Life Goes On free essay sample

After 120 minutes of playing our hearts out against the best team that the state had to offer, the score was tied and the only thing left to decide the winner was the heartbreaking lottery of penalties. Both teams had scored four penalties each, but they had missed the last one. Now, it was my turn to own up to the challenge and to decide the fate of my team. Keeping away from the piercing gaze of the goalie, I took a deep breath, ran up, and struck the ball. As a former professional soccer player, my grandfather had a lot of expectations for me. Ever since I could walk, he would take me to teach me how to play the beautiful game. When we were in Albania, the street would be my stadium, with him guiding my every step. At the age of six, my family moved to America. Now that I was older, he took the training to a whole new level. We will write a custom essay sample on Life Goes On or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Because he had work during the day, he would wake me up at eight every morning to practice. At the time, I hated it. I wanted to be like all the other kids, relaxing without a care in the world. Instead, I would be doing drills under my grandfather’s command, no matter what the weather. Ten years later, I had joined my third club team in two years. Unlike other teams though, these kids had not played together for seven years. Their parents could not pay thousands of dollars for their development. They were all strangers taken from different corners of the city with one thing in common, a love for the game. In our first full season together, we failed miserably. We came out playing as individuals, ignoring what was best for the team and trying to change the game single-handedly. We took eighth place in a ten-team league. That next summer, my dad became the assistant coach of the team. With the help of my grandfather, he began to mold us into what we had the potential to become. My grandfather truly valued hard work, so we practiced five days a week, working ourselves to the ground in the blistering heat while the competition was resting. There was only one acceptable goal for the next season, to become champions. Halfway into our undefeated season, I received news that my grandfather was diagnosed with cancer. I couldn’t believe it. I found myself not being able to focus on anything. Soccer, schoolwork, and everything in between was left on the side while I tried to comprehend what had happened. It was something that you see happening only in movies and books; you don’t expect it to hit you so suddenly. A month later, after I came to terms with everything, my team had found itself making a deep run in the state cup, eventually reaching the final. After two hours of playing, it was my turn to determine the outcome of our season. As I was getting ready to take the penalty shot, I looked over to the sideline, expecting to see my dad mouthing some words of wisdom to me. What I saw left me flabbergasted. My grandfather was sitting right next to my dad, with the most genuine smile plastered across his face. Apparently, I had been so focused on the game that I hadn’t looked around to notice him. A small fire started to burn inside of me. I knew that this is what my grandfather had been waiting for, ever since I was a kid, playing in the streets of Albania. I knew what I had to do for him. I ran up to the ball and struck it as hard as I could. The swoosh of a net echoed through the field. Everything else seemed to cloud out for a moment. I had done it for my grandfather. Life Goes On free essay sample â€Å"In three words I can sum up everything Ive learned about life: it goes on.† Robert Frost After not making the varsity volleyball team, moving to a different state, and dealing with cancer in the family, I have come to realize that life goes on no matter what situations are thrown my way. There is no use in wasting time crying about the past when you should really only be focusing on the future. It was my turn. I walked through the double doors, down what seemed to be a never ending hallway and entered the volleyball coach’s office. My armpits were sweating and my stomach was turning. â€Å"You are a great player, but we need you more on JV. I’m sorry.† My heart sank. I walked out of her office and tried my best to avoid all possible contact with the world. I sat in my bed that night wondering what the other girls had that I didn’t. We will write a custom essay sample on Life Goes On or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page After an hour of moping, I began to laugh. I got up, played the theme song to â€Å"The Fresh Prince of Bellaire† and danced around my room with abandon. Life goes on. How did I get here? Will people like me? What should I wear on my first day of school? These were all thoughts running through my mind as I unpacked my last box of knick-knacks that two days ago resided in North Carolina. I was now in the flat, landlocked state of Ohio. My questions were soon answered. I was here in order to be closer to my relatives, people did like me, and I found an awesome new outfit from Limited Two to wear on the first day of school. Life goes on. The worst thing you can hear as a child is that your mom has cancer. I was twelve when I heard it myself. My parents somehow presented this horrible news in an optimistic way. After her first chemo treatment, it was hard to ignore reality, but my mom would not let it bring us down. Instead, my mother suggested that she and I go shopping for the coolest and cutest hats in town. Life goes on. â€Å"In three words [and three paragraphs] I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life: it goes on.† – Robert Frost

