory of natural selection states that the better, more advanced traits in a population become more popular than the lesser traits (Wikipedia). Natural selection plays a huge part in the role of evolution. This is because in order to evolve, the being needs to have a better trait to evolve into. For example, the human toes have adapted so that we can walk steadily on a surface. Darwin also studied genetics, however he did not make nearly as much progress as his studies of evolution and natural selection. This is because he failed to grasp an understanding of something that Gregor Mendel, a famous Geneticist, did accomplish, which was how inheritance worked. I also learned that there was, and still are, a lot of controversy between religions and Darwin. Many religions deny Darwin because they believe the world came about the way that their religions said, such as Christianity and the book of Genesis in the Bible. They have also come up with their own ideas about evolution, which are less plausible to scientists, such as intelligent design creationism. The people that believe in intelligent design creationism are called creationists. They believe that evolution may have occurred slightly by natural selection, but a greater being introduced the life forms onto earth. These results showed that even though he was doubted, Charles Darwin was a genius in his field of interest. He produced many laws that are still leading beliefs in natural science today. Evolution and natural selection are the central ideas in modern biology, therefore his laws are what all science and research in biology are based off of. Darwin has been compared to Galileo, Einstein, and others for his production of the laws that hold such importance in the science world. Darwin was, and still is, doubted by a few, even though his studies that state life on earth has evolved have never been refuted. All in all, I have showed that Darwin was a genius of his time. He proposed two theories to natural science that have never been proven wrong, even though many have tried to disprove it. Many religions have issues with the ideas of Darwin, which is mainly the reason that his theories have been denied, and this inhibits the theories to move forward at their full potential. All of my research was done online, which is risky in some cases, but I am confident that my resources were credible. Charles Darwin has had a huge impact on science not only in the past, but still today. His ideas are still continuing to grow even though he is no longer here, and I believe that his ideas will never be proven wrong.

EPT Sample Questions and Essay

EPT Sample Questions and EssayEPT sample questions and essay are one of the helpful instructional resources available on the Internet. This article discusses the types of samples you can expect to find in an EPT course, what kind of results will be obtained, and how they can help you earn your EPT certification. By following these guidelines, you will be well on your way to obtaining your EPT certification and earn an entry-level position at a reputed company or institution.For those who are new to EPT, the definition of an EPT course is a training program, usually on the Internet, that is designed to teach an individual how to use the test-taking strategies necessary to pass the test. There are many kinds of EPT courses available on the Internet, as most companies offering EPT course in the United States and around the world are outsourcing their courses to EPT training companies that offer them to their clients. These companies have the ability to write up EPT sample questions and essay questions that are available for download. They also provide several templates that can be used for preparing your own sample questions and essay, using different forms and formats.With these templates, it is easy to create your own essay and create your own sample question and essay. One of the types of templates provided with an EPT course is a set of sample questions and essay questions. The theme is chosen in advance, as well as the format of the question and the choice of font, color, and other presentation styles, so that you can easily adapt the template to make your own essays.When preparing your own samples, it is important to ensure that you provide all the required information on each question that you answer. You need to keep in mind that the questions in EPT sample questions and essay are similar to the ones in the actual test. It is important to make sure that you do not skip any question, because this may be an opportunity to 'practice' for the real test.When pr eparing your essay question, it is important to make sure that you give your answers in the specific order that is required by the test-taker. For example, the correct answer to a question on scientific methodology is given first, followed by an explanation of why the statement is true. In the real test, this is what you will have to do if the question is about scientific methodology.The best way to prepare for the EPT exam is to take a refresher course on what the questions are all about. A good EPT course will offer you detailed instruction and include extensive practice exams that can be downloaded to your computer. This allows you to practice using the various EPT questions and essay prompts, and gives you time to study for the actual exam.The amount of time that it takes to learn the material in an EPT course is a matter of personal preference. For those who are highly motivated and who enjoy the process of learning, a five-day training course can be completed in a single day. But for those who prefer to complete the material gradually, the time required for an EPT course can vary, depending on the time you spend studying and preparing.

