Although there is not much physical evidence of growth in math apart from homework, I have grown in regards to the the fact I take more notes now. I this is of course a good habit especially for math and has really really helped come test time and during even homework it’s helped.
As for science my growth is represented by my test results reflecting on how I learn. This includes genetic, cancer and chemistry in general. These results are on my fresh grade as well as showbie. Although there are many examples a few stick out, like the ones a got perfect on.

“The fight for survival is the strongest human instinct that we have, but when climbing a mountain that looms just bellow thirty thousand feet human survival is not an instinct it’s the only thing on your mind.”

In this essay I will answer the question: why do people climb mountains? There are many reasons why people would want to climb mountains such as everest and stand on the roof of the world. The main ones I found were, for research, personal accomplishment and personal gain. The urge to climb Everest has been tugging at minds of people since their childhood (like Jon Krakauer) and some of those people decide to pursue their dream to conquer the third pole.

Personal accomplishment is something that we all feel the need to achieve because… science. There is something about telling someone who says “I did the grouse grind.” “Well suck it I climbed Everest” that’s appealing to everybody. So it is no surprise that people like Krakauer take the opportunity to climb the great mountain when they get it. “[Jon] quickly came to understand that climbing Everest was primarily about enduring pain. And in subjecting [themselves] to week after week of toil, tedium, and suffering, it struck [him] that most of [them] were probably seeking, above all else, something like a state of grace. Of course for some climbers other, less virtuous motives came into play as well: minor celebrity, career advancement, ego massage, ordinary bragging rights, filthy lucre.” (chapter 10) This is something that Jon said while climbing the Lhotse face. This really reflects on the motives for most of the team he is working with. Witch is self accomplishment. “Managing Risks: “Because I can”, Learning Life Lessons: “Because it’s good for me” or Conquering the Challenge: “Because it’s there” ” (Bill Fink) These are the three main reasons people climb mountains for self accomplishment according to Bill. I think the one that was originally said by George Mallory is the most powerful because it really goes back to the roots of climbing. Now of course if I decided I wanted to climb Everest because it’s there with out any knowledge of mountaineering I would die so I would need to pay someone too take me up. Those people I would pay are the ones who go up for personal gain.

There is a big profit in climbing mountains such as everest with large commercial company’s charging “$65,000″ (alpine ascents) for the pleasure too help you risk your life. These people may well have started off by climbing for fun and realized as they got better that if your good at something don’t do it for free. Everest has been made a lot easier since into thin air was written because they know that the easier it is the more people will pay them money to climb. The encouraging websites some of these expeditions have are really shoving down your throat the fact that it is über safe and they boast about their safety record. This has been going on for years. “Taking note of Rob Hall’s success in guiding Everest—and the large fees he was able to command as a consequence—Fischer decided it was time for him to enter the Everest market. If he could emulate Hall, it would quickly catapult Mountain Madness to profitability.” (Chapter five). This shows how easy it is to make money doing this considering and it’s no surprise that people would see this as motivation to climb. Of course for the Sherpas it is know the main reason they climb instead of their old motivation witch was for spiritual reasons like being closer to their God’s. There a plenty of people who run commercial mountaineering expeditions for none profitable reasons like research.

“Headed by the award-winning filmmaker and expert climber David Brea-shears, who’d guided Dick Bass up Everest in 1985, the IMAX team was shooting a $5.5 million giant-screen movie about climbing the mountain.” (Chapter eight). The expedition up everest by the Imax team was to make a movie about everest for research purposes and to document the climb by the team and David Brea-shears. There are lots of reasons someone would want climb for research such as letting others know how to prepare for high altitudes. There tons of physics experiments that you can do such as so how thin air (pardon the pun) affects things like aerodynamics and turbulence. “Mount Everest is losing its snow and ice at an alarming rate, researchers have found. A major new study of Everest and the national park that surrounds it concluded the area has been warming since the early 1960s – with many small glaciers having already disappeared. The researchers said Everest itself was ‘shedding its frozen cloak’ and revealed the snow line on the mountain has risen by 180 metres.” (Mark Prigs). This scary as at is this was all funded and discovered by researchers. Thanks to them we can do something about it.

In conclusion whether it’s for personal gain, personal accomplishment/ fulfillment or research people will always want to conquer the challenge of mountaineering. There are many people who do get the admiration, glory and bragging rights that come with it but some die on these great pillars that hold up the heavens. Some it will always be a mystery to some why people decide to ascend the steps toward God only to face the likely hood of not coming down. Hopefully in your mind I did a good job describing why people climb mountains, with the help of the following links and the book into thin air. And now you don’t have to be one of those people who wonder why those crazy few of us climb mountains.

