A Step Toward Maturity free essay sample

As a little girl, my dream was to be a ballerina. Dancers were beautiful and perfect people, much like the dolls I loved to play with. When I was seven years old, I made the decision to stop taking piano lessons to make time for ballet lessons. The day my mother took me to a local ballet school to observe a class was a major turning point in my young life. I knew from the moment I saw the joy and pure bliss on the dancers faces that I, too, wanted to dance, to experience the same carefree feelings the dancers had. I had my mother sign me up for lessons after that class. I started taking lessons and I absolutely loved them. My classmates were really friendly, and as time went on, we grew into a close-knit family. My ballet class was my second home. We did everything together: moved to the next advanced level, got our toe shoes, danced in recitals, and participated in Royal Academy of Dancing (RAD) exams. We will write a custom essay sample on A Step Toward Maturity or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page My friends in my class made ballet so enjoyable that I thought I would always be dancing with them. It was my dream, my passion, my love, my life. As we progressed, now taking lessons five days a week for four hours a day (instead of twice a week), the whole dancing attitude became more serious and less enjoyable. My teacher brought a scale into the studio, making us weigh ourselves so she could record our weight in her rank book. I didnt think much of this at the time, but when other changes in the classroom occurred, I was able to make sense out of it. She started to single out one of my friends and me, especially me. She would say, Stop eating the cookies and the cakes; you could slim down a bit. I heard these words every day. I was simply crushed to hear this from my teacher. My love for ballet was diminishing quickly. I was on the verge of crying every day in my class, but I somehow managed to hold back my tears. Seven years of ballet lessons had come to this? Hatred toward my dream? But there was no longer any dream; my dream was shattered to pieces. I told my mother what my teacher was saying and she was shocked. We had to do something to stop this, because it was corrupting my life. My mother called my ballet teacher and had a long and painful talk with her. When she denied saying these things, I decided that it was no use arguing, since my mother and I knew that I was right. The only way to end this torture was to quit ballet. As much as it was a huge part of my life and as much as I had loved it, at fourteen years old I knew it was time to move on. It was time to leave my beloved ballet family. Why keep doing something that was no longer gratifying? At the time, my decision felt right. I had a great deal of anger built up inside of me because of my teacher. I needed to proceed and admit that maybe, just maybe, I wouldnt have been successful as a professional dancer. The first year after I quit, I felt some regret. Ballet had been a major part of my life, and leaving it so abruptly was really tough. Nevertheless, it was necessary to make this mature decision. I am proud of the choice I made. I cant imagine what my life would be like had I stuck with ballet. That rigorous lifestyle was not for me. In the words of singer Fiona Apple, Though dreams can be deceiving, like faces are to hearts, they serve for sweet relieving when fantasy and reality lie too far apart.

A Profile in Composition

A Profile in Composition A profile is a  biographical essay, usually developed through a combination of anecdote, interview, incident, and description. James McGuinness, a staff member at  The New Yorker  magazine in the 1920s, suggested the term profile (from the Latin, to draw a line) to the magazines editor, Harold Ross. By the time the magazine got around to copyrighting the term, says David Remnick, it had entered the language of American journalism (Life Stories, 2000). Observations on Profiles A Profile is a short exercise in biographya tight form in which interview, anecdote, observation, description, and analysis are brought to bear on the public and private self. The literary pedigree of the profile can be traced from Plutarch to Dr. Johnson to Strachey; its popular modern reinvention is owed to The New Yorker, which set up shop in 1925 and which encouraged its reporters to get beyond ballyhoo to something more probing and ironic. Since then, with the wacky proliferation of media, the genre has been debased; even the word itself has been hijacked for all kinds of shallow and intrusive journalistic endeavors.(John Lahr, Show and Tell: New Yorker Profiles. University of California Press, 2002)In 1925, when [Harold] Ross launched the magazine he liked to call his comic weekly [The New Yorker], he wanted something differentsomething sidelong and ironical, a form that prized intimacy and wit over biographical completeness or, God forbid, unabashed hero worship.  Ross told his writers and editors that, above all, he wanted to get away from what he was reading in other magazinesall the Horatio Alger stuff. . . .The New Yorker Profile has expanded in many ways since Rosss time. What had been conceived of as a form to describe Manhattan personalities now travels widely in the world and all along the emotional and occupational registers. . . . One quality that runs through nearly all the best Profiles . . . is a sense of obsession. So many of these pieces are about people who reveal an obsession with one corner of human experience or another.  Richard Prestons Chudnovsky brothers  are obsessed with the number pi and finding the pattern in randomness; Calvin Trillins Edna Buchanan is an obsessive crime reporter in Miami who visits the scenes of disaster four, five times a day; . . . Mark Singers Ricky Jay is obsessed with magic and the history of magic. In every great Profile, too, the writer is equally obsessed. Its often the case that a writer will t ake months, even years, to get to know a subject and bring him or her to life in prose.(David Remnick, Life Stories: Profiles From The New Yorker. Random House, 2000) The Parts of a Profile One major reason writers create profiles is to let others know more about the people who are important to them or who shape the world in which we live. . . . [T]he introduction  to a profile needs to show readers that the subject is someone they need to know more aboutright now. . . . Writers also use the introduction of a profile to highlight some key feature of the subjects personality, character, or values . . ..The body of a profile . . . includes descriptive details that help readers visualize the subjects actions and hear the subjects words. . . .Writers also use the body of a profile to provide logical appeals in the form of numerous examples that show that the subject is indeed making a difference in the community. . . .Finally, the conclusion of a profile often contains one final quote or anecdote that nicely captures the essence of the individual.(Cheryl Glenn,  The Harbrace Guide to Writing, concise 2nd ed. Wadsworth, Cengage, 201) Expanding the Metaphor In the classic Profile under [St. Clair] McKelway, the edges were smoothed out, and all effectsthe comic, the startling, the interesting, and occasionally, the poignantwere achieved by the choreography, in characteristically longer and longer (but never rambling) paragraphs filled with declarative sentences, of the extraordinary number of facts the writer had collected. The Profile metaphor, with its implicit acknowledgment of limited perspective, was no longer appropriate. Instead, it was as if the writer were continually circling around the subject, taking snapshots all the way, until finally emerging with a three-dimensional hologram.(Ben Yagoda, The New Yorker and the World It Made. Scribner, 2000)

