Is it the excitement of betting? Or maybe it’s the chance to win so much? There are many reasons why a person feels the want to gamble. Sometimes it can be something simple as depression, and yet, there can be times when it can be all about the need for more money. To some people, it may just be originally started as a form of enjoyment. It’s just a game right, there’s no harm in that? But in the end, you will find yourself trapped in vortex that just keeps pulling you back for every inch you try to escape. Of course the major cause of gambling would be about the money. It’s the one thing that you put into the game, to have a chance at coming out with more than what you began with. Sometimes it may be the debt you are in. You need the money, and if you win, gambling can fill that need. Then there is the greed; the internal part of everyone who wants more than what they have. They need to have more, never satisfied with what they are already blessed with. The feeling of pleasure that comes with gambling and winning drives them onward toward something that they never thought they would get sucked into.

          Won’t having money make you happier? That is something others use to reason with themselves. Gambling isn’t only caused by the physical need or feeling but also the mental feeling that it brings to some people. For some, they feel how it helps them to relieve their stress or cheer themselves up. The numb feeling that comes with games of chance appeals to many people. That adrenaline rush of the risks can give thrill-seekers what they want to feel. Of course that feeling of pure joy that comes from winning is also a great attractor to many people. These feelings help make a person become even more addicted to gambling, and if you combine these with the physical money, it gets very hard to get yourself out.

           The economy of many countries can bring up the need for some facilities which can cause increase in gambling. Many governments fund casinos their machines so that they can bring in more money through gambling. Native reserves in America are given money to set up casinos which make money, but increase the amount of excessive gamblers. These governments, economies, and politics make it harder for many people to get out of gambling. Now many can legally say that they gamble to help their country.

          What is so bad about getting into gambling? Once you get sucked into the black hole of gambling, your entire life can become affected. Families of gamblers are often greatly affected in usually harmful ways. Spouses and children are neglected as the victim of gambling becomes focused on it and ignores his or her family. They begin to care only about getting money to continue gambling. As their condition worsens, money is taken from other parts of the family’s budget. The person begins to take money from their savings accounts, child’s college money, and even other relatives. It begins to physically drain them of their money as well as the money of others around them as the find any means to pay debts from the gambling. Pretty soon, they themselves become physically affected from the addiction. They become slow to act in certain situations and are easily angered. Some people do illegal acts to get more money and can get caught in crimes with authorities and gangs. Gambling can take a heavy toll on a person’s ability to function.

          Many people soon fall into severe problems from getting into gambling. They become more and more bankrupt as they get into more debt. They become drawn to illegal acts to get more money, which will usually get them into more trouble. Many families will become split as usually the parents will become divorced because of excessive gambling. A whole person’s life can be disrupted from the gambling they get into. Some even get to depression can commit suicide as gambling doesn’t only affect one part of your life.

          Gambling doesn’t affect you only physically, but also mentally. Most gamblers initially begin because of depression or other mental issues thinking that they can release tension though gambling. The truth is that gambling actually makes feelings become worse and more intense. It causes addicted people to feel more depressed and rely more on gambling as they fall into more debt. This just adds fuel to the fire of addiction. It can never give any positive affects to a person’s mind. They become more irritable to all others around them as their life begins to crash down around them. It is only time before they find themselves alone with nothing.

          Overall gambling is an activity which can become addicting and harmful to many people. It can affect almost anyone in many ways mostly negatively. It can greatly affect a person’s mental state as well as their financial state. The activity can be harmful to both gambler and those around him, and so people should be aware of its affects as to be careful not to fall into its trap. Governments of countries where excessive gambling is practiced should also be aware of what troubles they cause for many people as to possibly reduce the causes of gambling.

My idea for the research paper was the conflict between the Jews and the Arabs in the Middle East. This was my main focus for the paper. I came upon this idea when I heard about the recent news occurring Middle East. A lot was happening around Israel and the Gaza strip conflict, which fueled my thoughts on why there is such fighting and how it all began. I got really interested when I began having many questions about it and heard of the strong connection to beliefs it held. This brought my main idea for the paper into being. I wanted to learn all about this great conflict that still currently is ongoing. My interest in the subject kept my idea going and helped my research to be much easier and more enjoyable.

What are the strengths of my paper?

