The Beauty of Lake McConaughy free essay sample

As I step out of the camper, my eyes have to adjust to the gleam of the water. It looks like it is going to be a good day. Lake Mcconaughy is full of days like this one. Not only is it an amazing vacation spot, but it is home away from home. Ever since I can remember, my family and friends have congregated to Lake Mcconaughy in the summers. It is located about ten miles from a little town named Ogallala, Nebraska. The town is also where my mom was raised and most of my family still lives. I guess you could say we have roots there. Now when people think of Nebraska, most think of flat, dry land.Maybe you could throw in a cow and some corn, too. Okay, there are some part like that, but most of it is beautiful. Just the drive to the lake has you looking out the side windows of your car. We will write a custom essay sample on The Beauty of Lake McConaughy or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Even to this day, I get on the edge of my seat in the car as the rolling sand hills pass by, waiting in anticipation to see the first glimpse of the lake. Then boom, there it is. This massive body of water has fun in the sun written all over. Then, there is the choice of where to camp. It all depends on if we want to be surrounded be our friends all the time or if it is a family vacation.It doesnt really matter because well spend countless hours cruising the water to every edge. Even more exciting is the first step out of the car. Your shoes are off even before you get out. As you step into the sand, you are in heaven. I swear this sand was imported from Hawaii because it is amazingly pure with almost a white color to it. This is only a taste of the playground. No one even cares about unpacking anything. Rather, clothes are shed as we all run to test how warm the water is. My first dive into the warm yet exhilarating water just washes away all my cares in the world.My biggest concern for the rest of the day is whether I want to go skiing, sunbathe, read a book, or set up camp. Maybe Ill do all of them. Maybe Ill do none of them. The sunset dictates when the transition from play time to the evening. Before anything happens, though, you are taken a breath by the colors in the sky. I have taken hundreds of picture to try and capture the sunsets here, but it never does the lake and sky justice. It is as if every hue of red and orange and pink and blue and white come together to form odd yet majestic shapes in the sky.Once you appreciate the sky for some of its beauty, it is on to supper. Actually, some people eat, some drink, and some are still dwindling in, not yet ready for the sun to be down, but on thing we all start to do it talk. The great thing about it is we discuss how many trucks got stuck or how many times someone fell off the pull toy, not when our taxes are due or what homework needs to be done. As stomachs get full and everyone finds their way to one spot on the shore, someone starts the fire. It is like the core of the whole day. Everyone gets their spot.As â€Å"mores start to assemble, so do the old stories of the lake, new jokes, and even the old ones. You can never plan on what is going to be said at the campfire. It is actually the best and cheapest therapy one could ask for. Now I have been to quite a few lakes before. None have been quite like this one. None have offered such generosity and familiarity as Lake Mcconaughy. While you are there, the important things in life seem to surface with the waves. The sense of community, enjoyment of yourself and others, and just pure fun make you yearn for the trip all year long.