The nurses' responsability in the prevention of medication errors Essay

The nurses' responsability in the prevention of medication errors - Essay Example With the number of law suits rising in the country regarding medical malpractices, the quality of care needs not be assumed, and must at all times be considered as a crucial aspect in medical practice (Reason, 2000). The author continues to argue that medical practitioners have faced disciplinary issues, shame and threats due to malpractices. Nurses’ role Since nurses are major players in offering medical care, they are concerned with the health of an individual from the onset of medication to the end (Cohen, 2007). In light to this argument, it is argued that nurses play the major role of ensuring that they understand the major factors that lead to errors in the medical provision. This role of prevention of errors is crucial in the prevention of medical errors (Cohen, 2007). Among these errors are inclusive of incorrect calculations of medical dosages, improper consultations, inexperience, and failure to adhere to the set protocols amongst others (Cohen, 2007). With these ave nues of medical errors in place, the quality of medical service is then jeopardized. In this case, the nurse should play the major role of ensuring that they minimize the avenues of cropping up of medical errors as possible. A good example is that of the nurses’ conversance with the FEMA (Failure Mode and Effect Analysis) that has been instrumental in alleviating chemotherapy errors (Hartranft, Sheridan-Leos & Schulmeister, 2006). Nurses are able to come up with thoughts on how to safeguard the safety of the patient care. Despite the fact that, Cohen (2007) indicates that the nurses are mostly forced by the management to cause some of these errors, they are should be on the frontline to ensure that they minimize as many challenges as they can. Secondly, in the medical setting, they must have vast experimental knowledge in the concerned field (Cohen, 2007). This allows the nurses have a big picture of the entire case, always counter check the medical history of a patient prior to making any form of conclusion (Cima, ?2011). This means that, the nurse is able to offer assistance by advocating for patient’s safety; thus, prevention of the occurrence of any form of delay in the institution. In this case, Cima (?2011) indicates that team work is possible, as well as involving leadership as a theme that allows nurses describe the various mechanisms of dealing with nurses’ errors. Thirdly, the nurses play the role of discovering the number and type of errors they make in the course of duty. As argued by Hwang et. al (2008), a majority of the errors made by nurses are inclusive of poor breakdown of workflow, which emanates from wrong identification of the patients, and using the wrong information on another patient (Patel et al., 2008). Besides that, it is also possible that the nurses mis-transfuse blood, which may cause adverse haemolytic reaction among the patients in question (Mole et. al, 2007). In the work of Bates and Kim (2006) and Escoto et. al (2008), nurses have a major role of correcting medical errors. This is possible by devising a medical error reporting system in the health institutio