I think some strengths of my paper would be the topic it covers and how it covers the information. The topic is a very strong and controversial topic which also has a lot of interesting details dating back to early times. There are many sides to the topic, and it is also an ongoing topic which makes it more appealing to read about. The other strength in my paper is of how I believe I covered the topic. Like I said, there are many views to the topic. There are many people of Israel and the Arab nations and even of outside races who cover this topic and often times have a one sided view. In my paper I tried my best to give support to both views and not favor one over the other. I think this makes my paper more balanced and fair to both views which make it more informative and accurate.

What are the weak points of my paper?

I think my paper also had some weak points that I think could have been solved and made much better if I had more time, though there was nothing wrong with the limit in time. There was a lot of information on this topic since it had details dating so far back all the way up into modern times. There was so much that I had to cut out many interesting details to make sure I had the main points and enough time to get it onto paper. This made some parts of my paper very weak in supporting ideas and explanations. My paper I felt was also a bit unorganized in some areas. Some parts I felt sounded wrong with jumbled ideas and sentences. The paragraphs I think I could have formed much better also if I had some more details and supporting ideas. If it was a full research paper I think I would have been able to address these problems.

What are some struggles I had?

I struggled a lot with cutting out some details that were interesting to the topic. I found it difficult in deciding whether or not to keep an idea since there was so much information to go through. Also going through the large amounts of information and research was tough as well. Many web sites were written with one sided opinions and ideas which was something I didn’t want in my paper. It was a struggle to go through many sites to find one with good information and views. (Finding the book in the library was very helpful as it stated that it clearly wanted to be equal in expressing both sides of the conflict.) The struggles made the research a lot harder, but it was still very interesting to see how each side viewed the other.

Who is my audience? What is my purpose?

My research paper was directed towards anyone and everyone who is interested in the topic of the conflict in the Middle East. I wanted to explain the conflict and its beginning without being favorable to one side and view of the topic. There were very few pieces of resource information that held an equal view of the topic so I wanted to present the information specifically for those interested in the long beginnings of the conflict and of having information which is not so unfair. I have to admit that a small reason for my paper was also to get a grade for English class.

                There are many accounts of the early history between the Arabs and the Jews. Most are found in the Bible while a few others are written accounts found to be dated after the time period of the Bible. Jews lived in the land at the time, which was called Judea. Then came the rise of the Holy Roman Empire and its great conquests. The Romans conquered the land of the Jews and renamed it Palestine. From then on Jews were spread about the known world in a period of dispora, also called the dispersion of Jews. In the time the Arabs conquered the land from the Romans. All the while many groups of Jews attempted to restore Judea, but the Arabs held the land for over a thousand years.

                After this long period of Jews being dispersed throughout the world, there was a movement that began among its people. “The Zionist Movement arose to restore the Jews to Israel.” The movement united the Jews together with their belief and their strong want to return home. Then around the time of 1917, the region of Palestine was given to the British, by the League of Nations, to establish a national homeland for the Jewish people. The population of Arabs who lived in the land became angry at the idea causing many riots to break out. This caused the plans of the British and migration of the Jews to stop. It wasn’t until later on after the Holocaust and death of 6 million Jews that Britain was pressured again to allow the Jews to begin returning. Finally in 1947 the United Nations split the land into separate Arab and Jewish states with a civil war soon following. The Israelis won the war with the establishment of Israel among the Arab nations. This began the conflict that would last until today. (“Brief history of Israel/Palestine”)

                Now we have the two groups of people who have formed nations in the ever-present struggle against one another. The land itself and the Jordan River alone are reasons that the Israelis and Arabs fight for resources they believe shouldn’t belong to the other. But the biggest factor that may decide whether there will ever be peace is religion. The Israelis are the Jews who believe they are chosen by God. The Arabs of Palestine follow a growing belief with hate against all Jews known as Islam. Both believe they have the divine right to wage holy war against the other. There is no accurate record of who is right. This is what keeps the leaders from either nation from making peace, as the people will always fight for it is their belief. Since the earliest times these ideas have the Arabs and Israelis at constant war, and keep the current conflict from any change.