Avoid Camera Shake Essay Example

Avoid Camera Shake Essay Example Avoid Camera Shake Essay Avoid Camera Shake Essay CAMERA SHAKE WITH HAND-HELD PHOTOS Weve all likely encountered this problem many times: blurry photos due to camera shake with hand-held shots. Its especially prevalent for those of us who are unfortunate enough to have unsteady hands. While it cannot be eliminated entirely, fortunately theres a number of steps you can take to greatly reduce its impact † and hopefully prevent it from becoming visible in the first place. Blurry Photo from Camera Shake Photo Without Camera Shake Photo from the base of the Eiffel Tower at night Paris, France. OVERVIEW Camera shake is visible whenever your shutter speed is slow compared to the speed of unintended camera motion. Reducing its impact may therefore include: 1. Methods for increasing the shutter speed (shorter exposure time) 2. Methods for reducing camera motion On the one hand, many who are new to photography often dont appreciate the importance of using fast shutter speeds or a tripod, but on the other hand, many experienced photographers often overestimate their impact. More often than not, it is ones shooting technique † not high-end lenses or high megapixel cameras † that ultimately limits the resolution of a photograph. While either method alone can be of great help, the most effective solution is to take both into consideration. Even the calmest hands cannot hold a camera sufficiently steady during a several second exposure, for example, and fast shutter speeds are unlikely to freeze motion from a telephoto lens held by shaky hands. Also, increasing the shutter speed helps freeze a moving subject, whereas reducing camera motion does not. METHODS FOR INCREASING THE SHUTTER SPEED There are unfortunately only three ways to increase your shutter speed: (i) optimize your exposure settings, (ii) avoid over-exposure and (iii) improve how your subject is lit. Choose optimal exposure settings. Make sure youre making the best trade-offs with the camera exposure triangle; are you really using the highest ISO speed and/or the lowest f-stop possible with your subject matter Make sure to consider whether you need an extended depth of field when choosing the aperture. However, if youre using your camera in automatic mode, then its likely already doing whatever it can to increase the shutter speed. Avoid accidental over-exposure. A common cause of blurred shots is due to the cameras metering system mistakenly choosing a longer exposure time than was necessary. Dark shaded subject matter and uneven indoor light can easily trick your camera into over-exposure. Use a flash or improve ambient lighting. If youre using a compact camera with a built-in flash, also try getting closer to your subject so that theyll be more brightly illuminated. If youre shooting people without a flash, try relocating closer to the light source(s), or waiting until the subject passes through a more brightly lit area. If none of these are sufficient, then youll also need to employ one or more of the techniques discussed in the subsequent sections below (but ideally one should use both). IMPROVE YOUR HAND-HELD TECHNIQUE Although increasing the shutter speed is often the easiest technique to implement, how you take hand-held photographs can often times make even more of a difference. Try one or more of the following tips: Example of a photographer leaning against a wall to brace the camera. Brace yourself and your camera. This might include leaning up against a wall, kneeling or sitting, or using the viewfinder instead of the rear LCD (since the camera gets braced against your face). Just try to have at least three points of contact between your body and the ground, walls or other stable objects. Always avoid situations where your position or equipment causes you to strain while taking the photograph. Holding your camera directly against a wall or other object also improves stability even further. Make sure to stand in a position that leaves you calm and comfortable. Optimize how you grip the camera. Its important to hold your camera firmly but not tensely, and to use both hands. With large telephoto lenses, make sure to place one hand under the lens and the other on your camera. Make sure that your arms remain close to your body and in a comfortable position. Using your camera more often can also make your grip feel more natural and get your hand muscles more acclimated to the task. Also make sure that you keep yourself nice and warm. Practice better shutter button technique. Always try to press the shutter button half-way first, then gently press the button with no more pressure/speed than necessary. It might also help to pay attention to breathing. Try taking a deep breath, exhaling about halfway, then pressing the shutter button. Take three shots in rapid succession. Often the very act of knowing youll have to hold your hands steady can make it more difficult to do so. First Photo (most blurred) Second Photo (sharpest keeper) Third Photo (medium blur) Youll likely find that theres a big difference in sharpness between each successive image, in part because youre less concerned about individual shots. Just make sure to review these at full resolution; differences often wont be as pronounced as the above example. OTHER TECHNIQUES EQUIPMENT ADVICE Clearly, the best way to minimize hand-held camera shake is not to hold your camera in the first place. While this article focuses on situations where a tripod isnt available, you can also see the tutorial on camera tripods for specifics on improving your tripod technique. However, theres fortunately several alternatives: Example of a photograph taken by setting the camera on the ground and aiming using a lens cap. Set your camera on a hard surface. While this can often produce even sharper photos than using a tripod, it can also greatly restrict available compositions. On the other hand, it can provide a unique and interesting perspective on your subject. Shots at eye-level often appear ordinary since thats what were used to seeing. You can always aim your camera by choosing an appropriate position on uneven ground, or by placing your lens cap or a pebble underneath the camera body. Just make sure to either use a remote release switch, or to set your camera to self-timer mode. With SLR cameras, using your cameras mirror lock-up (MLU) setting will also improve results (if available). Use lenses with image stabilization (IS) or vibration reduction (VR), or cameras with shake reduction (SR). These features can greatly reduce camera movement † especially with telephoto lenses. This often enables hand-held shots at shutter speeds which are 5-10X+ slower than otherwise possible. However, such features cannot work miracles, and they usually work best only in conjunction with proper hand-held technique. Avoid telephoto lenses whenever possible. A fancy image stabilized lens isnt the only way to reduce the appearance of shake. Getting a little closer to your subject (and using a shorter focal length / wider angle lens) will reduce the impact of shaky hands, and often has the added benefit of creating a more interesting perspective. More on this topic can be found within the tutorial on camera lenses focal length.