Marine Smith Electronics and Boat Repair Case Study

Marine Smith Electronics and Boat Repair - Case Study Example Customer loyalty and commitment is important for us. Marine Smith has a lot of competition however it is ready to compete ahead and differentiate itself by offering hassle free but a full stocked repair. The customers will be provided with guaranteed boat repair in least possible time. We will have a customer oriented focus on the business; our employees are trained and are held responsible for providing superior services, developing a long lasting trust bond with the customer. This is important because in electronic and boat repair business trust and honest counts more then image of repair facilities. We will focus on both upper and lower class but few of our item prices will be more as depending upon its standard and quality. Marine Smith electronics and boat repair will stand against the barriers and remove them as time passes and the company grows, we expect the business to prosper in the next 3 years. MarineSmith Electronics and Boat Repair will provide electronics and boat repair services to all of Orange County. MISSION STATEMENT Our goal is to successfully penetrate the Orange County market and secure a loyal customer base that recognizes MarineSmith as the leader in Electronics and Boat Repair. ... Our objective is to have at least 95% customer satisfaction in the areas of honesty, reliability, and quality workmanship. Business philosophy is that for the first time we will provide quality workmanship. PRODUCT MARKET AND INDUSTRY Based on our plan we have decided to increase our net profits likewise. The total registered boats in Orange country are 4684 and there usage is divided as in chart Most of the boats are used in recreational activities and so our main focus will be on this area. Our services would be marketed towards boat owners, and being famous for tourism with around 45 million international and domestic tourist (Anaheim Orange country), it has a bright market and loyal customers in the country. COMPANY SUMMARY Marine smith electronics and boat repair is a new company and is a limited liability corporation. The economic growth of the last several years has resulted in increased disposable income. Many people have chosen to spend part of their increased income on their recreational activities. As a result, the need for reliable and convenient repair services has substantially risen as well. Marine Smith will position itself to capitalize on the growing need of the middle and upper class market for quality services in the Orange country. The company will be owned by Mr. Slaurie Smith. The initial startup cost would be as follows,

Art Analisys 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Art Analisys 2 - Essay Example Mary Cassatt’s unique mode of painting coupled with her interest in reproducing children portraits, grasped my attention during one of the recent visits to the National Gallery of Art, DC (National Gallery of Art, 2012). Consequently, this aroused my interest in her paintings because they contrasted with other numerous artworks in the art gallery, especially those of her male counterparts. In addition, after an intensive research I unveiled that she preferred featuring children in her paintings because they reveal their natural self contrary to the adults (National Gallery of Art, 2012). Besides Mary Cassatt being a woman, her paintings comprise the most praised impressionism artworks done by different reputable artists in her time (Harris & Cassatt, 2007). This is contrary to the past where women never featured anywhere in the male dominated field of art. The past â€Å"segregation† and negative perception towards women venturing in the field of art have recently yield ed to the rise of feminist movements, for example, "Guerrilla Girls" (Desmond, 2011). Material and Formal properties In this image, Mary Cassatt skillfully utilizes paint together with an oil canvas and brush, to show her prowess in transmitting ideas besides bringing out the aspect of impressionism (Harris & Cassatt, 2007). This is by selectively assigning all the objects in picture their respective natural colors, besides varying light’s intensity meant to show their different distances from the front position. For instance, despite the little child’s image tilted slightly from the center, it has high illumination compared to both the dog and rear objects (chairs) (Cassatt, 2008). Mainly, this is the painter’s unique technique to draw the viewers’ attention towards her focus, which is the little girl. Light should be emanating from the rear windows, but she goes ahead to provide her illumination (Harris & Cassatt, 2007). Consequently, this aids Mary Cas satt to bring out the aspect of naturalism represented by the little girl’s posture as she fidgets in the armchair, while in her private world of thoughts. The essence of negative space in this portrait is to create and emphasis on depth, which is apparent from the little girl’s position towards the rear windows. Hence, it contributes to the creation of harmony where the objects comprising the entire picture do not overlap disorderly (Cassatt, 2008). Content Mary Cassatt’s use of this image opens a window for the viewers to explore the lives of young children. The picture demonstrates that, children at certain instances become disinterested and bored despite being in the presence of things, which they usually treasure at their age. For example, in this image Mary Cassatt paints the little child with her favorite pet, next chair, in a beautiful room (Cassatt, 2012). However, not any of these things can sway the little girl from engaging in deep thoughts. This inf luences the viewer to start speculating what could be the thoughts of the little child, hence sharing in her world of thoughts. The image’s title also contributes to the mystery of the child’s thoughts, regardless of the viewer’s first influence by the image itself (National Gallery of Art, 2012). In addition, the essence of the sleeping pet in the next chair is to emphasis on what the little girl