                The earliest ideas and beliefs dating back thousands of years have kept the Israeli-Arab war going for longer than most may realize. It is the never ending holy war declared not by the people, but by the history and causes that have started long ago. There have been recent plans for peace, most notably the Geneva Accord. It has plans to divide the land and separate the two groups. Even though many approve of its ideas, most feel that it will never erase the conflict between the people of Israel and the Arab nations.

                The death toll was forty-seven. That was the number of people who were killed from the artillery barrage. Hill 21 was no longer a suitable base as now it seemed only half there. There were a hundred or so wounded in the base’s infirmary. Other than those numbers, most of the other one hundred and fifty people were able to make it to Hill 20 in one piece. He knew there would be many more deaths before this war between the U.N. forces and the Turkish rebels ended. The war began with a rebellion to overthrow the government, and so U.N. forces, with a combination of several other countries, came in to support the government. Jayden thought it was getting a bit crowded, but it wasn’t annoying enough for him to make any complaints to anyone. He was a man in his late thirties whose face betrayed young excitement, but also experience. Jayden’s body was well-built, like that of a runner who jogs around neighborhoods in the afternoon. His hair was short, black, and unkempt, but it altogether gave him a quite striking look.

                 Jayden couldn’t shake a thought out of his mind as he continued to walk along the corridor, passing other uniformed officers consisting of men and women; giving lazy salutes to some of them. He was one of them, but at the same time he was not. The rank of Sergeant was similar to any army, but he didn’t have command over anyone. Jayden knew the basics of using rifles, knifes, and med kits, but he knew that he wasn’t there to fight in battles like the other soldiers. The government had made him learn those basic skills for his own safety. He was there to shoot similar things like the other soldiers around him, but not shooting the same in any related way. Why was he here?

“Hey, Michaels, did ya get any good shots?”

                Jayden heard the voice and his chain of thought was broken. Yes, that was why he was here. To give other peoples around the world a taste of the war. So they could see the terror up close. So the true reality of war could be known. He turned to reply to the familiar face coming up to him.

“Carl! How are you? No, I haven’t really started any work yet. How about you?”

“Oh, you know same old same old. I’m still stuck with all the paper work to get signed in. Would ya mind giving me a hand?”

“Hey, I’m not the one who came in so late. You’re on your own buddy.”

“Alright, I’ll catch ya later.”

                Carl kept walking on his way as Jayden stopped to think. Yes, Carl was the only other person who understood what he did, and how life as a photographer had even tougher problems than bullets flying by his head. But it was his job, and he would see it through to get that one shot that could make him known. Jayden Michaels would be the most well known photographer in history. He would get his perfect shot in this war. But at what cost? He was ready to give up anything for what he wanted.

                It was just another uneventful day in the town of Ekasa, a town located near the military base. Jayden felt boredom eating him from the inside out. It had been three days now, and he hadn’t gotten very much. He got the occasional shot of soldiers fighting off a raid from the rebels, some photos of the ghettos with the poor and other stuff that almost any rookie photographer could get. All had been seen and done before. As he walked along, Jayden wished for something, anything exciting to happen. If he could just hear the cries of battle, or the rumble of artillery, he would jump into photographer mode and be ready with his camera. But all he heard was the occasional call of the local people who were selling things at the nearby bazaar. Well, he had nowhere else to go, so he prepared his Nikon camera for some possible shots of the local culture and headed off towards a noise which sounded like a dying bird.

                “If you ever thought you couldn’t buy something, head for the bazaar.” Someone had once said that to Jayden.  They sold every product from every country to tourists, locals, and all other peoples. Exotic animals, rich tapestries, and of course the normal abundance of foods filled the bazaar. What Jayden enjoyed most was the smell. Not of just the food, but of the complete mix of the perfumes, people, and food together. He got some shots of the crowded market with the constant barter of traders and people. Since he was there, he thought it would be a good idea to get something to eat. Jayden walked up to a random stall selling what appeared to be some sort of dried beef, and it was well cleaned, unlike some of the other stalls. It was good enough for him, so he went to the stall owner to ask for the price.

“So how much is it for a stick?”

                The man was a local and gave him a confused look. He didn’t seem to know any English. Great. Jayden was about to turn around when the man started to reply him.

“Ah man, I no good speak, sorry. Um, it is price five dollar…”

“Oh ok, no problem. I’ll take one please.”