Common Peasants of the Middle essays

Common Peasants of the Middle essays The Common peasants of the Middle Ages had a rough and tedious life, many peasants were separated from their family among them included: sons, daughters, and wives as well as many peasants suffered from severe illnesses from disease they could not treat because they did not have the money nor the status to afford or see a doctor. Throughout the Middle Ages the peasants lived a rough life. Just the term "peasants" had the status of meaning to be under all the other classes; These were the lowest class of people someone could be. The peasants always worked for the higher class like the King and Queen. That was not the worst part of being a peasant. They rarely were around their family because usually the family is split up into different parts. You can't hardly have a women working the fields or the children hunting for the meat; that would bring down the production and efficiency. The Common peasants of the Middle Ages had a very tedious life. Many peasants suffered diseases and none had the money or the status to afford or see a doctor. They had little or no reason to live since they were always working for the higher The peasants had no real power nor authority in any matter. During times of war they could be called upon to do battle and if they refused, they would be killed. The peasants were forced to live in small crude huts and they had rough straw mats to sleep on. Their daily consumed dietary supplement included black bread, eggs, poultry, and vegetables; though the meat was rarely eaten since they did not have the money to buy it. They could not live off of the land and hunt the animals because it was illegal; hunting on the Lords land was a very strict rule and no peasant could impose on the Lord's game. The Lords were the overseers of the peasants and ...