Amsterdam Tourism Marketing Condition Tourism Essay

Amsterdam Tourism Marketing Condition Tourism Essay Amsterdam has long been regarded as diversified, international city. It is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Europe, in 2008, 4.5 million visitors stayed over in Amsterdam. The city break markets significance and economic value is increasingly being acknowledged by city managers and administrators (Dunne, 2007). Domestic tourists constantly account for about 20% of Amsterdam tourist arrivals, followed by 18% of U.K tourists and 11% U.S tourists  [1]  . In 2009, due to the economic recession, during the first six months of 2009 the number of bed nights of international guests continued to decrease, with the UK (-23%), Spain (-20%) and the US (-9%)  [2]  . The significant change in 2009 tourism was the increase of Spain tourists and tourists from BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China). This indicated that no matter within or outside Europe, even during economic recession, the market potential would be worth exploring in the future. What makes a potential tourist come to Amsterdam? Before they start the trip, they have a perception of this city, which refers to destination image. The importance of the tourist destinations image is universally acknowledged, since it affects the individuals subjective perception and consequent behaviour and destination choice (Chon, 1990; Echtner Ritchie, 1991). That is to say, destination image motivates people travelling. Hall and OSullivan (1996) proposed that the creation of a destination image is based on three elements: (a) Returning tourists through word-of-mouth reporting, (b) Media reporting and image-making and (c) Government policies and interests. Supported by Seddighi et al. (2001), stated that perceptions about country image are formed through advertising and promotion, news accounts, conversation with friends and relatives, travel agents and past experiences (2001, p.182), suggesting that the attractiveness of destination needs an informative city image. In the three elements mentioned above, returning tourists reporting and media reporting are important factors in motivating people visiting Amsterdam. Amsterdam has various types of recreational areas that serve different types of tourists. Comparing with Berlin, Paris and Rome, Amsterdam has its language advantage. Amsterdam inhabitants speak fluent Nederlands and sufficient English. This creates an accommodating and friendly tourist environment. Whats more, the general hygiene of Amsterdam is well maintained. This city is relaxing and has no specific religion restrains. As a result, word-of-mouth would be generally good. The second factor, media reporting and image-making, is the part that can be improved. And the improvement will make significant difference in motivating more people coming to Amsterdam. It has a lot to do with target marketing. The city image of Amsterdam is diversified. On one hand, it could be a good thing: any types of tourists will find that this city fit them. However, it makes Amsterdam an optional place to visit. If potential tourists are not fully motivated to come to Amsterdam, they can easily change their destination to Paris or Madrid. It is important for Amsterdam to have specific image to target tourist groups. As to government policies, Amsterdam has a stable and safe social environment. Despite marijuana and prostitution are legal in this city, the crime rate holds medium to low comparing with other EU cities. And these two factors are attracting a lot of curious tourists and generating money from them. The local government of Amsterdam is making an effort to promote tourism. It is obvious this city welcomes tourist, for instance, the spread of tourist information office and tickets centres, English introductions in major tram lines to entertainment area. So this element can be regarded as accomplished. 2. Tourist Segmentation and Motivation 2.1 Demographic Breakdowns Collectively, previous studies have demonstrated that tourists with different cultural backgrounds may show differences in their motivations, preferred tourism resources, and behavioural characteristics (Chen et al. 2000). According to the factsheet 2009 of Amsterdam, the main travellers are from EU countries (76%). The geographic category is: The Netherlands, U.K, U.S, Germany, Spain, France, Italy, rest of Europe, Asia, rest of America, Africa and Oceania. Since tourism is a price sensitive industry, the demographic should include income. Educational background and age are also parts of tourist profile. 2.2 Subjective Culture Groups Hofstede (1980) found that people from different societies varied in terms of four subjective cultural aspects, including power distance, masculinity-femininity, individualism-collectivism, and uncertainty avoidance. Power distance refers to the degree to which cultures encourage or maintain status differences between power holders. Masculinity-femininity refers to the relative emphasis on achievement which characterizes gender distinctions in some national cultures. Individualism means ones identity is by determined by personal choices and achievement. Collectivism has to do with ones identity is determined by the character of the collective groups to which one is attached. Uncertainty avoidance has to do with the degree to which societies and cultures develop ways to deal with the anxiety and stress of uncertainty (Kim, 1999). Previous research showed that western and Asian culture has distinctive difference with respect to four subjective cultural aspects (Enright, 1994; Dann, 1981). Power distance is bigger in Asian countries than in western countries. This implies the way people wanted to be accommodated differs when the culture background changes. Gender and religion issue could arise by travellers from Middle Eastern countries, for example, gender-separated prayer room would be appreciated by Muslims, while people from Japan and China probably would not pay much attention to it. Whats more, individualism is more appreciated in western countries while collectivism is an idea that commonly shared by Asian countries. The implication would be different focus when advertising Amsterdam. In western countries, DIY booklet of city tour would be more popular. In Asian countries, group easy access would satisfy potential travellers. People from different subjective cultural groups tend to link themselves with preferred city image of Amsterdam. So the city image of Amsterdam should have a different focus on media in different countries. 2.3 Motivation Factors Motivation has been referred to as psychological/biological/social needs and wants, including internal (or emotional) and external forces (Dann, 1981). In the context of tourist motivation, internal force is the desire to go travelling; external forces could be public holiday, attractive city experience, budget,etc. Motivation based segmentation helps marketers determine why visitors are consuming a product or service, and suggests the means by which visitors desires can be met (Oh et al., 1995). Therefore, tourist motivation studies are useful in developing product, promotion, and segmentation strategies. Analysis of tourist motivation attempts to extend the theoretical and empirical evidence on the causal relationship among the push and pull motivations, satisfaction, and destination loyalty (Yoon and Uysal, 2005). According to Uysal Hagan (1993), these forces describe how individuals are pushed by 6 motivation variables into making travel decisions and how they are pulled or attracted by destination attributes. Push factors are defined as origin-related and refer the intangible, intrinsic desires of the individual traveler, such as desire to escape, rest and relaxation, adventure, health and prestige. Pull factors are defined mainly related to the attractiveness of a given destination and tangible characteristics such as beaches, accommodation and recreation facilities and cultural and historical resources (Uysal Hagan, 1993). Goossens (2000) describes push and pull factors of tourist behavior as, two sides of the same motivational coin (2000, p. 302) and further posits that the psychological concept, emotion, connects both sides with needs functioning as a pushing motivation and benefits as a pulling motivation. More specifically, Kozak (2002) has categorized motivation push and pull factors into four subcategories: culture, pleasure-seeking/fantasy, relaxation, physical (2002, p.226). These four factors can be used in measuring tourist motivation. While Kay (2009) categorized motives as: social consumption, novelty, learn local culture and relaxation. These two categories shared similarity and have differences. 3. Marketing implication The travel market is often divided into four types of markets: personal business travel, government or corporate business travel, visiting friends and family, and leisure travel. Market segmentation is based on the profiles of target groups and measuring the attractiveness of the market (Zhang et al. 2007). In this paper, the main focus will be on leisure travel, because three types mentioned above are not sensitive to marketing strategies. They can be regarded as more fixed travel pattern on a fixed schedule and destination. 4. Theoretical Framework Motivations: 1. Relaxation 2. Social consumption 3. Pleasure-seeking/Novelty 4. Local culture Marketing implication of leisure travel to Amsterdam Subjective Culture Groups