The price was reasonable enough, so Jayden handed him five bills, and the man went off to prepare him the meal. As he waited he suddenly noticed a young girl who was standing there staring at him. It gave him quite a shock, but he kept himself from jumping back from her. She seemed to be around eight years of age. Her face showed the look of a local person, yet she had bright, radiant blue eyes which could have meant that she was of mixed race. She was dressed in a simple tunic, one that a lot of local people liked to wear. She just stood there silently staring straight at him. It felt like she was staring straight through his eyes, searching for something in his soul…Jayden broke eye contact.

“Umm,…hello. What’s your name little girl?”

 “Do ya noe thaz not beefs?”

                That voice. It was such a delicate, small voice. It felt like she was trying to whisper on purpose, just to make him lean in closer. Even though she was just a little girl with a small voice, it somehow felt like she was full of wisdom.

“Well,…I didn’t know it was not beef. What would it be then?”

                She simply pointed to a small caption under the stall sign which said “Pig’s Intestines.” Oh. The man came back with Jayden’s bought meal. He kindly thanked the seller and quickly stored the newly acquired pig intestines into his bag. Maybe he would have it later. He turned back toward where the girl was.

“So what’s your name?”

Where she once stood was now empty air. She had gone, and he hadn’t even discovered her name. Jayden put the thought out of his mind and went off to the boring job of trying to find some decent pictures.

Jayden met the little girl again. Whenever he couldn’t find anything to take shots of, he’d run into her. He found out that she was the only child of a local family. She often ran errands for her mother which brought her to the markets often. Her name was Ika. Whenever they met, she would always bring him water. Jayden would then return her kindness by buying her some candy or giving her something to bring back for her family. She would always just smile and run off to do her errands. She brought a small amount of joy to Jayden when she smiled. It became a part of his daily routine, always watching her smile and then run off through the crowds. One time he gave her a small sports jacket that was way too big for her, but she loved it and now wore it every time he saw her. He had a couple of pictures of her in that jacket. The picture of the small girl wearing the red jacket and having a huge smile on her face was later used in a magazine. It was an article about the locals welcoming the foreign soldiers. The picture hadn’t been great enough for Jayden to win any awards for it, but it had gotten him some attention from other experienced photographers. He patiently waited for the opportunity to get the perfect shot.  What Sergeant Jayden S. Michaels didn’t know was what he would have to sacrifice to get it.

It was an unusual morning. Jayden Michaels woke up to find that there was a heavy tension in the air. Something big was going on; he could feel it. As he walked along the corridor he saw how all the uniformed men and women now seemed to hurry to get to their destination. There was no idle chatting or strolling along, but instead there were the faces of men and women preparing for something. He had to find out what was going on. Jayden quickly found his friend Carl, who was sitting in his room polishing an assault rifle.

“Hey, what’s going on? Everyone seems to be on an edge.”

“You haven’t heard? There’s been some new information on the rebels. It seems like our forces have sighted a large battalion headed our way. Their forces are too large for our base to handle. Our troops here have been told to start a defensive withdraw.”

                This wasn’t good news for Jayden, or for anyone else for that matter. He hadn’t gotten his perfect picture, and if they withdrew he would never get it. There was a sudden rumbling sound in the distant, and then the base’s loud klaxons began blaring at full volume.

“It looks like we’ll be moving earlier than they thought.”

                Jayden quickly jumped into his photographer mode, and ran to his room to gather his few possessions and his camera. There would be fighting, and it would be his chance to get a shot. After grabbing his stuff he came outside to a full on battle happening along the hillside and in the town. There were explosions and debris all over the place. They were being shelled just like the previous base. He quickly vaulted over a barricade and ran off towards the battle taking snap shots of everything. There, the cold body of a dead marine. Another shot of a rebel soldier still holding his rifle in a death grip. He got countless shots of many things, but he still needed to get his perfect shot. Artillery shells were still raining all around him as he sprinted down the hill towards the town. Great mounds of earth were thrown about in all directions, raining even more debris all over the area. There was another shot of a friendly soldier being carried by his comrade. And yet another shot of a trooper blown away by shrapnel from a falling shell. It was pure chaos on the hill, and as he ran into the town the mayhem was even worse

                The townspeople were evacuating everything they could along with their lives. Buildings were crumbling as U.N. forces attempted to hold back the enemy for the sake of the civilians. Jayden knew that they wouldn’t be able to hold out for long and that they would have to start pulling back; leaving any person left behind to fend for themselves. He got more photos of some of the people fleeing for their lives. There were more photos of the desperate marines as they returned fire to some rebels. He knew he still hadn’t gotten his picture when his instincts told him to turn around. There it was, the light was perfect, the sounds of battle flooding across the landscape.