Learn About the Central Asian Country of Afghanistan

Learn About the Central Asian Country of Afghanistan Population: 28,395,716 (July 2009 estimate)Capital: KabulArea: 251,827 square miles (652,230 sq km)Bordering Countries: China, Iran, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and UzbekistanHighest Point: Noshak at 24,557 feet (7,485 m)Lowest Point: Amu Darya at 846 feet (258 m) Afghanistan, officially called the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a large landlocked country located in Central Asia. About two-thirds of its land is rugged and mountainous and much of the country is sparsely populated. Afghanistans people are very poor and the country has recently been working to achieve political and economic stability despite the reemergence of the Taliban, following its fall in 2001. Afghanistans History Afghanistan was once a part of the ancient Persian Empire but was conquered by Alexander the Great in 328 B.C.E. In the 7th century, Islam arrived in Afghanistan after Arab peoples invaded the area. Several different groups then tried to run Afghanistans lands until the 13th century when Genghis Khan and the Mongol Empire invaded the area. The Mongols controlled the area until 1747 when Ahmad Shah Durrani founded what is present-day Afghanistan. By the 19th century, Europeans began entering Afghanistan when the British Empire expanded into the Asian subcontinent and in 1839 and 1878, there were two Anglo-Afghan wars. At the end of the second war, Amir Abdur Rahman took control of Afghanistan but the British still played a role in foreign affairs. In 1919, Abdur Rahmans grandson, Amanullah, took control of Afghanistan and began a third Anglo-Afghan war after invading India. Shortly after the war began however, the British and Afghans signed the Treaty of Rawalpindi on August 19, 1919 and Afghanistan officially became independent. Following its independence, Amanullah attempted to modernize and incorporate Afghanistan into world affairs. Beginning in 1953, Afghanistan again closely aligned itself with the former Soviet Union. In 1979, though, the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan and installed communist group in the country and occupied the area with its military occupation until 1989. In 1992, Afghanistan was able to overthrow Soviet rule with its mujahideen guerrilla fighters and established an Islamic Jihad Council that same year to take over Kabul. Shortly thereafter, the mujahideen began having ethnic conflicts. In 1996, the Taliban then began rising in power in an attempt to bring stability to Afghanistan. However, the Taliban imposed strict Islamic rule on the country which lasted until 2001. During its growth in Afghanistan, the Taliban took many rights from its people and caused tensions throughout the world after the September 11 terrorist attacks in 2001 because it allowed Osama bin Laden and other Al-Qaida members to remain in the country. In November 2001, after United States military occupation of Afghanistan, the Taliban fell and its official control of Afghanistan ended. In 2004, Afghanistan had its first democratic elections and Hamid Karzai became Afghanistans first president via election. Government of Afghanistan Afghanistan is an Islamic Republic that is divided into 34 provinces. It has executive, legislative and judicial branches of government. Afghanistans executive branch consists of a head of government and chief of state, while its legislative branch is a bicameral National Assembly made up of the House of Elders and the House of People. The judicial branch is comprised of a nine member Supreme Court and High Courts and Appeals Courts. Afghanistans most recent Constitution was ratified on January 26, 2004. Economics and Land Use in Afghanistan Afghanistans economy is currently recovering from years of instability but it is considered one of the poorest nations in the world. Most of the economy is based on agriculture and industry. Afghanistans top agricultural products are opium, wheat, fruits, nuts, wool, mutton, sheepskins and lambskins; while its industrial products include textiles, fertilizer, natural gas, coal and copper. Geography and Climate of Afghanistan Two-thirds of Afghanistans terrain consists of rugged mountains. It also has plains and valleys in the northern and southwestern regions. The valleys of Afghanistan are its most populated areas and much of the countrys agriculture takes place either here or on the high plains. Afghanistans climate is arid to semiarid and has very hot summers and very cold winters. More Facts about Afghanistan Afghanistans official languages are Dari and Pashto Life expectancy in Afghanistan is 42.9 years Only ten percent of Afghanistan is below 2,000 feet (600 m) Afghanistans literacy rate is 36% References Central Intelligence Agency. (2010, March 4). CIA - the World Factbook - Afghanistan. Retrieved from: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/af.html Geographica World Atlas Encyclopedia. 1999. Random House Australia: Milsons Point NSW Australia. Infoplease. (n.d.). Afghanistan: History, Geography, Government, Culture -Infoplease.com. Retrieved from: infoplease.com/ipa/A0107264.html United States Department of State. (2008, November). Afghanistan (11/08). Retrieved from: state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/5380.htm

Leadership Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 22

Leadership - Assignment Example Madiba as he was known has been called a global icon, freedom fighter and South Africa’s Favorite Son. He is a nonprofit leader as he stood for the rights of the black people during the apartheid period. This resulted in being a political prisoner for 27 years. Also, Mandela is the most honoured political prisoner in history. It is evident since prison bars could not prevent him from inspiring South Africans to struggle and sacrifice for the liberation. Mandela actions led South Africa to gain independence in 1994 and he became the first democratically elected president. Mandela actions of humanity led to him to win a Nobel Peace Prize in 1993 (Guiloineau, 2002). In conclusion, Mandela sacrificed the joys of family life to pursue a career of his choice to fight for the values of his people. Even after retiring from presidency in June 1999, Mandela continued to campaign globally for peace and the fight against HIV/AIDS. Mandela also formed an independent group of global leaders who would offer their collective influence and experience to support peace building and enhance shared interest of humanity. He died on 5 Dec 2013 after a lung