Perfection According to Mayrs What is Evolution :: What is Evolution Essays Mayr

Perfection According to Mayr's What is Evolution In his book titled What is Evolution, Ernst Mayr bravely attempts to explain the complex biological processes of the development of plants and animals. His book, however, reaches beyond the realm of the science text book. With What is Evolution he attempts to educate an audience which may not have a strong science background but instead a strong literary background. Through this book Mayr strives for "a mid-level account of evolution, written not just for scientists but for the educated public." In short, he attempts to write a (non-fiction) scientific novel. Though his attempt to combine great literature and hard science is admirable he often gets himself into awkward situations when trying to please both the scientific and artistic sensibilities. His major problem in the book surrounds the use of the word "perfect." As a biologist, it may be easy to pass this word off as a synonym of "adaptedness," simply meaning well-suited to one's environment. As a literary-minded person, let al one English major, however, this word cannot slip by so easily. To the novel-reader, more than to the science-reader, this word carries a lot of baggage which cannot be ignored. So, why does Mayr use this word and what is he really trying to say? Does Mayr truly believe that evolution can be perfect? The baggage that gets snared when Mayr uses the word "perfect" in his discussions of evolution is the complicated literary definition given to this word. Exact and flawless are some common synonyms of the word perfect. Perfection is something that has reached the pinnacle, the zenith of existence. Nothing which is perfect needs any alterations, modifications or changes. When something is perfect it exists with ease. It does not struggle to remain where it is, and it does not struggle to remain alive; it works in harmony with its environment. Going beyond the definition, something that is perfect is commonly more highly valued than those things around it which have not yet reached perfection. People place a certain amount of value on things that occur with ease. The human race seems constantly to be striving for something that is faster, cleaner. Something that can achieve these goals with ease earns the title of perfection and is highly. The only problem with perfection, as least in the realm of science, is that once the peak of perfection is reached there is no place towards it can further develop.