Thesis Writing

Thesis Writing Thesis Writing Thesis Writing Prior to thesis writing, you should have clear understanding of the question to be answered. Writing a thesis, you demonstrate what you have already learned. You should present thesis material to people in understandable way. You need to make it easy for them to understand what you did and what you want to say. In short, you need to provide the answer to the question raised in introductory part, and you need to present it in a format that others can understand and appreciate. Number of pages should be reasonable and appropriate for your academic level.   Thesis ideas have to be clearly expressed and explained.   Avoid writing a large amount of text, it may prevent the reader from seeing your own research. Try to demonstrate unexpected result, solve the problem in the way that nobody has solved it before and raises some questions that nobody has thought about before. Discuss thesis topic and thesis format with your advisor early in the process. Carefully plan the outline to be sur e that you understand the process by which you will acquire and use different types of sources necessary for thesis writing. Thesis Writing Tips Select a topic and identify your audience, find material for the thesis writing, read the works which are related to your thesis topic. Read different points of view on the problem and diverse research projects. You should write an extended abstract following your outline. Writing a thesis, give some information about previous researches, name their authors. Differentiates what you are doing from prior work. Thesis writing has to follow this thesis format: introduction (background information), body paragraph (analysis and discussion) and conclusion. Thesis writing requires an detailed outline and interesting title. Thesis conclusion should be relevant to introduction. Introduction should be written once the thesis is complete, do not write from the start. The major myth of thesis writing is that you start writing at chapter one and then finish your writing at chapter five. It does not work in real life.   The most productive approach in thesis writing is to begin writing those parts of the thesis that you know or have enough information on. When you come down to work on conclusion, be sure to stress the importance of your research and remind the reader why your thesis is worth of reading.   Custom Thesis Writing Services You are welcome to order custom thesis writing services at our site.   We know how to write a good, well-researched, and coherent research thesis for you!   provides free plagiarism report, free bibliography list, and free table of contents.   If you believe in professional approach to writing and seek premium quality, you have found the right place to order custom thesis writing!

Near-consultant quality Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Near-consultant quality - Essay Example The cascading effects of a changing weather has also affected and modified the geographical distribution of life forms in the upland area going to the lowland where they can now be found within residential spaces. Some marine animals have also died of starvation because of the disappearance of their usual preys that probably migrated to keep up with the decreasing quality of water salinity. Indeed, climate change produces adverse effects on the habitat of these living things and also, in the environment we humans live in. Our rivers and lakes in Canada have been recorded to have dropped in water levels due to the intense heat caused by these long trends of shifting weather. It is my goal in this paper to discuss the impacts of climate change on the Great Lakes with emphasis on its geographical implications and, to propose the urgency of the actions we can contribute to mitigate the hazardous effects of climate change being an inevitable consequence of the industrialized systems that we have approved of. The Great Lakes form the â€Å"largest fresh surface water system on earth† (Manninen) that being 21% of the whole planet (â€Å"Great Lakes†). It is a vast lake found in the northeastern North America, within the Canada-United States border which is connected to the Atlantic Ocean through Saint Lawrence Seaway and Great Lakes Waterway (â€Å"Great Lakes†). Manninen further defines that it covers more than 94,000 square miles and drains more than twice as much land. It is 9.5 feet deep and holds about 6 quadrillion gallons of water which is like one-fifth of the world’s fresh surface water supply and nine-tenths of United States supply (Manninen). That is a vital role of the Great Lakes basin being â€Å"home to 8.5 million Canadians and 30.7 million Americans† (Environment Canada). The Great Lakes consists of the smaller lakes known as Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie and Ontario. The Great Lakes highly contributed to the development of