Management and Delivery of UK Higher Education Essay

Management and Delivery of UK Higher Education - Essay Example With time the division of the government, private sector, nongovernment sector and public sector faded to such an extent that the area of public services expanded and included the services provided by the private sector and the non government sector too. Hence it can be said that the providers of the public services can be referred as the organisation from the multilayered sector. Hence sometimes the public services are referred as ‘people establishment’ which provide service to the general public and works on collective interest and also accept the responsibility for those services provided. Therefore the sector of public sector is heterogeneous which contains different people who had different expectations. Therefore the management of the public services is very important. The public service officials has to deal with the different political situations as well as ensure that the services done are morally correct as the services uses the resources of the society and are valuable to the society. The services constitute the technical skills, ethical values and leadership (Bowmen, West and Beck, 2009, p.9). The areas of public services include medical or health care sector, housing sector, transport sector, police services and the services and the services of government (Bach, et al, 1999, p.58). The health care sector provides services which includes highly technical expertise. This service is provided by the government as well as the private organisations. This sector is driven by ethical standards. Education which was primarily a government domain and was provided by the government is now provided by the other non-profit organisations too. The main objective of these service... This paper approves that the measurement and management of any service cannot be complete without mentioning the quality aspect of the service. For managing the performance of any service it is important to manage the quality of the service. Quality management in the higher education sector has always been a tough job. This is because the meaning of quality varies from person to person. In case of higher education the range of stake holders is quite large. The stake holders are both internal and external of the organisation. This paper makes a conclusion that it can be said that performance management system was introduced by the government in the UK primarily to make the public sector organisation act more efficiently and become at par with the private sector organisations. The transition of the public management system with the new public management enhanced the area of the implementation and the performance management system was also implemented in the non profit organisations like medical sector and the education sector. The implementation of the performance management system has impacted the higher education system in a number of ways. It has increased the financial strength of the institutes, made the service providers more accountable to their work and also motivated the good performers by rewarding them but, it has also increased the pressure on the teachers and the management to perform well every time which is sometime passed to the students. In all it can be said that the implementation of the performance management system have both positive and negative impact on the higher education in UK.

Physics of a Spudgun :: physics potato gun cannon

Well it's quite simple actually. Spudguns use some of the same principles as internal combustion engines. Just as burning gas forces a piston out of a cylinder it can also force out a potato. A spudgun is a device that uses some form of propellant to project a potato across the sky. Usually these devices are made of ABS plastic sewer pipe. There are several major parts of the spud gun that these pages will refer to. These parts are the firing chamber, the igniter, and the barrel. The ignition device of a spud gun is simply put the spark generator that causes the combustion of the fuel in the firing chamber. This device is usually a charcoal grill lighter. The button on the sparker is depressed and a spark arcs across a wire lead and a ground wire. The grill sparker is installed in to the back of the firing chamber by means of threading, epoxy, and bolts. This sparker becomes a projectile if it is not well seated in the end cap of the firing chamber. It must be held firmly in place withstanding any pressure produced by the fuels being burned in the chamber. This type or igniter will work in most conditions including when it becomes wet with fuel. Other igniters exist but are not recommended as highly as the charcoal grill sparker. The Colmen lantern spin lighter which use a flint and striker can become gummed up with some fuels and is not recommended for use in spud guns which will use hairspray as a primary fuel. This lighter must have new flints installed when they run out. This type of lighter also will fail to function when wet with fuel. The flame style barbecue lighter is a click lighter that produces a small-sustained flame. This lighter rarely misfires but is very hard to install given the high pressures it would be subjected to. Also the fuel in the lighter it self must be refilled. Some Spud Guns use a spark plug and battery setup that involves more work as well as more components. The benefits of this style of ignition system is that you have the ability to remote detonate the fuel from a safe distance. By far the push button charcoal grill sparker is the recommended igniter. It is cheap, effective, relatively easy to install and long lasting.