A Study On Social Inclusion Adults Social Policy Essay Essay Example

A Study On Social Inclusion Adults Social Policy Essay Essay Example A Study On Social Inclusion Adults Social Policy Essay Essay A Study On Social Inclusion Adults Social Policy Essay Essay saw the closing of these establishments. This saw the motion of grownups with larning disablements out of establishments into being cared for in the community, either by their ain households or in little supported lodging being cared for by the voluntary sector. â€Å"The Same as You† scheme of 2000 ( Ref 7 ) [ three ] by the Scottish executive is committed to supplying equity, equality and societal inclusion for grownups with larning disablements. As a consequence of this scheme the local community set up the â€Å"Group† to supply socialization to assist with societal inclusion of grownups with acquisition disablements through one to one befriending and group activities. Dan lived within a atomic household unit where he was given the basic human demands of nutrient, shelter, vesture, love and socialization to populate until the age of 6. He was born into a society where it was common for immature kids with larning disablements particularly those with Downs Syndrome to be institutionalised. There was besides a societal stigma assigned to those with learning and physical disablements. Dan s household insisted in caring for him at place until school age, but his educational demands where non met. He besides suffers from â€Å"anxiety attacks† which his male parent says he developed at the age if six, when taken into the auto for the first clip. He reacted by floging out and drawing hair. The â€Å"anxiety attacks† were given by his male parent as an alibi for Dan`s riotous behavior. His behavior was tempered by his female parent, who had to be systematically by his side snuggling him and keeping his manus during his dying minutes. His parents did everything for him, until he was institutionalised. Here, he grew up where privateness, pick, self-respect where lacking and he was non allowed to take hazards. Life accomplishments, instruction and route work where non given. More frequently than non in the yesteryear, these â€Å"patients† where drugged if they showed any marks of riotous behavior. Being â€Å"locked up† life in Nightingale wa rds with communal life and lavatories may hold besides contributed to his â€Å"anxiety attacks† . These â€Å"anxiety attacks† still causes Dan to act in a ambitious mode if he feels hemmed in, particularly in crowded topographic points with no obvious agencies of flight. After 1995, when authorities schemes of shuting big establishments were implemented through the ( Ref8 ) Disability Discrimination Act 1995 and its amendments of 2003 Dan was given a place within supported adjustment as his male parent was elderly. Dan did non like to travel out unless his male parent was with him and tended non to interact with anyone when introduced. His â€Å"anxiety attacks† causes him to be agitated when his modus operandis alteration. He finds it hard to do picks unless they are limited and is non lament on seeking anything new. He is unable to read or compose, he has no life skills e.g unable to do a cup of tea, do a piece of toast, store or clean his place, he is unable to traverse the route without aid. The physical developmental phase Dan has reached is that of an grownup but the emotional phase is that of childhood between 2-12 old ages of age, likely nearer the age of seven or eight. He has been populating out with the big establishment for six old ages now but has non learned to alter his behavior consequently. This may be as a consequence of being told by his support workers that he can non make certain things as they deem certain activities to be a hazard. Staffing jobs besides contribute to the deficiency of his alteration in behavior as clip restraints in assisting Dan larn new accomplishments are frequently given as an alibi for staff non being able to help Dan try new things. So, I believe he is still institutionalised although he lives in smaller community shared adjustment. He was given no pick as to where he would populate, who he would be sharing with or who would be back uping him. With the aid of his household, before being institutionalised he was able to run into the bottom three phases as seen in Maslow`s hierarchy of demands pyramid. ( Ref9 ) [ four ] Abraham Maslow was a humanist psychologist who developed this theoretical account between the 1940s and 1950`s. He stated that human demands can be arranged in a measure ladder pyramid and that the lower degree demands must be satisfied before higher degrees can be met. This theoretical account consisted of eight phases. He stated that we are all motivated by demand as evolved over 1000s of old ages. He stated that we must fulfill these demands in bend, get downing with the first. The first demand is the physiologicalneed which is e.g holding nutrient, O, H2O, etc, the demands to let our organic structures to last. The 2nd demand is that ofphysiological and physical security, whereby there is protection from possible risky fortunes and objects. The 3rd demand is belonging and love, which is being portion of a group of household and friends in a loving state of