My Writing Skills in English Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

My Writing Skills in English - Essay Example I was worried, and thinking deeply about what prevents me to improve writing skills in English. I realized that it is my passion and compulsive preoccupation with football. I came to a decision that I should put my passion in the back burner and set my goal to improve my writing skills. Goals are an important milestone in everybody’s life and without goals, we are directionless to reach our destination in life. My goal is very significant in the aspect that it will enhance the opportunities in my future career and better prospects in my life. However, my passion for football poses a greater threat to achieving my goal and distracts my attention to reach the goal. Each person is passionate about something or other in life. Their passion for these things are taken as indulgences which are necessary for life, otherwise, the life will become boredom. However, these petty indulgences are harmless as long as they are not coming in the way of achieving the goals in one’s life. One of my friends was obsessive with baseball. He was almost a compulsive neurotic; he gave topmost priority for baseball than any other things in his life. Result- he was careless in his studies and was thrown out of the school. His future is bleak at present with nowhere to go. Being a witness to this happening I realize that my goals in life are more important than the passion for some other interests.

The Dragon Enters the War :: essays research papers

The Dragon Enters the War In June 1950, a few months after the announcement of the Beijing-Moscow alliance, the Korean crisis erupted. Early in October, shortly after the South Korean troops crossed the 38th parallel, the CCP made a final decision to enter the Korean War to fight the American-led international forces. What precipitated Beijing's decision to invade Korea? What were the CCP's motives and objectives in taking part in the Korean conflict ? What kind of role did the newly established Sino-Soviet alliance play in Beijing's decision to cross the Yalu River? This paper tries to answer those questions.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Chinese ideogram for crisis is a combination of the ideograms for danger and opportunity. To the leaders of the People’s Republic of China, the Korean War was both. As the UN forces advanced north toward the Yalu, Beijing prepared for war. Mao still found the decision to go to war a difficult one, however, despite the pressure to intervene. Following the Inchon landings, Kim Il Sung had dispatched two of his top aides to Beijing and asked Mao for emergency help, but the Chinese were not ready to make any firm commitment. Stalin, following the landings, also pleaded with the Chinese to go to the aid of the North Koreans. According to Chinese sources, the Soviet leader promised to provide air cover for the Chinese troops and to send Russian troops in the event the Chinese army faltered. Still, Mao hesitated. Most disturbing to Mao, if the Chinese armies intervened and were pushed back would Stalin really send troops as promised in order to save China? Als o of concern, if China became involved in a war with the United States, China’s dependence on Stalin would inevitably grow, an unsavory thought to Mao. Finally, all hope of conquering Taiwan would vanish indefinitely.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Despite his hesitance, step-by-step Mao moved closer to intervention. On October 1, Sdtalin telegraphed Mao and encouraged him to send â€Å"volunteer† Chinese soldiers into North Korea for the purpose of defending the area north of the 38th Parallel. On October 2, Mao directed the Chinese Politburo to pass a resolution to send these Chinese troops into North Korea, beginning on October 15. The same day, Mao cabled Stalin of China’s decision to send volunteers into Korea to â€Å"fight the United States and its lackey Syngman Rhee.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Although Chinese preparations for war accelerated, Mao refused to give the green light, perhaps held back by the reservations expressed by some of the other members of the Politburo.