Levis Strauss Case Study Analysis

Introduction Companies use various strategy models to analyse their current status and formulate strategies for future directions they ought to take (Johnson et al., 2014). With the high level of dynamism than characterises the present-day business environment, companies need to be aware of their internal capabilities, and use them to deal with the external threats and opportunities. Among the models that can aid in this Porter’s generic strategies, the PESTEL and SWOT frameworks and Porter’s five forces (Zott, Amit and Massa, 2011). This paper presents an analysis of a case study about Levis Strauss three Porter’s generic strategies, and further determines the company’s strategic position using SWOT analysis. Models2.1. Porters’ Generic strategies (From the case study) Narrow Market ScopeSegmentation strategy 1.Older disaffected shoppers – â€Å"fans who love us but quite frankly left us† 2.The lost generation – â€Å"fans who don’t really know who we are† Broad Market ScopeDifferentiation strategy 1. Classic pieces of clothing such as button fly and trucker jacket that are the seam for the giant business of denim 2. Return the brand to its roots while moving forward 3. Innovation- Levi Strauss is using high-tech by involving a team of 30 people on its Eureka lab to work on 30 prototypes a week. The company encourages the conversion of ideas into design in less than 24 hoursCost leadership 1. Reduction of inflated cost structure by the new Levi CEO 2. Progressive growth in sales volumes for successive years. Uniqueness CompetencyLow Cost Competency2.2. SWOT Analysis (From the case study) Strengths 1. Popular and strong brand name 2. Expertise and experience in the denim Industry 3. Focus on things other than profits- captioned ‘profits through principles’ for examples, donations and scholarships 4. Levi Strauss company has a visionary CEO in Chip Bergh Weaknesses 1. The company focuses too much on brand protection 2. Limited business growth due to increase in competition from other denim companies 3. Complacency in coming up with innovative designs for customers 4. Delays in trends such as colored jeans for women and more tailored jeans for men 5. With 16200 employees, the company incurs high expenses in paying wages. Opportunities 1. The casual wear market is growing fast 2. Internationalisation into emerging markets characterised by low cost manufacturing and production 3. High tech re-invention that is the use of technology to create a tech-advanced women’s denim that fit depending on body shape.Threats 1. Fast changing consumer tastes 2. Increasing Competition from low end substitutes such as Lee and Wrangler hence lower market share 4. Very close competition for market share with rivals targeting the same high-end customer base Discussion3.1. Porter Generic strategiesMichael Porter suggests 3 broad generic strategies that can be used by a company to outperform its competitors (Porter, 2008). These are segmentation, differentiation and cost leadership strategies. From the analysis of Levi Strauss’ case, the strategies from Porter’s generic model are clearly exhibited. Cost leadership, according to the model, refers to a strategy where a company sets its prices below that of its rivals and is independent of the market structure. From the analysis, this strategy was implemented on entry of Chip Bergh; the company’s new CEO cut the cost and pricing structure that was previously inflated as it targeted high-end customers. The adopted prices might not be lowest in the industry, but is close to that of the company’s key rivals, which also makes Levi products to attract new price-sensitive customers and those that were lost to other cheaper brands. The differentiation strategy is also e vident at Levi Strauss. Companies use different approaches to differentiate themselves from their competitors. These include creation of unique designs, adoption of new technologies and making changes their brand images (Zott, Amit and Massa, 2011). Levis has used all these strategies to achieve uniqueness in the denim industry. The company capitalises on the specific designs that will attract consumers and win their loyalty, including those that had shifted to other less costly brands. In regard to the segmentation strategy, the company strives to meet the needs and specification of a given target market for instance; type of product, location of sales or the category of customers it targets. In relation to Levis, the customer segments it targets are the ‘older disaffected’ shoppers who genuinely left the company for alternatives that suited them better and the ‘lost generation’ customers, who know nothing about it. By defining its customer segments, the company is able to design products and services that are tailored towards matching the needs and preferences of these groups. as argued by Porter (2008), a company that fails to develop any strategy in regards to the three broad categories defined by Porter is considered as being ‘stuck in the middle’ because it will have no competitive advantage in the market.3.2. SWOT AnalysisSWOT analysis is a strategic