affairs with trust credence and affection.The 4th demand is esteemwhich is regard of ego and others. The 5th demand is self realization which is gaining personal potency. The 5th demand is Cognitive demands with cognition and apprehension. The 6th demand is Aesthetic demands which is the grasp of symmetricalness, beauty, order and signifier. The 7th demand is self- actulisationwhich is gaining 1s full potency and the 8th demand is transcendency which is assisting others to carry through their possible. Dan, as functionalist sociologist ( Ref10 ) Talcott Parsons ( 1902-1979 ) argued, will hold gained his primary socialization and emotional stableness within a atomic household of two parents, a female parent and male parent, plus his siblings. Primary socialization can be defined as a agency by which the norms and values of society are taught to kids and they learn to accept these values within the household. The functionalist sociologists believe that society can be compared to a life organic structure, with different variety meats ( establishments ) holding different maps yet all working together to maintain the organic structure ( society ) alive.They consider the household to be a little version of society which operates as a societal, economic and emotional unit. The struggle theoretician believe that society is separated into two categories, with the middle class and the labor who are at odds with one another. The household, struggle theoreticians province is merely another societal establishments which contribute to the credence of societal inequality. Every member takes difference functions at certain times in the household life rhythm and struggle happens within the household when a individual challenges those functions, e.g adolescents disputing parental authorization. Dan lived in an establishment from the age of six so his secondary socialization was to larn to populate within the confines of the establishment. This socialization would hold been radically different from a household state of affairs. ( ref11 ) Research showed that concerns grew about the attention given by establishments â€Å"quality of attention provided by these establishments in footings of gross physical want ( overcrowding, hapless nutrient, vesture and environment ) , maltreatment ( ill-treatment, larceny of ownerships and over-use of medicine and restraint ) and neglect and inaction ( deficiency of attention, deficiency of contact and stimulation and extended periods of detachment and isolation†staff and client interaction and battle in meaningful activities would hold been poor.As a consequence, no opportunities where available to let Dan to travel to the following degree of Maslows Pyramid of Needs of ego regard. ( Ref 12 ) Dan was the youngest member of the household and so harmonizing to Alfred Adler this would hold affected the type of personality that he would develop subsequently on in life. The youngest are known to acquire their ain manner and to hold a stronger parent bond, which Dan did Have as he was overprotected and indulged before hospitalization. But, this cocooning can besides be claustrophobic. But, by being institutionalised, harmonizing to Erikson, his environment would besides hold affected Dan`s development and have had an impact on his behavior. The behavior Dan frequently displays can be explained by the behaviorist theory, which was named ( Ref 13 ) â€Å"Learned Helplessness† . While experimenting on Canis familiariss utilizing Pavlov`s theory of Classical Conditioning, which shows links between the stimulation and the response. Seligman discovered that erudite behavior is a consequences of the belief that the person`s actions are ineffectual. Peoples who have lived in Institutions have learned non to anticipate to hold any control over their lives. Behavioristic theoreticians believe that if behavior is learned, so it can be unlearned. Lev Vygotsky and Russian cognitive psychologist believed that development was guided by civilization and interpersonal communicating with important grownups. Bing institutionalised will hold reduced Dan`s opportunities of holding regular of import communicating with a important grownup. Vygotsky stated that to larn a scope of undertakings that are excessively hard on their ain, a ki d must be shown or guided by person who is more knowing. This became known as the â€Å"Zone of proximal development† . This assumes that the kid has the ability to memorize and the capacity to remember the erudite experience. This is non ever possible in some with a learning disablement. In the attention puting where Dan spent his life, the opportunities of a kid being challenged to larn new accomplishments would hold been diminished or non- existent. Vygotsky was the first to detect that societal isolation caused a hold in both societal and cognitive development. The â€Å"anxiety attacks† Dan suffers from can besides be explained via Operant Conditioning suggested by B.F.Skinner ( 1953 ) . Operant Conditioning is where behavior is followed by a effect. His behavior of floging out when he is dying is a consequence of positive support where ab initio this bad behavior was rewarded by having physical and emotional contact from his female parent before institutionalisation and