Alpine Ascents:
http://www.alpineascents.com/everest-price-date.asp

Mark Prigs:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2324936/Mount-Everest-LOSING-snow-ice-researchers-glaciers-region-shrunk-15-50-years.html#ixzz3MJ9RfOSe

Bill Fink:
https://www.yahoo.com/travel/deadliest-sport-ever-why-people-risk-their-lives-87909897077.html

The very thought of giving away 30 billion dollars a year is crazy enough but why they do it is even crazier. Bill, Melinda and Bill senior Gates all made a pledge to give away half there wealth before they die or in there will and asked all wealthy people to do the same. The charities they give their money too are involved in world health, education and poverty. They have a foundation visitor centre in Seattle where they display the kind of things they do. They are very into innovation and inspiring future change which involve hosting yearly contests to see who has the best idea related to their theme. As an example they had a contest to see who could create the best toilet to put into a 3rd world countries. The people who competed in the contest would have to build a toilet without access to pluming but still must keep the duty out of the reach of flies. This may seem like fun and games but a lot of people die each year from diseases caused by issues related to poor hygiene with regards to waste.

One of the forefront issues they are directing there funds to, is polio which they helped eradicated 99% of it and is now only in some countries like Afghanistan. Along the way they freed india of it and are on there way to send it out completely.

The gates foundation also gets half of its 4 billion dollar budget from another wealthy business man named Berkshire Hathaway who owns dairy queen. This lifestyle is a fairly new way of thinking and now the normal scenario is; make lots of money spend it then make even more money and give it away.

My opinion to the whole thing is that they are doing the the right thing but their next step is definitely to focus more on the environment. I think this the logical way up because if we do nothing about global warming and climate change then we all cook to death in this greenhouse. But that is something for the future because if we focus too much on the environment then there may not be too much to save. But over all I think they’re heading in the right direction.

They also do work in poverty witch focuses on 3rd world countries like those in Africa and Asia. Hopefully they cause poverty to go on a downward angle now, like they promise on their Plexiglass board at the visitor centre. The foundation only donates to charities that are set up in the 3rd world countries that they can trust to do a good job. Not just go in do the work and leave. Half the money they use 3.6 billion in fact is in checks. Its great that they are so involved in these communities across the world witch is something that you don’t see a lot of people with money do. The visit has really opened my eyes to the way people can all change the world.

I’m really proud of this essay because it was so long and I think I did very well on getting the point across. This essay was really fun to watch the growth of, it going from 20 words too 1000 was an amazing experience.
This essay was a reflection on how I’ve grown as a writer. Several things that represent growth include the fact I started with a quote had a really profound point in all parts of the essay and had an elaborate list of sources. This can be seen throughout all my work recently. This is why I’m most proud of this essay out of all of them.

into thin air essay.

They day was colder than the heart of the devil on the Russian front. The British soldiers defending the Russians, brandished any weapon they could carry. From fully automatic guns to make shift clubs. The days before had been tough on the 51st legion. A squad of German brute-walkers a close cousin of the Austrian storm-walkers had ambushed their camp and forced them out. The Russians had met them to deliver supplies, medicine for the wounded and to discuss the upcoming battle.
The battle approached as the British caught glimpses of german walkers and soldiers on the horizon. All it took was a radio signal from captain Bone and the snipers would fire and the British would charge.
Meanwhile across the battle field as the British prepared to charge captain Bone surveyed the scene and spook to his head corporal:
” I wish we had a sea fab that could flank the Germans and finish them off on land”
” The only such creatures occupy dreams and myths” said the corporal
” I could invent one” Bone exclaimed.
” Not before this battle is out sir we need to think right here right now”
” I suppose you are right. Ah the snipers are in place I’ll make the signal”
Captain Bone lifted the radio and spoke the order to attack. The air erupted with gun fire and screams. Captain Bone drew his pistol, but the corporal pushed him to his chair and handcuffed him to it by his ankle. The corporeal said nothing and left to join the Germans. He had just betrayed the captain.
Captain Bone was bored, in-till he saw a blank sheet of parchment and a pencil. He grabbed them and started drawing.
Meanwhile a German sniper looks down his sights and sees a lone corporal stumbling through the snow with no weapon and wearing a British uniform. The sniper smiled. The shot rang through the air as the bullet flew through the harsh wind and rocketed into the corporals skull. As the battle wore on captain Bone had almost perfected the creature he had just drawn. A whale with the big back legs of a frog enlarged to fit of course. It had also been fitted with a lions front legs that hung down barley descending past the frogs knees like a T-rex he thought. As a finishing touch he added the tough under belly of the frog to the top as a gunning platform. This was the first picture of a whale-rex.
As the British charged the German brute-walker crews were frantic to try and man the cannons but unfortunately for them the snipers had taken out a lot of the pilots. Must of the brute-walkers were unable to move without a pilot and the British and Russians were to close to fire at and were shooting up inside the walkers open hatches and windows. The British had already won the battle. The captured Germans had their throats slit for committing horrible war crimes.
Little did captain Bone know that the whale-rex would become one of the most popular fabs ever created.