Assessment ‘Of mice and men’ Essay

Of mice and men is a novel by john Steinbeck about two migrant agricultural labourers George Milton and Lennie Small. At the outstart they are working at a ranch in northern California. The ranch is a microcosm of the macrocosm that was in America at that time in 1939. During this period of failed businesses, harsh poverty, and long-term unemployment, we see how people attempted to survive on the ranch. In this essay I am going to clarify how Steinbeck presents the theme of discrimination in chapter 3. Discrimination seems particularly unpleasant on the ranch because there are lonely, isolated characters, who looking are for friends and an escape from solitariness. In chapter 3 we see discrimination in the form of racism, ageism and sexism. The victims of discrimination in this novel are: Crooks, a black stable buck; Curley’s Wife, the farm owner’s neglected daughter-in-law; and Candy, an old, disabled housekeeper. Crooks, is terribly discriminated against because of his natural skin colour, which he has no choice to change it. â€Å"S’pose you couldn’t go into the bunk house and play rummy ’cause you was black† this illustrates that the migrants on the ranch discriminate against him by having him left out of the gang. Furthermore he lives in a little shack on his own. They don’t treat him equally; in fact it almost feels like as if they don’t see him as human being. They don’t care about his feelings and emotions; nevertheless this isolation has consequently affected his mental and physical well being. Crooks is not allowed to enter the Bunk house, whereas Candy’s dog can. Therefore clearly this shows that they treat animals better than him. Although the dog has someone that looks out for him, crooks has no one except his books. Despite him believing that â€Å"Books ain’t no good†. Crooks had a bright childhood where he could play with white children and socialise with them, but this discrimination against him has affected him deeply. He never accepted this way of life unlike other slaves of his time, â€Å"I got a right to have a light† this shows that he is aware of his rights, even when he is having a simple conversation with mentally ill Lennie, who has no idea about rights not even his. Evidently this discrimination made crooks desperate for a companionship, â€Å"A guy goes nuts if he ain’t got nobody† this demonstrates that crooks has gone to the point where he is dying for a shoulder to cry on, even Lennie with a childlike brain. â€Å"Don’t make no difference who the guy is, long’s he’s with you†, This implies that he doesn’t care if the friend is white or black, furthermore it shows that crooks is not racist. He plays horseshoes all day as an attempt to be liked and be accepted for what he is. Similarly Candy is discriminated against because of his age. As they know that he hasn’t got the physical strength to defend himself or his dog, they take advantage of him and forced him to allow his only friend to be killed. Steinbeck used this to clarify that within the society the powerful ones rule the helpless and no matter what we do there will always be evil around us. â€Å"Why’n’t you get candy to shoot his dog†. This makes candy think that this could be the prospect for him when he gets useless. It drove him to the desperation point of putting his life saving into the hands of complete strangers wanting to escape from the same ending as his beloved dog. The men on the ranch describe the dog as a â€Å"stinking hound† and an â€Å"old bastard†. Candy feels dejected as he says â€Å"I wish somebody would shoot me when I become useless†. He feels left out and not respected because of his age as they killed his only friend, he feels that he doesn’t wish to live without his precious dog anymore. Candy, a lost old man, he’s missing a hand and his most reliable and trust worthy companion. â€Å"i lost my hand my hand right here on this ranch, that’s why they gave me a job swampin'† this worries candy that he will get fired soon because if he can no longer work he will be dispensable. Steinbeck used this character because the older generation would relate to him. Curley’s wife is the only women on the ranch. Everybody makes fun of her; they don’t talk to her as a friend because she’s a woman. â€Å"Aint I got a right to talk to nobody? Whatta they think I am anyways?†.This quotation shows that she is quarantined from the other migrants just like crooks and candy they are all isolated characters. The men on the ranch don’t give a chance to get to know her personally, they just labelled her a â€Å"trouble maker†, and being Curley’s wife doesn’t do her any favour. As we never hear her real name in the book it shows how belittled she is, she is seen as a property of Curley’s. Steinbeck did this because back in those days men were dominant and women were just seen as house wives. The men on the ranch act on their prejudice calling her nasty names such as a â€Å"rattrap†, â€Å"jailbait†, and â€Å"tart†. Due to this she feels alone and discriminated against, because she is only seeking for attention to make friends, she’s is not what they describe to be. Curley’s wife is desperate for a companion just like candy and Crooks; she wants someone to listen to her because Curley is never around, he never gives her the attention she needs, â€Å"I don’t like Curley, he ain’t a nice fella†, clearly shows that she isn’t happy, she feels trapped and lonely. Due to this she wonders around the ranch looking something to do, someone to talk to. Overall in conclusion Steinbeck carefully used these types of characters, because they each represent different society at that time of the book. Racism was very high and discrimination against women and the elderly were very common. I think the novel has relevance in our culture; it portrays the issues of discrimination and racism. I think Steinbeck wrote this book to show the world that within our society we have a disgusting habit of making other feel down.