ulterior attending from nursing staff in the establishment. Positive support is where the effect is a positive result. Now, Dan`s support staff attempt to guarantee that Dan does non come into a state of affairs that may do him dying. After the decease of his aged female parent Dan relied wholly on his aged male parent for any continued socialization, as his siblings had long left place to put up their ain household life. ( stats to be put in ) His male parent feared Dan would go stray, particularly as his male parent was going less able to take Dan out. Dan was introduced to fall in the Group by his male parent in an effort to present him to new friends, increase his assurance and better his ego regard. His clip at the group has seen his assurance addition. After traveling out into the community, Dan was instead introspective and diffident and would merely travel out in the company of his male parent. This concerned his 90 twelvemonth old male parent greatly, and so his male parent came to our administration in the hope that we could increase Dan`s societal circle. Dan was assessed by being asked a figure of inquiries utilizing PIES to set up what his Physical, Intellectual, Emotional, and Social demands were. This information was put into his activity program which we use alternatively of a Care Plan. As under the NHS and Community Care ( Scotland ) Act 1990 everyone is entitled to a attention program. Dan will hold such a program set up by the societal work section. To increase his societal circle as requested by his male parent, we included him in a figure of activities which has expanded his range of societal activity and made him less stray. Dan`s physical demands are met by societal services, but his rational demands of mental stimulation, his emotional demands of necessitating to increase his ego regard and his societal demands of societal interaction require attending. Dan has already improved his societal accomplishments through art by now pass oning good with our staff and is acute to take his work place to demo to his household and carers. His male parent has commented on how the communicating accomplishments of Dan have improved and his assurance has increased. Remembering Maslow`s Hierarchy of Needs, I had assessed that Dan would profit from making the 4th phase Esteem Needs. I felt an activity that would assist to better his assurance, his communicating accomplishments and do him less dying in a big group state of affairs would be good. I spoke to him and observed him reply my inquiries.One of my inquiries gave him a pick of activities to seek, I found that the activity he was most interested in was art. I mentor both at the art group and on an single footing, which helps grownups with larning disablements gain new accomplishments, addition assurance, better ego regard, socialization and ego realization through creativeness. Carl Gustav Jung a Swiss head-shrinker B.1875 to D. 1961 encouraged patients to utilize art to convey their unconscious emotions. He stated that ( Ref14 ) â€Å"drawing, picture, and mold can be used to convey unconscious stuff to visible radiation. Once a series has become dramatic, it can easy go through over into the auditory or lingual domains and give rise to duologues and the similar. ( 1941 ) My purpose was to seek to set get bying mechanisms in topographic point to let him to be able to take portion in the ranked unit activity which was to let him to make a work of art and to exhibit at our Malawi Awareness Evening, which we expected to be busy. This activity is to take topographic point some hebdomads off so it was of import for me to set up new art activities over a period of clip, to let him to derive assurance in being portion of a big group. My end through these activities was to let Dan the opportunity to increase his assurance and communicating accomplishments and to develop get bying mechanisms to let him to cover with his fright of big groups. I have used the ( Ref 7 ) task-centred theoretical account in be aftering this exercising ; this is a short-run job work outing attack over a short period. This had five phases- Problem Identification ( appraisal ) , Agreement, Planning ends, Achieving Tasks and Evaluation. Here, the client takes concrete action to work out the job. The Initial interview or stage allowed Dan to show his demand to hold more assurance when in a room with more people in order to be able to bask more activities. He wanted to finish a picture and to be present at its exhibition. To accomplish these ends, we agreed on the stairss and undertakings that allowed Dan to achieve his end. We emphasised the undertakings that were required to be completed to let Dan to exhibit his work of art and hold on timescales for the undertakings. Other interviews will took topographic point to guarantee that we were on path and that Dan felt safe and confident making the in agreement undertakings. With Dan`s understanding we decided to hold an hourly one to one befriending art session of three one hr Sessionss per hebdomad over four hebdomads and to increase these Sessionss to go a group session. To make this I needed to slowly present more and more people to the group. These were other service users, staff and voluntaries. With understanding of