tool that is used to subjectively assess information about a company or organisation outlining its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (Ommani, 2011). Whilst strengths and weaknesses are internal elements of an organisation, opportunities and threats are external elements that the company has no control of. From the analysis present in section 2.2, Levi Strauss draws one of its strengths from the fact that it has a big brand name in the denim industry with a lot of expertise and experience drawn from the fact that it is the oldest denim company. In addition to this, the company known to focus more on things related to the smooth flow of business than only on profits and it has a fast growth of retail shops. These strengths have enabled the company to survive the competition it has faced from companies like Zara and H&M. The major weakness that was noted about Levi Strauss is the complacency of the company’s design team in coming up with unique products. Such weaknesses make the company prone to competition from rivals that are committed towards providing the best designs and are flexible enough to match the changing market trends. As stated by the company’s CEO in the case, â€Å"At Levi, designers sit in the company’s archives and look at old Western shirts and jeans†¦We have one of the greatest brands in the world, but I think that there may have been periods where we thought the brand itself could carry us through thick and thin, there is no question that we got complacent†. The opportunities that have been identified in the SWOT analysis above give the company a prospect for better performance in future, especially if it puts its strengths to beneficial use. These opportunities include the increase in market demand for casual wear, opportunities to expand operations into new markets, and the technological developments taking place in the fashion industry, which can greatly increase production and marketing efficiency of the company. In regard to the probable increase in demand of casual apparel, the company needs to device strategies that will motivate its employees avoid complacency and embark on designing competitive products. Failure to do so will make the company to lose these potential clients to rivals because these opportunities are for all companies in this industry (Grant, 2013). The main threat, as highlighted in the case study, is the rivalry that exists in the industry. This has to be overcome by application of the strategies that were earli er discussed in Porter’s generic strategy model. This will make the company a formidable competitor in the industry. Conclusion and Recommendations From the analysis above by the use of Porter’s generic strategies and SWOT analysis it has been identified that whilst the company may have some weaknesses, it also possesses several capabilities if well utilised, will strengthen its brand position in the denim apparel industry. Several recommendation can however be made for Levi Strauss. One of these would be that the company should focus on the frequently changing needs of consumers in the denim market and ensure that its operations and designs are flexible enough to match with these changing trends. Taking advantage of technological milestones in the fashion industry also recommended. This will ensure the production of unique yet trendy designs. From the Ansoff matrix below, the strategic directions that a company can use to position itself in the market are presented (Taylor, 2012). Two of the four strategic directions suggested by this model have already been adopted by Levi Company, that is, selling existing products to existing markets and extending existing products in new markets. It can however recommended that the company should adopt one of the two remaining factors of this model, which is the diversification through creation of more designs of products that suit a wider demographic scope of customers. This will lead to larger consumer base hence higher revenue. References Cunningham, J., & Harney, B?. (2012) Strategy and Strategists. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Grant, R. M. (2013) Contemporary Strategy Analysis. New Jersey: Wiley. Johnson, G., Whittington, R., Angwin, D., Regnr, P., & Scholes, K. (2014). Exploring Strategy Text Only. UK: Pearson Education, Limited. Ommani, A. R. (2011) Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) analysis for farming system businesses management: Case of wheat farmers of Shadervan District, Shoushtar Township, Iran. African Journal of Business Management. 5(22). p.9448-9454. Porter, M. (2008) Competitive Strategy: Techniques for Analysing Industries and Competitors. New York: Simon and Schuster. Tanwar, R. (2013) Porter’s Generic Competitive Strategies. Journal of Business and Management. 15(1). p.11-17. Taylor, E. C. (2012) Competitive Improvement Planning: Using Ansoff’s Matrix with Abell’s Model to Inform the Strategic Management Process. Academy of Strategic Management 10(1). p.21-25. Zott, C., Amit, R., & Massa, L. (2011) The business model: recent developments and future research. Journal of management 37(4). p.1019-1042.