It was an innocent figure in something red. She was standing there in the open, with a wide smile on her face as a nearby group of U.N. troops were fighting off some rebels down the road. It was an innocence untouched by the death and war that surrounded it. Sergeant Jayden S. Michaels pulled up his camera to take the shot, and then it came to him. It was Ika. She was standing there in the sunlight, with her joyful smile on her face, even as shells, bullets, and debris flew all around her. Just as his hand clicked the button he realized the wrong he was doing. He dropped his camera and sprinted towards her with all his speed. Then just as he came within five feet of reaching her, there was a loud roar and white light blurred his vision…

                Sergeant Jayden S. Michaels looked down along the hall of photos. There were all sorts of pictures. Some of them he knew by name. There were some that were his very own. He slowly walked with trembling legs as he went farther down the hall. There was the picture his friend Carl had gotten an award for. There was another famous photo. Then Jayden came to a stop at the end of the hall. At the bottom of this last photo was the name of the picture that had gotten the coveted international photography award. Many photographers would have given anything to get this award. Jayden stared at the photo of the small girl who looked to be about eight years of age. All around her were signs of a great battle. Soldiers, debris, and death surrounded her. And yet she stood there in her red jacket with the largest smile on her face. Jayden saw the title. “Innocence Among Death” by Sergeant Jayden S. Michaels. As he looked again at the picture of the girl’s face, he couldn’t hold back the silent tears that streamed down his face. He just couldn’t stop crying.

Rage is colored deep RED
It sounds like a SCREAM
It tastes like RUSTED metal
And smells like SWEAT
Rage looks like HELL
And makes you feel lost in yourself.

Guitar

I am an electric guitar
My strings coursing with Power
My skin Shining
My music in Tune
I create great sounds
Showing the skills of my User
Creating impressions and Passions
Feeling the excitement and Joy
I know of the power I hold.

          Now it’s interesting to find that these once ugly, crumbling sets of buildings are now supposedly the place where you are going to school. The former prison finds its’ life again not as a place containing criminals, but as a place containing children and teens who find it very much the same. The buildings themselves are repainted, and the old basketball court remade. The large cells are cleaned and refitted to become class rooms. Then bathrooms are installed here and there. To any parent it is a somewhat odd looking, but still capable school. They never remember to ask the children who go there what they think.

          Every kid who starts his school day at this school begins it like any other student. Waking up, getting ready, and getting a ride to school is always the same. But unlike students of other schools who may find some joy when they see their school with their friends, these students find themselves wondering if maybe prison was better. The cluster of buildings was strange as the whole compound was previously built a whole thirty-five feet below ground level. There was no grassy field for students to play in since there was no space to put one. There was the bustling street and right next to it the raw concrete wall that surrounded the school. Then the below ground compound itself rested in the middle of the square created by the walls. A person could sum the whole set up to be like taking a small square plastic container and pressing it slightly down into the ground. So it had really high menacing walls looking at it from the inside, but from the outside they seemed much shorter and innocent. Long twisted wires of metal ringed the top of the walls. These barbed wires were left over from the previous prison and casted dark curved shadows against the sun. This whole set up was definitely something that made the place much more prison-like. It still felt like a prison.

          Once you entered through the small gate at one side and onto the small road that would take you to the main entrance where parents dropped off their children you could see how the main office looks. It has marble floors, nice plush cloud-like sofas, and artistic drawings hanging on the clean, sleek walls. It was the nicest room; of course none of the other rooms were anywhere comparable. Then the parents would leave after having seen the wonderfully nice main office with its shimmering windows feeling no need to check the rest of the school. The students would be the ones to face the horrors on their own.