everyone involved I brought people in one at a clip each session. I did this by giving each person a day of the month and clip to fall in us at the â€Å"Group† premises. I hoped that by the terminal of the four hebdomads he would be able to sit in a room merrily with at least 12 noisy people. He had to hold a positive experience and to hold a positive association with the group. Dan enjoyed a regular cup of tea and a cocoa biscuit, so I introduced this positive experience to him in the group puting while he was painting. I ensured he sat confronting the door and informed him that he was able to go forth the room at any clip. I sat him at the terminal of the tabular array to guarantee that he did non experience hemmed in. Mentions [ I ] Mention 1: Data Protection Act 1998. hypertext transfer protocol: //www.opsi.gov.uk/Acts/Acts1998/ukpga_19980029_en_1 [ two ] Reference 2: Regulation of attention Act ( Scotland ) 2001 hypertext transfer protocol: //www.opsi.gov.uk/legislation/scotland/acts2001/asp_20010008_en_1 Mention 3: Health and Safety at Work Act 1974: hypertext transfer protocol: //www.hse.gov.uk/legislation/hswa.htm Mention 4: hypertext transfer protocol: //www.childdevelopmentinfo.com/learning/learning_disabilities.shtml # What is a larning disablement? Reference5: NHS and Community Care Act 1990 hypertext transfer protocol: //www.opsi.gov.uk/ACTS/acts1990/ukpga_19900019_en_1 Mention 6: The Human Rights Act 1998: hypertext transfer protocol: //www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts1998/ukpga_19980042_en_1: Mention 7: The Same as You scheme: hypertext transfer protocol: //www.scotland.gov.uk/ldsr/docs/tsay-01.asp Mention 8: Disability Discrimination Act 1995: hypertext transfer protocol: //www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts2005/en/ukpgaen_20050013_en_1.htm Mention 9: Maslow: hypertext transfer protocol: //www.businessballs.com/maslow.htm [ three ] Reference 10: Talcott Parsons: Elizabeth Bingham + . ( 2009 ) . Sociology of Family. In: Heinemann HNC in Social Care. Edinburgh: Heinemann. 124 -125. Mention 11: hypertext transfer protocol: //www.kent.ac.uk/tizard/staff/documents/Mansell % 202003 % 20JARID % 20Resident % 20involvement.pdf Mention 12: Elizabeth Udall. ( 1996 ) . How the household picking order affects you. Available: hypertext transfer protocol: //www.independent.co.uk/life-style/how-the-family-pecking-order-affects-you-1363578.html. Last accessed 28/03/10. [ four ] Reference 13: Elizabeth Bingham + . ( 2009 ) . Working in Partnership with people who have a Learning Disability.. In: Heinemann HNC in Social Care. Edinburgh: Heinemann. 266 -267. Mention 14: Cathy A. Malchiodi. ( 2007 ) . Creativity- Pulling on Process. In: McGraw-Hill Art therapy Sourcebook. 2nd erectile dysfunction. New York USA: McGraw-Hill. 65.

Bespoke

Bespoke Bespoke Bespoke By Maeve Maddox A reader has asked for a discussion of the word bespoke: I keep reading it in articles, and at least half the time I see it I end up looking it up because it just doesn’t seem correct to me. Bespoke is an adjective that comes from the archaic English verb bespeak. One of the meanings of the prefix be- is â€Å"about.† When miserly Samuel Pepys dreads that a man wants him to be his son’s godfatheran honor that would require some outlay of cashhe says, [The man] who I feared did come to bespeak me to be godfather to his son. That is, â€Å"who he feared had come to speak to him about the prospect of his standing godfather.† In early usage bespeak could also mean â€Å"to speak out,† â€Å"to ask for,† â€Å"to tell about,† and â€Å"to predict,† as well as the meaning that has survived in the bespoke of the reader’s question: â€Å"to engage beforehand; to order goods.† Bespoke and bespoken are past forms of bespeak. For example, A new set of chains was bespoke. (A new set of chains was ordered.) She had arranged or bespoken to have him killed. (She had talked about a hit.) In its current use as an adjective, bespoke refers to custom-made goods in contrast to goods that are ready-made. The adjective can also refer to a person who provides such goods, (e.g., â€Å"a bespoke tailor†). In England the expression â€Å"bespoke suit† is a common way of referring to a tailor-made suit. In the context of conspicuous consumption, bespoke seems to have something to do with the desires of hedonists who don’t know what to do with their money. Watchmakers look to bespoke design to court the super-rich: We will offer a bespoke service where the customer has a say on everything: the material, the case, the dial, the hands, said Thierry Andretta, president of the firm where prices for custom-made watches start at 100,000 Swiss francs ($113,000). Gourmet dining, private flights, bespoke safaris, slimming clinics and art auctions emerging as top status symbols The Privileged World City: Private Banking, Wealth Management and the Bespoke Servicing of the Global Super-Rich American speakers of less extravagant means and tastes are more likely to refer to the things they special-order as â€Å"custom-made.† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Expressions category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:75 Contronyms (Words with Contradictory Meanings)The Possessive ApostropheParticular vs. Specific