          The rest of the place was just a collection of some old elongated buildings which created another square space that held the tiny basketball court.  Everything was closely compacted making it feel crowded. The outsides of buildings were newly painted which didn’t look too bad with its bland white paint color, while the basketball court was more like a very sad looking tennis court. A gnarled tree sat right in the middle which tore up the rough concrete and made the place look even smaller. The classrooms and hallways were another story. A musky scent wafted the entire school hallways filling the school with a smell mixed of sweat, dust, and what some students said had to be the smell of old blood. The classrooms had been hastily cleaned and so still held many stains on their walls. Dark, moldy stains which made every room seem dark and gloomy. Cobwebs were present in some places, and one student had claimed that a huge fat and plump rat had scurried across the floor. This was far from an ideal learning place.

          Of every room the worst places in the whole school had to be the bathrooms. Most other school students would also say that the bathrooms were their worst place in school. None could compare to this school. It was always a risk or dare to go to the bathroom in school. Most would rather hold it in until they got home, or would rather go in some bushes. Now there was one particularly sickly gross bathroom in the corner of the school. The smell of the farthest bathroom was something else entirely. It could be described as something even garbage men wouldn’t endure. It was a sour, gross, literally burning smell that could leave your nose sore for the better part of the day if you stayed in there for any longer then twenty minutes. If you got something to cover your nose and mouth to get past the incredible fumes you would find yourself wanting to cover your eyes. Only one boy had once survived long enough to get a good look before running out and throwing up. He told of how it looked like a jungle was growing inside. Moss, vines, and mud covered an entire half of the bathroom. Ceiling tiles were crumbling like pieces of sand, with no sign of the sinks or stalls behind the enormous vegetation. How could that be a bathroom?

          Luckily for me, I didn’t have to stay in such a decrepit school. Eventually I was able to leave behind the horrors of the school and move to a better school. The prison with its abnormalities and strangeness I would never forget. Thank goodness that I could leave something like that behind. Even though it had its ugliness and problems, the people there were good friends and nice teachers. They would be strong enough to survive where I couldn’t.

            The main plot in the story is based on the conflict over a Ring of power. The Dark Lord, known as Sauron, is in search of the Ring as it will return his power to him and allow him to ultimately control the entire land. Meanwhile other races are forming armies to try and fight against him. The bearer of the ring must carry it as a burden and bring it to the place where it was created so that it can be destroyed. So is the burden that falls on the small insignificant Frodo Baggins. He is forced into something he never dreamed of. A fellowship of warriors from different races form together to make sure the ring reaches its destination, yet none are allowed to carry the ring. Even when the other warriors are superior to Frodo in every way both in physical and mental attributes it still is Frodo’s responsibility to carry the ring.

            Frodo Baggins is unimportant and inexperienced when he gains the ring. He has the want for adventure outside of the small area of where he lives known as the Shire, but still enjoys the farm life he has there. His personality is neither fearless, nor coward-like. His travels show how he fears combat when the fellowship must fight to protect the ring, but he doesn’t run away and hide like some other characters.  He does show how he feels about having being chosen to bear the ring. When he first hears about the true nature of the ring he exclaims, “How, how on earth did it come to me?” (Chp.2 Pg. 60).  He shows how he truly wishes that he never came upon the ring. Frodo questions the responsibility he carries when he asks, “Why did it come to me? Why was I chosen?” (Chp.2 Pg. 70). But even though he doesn’t understand much he still knows of what he must do when he tells his friend, “I suppose I must keep the Ring and guard it…whatever it may do to me.” (Chp.2 Pg. 71).

             While Frodo sees what he must do there is another member of the fellowship is a character of the race of Men named Aragorn. He is the powerful leader of the group and yet is both humble and wise. In the later novels he is known as being of a lineage of Kings who are supposed to rule over the race of Men. Psychically he is a powerful warrior and a great leader. He has all the makings marking him out as the best person who should be entrusted with the ring, but instead he prefers to act as a guide saying, “I know all the lands between the Shire and the Misty Mountains…I might prove useful.” (Chp.10 Pg. 177). He never even suggests carrying the ring for Frodo which marks him out as also being very understanding. Aragorn tells Frodo at a point, “I am Aragorn son of Arathorn; and if by life or death I can save you, I will.” (Chp.10 Pg. 183), which shows how concerned and loyal he is to the others. All these traits mark him out as a capable leader and best choice to carry the ring.

            By considering the traits of these characters we can see why Frodo is chosen over Aragorn. In the end, there are strong differences shown between them. Frodo develops a strong true character like Aragorn, but in itself he is more pure and understanding of the task he must do. Tolkien chose Frodo to show us of how even though he is much less capable then other characters, he has the will to continue onward despite what may come. Even though Aragorn seems much better a choice physically and as a leader, he does not have the same individuality which the other has. Frodo has traits which mark him out as humbly special. He seems more reluctant to carry the burden and doesn’t have any special ambition or interest in the power the ring has other than to do what must be done. The other characters are more prone to seek for the power as they are mightier and feel of the power the ring may have for them. Altogether Frodo Baggins has the especial traits that make him perfect to carry the ring.

                The first idea is that National Service in Malaysia should be abolished or removed. In the first place, the National Service takes away a large period of time for students, especially during school weeks. These young adults miss out on important parts of education and even many exams at times. It is harder for them to have to come back and catch up three months worth of school work and tests. Of equal importance is that of time taken away from friends, relatives, and parents. They lose a lot of time where they would have had close bonding or relationships with those people important to them. Furthermore, this causes much stress for the students and family as they are away and miss out on a lot of social, educational, and family-related events. Things like birthdays, large school events, and even the last living weeks of an old relative will be lost to them.  

                The second thought is that if there must be a need for the National Service, then the length of the service should not be the current three months time. In supporting this, the long period of time can be dangerous to many of these students who are selected. These randomly selected students are not all ideally suited to going through tough training in camps where there aren’t proper facilities to maintain standard living for them. Being in often unclean living quarters for long periods of time can cause diseases to be easily spread around. More than half of the deaths of trainees going through training have been from diseases and illness. Consequently, the period of time also causes problems for some people who need to play a vital role in supporting their families. They are forced to leave their families that may need them to provide income to survive. Also, having such a long time is both dangerous to the students who have to go and the family that they have to leave behind.

                Now that we have examined the reasons in which National Service conscription should be either removed or reduced, the government should try to consider this and change how the system is currently running. We should take another step with the government to possibly find other outcomes that can benefit both the ones involved and the National Service system. Should there be a National Service system in countries like Malaysia and Singapore?

            Watching any DVDs is a great means of entertainment. They allow you to watch your favorite movies and scenes without any pressure to pay extra attention to avoiding missing something important. With our technology nowadays an entire movie and even extra features can be placed on a DVD. But there has been a new crime that has become a big industry for many people. Now we not only have DVDs but the ability to make fake copies which makes DVD companies or producers of the movies lose lots of money. These are pirated DVDs which are illegal copies that may show the same story, but with many other differences.

            Original DVDs show movies along with many extras. There are interactive menus which allow easy selection of any part of the movie so you can start and stop at the part of your choice. The viewing quality is now amazing to see as though you were in a movie theatre. You can have many options to suit your viewing style ranging from different screen sizes to different language subtitles. These features can all be found on a single DVD. This is an amazing new media which many people use today. The only limitation to them is the sometimes expensive prices that come with them, especially with new movies on DVD.

            With such new advancements in technology we find that DVDs are an amazing improvement from normal CD’s. But this new technology also allows people to illegally make mass amounts of cheaper and DVDs. It is almost impossible to find a fake DVD movie that is the same as any original version. They are almost completely different in every way. Pirated DVDs are normally poor in quality since they are made as quickly as possible. Many times pirated DVDs release movies that just appeared in theatres, but this certainly means that the quality will be even worse. They have blurred pictures, fuzzy sound, and even an occasional shadow of someone walking by in the movie theater it is videoed. These DVDs have little options and no extra features making it actually worse than a standard CD. The only thing about them that is positive is the affordable cost. They are usually only a fourth the price of a genuine DVD. But would you want to risk getting caught doing a crime just to save some money?

            There are very noticeable differences between the original DVDs and pirated DVDs. Both may be trying to show the same thing, but one will never beat the other. The experience of either will be different, and it all comes down to a person’s own decision. There is no one to stop a person from choosing either type of DVD. The enjoyment of a movie is up to which you think is better. Will you buy original DVDs or buy pirated DVDs?