Final Exam Speech or Presentation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Final Exam - Speech or Presentation Example the three-week training program, and then were tested again.  The dataset also includes (1) a measure of participant confidence in knowledge and (2) a certification exam score. The data are discipline-neutral. Therefore, part of your final project is to create a context for the research that is associated with your discipline or area of interest (e.g., training to assess mental health status; training to work with special education children; training to become a technician or consultant).   This work is an investigation into the impact of a training program on the knowledge base of three categories of employees. The employees are classified as professionals, paraprofessionals and non-professionals. The objective is to evaluate the impact of the training on the knowledge base of the employees in the various categories and establish whether the training had significant impact on the performance of each category. There is high consistency among all variables with the assumptions of normality. For example, the absolute skewness values are all within the range 0

Sociology and Me Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Sociology and Me - Article Example I was born on the 11th of November,1968 in the house of my uncle, Andrew Golson, a medical doctor in North End, Boston. I am the eldest of three children. My mother is an American while my father is a second generation Italian immigrant. We spoke English and Italian at home. My younger siblings are Andrew and Joan. We all grew up in this area.The North End Boston is a middle-class neighborhood which is dominated by Italian immigrant families who comprise the working class of America. My first dim recollection is that of my mom's pasta dish which she would serve at dinner. This dish reminds me of love, comfort and a feeling of belonging - a feeling of really being home. I attended elementary school at the Michelangelo school in Boston. The school resembles our closely-knit neighborhood. We knew everybody who studied in that school. Most of my relatives also sent their children there. The school presented a very safe and stable environment for growing up.The North End is my personal point of reference. It is where I grew up and where I started enduring friendships. I grew up in a very close family. My parents would always give us a hug, a kiss, a word of kindness or encouragement. Then everyday, we would take a great home-cooked meal which made all the difference in the world.As a young child, I was exposed to Italian classical music performed by Pavarotti and recently Andrea Bocelli. My father would mimic arias by these world famous performers and we would end up in a hilarious situation at home.During week-ends, my parents would take us to partake of great meals in family-run neighborhood restaurants like the Blue Front, Giro's, or Felicia's, or at Grandma's house. I always savor the best ingredients in these 'home-cooked' dishes." Like my younger siblings, I also learned how to cook well.Noise became music to my ears. I grew up with a lot of noise - smoke, beeping horns, a lot of traffic and more noise. We would play near Cross and Hanover streets. We would spend the whole day playing until we can play no more since we were very tired already. My family lived beside two houses which hosted two agreeable and well-to-do Italian immigrant families.My childhood and youth were spent in my parent's house which is a sturdy and well-built house. It has three bedrooms, a huge kitchen and two study rooms, one each for my father and mother. We would study in my father's study room. The house has a small garden filled with flowers in the summer time, which we children helped to tend.I grew up like other healthy and normal kids, my only illness being an attack of chicken pox and German measles. My immunity to disease was evidently greate r than that of either of my siblings. I remained perfectly healthy in spite of the uncertain preventive measures which were prevalent then. My mother would always care for us patiently whenever we got sick. Hence, my siblings felt comforted whenever they got sick. My first training in reading and writing came from my mother, who was a very well-educated woman. My mother is a graduate of Boston University where she took up education. She works in a high school near our home. My father studied engineering at Boston University. However, he decided to take over my grandfather's business after graduation. Thus, he never got the chance to work somewhere else.I am indebted to my parents for my intellectual life. They instilled in me the love for reading and study. They also helped me to think about things in a critical manner. They presented an open environment at home where we can exchange ideas and opinions about anything. They also shared with me the Catholic religion. I became close to our parish priest as I was growing up.My mother had great pedagogical ability which seemed to run in our family. We excelled in grade school and high school. During week-ends, my mother would work as a tutor to some important and distinguished families in Boston a nd her academic abilities were widely